our. Therefore, having presented himself as is fitting for one who is humble, he seeks a reward from God, a lawful conduct in life and a life according to the word of God. And this very thing belongs to a humble person: not to place the good life in himself but to seek it from God. 220 Ps 118,26.27 It is a great thing to do all things as in the eyes of God and to speak and recount these things and to ask for a corrective or confirmatory revelation concerning them, and that there will accrue to him also benefit for others as he discourses from a more divine understanding and proclaims the wondrous beneficence of God that is laid up for those who do holy things. For he who teaches about righteousness also teaches about the end, which is laid up for it, being something wondrous and paradoxical, that God rewards greatly and beyond worth. Paul also discoursed on self-control and righteousness and the coming judgment, so that the governor became afraid. And instead of "I will meditate," Aquila has "I will converse," and Symmachus "I will explain." 221 Ps 118,36 Since the heart of man is diligently set on evil from his youth, there is need of God who moves it toward the just commandments, that is, who will guide our choice by providences and events and the illumination of the divine spirit. 222 Ps 118,37 Vanity is the madness for spectacles, the contemplation of things that do not even exist, and the absurd fantasy in the mind, which Paul also clarifies, saying, "In the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God." See the futility of the mind being spoken of when someone has a mind and does not use it for the contemplation of true things, but offers it to the binding satan. Praying this, therefore, he says, "Turn my eyes from looking at vanities"; for this is a grace of God. For thus, having turned away from such a perception, he will be able to live in the way of God, walking in it and being made alive by it; for being the way is at the same time being life. Therefore the Savior says, "I am the way and the life." 223 Ps 118,40b And since the son is the righteousness of the father, he who wishes to live in the son says this; for "the righteousness of God is revealed in him from faith for faith." 224 Ps 118,50 He says that only the promise of having true life is sufficient to comfort us in our afflictions; accomplish this for us. For if in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable, because we both suffer now and not in hope of a future life. But the future life is a reviving, since we learn that the soul's own life is not even true life, if indeed the soul is not a human being. For if in its own life it had the truth of living, that which was dead would not need reviving. Therefore the Lord also said that the dead live to God, as not yet having life except insofar as it is in the power of God who gives life; and he says they have perished, if they do not attain the resurrection, saying he will raise his own, so that not one of them may perish. And Paul similarly says, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished." For God did not give an incorporeal life to the soul from the beginning, but immediately life in a body, having breathed into the body the breath of life. 225 Ps 118,53 To the sinner, godliness is a ridiculous disposition, but to the godly, lawlessness is dreadful, because he foresees the terror of the punishment. 226 Ps 118,54 But to me, he says, my only comfort is to look upon your judgments, and my cheerfulness your commandments, taken up in song and leading to joy by their melody. And this alone I considered good, as in a foreign and alien dwelling, able to have nothing truly good, because for the stranger, things at home are longed for, and before the return to them, all things are grievous. 227 Ps 118,73 But God does not form after the manner of a human potter, even if he is said to form, but just as one forming might work, such a thing he accomplishes by the power that effects such a configuration; and to that first formation
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ἡμῶν. προσαγαγὼν οὖν ἑαυτὸν ὡς προσήκει ταπεινόν, ἀμοιβὴν ζητεῖ παρὰ θεοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ βίον ἔννομον ἀγωγὴν καὶ τὴν κατὰ λόγον θεοῦ ζωήν. ταπεινοῦ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ μὴ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ τίθεσθαι τὴν ἀγαθὴν ζωὴν ἀλλὰ παρὰ θεοῦ ζητεῖν. 220 Ps 118,26.27 Μέγα τὸ πάντα πράττειν ὡς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς θεοῦ καὶ λέγειν ταῦτα καὶ διηγεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις αἰτεῖν ἀποκάλυψιν διορθωτικὴν ἢ βεβαιωτικήν, περιέσεσθαι δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν εἰς ἄλλους ὠφέλειαν ἐκ θειοτέρας συνέσεως διαλεγομένῳ καὶ τὴν θαυμασίαν εὐεργεσίαν ἐξαγγέλλοντι τὴν θεοῦ τὴν τοῖς ὅσια πράττουσιν ἀποκειμένην. ὁ γὰρ τὰ περὶ δικαιοσύνης διδάσκων διδάσκει καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ τέλους, ὅπερ ἀπόκειται αὐτῇ, θαυμασίου τινὸς ὄντος καὶ παραδόξου ὅτι θεὸς μεγάλως καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀμείβεται. διελέγετο καὶ Παῦλος περὶ ἐγκρατείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ τοῦ κρίματος τοῦ μέλλοντος ὡς ἔμφοβον γενέσθαι τὸν ἡγεμόνα. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἀδολεσχήσω ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας Ὁμιλήσω, ὁ δὲ ΣύμμαχοςἘξηγήσομαι. 221 Ps 118,36 Ἐγκειμένης τῆς καρδίας τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητος, θεοῦ δεῖ τοῦ μετακινοῦντος αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὰ δίκαια προστάγματα, τουτέστιν ἐνάξοντος τὸ προαιρετικὸν ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαις τε καὶ πραγμάτων καὶ θείου πνεύματος ἐλλάμψει. 222 Ps 118,37 Ματαιότης ἐστὶν ἡ περὶ τὰς θέας μανία, ἡ περὶ τῶν μηδὲ ὄντων θεωρία, καὶ ἡ κατὰ διάνοιαν δὲ ἄτοπος φαντασία ἣν καὶ σαφηνίζει ὁ Παῦλος λέγων Ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν ἐσκοτισμένοι τῇ διανοίᾳ ὄντες ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ θεοῦ. ὅρα ματαιότητα νοὸς λεγομένην ὅταν ἔχῃ τις νοῦν καὶ τούτῳ μὴ χρήσηται πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀληθῶν θεωρίαν, ἀλλὰ παρέχει αὐτὸν τῷ δεσμεύοντι σατανᾷ. τοῦτο τοίνυν εὐχόμενός φησιν Ἀπόστρεψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου τοῦ μὴ ἰδεῖν ματαιότητας· τοῦτο γὰρ χάρις θεοῦ. οὕτω γὰρ δυνήσεται τῆς τοιαύτης κατανοήσεως ἀποστὰς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ θεοῦ ζῆσαι, αὐτὴν βαδίζων καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ζωοποιούμενος· ἅμα γὰρ τὸ ὁδὸς εἶναι καὶ ζωή ἐστιν. διό φησιν ὁ σωτὴρ Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ζωή. 223 Ps 118,40b Καὶ ἐπεὶ δικαιοσύνη τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ υἱός, ὁ ἐν υἱῷ ζῆσαι βουλόμενος τοῦτό φησι· ∆ικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν. 224 Ps 118,50 Μόνον φησὶν ἱκανὸν ἡμᾶς ἐν ταῖς κακώσεσι παραμυθεῖσθαι τὸ ζωῆς ἀληθινῆς ἔχειν ἐπαγγελίαν· τοῦθ' ἡμῖν ἐπιτέλεσον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ μόνον ἐν Χριστῷ ἠλπικότες ἐσμέν, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν, ὅτι καὶ κακούμεθα νῦν καὶ οὐκ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι μελλούσης ζωῆς. ζωὴ δὲ ἡ μέλλουσά ἐστιν ἀναζώωσις, καθὸ τὴν ψυχὴν ἰδίαν ζωὴν οὐδὲ ἀληθῆ ζωὴν εἶναι μανθάνομεν, εἴπερ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἡ ψυχή. εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ζωῇ τὸ ἀληθὲς εἶχε τοῦ ζῆν, οὐκ ἀναζωώσεως τὸ τεθνηκὸς ἐδεῖτο. διὸ καὶ ὁ κύριος τοὺς τεθνεῶτας θεῷ ζῆν εἶπεν ὡς οὔπω τὸ ζῆν ἔχοντας πλὴν ὅσον ἐν δυνάμει θεοῦ τοῦ ζωοποιήσαντος· καὶ ἀπολωλέναι φησὶν ἑαυτούς, εἰ μὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τύχοιεν, λέγων ἀναστήσειν τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἓν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀπώληται. καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ὁμοίως φησὶν Εἰ μὴ ἔστιν ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν, ἄρα καὶ οἱ κοιμηθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ ἀπώλοντο. οὐ γὰρ ἀσώματον ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ζωὴν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς τὴν ἐν σώματι, εἰς τὸ σῶμα τὴν πνοὴν τῆς ζωῆς ἐμφυσήσας. 225 Ps 118,53 Τῷ μὲν ἁμαρτωλῷ γέλοιον ἦθος ἡ θεοσεβεία, τῷ δὲ θεοσεβεῖ φρικτὸν παρανομία, διότι προορᾷ τὸ φοβερὸν τῆς τιμωρίας. 226 Ps 118,54 Ἐμοὶ δέ, φησί, καὶ παραμυθία μόνη τὸ πρὸς τὰ σὰ βλέπειν κρίματα καὶ εὐθυμία τὰ προστάγματά σου δι' ᾠδῆς ἀναλαμβανόμενα καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην ἄγοντα τῇ μελῳδίᾳ. καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἀγαθὸν οἰησάμην ὡς ἐν ξένῃ καὶ ἀλλοτρίᾳ κατοικήσει καὶ μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν ἔχειν ἀληθὲς δυναμένῃ, διότι τῷ ξένῳ τὰ οἴκοι ποθεινὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς εἰς ταῦτα ἐπανόδου πάντα λυπηρά. 227 Ps 118,73 Θεὸς δὲ οὐ πλάστου δίκην ἀνθρώπου διαπλάττει κἂν πλάττειν λέγεται, ἀλλ' οἷον ἄν τις πλάττων ἐργάσηται, τοιοῦτον ἀποτελεῖ δυνάμει τῇ τὸν τοιόνδε σχηματισμὸν ἐνεργούσῃ· καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνην δὲ τὴν πρώτην πλάσιν
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