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me, he says, will by no means die forever. For the Lord says: I am the light of the world, and the Apostle says: He is our peace. "Who has found her place?" Because unsearchable are the judgments of God, and his ways are untraceable. "And who has entered into her treasures?" Who has comprehended the judgments of God? "Where are the rulers of the nations?" The wise of this age, who also ruled over the beast-like men. "Who make sport with the birds of the air." Practicing augury. And since their wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. "And the silver." For all their wisdom is in greed. "That they are the ones who fashion silver." Who profit from silver through various persons. "And there is no discovery of their works." Because they partake of darkness. "And others rose up." To whom the law was entrusted, and not even they kept it, these are the ones who rose up instead of the wise in idolatry. "Younger men have seen light." Those not dragged down by fleshly deeds have seen light, that is, the knowledge of God. "And they dwelt upon the earth." Upon the teachings of the legislation. "The way of knowledge they have not known." As the Lord says, If you believed Moses, you would believe me. "Nor did they understand." The varied teaching. "Nor did they take hold of it." As the evangelist John says: He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. And the sons, clearly of the lawgivers. "They have become far from their way." For pursuing a law of righteousness, they did not attain to the law. "Nor has it been heard." Those who followed only the letter of the law were judged equal to these gentiles who did not hear the law. For seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear. "Nor the sons of Hagar." The descendants of the old covenant, about whom the Apostle says in agreement: 93.768 For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. "The merchants of Merran." He calls them merchants because they are inexperienced in agriculture. For being appointed vinedressers, they harvested thorns instead of grapes. And Merran and Teman are barbarian tribes, to which they trade, which are the beastly ways, those who are dragged down by the vanity of this life. "And the myth-tellers." Who instead of the commandment and judgments of God, devised myths about the washings of cups and pots. And furthermore, rejecting judgment, and mercy, and faith, they tithed rue and mint. "And the seekers." Those who seek, but do not know how to conduct the search wisely. "But the way of wisdom they have not known." The Lord, clearly. "Nor have they remembered her paths." The ways of the teaching. "O Israel, how great is the house of God." The Church, and the word of the mystery. Since now we know in part, and not yet the perfection of knowledge. And he calls piety the place; and long because of the ever-increasing growth for the better. "The place of his possession." Because it contains the mysteries of a heavenly king. "There were the giants born." He speaks concerning the demons, that from the beginning, having been ranked with the angels, they were cast out of the heavenly arches by foolishness. And famous, since it was foretold concerning them; and of great stature, as being enormous. "Knowing war." For being unworthy of the peace of Christ, both the demons and the heretics practiced war. "Who has ascended into heaven?" As it is written: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and having loved us, he bowed the heavens and came down. "Who has crossed over." The Lord having said, Take heart, I have overcome the world. For he alone crossed over sin. And the phrase, He found it, instead of, He showed us how to find it. "And will bring it." Because wisdom is priceless. And according to the thought, faith is choice gold, through which we know the Son. "There is no one who knows her way." For if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he does not yet know as he ought to know. "Her path." The teachings, the

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ἐμὲ, φησὶν, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριός φησιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησιν· Αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν. "Τίς εὗρε τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς;" Ὅτι ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. "Καὶ τίς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς θησαυροὺς αὐτῆς;" Τίς κατέλαβε τὰ κρίματα τοῦ Θεοῦ; "Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν;" Οἱ σοφοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οἳ καὶ ἐκυρίευσαν τῶν θηριοτρόπων ἀνθρώπων. "Ἐν τοῖς ὀρνέοις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐμπαίζοντες." Οἰωνοσκοποῦντες. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡ σοφία αὐτῶν ἐπίγειός ἐστιν, ψυχικὴ, δαιμονιώδης. "Καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον." Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ σοφία αὐτῶν ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ. "Ὅτι οἱ τὸ ἀργύριον τεκταίνοντες." Οἳ τὸ ἀργύριον διὰ ποικίλων προσώπων καρπούμενοι. "Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξεύρεσις τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν." ∆ιότι σκότους μετέχουσιν. "Καὶ ἄλλοι ἀνέστησαν." Οἷς ὁ νόμος ἐπιστεύθη, καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ἐφύλαξαν, οὖτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀναστάντες ἀντὶ τῶν ἐπὶ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ σοφῶν. "Νεώτεροι εἶδον φῶς." Οἱ ταῖς σαρκικαῖς πράξεσι μὴ καθελκόμενοι, εἶδον φῶς, τουτέστι τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. "Καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Ἐπὶ τοῖς μαθήμασι τῆς νομοθεσίας. "Ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν." Καθὼς ὁ Κύριός φησιν, Εἰ ἐπιστεύετε Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί. "Οὐδὲ συνῆκαν." Τὴν ποικίλην διδασκαλίαν. "Οὐδὲ ἀντελάβοντο αὐτῆς." Καθὼς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης φησίν· Εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθε, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. Οἱ υἱοὶ δὲ, τῶν νομοθετῶν δηλονότι. "Ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτῶν πόῤῥω ἐγενήθησαν." ∆ιώκοντες γὰρ νόμον δικαιοσύνης, εἰς νόμον οὐκ ἔφθασαν. "Οὐδὲ ἠκούσθη." Ἴσοι τούτοις ἐθνικοῖς ἐκρίθησαν τοῖς μὴ ἀκούσασι τοῦ νόμου, οἱ μόνῳ τῷ γράμματι τοῦ νόμου ἀκολουθήσαντες. Βλέποντες γὰρ οὐ βλέπουσι, καὶ ἀκούοντες οὐκ ἀκούουσιν. "Οὔτε υἱοὶ Ἄγαρ." Οἱ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ἐγγόνοι, περὶ ὧν συμφώνως φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· 93.768 Ἀγνοοῦντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ζητοῦντες στῆσαι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν. "Οἱ ἔμποροι τῆς Μεῤῥάν." Ἐμπόρους αὐτούς φησι διὰ τὸ ἀπειρεῖν γεωργίας. Ταχθέντες γὰρ ἀμπελουργοὶ, ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς ἀκάνθας ἐτρύγησαν. Μεῤῥὰν δὲ καὶ Θαιμὰν βάρβαρα φῦλα, εἰς ἃ ἐμπορεύονται, ἅπερ εἰσὶν οἱ θηριώδεις τρόποι, οἱ τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ βίου τούτου συγκαθελκόμενοι. "Καὶ οἱ μυθολόγοι." Οἳ ἀντὶ ἐντολῆς καὶ κριμάτων Θεοῦ, βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων καὶ ξεστῶν ἐμυθολόγησαν. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν κρίσιν, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος. καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀπωθούμενοι, πήγανα καὶ ἡδύοσμα ἀπεδεκάτωσαν. "Καὶ οἱ ἐκζητηταί." Οἱ ἐκζητοῦντες μὲν, μὴ εἰδότες δὲ συνετῶς τὴν ζήτησιν ποιεῖσθαι. "Ὁδὸν δὲ σοφίας οὐκ ἔγνωσαν." Τὸν Κύριον δηλονότι. "Οὐδὲ ἐμνήσθησαν τὰς τρίβους αὐτῆς." Τοὺς τρόπους τῆς διδασκαλίας. "Ὦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς μέγας ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ." ἩἘκκλησία, καὶ ὁ τοῦ μυστηρίου λόγος. Ἐπειδὴ νῦν ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν, καὶ οὔπω τῆς γνώσεως τὸ τέλειον. Τόπον δὲ καλεῖ τὴν εὐσέβειαν· ἐπιμήκη δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀεὶ ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον αὔξησιν. "Ὁ τόπος τῆς κτήσεως." Ὅτι ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως μυστήρια περιέχει. "Ἐκεῖ ἐγενήθησαν οἱ γίγαντες." Περὶ τῶν δαιμόνων φησὶν, ὅτι ἀπ' ἀρχῆς μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ταγέντες, ἐξ ἀβουλίας τῶν οὐρανίων ἀψίδων ἐκβέβληνται. Ὀνομαστοὶ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ προκατηγγέλθη περὶ αὐτῶν· εὐμεγέθεις δὲ, ὡς ὑπέρογκοι. "Ἐπιστάμενοι πόλεμον." Τῆς γὰρ εἰρήνης τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνάξιοι ὄντες, πόλεμον ἤσκησαν οἵτε δαίμονες, καὶ οἱ αἱρετικοί. "Τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν;" Καθὼς γέγραπται· Οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήσαμεν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀγαπήσας ἔκλινεν οὐρανοὺς καὶ κατέβη. "Τίς διέβη." Ὁ Κύριος εἰπὼν, Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. Μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς διέβη τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Τὸ δὲ, Εὗρεν αὐτὴν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὑπέδειξεν ἡμῖν εὑρεῖν αὐτήν. "Καὶ οἴσει αὐτήν." Ὅτι ἀτίμητος ἡ σοφία. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, χρυσίον ἐκλεκτὸν ἡ πίστις, δι' ἧς γινώσκομεν τὸν Υἱόν. "Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ γινώσκων τὴν ὀδὸν αὐτῆς." Εἴ τις γὰρ δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι, οὔπω ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι. "Τὴν τρίβον αὐτῆς." Τὰς διδασκαλίας, τὰς