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to regulate, to attend to, to die for them; which especially characterize the true king. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. God, he says, is the one working, do not doubt; who also strengthens nature that has grown old and weak, and innovates nature, when he wishes. Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, etc. I am the handmaid of the Lord; I am a tablet being written upon; what 24.533 the writer wishes, let him write; let the Lord of all do what he wills. A light for the revelation of the Gentiles. See how he already speaks of the future salvation of the Gentiles; for the Gentiles, he says, await his coming. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. The Savior, for his part, beginning the beatitudes, proclaimed the heavenly riches and the kingdom of heaven to the poor; but Isaiah the prophet, anticipating this, mentioned it, prophesying from the very person of the Savior what was to come, as follows: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me, he has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor. He clearly signified, then, the proclamation of good things to the poor; therefore, at the same time, he who was anointed with the Holy Spirit according to his humanity appeared to men; and from there he began his teaching, proclaiming the heavenly kingdom to those who were poor for his sake. Who came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. See, then, for the present, how those who began from the beginning went through the words of the Savior, and received from him the teachings like certain laws, through which one might attain the heavenly kingdom; and not to stop at learning, but also to proceed through works, so that they might not fall away from the promises; for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. While the kingdom of heaven is understood in many orders of good things, according to the saying, "In my Father's house are many mansions," the first dignity, as one might say, and the first step for those ascending, is that of those who are poor for God's sake. These would be they who have despised all the precious things of the present life, who are poor in humility of mind, who have even driven to the extreme of having no possessions for the sake of the philosophy according to God, they will obtain the saving beatitude. And such he made his first disciples; therefore, it was also fitting that he spoke to them in person, according to one of the evangelists, saying: Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God; for "yours" was said demonstratively to those present. And he lifted up his eyes to them, and before speaking, with a cheerful gaze he drew them to listen; and they readily made themselves obedient to what was being said. This, then, was the first step of the saving beatitudes, which presents those who have undertaken poverty for his sake, and a life utterly without possessions, philosophical and God-loving, that is, the humble of mind, as reigning with him. Therefore, second and third beatitudes in order are enumerated by 24.536 him, and fourth and so on. For he taught that it was possible, according to any one of the aforementioned ways of life, to strive to be deemed worthy of the promises; so that it is possible, having entered the kingdom of God, even if one does not reign with Christ like the poor in spirit, to at least be comforted for the sins unto death which they mourned, having given themselves over to repentance and confession and a temperate life; or to obtain the promised land, to become inhabitants and citizens of the city of God above, having been proven meek and long-suffering; or, having hungered in the present life, and thirsted for righteousness, to obtain it, and to be satisfied in the promised age, whenever they enjoy pure essential virtue itself, seeing the very hypostatic righteousness of God, and seeing the hypostatic righteousness of God, and the very wisdom of God, and eternal life, and that which illumines souls; all of which indeed are conceived according to the inherent

