. . . This is neither the proper place nor the proper time to inform you about all the misfortunes I have experienced since the genesis of man. Yet, I would like you to grant me the privilege of mourning for a while, because immediately I am united with the mortal body, I find myself buried, alas, even before birth – during pregnancy – in a woman’s womb. All wise men liken the body to the soul’s tomb. If this is true, and this tomb is buried in a womb, then I am buried twice, namely, in the fetus and in the womb. This is the courtesy paid to me by the body when I come to meet and merge with it. It is a welcome pertaining to a stranger, not a friend. And what happens next, most reverend judges? My plight is the same as the plight of a potter’s works, which are objects made from clay, just like the body. After delivery, we both come out of the shared grave, we are both released from the womb. Yet, I am still imprisoned inside the body. That is precisely the reason why it is often called grave, tomb, tunic, tether, tent and so on. Instead of being blissfully happy, for we have come out of darkness into the light, and we can breathe the life-giving air and see the bright sun, we begin our wanderings in this world like dejected fellow-travelers. We do not start jumping around our mother full of joy, like lamps or calves or fawns, for the body is in great agony – and I sympathize with it – because of our sudden emergence from the warmth of the womb into the cold air. . . (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1349C, D – 1350A).

The body feeds on milk and grows bigger. However, being tied to that flabby body is like being swept along by the muddy waters of a raging torrent. It is very difficult for me to remain on the surface and I am submerged into the rapidly moving water. Therefore, how is it possible for me to behave rationally and for my actions to make sense? Yet, all these, however horrid and dreadful, are consistent with the laws of nature and the changeless order of creation. And this makes them bearable. But what is intolerable and utterly inhumane is the fact that not even when I manage to emerge from the murky bottom of imprudence – as the process of physical development continues – and begin to see the light of soundness, am I completely freed from mindlessness. I could well liken myself to somebody who after getting drunk or slipping into a coma can not immediately come to his senses and recover his equilibrium. Fortunately, time knows the damage inflicted by witlessness – by this deity of disaster – and urges man to embark on the process of self-awareness and educating and training himself in order to de equipped with knowledge and prudence. But who – time, science or perhaps somebody else – will ever manage to deliver me from the tyranny of food and drink and of the forces generated by them, namely, emotions and desires? Who is the one who can brag about throwing off these shackles? Who, other than you who have transcended the boundaries of human nature, is the one to brag about harnessing the insatiable belly and the frenzied throat through fasting and asceticism? You are the ones who, although confined in mortal bodies, have succeeded so soon in equaling the angels – and surpassing the fallen ones. You are an exception to the rule, and this is the reason why my speech is addressed to you. Of the rest of the mortals, who else other than Daniel the Prophet has ever managed to silence roaring rage? Who has been ever been sager than all the sages and managed to tame his desires, which like poisonous and deadly snakes numb a person’s senses and make him blind and deaf to the world around him? (Psalm 57, 5, 6) And who has ever displayed greater strength than Paul the Apostle who threw away the adder that had stung him without being harmed by its poison? (Acts, 28, 1-6) Who, after being brought up, has not yielded to temptation and has not become a champion of physical pleasures, in contrast to the young men who were with Azarias (Daniel, 3,18) who refused to kneel before the handmade statue that was made of gold, silver, brass and iron? (Daniel, 2.32, 3.1) And, in short, who can boast of breaking the chains of greed, avarice and lechery, and managing to disentangle himself from these intertwining ills that form a strong single chain which renders man susceptible to more sins? To my mind, these three vices are the favorite daughters of the leech mentioned by Solomon (Aphorisms, 30, 15), namely, of the bloodthirsty flesh, which sucks up all lifeblood of human beings (Palamas, MDLIII, p.1350B,C,D – 1351A).

The body has always been insolent and unjust to me. And that is exactly the reason why I have brought this case to trial. Nature has wisely ordained that in order for our species to survive pleasure should be an inherent part of eating and giving birth to children. Only in this way would man be attracted to food and the womb of woman. Only in this way would he manage to remain fit and healthy and avoid becoming extinct. Yet, the body, after taking advantage of these natural laws, uses them as excuses to pursue further enjoyment in excess. Immediately food is digested in the stomach, the body hankers after getting it full again. Instead of being content with the delicacies offered to it in abundance, it craves for more. It can not be satisfied with its own wine – which it considers second-rate and of low quality, and looks upon it as water that simply flows away – and its thirst can only be quenched with the wine of others. The clothes it covets should not just protect it from cold and bad weather; they should be elaborate, expensive, elegant, and made from rare material. In addition, I am forced to consent to accepting the services of maids, bakers, cooks and skillful weavers, and satisfy its gross and plentiful desires. To my mind, this assenting of mine to its outrageous requests is nothing but a tribute I am obliged to pay to the body, it is a sign of dependence. And now I am asking you, ministers of God: What kind of life could I possibly lead next to somebody who is prodigal and lascivious and seeks only base satisfaction? Is it possible for me to abstain from evil deeds? Is it possible for me to tolerate all these without bearing any grudges? Could it be that I am exaggerating? If the body asked for just the necessary to remain alive, I would not complain at all. If it asked for just the necessary to hide its nakedness and protect itself from cold winds, I would gladly consent to it. If it were satisfied with what it already has, if it just wanted to keep on being, I would not consider its demands an effrontery, I would not accuse it of anything and I would not have put it on trial. But, things being as they are, I am forced to act this way. What the body has done is use natural laws as an excuse for seeking base enjoyment. (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1351A,B,C,D).

