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must we give ourselves over to vanity, O men of heavy heart? Why pursue falsehood, having abandoned the truth? But learning from this, that God and Lord is the overseer and provider for all things, who never abandons any of his holy ones, but always shows wonders upon him, be eager yourselves also to become holy, knowing well and precisely that the Lord will hearken to you, just as he does to me, when you cry out to him. And when the Lord has hearkened to you, there is no longer any need to be anxious, having security from his help. The sons of men would be the glory of the divine word according to Aquila and Symmachus; for Aquila has: How long, O my glorious ones? and Symmachus: How long, O my glory? on account of the intellectual and rational soul in them, which has been made in the image of God. The word reproaches these who pervert themselves for the worse, calling them heavy of heart, and sons of men; when they ought to be sons of God, according to that: I have said: You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High. And know that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful. The prophet teaches us concerning Christ, who is the true holy one, according to what is said in the 15th psalm; and the apostles also testified, saying that it was spoken as being prophesied concerning Christ, You will not abandon my soul in Hades, nor will you let your holy one see corruption. But it is possible for us to be taught also concerning every holy one. But it is not the same thing to believe that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful, and to know it, just as it is not the same to believe in the truth, and to know the truth, and to believe in God and to know God. The apostles therefore believed in the truth; but they did not entirely know it when they believed. And the proof of what has been said is the Gospel, where it is said: If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. For to those who believe in the truth, he says, is to know the truth; for according to the prophets one must believe before understanding and speaking; Isaiah saying: Unless you believe, you will not understand; and David: I believed, therefore I spoke. That knowing God differs from believing in him, is written in the Psalms through this: Be still and know that I am God; for he does not say to the unbelievers: Be still and know that I am God. The word, therefore, summoning us to knowledge, also suggests whose knowledge we must 23.108 receive, that the holy ones are made wonderful by God, having been brought to wonders of the ineffable mysteries and of the holy contemplations, and they themselves having become wonderful through this grace of God and divine visitation. Be angry and do not sin; what you say in your hearts, be pierced with compunction on your beds. He advises to restrain the passion of anger, if ever it is stirred up indignantly, admonishing that wrath not be moved to action. He does not say these things unseasonably; but since those with David, rushing into war against Absalom, went forth with anger, as is likely, indignant at the son's rebellion against his father; on this account he seems to say such things to them: You indeed, O men, my allies, who are also my glorious ones, being as it were certain heavy-hearted sons of men, and attending to the vanity of mortal life, not knowing the just judgment of God against the impious, are enraged against the impious son; and being justly moved, and indignantly enraged, you rush to war; but I admonish all, even if the anger is reasonable, that you must not forget your own forbearance, nor be excessively inflamed, so as to fall into sin. Therefore I say: Be angry, but do not sin. But if you are also shaken, according to Aquila, in your souls on account of the things previously dared by Absalom, yet see that you do not add another sin to the former ones, by persisting in anger. And you would find also according to the

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δὲ χρὴ ματαιότητι ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόναι, ὦ βαρυκάρδιοι ἄνδρες; Τί δὲ τὸ ψεῦδος μετιέναι, τὸ ἀληθὲς καταλιπόντας; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν μαθόντες, ὅτι Θεὸς καὶ Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφορος καὶ προνοητὴς, ὁ μηδέποτε καταλείπων πάντα ὅσιον αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ θαυμαστὰ ἐπ' αὐτῷ δεικνὺς, σπουδάζετε καὶ αὐτοὶ ὅσιοι γενέσθαι, εὖ καὶ ἀκριβῶς εἰδότες, ὅτι καὶ ὑμῶν ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐμοῦ αὐτοῦ Κύριος εἰσακούσεται, ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐπακούσαντος δὲ ὑμῶν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐδὲν δεῖ λοιπὸν μεριμνᾷν, ἔχοντας τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἀπὸ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας. ∆όξα