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Did you see how he presented the nature of falsehood as fruitless? He who relies on it possesses only thorns and thistles; and it would be waterless, that which does not have divine teaching; and thirsty, that which does not gush forth the drinkable water of the Spirit, which is given by Jesus to the fruit-bearing springs; but fruitlessness is wickedness and ignorance. Touch hidden bread gladly. [ξοδ. φ. 46 β.] And what pleasure is there in stolen things, in which there is fear, danger, expectation of death? And although it seems sweet, it is not sweet; according to: The bread of falsehood was sweet to them, and after this: Their mouth will be filled with gravel. But leap away. [ξοδ. φ. 47 α.] He did not say withdraw, but leap away. Blessed, therefore, is it to leap away; and second, not to linger in evil thoughts, but to return through repentance; for it is not possible for one who has put fire in his bosom not to burn his clothes; nor for one who has lingered in evil thoughts is it possible not to be delivered to the eternal fire; from which it is clear that one must encamp far from wickedness. [ιτα ξοδ.] Sin is a precipice; walk far away; for he who is near, even if he is in safety, trembles and is afraid. For thus you shall pass over alien water. He calls desire water, showing that just as he who strives to drink water from this spring has a charge against him, seizing what is set before him, and what exists in abundance, so also here. Or that just as with God there is a spring of life, so also with the devil there is a spring of death; and if the spring of God is a spring of virtue and knowledge, that of the devil is evidently a spring of wickedness and ignorance. And likewise it must be understood concerning rivers and wells and waters and rains; but this, 'years be added,' signifies this, that you are master of receiving.

CHAPTER 10.

Treasures will not profit the lawless. [ξοδ. φ. 47 β.] What then? Have not many escaped death through money? Yes; but they have not also cast off sin, but have purchased a life far more grievous than death; let us not be confident in money, but in virtue; or that righteousness coming upon sins unto death, delivers from death; and how will they not profit, for which they treasured up on earth, Where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal? But righteousness not only saves those who possess it, but also rouses many in it to zeal, and sends them from death to eternal immortality. 64.684 The Lord will not famish the soul of the righteous, but he will overthrow the life of the wicked. [ιβιδ.] For how could they hunger, having the bread of life and of heaven? But the wicked, even if they enjoy abundance, will have nothing more. Or also thus: if the life of the wicked is wickedness, and the Lord will overthrow this, the wicked will evidently at some time not be wicked; for after this overthrow, the Lord will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, that God may be all in all. But the Lord will not famish a righteous soul that longs for knowledge and wisdom and every good thing. The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous; but untimely grief will cover the mouth of the wicked. [ξοδ. φ. 48 α.] The principal thing of the righteous is preserved, is crowned; but the wicked, since he has also misused his mouth for the addition of sins, and sins through it, will be covered with untimely grief. Or thus: in the governing part, blessing and understanding are conceived, but the word of the wicked in comparison with great grief prevails; or that their word is worse than untimely grief; or instead of, and their mouth will be covered, that it may show the fullness of the punishment. But the name of the wicked is extinguished. [ιβιδ.] In the midst

9

Εἶδες πῶς παρέστησε τοῦ ψεύδους τὴν φύσιν ἄκαρπον; ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους μόνους κέκτηται ὁ τούτῳ ἐπερειδόμενος· εἴη δ' ἂν καὶ ἄνυδρος μὲν, ἡ μὴ ἔχουσα θείαν διδασκαλίαν· διψώδης δὲ ἡ μὴ πότιμον βλύζουσα ὕδωρ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὃ ταῖς καρποφορούσαις πηγαῖς δίδοται παρὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· ἀκαρπία δὲ, κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. Ἄρτων κρυφίων ἡδέως ἅψασθε. [ξοδ. φ. 46 β.] Καὶ ποία ἡδονὴ τῶν κεκλεμμένων, ἐν οἷς φόβος, κίνδυνος, προσδοκία θανάτου; καίπερ δὲ δοκοῦν ἡδὺ, οὐχ ἡδύ ἐστι· κατὰ τό· Ἡδύνθη αὐτοῖς ἄρτος ψεύδους, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο· Πλησθήσεται τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ψηφῖδος. Ἀλλ' ἀποπήδησον. [ξοδ. φ. 47 α.] Οὐκ εἶπεν ἀναχώρησον, ἀλλ' ἀποπήδησον. Μακάριον μὲν οὖν τὸ ἀποπηδῆσαι· δεύτερον δὲ τὸ μὴ ἐγχρονίσαι τοῖς φαύλοις νοήμασιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ μετανοίας παλινδρομῆσαι· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀποθήσαντα πῦρ ἐν κόλπῳ, τὰ ἱμάτια μὴ κατακαῦσαι· μήτε τοῖς κακοῖς νοήμασιν ἐγχρονίσαντα, ἀδύνατον μὴ πυρὶ τῷ αἰωνίῳ παραδοθῆναι· ὅθεν δῆλον ὡς μακρὰν δεῖ τῆς κακίας ἐσκηνῆσθαι. [ιτα ξοδ.] Κρημνός ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία· μακρὰν βάδιζε· ὁ γὰρ πλησίον, κἂν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ᾖ, τρέμει καὶ δέδοικεν. Οὕτως γὰρ διαβήσῃ ὕδωρ ἀλλότριον. Ὕδωρ καλεῖ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, δεικνὺς ὅτι καθάπερ ὁ φιλονεικῶν πιεῖν ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆσδε τῆς πηγῆς, ἔγκλημα ἔχει, τὸ προκείμενον ἁρπάζων, καὶ τὸ μετὰ ἀφθονίας ὂν, οὕτω κἀνταῦθα. Ἢ ὅτι ὥσπερ παρὰ Θεῷ ἐστι πηγὴ ζωῆς, οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τῷ διαβόλῳ πηγὴ θανάτου· εἰ δὲ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πηγὴ, ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώσεως ἐστὶ πηγὴ, ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου δηλονότι κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας ἐστὶ πηγή. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ φρεάτων καὶ ὑδάτων καὶ ὑετῶν νοητέον· τὸ δὲ, προστεθῇ ἔτη, τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅτι σὺ εἶ κύριος τοῦ λαβεῖν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ.