Paul the Apostle states about sin: ‘It is via the written law that desires were kindled in me and I was made to sin. The prohibitions dictated by the law were my excuse for deceiving myself and taking my own life away’ (To Romans, Chapter 7, 8-11). And this is exactly what has happened with us. The natural laws according to which the body needs to be fed and kept warm and be protected by adverse weather conditions were used by the body itself as a means of making me succumb to its desires. After my granting it everything necessary for its survival, I am tricked into giving my consent to things absolutely nonessential and vile. And this is like putting me to death. A wasteful soul is like a woman leading a life of dissipation; though alive, she is, in fact, dead. For, what else, if not death, can the negligence of my responsibilities and the compliance to the body’s foul wishes be? I have to admit that I am indeed tempted and misguided by carnal sin (James, Chapter 1, 14). And desire, most fair judges, begets sin, which in turn, begets death (James, Ch. 1, 15). This happens because the body, from the very beginning, gets accustomed to pursuing easy tasks and avoiding difficult ones. What is more, it learns to enjoy feelings generated by pleasure and sadness. Anger, which originates in the heart, and pleasure, which originates in the liver, are two of the strongest emotions, which have the power to make somebody unable to act according to reason. This is how I am sidetracked; by fraud or force. Numerous are the times when pleasure has stopped me from being sensible! Numerous are the times when although I am fully aware of the sins I am about to commit, anger has proven itself more powerful than my will (To Romans, Chapter 7, 14-25) (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1352A, B).

Anger and pleasure, virtuous judges, are followed by a herd of desires and wishes. And although I try hard to resist and shake off their grip on me, I am overwhelmed by this state of turmoil. What has happened to me is what usually happens to a young girl of noble descent who is suddenly orphaned: because of the fact that she does not know how to wield authority, she is despised by her maids or learns to sympathize with them. Nevertheless, when she later realizes who she is and who she is dealing with, she tries to do what her social rank dictates, that is, to become the mistress of the house and make her maids conscious of their true position and duties. Yet, the latter, because of the fact that they have been accustomed to permissiveness and taking liberties, do not like that and refuse to comply. The same thing often happened in the past with slaves; in case their masters left home for a long time, they seized the opportunity to become masters of the house and husbands of their wives. And when the time came for the lawful masters and husbands to return home, they were attacked by their slaves and forced to fight for their lives and rightful positions. This is exactly what happened during the slave uprising in Rome. The roman army had to fight bloody battles to bring the slaves back to order. This is the kind of war waged against me by the body, which is, by its very nature, a slave of mine. The plight of slaves who rebel against their masters is either to die in battle, and thus be liberated at the moment of their death, or keep on fighting for as long as the war lasts. Yet, whenever a master saw fit not to take up arms against his slaves but, instead, use the whip, which is the weapon suitable for them, the slaves would immediately be brought back to their senses, realize who they are and succumb to their masters’ will. The body, however, both a slave and an enemy of mine, is impossible to defeat, as I can not decide on a certain course of action to achieve that end. I can neither wage war against it nor make use of my lawful right to behave to it as my slave. No matter what I do, I feel I do it in vain and that the old adages expressing the futility of one’s actions by comparing them to baking a stone, beating the wind, combing a fire, writing on water, trying to turn a black man’s skin into white or making a rope from sand, turn out to be true (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1352B, C, D – 1353A).

. . . And although I know that the only way to bring this unruly creature under control is to deeply hate it as if it was my worst enemy – and not just whip it up from time to time – I choose not to. The reason why I refrain from doing so is the fact that I am overwhelmed by emotions. What kind of emotions? I am not going to hide them from you. I feel sympathy and pity and fear. I feel sympathy for the body because we are both parts of the same entity, and in the past we were partners striving for the same goal and, who knows, perhaps we become partners again in the future. The body is a loved comrade to me because we are raised together and we are of the same age and I can’t help feeling pity and compassion for it whenever it experiences an unpleasant situation. When it is sad, I am sad, and when it is in pain, I am in pain, too. What is more, I see to it that the trials and tribulations of everyday life do not exhaust it and do not bring about its end, as I do not wish to be characterized as a murderer or as prisoner who, in order to escape, harms his guard or as a master who tortures and finally puts to death his rebellious slaves. When the body is fed well and thrives, it becomes haughty and arrogant, but when it is hit by distress and hardship, it perishes. When the body is sick or cold or when it is thirsty or hungry, it falls helpless on the ground and groans with pain, the result being that friends and foes feel sorry for it (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1357C, D).

Alas, what am I, poor creature, going to do, being thus obliged to co-exist with such a wretched entity and experience its woeful plight? When in childhood, I have no alternative but sail with it at a sea of ignorance. During our youth, an age at which the body is full of vigor and robustness, I am forced to take part in iniquitous doings, and I often become indignant and angry with myself because of my inability to do otherwise. But again, when it suffers, I can not but commiserate and feel sorry for it. I sometimes wonder what kind of punishment would be appropriate for such an ungrateful and impudent entity, which I often find myself sympathizing with, more than a mother would do with her children who, after all, are parts of her own self. The body remains unruly, whether in childhood, in adolescence or in adulthood. Could it possibly become willing to act according to reason and morality when it grows old? Probably not! Because its muscles and tendons become infirm and weak, its vigor and vivacity wear off, and the shackles of time lock it into immobility and stillness, like an old, dead tree. How could it take part in great deeds at an age when it needs the support and help of others? And believe me, I would condole with it more if I was not the recipient of all the misfortunes of old age – namely, senility, prattling and loss of memory – as there is no doubt that the mind, as well as me, is also afflicted by the ravages of time. Old men find themselves experiencing a second childhood, and the only thing that differentiates them from children is the steady and gradual deterioration of their body (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1358A, B).

. . . I am not going to talk about the great number of illnesses and diseases that the body, and consequently me, is usually afflicted by, as I do not wish to waste any more of your precious time. I am just going to do is recapitulate the main points of my talk. I have shown that the body uses the natural laws as an excuse to pursue its base interests, and although I try hard, being the one in command, to make it realize its mistake and put it back on the path to virtue and decency, it refuses to adhere to my will and behaves like an untamable calf, which can not free itself of its bad habits and defies all reason. Despite the fact that God saw it fit that I should be the one who takes all important decisions, since I posses reason and I am most appropriate for being a leader, the body opposes me and tries to have things its own way. I am forced to adopt morally wrong habits and lead a life of debauchery, and I feel like being guided by a hand that bears the weapon of deceit and sentences me to a life of imprisonment. I have also presented you in detail all the adversities the body makes me experience throughout my life, which although they do not contradict natural laws, give me a really hard time. These are unfavorable situations that I go through not only when the body is in its prime, a period during which it is utterly devoted to wrongdoing, but also before and even past it. I believe I have been successful in illustrating the extent to which I am afflicted by the wickedness of the “useful and kind” body. Therefore, in order for the image of God not to be disgraced like that by this lump of clay, and in order for me, a member of the nobility, not to be tormented like that by this commoner, I hold that you should find it guilty of all charges and impose a tough sentence that will stop it from doing me more injustice. I am sure it will try to avail itself of the wretchedness and misery of its nature and – like a supplicant praying to God, holding a twig from an olive tree – use it as a means of justifying its actions. But you should not be tricked by its pleas for mercy into showing leniency. I believe that you, just like me, disapprove of this rebellious conduct, of this tyrannical regime imposed on me, and that through your verdict you will grant me the right to use the body the way I want – starve it, deform it, whip it, torture it in many ways – without being accountable to anyone for disabling or eliminating it. And I also hope that in case you choose to deny me this privilege, you will hand the body to the annihilator of all matter, to the one who acts as a public executioner, namely, Satan. Only in this way, will it come back to its senses, and refrain from wrongdoing and adhere to moral values and principles. Only in this way, will it be rendered capable of getting to know itself and stop behaving as if it was intoxicated. Thus, we will stop arguing with each other and join forces to achieve what is best for humankind. By working together, we will perform admirable deeds and serve in the best possible way the Lord, who has yoked us together, and come to the point of savoring complete happiness and bliss, with you as arbitrators and ambassadors. . . (Palamas, MDLIII, 1358D – 1359A, B, C, D).

