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God through His own counsels exhorts that it is fitting for the one praying to lift up holy hands without anger and disputes. Therefore, from the virtue of the saints, the excuse-makers, wishing to hide their own faults, by sewing leaves together, think they are making a defense, so to speak, for their own actions, which also happened in the case of the first-formed. Those who have such an intention the Lord symbolically rebukes in the Gospels through the fig tree, coming to it 86 and finding nothing but leaves only, "May no fruit ever come from you again" saying. And we do not say that the rebuke was spoken to the fig tree itself; for the physical fig tree did not bear fruit through any fault of its own. But also when Israel had fallen into impiety, it was said: "There is no grape on the vines, nor figs on the fig trees." Therefore they sewed fig leaves, providing a plausible defense, as has been said before, and the account is consistent with the form of the story. For since paradise was introduced, and nakedness, and after the transgression, the awareness of it, the account says that the covering was made from leaves, employing what is proper to the narrative, as is customary for the divinely-inspired scripture. For often the soul is called now a vine, now a sheep, now a bride in the divine instruction, and to each the account adds what follows accordingly. For when it posits it as a vine, saying: "A fruitful vine is Israel", then it calls the teachers farmers and those who plot against them foxes; for "Catch" "for us the little foxes that spoil the vineyards"; but when it names it a sheep, the teachers shepherds and those who pervert it wolves and lions; it is said: "Israel is a wandering sheep, lions have driven him away"; and also when it calls it a bride, it names the one leading it to the truth a bridegroom and the one harming it an adulterer; but all these things, even if they are different names, when referred to the soul, receive an interpretation proper and fitting to the divine Spirit, not because it is a sheep or a bride or a vine. Accordingly, then, since paradise has been mentioned, because of the figure of speech, it mentioned leaves, which those who fell from virtue sewed together 87 according to the aforementioned meaning. And these same ones also heard the Lord God walking in the paradise in the cool of the evening. And before the transgression, He was not walking to them, being outside them, but was with them. For this is proper to the one keeping virtue and being in it, so as to say: "I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved", and "But I am continually with you." And when man is with God, God is also with him; for it is said: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"; but when some fall away from Him, they hear: "They have walked crookedly toward me, and I will walk toward them in crooked wrath." And just as one who leaves the sun and shuts his eyes does not cause any diminution to the sun—for it remains what it was, shining—so one who leaves God works harm to himself, and he leaves Him not as in a place, but by turning away from virtue, like those about whom it is said: "God will cast them away, because they did not listen to Him, and they will be wanderers among the nations"; for since they did not listen, He Himself cast them away. Since, therefore, these also fell away from Him through the transgression, He Himself has also distanced Himself from them, but because of His own goodness He walks about, providing a perception, as has been said, according to common notions, so that they might turn back. And this happens in the cool of the evening, fittingly for those who have transgressed. For to the one who is in virtue the light of truth is at its height, never being in a dark state—at any rate, one can hear the holy one saying: "From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God", and "O God, my God, to you I rise early", and "In the morning I will stand before 88 you and will see"—but then the hour becomes evening and dark towards night

