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By this proverb, also to the shepherds of the churches, who ought to pay attention not to faces, but to hearts, and to shepherd the sheep intellectually. 341 27, 25 Take care of the green things in the field, and you will cut grass and gather mountain hay. He calls the mind a field, and the green things the virtues existing in it according to its capacity, and he who takes care of them cuts grass, which is a symbol of the knowledge of God, which he again calls mountain hay; for mountain hay is the knowledge of the holy powers, fitting for the more irrational state of souls. It is the custom of Scripture to call the saints mountains. Thus also David lifts up his soul "to the mountains, from where his help will come"; and again: "The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs of the sheep" at the salvation of Israel. For if angels rejoice over one who repents, how much more over so great a multitude journeying from wickedness to virtue. Therefore, the knowledge of the holy angels alone nourishes the virtues in us, from which the soul clothes itself with bowels of mercy, kindness, long-suffering, humility, faith, self-control, love, and the good things born from it. That David also calls rational souls fields, one may learn from this: "For your fields," he says, "will be filled with fatness"; and again after a little: "and the valleys will abound in grain; they will shout for joy and sing hymns"; and a hymn and a shout by nature happen only to the rational nature.

342 28, 3 A man courageous in impieties slanders the poor, like a violent rain

and unprofitable. If there is one who is courageous in impieties, there is also one who is courageous in virtues; and if the one courageous in impieties slanders the poor, the one courageous in virtues comforts the poor; therefore everyone who comforts the poor is courageous in pieties. 28, 4 Thus those who forsake the law praise impiety; but those who love the law surround themselves with a wall. Everyone who loves the law does the law; and everyone who does the law acquires dispassion and knowledge of God. And if "those who love the law surround themselves with a wall," now the wall signifies dispassion and the knowledge of God, which alone are by nature able to guard the rational nature. 344 28, 7 A prudent son keeps the law; but he who shepherds profligacy dishonors his father. He calls the mind the shepherd, and the impassioned thoughts in it the sheep, which, nourishing in himself, "through the transgression of the law he dishonors God." For profligacy of the soul is impassioned thoughts carried out through the body; and profligacy of the mind is the assumption of false dogmas and theories. 345 28, 8 He who increases his wealth with interest and usury gathers it for him who pities the poor. If the wealth of the impious is wickedness, and wise men will destroy it, it is clear that the just and wise destroy wickedness, by leading the impure back to virtue through spiritual teaching. 346 28, 9 He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer also is an abomination. Not the law abhors someone's prayer, but God who gave the law. And Paul says: "But the Scripture, foreseeing" the future, instead of He who gave the Scripture. 347 28, 13 He who covers his own impiety will not prosper; but he who confesses his reproofs will be loved. "I said: I will confess my iniquity against myself to the Lord, and you forgave the impiety of my heart." 348 28, 15 A hungry lion and a thirsty wolf, who, being poor, tyrannizes a needy nation. If "blessed" are "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness," then lions and wolves are those who thirst and hunger for unrighteousness. 349 28, 16 A king in need of revenues is a great slanderer; but he who hates unrighteousness will live a long time. The revenues of the wicked king are wickednesses and false dogmas; for these the ones ruled by him provide to him as revenue. 350 28, 17

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ταύτῃ τῇ παροιμίᾳ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ποιμένας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, οὓς δεῖ μὴ προσώποις, ἀλλὰ καρδίαις προσέχειν καὶ νοητῶς ποιμαίνειν τὰ πρόβατα. 341 27, 25 ἐπιμελοῦ τῶν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ χλωρῶν καὶ κερεῖς πόαν καὶ συνάγαγε χόρτον ὀρεινόν Πεδίον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, χλωρὰ δὲ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐνυπαρχούσας ἀρετάς, ὧν ὁ ἐπιμελούμενος κερεῖ πόαν, σύμβολον οὖσαν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ, ἣν καὶ χόρτον πάλιν ὀρεινὸν ὀνομάζει· χόρτος γάρ ἐστιν ὀρεινὸς γνῶσις ἁγίων δυνάμεων ἁρμόζουσα τῇ ἀλογωτέρᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν καταστάσει. Ἔθος δὲ τῇ γραφῇ τοὺς ἁγίους ὄρη καλεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ αἴρει τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ «εἰς τὰ ὄρη πόθεν ἥξει ἡ βοήθεια» αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· «ὄρη σκιρτῶσιν ὡς κριοὶ καὶ βουνοὶ ὡς ἀρνία προβάτων» ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ μετανοοῦντι χαίρουσιν ἄγγελοι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ πλήθει τοσούτῳ ὁδεύοντι ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ μόνη ἡ γνῶσις τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων τρέφει τὰς ἐν ἡμῖν ἀρετάς, ἀφ' ὧν ἐνδύεται ψυχὴ σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ, χρηστότητα, μακροθυμίαν, ταπεινοφροσύνην, πίστιν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἀγάπην καὶ τὰ ἐκ ταύτης γεννώμενα ἀγαθά. Ὅτι δὲ πεδία καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει τὰς λογικὰς ψυχάς, ἐντεῦθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν· «καὶ τὰ πεδία σου γάρ, φησίν, πλησθήσονται πιότητος»· καὶ πάλιν μετ' ὀλίγα· «καὶ αἱ κοιλάδες πληθυνοῦσι σῖτον· κεκράξονται καὶ γὰρ ὑμνήσου-σιν»· ὕμνος δὲ καὶ κραυγὴ μόνῃ πέφυκεν ἐπισυμβαίνειν τῇ φύσει τῇ λογικῇ.

