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of God. These are the choirs of the prophets under him, singing and playing and dancing with various instruments to the glory of God the one hundred and fifty Psalms that came from the Holy Spirit.

55.533 PREFACE TO THE PSALMS.

1. All the divine Scriptures are holy; but the Psalms have something more; for instance, concerning temperance immediately, or rather, before all things, concerning not associating with the wicked, right from the very beginning of the book. For because of this the blessed 55.534 David also began from here, saying: Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly. And when he says blessedness, he speaks of the pinnacle of all good things. And concerning associating with the good, concerning controlling the stomach, concerning 55.535 restraining the hands, concerning licentiousness, concerning not being greedy, that money is nothing, nor glory, and all such things. And concerning being temperate, you will hear him saying, For my loins are filled with mockery; and again, You have destroyed everyone who is unfaithful to you. And concerning the need to restrain the stomach, And he killed, he says, the strongest of them, while their food was still in their mouths. And that one must abstain from gifts: If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. And not to desire glory: Nor will his glory descend with him behind him. Not to envy the wicked: Do not fret because of evildoers. To consider powers as nothing: I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Lebanon; and I passed by, and behold, he was not. To consider present things as nothing: They have called the people blessed, to whom these things belong; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. That we do not sin without consequence, but there is a recompense, he says: For you will render to each one according to his works. But why does he not repay every day? God is a righteous judge, and strong, and long-suffering. That humility is good: Lord, my heart, he says, is not haughty. And that pride is evil: Therefore pride has possessed them to the end. And again, The Lord resists the proud. That almsgiving is good: He has dispersed, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever and ever. That being merciful is praiseworthy: A good man is he who is compassionate and lends. That one must not speak evil: Him that secretly slanders his neighbor, him I drove away. And you will find here many more philosophical doctrines than these. For he discusses not only present things, but also things to come, and concerning visible things, and concerning the invisible creation. And do you want to learn about heaven, whether it remains as it is, or is changed? He answers you clearly and will say, that The heavens will grow old like a garment, and like a cloak you, O God, will roll them up, and they will be changed. And if you wish to hear about its shape, you will hear again, Who stretches out the heaven like a curtain. If you wish to know anything more about its upper parts, he will tell you again, Who covers his upper chambers with waters. And he does not stop there, but also discusses with you its breadth and height, showing these to be of equal measure; For as far, he says, as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our iniquities from us. According to the height of the heaven from the earth, the Lord has made his mercy prevail over those who fear him. And if you investigate the foundations of the earth, he will not hide these from you either, but you will hear him saying, that He has founded it upon the seas. And if you wish to learn whence earthquakes happen, he will free you from all perplexity, saying thus: Who looks on the earth, and makes it tremble. If you seek the use of the night, you will also learn this from him, that In it all the beasts of the forest will roam. And where the mountains are useful, he will tell you: The high mountains are for the harts. And why the

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Θεοῦ. Οὗτοι οἱ χοροὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν προφητῶν εἰσι διαφόροις ὀργάνοις ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες καὶ ὀρχούμενοι εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ τοὺς γενομένους ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου Ψαλμοὺς ρνʹ.

55.533 ΠΡΟΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΥΣ.

αʹ. Πᾶσαι μὲν ἅγιαι αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαί· ἔχουσι δέ τι πλέον οἱ Ψαλμοί· οἷον περὶ

σωφροσύνης εὐθέως, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ πάντων, περὶ τοῦ μὴ συνεῖναι πονηροῖς, ἀπ' αὐτῆς εὐθὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ βιβλίου. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἤρξατο ὁ μακάριος 55.534 ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν. Μακαριότητα δὲ ὅταν εἴπῃ, τὴν κορυφὴν λέγει τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ συνεῖναι ἀγαθοῖς, περὶ τοῦ γαστρὸς κρατεῖν, περὶ τοῦ 55.535 χεῖρας κατέχειν, περὶ ἀκολασίας, περὶ τοῦ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν, ὅτι οὐδὲν τὰ χρήματα, οὐδὲ δόξα, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ σωφρονεῖν ἀκούσῃ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, Ὅτι αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐξωλόθρευσας πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ δεῖν γαστρὸς κατέχειν, Καὶ ἀπέκτεινε, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῆς βρώσεως οὔσης ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν. Καὶ ὅτι δεῖ δώρων ἀπέχεσθαι· Πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν. Καὶ δόξης μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν· Οὐδὲ συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Τοὺς πονηροὺς μὴ ζηλοῦν· Μὴ παραζηλοῦ ἐν πονηρευομένοις. Τὰς δυναστείας ἡγεῖσθαι οὐδέν· Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον, ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου· καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν. Μηδὲν τὰ παρόντα ἡγεῖσθαι· Ἐμακάρισαν τὸν λαὸν, ᾧ ταῦτά ἐστι· μακάριος ὁ λαὸς οὗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἁμαρτάνομεν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἀνταπόδοσις, φησίν· Ὅτι σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐ καθ' ἡμέραν ἀνταποδίδωσιν; Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος. Ὅτι ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη καλόν· Κύριε, οὐχ ὑψώθη, φησὶν, ἡ καρδία μου. Καὶ ὅτι ἡ ὑπερηφανία κακόν· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία εἰς τέλος. Καὶ πάλιν, Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται. Ὅτι ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη καλόν· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὅτι τὸ ἐλεεῖν ἐπαινετόν· Χρηστὸς ἀνὴρ ὁ οἰκτείρων καὶ κιχρῶν. Ὅτι κακῶς λέγειν οὐ δεῖ· Τὸν καταλαλοῦντα λάθρᾳ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον. Καὶ πολλὰ τούτων πλείονα εὑρήσεις ἐντεῦθεν ἐμφιλόσοφα δόγματα. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ περὶ τῶν παρόντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων διαλέγεται, καὶ περὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀοράτου κτίσεως. Καὶ περὶ οὐρανοῦ θέλεις μαθεῖν, πότερον μένει τοιοῦτος, ἢ μεταβάλλεται; Σαφῶς ἀποκρίνεταί σοι καὶ ἐρεῖ, ὅτι Οἱ οὐρανοὶ ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτοὺς, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ σχήματος ἐὰν θέλῃς ἀκοῦσαι, ἀκούσῃ πάλιν, Ὁ ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέῤῥιν. Ἐὰν περὶ τῶν νώτων αὐτοῦ βουληθῇς τι πλέον εἰδέναι, ἐρεῖ σοι πάλιν, Ὁ στεγάζων ἐν ὕδασι τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐδ' ἐνταῦθα ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ πλάτους καὶ ὕψους σοι διαλέγεται, δεικνὺς ταῦτα ἰσόμετρα ὄντα· Καθόσον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν. Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκραταίωσε Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. Κἂν τῆς γῆς τὰ θεμέλια περιεργάσῃ, οὐδὲ ταῦτά σοι ἀποκρύψει, ἀλλ' ἀκούσῃ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτήν. Κἂν περὶ τῶν σεισμῶν θέλῃς μαθεῖν πόθεν γίνονται, ἀπαλλάξει σε πάσης ἀπορίας οὕτω λέγων· Ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν. Ἂν τῆς νυκτὸς ζητεῖς τὴν χρῆσιν, καὶ ταῦτα εἴσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν, ὅτι Ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσονται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Καὶ τὰ ὄρη ποῦ χρήσιμα, ἐρεῖ σοι· Ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ ταῖς ἐλάφοις. Καὶ διὰ τί αἱ