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soul, it is fitting to depart from the fleshly tent. For it is not possible otherwise for our house to be renewed by the one who renews us through his own indwelling, unless the departure from the tent should be accomplished through the estrangement from the bodily life. But the psalm of ecstasy, placed after the dedication, of which this is the inscription, *To the end, a psalm of David, of ecstasy,* is in harmony with what has been considered before, advising to stand apart from those things of which the association is harmful. But in those where *For a remembrance* is added, the word suggests to us a certain brief teaching for salvation. for since the transgression of the divine commandment became a path to destruction for men (for we would not have perished, if we had kept the commandment in memory), for this reason the word suggests to us the remembrance of the commandment as an antidote for the passion of forgetfulness, doing this in two psalms. But in those where confession is added, we are taught these things by the 5.89 voice; since the meaning of confession is twofold in scriptural usage, indicating now the confession of sins, and then thanksgiving, here according to both meanings we are led by the hand to the virtuous life. for the confession of sins effects both a separation and an estrangement from evils, and readiness for thanksgiving increases the grace from the benefactor for those who gratefully receive the good deeds. Therefore the psalm *For confession* is presented thus, if some memory of sin smoulders in you, advising the purification through repentance. but if your life is prospering toward the better, it makes firm for you the better resolve through thanksgiving to the divine. But *Stelographia* and *Do not destroy*, whether found together or separately in some of the inscriptions, contain counsel concerning the virtue of long-suffering. For *Do not destroy* is the voice of David forbidding the shield-bearer to use the blow against Saul, but the meaning of *Stelographia* is that one ought to have such a saying engraved as on a certain pillar in the memory of the soul, so that in similar situations, if some circumstance should stir up our anger toward vengeance on the one who has caused pain, reading in our mind the command forbidding murder, we ourselves may calm our anger toward long-suffering. But we will take up the account concerning these things more accurately again later, returning to the examination of the remaining inscriptions.

CHAPTER 7

For it is also necessary to understand *Alleluia*, whatever it means, 5.90 which for many

of the psalms becomes the inscription. *Alleluia* is therefore a mystical exhortation to the singing of hymns to God, stirring up the hearing, so that its meaning is such that is, *Praise the Lord*; for in those parts of holy scripture where this phrase is added, saying *Praise the Lord*, such a thing is signified in the Hebrew scriptures through *Alleluia*. Or perhaps rather this word makes known the power of the underlying psalm, saying that it is praise of God. For since the divine nature is indicated in various ways from different names according to some symbolic meaning in the Hebrew words; one of the names significant of God among the Hebrews is also *Ia*, and *allelou* is understood as praise. And do not be surprised if such a form of this word indicates the so-called nominative in the case of the noun. For the words among the Hebrews also are not formed according to our custom, but the form of the pronunciation of names among them is different than ours. Thus, at least, we, Hellenizing the name of the prophet according to our form, say *Elias*, but the elegant speech among the Hebrews says the nominative of the name is *Eliou*. So therefore here also, when the praise in the nominative case

