Andrew Louth - Syriac Christian Church

210 NOTES
hêmin (see On human nature 39 [Morani, 112–14]), which is found in
Aristotle (Nichomachean Ethics., III.3.6; 1112a31).
123 Spoudaios: a term of ultimately Stoic provenance. It is not easy to
translate: it means one who is striving after the virtue, in contrast both
to those who are making no effort, and (in its original Stoic context) to
those—the wise—who have achieved virtue. ‘Serious’ or ‘earnest’ are the
best English has to offer.
124 Maximus provides an etymological explanation for the term for
resentment—mênis—deriving it from menein (‘to remain’) and mnêmê
(‘memory’).
125 Similarly, Maximus derives the word for rancour—kotos—from keisthai
(‘to lie down’).
126 In Gen. 17:5, as a sign of his covenant with Abraham, God changes his
name from Abram to Abraham, as the names are represented in English
bibles. In the LXX the change is from Abram to Abraam, i.e. there is
addition of the letter alpha. According to Philo, Abram meant ‘uplifted
father’ and Abraham ‘elect father of sound’, signifying the good man’s
reasoning (see On the Giants 62–4, and elsewhere).
127 An echo of Plotinus’ ‘flight of the alone to the Alone’ (Enneads, VI.9.11).
128 What Maximus means by this is that Abraham’s ascent to God
involves rejection of everything apart from God, something aptly
signified by the letter alpha, which in Greek is used as a prefix to
indicate negation (the ‘alpha privative’).
129 Lev. 7:30. Maximus follows the LXX, which differs from the Hebrew
(and English bibles based on it), in mentioning the lobe of the liver, in
addition to the fat and the breast. Maximus’ comments are only loosely
based on the Scriptural text (which does not mention the kidneys, even
in the LXX), and really go back to classical philosophy. But Plato links
the incensive power with the heart, and the desiring power with the liver
(Timaeus. 70A–72C) and the same linking is found in Nemesius,
Maximus’ usual source (see On human nature 16, Morani [1987], 73, ll.
12f.). Maximus seems to accept the link between the incensive power
and the heart above, section 44. Galen maintained that the liver was the
source of the blood, which might lie behind Maximus’ association of the
liver and the incensive power (see Taylor [1928], 503).
130 This section is based on Lev. 13, a long discussion of the diagnosis and
treatment of leprosy.
131 Num. 25:6–9.
132 See Num. 25:14f. Maximus’ interpretation of Zambri (in English bibles
Zimri) is traditional: see Wutz (1914–15), 420. Chasbi (English bibles:
Cozbi) is usually interpreted as meaning ‘deceitful’ (see Wutz [1914–15],
951).
133 Cf. Matt. 10:10, Luke 9:3, 10:4, though the text as Maximus cites it
agrees exactly with none of these.
134 Following the emendation suggested in Migne.
135 See Matt. 17:14–21.
136 For the word translated ‘epileptic’ literally means ‘pertaining to the
moon’ (and therefore ‘lunatic’ in older English translations).