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furnished with all the perfection in the good; which the meaning of the inscription also testifies concerning these, naming all that is transcendent a praise of God. For just as the upward course of bodies according to age has as its limit the stasis of nature, after which it does not admit addition to what is greater, but remains in itself for all the remaining time, so also is there both an increase and a stasis of the divine teachings, through which it nurses those who are infantile and imperfect in mind with suitable nourishment, leading them to growth through milk and such things, and for those already perfect it sets forth the solid 5.111 table for those whose faculties of the soul have been pre-exercised through the other disciplines. Therefore, that there was nowhere a need in the final section for the prophet of the spirit to be taught any of the higher thoughts in a *diapsalma* would be a clear proof to understand the argument concerning this, having set forth those parts of the psalmody that are separated by the *diapsalma*; in the third, having foretold the distress and helplessness that came upon him from the uprising of his enemies, then having separated the part with a *diapsalma*, he was emboldened by that saving voice which sounded to him in secret, that *But you, O Lord, are my helper, my glory and the one who lifts up my head*; again making the melody in a pause, after that thankful voice which he made, saying *I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from his holy mountain*, he is taught what the solution is for the common helplessness of human evils. And having been taught the mystery concerning the passion of the Lord in the sudden illumination of the Spirit that occurred, he takes on the very person of the Master and says *I laid me down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord will help me*. But to set out with precision the meaning inherent in each of the sayings would be superfluous, as the discourse hastens to other things. For it is necessary to confirm the idea given concerning the *diapsalma* from the things written themselves, establishing the argument also in the fourth *diapsalma*, through which we learn the same. 5.112 For in a way he cries out to all human nature concerning the vanity of their pursuits, calling the sons of men heavy of heart, for whom vanity and insubstantial falsehood are in their love. Again, having paused, he shows in what the truth is. *Know ye*, he says, *that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful*; showing, I think, through the holy one the Lord, as Moses says: *For the Lord is righteous and holy*. Then, having set down counsel, through which one might pass through life in purity, having become a judge and discerner of the thoughts of the soul, in which he says that *What you say in your hearts, be pricked with compunction on your beds*; again withdrawing to himself, he both heard the abolition of the sacrifice of animals according to the law and cries out to those who hear; for he says that one in need of psychic cleansing should not hope in the slaughter of irrational animals, but should recognize with what kind of sacrifices God is well pleased. Wherefore he says: *Offer a sacrifice of righteousness and hope in the Lord*. Thus also in the seventh of the psalms, the word of intercession comes first, in which he pleads his case to the just judge that the evil from his enemies does not come from retaliation, but that they are the originators of the wickedness; and that he considers it equal in sin, both to initiate evil and to defend oneself with equal measures against the one who started it. And having said these things, he again holds his hearing for the one revealing the great mystery of piety, through which the vengeance from the Lord against the true enemies comes to be. 5.113 For it is not possible otherwise for the host of the adversaries to be destroyed, unless the Lord has risen on our behalf; but death must in every case precede the resurrection. He therefore who announced the resurrection of the Lord also revealed what is connected with the resurrection, I mean the mystery of the passion. For this reason, being divinely inspired by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, *Arise*, he says, *O Lord, in your anger, be exalted in the ends of the*

