230 Ch. Passage Translation Notes on metaphor Ascesis is a (uneven) path 67 τὴν τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἐξομαλίσας τρίβον While he made even the path of ascesis Ascesis = an uneven path, but Gregory has the power to even it out; uneven implies that ascesis is difficult Combination of CMs: Ascesis is a path & virtue is the destination of a path & divine is up 67 Καὶ διὰ μὲν θείας μελέτης τὴν τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἐξομαλίσας τρίβον ἅπαν πρόσκομμα καὶ σκῶλον ἐξέβαλε τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀγούσης ὁδοῦ, καὶ λείαν ἑαυτῷ ταύτην κατασκευάσας πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἄνω βασιλείας ἀνάκτορον ἔφθασεν. And through divine exercise, while making even the path of ascesis, he removed every obstacle and hindrance from the road which leads to virtue, and after having prepared it [the road] even for himself, he reached the royal dwelling-place of the kingdom above. Ascesis = an uneven path; virtue = destination of that path; the path leads to the kingdom above (i.e. heaven) (divine is up); cf. Isaiah 40:3: ‘make straight in the desert a highway for our God’ (KJV) Difficulties are obstacles on the road 67 ἅπαν πρόσκομμα καὶ σκῶλον ἐξέβαλε τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀγούσης ὁδοῦ he removed every obstacle and hindrance from the road which leads to virtue Spiritual progress is running up to a height Pro ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον πολιτείας ὕψος ἀνέδραμε(ν) he ran up to such height of way of living 66 πρὸς πόσον ὕψος ἀνέδραμε(ν) to how great a height he ran up to 67 εἰς ἐκείνην ἀνέδραμε τὴν τῶν ὀρεκτῶν κορυφήν he ran up to that summit of the things longed for Being wrong is wandering 57 Πεπλάνησαι, ἀδελφέ· οὐδὲ γὰρ τῆς σῆς, ὡς φής, ὀπτασίας ἐπ’ ἐμοὶ τὶ σημεῖον γέγονεν. You wander, brother: because there was no sign from your vision over me. Wandering/being led astray signifies being wrong. In this case, the saint tells a disciple that the disciple has misinterpreted what he saw.
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