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An observatory) the watchful and theoretically discursive daughter of Zion might be called. And what else could I properly consider her comeliness and dignity than the wealth of holy doctrines of the truth contemplated with wisdom? When, therefore, someone, after acquiring comeliness and dignity, neglects both their coherence and the increase of the divine wealth, those things which were until then her adornment flow away and depart. And the rulers, those who led the word and guided to the acquisition of the aforementioned comeliness, like rams, the leaders, of the flock of sheep not finding pasture, they themselves also came to be in want, having relaxed their attention to the things able to fatten, so to speak, both them and the sheep. Because of this, having become weak, being overtaken by the pursuer, who is "our adversary the devil," they go before him, driven wherever he wishes to lead. If, however, the aforementioned daughter of Zion takes care of her beauty and her comeliness and takes precaution for her dignity to be guarded, she despises and scoffs at the king of the Assyrians, as we have learned from Isaiah who says: "The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and scoffed at you." 20 For he who remembers, while suffering certain things, does not remember the present, but the past. And a little after: Having been perplexed by such things in this passage and seeking a reminder of her past humiliation and her rejections, because her people had fallen into the hands of an oppressor and the consequent things had happened to her, we consider whether perhaps humiliation in the proper sense is nothing other than sin, just as exaltation is right action, and rejection is effected by nothing other than wicked action; for this is sufficient to reject one from God and from everything that is most beautiful according to nature. When, therefore, Jerusalem was drunk, that is, those who dwell in her, and being beside herself from sin was humiliated, she was not pleased with her stumblings; but when her recompenses had come, through her people having fallen into the hands of the oppressor, with no one helping her, then she was reminded of the things for which she was suffering, understanding that those things were the cause both of her people having fallen and of her having been left without help. And a little after: And if such a soul is Jerusalem, it is worthwhile to seek her people, who, when they fall into the hands of an oppressor, there being no helper, she herself remembers the days of her humiliation, and also her own rejections which she was rejected, and in addition to these, her desires, as many as were from ancient days. But see if the theorems in the scientific soul are not the people of Jerusalem, which, on account of the soul having been in inattention and neglect, falls, being cast down by every oppressor. For the doctrines of those who are neglectful flow away, being pressed out by the sins that hold a place with the one who neglects better things, having in no way the help that comes from reason. 21 The meaning of the text is of this sort. Since Jerusalem has sinned a sin, she has come to be in such agitation and confusion, that all those who formerly glorified her, having changed, have dishonored such a city, having seen her shame. But she herself, for what she has suffered because of her sins, having fallen into agitation and dishonor from those who once glorified her, groaning, has no longer gone forward in her sins, but having diminished them, has withdrawn backward. And a little after: But if Jerusalem is called such a soul, one that is astute and discerning and capable of understanding "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding," since it is possible for many reasons for this one also to sin, it is shown that she has fallen into agitation, having departed from good things and come to be among worse things. And everyone who has fallen from virtue and lives with vice is soundly said to be in agitation. 22 It indicates the checking of the sins of Jerusalem, no longer "stretching forward to what is ahead" in her stumblings nor being in the pasture of sins, but turning away