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Θεὸς διὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παραινῶν ὡς προσήκει τὸν εὐχόμενον ἐπαίρειν ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν. Ἀπὸ τῆς οὖν ἀρετῆς τῶν ἁγίων οἱ προφασισταὶ καὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν κρύπτειν σφάλματα βουλόμενοι φύλλα συρράπ- τοντες, ἀπολογίαν δῆθεν τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἴονται ποιεῖσθαι, ἅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πρωτοπλάστων συμβέβηκεν. Τοῖς τοιαύτῃ προθέσει κεχρημένοις διὰ τῆς συκῆς συμβολικῶς ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἐπιτιμᾷ, ἐλθὼν πρὸς αὐτὴν 86 καὶ μ̣ὴ εὑρὼν εἰ μὴ φύλλα μόνον, "6Οὐ μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα"6 εἰπών. Καὶ οὐδήπου αὐτῇ τῇ συκῇ τὴν ἐπιτιμίαν εἰρῆσθαί φαμεν· οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτῆς αἰτίαν ἡ αἰσθητὴ συκῆ καρπὸν οὐκ ἔφερεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς ἀ[σ]έβειαν ἐκπεσόντος εἴρηται· "6Οὐκ ἔστιν σταφυλὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀμ[πέ]λοις οὐδὲ σῦκα ἐν ταῖς συκαῖς."6 Ἔρραψαν οὖν φύλλα συκῆς πιθα[ν]ὴν ἀπολογίαν, ὡς προείρηται, πορίζοντες, ἀκόλουθος δὲ τῷ σχήματι τῆς ἱστορίας ὁ λόγος. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ παράδεισος εἰσήχθη καὶ γυμνότης καὶ μετὰ π̣α̣ρακοὴν ταύτης ἐπίγνωσις, τὴν σκέπην ἀπὸ φύλλων λέγει ποιεῖσθαι τῷ οἰκείῳ τῆς̣ διηγήσεως ὁ λόγος προσχρώμενος κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ γραφῇ. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ π̣ο̣τὲ μὲν ἄμπελος, ποτὲ δὲ πρόβατον, ποτὲ νύμφη ἐν τῇ θείᾳ παιδεύσει λέγεται, καὶ πρὸς ἕκαστον ἀκολούθως ἐπάγει τᾲ ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος. Ὅτε γὰρ ἄμπελον αὐτὴν ὑποτίθεται λέγων· "6Ἄμ̣πελος εὐκληματοῦσα Ἰσραήλ"6, τότε τοὺς διδασκάλους γεωργοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας ἀλώπεκας καλεῖ· "6Πιάσατε"6 γὰρ "6ἡμῖν ἀλώπεκας μικροὺς ἀφανίζοντας ἀμπελῶνας"6· ὅτε δὲ πρόβατον αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει, τοὺς διδασκάλους ποιμένας καὶ τοὺς διαστρέφοντας λύκουσκαὶ λέοντας· εἴρηται· "6Πρόβατον πλανώμενον Ἰσραήλ, λέοντες ἐξῶσαν αὐτόν"6· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν νύμφην αὐτὴν καλῇ, τὸν ἐπάγοντα εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν νυμφίον καὶ τὸν βλάπτοντα μοιχὸν ὀνομάζει· πάντα δὲ ταῦτα, εἰ καὶ διάφορα ὀνόματά ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀναφερόμενα οἰκείαν καὶ πρέπουσαν τῷ θείῳ Πνεύματι δέχεται τὴν νόησιν, οὐχ ὅτι αὕτη ἢ πρόβατον ἢ νύμφη ἢ ἄμπελός ἐστιν. Ἀκολούθως οὖν, παραδείσου μνήμης γεγενημένης, διὰ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς λέξεως φύλλων ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἃ συνέρραψαν οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκπεσόντες 87 κατὰ τὴν εἰρημένην διάνοιαν. Οὗτοι δ' αὐτοὶ καὶ ἤκουσαν Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ περι- πατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν. Καὶ πρὸ μὲν τῆς παραβάσεως οὐ περιεπάτει αὐτοῖς ἔξω αὐτῶν τυγχάνων, ἀλλ' ἦν μετ' αὐτῶν. Τοῦ γὰρ τηροῦντος τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ ἐν αυ᾿̣τῇ ὄντος οἰκεῖον τοῦτο, ὡς λέγειν· "6Προορώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντός, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ"6, καὶ "6Ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ παντὸς μετὰ σοῦ."6 Τοῦ δὲ ἀνθρώπου μετὰ Θεοῦ ὄντος, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐστιν· εἴρηται γάρ· "6Ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἐγγίσ̣ει ὑμῖν"6· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀποστῶσιν αὐτοῦ τινες, ἀκούουσιν· "6Ἐπορεύθη[σ]αν πρὸς ἐμὲ πλάγιοι κἀγὼ πορεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν θυμῷ πλαγίῳ."6 Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ τὸν ἥλιον καταλείπων καὶ βύων̣ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς οὐ ποιεῖ τινα τῷ ἡλίῳ ἐλάττωσιν- μένει γὰρ ὅπερ [ἦ]ν φωτίζων-, οὕτως ὁ καταλείπων Θεὸν ἑαυτοῦ βλάβην ἐργάζεται, καταλείπει δὲ αὐτὸν οὐχ ὡς ἐν τόπῳ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀποστρεφόμενος ὡς ἐκεῖνοι περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "6Ἀπώσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεός, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται πλανῆται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν"6· ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν, αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπώσατο. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ οὗτοι διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως ἀπέστησαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτῶν μεμάκρυνται μέν, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀγαθότητα περιπατεῖ, αἴσθησιν παρέχων, ὡς εἴρηται, κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας, ὁπῶς ἐπιστράφωσιν. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται̣ τὸ δειλινὸν καταλλήλως τοῖς παραβεβηκόσιν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀρετῇ ὄντι ἀκμάζει τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας φῶς, οὐδέπο̣τε γινομένῳ ἐν σκοτεινῇ καταστάσει-ἀκοῦσαι γοῦν ἔστιν λέγοντος τοῦ ἁγίου· "6Ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σ̣ὲ ὁ Θεός"6, καὶ "6Ὁ Θεός, ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω"6, καὶ "6Τὸ πρωῒ παρ[α̣]σ̣τήσομαί 88 σοι καὶ ἐπόψομαι"6-τότε δὲ γίνεται δειλινὴ καὶ σκοτώδης ἡ ὥρα ἐπὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν