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not unfeeling, but feeling, not soulless, but having a soul. And blessed am I, what sort of land I have been allotted to farm; for then I am blessed, when I speak into the ears of those who hear. And again he says: Disobedience works death. Blessed therefore am I; and blessed are you. For Jesus also in the Gospel says to his disciples: Blessed are you, if you keep my word.

Therefore, exerting yourselves, pay attention to what is said. But I wish to show you by examples what God is; speaking figuratively, I say: God is like a man sitting upon a high rock, and watching the whole sea, and ships sailing in it, and it being treacherous, and raising itself in great waves, because violent winds blow in it; 50.818 and a certain most excellent helmsman striving against the waves to moor the vessel in a fair haven, because evening was overtaking them, fearing lest the ship might be submerged, while other ships were sailing the right course, but others by the force of the winds were submerged and broken apart, and some having died, but some having survived, and having taken hold of some pitiful rudder, and by the great waves being dragged out onto the solid land, and the bodies of those already dead cast out. And all these things the one sitting on the high rock observes; this is God; and as I said before, I am speaking figuratively. But when I say God is sitting in the high places, do not think him to be in the high places only, but also everywhere. For he does not have spatial dimension, being a place to himself, himself containing all things, but nothing contains him. For what can contain the incorporeal nature, and immaterial, and infinite, and unsearchable, and indestructible, and incorruptible, and incomprehensible? for among the pious one must so conceive of God. For this is our hope, as it is written: This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

From this the heretics take hold of us, who are senseless, who read, and do not understand; But when you hear Christ, do not think of God alone, nor of the incarnate economy alone, but of both together, both God the Word and the incarnate economy. Since I know Christ hungered, and I know Christ from five loaves and two fish fed five thousand besides women and children; I know Christ thirsted, and I know Christ changed the water into wine; I know Christ sailed, and I know Christ walked upon the waters; I know Christ died, and I know Christ raised the dead; I know Christ stood before Pilate, and I know Christ sits with the Father; I know Christ was spat upon by the Jews, and I know Christ is worshipped by angels; and the one I attribute to the divinity, the other to the humanity. For because of this both are spoken of together, since I know Christ was born of Mary, and I know Christ existed before the ages.

Let us therefore glorify Jesus the Christ, the unbreakable wall, the foundation established upon the rock. He himself says to Peter: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And likewise Paul also says: No one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. I exhort you therefore that with all gentleness we attend to one another, For in the present life we are enticed by food and drink and various pleasures, but in the one to come, judgment and justice. Let us not therefore give place to the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age. Let us hasten therefore to flee the eternal punishment. For God did not make punishment, that he might cast us into it, but that he might cast you out when you have fallen into it; for such a philanthropic and merciful God we have. For David testifies, saying: God is a judge

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ἀναίσθητον, ἀλλ' αἰσθητὴν, οὐκ ἄψυχον, ἀλλὰ ψυχικήν. Καὶ μακάριος ἐγὼ ποταπῆς γῆς γεωργὸς ἐκληρώθην· τότε γὰρ μακάριός εἰμι, ὅταν λαλῶ εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων. Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Παρακοὴ θάνατον κατεργάζεται. Μακάριος οὖν ἐγώ· μακάριοι καὶ ὑμεῖς. Καὶ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Μακάριοί ἐστε, ἐὰν τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον τηρήσετε.