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ῥυθμίζειν, τὸ περιέπειν, τὸ ὑπεραποθνήσκειν αὐτῶν· ἃ μάλιστα χαρακτηρίζουσι τὸν ἀληθῆ βασιλέα. Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ. Θεὸς, φησὶν, ὁ ἐνεργῶν, μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε· ὁ καὶ τὴν φύσιν γεγηρακυῖαν καὶ ἀσθενοῦσαν ἐπιῤῥωννὺς, καὶ φύσιν καινοτομῶν, ὅτε βούλεται. Εἶπε Μαριάμ· Ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη Κυρίου, κ. τ. λ. ∆ούλη εἰμὶ Κυρίου· πίναξ εἰμὶ γραφόμενος· ὃ 24.533 βούλεται ὁ γραφεὺς, γραφέτω· ποιείτω ὃ ἐθέλει ὁ τοῦ παντὸς Κύριος. Φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν. Ὅρα πῶς ἤδη λέγει καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίαν· τὴν γὰρ τούτου παρουσίαν, φησὶ, τὰ ἔθνη προσδοκᾷ. Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέ με. Ὁ μὲν Σωτὴρ, τῶν μακαρισμῶν ἀπαρχόμενος, τοῖς πτωχοῖς τὸν οὐράνιον εὐηγγελίζετο πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν· Ἡσαΐας δὲ ὁ προφήτης τούτων προλαβὼν ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὸ μέλλον ὧδε προθεσπίζων· Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με. Ἄντικρυς γοῦν ἐσήμανε πτωχοῖς εὐαγγελισμὸν ἀγαθῶν· διὸ ἅμα τε ἐπέφανεν ἀνθρώποις ὁ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον κεχρισμένος· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπήρχετο τῆς διδασκαλίας, βασιλείαν οὐράνιον δι' αὑτὸν πτωχεύουσιν εὐαγγελιζόμενος. Οἳ ἦλθον ἀκοῦσαι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰαθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν νόσων αὐτῶν. Ὅρα γοῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, ἄνωθεν ἀρξαμένους τὰς τοῦ Σωτῆρος διελθεῖν φωνὰς, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς διδασκαλίας ὥσπερ τινὰς νόμους, δι' ὧν ἄν τις τύχοι τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας, παραδέξασθαι· καὶ μὴ μέχρι τοῦ μαθεῖν στῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἔργων χωρῆσαι, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἐκπέσοιεν τῶν ἐπαγγελμάτων· ὅτι οὐκ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει. Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πλὴν τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας ἐν πολλοῖς ἀγαθῶν τάγμασιν ἐπινοουμένης, κατὰ τὸ, Πολλαὶ μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ, τὸ πρῶτον, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἀξίωμα, καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ἀνιόντων βαθμὸς ὁ τῶν διὰ Θεὸν πτωχευόντων τυγχάνει. Εἶεν δ' ἂν οὗτοι οἱ πάντων τῶν τοῦ παρόντος βίου τιμίων κατολιγωρήσαντες, οἱ πτωχεύοντες τῇ μετριοφροσύνῃ, οἱ καὶ εἰς ἄκρον ἐλάσαντες ἀκτημοσύνης διὰ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν φιλοσοφίαν, τοῦ σωτηρίου μακαρισμοῦ τεύξονται. Τοιούτους δὲ αὐτοὺς τοὺς πρώτους αὐτῷ μαθητεύοντας ἀπειργάσατο· διὸ καὶ εἰς αὐτῶν πρόσωπον κατὰ θάτερον τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν ἡρμόττετο λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ γὰρ ὑμετέρα δεικτικῶς πρὸς παρόντας ἐλέγετο. Εἰς αὐτοὺς δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπῆρε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ λόγου τῷ ἱλαρῷ βλέμματι πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόασιν αὐτοὺς ἐφελκόμενος· οἱ δὲ προθύμως σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑπηκόους τοῖς λεγομένοις παρεῖχον. Πρῶτος μὲν οὖν βαθμὸς τῶν σωτηρίων μακαρισμῶν οὗτος ἦν, ὁ συμβασιλεύειν αὐτῷ παριστὰς τοὺς τὴν δι' αὐτὸν πτωχείαν, καὶ τὸν ἄκρως ἀκτήμονα φιλόσοφόν τε καὶ θεοφιλῆ βίον ἀναδεδεγμένους, ἤγουν τοὺς ταπεινόφρονας. ∆εύτεροι οὖν καὶ τρίτοι ἐφεξῆς καταλέγονται παρ' 24.536 αὐτῷ μακαρισμοὶ, καὶ τέταρτοι καὶ ἐφεξῆς. Ἐξεῖναι γὰρ ἐδίδασκε καθ' ἕνα τινὰ τρόπον τῶν κατωνομασμένων βίων καταξιωθῆναι τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων φιλοτιμεῖσθαι· ὥστ' εἶναι δυνατὸν, ἐν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείᾳ γενομένους, εἰ καὶ μὴ συμβασιλεῦσαι Χριστῷ κατὰ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῷ πνεύματι, ἀλλὰ γοῦν παρακληθῆναι ἐφ' οἷς τὰ πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτήσαντες ἐπένθησαν, μετανοίᾳ καὶ ἐξομολογήσει καὶ βίῳ σώφρονι ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκότες· ἢ τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης γῆς τυχεῖν, οἰκήτοράς τε καὶ πολίτας τῆς ἄνω τοῦ Θεοῦ πόλεως γενέσθαι, πράους καὶ ἀνεξικάκους ἀποδειχθέντας· ἢ πεινήσαντας ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, καὶ διψήσαντας τῆς δικαιοσύνης τυχεῖν αὐτῆς, καὶ κορεσθῆναι κατὰ τὸν ἐπηγγελμένον αἰῶνα, ἐπὰν αὐτῆς καθαρᾶς τῆς οὐσιώδους ἀρετῆς ἀπολαύωσιν, αὐτὴν ὑποστατικὴν ὁρῶντες τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ὑποστατικὴν ὁρῶντες τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ τὸ ψυχῶν φωτιστικόν· ἃ δὴ πάντα ἐπινοεῖται κατὰ τὰς ἐνυπαρχούσας