τε τοῦ θείου λόγου εἶεν ἂν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ Σύμμαχον· ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀκύλας· Ἕωςπότε, οἱ ἔνδοξοί μου; ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Ἕως πότε, ἡ δόξα μου; διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς νοερὰν ψυχὴν καὶ λογικὴν τὴν κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ πεποιημένην. Οὓς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἑαυτοὺς διαστρέφοντας ὁ λόγος ἐπονειδίζει, βαρυκαρδίους καλῶν, καὶ ἀνθρώπων υἱούς· δέον εἶναι υἱοὺς Θεοῦ, κατὰ τό· Ἐγὼ εἶπον· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες. Καὶ γνῶτε, ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε Κύριος τὸν ὅσιον αὐτοῦ. Ὁ προφήτης περὶ Χριστοῦ διδάσκει ἡμᾶς, ὅς ἐστιν ἀληθὴς ὅσιος, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῷ ιεʹ ψαλμῷ· καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι δὲ ἐμαρτύρησαν, ὡς περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητευομένου λέγοντες εἰρῆσθαι τὸ, Οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ παντὸς ὁσίου διδάσκεσθαι ἡμᾶς. Οὐ ταυτὸν δέ ἐστι πιστεῦσαι, ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε Κύριος τὸν ὅσιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ γνῶναι, ὡς οὐδὲ ταυτόν ἐστι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πιστεῦσαι, καὶ γνῶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ πιστεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ γνῶναι τὸν Θεόν. Οἱ ἀπόστολοι οὖν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἐπίστευον· ἀλλ' οὐ πάντως ὅτε ἐπίστευον ἐγνώκεισαν αὐτήν. Ἀπόδειξις δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἔνθα εἴρηται· Ἐὰν μείνητε ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ λόγῳ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε, καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς. Πιστεύουσι γὰρ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, φησὶ, τὸ γνώσεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· κατὰ γὰρ τοὺς προφήτας πιστεῦσαι δεῖ πρὶν συνιέναι καὶ λαλῆσαι· τοῦ μὲν Ἡσαΐου λέγοντος· Ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ συνῆτε· τοῦ δὲ ∆αυίδ· Ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα. Ὅτι δὲ τὸ γινώσκειν τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ πιστεύειν αὐτῷ διαφέρει, ἐν τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς ἀναγέγραπται διὰ τοῦ, Σχολάσατε καὶ γνῶτε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός· οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσί φησι· Σχολάσατε καὶ γνῶτε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός. Ἐπὶ γνῶσιν οὖν ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος προκαλούμενος ὑποβάλλει καὶ τὴν τίνος γνῶσιν ἀνα 23.108 λαβεῖν ἡμᾶς χρὴ, ὥς εἰσιν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τεθαυμαστωμένοι οἱ ὅσιοι, θαύμασι προσαχθέντες τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων μυστηρίων καὶ τῶν ἁγίων θεωρημάτων, καὶ αὐτοὶ δι' αὐτὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν καὶ θείαν ἐπισκοπὴν θαυμαστοὶ γενόμενοι. Ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· ἃ λέγετε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατανύγητε. Συμβουλεύει κωλύειν τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς πάθος, εἴ ποτε ἀγανακτικῶς ἀνακινεῖται, μηδὲ εἰς ἔργον τὸν θυμὸν κινεῖσθαι παραινῶν. Οὐκ ἀκαίρως δὲ ταῦτά φησιν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ ὁρμῶντες εἰς πόλεμον, μετ' ὀργῆς ἐξῄεσαν, ὡς εἰκὸς, οἱ μετὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἀγανακτοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπαναστάσει· τούτου χάριν ἔοικε τοιαῦτά τινα πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγειν· Ὑμεῖς μὲν, ὦ ἄνδρες σύμμαχοι, οἳ δὴ καὶ ἔνδοξοί μου, ὡς υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων βαρυκάρδιοί τινες ὄντες, καὶ τῇ τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου ματαιότητι προσέχοντες, οὐκ εἰδότες τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν δικαιοκρισίαν, θυμοῦσθε κατὰ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς υἱοῦ· καὶ δικαίως κινούμενοι, καὶ ἀγανακτικῶς ὀργιζόμενοι, ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὁρμᾶτε· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῖς πᾶσι παραινῶ, εἰ καὶ εὔλογος ἡ ὀργὴ, ἀλλ' ὑμᾶς οὐ χρὴ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι ἀνεξικακίας, οὐδ' ἐπὶ πλέον ἐξάπτεσθαι, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐκπίπτειν. ∆ιό φημι· Ὀργίζεσθε, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κλονεῖσθε, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, τὰς ψυχὰς διὰ τὰ τῷ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ προτετολμημένα, ἀλλ' ὁρᾶτε μὴ καὶ ἑτέραν ἐπὶ ταῖς προτέραις προσθείητε ἁμαρτίαν, τῇ ὀργῇ ἐπιμένοντες. Εὕροις δ' ἂν καὶ κατὰ τὴν