6

they understand the wonders of these things, but those enjoying the splendor from above; for which reason the blessed Paul said: But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed; now the Lord is the Spirit. He himself, however, being illuminated by the divine light, rightly cried out: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. It is fitting for us to beseech the Master, that having removed the veil from the eyes of our mind, He might show us the power of the divine oracles. For we behold and understand the divine Scriptures according to anagogy and contemplation; as that the lamb formerly sacrificed by the Israelites was a type of the true lamb, Christ our God, who was slain for us; and just as there the anointing of the blood on the doorposts saved those who anointed them, so the blood of the true lamb, Christ our God, redeemed us from the curse of the enemy and the persistence of death. Again, the Israelite people, having crossed the Jordan and entered into the land of promise, became a type of us Christians; because we, through the water of holy baptism, are brought into the promised land, the kingdom of heaven. But the Hebrews understand no such thing, because a veil lies over their eyes, as the divine apostle Paul says. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me. 4. The voice of a just man, and one living according to God, and not considering the things of the world. For this reason he also calls himself a sojourner; just as Abraham and all the saints are sojourners in this life, having their dwelling in the kingdom of heaven. For we all do not dwell on this earth, but sojourn; for having lived for a short time, we pass on to another life. But not all wish to know this, but they pride themselves on present goods as if they were permanent and lasting; but he who has been instructed in divine things knows the temporary nature of this life. For this reason he both calls himself a sojourner and implores that he might in no way be ignorant of the divine commandments. My soul has longed to desire your judgments at all times. Many desire the divine judgments and aim for the kingdom of heaven, but not always; rather, now they are pleased with divine things, and now they follow the passions of the body; but the prophet longs to have this desire continuously. He says, therefore, "at all times," not as sometimes longing, and sometimes not. For some know that a compunction comes upon them, sometimes to long for the commandments of God because of the fear of eternal punishment and because of a desire for the kingdom of heaven, but at other times they are led away by carnal desires. Such people, therefore, do not long for God at all times; but those who do this for the love of God do not depart from the judgments of God at all. You have rebuked the proud. Those who despise the divine laws fall into the disease of pride, and receive punishment from the just judge. Therefore some have been lifted up against God, but they were rebuked by him, as Pharaoh, having become proud, perished in the Red Sea, and Sennacherib, having been lifted up to a height, was destroyed by his own sons. Likewise also Nebuchadnezzar, having been lifted up in his heart, was fed like the beasts. For such are the wages of the arrogant; for the Lord opposes the proud, as it is written in Proverbs. Cursed are those who turn aside from your commandments. By the inspiration of the divine Spirit the prophets have spoken, as we also confess in the symbol of our faith, "Who has spoken through the prophets." Therefore, the Spirit itself