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πάσης κατηρτισμένη τῆς ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τελειώσεως· ὅπερ καὶ ἡ διάνοια τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς ἐπὶ τούτων μαρτύρεται, αἶνον θεοῦ τὸ ὑπερκείμενον ἅπαν κατονομάζουσα. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ κατὰ τὰς ἡλικίας τῶν σωμάτων ἀναδρομὴ ὅρον ἔχει τὸ τῆς φύσεως στάσιμον, μεθ' ὃ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον προσθήκην οὐ παραδέχεται, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑαυτῷ διαμένει πρὸς πάντα τὸν ὑπόλοιπον χρόνον, οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ τῶν θείων διδαγμάτων αὔξησίς τε καὶ στάσις, δι' ὧν τούς τε νηπιώδεις καὶ ἀτελεῖς τὴν διάνοιαν ταῖς καταλλήλοις τροφαῖς τιθηνουμένη διὰ γάλακτός τε καὶ τῶν τοιούτων εἰς αὔξησιν ἄγει, καὶ τοῖς ἤδη τελείοις τὴν στερεὰν προτίθησι 5.111 τράπεζαν τοῖς διὰ τῶν ἄλλων μαθημάτων προγυμνασθεῖσι τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητήρια. Οὐκοῦν τὸ μηδαμοῦ χρείαν γενέσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἔσχατον τμῆμα τοῦ ἐν διαψάλματι τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων τι νοημάτων ἐκδιδαχθῆναι τὸν ὑποφήτην τοῦ πνεύματος σαφὲς ἂν εἴη τεκμήριον τὸν περὶ τούτου λόγον κατανοῆσαι, προθέντα ἐκεῖνα τῆς ψαλμῳδίας τὰ μέρη τὰ διεσταλμένα τῷ διαψάλματι· ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ τὴν γενομένην ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπαναστάσεως αὐτῷ συνοχήν τε καὶ ἀμηχανίαν προειπών, εἶτα διαστείλας τὸ μέρος τῷ διαψάλματι, τὴν σωτήριον ἐκείνην φωνὴν ἐπιθαρσήσας τῷ κατὰ τὸ ἀπόρρητον αὐτῷ ἐνηχήσαντι, ὅτι Σὺ δέ, κύριε, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ, δόξα μου καὶ ὑψῶν τὴν κεφαλήν μου· πάλιν ἐν διαλείμματι τὴν μελῳδίαν ποιήσας, μετὰ τὴν εὐχάριστον ἐκείνην φωνὴν ἣν πεποίηται λέγων Φωνῇ μου πρὸς κύριον ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου ἐξ ὄρους ἁγίου αὐτοῦ, διδάσκεται τίς ἐστι τῆς κοινῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κακῶν ἀμηχανίας ἡ λύσις. καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὸ πάθος τοῦ κυρίου μυστήριον διδαχθεὶς ἐν τῇ γενομένῃ κατὰ τὸ ἀθρόον ἐλλάμψει τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτὸ τὸ πρόσωπον τὸ δεσποτικὸν ὑποδύεται καί φησιν Ἐγὼ ἐκοιμήθην καὶ ὕπνωσα· ἐξηγέρθην, ὅτι κύριος ἀντιλήψεταί μου. τὸ δὲ δι' ἀκριβείας ἐκτίθεσθαι τὴν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐγκειμένην διάνοιαν παρέλκον ἂν εἴη, τοῦ λόγου πρὸς ἕτερα σπεύδοντος. χρὴ γὰρ πιστώσασθαι τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν περὶ τοῦ διαψάλματος ἔννοιαν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν γεγραμμένων συνιστῶντας τὸν λόγον καὶ ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ διαψάλματι, δι' οὗ τὸ ἴσον μανθάνομεν. 5.112 πάσῃ γὰρ τρόπον τινὰ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει περὶ τῆς τῶν σπουδαζομένων ματαιότητος ἐμβοᾷ βαρυκαρδίους ὀνομά ζων τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἷς τὸ μάταιόν τε καὶ ἀνυπό στατον ψεῦδος ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐστί. πάλιν ἐπηρεμήσας ὑποδείκνυσιν ἐν τίνι ἐστὶν ἡ ἀλήθεια. Γνῶτε γάρ, φησίν, ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε κύριος τὸν ὅσιον αὐτοῦ· δεικνύς, οἶμαι, διὰ τοῦ ὁσίου τὸν κύριον, καθώς φησιν Μωυσῆς· Ὅτι δίκαιος καὶ ὅσιος ὁ κύριος. εἶτα συμβουλὴν καταθέμενος, δι' ὧν ἄν τις ἐν καθαρότητι παρέλθοι τὸν βίον κριτής τε καὶ ἐπιγνώμων τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς διανοημάτων γενόμενος, ἐν οἷς φησιν ὅτι Ἃ λέγετε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατανύγητε· πάλιν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀναχωρήσας τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῆς νομικῆς ζῳοθυσίας αὐτός τε ἤκουσε καὶ ἐμβοᾷ τοῖς ἀκούουσι· λέγει γὰρ μηδὲ ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων ἐπελπίζειν σφαγαῖς τὸν τοῦ ψυχικοῦ καθαρσίου δεόμενον, ἀλλ' ἐπιγνῶναι ποίαις ὁ θεὸς εὐαρεστεῖται θυσίαις. διό φησιν· θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ κύριον. οὕτως καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἕβδομον τῶν ψαλμῶν προηγεῖται μὲν ὁ τῆς ἐντεύξεως λόγος, ἐν ᾧ δικαιολογεῖται πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον κριτὴν ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἀνταποδόσεως γίνεται παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡ κακία, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι ἀρχηγοὶ τῆς πονηρίας γίνονται· καὶ ὅτι ἴσον εἰς ἁμαρτίαν οἴεται, καὶ προκατάρξαι κακίας καὶ τοῖς ἴσοις ἀμύνασθαι τὸν ἀπάρχοντα. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν πάλιν ὑπέχει τὴν ἀκοὴν τῷ τὸ μέγα φανεροῦντι τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον, δι' οὗ γίνεται ἡ κατὰ τῶν ἀληθινῶν ἐχθρῶν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου 5.113 ἐκδίκησις. οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλως καθαιρεθῆναι τῶν ἀντικει μένων τὸ στῖφος, μὴ τοῦ κυρίου ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀναστάντος· τῆς δὲ ἀναστάσεως θάνατον δεῖ πάντως προηγήσασθαι. ὁ τοίνυν τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ κυρίου μηνύσας τὸ συνημμένον τῇ ἀναστάσει συμπαρεδήλωσεν, λέγω δὴ τὸ κατὰ τὸ πάθος μυστήριον. οὗ χάριν θεοφορηθεὶς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ἐπισκηνώσεως, Ἀνάστηθι, φησί, κύριε, ἐν ὀργῇ σου, ὑψώθητι ἐν τοῖς πέρασι τῶν