Philoxenus of Mabbug

In his own words on Deuteronomy

• Deuteronomy 6:5

  That the people should love God was the greatest of the commandments, and therefore Moses urged them to fear Him. The commandment, "[Thou shalt] love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind", belonged to those who were righteous among them; but those who were like slaves, and who like slaves were committing offences at all times, he commanded to fear God, for fear repulseth vices, and love perfecteth virtues. Fear cutteth off the path of iniquitous men, and love urgeth on the way of the virtues. "Fear God", and "Love the Lord thy God"; these two commands were ordained in the law which was given to the people, so that whosoever became exalted above the command of fear might find before him the command of love, which is perfected therefrom.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 7 -- Second Discourse on the Fear of God

• Deuteronomy 6:12

  Observe then these defects, O thou that lovest spiritual excellence, and excuse thyself from this wickedness, that thou mayest not forget God and thine own self thereby, and thy discernment be darkened against all that is seemly; and with these remember also that which was spoken by the prophet Moses to the Jews, saying, "Take heed when thou eatest, and art satisfied, lest thou forget the Lord thy God who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt." And behold the Spirit of God hath taught thee openly that error is born of fulness of food, and that, when a man hath forgotten God, he marcheth fearlessly into all wickedness, and associateth himself with all evils. For as the sight of a stern master is to riotous slaves, even so is the remembrance of God unto the soul; for it maketh the tumultuousness of the thoughts shamefaced, and immediately the thought of Him falleth into the mind all the perturbed thoughts hasten to put themselves in the order of fear, and the soul becometh suddenly a peaceful house, an ordered temple, a pure dwelling, and a holy mansion of the Trinity.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 10 -- On Gluttony

• Deuteronomy 8:3

  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which goeth forth from the mouth of God." Now He said "shall live," and not, "shall be sound," nor, "shall be strong," nor, "shall be filled its lust's need;" and although this word is of little importance in its utterance, yet a great distinction is apparent therein. For He taught us clearly by that word that not by bread alone should man live, but that he should eat only to live, and not for the sake of lust, or strength, or healthy condition; for according to these things is life stablished also in sickness, and in weakness a man liveth unto them in the world.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Deuteronomy 32:13

  Even as also the prophet Moses hath taught us that through this cause the people forgot their God, and that through the lust of the belly they went forth unto idolatry, and from eating meat they were led into blasphemies, and from dainty foods they arrived at all wickedness, saying, "He made him to dwell upon the strength of the earth, and He made him to eat of the produce of the field. He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the rock of flint: butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with the fat of stalled beasts, rams, the offspring of ibexes, and kids, with the fat and fatty parts of wheat, and He made him to drink wine of the blood of grapes. And Israel waxed fat and kicked, he grew fat, and became thick, and acquired riches." And what happened unto him because of these things? and to what pass did he come by reason of these desirable things? and what country did he possess through these dainties with which he delighted himself? and into what sicknesses did the overfeeding of the belly, and the superfluity of meats cast him? Now Moses himself hath explained and made known unto us what the people obtained from these possessions: "He forgot the God Who made him, and he blasphemed the Might which redeemed him. He moved Him to jealousy with strange things, and provoked Him to wrath with idols. They sacrificed unto devils which were not gods, and unto gods which they had not known." These are the things which the people obtained from dainty foods, and this is the inheritance of the worship of devils which they inherited from the overabundance of the body. And from the table which was rich in meats they were drawn unto the unclean tables of idols, and from dainty foods they went forth to cast stinking things before graven images, and through the lust which taketh away the strength from nature they came to unclean thoughts which are alien unto nature.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 10 -- On Gluttony

• Deuteronomy 32:14

  And through this lust another Prophet brought accusation against the people, saying, "They ate fatlings of the flocks, and calves from the herds." For the lust of the belly is the captain of the host of the left side, and to it are fettered all the hosts of sin, and as captains of hosts go forth to war at the head of their companies against the enemy, even so also doth it, as the captain of the host of all wickedness, go forth to war against that which is good.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Deuteronomy 32:15

  Even as also the prophet Moses hath taught us that through this cause the people forgot their God, and that through the lust of the belly they went forth unto idolatry, and from eating meat they were led into blasphemies, and from dainty foods they arrived at all wickedness, saying, "He made him to dwell upon the strength of the earth, and He made him to eat of the produce of the field. He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the rock of flint: butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with the fat of stalled beasts, rams, the offspring of ibexes, and kids, with the fat and fatty parts of wheat, and He made him to drink wine of the blood of grapes. And Israel waxed fat and kicked, he grew fat, and became thick, and acquired riches." And what happened unto him because of these things? and to what pass did he come by reason of these desirable things? and what country did he possess through these dainties with which he delighted himself? and into what sicknesses did the overfeeding of the belly, and the superfluity of meats cast him? Now Moses himself hath explained and made known unto us what the people obtained from these possessions: "He forgot the God Who made him, and he blasphemed the Might which redeemed him. He moved Him to jealousy with strange things, and provoked Him to wrath with idols. They sacrificed unto devils which were not gods, and unto gods which they had not known." These are the things which the people obtained from dainty foods, and this is the inheritance of the worship of devils which they inherited from the overabundance of the body. And from the table which was rich in meats they were drawn unto the unclean tables of idols, and from dainty foods they went forth to cast stinking things before graven images, and through the lust which taketh away the strength from nature they came to unclean thoughts which are alien unto nature.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 10 -- On Gluttony

• Deuteronomy 32:15

  Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. Incited thereby they were ungrateful for all the acts of grace which had been shewn unto them, for Israel had waxed fat and kicked through this lust, and it is written of him, that "He forgot God Who made him."

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence