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gathers what does not follow God, and thus it becomes short and truncated, so that when the outpouring of evil comes to nothing, such a soul is reckoned according to Isaiah; for those who sin were reckoned as nothing. And just as dust is the smallest of bodies, so souls that are entirely wicked, being greatly diminished, are like the dust that the wind casts out. But the head of the soul must be understood as the intellectual power; for it is not possible even to conceive of anything excelling this; if indeed the head of the body is more honorable. This intellectual power, then, more figuratively called the head of the soul, by which one is lifted up, looking upward, having stooped over not only the earth, but also all bodies, so as to reach even to God. But the relationship with God must be observed in a threefold way, as it is hymned by the one who speaks of the order of the first thing mentioned, and of the next, and of the rest. For he says that God is first his helper, then his glory, then the one who lifts up his head. And for us he is a helper, and the name signifies one who helps, so that he may deliver from many who afflict and rise up against and despair of the salvation of the one who says these things. 23.96 Next to the helper is glory; for first God helps, then he glorifies, and next he lifts up the head of the one who has been glorified. For if one has been raised with Christ, and minds the things that are above, not the things that are on earth, his head will be lifted up by the Lord, who is the Word, being the glory of the one who received him, which glory he who does not receive glory from man requested from the Only One. But how David's head was lifted up, you will understand by considering how throughout the whole inhabited world of men and in all the nations the name of David has been proclaimed, because of Christ the Son of God, who came from his seed according to the flesh; for he was not so glorified and lifted up when he was among men, and reigning over Israel alone, and especially after the rebellion of Absalom that occurred against him, as he was through the saving theophany that came forth from his seed according to the flesh. With my voice I cried to the Lord, and he heard me from his holy mountain. This mountain was also mentioned by the psalm before this one, in which it said: But I was made king by him on Zion his holy mountain. And the one saying these things in those passages was Christ; and so now David says that he will be heard from his holy mountain. But who will hear him, if not the Lord who was made king on Zion his holy mountain? For through him alone he has believed that he will obtain forgiveness, and that he is his glory, and the one who lifts up his head. Therefore, having strongly foretold that his own head would be glorified and lifted up, he teaches whence this came to him, saying: With my voice I cried to the Lord, and he heard me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord will help me. In these words he prophesies future things as if they had already passed; for just as it was said in the second: Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? They stood by and gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ, and these things were understood as future; so also now the phrase, I lay down and slept, is spoken prophetically, instead of, I will lie down and sleep, and I will be raised; for you, Lord, are my helper, my glory and the one who lifts up my head. For in this he indicates the time at which these things will happen to him. For after he has slept he will be raised, he says, because the Lord will help him. But "sleep" signifies death, after which he prophesies that these things will happen concerning him, referring to the time of the Savior's coming, after which the prophecy was fulfilled; when also the Son of man, Christ, descending even to Hades, was shown to be the Savior of those there who were awaiting his arrival, so that at the same time as his resurrection from the dead, many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised with him,

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συνάγει τὴν μὴ ἑπομένην Θεῷ, καὶ οὕτω βραχεῖα γίνεται καὶ κολοβὴ, ὥστε τῆς χύσεως τῆς κακίας ἐπιγινομένης εἰς τὸ μηδὲν, τὴν τοιαύτην ψυχὴν λογισθῆναι κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν· οἱ γὰρ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσθησαν. Καὶ ὥσπερ σωμάτων ἐλάχιστόν ἐστιν ὁ χοῦς, οὕτως αἱ πάντη μοχθηραὶ ψυχαὶ, ἐπὶ πολὺ σμικρυνθεῖσαι, εἰσὶν ὡς ὁ χοῦς ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος. Κεφαλὴν δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς νοητέον τὴν διανοητικὴν δύναμιν· ταύτης γὰρ διαφέρουσαν οὐδὲ μέχρι τοῦ ἐπινοῆσαι δυνατόν· εἴ γε καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἡ κεφαλὴ τιμιωτέρα. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ νοητικὴ δύναμις, τροπικώτερον κεφαλὴ λεχθεῖσα τῆς ψυχῆς, οἷς μὲν ὕψωται ἄνω βλέπουσα, οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα τὰ σώματα ὑπερκύψασα, ὡς φθάνειν μέχρι Θεοῦ. Παρατηρητέον δὲ τριχῶς τῆς σχέσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμνουμένης ὑπὸ τοῦ λέγοντος τὴν τάξιν τοῦ πρώτου λεχθέντος, καὶ τοῦ ἑξῆς καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ. Πρῶτον γάρ φησιν εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν ἀντιλήπτορα αὐτοῦ, ἔπειτα δόξαν, ἔπειτα ὑψοῦντα τὴν κεφαλήν. Καὶ ἡμῖν ἀντιλήπτωρ, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα δηλοῖ ἀντιλαμβανόμενον, ἵνα ῥύσῃ τε ἀπὸ πολλῶν θλιβόντων καὶ ἐπανισταμένων καὶ ἀπογινωσκόντων τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος ταῦτα σωτηρίαν. 23.96 Ἑξῆς δὲ τῷ ἀντιλήπτορι ἡ δόξα ἐστί· πρότερον γὰρ ἀντιλαμβάνεται ὁ Θεὸς, εἶτα δοξάζει καὶ ἑξῆς ὑψοῖ τοῦ δεδοξασμένου τὴν κεφαλήν. Εἰ γὰρ συνηγέρθη Χριστῷ, καὶ τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖ, οὐ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὑψωθήσεται αὐτοῦ ἡ κεφαλὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ Λόγος, δόξα ὢν τοῦ χωρήσαντος αὐτὸν, ἣν ἀπὸ τοῦ μόνου ἐξῄτησεν ὁ μὴ λαμβάνων δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπου. Ὅπως δὲ ὑψώθη τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἡ κεφαλὴ, νοήσεις ἐπιστήσας, ὡς καθ' ὅλης τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ βεβόηται ὄνομα, διὰ τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα γενόμενον Χριστὸν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱόν· οὐχ οὕτως γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὢν, καὶ μόνου τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλεύων, δεδόξαστο καὶ ὕψωτο, καὶ μάλιστα μετὰ τὴν ἐπανάστασιν τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ γενομένην, ὡς διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου θεοφανείας ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ προελθούσης κατὰ σάρκα. Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου ἐξ ὄρους ἁγίου αὐτοῦ. Τοῦ ὄρους ἐμνημόνευσε τούτου καὶ ὁ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμὸς, ἐν οἷς ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ. Ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ λέγων ἐν ἐκείνοις ταῦτα ὁ Χριστός· καὶ νῦν τοιγαροῦν ἐπακούσεσθαι αὐτοῦ φησιν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐξ ὄρους ἁγίου αὐτοῦ. Τίνα δὲ ἐπακούσεσθαι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸν Κύριον τὸν καταστάντα βασιλέα ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὰ τούτου γὰρ μόνου ἀφέσεως τεύξεσθαι πεπίστευκεν, αὐτὸν δὲ εἶναι δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν ὑψοῦντα τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Σφόδρα τοίνυν προειπὼν δοξασθήσεσθαι καὶ ὑψωθήσεσθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλὴν, ὁπόθεν ὑπῆρξεν αὐτῷ τοῦτο διδάσκει λέγων· Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου ἐξ ὄρους ἁγίου αὐτοῦ Ἐγὼ ἐκοιμήθην καὶ ὕπνωσα, ἐξηγέρθην ὅτι Κύριος ἀντιλήψεταί μου. Τὰ μέλλοντα ἐν τούτοις ὡς παρῳχηκότα θεσπίζει· ὡς γὰρ ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἐλέγετο· Ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά; Παρέστησαν καὶ συνέστησαν κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ταῦτά τε ἐνοεῖτο μελλητικῶς· οὕτω καὶ νῦν τὸ, Ἐγὼ ἐκοιμήθην καὶ ὕπνωσα, προφητικῶς εἴρηται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Κοιμηθήσομαι καὶ ὑπνώσω, καὶ ἐξεγερθήσομαι· ὅτι σὺ Κύριος ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ, δόξα μου καὶ ὑψῶν τὴν κεφαλήν μου. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπισημαίνεται καθ' ὃν ὑπάρξει αὐτῷ ταῦτα. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ κοιμηθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐξεγερθήσεται, φησὶν, ὅτι Κύριος ἀντιλήψεται αὐτοῦ. Κοίμησιν δὲ σημαίνει τὸν θάνατον, μεθ' ὃν ταῦτα ἔσεσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ προφητεύει, ἀναπέμπων ἐπὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίας, μεθ' ὃν τέλους ἔτυχεν ἡ προφητεία· ὅτε καὶ μέχρις ᾅδου καταβὰς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ προσδοκώντων ἄφιξιν Σωτὴρ ἐπεδείχθη, ὡς ἅμα τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσει πολλὰ σώματα τῶν ἁγίων τῶν κεκοιμημένων συναναστῆναι αὐτῷ,