Graceful judges, you have of course listened to the insults and accusations directed at me by the honorable soul, who sounded more like an actress articulating her lines during a theatrical performance rather than somebody who has brought a legal case in a court of law. Instead of being sympathetic to me – after all we are both under the same yoke and forced to be closely linked with each other – she used the foulest of languages, to say the least, when referring to me. The soul talked about me in a very demeaning way, as if I were a slave she has bought from a street market. What I am about to do right now, since I have been granted the right to speak, is defend myself. Yet, I am not going to stoop so low as the soul in order to achieve my goal. My intention is to deliver a speech of high standards which is not offensive whatsoever and at the same time rebut the accusations brought against me by the soul. And I would be grateful to you if, during the course of my speech, you could help me sooth the soul and make her feel less angry, as she is absolutely convinced of my being the cause of all her sufferings, and considers the fact that I am trying to disprove her allegations an utter impertinence. At this point, let me remind you of Job who never denied his servants the right to speak their minds whenever they disagreed with him (Job, 31, 13). Because among other things, Job was an honest and descent man who always spoke the truth, and this is evident by the very fact that when Job asked God to test his integrity and veracity, God found absolutely no reason to do so (Job, 13, 3). After all, how could He, who according to prophet Isaiah urges sinners to “come and talk to Me,” do such a thing? How could He, who according to King David was judged by humans and found fair and just and impartial, see fit to act in such a way? (Psalm 5) The soul, therefore, who claims to have been made according to the image of God, should do likewise and allow me to pass judgment – since this is the name she chooses to use for the privilege granted to Job’s servants by their master – on her (Job, 31, 13). To Job’s mind, all people were equal since they all originated from a woman’s womb (Job, 31, 15). And if the soul is hesitant about stating firmly and clearly what she has in mind, let me be the one who does so. I dare say that there are a lot of similarities, and at the same time numerous differences, between me and Job. Job was a master who used to be well disposed towards his servants and listened carefully to their complaints and grievances, whereas I am a servant who has taken the liberty of speaking his mind to his mistress, namely, the soul. After all, aren’t we both created by the hand of God? This is indisputable! As is the fact that God is not to blame for her being deceived by wicked people. And those who have tried to raise the soul to the status of God have, in fact, achieved quite the opposite. They have brought her down to the level of animals and plants that posses no sense and, in doing so, they have defiled not only her, but also God. But let me start from the very beginning. When God decided to create man, He did not command the earth or the sea to bring him to light but, instead, He chose to take some wet clay and fashion him with His own hands. There is no doubt then that since my creation is more heavenly and godly than that of the other creatures, my form is more majestic and godlike, too. I am neither a quadruped nor a reptile – my head and belly do not touch the ground as I stand or move – and therefore I am not bent all the time. On the contrary, I am erect and upright and, in a way, suspended in the air since I touch the ground with only the soles of my two small feet. I hold my head high, I breathe freely and watch the beauties of the sky. In addition, I am free of any kind of cover and bear no projective objects for my protection. My hands, which are capable of producing everything, are what I use for that purpose. These hands enable me to dress warmer than thick-haired sheep, or other animals covered with fur, finer than birds with beautiful feathers, and be better protected from the elements of nature than any animal covered with a thick skin (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1359D – 1360A, B, C, D – 1361A).

What is more, I am armed with weapons I have built with my own hands, weapons which are much more powerful than the hooves or the horns or the nails of any animal. After making me so skillfully, God decided to unite me with the soul, the result being the creation of man, who has been built according to His image and has been made the ruler of the land and the sea and all animals. As you understand, I could not possibly exist without the soul, and the soul could not possibly exist without me. Because, for example, how could man exercise his authority over animals without possessing both a body and a soul? Would it be possible for him to ride a horse if he could not use his hands to make a bridle? Would it be possible for him to cultivate the land if he could not harness an ox to a wooden plough and force the animal to pull the tool across the soil to turn it over? And, of course, on no occasion would I fail to credit the soul’s intellect and ingenuity with the aforementioned achievements. The soul is the one who conceives an idea, and I am the one who puts it into action. And that’s exactly the reason why we can not exist separately. The soul possesses the ability to think and work out how something can be done, whereas I possess the right equipment – namely, the hands – to turn theory into practice. I carry out my duties conscientiously without being a slave any more; that is, if I ever was a slave. But I can assure you that this was never the case! I am not a mere instrument in the hands of the soul; I consider myself to be equal to her and entitled to the privileges of somebody who has been created in complete harmony with the image of God and helps her realize her noble intentions. And I am saying that because according to the Bible man is made up of both a body and a soul, and he can not be regarded as man if he lacks either one of these components. It is an undeniable fact, then, that I am an inherent part of man and should be honored as such. Yet, the soul believes otherwise and seeks to deprive me of the privileges of my noble descent and behaves to me as if I were the illegitimate offspring of an unethical relationship and a mere slave, while at the same time she calls herself “the essence of God in man” and “an aristocrat”. I wish I could make her reconsider and realize that she should not call me a slave on the grounds that we are both slaves and at the same time masters and associates and participants not only in this life, but also in the hereafter. I believe, righteous judges, that I need say nothing more to make you aware of my beliefs and the point I am trying to make. I am absolutely conscious of the fact that each one of you has managed to elevate his body to the same status as his soul, the result being that both of them enjoy the blessings of a rich spiritual life and look forward to joining the heavenly kingdom and shining like the sun. But, I will not say anything more about it. Let the soul call me as she may, let her have complete control over me and use me as she wishes. The only thing I ask of her is to stop leveling unfair accusations at me (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1361A, B, C, D).