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ψυχήν, ἐξελθεῖν προσήκει τῆς σαρκώδους σκηνῆς. οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλως ἐγκαινισθῆναι τὸν οἶκον ἡμῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνακαινίζοντος ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐνοικήσεως, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἐξόδιον τῆς σκηνῆς διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωμα τικοῦ βίου ἀλλοτριώσεως κατορθωθείη. Ὁ δὲ τῆς ἐκστάσεως ψαλμὸς ὁ μετὰ τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν τεταγμένος, οὗ πρόκειται ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ αὕτη Εἰς τὸ τέλος ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἐκστάσεως, σύμφωνός ἐστι τοῖς προτεθεω ρημένοις, ἐκστῆναι συμβουλεύων ἐκείνων, ὧν ἐπιβλαβής ἐστιν ἡ συνάφεια. Οἷς δὲ παράκειται τὸ Εἰς ἀνάμνησιν, σύντομόν τινα διδασκαλίαν ὁ λόγος ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῖν ὑποτίθεται. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ παρακοὴ τῆς θείας ἐντολῆς ὁδὸς εἰς ἀπώλειαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐγένετο (οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπολώλαμεν, εἰ τῇ μνήμῃ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐφυλάξαμεν), διὰ τοῦτο ὡς ἀντιφάρ μακον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν λήθην πάθους τὴν ἀνάμνησιν τῆς ἐντολῆς ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ὑποτίθεται, ἐν δύο ψαλμῳδίαις τοῦτο ποιῶν. Ἐν οἷς δὲ ἡ ἐξομολόγησις πρόσκειται, ταῦτα παρὰ τῆς 5.89 φωνῆς διδασκόμεθα· διπλῆς οὔσης ἐν τῇ γραφικῇ συνηθείᾳ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν σημασίας, καὶ νῦν μὲν τὴν ἐξαγόρευσιν, αὖθις δὲ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἐνδεικνυμένης, ἐνταῦθα κατ' ἀμφοτέρας τὰς ἐννοίας πρὸς τὸν κατ' ἀρετὴν βίον χειραγωγούμεθα. ἥ τε γὰρ ἐξαγόρευσις χωρισμόν τε καὶ ἀλλοτρίωσιν τῶν κακῶν ἀπεργάζεται, τό τε πρὸς τὴν εὐχαριστίαν πρόθυμον πλεονάζει τὴν παρὰ τοῦ εὐεργέτου χάριν ἐπὶ τῶν εὐαισθήτως δεχομένων τὰς εὐποιΐας. πρόκειται οὖν ὁ ψαλμὸς Εἰς ἐξομολόγησιν οὕτως, εἰ μέν τις ἁμαρτίας ὑποσμύχει σε μνήμη συμβουλεύων τὸ διὰ τῆς μετανοίας καθάρσιον. εἰ δέ σοι πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον εὐοδοῦται ὁ βίος, βεβαίαν σοι ποιεῖ διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ θεῖον εὐχαριστίας τὴν ἀμείνω προαίρεσιν. Ἡ δὲ Στηλογραφία καὶ τὸ Μὴ διαφθείρῃς εἴτε μετ' ἀλλήλων εἴτε κεχωρισμένως τισὶ τῶν ἐπιγραφῶν ἐφευρί σκοιτο, συμβουλὴν περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν μακροθυμίαν ἀρετῆς περιέχουσι. τὸ γὰρ Μὴ διαφθείρῃς τοῦ ∆αβίδ ἐστιν ἡ φωνὴ κωλύοντος τὸν ὑπασπιστὴν χρήσασθαι κατὰ τοῦ Σαοὺλ τῇ πληγῇ, ἡ δὲ τῆς Στηλογραφίας διάνοια τὸ δεῖν οἷόν τινι στήλῃ τῷ μνημονικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐγκεχαραγμένην ἔχειν τὴν τοιαύτην φωνὴν ὡς ἂν ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοίων πραγμάτων, εἴ τις περίστασις πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λελυπηκότος ἄμυναν τὸν θυμὸν ἡμῶν διαναστήσειεν, ἀναγινώσκοντες τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸ κωλυτικὸν τοῦ φόνου πρόσταγμα καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς μακροθυμίαν τὸν θυμὸν κατευνάσωμεν. ἀκριβέστερον δὲ τὸν περὶ τούτων λόγον εἰς αὖθις διαληψόμεθα πρὸς τὴν τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπιγραφῶν θεωρίαν ἐπαναδραμόντες.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ζʹ

Χρὴ γὰρ καὶ τὸ Ἀλληλούϊα, ὅ τί ποτε σημαίνει, κατανοῆσαι 5.90 ὅπερ πολλοῖς

τῶν ψαλμῶν ἐπιγραφὴ γίνεται. ἔστι τοίνυν τὸ Ἀλληλούϊα παρακέλευσις μυστικὴ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμνῳδίαν τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐπεγείρουσα, ἵνα τοιοῦτον ᾖ τούτου τὸ σημαινόμενον ὅτι Αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον· ἐν οἷς γὰρ μέρεσι τῆς ἁγίας γραφῆς αὕτη πρόσκειται ἡ φωνὴ λέγουσα Αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον, διὰ τοῦ Ἀλληλούϊα ἐν ταῖς Ἑβραϊκαῖς γραφαῖς τὸ τοιοῦτον σημαίνεται. ἢ τάχα μᾶλλον γνωρίζει ὁ λόγος οὗτος τῆς ὑποκειμένης ψαλμῳδίας τὴν δύναμιν λέγων αὐτὴν αἶνον εἶναι θεοῦ. ποικίλως γὰρ ἐκ διαφόρων ὀνομάτων κατά τινα συμβολικὴν σημασίαν τῆς θείας φύσεως δηλουμένης ἐν ταῖς Ἑβραίων φωναῖς· ἓν τῶν σημαντικῶν περὶ θεοῦ ὀνομάτων παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ ἴα, τὸ δὲ ἀλληλοῦ αἶνος νοεῖται. καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ τὴν λεγομένην εὐθεῖαν ἐν τῇ πτώσει τοῦ ὀνόματος τὸ τοιοῦτον σχῆμα τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης ἐνδείκνυται. οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν συνήθειαν τυποῦται καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλ' ἕτερος τύπος τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐκφωνήσεως τῶν ὀνομάτων παρὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον. οὕτω γοῦν τὸ τοῦ προφήτου ὄνομα ἡμεῖς μὲν κατὰ τὸν παρ' ἡμῖν τύπον ἐξελληνίζοντες Ἡλίαν φαμέν, ἡ δὲ παρ' Ἑβραίοις εὐγλωττία τὴν εὐθεῖαν τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἡλίου λέγει. οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ὅταν τὸν αἶνον ἐπ εὐθείας πτώσεως