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of all the nations that raged and the peoples that plotted in vain, but also of the kings that stood by and the rulers gathered together for the same purpose against him. But you will say that he was delivered also from the hand of Saul, from the one then ruling the Jews, who, with his character—for it is not unlikely that a savage-tempered character and with it an evil spirit had mastered them who said they did not have God as king; for how were they not, having denied God, going to be ruled by some wicked one? 111 Ps 17:5b,6 But they were called torrents of iniquity, as another says, also because those who do not nobly endure temptations come into iniquity. But if the present words happen to be about the death that follows sinners and about the hades that is in harmony with it, then both the pangs of death and of hades are the sins unto death. Appropriately to this thought, you will call the streams of wickedness torrents of iniquity, and the sins committed in practice, snares of death. According to the former interpretation, the present words are suited to the economy of the Lord in the flesh. For they have much affinity with ‘Now is my soul troubled’ and ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.’ 112 Ps 17:7 But the prayer has great confidence from a pure conscience, since he said that to call upon the Lord has reference, but that his cry to God had reached him. See whether perhaps it is in accordance with ‘But for us there is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.’ We will take God as the Father, and Lord as the Son, unless perhaps both are said of the same, the Father and the Son being God and Lord because of the identity of divinity and lordship. But how, having said ‘He heard my voice from his holy temple,’ is his cry said in the future tense to be about to enter the ears of God? To this someone will say: since God has already heard, so that the one who prayed has come out of affliction, he believes that when he cries again to God he has him receiving into his ears and before him the cry sent up by him. Another will say: but he who perceived, at the same time he called upon him from his holy temple, that the one invoked assented, is confident that he will obtain the outcome of what he prayed for, the cry sent up from a pure disposition entering into the ears of God and before him. Ps 17:8b These mountains he who has all faith like a grain of mustard seed moves from the deceived; ‘For if,’ says Paul, ‘I have faith so as to move mountains.’ Of these was also the spirit of lunacy about which the Savior says: ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ 113 Ps 17:9,10a Smoke went up in his wrath; as the wicked matter was consumed, having an analogy to the things built upon Christ, who is the foundation, by wicked men—wood, hay, stubble, and wicked actions and very evil opinions (which is why, being consumed by the wrath that came upon them), they sent up smoke. Coals were kindled from him. The coals sometimes signify punishments, and at other times the fiery and fervent words of God that purify the reasonings of the soul. It signifies punishments in ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ And ‘Coals of fire will fall upon them and you will cast them down.’ these will be a help to you. But the fiery word is indicated, about which Isaiah says, ‘And one of the seraphim was sent.’ Therefore, of the soul prepared for virtue, he warms and sets on fire the reasonings so as to show them bright and cheerful, but he will burn up the deeds of sinners, purifying them, but those who do not receive this fire, the eternal fire will burn. And this too, ‘He bowed the heavens and came down,’ he has given in accordance with the account of the economy. For since the Savior is said to dwell in the heavens, having become man, he changes his dwelling; for he was seen on earth and conversed with men. But he dwells in the heavens not locally nor