You have listened, graceful judges, to the soul accusing me of seeking to feed and dress myself, as if she wasn’t aware of the fact that I haven’t yet been transfigured into an unsubstantial being and I am still made of matter. Only nonmaterial entities are not driven by such needs. Is it, then, my fault that I am subject to changes? Is it my fault that I am full of vigor and vitality? Isn’t it only natural that I have to feed and drink? Isn’t it imprudent on the part of the soul to blame me for trying to satisfy my most fundamental wants? Doesn’t she know that St Paul, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, states that “no man has ever despised flesh; all men take good care to feed it and keep it warm” (To the Ephesians, Chapter 5, 29). Would it be possible for a woman to conceive and give birth to a baby if the fetus wasn’t sufficiently fed via the placenta and the umbilical cord, just like a plant or an animal? Would it be possible for the newborn baby to grow if it wasn’t fed on his mother’s milk until his first teeth come out? Nature, which is an unfailing advocate of life, equips me at some point with both sharp and flat teeth in order to bite and cut and chew solid food. It is incontrovertible, then, that the need to feed is inherent in all living beings and that all men, animals and plants need food in order to sustain themselves and remain alive and healthy (St Mark, Chapter 5, 43; St Luke, Chapter 8, 55). And that is exactly the reason why the Savior not only urged the dead He brought back to life to eat, but also He himself ate and drank after being resurrected, thus rendering the consumption of food a prerequisite for beating death (St Luke, Chapter 4, 41-43; St John, Chapter 21, 13; Acts, Chapter 1, 4). Nature has wisely ordained that fetuses, who do not have a mouth, should feed on their mothers’ blood, newborn babies, who do not have teeth, should feed on their mothers’ milk and that after a certain age man is free to consume any kind of food he likes. A human being seeks to satisfy his nutritional needs throughout his life, and not only over the period of time when he gradually changes from being a baby into being an adult and the process of growing up stops. The desire to feed himself accompanies man like a affectionate nursemaid (Psalm 70, 18) until the end of his life and never deserts him, be it a day or a night. The energy generated by food is what keeps man alive, protects him from illness and gives him the ability and the strength to tend to his needs and deal with his everyday problems. What is chewed and ground in the mouth is then digested and turned into a mash in the stomach. Nutrients from digested food are absorbed by the liver, then released into the bloodstream, and after that, through blood vessels, they reach every part of the body, supplying it with all the substances necessary for its sustenance and growth. We should regard these providential acts of nature – who like a loving mother sees to it that its children are healthy and fit – as a blessing for mankind on the grounds that in this way its survival is secured. Man is like a building which, in order to be well-structured and withstand time, needs to be built and maintained by using the right materials. The soul, however, who claims to be wise and reasonable, behaves in an authoritarian manner and tries to impose rules which overtly oppose natural laws. She calls me greedy and insatiable and likens me to a bottomless earthenware vat which can never be full. What is more, she asserts that my getting pleasure out of food consumption is a despicable crime. Yet, it is indisputable that I am subject to the laws of nature and, therefore, entitled to eating and savoring each mouthful of food (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1361D – 1362A, B).

The soul boasts of being heavenly and divine. Nevertheless, on the one hand she indulges in some of the luxuries of life, takes care of me immediately after I am born and sees to it that I have everything necessary for my survival, and on the other hand she states that, in doing so, she lowers herself from the level of a noblewoman to that of a cook and a maid, and complaints about being distracted from pursuing her own noble interests and goals. The soul seems to forget that we are both under the same yoke and, therefore, she is being unreasonable in stating that tending to my needs is unbecoming of her and a disgrace. She considers herself to be superior not only to you, who have managed to lead a heavenly life on earth, but also to the apostles who, even though they possessed bodies made of flesh, succeeded in entering the celestial kingdom. She even regards herself as being superior to nature itself, which provides all living beings with food to secure their survival. She takes great pride in her noble descent and origin, and adopts a condescending attitude towards all material forms of life. Yet, she never seems hesitant to use me whenever and in whatever way she sees fit. I am nothing but a mere tool in her hands, although at the same time I am an indispensable helper and assistant, without whom she would never succeed in fulfilling her grand objectives (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1363C, D – 1364B, C).

The soul claims that she feels insulted and belittled not because she has to supply me with everything necessary for my survival, but because of my being avaricious and lascivious and therefore responsible for all her wrongdoing and transgressions. And she adds that there is nothing she can do about it, and likens herself to a rider whose horse suddenly bolts and rears and throws him to the ground. The soul accuses me of tricking her into joining me in wrongdoing, which is utterly absurd. I dare say that it is her excessive pride and arrogance that blind her and prevent her from realizing that she accuses me of the very things we jointly do, and this, to my mind, should really make her feel ashamed of herself. And isn’t it surprising that she should constantly contradict herself? For it is a fact, virtuous judges, that in her speech the soul repeatedly bragged about her divine origin, asserted that she is a gentlewoman and a member of the nobility, and therefore entitled to exercise authority over all living beings, and stated that I am only qualified to serve her. Isn’t, then, against all reason that she – who is the one in command – should maintain that I – a mere servant – am responsible for all her misconduct and wrongdoing? This is as ridiculous as claiming that the water of a river flows upstream towards its sources. Given the above, I am forced to conclude that the soul is being totally impudent and unwise in blaming me for her own evildoing (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1364C, D).

