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He specifically calls these many dogs one dog. He who was rescued from the individual men wishing to plot against him was rescued from man. And he calls the hand of the dog its action. "And the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai." But concerning the wicked it is said: "Thorns grow in the hand of a drunkard." Therefore, from the hand, from the action of the dogs that surrounded me, who are of the one species of dog, rescue my soul. Some are said to be of one manner: "God makes the solitary dwell in a house." And it is possible to say that all these who are made to dwell have one manner and in this way are called of one manner, as in: "that you be united in the same mind and in the same judgment." But it is also possible thus: he who has a mind that does not change, a manner that does not become one thing from another, is of one manner; for the wise man is not altered like the fool, but shines forth like the sun. And the sun does not have variations of light. Therefore this soul is only-begotten to him. I have said that other souls also become his own through virtue. But they do not have stability, certainty. This one alone, having not committed sin nor known it, is only-begotten. He has many souls; but this one he has as only-begotten; for it is unchangeable. And I mean unchangeable thus: not turning; for 'unchangeable' spoken in an absolute sense denotes the immutable. But when I say that the just man does not turn to injustice, I mean the just man is unchangeable as long as he has justice; for the unchangeable does not turn. But that which does not turn is not in every case unchangeable. Therefore this soul is only-begotten to him, beyond the others, because it alone has the quality of always being with him. No reasoning, no thought, no disturbance separates it; for even if it is disturbed, the disturbance stops at the level of a preliminary passion; for this was indicated by the word "now," because by "now" he does not signify time in its breadth, but the point-like, that which is not time. All time has three dimensions. But this "now" does not have them; for it is a limit of time. "He began to be greatly distressed and troubled." Up to the point of beginning, it is possible for him to experience a preliminary passion without it being cowardice; for a preliminary passion is an indicator of nature, not a quality making one bad or good, unless it takes on what follows so that it is no longer a preliminary passion. These things have often been distinguished by us, that they are four: the preliminary passion alone is free from blame, it does not subject one to blame; the passion, however, to moderate blame; but the disposition is then wickedness; and much more so the action, when it is added. 22 Save me from the lion's mouth. Here he can also call the devil "lion"; for he also attacked at the time of the passion. Indeed, when in the forty days of the temptation it is said that: "the devil departed from him," it is added in the Gospel: "until an opportune time." He came again then at the time of the passion. And since I was saying that the plots were directed sometimes against the man of the Savior himself and sometimes against his own, when Peter says, or the Savior says to Peter: "Behold, Satan has asked for 44 us," in a certain way, rushing against the Savior, he wished to devour his members. He says, at any rate: "Save me from the lion's mouth." But he can also call that people "lion"; for "my inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest." May I not suffer these things which they wish to inflict on me. And he says these things because every rational being, even if it is perfect, needs help from God. "Save me from the lion's mouth." and from the horns of unicorns my humility He can here call the multitude of the Jews, the people of Israel, a lion; for he said in Jeremiah: "I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my inheritance. My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest." Being a people, I placed them in a paradise, where there is much fruit-bearing. But when they changed to wildness, then they accordingly lair among fruitless trees—for the forest is nothing other than a place of fruitless trees—. Therefore, they then lie in wait there. and my inheritance, which I had