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Σκοπευτήριον) ἡ σκοπευτικὴ καὶ θεωρητικῶς διεξοδικὴ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ἂν λέγοιτο. εὐπρέπειαν δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ἀξίωμα τί ἂν ἄλλο δεόντως νομισαίμην ἢ τὸν πλοῦτον τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας μετὰ σοφίας τεθεωρημένων ἁγίων δογμάτων; ἐπὰν οὖν ἀμελήσῃ τις, μετὰ τὸ κτήσασθαι εὐπρέπειαν καὶ ἀξίωμα, τῆς τε τού των συνοχῆς καὶ τῆς τοῦ πλούτου τοῦ θείου αὐξήσεως, ἀπορρεῖ καὶ ἐξέρχεται τὰ τέως κόσμος αὐτῆς τυγχάνοντα. ἄρχοντες δὲ οἱ ἡγησά μενοι τοῦ λόγου καὶ χειραγωγήσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν κτῆσιν τῆς προειρη μένης εὐπρεπείας, δίκην κριῶν , τῶν ἡγησαμένων, τῆς τῶν προβάτων ποίμνης οὐχ εὑρισκόντων νομήν , ἐν σπάνει κατέστησαν καὶ αὐτοί, ἀνέντες τὴν προσοχὴν τῶν δυναμένων αὐτούς τε καὶ τὰ πρόβατα, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, πιᾶναι. διὰ τοῦτο ἀσθενήσαντες, καταληφθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ διώκοντος , ὅστις ἐστὶν «ὁ ἀντίδικος ἡμῶν διάβολος», ἔμ προσθεν αὐτοῦ πορεύονται ἐλαυνόμενοι ὅπῃ ἐκεῖνος ἄγειν ἐθέλει. ἐὰν μέντοιγε ἡ προειρημένη θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιήσηται τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς καὶ τῆς εὐπρεπείας αὐτῆς καὶ πρόνοιαν τοῦ φρουρεῖσθαι τὸ ἀξίωμα, φαυλίζει καὶ μυκτηρίζει τὸν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλέα, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου μεμαθήκαμεν λέγοντος· «ἐφαύλισέ σε καὶ ἐμυκτήρισέ σε παρθένος θυγάτηρ Σιών». 20 Ὁ γὰρ μιμνῃσκόμενος ἐν τῷ τάδε τινὰ πάσχειν οὐ τοῦ ἐνεστη κότος μιμνῄσκεται , ἀλλὰ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Τοιαῦτα διαπορήσαντες ἐν τῷ τόπῳ καὶ ζητοῦντες ὑπόμνησιν παρεληλυθυίας ταπεινώσεως αὐτῆς καὶ ἀπωσμῶν αὐτῆς , διὰ τὸ πεπτωκέναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτῆς εἰς χεῖρας θλίβοντος καὶ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα αὐτῇ συμβεβηκέναι, ἐπισκοποῦμεν μὴ ἄρα ἡ κυρίως ταπείνωσις οὐκ ἄλλη τίς ἐστιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὥσπερ ὕψωσις ἡ κατόρθωσις, καὶ ἀπωσμὸς οὐδενὸς ἐνεργοῦντος γίνεται ἢ τῆς μοχθη ρᾶς πράξεως· ἱκανὴ γὰρ αὕτη ἀπώσασθαι ἀπὸ θεοῦ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν καλλίστου. ὅτε τοίνυν μεθύουσα ἡ Ἱερουσαλήμ, τουτέστιν οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτήν, καὶ ἐξεστηκυῖα ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐταπεινοῦτο, οὐκ ἐφήσθη τοῖς πταίσμασιν· ὅτε δὲ αἱ ἀνταποδόσεις αὐτῆς ἐληλύθασι διὰ τοῦ τὸν λαὸν αὐτῆς πεπτωκέναι εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ θλίβοντος , οὐδενὸς αὐτῇ βοηθοῦντος , τότε ὑπεμνήσθη τῶν δι' ἃ ἔπασχεν, αἴτια ἐκεῖνα καταλαμβάνουσα εἶναι τοῦ τε πεπτω κέναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ἀβοήθητον αὐτὴν καταλελεῖφθαι. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐὰν δὲ ἡ τοιάδε ψυχὴ ᾖ ἡ Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἄξιον ζητῆσαι τὸν λαὸν αὐτῆς , οὗ πίπτοντος εἰς χεῖρας θλίβοντος , τῷ μὴ ὑπάρ χειν βοηθόν, αὐτὴ μιμνῄσκεται τῶν τῆς ταπεινώσεως αὐτῆς ἡμε ρῶν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οὓς ἀπώσθη ἀπωσμῶν , πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἐπιθυμημάτων αὐτῆς ὅσα ἦν ἐξ ἀρχαίων ἡμερῶν . ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐπιστημονικῇ ψυχῇ θεωρήματα ὁ λαός ἐστι τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὅστις παρὰ τὸ ἐν ἀπροσεξίᾳ καὶ ἀμελείᾳ γεγονέναι τὴν ψυχὴν πίπτει καταβαλλόμενος ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ θλίβοντος. ἀπορρεῖ γὰρ τὰ δόγματα τῶν ἀμελούντων, ἐκθλιβόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν χώραν ἰσχόντων ἁμαρτημάτων παρὰ τῷ τῶν κρειττόνων ἀμελοῦντι, οὐδα μῶς ἴσχοντα τὴν ἐκ λόγου βοήθειαν. 21 Ὁ τῆς λέξεως νοῦς τοιοῦτός ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ ἁμαρτίαν ἥμαρτεν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐν σάλῳ γεγένηται καὶ ταραχῇ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον, ὡς πάντας τοὺς πρότερον δοξάζοντας αὐτὴν μεταβαλόντας ἠτι μακέναι τὴν τοιαύτην πόλιν, θεασαμένους αὐτῆς τὴν ἀσχημο σύνην. αὐτὴ δὲ ἐφ' οἷς πέπονθε διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, σάλῳ καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ποτε δοξαζόντων περιπεσοῦσα, στενάζουσα οὐκέτι εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἐλήλυθε τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ μειώσασα αὐτὰ ὀπίσω ἀνακεχώρηκεν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐὰν δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ τοιάδε ψυχὴ λέγηται, ἐντρεχής τις καὶ διορατικὴ καὶ «τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ εἰρήνης τῆς ὑπερεχούσης πάντα νοῦν» κατανοητική, ἐπεὶ δυνατὸν παρὰ πολλὰς αἰτίας καὶ ταύτην ἁμαρτεῖν, δηλοῦται τὸ εἰς σάλον αὐτὴν μεταπεπτωκέναι ἀποστᾶσαν τῶν κα λῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς χείροσι γεγενημένην. πᾶς δὲ ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκπεσὼν καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ συμβιοὺς ἐν σάλῳ τυγχάνειν ὑγιῶς λέγεται. 22 ∆ηλοῖ τὴν ἀνακοπὴν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, οὐκέτι «τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινομένης» τῶν πταισμάτων οὐδὲ ἐν τῇ νομῇ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων γινομένης, ἀλλ' ἀποστρεφομένης