Answer me then, you plaintiff: Isn’t it true that the Lord has decreed that you should take care of me and, like a prudent and loving guardian, supply me with food? (St Luke, 42-46). Why is it that instead of acting according to the edicts issued by our Lord, you accuse me of possessing no reason, prudence and respect – qualities which you invariably seem to lack – while at the same time you abuse the power given to you by God and nature? You are complaining that the body, which is subservient to you, beguiles you into committing heinous acts. Do you really believe that by making these feeble excuses, you will avoid being dichotomized, which is what our Lord has proclaimed will happen to those who defy His will? All your efforts are, alas, in vain, as it is an undeniable fact that it is the head who is always accountable for the mistakes of those under its command. When soldiers defect during war, it is their general who should be held responsible, when a son behaves in an insensible way, it is nobody else’s fault but his father’s, when a student is lazy, it is his teacher who should be made answerable for his behavior. And, to my mind, their punishment should be exemplary. For they not only corrupt those they are supposed to edify, but they also participate in their wrongdoing. On the other hand, those who are misguided and misled deserve an apology, and they should definitely be forgiven and acquitted at a trial presided by fair – rather than lenient – judges, who are aware of nature’s pronouncement according to which I am in need of someone who can show me the way to virtue, instead of someone who acts in an unwise and imprudent way. Besides, isn’t it true that the subjects always follow the example set by their ruler and act similarly? It is therefore my belief that my dear soul deserves to be punished both because she fails to discipline me when I misbehave and because she joins me in evildoing. I hold that when someone does not know how to swim, he had better stay away from the sea, for he might be drowned. I cherish the hope that I may be forgiven for my sins, on the grounds that I only act according to what the soul teaches me. And as a saying goes, “a dog always behaves in the same way as its master (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1365A, B, C).

At this point, virtuous judges, let me digress a little to refer to the reasons why the soul behaves in such a shameful manner – which is a real tragedy for mankind – and in this way illustrate that she is the one who induces me to sin, and not vice versa. The soul of man does not lead a purely spiritual life. On the contrary, she is obliged to care about the body and be dependent on it – as well as on all the living beings of the animal and plant kingdom – for her survival. The driving force behind man is satisfaction and sorrow (“tous neous aiakizontes ędonę kai lupę” Aristotle, Ethics, 10, 1, 1). Nature has ordained that the feelings of satisfaction and sorrow – both of which conduce to the salvation of man – are innate in him. For if man did not experience sorrow whenever he felt enfeebled and sick, and did not experience satisfaction whenever he felt invigorated and energetic, he would certainly die. These two emotional states are like two forces which complement each other. On the one hand, sorrow inflicts pain, and on the other hand, the prospect of satisfaction and joy motivates man to eat and drink. Hunger, therefore, inevitably leads to the satisfaction resulting from consuming food and, in turn, to my remaining alive and healthy. The soul, however, has her own sustenance. Yet, I cannot deny that she loves and cares about me and sympathizes with me whenever I suffer. She is sad when I am sad, and she is happy when I am happy. But, I must add that this behavior of the soul’s is undoubtedly dictated by reason since, in doing so, she first caters for her own needs and then mine. Nature has wisely decreed that this should be the case, since in this way the soul becomes aware of my sufferings and, up to a certain extent, experiences them herself; otherwise, she would not take care of me. Given her grievances and complaints about me, as well as the fact that she regards her being united with me as a great misfortune, you can imagine how she would treat me. I am absolutely convinced that if the soul did not sense my everyday trails and tribulations, she would not care about me at all. But things being as they are – and this is also stated by Euripides in his works – the soul is bound to experience the distress and agony of the body, and co-operate with it in figuring out ways to overcome all afflictions of life (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1365D-1366A, B, C).

Let me now remind you of a point I have already made, that is, of the fact that God has decreed that the soul should be responsible for providing the body with food and, since she possesses prudence and reason and dignity and she is, therefore, able to harness her passions and emotions, she should be the one in control. How is she, then, going to excuse herself for disobeying the Lord, in case she is asked to justify her conduct? Is she going to plead not guilty and try to shift the responsibility for evildoing onto me and state that she is forced to commit evil deeds against her will? Or is she going to pretend that she has always been decent and virtuous and upright, and that she has always resisted temptation and never strayed from the right path? This is what I believe is going to happen. But, because in no case do I wish to sound reactionary and impudent, I will admit to being the first who succumbs to temptation and commits sinful acts, the result being that the soul gets carried away and follows my foul example. Yet, is there anyone who can deny the fact that the soul behaves in a reprehensible way? Instead of being incensed at my behavior and punishing me, she joins me in wrongdoing. Instead of seeking to adhere to God’s will, she acts contrary to all sense and reason. And she becomes a mere slave to lust and lechery, and she is far from being a graceful sovereign. Isn’t this what, according to Greek mythology, happened to Heracles who, after having performed his twelve immense labors, willfully became a slave of the princess of Lydia, Omphale? The soul does nothing but follow in the mythical hero’s footsteps. Although she can restrain and curb man’s base emotions, she lets herself get carried away and is held in bondage to lust and anger. The soul, also, reminds me of Samson. Samson, who was famous for his strength and bravery (Judges, 13-31), fell in love with a wicked woman that betrayed him. The Israelite leader was deprived of all reason, and therefore of his ability to make sound judgments. His enemies cut off his hair – where his great strength lay – and then he was captured and blinded. The soul acts likewise. By choosing what is morally wrong, she only insults and humiliates herself. What is more, instead of admitting responsibility for her actions, she is trying to shift the blame onto me. She drags me to court, she insults and disparages me, and calls me a grave and a bottomless vat and sheer muck. Yet, if I am nothing but her burial place, why is it that she, who is the exact image of God, prefers to consume food and, thus, sustain us both, rather than seek death and abstain from eating, with the result that we both die? (Palamas, MDLIII, 1366C, 1368A, B, C).