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πάντων τῶν φρυαξάντων ἐθνῶν καὶ μελετησάντων κενὰ λαῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παραστάντων βασιλέων καὶ συναχθέντων ἀρχόντων ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατ' αὐτοῦ. ἐρεῖς δὲ αὐτὸν ερρυσθαι καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς Σαούλ, ἐκ τοῦ τότε κρατοῦντος τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων, ῳ, μετὰ τοῦ τρόπου, οὐκ ἀπεικὸς γὰρ κεκρατηκέναι αὐτῶν τρόπον ὠμόθυμον καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ πνεῦμα πονηρὸν εἰρηκότων μὴ εχειν βασιλέα θεόν· πῶς γὰρ οὐκ εμελλον ἀρνησάμενοι θεὸν ὑπὸ φαύλου τινὸς βασιλεύεσθαι; 111 Ps 17,5b.6 Χείμαρροι δὲ ἀνομίας ἐκλήθησαν, ὡς αλλος φησίν, καὶ διὰ τὸ εἰς ἀνομίαν ερχεσθαι τοὺς μὴ γενναίως ὑφισταμένους τὰ πειρατήρια. εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ ἑπομένου τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι θανάτου καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἁρμονίαν εχοντος ᾳδου τυγχάνουσιν αἱ προκείμεναι λέξεις, καὶ ὠδῖνες θανάτου καὶ ᾳδου τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τὰ πρὸς θάνατον ὑπάρχει. καταλλήλως ταύτῃ τῇ νοήσει χειμάρρους ἀνομίας ἐρεῖς τὰ ῥεύματα τῆς κακίας καὶ θανάτου παγίδας τὰς ἀποτελουμένας πρακτικῶς ἁμαρτίας. Κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀπόδοσιν ἁρμόζει τὰ προκείμενα τῇ κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ κυρίου οἰκονομίᾳ. εχουσι γὰρ πολλὴν οἰκειότητα πρὸς τὸ Νῦν ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται καὶ τὸ Περίλυπός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή μου εως θανάτου. 112 Ps 17,7 Πολλὴν δὲ παρρησίαν ἀπὸ καθαρᾶς συνειδήσεως ἡ εὐχή, ἐπεὶ τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον ειπεν ἀναφορὰν εχειν, πρὸς τὸν θεὸν δὲ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτοῦ ἐφθακέναι. ορα μήποτε συμφώνως τῷ ̔Ημῖν δὲ εις θεὸς ὁ πατὴρ καὶ εις κύριος ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστός. θεὸν τὸν πατέρα, κύριον δὲ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκληψόμεθα, εἰ μὴ αρα κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀμφότερα λέγεται πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου οντος διὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς θεότητος καὶ κυριότητος. Πῶς δὲ εἰπὼν Ηκουσεν ἐκ ναοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ φωνῆς μου; μελλητικῶς λέγεται εἰσελεύσεσθαι εἰς τὰ ωτα τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ κραυγὴ αὐτοῦ. πρὸς τοῦτο ὁ μέν τις ἐρεῖ· ηδη ἐπακούσαντος θεοῦ ὡς ἐκτὸς τῆς θλίψεως γενέσθαι τὸν εὐξάμενον, πιστεύει οτι πάλιν κράξας πρὸς θεὸν εχει αὐτὸν δεχόμενον εἰς τὰ ωτα καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀναπεμπομένην κραυγὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. αλλου λέξοντος· ὁ δὲ αἰσθηθεὶς αμα τῷ ἐπικαλέσασθαι ἐκ ναοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ ἐπινεύσαντα τὸν παρακληθέντα θαρρεῖ οτι ἐκβάσεως τεύξεται τὰ περὶ ων ηυξατο, εἰσελευσομένης εἰς τὰ ωτα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀπὸ καθαρᾶς διαθέσεως ἀναπεμφθείσης κραυγῆς. Ps 17,8b Τὰ ορη ταῦτα μεθίστησιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἠπατημένων ὁ απασαν τὴν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως εχων πίστιν· ̓Εὰν γάρ φησιν ὁ Παῦλος εχω πίστιν ωστε ορη μεθιστάνειν. τούτων ὑπῆρχε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ σεληνιασμοῦ περὶ ου φησιν ὁ σωτήρ· Εἰ ειχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, ἐλέγετε αν τῷ ορει τούτῳ Μετάβηθι ενθεν ἐκεῖ. 113 Ps 17,9.10a ̓Ανέβη καπνὸς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ· τῆς μοχθηρᾶς υλης δαπανωμένης ἀναλογίαν ἐχούσης πρὸς τὰ ἐποικοδομούμενα ἐπὶ τῷ Χριστῷ, θεμελίῳ οντι, ὑπὸ φαύλων ἀνθρώπων ξύλα χόρτον καλάμην, πράξεις δὲ φαῦλαι καὶ γνῶμαι χείριστοι (διὸ καταναλούμενα ὑπὸ τῆς ἐλθούσης εἰς αὐτὰ ὀργῆς) καπνὸν ἀνέπεμψαν. Ανθρακες ἀνήφθησαν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. οἱ ανθρακες ὁτὲ μὲν τὰς κολάσεις σημαίνουσιν, ὁτὲ δὲ τοὺς διαπύρους καὶ θερμοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγους καθαίροντας τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμούς. τὰς κολάσεις σημαίνει ἐν τῷ ̓Εὰν πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, ψώμιζε αὐτόν, ἐὰν διψᾷ, πότιζε αὐτόν· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν ανθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ὑπὸ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ τὸ Πεσοῦνται ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ανθρακες πυρὸς καὶ καταβαλεῖς αὐτούς. ουτοι εσονταί σοι βοήθεια. ὁ δὲ διάπυρος λόγος δηλοῦται περὶ ου ὁ ̔Ησαΐας Καὶ ἀπεστάλη εν τῶν σεραφείν. τῆς τοίνυν παρεσκευασμένης πρὸς ἀρετὴν ψυχῆς θερμαίνει καὶ πυρώσει τοὺς λογισμοὺς ωστε λαμπροὺς καὶ φαιδροὺς ἀποδεῖξαι, καταφλέξει δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν τὰς πράξεις καθαίρων αὐτούς, τοὺς δὲ μὴ τοῦτο τὸ πῦρ δεξαμένους τὸ αἰώνιον πῦρ φλέξει. Τὸ δὲ Εκλινεν οὐρανοὺς καὶ κατέβη ἀκολούθως τῷ περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐπέδωκεν λόγῳ καὶ ουτος. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐν οὐρανοῖς οἰκεῖν λέγεται ὁ σωτήρ, ανθρωπος γενόμενος μεταβάλλει τὴν οικησιν· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς γῆς ωφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη. οἰκεῖ δὲ ἐν οὐρανοῖς οὐ τοπικῶς οὐδὲ