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he examines the nature of existing things. For this reason he has made this the beginning of the third section of the psalmody, in which the discourse especially examines this: how the justice of the divine judgment will be preserved in the inequality of life, since for the most part, good fortune in this life does not come to people according to the worth of their choices. For often 5.41 one can see the two extremes in the same person: the utmost in wickedness and the highest point of prosperity. Looking at such a person, one somehow hesitates in thought, lest what is called worse might be better for human nature, and conversely, that which is counted in the better lot might be evil. For if righteousness is praised, but he who is zealous for it fares badly, while wickedness is slandered yet grants lasting enjoyment of all desired things to those who are zealous for it, how is it possible not to think that wickedness is more preferable than virtue as a choice for one's life—the condemned thing over the one that is praised? Therefore, the one who is lofty in thought and, as if from some high watchtower, extending his eye to distant things, saw wherein lies the difference of wickedness from virtue: that the judgment of these things comes from the last things, not from the present. For with the contemplative and discerning eye of the soul, he perceived as present that which is laid up for the good through hope, and passing beyond in his soul everything apparent, and penetrating within the heavenly sanctuaries, he rebukes the lack of judgment of those who meanly entrust the judgment of the good to the faculties of sense. Through which he says, For what have I in heaven, and from you what have I desired upon earth? With the same part of speech, magnifying and exalting the heavenly with admiration in his discourse, while contemptuously and mockingly disparaging and abhorring that which on earth is pursued by the eyes of the foolish. As if someone born in prison, judging the darkness in which he was both nurtured and grew up to be some great good, then having partaken of the grace of the open air, 5.42 condemns his former judgment, saying, "To what sights of the sun and stars and all the beauty of the heavens did I prefer my accustomed darkness, through inexperience of what is better." For this reason, he fore-condemns in his discourse the lack of judgment concerning the good, saying he was like a beast, as long as he saw the good in those things. But when he was with God—and God is the Word—and was guided to the right, and the Word became a favorable guide for him through counsel and he saw the glory in virtue, through which the assumption comes to those who look toward heaven, then he uses those expressions, of which one regards the good in the heavens with wonder, and the other spits upon the worthlessness and vanity of the deceived zeal for this life. And the entire passage is as follows: I became like a beast before you, he says, signifying the irrational passion in such things, then he adds, But I am continually with you. And having said this, he adds the manner of his connection to God, so that we too might learn how he who was formerly like a beast is afterwards joined to God: For you have held, he says, my right hand. He speaks of God's help, the impulse of the mind toward the right. And in your counsel you have guided me. For guidance toward the good does not happen without divine counsel. And with glory you received me. He well contrasts glory with shame, which becomes like a chariot and a wing for one who is received by the divine hand, whenever one has alienated oneself from deeds of shame. And thus to what has been said he added: For what 5.43 have I in heaven, and from you what have I desired upon earth? which indeed the majority of people do even now: though such things are available to them by right in heaven, they nevertheless make it a matter of prayer to receive from God illusory deceptions, some power or honor or wealth or this wretched bit of glory, for which human nature is mad. But he who has been in these things consequently adds, But it is good for me to cling to God, to place in the

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τὴν τῶν ὄντων διασκοπεῖται φύσιν. διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ τρίτου τμήματος τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ταύτην πεποίηται τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐν ᾧ τοῦτο μάλιστα διεξετάζει ὁ λόγος, πῶς τὸ δίκαιον τῆς θείας κρίσεως ἐν τῇ ἀνωμαλίᾳ τοῦ βίου διασωθήσεται, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν προαιρέσεων τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον εὐκληρίας ὡς τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐγγινομένης. πολλάκις γὰρ περὶ 5.41 τὸν αὐτὸν τὰς δύο κατιδεῖν ἔστιν ἀκρότητας, τὸ ἔσχατον ἐν κα κίᾳ καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὴν εὐημερίαν ἀκρότατον. πρὸς ὅν τις βλέπων ὀκλάζει πως τὴν διάνοιαν, μή ποτε κρεῖττον ᾖ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει τὸ χεῖρον λεγόμενον, καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν κακὸν ἐκεῖνο, ὃ ἐν τῇ τοῦ κρείττονος ἀριθμεῖται μοίρᾳ. εἰ γὰρ ἐπαινεῖται μὲν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, πράττει δὲ κακῶς ὁ περὶ ταύτην ἐσπου δακώς, διαβάλλεται δὲ ἡ κακία καὶ πάντων τῶν σπουδαζο μένων διαρκεῖς τὰς ἀπολαύσεις τοῖς περὶ αὐτὴν ἐσπουδακόσι χαρίζεται, πῶς ἔστι μὴ προτιμοτέραν πρὸς βίου αἵρεσιν οἴεσθαι τὴν κακίαν τῆς ἀρετῆς, τὴν κατεγνωσμένην τῆς ἐγκωμιαζομένης; ὁ τοίνυν ὑψηλὸς τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ οἷον ἀπό τινος σκοπιᾶς ἐξεχούσης τοῖς ἀφεστηκόσι τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐπεκτείνων εἶδεν ἐν ᾧ ἐστι τῆς κακίας πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν τὸ διάφορον, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ἐσχάτων, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν παρόντων ἡ τούτων γίνεται κρίσις. τῷ γὰρ ἐποπτικῷ τε καὶ διορατικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμῷ ὡς παρὸν κατανοήσας τὸ δι' ἐλπίδος τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀποκείμενον, καὶ παρελθὼν τῇ ψυχῇ πᾶν τι φαινό μενον, ἐντός τε τῶν οὐρανίων ἀδύτων παραδὺς καθάπτεται τῆς ἀκρισίας τῶν μικροπρεπῶς τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ κρίσιν τοῖς αἰσθητικοῖς μορίοις ἐπιτρεπόντων. δι' ὧν φησιν Τί γάρ μοι ὑπάρχει ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ παρὰ σοῦ τί ἠθέλησα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; τῷ αὐτῷ μορίῳ τοῦ λόγου τὸ μὲν οὐράνιον θαυμασ τικῶς μεγαλύνων τε καὶ ἐξαίρων τῷ λόγῳ, τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ γῆς τοῖς τῶν ἀνοήτων ὀφθαλμοῖς σπουδαζόμενον καταφρονητικῶς τε καὶ σκωπτικῶς ἐξευτελίζων τε καὶ μυσαττόμενος. ὡς εἴ τις τῶν ἐν φυλακῇ τεχθέντων μέγα τι κρίνων ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸν ζόφον, ᾧ ἐνετράφη τε καὶ συνηύξησεν, εἶτα τῆς ὑπαίθρου 5.42 χάριτος μετασχὼν καταγινώσκει τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ κρίσεως, λέγων οἵων θεαμάτων ἡλίου τε καὶ ἀστέρων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ περὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν κάλλους προετίθην τὸν συνήθη ζόφον δι' ἀπειρίαν τοῦ κρείττονος. οὗ χάριν προκαταγινώσκει τῷ λόγῳ τῆς περὶ τὸ καλὸν ἀκρισίας, κτηνώδη λέγων ἑαυτὸν εἶναι, ἕως ἐν ἐκείνοις τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἑώρα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, θεὸς δὲ ὁ λόγος, καὶ πρὸς τὸ δεξιὸν ὡδηγήθη, ὁδηγὸς δὲ γίνεται αὐτῷ δεξιὸς διὰ τῆς βουλῆς ὁ λόγος καὶ εἶδε τὴν ἐν ἀρετῇ δόξαν, δι' ἧς γίνεται τοῖς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπουσιν ἡ ἀνάληψις, τότε χρῆται ταῖς φωναῖς ἐκείναις, ὧν ἡ μὲν ἐν θαύματι ποιεῖται τὸ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀγαθόν, ἡ δὲ τὸ οὐτιδανόν τε καὶ μάταιον τῆς ἠπατημένης περὶ τὸν βίον σπουδῆς διαπτύει. ἔχει δὲ πᾶσα ἡ λέξις οὕτως· Κτηνώδης, φησίν, ἐγενόμην παρὰ σοί, τὴν ἄλογον ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις διασημαίνων προσπάθειαν, εἶτα ἐπάγει Ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ παντὸς μετὰ σοῦ. τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν συναφείας προστίθησιν, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς μάθοιμεν, πῶς ὁ πρότερον κτηνώδης μετὰ ταῦτα τῷ θεῷ συνάπτεται· Ἐκράτησας γάρ, φησί, τῆς χειρὸς τῆς δεξιᾶς μου. θεοῦ ἀντίληψιν λέγει, τὴν πρὸς τὰ δεξιὰ τῆς διανοίας ὁρμήν· Καὶ ἐν τῇ βουλῇ σου ὡδήγησάς με· οὐ γὰρ ἄνευ θείας βουλῆς γίνεται ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ καλὸν ὁδηγία. Καὶ μετὰ δόξης προσελάβου με. καλῶς ἀντιδιαστέλλει τῇ αἰσχύνῃ τὴν δόξαν, ἥτις καθάπερ ὄχημά τι καὶ πτερὸν γίνεται τοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας προσλαμβανο μένου χειρός, ὅταν τις ἑαυτὸν τῶν κατ' αἰσχύνην ἔργων ἀλλοτριώσῃ. καὶ οὕτω τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν ἐπήγαγε· Τί γάρ 5.43 μοι ὑπάρχει ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ παρὰ σοῦ τί ἠθέλησα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; ὃ δὴ ποιοῦσι μέχρι τοῦ νῦν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· τοιούτων αὐτοῖς κατ' ἐξουσίαν ὑπαρχόντων ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὅμως ἐν εὐχῆς μέρει ποιοῦνται τὸ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γενέσθαι τὰς φαντασιώδεις ἀπάτας, δυναστείαν τινὰ ἢ τιμὴν ἢ πλοῦτον ἢ τὸ δύστηνον τοῦτο δοξάριον, περὶ ὃ μέμηνεν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις. ὁ δὲ ἐν τούτοις γενόμενος δι' ἀκολούθου ἐπάγει τὸ Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ θεῷ ἀγαθόν ἐστι, τίθεσθαι ἐν τῷ