Therefore, the soul is wrongly accusing me of being her grave. But even if I am, then the soul is actually blaming herself, in the sense that even though she is imprisoned, she leads a life of debauchery, even though she is alive, she is in fact dead (St. Paul, 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12, 7). The soul also calls me a bottomless vat, which is a characterization I gladly accept. Nevertheless, she has failed to give an exact description of my contents. And this, I will do right away. I indeed posses a number of openings – my sense organs – which enable me to become aware of the world around me. The soul is doing me a great injustice as, on the one hand, she takes advantage of these parts of me in order to tend to her needs, and on the other hand she accuses me of possessing them. But answer me this, dear soul: Would you ever have created the art of music if it wasn’t for the sense of hearing? Would you ever have developed geometry and astrology if it wasn’t for the sense of sight? Would you ever be able to feel somebody’s pulse and develop medicine if it wasn’t for the senses of touch and taste? Have you ever imagined what would happen if my senses, and therefore the bridges between you and the world, were destroyed? You would have no option but lie down to earth and die. When you are born, you are blind and deaf. It is I who enables you to see the light, and listen to the music you compose in order to praise God. It is I who enables you to see and realize the beauty and harmony of creation – the motion in being still, as Aristotle puts it – and never lets you forget the grandeur of The Almighty, according to whose image you have been created. And finally tell me, can you think of anything more precious and dear than being able to perceive the presence of the Lord through the senses? (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1368D).

All in all, it is my belief that the soul is accusing me of things I should be accusing her of. What I simply do is abide by the laws set by God and nature. Man is both matter and spirit. The soul, which is the spiritual part of man, is united with me in this life on earth and, therefore, obliged to partly focus her thoughts on worldly matters. But, when I die, she is set free and goes to the heavenly kingdom, where she rests. Yet, if she manages to make good use of me and my resources while still on earth, I can become the stairway to the higher levels of material life. It is on account of me that man, who is by definition inferior to angels, manages, according to King David (Psalm 9, 6), to become superior to them. And that is because only man – and no angel – can experience the sufferings of Jesus Christ and finally die. And it is indisputable that if it wasn’t for me, man would be deprived of that quality. But let me outline what has been said so far, and highlight the most important points made. It has been proven that none of the accusations brought against me by the soul is valid. And it is high time that she understood that all her attempts to prove me guilty of doing the very things that have been dictated by nature are in vain. I have already stated that it would be totally unacceptable for me to insult and defame the soul, who is of noble descent and my mistress and has the right to use me as she wishes. Yet, I hold that she is doing herself great damage by behaving like that and that she should be ashamed of herself for dragging me to court like that and trying to make me seem responsible for all her wrongdoing. Alas, how unfortunate I am! Who is going to take pity on me and help me in times of need, when the one who I am under the same yoke with – the soul – cannot commiserate with me and utter a word of sympathy? Instead of taking care of me and behaving in a lenient and merciful way, she forces me to stand here, in front of you, and makes totally unsubstantiated claims and demands that I am convicted of things I have not done, as if the fact that I have suffered so many things because of her, as well as the fact that I am going to suffer more in the future, wasn’t enough. The soul is so arrogant and vain that she seems to forget that of us two, I am the one who is mortal and bound to be put into a grave and covered with earth (Genesis, Chapter 3, 5 & Chapter 3, 19) (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1369A, B, 1370B).

Yet, I am sure that these virtuous judges, who have struggled real hard to transcend the boundaries of their mortal bodies and have managed to surpass the immaterial angels in glory, will not be deceived by you. But, what makes absolutely no sense to me is the fact that you dare ask to be granted the permission to use me as you wish, punish me whenever you see fit, starve me to death and surrender me to Satan so as to be eliminated. I am really surprised at the injudiciousness and egotism you display, as you seem to forget Plutarch’s words: “Give me an ox to carry, although I already find it difficult to carry a goat” (Ethics, “Peri tou mę dein danizesthai”). If you can not bear the unpleasant and painful situations of everyday life with stoicism and fortitude, and you are under the impression that you experience unbearable suffering, how would you react if you had to face divine ire? How can you be so blind? Virtuous judges, I trust in you and your judgement, and I hereby declare that no matter what your verdict is, it will be accepted by both of us as if it was God’s verdict (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1372A).