Οὐκ ὠφελήσουσι θησαυροὶ ἀνόμους. [ξοδ. φ. 47 β.] Τί οὖν; οὐ πολλοὶ διὰ χρημάτων θάνατον ἔφυγον; Ναί· ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀπεδύσαντο, πολλῷ δὲ χαλεπωτέραν θανάτου ζωὴν ἐξωνήσαντο· μὴ δὲ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐπὶ χρήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἀρετῇ· ἢ ὅτι ἐπιγενομένη ἡ δικαιοσύνη τοῖς πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτήμασιν, ῥύεται ἀπὸ θανάτου· πῶς δὲ οὐκ ὠφελήσουσιν, ἀνθ' ὧν ἐθησαύρισαν ἐν γῇ, Ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσι καὶ κλέπτουσιν; Ἡ δὲ δικαιοσύνη οὐ μόνον τοὺς αὐτὴν κτωμένους διασώζει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πρὸς ζῆλον ἐγείρει, καὶ ἐκ θανάτου πρὸς ἀθανασίαν αἰώνιον παραπέμπει. 64.684 Οὐ λιμοκτονήσει Κύριος ψυχὴν δικαίου, ζωὴν δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἀνατρέψει. [ιβιδ.] Πῶς γὰρ ἂν λιμώσσωσι, τὸν ζωῆς καὶ οὐράνιον ἄρτον ἔχοντες; Οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς, κἂν εὐθηνίας ἀπολαύσωσιν, οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἔσται πλέον. Ἢ καὶ οὕτως· εἰ ἡ ζωὴ τῶν ἀσεβῶν, ἡ κακία ἐστὶ, ταύτην δὲ ἀνατρέψει ὁ Κύριος, ἔσονται δηλονότι ποτὲ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς οὐκ ἀσεβεῖς· μετὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν ἀνατροπὴν, ὁ Κύριος παραδώσει τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, ἵνα γένηται ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι. Ψυχὴν δὲ δικαίαν γνώσεως καὶ σοφίας καὶ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἐφιεμένην οὐ λιμοκτονήσει ὁ Κύριος. Εὐλογία Κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου· στόμα δὲ ἀσεβῶν καλύψει πένθος ἄωρον. [ξοδ. φ. 48 α.] Τοῦ μὲν δικαίου τὸ κεφάλαιον διασώζεται, στεφανοῦται· ὁ δὲ ἀσεβὴς, ἐπεὶ καὶ στόμα εἰς προσθήκην ἁμαρτιῶν κατακέχρηται, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτάνει, πένθει ἀώρῳ καλυφθήσεται. Ἢ οὕτως· ἐν τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ ἐννοεῖται εὐλογία καὶ ἡ σύνεσις, ὁ δὲ λόγος τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐν παραθέσει μεγάλου πένθους νικᾷ· ἢ ὅτι ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν, χείρων ἀώρου πένθους ἐστίν· ἢ ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν καλυφθήσεται, ἵνα τὸ πληρέστατον τῆς τιμωρίας ἐμφαίνῃ. Ὄνομα δὲ ἀσεβῶν σβέννυται. [ιβιδ.] Ἐν μέσῳ