6

τούτων κατανοοῦσι θαυμάσια, ἀλλ' οἱ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἀπολαύοντες αἴγλης· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ὁ μα κάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· Ὅταν δὲ ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς Κύ ριον, περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα· ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Αὐτὸς μέντοι τῷ φωτὶ τῷ θείῳ καταυ γαζόμενος εἰκότως ἐβόα· Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἅπαντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατ οπτριζόμενοι, εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα, ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν, καθάπερ ἀπὸ Κυρίου Πνεύ ματος. Ἡμᾶς δὲ προσήκει τὸν ∆εσπότην ἀντιβολεῖν, ἵνα τὸ κάλυμμα τῶν τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν περιελὼν ὀφθαλ μῶν, ὑποδείξῃ τῶν θείων λογίων τὴν δύναμιν. Τὰς γὰρ θείας Γραφὰς κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν καὶ θεωρίαν κατοπτριζό μεθα καὶ νοοῦμεν· ὡς ὅτι ὁ ἀμνὸς ὁ πάλαι σφαζόμενος παρὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, τύπος ἦν τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ἀμνοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, τοῦ σφαγιασθέντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ ἡ χρῖσις τοῦ αἵματος τῶν φλιῶν ἔσωσε τοὺς χρίσαντας, οὕτω τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ἀμνοῦ Χρι στοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐλυτρώσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου διαμονῆς. Πάλιν δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰσραηλίτης λαὸς τὸν Ἰορδάνην διαβὰς, καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἀπαγγελίας, τύπος ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστια νῶν γέγονεν· ὅτι ἡμεῖς δι' ὕδατος τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσμα τος εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην γῆν, τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρα νῶν, εἰσαγόμεθα. Ἑβραῖοι δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον κατανοοῦ σιν, ὅτι Κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν κεῖται, καθὼς λέγει ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος. Πάροικος ἐγώ εἰμι ἐν τῇ γῇ· μὴ ἀποκρύψῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὰς ἐντολάς σου. δʹ. ∆ικαίου φωνὴ, καὶ κατὰ Θεὸν βιοῦντος, καὶ μὴ λογι ζομένου τὰ τοῦ κόσμου πράγματα. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάροικον ἑαυτὸν λέγει· καθὼς καὶ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι πάροικοί εἰσιν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, ἔχοντες τὴν κατοικίαν ἐν τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείᾳ. Τὴν γὰρ γῆν ταύτην πάντες ἡμεῖς οὐ κατοικοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ παροικοῦμεν· βραχὺν γὰρ διαβιώσαντες χρόνον, εἰς ἕτερον μεταβαίνομεν βίον. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ πάντες ἐθέλουσιν εἰδέναι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀγαθοῖς ὡς ἐπὶ μονίμοις καὶ διαρκέσι βρενθύ νονται· ὁ δὲ τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένος οἶδε τοῦ βίου τὸ πρόσκαιρον. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ πάροικον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει, καὶ ἱκετεύει τὰς θείας ἐντολὰς μηδαμῶς ἀγνοῆσαι. Ἐπεπό θησεν ἡ ψυχή μου τοῦ ἐπιθυμῆσαι τὰ κρίματά σου ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ. Ἐπιθυμοῦσι τῶν θείων κριμάτων πολλοὶ, καὶ τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐφίενται βασιλείας, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀεὶ, ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν τοῖς θείοις ἀρέσκονται, νῦν δὲ τοῖς τοῦ σώματος ἀκολουθοῦσι παθήμασι· ὁ δὲ προφήτης ἱμείρεται τοῦτον τὸν πόθον ἔχειν διηνεκῶς. Ἐν παντὶ οὖν καιρῷ λέγει, οὐχ ὡς ποτὲ μὲν ἐπιποθεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ οὔ. Ἴσασι γάρ τινες, ὅτι γίνεται αὐτοῖς κατάνυξις, ποτὲ μὲν ἐπιποθεῖν τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντολὰς διὰ τὸν φόβον τῆς αἰωνίου κολάσεως καὶ διὰ πόθον τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασι λείας, ποτὲ δὲ ἀπάγονται ταῖς σαρκικαῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. Οἱ τοιοῦτοι οὖν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐπιποθοῦσιν· οἱ δὲ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπην τοῦτο ποιοῦντες, οὐδὲ ὅλως ἀφίστανται τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων. Ἐπετίμησας ὑπερ ηφάνοις. Οἱ τῶν θείων νόμων καταφρονοῦντες, τῇ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας περιπίπτουσι νόσῳ, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ δι καίου κριτοῦ δέχονται τιμωρίαν Ἐπήρθησαν οὖν τινες κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐπετιμήθησαν παρ' αὐτοῦ, ὡς ὁ Φαραὼ ἐν τῇ ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ ἀπώλετο ὑπερηφανευθεὶς, καὶ ὁ Σενναχερεὶμ εἰς ὕψος ἐπαρθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων υἱῶν ὤλετο. Ὡσαύτως καὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὑψωθεὶς τὴν καρ δίαν, ἴσα κτηνῶν ἐβόσκετο. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ τῶν ἀλαζόνων οἱ μισθοί· Κύριος γὰρ ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, καθὼς ἐν Παροιμίαις γέγραπται. Ἐπικατάρατοι οἱ ἐκ κλίνοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου. Τῇ τοῦ θείου Πνεύ ματος ἐμπνεύσει προφῆται ἐλάλησαν, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τῷ συμβόλῳ τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν ὁμολογοῦμεν, Τὸ λαλῆσαν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν. Αὐτὸ οὖν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