Συντείναντες οὖν ἑαυτοὺς προσέχετε τοῖς λεγομένοις. Βούλομαι δὲ ὑμῖν ἐν ὑποδείγμασι δεῖξαι τί ἐστι Θεός· λόγῳ χρησάμενος λέγω· Ἔοικεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνδρὶ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ σκοπέλῳ, καὶ θεωροῦντι πᾶσαν τὴν θάλασσαν, πλοῖα δὲ βαδίζοντα ἐν αὐτῇ, τὴν δὲ ἐπίσαλον οὖσαν, τρικυμίαις δὲ ἐγείρουσαν ἑαυτὴν, διὰ τὸ σφοδροὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πνεῖν ἀνέ 50.818 μους· ἄριστος δέ τις κυβερνήτης φιλονεικῶν τοῖς κύμασιν ἐπ' εὔδιον λιμένα τὸ σκάφος ὁρμίσαι, διὰ τὸ ὀψίαν αὐτοὺς καταλαμβάνειν, δεδοικὼς μήποτε ὑποβρύχιον γένηται τὸ πλοῖον, ἄλλων πλοίων τὴν ὀρθὴν ὁδὸν βαδιζόντων, ἑτέρων δὲ τῇ ῥύμῃ τῶν ἀνέμων ὑποβρυχίων γενομένων καὶ διαλυθέντων, τεθνηκότων δέ τινων, τινῶν δὲ περιγενομένων, καὶ ἐπιλαβομένων οἰκτροῦ τινος πηδαλίου, καὶ ταῖς τρικυμίαις ἐπὶ τὴν στερεὰν ἐξελκομένων, καὶ τῶν ἤδη τεθνηκότων τὰ σώματα ἐξεῤῥιμμένα. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα θεωρεῖ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ σκοπέλῳ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός· καὶ καθὼς προλαβὼν εἶπον, ὅτι λόγῳ χρησάμενος λέγω. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπω Θεὸν καθήμενον ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, μὴ νόμιζε αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς εἶναι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πανταχοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ τόπου διάστασιν ἔχει, αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ τόπος ὢν, αὐτὸς τὰ πάντα χωρῶν, χωρεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν οὐδέν. Τί γὰρ δύναται χωρῆσαι τὴν ἀσώματον φύσιν καὶ ἄϋλον καὶ ἀπέραντον καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστον, καὶ ἀνώλεθρον καὶ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον; παρὰ γὰρ τοῖς εὐσεβοῦσιν οὕτω δεῖ νοεῖν Θεόν. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡμῶν ἡ ἐλπὶς, καθὼς γέγραπται· Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.

Ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῶν ἐπιλαμβάνονται οἱ αἱρετικοὶ, οἱ ὄντες ἀγνώμονες, οἱ ἀναγινώσκοντες, καὶ μὴ ἐπιγινώσκοντες· Χριστὸν δὲ σὺ ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, μὴ τὸν Θεὸν λογίζου μόνον, μήτε τὴν ἔνσαρκον οἰκονομίαν μόνην, ἀλλὰ τὸ συναμφότερον, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον καὶ τὴν ἔνσαρκον οἰκονομίαν. Ἐπεὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν πεινάσαντα, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν ἐκ πέντε ἄρτων καὶ δύο ἰχθύων θρέψαντα πεντακισχιλίους χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων· οἶδα Χριστὸν διψήσαντα, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μεταβαλόντα· οἶδα Χριστὸν πλεύσαντα, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων περιπατήσαντα· οἶδα Χριστὸν ἀποθανόντα, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν νεκροὺς ἐγείραντα· οἶδα Χριστὸν Πιλάτῳ παρεστῶτα, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν τῷ Πατρὶ συγκαθεζόμενον· οἶδα Χριστὸν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ἐμπτυόμενον, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων προσκυνούμενον· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπάγω τῇ θεότητι, τὸ δὲ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο συναμφότερον εἴρηται, ἐπεὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν ἐκ Μαρίας γεννηθέντα, καὶ οἶδα Χριστὸν πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ὄντα.

∆οξάσωμεν μὲν οὖν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν, τὸ τεῖχος τὸ ἄῤῥηκτον, τὸν θεμέλιον τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν τεθεμελιωμένον. Αὐτὸς λέγει τῷ Πέτρῳ· Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Θεμέλιον ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς ἵνα πάσῃ πραότητι προσέχωμεν ἀλλήλοις, Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ παρόντι βίῳ βρώσει καὶ πόσει καὶ ποικίλαις ἡδοναῖς δελεαζόμεθα, ἐν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι, κρίσις καὶ δίκη. Μὴ δώσωμεν οὖν τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ. Οὐ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Σπεύσωμεν οὖν φυγεῖν τὴν αἰώνιον κόλασιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν κόλασιν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐμβάλῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐμπεσόντα σε ἐκβάλῃ· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἔχομεν φιλάνθρωπον Θεὸν καὶ ἐλεήμονα. Μαρτυρεῖ γὰρ ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς