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reigning with the true Christ through faith, he does not attempt to cast you out of your dignity from without, but by becoming of your very self. For the enemy does not have strength against us from elsewhere, nor are we cast out of our dignity by anyone else, unless we ourselves become fathers of the evil offspring through wicked birth-pangs. He who rises up against our kingdom and then takes power over us, when he defiles those dwelling with us, having wrought abomination in the open; that is, when he makes public the corruption of our virtues, with which we once dwelt. Since, therefore, in the beginning our strength is not yet strained for the contests, so as to grapple face to face with the attacks of the adversary, and the word has shown, through the example according to the inscription, that to flee such an assault is no small thing for the safety of those at war, 5.119 teaching you this, that when Absalom appears to you, who prides himself on his wickedness, the fratricide, who has raged against both your honored marriage and your undefiled bed, flee, as the Lord says, from city to city, for it is possible for the one fleeing from the face of Absalom, such a son, having gathered his own forces, to destroy the enemy with the help of the wood that entangled his wicked hair in it, by means of the three darts. And the riddle pointed out through the story is surely clear to you, what that wood is, to which the hair of wickedness was nailed, which the apostle calls the record of sins, as he says, that *He has also taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross*, that is, to the wood. And what is the trinity of darts that strikes the middle of the enemy’s heart, through which the death of the last enemy comes to pass? But that our thought concerning the dart may be opportune, we will attend to the prophecy of Isaiah, who says in the person of the Lord that *He has made me like a choice arrow, and in his quiver he has exalted me*. This dart, therefore, is the living word of God, and *sharper than any two-edged sword*; and the word is Christ; and in this name the mystery of the trinity is confessed. in which we are taught of the one who anoints, and the one who is anointed, and that with which he was anointed. For if any one of these were lacking, the name of Christ would not exist. This name, therefore, when it is raised up in our quiver, 5.120 that is, when it comes to be in our soul through faith (for the quiver of the word is the soul), then it becomes destructive of him who rises up against us and persecutes us, whose destruction is in the wood. For this reason, after fleeing in due time from him who rises up (who is one in nature, but becomes a multitude by evil alliance), and saying that *Those who afflict me have been multiplied* and *many rise up against me* and whatever the psalm contains in what follows, then comes the beginning of victory. For a timely flight from those who rise up becomes the cause of victory against the enemies. For this reason the following psalm has the inscription, *To the end*. And the end of every contest is victory, as the word has previously reasoned for us concerning these things, and whenever you taste victory once, successive victories against the enemies are achieved. For in the first victory, when the pleasures of this life were contending with the goods of the soul, the inclination toward better things prevailed in you over material deceit. For having condemned those who seek vanity and love falsehood, you have exchanged the attachment to things that appear for the desire of things unseen. In what follows you are victorious in another way. For when two were contending with one another for the divine inheritance, the one putting forward the law, and you faith, the righteous judge gives you the prize of victory over him, so that the pure state of your soul becomes a sunrise for you, the darkness that brings on the dawn having departed, which the psalm calls the morning. and thus it is possible to find victory after victory always accruing to the athlete, the achievements from the victory always advancing 5.121 toward what is greater 5.121 and more manifest. Again another victory follows in order