We have listened carefully to both of you. We have listened to you, “reasonable” soul, accusing the body of deliberately tricking you into wrongdoing, and we have listened to you, “unreasonable” body, trying to rebut the accusations brought against you by the soul. And since the reason for our being here is to examine and asses what has been said in this court of law and bring in a verdict, we will now act accordingly and make a final pronouncement which is based on our experience and the Holy Scriptures. The soul’s belief that the body is composed of dark earth and is, consequently, the bad part of man and, as a result, responsible for all the bad deeds committed by him is undoubtedly a Manichean notion. One of the main principles of the Manichaean theology is that the soul is virtuous and reasonable and composed of light and is, consequently, at war with the impudent and unrestrained body, which does not let her implement the grand things she is destined for. Yet, in case you, soul, do not embrace these heretical beliefs and you merely bring these accusations against the body in order to avoid admitting responsibility for your senseless and unwise behavior, then we ought to tell you that you are utterly wrong. Because it is an undeniable fact that it is the head – be it a general or a teacher or a father – that should be held responsible for the mistakes of those under its guidance and command. This is a belief supported even by people who are not members of the clergy. When a wise and reasonable person sees a young man misbehaving, on no account does he put the blame on the lad himself, but on his teacher, and he reproaches him by saying: “Why are you teaching the boy such things?” It is therefore patently obvious that you are doing the body an injustice, and your excuse for doing that is that St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, presents the body as being partly responsible for the pain and suffering which afflict man. But, you should have known that this great man of Christianity referred to the time before the advent of the Son of God on earth, when death was something horrible, and the one who had the power of death was invincible (Hebrews, Chapter 2, 14). That is the reason why Isaiah the Prophet states: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we will be dead” (Isaiah, Chapter 2, 13 & 1 Corinthians 15, 32). On account of the above, we find the soul guilty of misinterpreting St. Paul and, therefore, of teaching the body in a bad and inadequate way, the result being that it can not help committing sinful acts. . . (Palamas, MDLIII, p. 1372B, C, D).

• The Greek mystic and godly writer Gregorius Palamas stage-manages an imaginary trial, where the body and the soul of man make formal complaints about each other, as to which one of the two is responsible for the evil deeds done by man. The soul adopts an arrogant tone of voice and speaks first. She boasts of her divine descent and claims that she has been made according to the image of God and that she is, therefore, entitled to being the one in charge. The soul, while addressing the judges, displays excessive vanity and conceitedness, a fact that predisposes readers to think badly of her. The soul accuses the body of being the source of all evildoing on earth, and of being impudent, disobedient and unrestrained. She also talks about the great suffering she is forced to experience, as the body is replete with base desires which inevitably put it – and consequently her, since they are yoked together –on the path to sloth, greed, lechery and sinning. The soul finishes her speech by beseeching the judges to impose a harsh punishment on the body and authorize her to use it the way she sees fit – that is, starve it, deform it, whip it, torture it in many ways – without being accountable to anyone in case it is disabled or eliminated.
• When the time comes for the body to defend itself, it tries to rebut the accusations brought against it by the soul. The body adopts a diffident and timid tone of voice, yet, it promises to deliver a speech of high level of quality. It says that the soul should be ashamed of using such a foul language when referring to it, and employs carefully chosen examples in order to prove that they are both equally responsible for all the sins and bad deeds committed by man. The body demands that an exemplary sentence should be imposed on the soul since she condones its immoral behavior not only by failing to chastise its transgressions, but also by being part of them. It states that it is an undeniable fact that the head – whether it be a general or a teacher or a father – should be held accountable for the wrongdoing of those under his guidance since, as a rule, the subjects always follow the example set by their ruler and act similarly. The body maintains that the soul should be punished both because she has corrupted the one she is supposed to edify, and because she participates in the wrongdoing, and ends its defense by imploring the judges to deny the soul the right to use it as she pleases.
• Then, the judges reflect on what has been said by the two litigants, and make a final pronouncement based on their experience and the Holy Scriptures. They declare that the nature of the soul’s assertions is purely Manichean, since Manichaeism is the religious doctrine which is based on the assumption that the soul is made of divine light, and is therefore the good part of man, whereas the body is made of dark earth, and is therefore the bad part of man. The judges proceed to add that in the event that the soul is not a supporter of Manichaeism, then the soul’s claim that the body is insolent and unwise and wicked is just an attempt to shift responsibility for her transgressions onto the body. Plato himself has characterized the soul as a general, a teacher, and a superintendent, who is responsible for teaching the body, putting it on the path to virtue and chastising it when it deviates from it. Thus, the indecent acts committed by the body is the result of inadequate teaching, and it is the soul who should be blamed for that. This is a notion supported by the adherents of many religious doctrines.