342 28, 3 ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκοφαντεῖ πτωχούς, ὥσπερ ὑετὸς λάβρος

καὶ ἀνωφελήσ Εἰ ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις, ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος καὶ ἐν ἀρεταῖς· καὶ εἰ ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκοφαντεῖ πτωχούς, ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀρεταῖς παρακαλεῖ πτωχούς· οὐκοῦν πᾶς ὁ παρακαλῶν πτωχοὺς ἀνδρεῖός ἐστιν ἐν εὐσε-βείαις. 28, 4 οὕτως οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὸν νόμον ἐγκωμιάζουσιν ἀσέβειαν· οἱ δὲ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον περιβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχοσ Πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν νόμον ποιεῖ τὸν νόμον· πᾶς δὲ ὁ ποιῶν τὸν νόμον ἀπάθειαν κτᾶται καὶ γνῶσιν θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ «οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον περιβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος», νῦν τὸ τεῖχος τὴν ἀπάθειαν σημαίνει καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἅπερ μόνα πέφυκε φυλάσσειν τὴν φύσιν τὴν λογικήν. 344 28, 7 φυλάσσει νόμον υἱὸς συνετός· ὃς δὲ ποιμαίνει ἀσωτίαν ἀτιμάζει πατέρα αὐτοῦ Ποιμένα λέγει τὸν νοῦν, πρόβατα δὲ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐμπαθῆ νοήματα, ἅπερ ἐκτρέφων ἐν ἑαυτῷ «διὰ τῆς παρα-βάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν θεὸν ἀτιμάζει». Ἀσωτία γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστι λογισμοὶ ἐμπαθεῖς διὰ τοῦ σώματος ἐκτελού-μενοι· ἀσωτία δὲ νοῦ ἐστι ψευδῶν δογμάτων καὶ θεωρημάτων ὑπόληψις. 345 28, 8 ὁ πληθύνων τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ μετὰ τόκων καὶ πλεονασμῶν τῷ ἐλεῶντι πτωχοὺς συνάγει αὐτόν Εἰ πλοῦτος ἀσεβῶν κακία, ἄνδρες δὲ σοφοὶ ἀπο-λέσουσιν αὐτόν, δηλονότι κακίαν ἀπολλύουσιν οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ σοφοί, διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπανάγοντες. 346 28, 9 ὁ ἐκκλίνων τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι νόμου καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐβδέλυκται Οὐχ ὁ νόμος βδελύσσεταί τινος τὴν προσευχήν, ἀλλ' ὁ δεδωκὼς τὸν νόμον θεός. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· «προϊδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γραφὴ» τὸ μέλλον, ἀντὶ τοῦ ὁ τὴν γραφὴν δεδωκώς. 347 28, 13 ὁ ἐπικαλύπτων ἀσέβειαν ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται· ὁ δὲ ἐξηγούμενος ἐλέγχους ἀγαπηθήσεται «Εἶπα· ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου.» 348 28, 15 λέων πεινῶν καὶ λύκος διψῶν ὃς τυραννεῖ πτωχὸς ὢν ἔθνους πενιχροῦ Εἰ «μακάριοί» εἰσιν «οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην», λέοντες καὶ λύκοι εἰσὶν οἱ διψῶντες καὶ πεινῶντες τὴν ἀδικίαν. 349 28, 16 βασιλεὺς ἐνδεὴς προσόδων μέγας συκοφάντης· ὁ δὲ μισῶν ἀδικίαν μακρὸν χρόνον ζήσεται Αἱ πρόσοδοι τοῦ πονηροῦ βασιλέως εἰσὶν αἱ κακίαι καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ δόγματα· ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ προσοδεύουσιν οἱ βασιλευόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 350 28, 17