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διὰ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ Χριστῷ συμβασιλεύοντα οὐκ ἔξωθεν ἐπιχειρεῖ τοῦ ἀξιώματός σε ἐκβάλλειν, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτοῦ σοῦ γενόμενος. οὐ γὰρ ἑτέρωθεν τὴν ἰσχὺν ἔχει καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ πολέμιος οὐδὲ παρ' ἄλλου τινὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἐκβαλλόμεθα, εἰ μὴ αὐτοὶ πατέρες τοῦ κακοῦ γεννήματος διὰ τῆς πονηρᾶς ὠδῖνος γενοίμεθα. ὃς ἀνταίρει τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἡμῶν καὶ ἐπανίσταται τότε καθ' ἡμῶν τὸ κράτος λαμβάνων, ὅταν μολύνῃ τὰς συνοικούσας ἡμῖν ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ τὸ ἄγος κατεργασάμενος· τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὅταν δημοσιεύσῃ τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡμῶν διαφθοράν, αἷς ποτε συνῳ κήσαμεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις οὔπω τετόνωται πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἡμῖν ἡ δύναμις, ὡς κατὰ στόμα ταῖς προσβολαῖς τοῦ ἐναντίου συμπλέκεσθαι, καὶ τὸ φυγεῖν τοῦ τοιούτου τὴν ἔφοδον οὐ μικρὸν εἰς ἀσφάλειαν τοῖς πολεμουμένοις ὁ λόγος ὑπέδειξεν διὰ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ὑποδείγματος, 5.119 τοῦτό σε διδάσκων, ὅτι ὅταν σοι γένηται Ἀβεσσαλὼμ ὁ τῇ κακίᾳ κομῶν, ὁ ἀδελφοκτόνος, τοῖς τε τιμίοις σου γάμοις καὶ τῇ ἀμιάντῳ κοίτῃ ἐπιλυσσήσας, φεῦγε, καθώς φησιν ὁ κύριος, ἀπὸ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν, ἔνι γὰρ τῷ ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἀβεσσαλώμ, τοῦ τοιούτου υἱοῦ, τὸν συλλεξά μενον ἑαυτοῦ τὰς δυνάμεις τῇ συνεργίᾳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ ἐν αὑτῷ τὴν πονηρὰν αὐτοῦ κόμην ἐκδήσαντος διὰ τῶν τριῶν βελῶν ἀνελεῖν τὸν πολέμιον. δῆλον δέ σοι πάντως ἐστὶ τὸ διὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ὑποδεικνύμενον αἴνιγμα, ποῖον ἐκεῖνο τὸ ξύλον, ᾧ προσηλώθη τῆς κακίας ἡ κόμη, ὅπερ ὁ ἀπόστολος χειρόγρα φον ἁμαρτιῶν ὀνομάζει, καθώς φησιν, ὅτι καὶ Αὐτὸ ἦρκεν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου προσηλώσας τῷ σταυρῷ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῷ ξύλῳ. καὶ τίς ἡ τῶν βελῶν τριὰς ἡ μέσην βάλλουσα τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τὴν καρδίαν, δι' ἧς γίνεται τοῦ ἐσχάτου ἐχθροῦ ὁ θάνατος; ὡς δ' ἂν καίριον γένηται ἡμῖν τὸ περὶ τοῦ βέλους νόημα, τῇ προφητείᾳ τοῦ Ἠσαΐου προσέξομεν, ὅς φησιν ἐκ προσώπου κυρίου ὅτι Ἔθηκέν με ὡς βέλος ἐκλεκτὸν καὶ ἐν τῇ φαρέτρᾳ αὐτοῦ ὕψωσέν με. τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ βέλος ὁ ζῶν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ἐστὶ καὶ Τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον· ὁ δὲ λόγος ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός· τῷ δὲ ὀνόματι τούτῳ τὸ τῆς τριάδος ὁμολογεῖται μυστήριον. ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸν χρίσαντα καὶ τὸν χρισθέντα καὶ τὸ ᾧ ἐχρίσθη διδασκόμεθα. εἰ γὰρ ἕν τι τούτων λείποι, τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα οὐχ ὑφίσταται. τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ ὄνομα ὅταν ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ὑψωθῇ φαρέτρᾳ, 5.120 τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὅταν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡμῶν διὰ πίστεως γένηται (φαρέτρα γὰρ τοῦ λόγου ἐστὶν ἡ ψυχή), τότε ἀναιρετικὸν γίνεται τοῦ ἐπανισταμένου ἡμῖν καὶ διώκοντος, οὗ ὁ ἀφανισμὸς ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ. διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὸ φυγεῖν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τὸν ἐπανιστάμενον (ὃς εἷς μέν ἐστι τῇ φύσει, πλῆθος δὲ γίνεται τῇ κακῇ συμμαχίᾳ), καὶ εἰπεῖν ὅτι Ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ θλίβοντές με καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπανίστανται ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ὅσα ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου ἡ ψαλμῳδία περιέχει, τότε γίνεται ἡ τοῦ νικᾶν ἀρχή. ἡ γὰρ εὕκαιρος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπανισταμένων φυγὴ τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν νίκης αἰτία γίνεται. διὰ τοῦτο ἡ ἐφεξῆς ψαλμῳδία Εἰς τὸ τέλος, τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχει. τέλος δὲ παντὸς ἀγῶνος ἡ νίκη ἐστίν, καθὼς φθάσας ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος περὶ τούτων ἐτεχνο λόγησεν, καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ τοῦ νικᾶν γεύσῃ, ἐπάλληλοι νίκαι κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κατορθοῦνται. ἐν γὰρ τῇ πρώτῃ νίκῃ, τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡδέων πρὸς τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθὰ διαμιλλωμένων, ἐν σοὶ ἐκράτησεν τῆς ὑλικῆς ἀπάτης ἡ πρὸς τὰ κρείττω ῥοπή. καταγνοῦς γὰρ τῶν τὸ μάταιον ζητούντων καὶ ἀγαπώντων τὸ ψεῦδος ἠλλάξω τῆς περὶ τὰ φαινόμενα προσπαθείας τὴν τῶν ἀοράτων ἐπιθυμίαν. Ἐν τῷ ἐφεξῆς ἄλλον τρόπον νικᾷς. δύο γὰρ ὄντων τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς θείας κληρονομίας διαμαχομένων πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τοῦ μὲν προβαλλομένου τὸν νόμον, σοῦ δὲ τὴν πίστιν, ὁ δίκαιος ἀγωνοθέτης σοι δίδωσιν κατ' ἐκείνου τὰ νικητήρια, ὥστε σοι τὴν καθαρὰν τῆς ψυχῆς κατάστασιν ἀνατολὴν ἡλίου γενέσθαι, ἀφεστηκότος τοῦ σκότους <τοῦ> τὸν ὄρθρον ἐπάγον τος, ὃν πρωΐαν ὀνομάζει ἡ ψαλμῳδία. καὶ οὕτως ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἀεὶ νίκην ἐκ νίκης τῷ ἀθλητῇ προσγινομένην, πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον 5.121 πάντοτε καὶ περιφανέστερον προϊόντων τῶν ἐκ τῆς νίκης 5.121 κατορθωμάτων. πάλιν ἑτέρα διαδέχεται νίκη κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλου θον