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119 A hungry lion and a thirsty wolf who, being poor, oppresses a needy nation: If blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, lions and wolves are those who thirst and hunger for unrighteousness. A king in need of revenues is a great slanderer: The revenues of the wicked king are wickedness and false doctrines; for these things yield him revenue from those ruled by him. He who stands surety for a man accused of murder will be a fugitive and not in safety: He who stands surety for satan guarantees unrighteousness, promising to him to render the fruits of unrighteousness. And about this the gospel also says how one was cast into prison for murder and insurrection. He shall not obey a lawless nation: A lawless nation is the order of demons, which the instructed son does not obey. He who works his own land will be filled with bread: He who cleanses himself will be filled with knowledge, but the unclean will be filled with ignorance. He who respects the persons of the unjust (edd. does not respect the persons of the just), is not good: If the persons of the just are the virtues, not good is he who does not respect the virtues; and if the persons of sinners are the vices, good is he who does not respect the vices. An envious man hastens to be rich: The merciful, therefore, in the age to come, having received mercy from God and having become angels, will rule over the ungodly. And the Lord promised to give such a dignity also to his disciples, that they should sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. But a throne is that on which the mind sits, spiritual knowledge, gathering together those who have wandered from piety. But "to judge" here means "to teach", as in "Open your mouth with the word of God and judge all things soundly," instead of "Teach". And at the same time this too must be known, that the merciful man, having overcome the envious man, will not himself become envious, but will rather make the envious man merciful. And in their destruction the righteous will be multiplied: If the ungodly put away being ungodly, they will become righteous; for "destruction" now signifies the removal of ungodliness. Thus also the Lord, having destroyed Matthew the tax-collector, bestowed righteousness on him. For suddenly as he is burning there is no healing: He did not say that when the flame has ceased there is no 120 healing, but while he is burning there is no healing, as he still has, clearly, wood, hay, stubble; since for those who are cauterized health is wont to come after the cautery. And when the ungodly rule, men groan: As many as are under the principalities and the powers and the world-rulers of this darkness, all these also groan. But he who shepherds harlots, will destroy wealth: But he who nourishes vices will destroy wealth. -Otherwise. A good shepherd is a mind possessing dispassionate thoughts; and a wicked shepherd is a mind possessing passionate thoughts. And if this is so, then a kid is a passionate thought, and a sheep is a dispassionate thought; for which reason also the Lord places the kids on the left, and the sheep on the right; and he calls "kids" and "sheep" those who possess kids and sheep, that is, those who have dispassionate and passionate thoughts. Thus also he called those who have tares, 'tares', and those who have wheat, 'wheat', naming them from their worst and best disposition. Of such a kind is also what is said by Paul, "Love does not boast," instead of "He who has love." A righteous king raises up a country: Christ on the one hand raises up rational nature; but the antichrist tears it down. And for a poor man there is not a discerning mind: Therefore, he is poor who does not have a discerning mind. But a worthless man, being angry, is laughed at and is not terrified: And at him, says David, they will laugh and say: "Behold the man who did not make God his help." Men of blood (edd. add. partners) hate a holy man, but the upright seek (edd. will seek) his soul: This one seeks the soul of a righteous man, who wishes to understand the things understood by it.