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τοὺς πολλοὺς τούτους κύνας ἰδικῶς ἕνα λέγει κύνα. ὁ ῥυσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῶν 43 καθέκαστα ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλεύειν βουλομένων ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἐρύσθη. χεῖρα δὲ τοῦ κυνὸς λέγει τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ. "καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου ἐν χειρὶ Ἀγγαίου". ἐπὶ τῶν φαύλων δὲ εἴρηται· "ἄκανθαι φύονται ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ μεθύσου". ἐκ χειρὸς οὖν, ἐκ τῆς πράξεως τῶν κυνῶν τῶν κυκλωσάντων με, κατὰ τὸ εἶδος κυνὸς ἑνὸς ὄντων, ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου. λέγονταί τινες εἶναι μονότροποι· "ὁ θεὸς κατοικίζει μονοτρόπους ἐν οἴκῳ". καὶ δυνατὸν μὲν λεχθῆναι ὅτι πάντες οὗτοι οἱ κατοικιζόμενοι ἕνα τρόπον ἔχουσιν καὶ ταύτῃ μονότροποι εἴρηνται, ὡς τό· "τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ κατήρτισθε". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως· ὁ ἔχων γνώμην μὴ μεταβάλλουσαν, τρόπον μὴ ἐξ ἑτέρου ἕτερον γινόμενον, μονότροπός ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ ἀλλοιοῦται κατὰ τὸν ἄφρονα ὁ σοφός, ἀλλὰ ἐκλάμπει ὡς ὁ ἥλιος. ὁ ἥλιος δὲ οὐκ ἔχει μεταβολὰς φωτισμῶν. μονογενὴς οὖν ἐστιν αὐτῷ αὕτη ἡ ψυχή. εἶπον ὅτι καὶ ἄλλαι οἰκειωμέναι αὐτῷ διὰ ἀρετῆς γίνονται ψυχαί. οὐκ ἔχουσιν δὲ τὸ στάσιμον, τὸ βέβαιον. μόνη αὕτη ἁμαρτίαν μὴ ποιήσασα μηδὲ γνοῦσα μονογενής ἐστιν. πολλὰς ἔχει ψυχάς· ταύτην δὲ μονογενῆ ἔχει· ἄτρεπτος γάρ ἐστιν. ἄτρεπτον δὲ λέγω οὕτω· μὴ τρεπομένην· τὸ γὰρ ἄτρεπτον ἀπολελυμένως λ̣εγόμενον τὸ ἀμετάβλητον δηλοῖ. ὅταν δὲ λέγω ὅτι ὁ δίκαιος οὐ τρέπεται πρὸς ἀδικίαν, λέγω δίκαιο̣ν̣ ἄτρεπτον εἶναι ἐν ὅσῳ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἔχει· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄτρεπτον οὐ τρέπεται. οὐ πάντως δὲ τ̣ο`̣ μὴ τρεπόμενον ἄτρεπτόν ἐστιν. μονογενὴς οὖν αὐτῷ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ ψυχὴ παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας ὅτι μόνη ἔχει τὸ ἀεὶ συνεῖναι αὐτῷ. οὐ χωρίζει αὐτὴν οὐ λογισμός, οὐκ ἐνθύμημα, οὐ ταραχή· κἂν γὰρ τ̣αραχθῇ, μέχρι προπαθείας ἵσταται ἡ ταραχή· τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τοῦ "νῦν" ἐδηλώθη, ὅτι οὐ τὸν κατὰ πλάτος χρόνον σημαίνει διὰ τοῦ "νῦν", ἀλλὰ τὸ σημειῶδες, τὸ μὴ ὂν χρόνον. πᾶς χρόνος τὰς τρεῖς ἔχει δ̣ι̣αστάσεις. τὸ δὲ "νῦν" τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχει· πέρας γάρ ἐστιν χρόνου. "ἤρξατο θαμβεῖσθαι καὶ ἀδημονεῖν". μέχρι τοῦ ἄρξασθαι μὴ ἀντὶ ἀνανδρίας δύναται λαβεῖν προπάθειαν· φύσεως γὰρ ἔλεγχός ἐστιν ἡ προπάθεια, οὐ ποιότης φαῦλον ἢ σπουδαῖον ποιοῦσα, εἰ μὴ προσλάβοι τὰ ἑξῆς ὥστε μηκέτι εἶναι προπάθειαν. πολλάκις ἡμῖν διεστάλη ταῦτα ὅτι τέσσερά ἐστιν· ἡ προπάθεια μόνη ἀπολύει ἐνκλήματος, οὐχ ὑποβάλλει ἐνκλήματι· τὸ πάθος δὲ μετρίῳ ἐνκλήματι· ἡ δὲ διάθεσις κακία ἐστὶν λοιπόν· πολλῷ πλέον καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις προσλημφθεῖσα. 22 σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος. ἐνταῦθα δύναται καὶ τὸν διάβολον "λέοντα" λέγειν· καὶ γὰρ ἐπέθετο ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ πάθους. ἀμέλει γοῦν ὅτε ἐν τῇ τεσσερακονθημέρῳ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ εἴρηται ὅτι· "ἀπέστη ὁ διάβολος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ", πρόσκειται ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ· "ἄχρι καιροῦ". τότε πάλιν ἐλήλυθεν ὅτε τὸ πάθος. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἔλεγον τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ὁτὲ μὲν αὐτῷ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ σωτῆρος προσάγεσθαι ὁτὲ δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ὁ Πέτρος λέγῃ ἢ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγῃ τῷ Πέτρῳ· "ἰδοὺ ὁ σατανᾶς ἐξῃτήσατο 44 ἡμᾶς", τρόπον τινὰ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὁρμ̣ῶν τὰ μέλη αὐτοῦ ἤθελεν καταφαγεῖν. λέγει γοῦν ὅτι· "σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος τοῦ λέοντος". δύναται δ̣ὲ καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐκεῖνον "λέοντα" καλεῖν· "ἐγενήθη" γὰρ "ἡ κληρονομία μου ἐμοὶ ὡς λέων ἐν δρυμῷ". μὴ τ̣αῦτα πάθοιμι ἃ ἐκεῖνοι βούλονταί με διαθεῖναι. ταῦτα δὲ λέγει διὰ τὸ πᾶσαν λογικὴν οὐσίαν, κἂν τελεία ᾖ, χρῄζειν τῆς παρὰ θεοῦ συμμαχίας. "σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος". καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου δύναται λέγειν ἐνταῦθα λέοντα τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λαόν· εἶπεν γὰρ ἐν Ἰηρεμίᾳ· "ἐνκατέλιπα τὸν οἶκόν μου, ἀφῆκα τὴν κληρονομίαν μου. ἐγενήθη ἡ κληρονομία μου ἐμοὶ ὡς λέων ἐν δρυμῷ". λαὸν ὄντα αὐτοὺς ἐν παραδείσῳ ἔθηκα, ἔνθα καρποφορία πολλή. ὅτε δὲ εἰς ἀγριότητα μεταβεβλήκασιν, τότε λοιπὸν ἐν ἀκάρποις ξύλοις φωλ̣ε̣υ´̣ουσιν-ὁ γὰρ δρυμὸς οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ τόπος ἀκάρπων ξύλων-. λοιπὸν οὖν ἐκεῖ λοχ̣ῶσιν. καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου, ἣν ἔσχον