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119 Λέων πεινῶν καὶ λύκος διψῶν ὃς τυραννεῖ πτωχὸς ὢν ἔθνους πενιχροῦ: Εἰ μακάριοί εἰσιν οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες δικαιοσύνην, λέοντες καὶ λύκοι εἰσὶν οἱ διψῶντες καὶ πεινῶντες τὴν ἀδικίαν. Βασιλεὺς ἐνδεὴς προσόδων μέγας συκοφάντης: Αἱ πρόσοδοι τοῦ πονηροῦ βασιλέως εἰσὶν αἱ κακίαι καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ δόγματα· ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ προσοδεύουσιν οἱ βασιλευόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἄνδρα τὸν ἐν αἰτίᾳ φόνου ὁ ἐγγυώμενος φυγὰς ἔσται καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ: Ὁ ἐγγυώμενος τὸν σατανᾶν ἐγγυᾶται τὴν ἀδικίαν, ὑπισχνούμενος αὐτῷ τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας ἀποδώσειν καρπούς. περὶ τούτου δὲ καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον λέγει ὡς διὰ φόνον καὶ στάσιν βεβλημένου εἰς φυλακήν. Οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃ ἔθνει παρανόμῳ: Ἔθνος παράνομον τὸ τάγμα τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστίν, ᾧ οὐχ ὑπακούει ὁ παιδευθεὶς υἱός. Ὁ ἐργαζόμενος τὴν αὐτοῦ γῆν ἐμπλησθήσεται ἄρτων: Ὁ καθαίρων ἑαυτὸν πλησθήσεται γνώσεως, ὁ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος πλησθήσεται ἀγνωσίας. Ὃς αἰσχύνεται πρόσωπα ἀδίκων (edd. οὐκ αἰσχ. πρ. δικαίων), οὐκ ἀγαθός: Εἰ πρόσωπα δικαίων εἰσὶν αἱ ἀρεταί, οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ὁ μὴ τὰς ἀρετὰς αἰσχυνόμενος· καὶ εἰ πρόσωπα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰσὶν αἱ κακίαι, ἀγαθὸς ὁ τὰς κακίας μὴ αἰσχυνόμενος. Σπεύδει πλουτεῖν ἀνὴρ βάσκανος: Οἱ οὖν ἐλεήμονες ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι ἐλεηθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ καὶ γενόμενοι ἄγγελοι ἄρξουσι τῶν ἀσεβῶν. τοιοῦτον δὲ ἀξίωμα καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὑπέσχετο δώσειν ὁ κύριος, τοῦ καθίσαι αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνων, κρίνοντας τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. θρόνος δέ ἐστιν ἐν ᾧ ὁ νοῦς καθέζεται, γνῶσις πνευματική, τοὺς πλανηθέντας ἀπὸ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐπισυνάγουσα. τὸ δὲ κρίνειν ἐνταῦθα τὸ διδάσκειν σημαίνει, ὡς τὸ Ἄνοιγε σὸν στόμα λόγῳ θεοῦ καὶ κρίνε πάντα ὑγιῶς, ἀντὶ τοῦ ∆ίδασκε. ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὅτι ὁ ἐλεήμων κρατήσας τοῦ βασκάνου, αὐτὸς μὲν οὐ γενήσεται βάσκανος, ἐλεήμονα δὲ ποιήσει μᾶλλον τὸν βάσκανον. Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ ἐκείνων πληθυνθήσονται δίκαιοι: Ἐὰν ἀποθῶνται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τὸ εἶναι ἀσεβεῖς, γενήσονται δίκαιοι· ἡ γὰρ ἀπώλεια νῦν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῆς ἀσεβείας σημαίνει. οὕτω καὶ Ματθαῖον τὸν τελώνην ἀπολέσας ὁ κύριος δικαιοσύνην αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο. Ἐξαπίνης γὰρ φλεγομένου αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις: Οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι παυσαμένης τῆς φλογὸς οὐκ ἔστιν 120 ἴασις, ἀλλὰ φλεγομένου αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις, ὡς ἔχοντος ἔτι δηλονότι ξύλα χόρτον καλάμην· εἴπερ καὶ τοῖς καιομένοις μετὰ τὸν καυτῆρα πέφυκεν ἡ ὑγεία προσγίνεσθαι. Ἀρχόντων δὲ ἀσεβῶν στένουσιν ἄνδρες: Ὅσοι εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, οὗτοι πάντες καὶ στένουσιν. Ὃς δὲ ποιμαίνει πόρνας, ἀπολεῖ πλοῦτον: Ὁ δὲ ἐκτρέφων κακίας ἀπολεῖ πλοῦτον. -Ἄλλως. ποιμήν ἐστιν ἀγαθὸς νοῦς ἀπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς κεκτημένος· καὶ ποιμήν ἐστιν πονηρὸς νοῦς ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς κεκτημένος. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκοῦν ἔριφός ἐστιν λογισμὸς ἐμπαθής, καὶ πρόβατόν ἐστιν λογισμὸς ἀπαθής· διὸ καὶ τοὺς ἐρίφους ὁ κύριος ἵστησιν ἐξ ἀριστερῶν, τὰ δὲ πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν· ἐρίφους δὲ καὶ πρόβατα λέγει τοὺς κεκτημένους ἐρίφους καὶ πρόβατα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τοὺς ἔχοντας λογισμοὺς ἀπαθεῖς καὶ ἐμπαθεῖς. οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας τὰ ζιζάνια προσηγόρευσεν, καὶ τοὺς τὸν σῖτον ἔχοντας σῖτον, ἀπὸ τῆς χειρίστης καὶ ἀρίστης ἕξεως ὀνομάσας αὐτούς. τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ λεγόμενον, τὸ Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ περπερεύεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ Ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἀγάπην. Βασιλεὺς δίκαιος ἀνίστησι χώραν: Ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς ἀνίστησι τὴν φύσιν τὴν λογικήν· ὁ δὲ ἀντίχριστος κατασκάπτει. Καὶ πτωχῷ οὐχ ὑπάρχει νοῦς ἐπιγνώμων: Οὐκοῦν πτωχός ἐστιν ὁ μὴ ἔχων νοῦν ἐπιγνώμονα. Ἀνὴρ δὲ φαῦλος ὀργιζόμενος καταγελᾶται καὶ οὐ καταπτήσσει: Καὶ ἐπ' αὐτόν, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ, γελάσονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν· Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος ὃς οὐκ ἔθετο τὸν θεὸν βοηθὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων (edd. add. μέτοχοι) μισοῦσιν ὅσιον, οἱ δὲ εὐθεῖς ἐκζητοῦσι (edd. ἐκζητήσουσι) ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ: Οὗτος ἐκζητεῖ ψυχὴν δικαίου, ὁ τὰ αὐτῇ νενοημένα νοῆσαι βουλόμενος.