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he signified almsgiving. He says, therefore, that With tears, that is, with a merciful and compassionate disposition, give alms; for this will also be with you for eternity. Alternatively: Scripture is often accustomed to call the congregations of men "waters," according to the verse, Rescue me from many waters, from the hand of strange sons. O, therefore, he says, teacher of divine lessons, your nourishing word which you have received from the gift of the Spirit, always supply to those in need, having as a reward for your labor, to be with God the Word perpetually. "Give a portion to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth." He who accepts the Old Testament, on account of the sabbath rest in it which is perfected in the spirit, that is, the cessation from evils, has given a portion to the seven. But he who accepts the New, in which is the Lord’s resurrection of the Savior, the eighth and first, having the beginning of the age to come, has given a portion to the eight. Receive, therefore, he says, both Testaments. Alternatively: This present life is divided into a seven-day period. For, he says, God rested from all his works which he had made on the seventh day. But the beginning of the age to come is the eighth; of which the symbol is the Lord’s resurrection. Therefore, he says, live decently in the present life, and treasure up for yourself for the future through good works, providing a portion for both the seven and the eight. Alternatively: Isaiah knows of seven energies of the Spirit. Therefore, the people of the Christians can also, by reverse reasoning, be called seven, because they are rich in the energies of the Spirit. But the people of the Jews, eight, 93.608 because they are circumcised on the eighth day. Give, therefore, he says, alms to all men. And the phrase, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth, you will understand according to all the interpretations. Receive the two Testaments, so that you may cast off the darkness of ignorance and evil. Decently perform the duties in this life, taking thought also for the age to come; for you do not know what grievous punishments are laid up for those who do not provide a portion for the seven, and also for the eight. Give alms to all men with simplicity of heart; for you do not know who is truly in need, or who is asking out of wickedness and greed. "If the clouds are full of rain, they empty it upon the earth; and if a tree falls in the south, or if in the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will be." As to the literal meaning, the first phrase can also be understood concerning almsgiving; that just as the clouds by divine command sprinkle rain upon all men, in the same way should almsgiving be done. But as to the sense, the holy men are called clouds, one of whom was Moses who said, "May my saying be awaited as the rain." These, being filled with the divine word, which came to Hosea and the other saints, pour out the fruitful rain, not upon Judea alone, but also upon all the earth, into which their sound has gone out. And these things concerning the rain. But both the saints and the sinners are called trees in Scripture; and the south is taken as the place of light, and the true light itself, our Lord Jesus Christ; but the north is the gloomy devil full of darkness. In whatever place, therefore, whether of light or of darkness, whether in the work of evil or of virtue, a man is overtaken at his end, in that rank and order he remains, either in light with the just and the all-king Christ, or in darkness with the unjust and the ruler of this world. "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. In which things there is no one who knows what is the way of the spirit, as bones in the womb of her who is with child; so you will not know the works of God, all that he will do." Those who watch the winds do not sow. For often the wind blowing today does not blow tomorrow; and the opposite; and often it rains today, but tomorrow God holds back the rain. So one must not observe them, but sow in hope, trusting in the goodness of God. But if, by observing, we let the time of sowing pass, we will not reap. But to observe

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ἐλεημοσύνην ἐσήμανε. Φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι Μετὰ δακρύων, τουτέστι μετὰ ἐλεημονικῆς καὶ συμπαθοῦς διαθέσεως ποίει τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην· αὕτη γάρ σοι καὶ συνδιαιωνίζει. Ἄλλως· Ὕδατα ἡ Γραφὴ πολλάκις καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων συναγωγὰς εἴωθε καλεῖν, κατὰ τὸ, Ῥῦσαί με ἐξ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, ἐκ χειρὸς υἱῶν ἀλλοτρίων. Ὦ οὖν, φησὶ, τῶν θείων μαθημάτων διδάσκαλε, τὸν θρεπτικόν σου λόγον ὃν εἴληφας ἐκ τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀεὶ τοῖς δεομένοις χορήγει, μισθὸν ἔχων τῆς ἐργασίας, τὸ τῷ Θεῷ Λόγῳ συνεῖναι διηνεκῶς. "∆ὸς μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτὰ, καί γε τοῖς ὀκτὼ, ὅτι οὐ γινώσκεις τί ἔσται πονηρὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν." Ὁ τὴν Παλαιὰν προσιέμενος ∆ιαθήκην, διὰ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ σαββατισμὸν τὸν ἐν πνεύματι τελούμενον, τουτέστι τὴν τῶν κακῶν ἀργίαν, δέδωκε μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτά. Ὁ δὲ τὴν Νέαν καθ' ἣν ἡ Κυριακὴ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀνάστασις, ἡ ὀγδόη καὶ πρώτη ἀρχὴν ἔχουσα τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, δέδωκε μερίδα τοῖς ὀκτώ. Ἑκατέρας οὖν, φησὶ, τὰς ∆ιαθήκας δέχου. Ἄλλως· Εἰς ἑβδομάδα ὁ παρὼν κατατέμνεται βίος. Κατέπαυσε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησε, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ. Ἀρχὴ δὲ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ἡ ὀγδόη· ἧς σύμβολον ἡ Κυριακὴ ἀνάστασις. Εὐσχημόνως οὖν, φησὶ, δίαγε ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, καὶ ἀποθησαύριζε σεαυτῷ εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἑπτὰ, καὶ τοῖς ὀκτὼ μερίδα παρέχων. Ἄλλως· Ἑπτὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας οἶδε Ἡσαΐας. ∆ύναται οὖν καὶ ἐξ ἀντιστρόφου ἑπτὰ καλεῖσθαι ὁ τῶν Χριστιανῶν λαὸς, διὰ τὸ πλουτῆσαι τοῦ Πνεύματος τὰς ἐνεργείας. Ὀκτὼ δὲ ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, 93.608 διὰ τὸ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρᾳ περιτέμνεσθαι. Ποίει τοιγαροῦν, φησὶ, τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους. Τὸ δὲ, ὅτι οὐ γινώσκεις τί ἔσται πονηρὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, κατὰ πάσας νοήσεις τὰς ἐκδοχάς. ∆έχου τὰς δύο ∆ιαθήκας, ἵνα τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας καὶ πονηρίας ἀποβάλῃς σκότος. Εὐσχημόνως πράττε τὰ ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ καθήκοντα, ἐν φροντίδι τιθέμενος καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα· οὐ γὰρ οἶσθα ποῖαι ἐπίπονοι κολάσεις ἀπόκεινται τοῖς μὴ παρέχουσι μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτὰ, καί γε τοῖς ὀκτώ. Ποίει ἐλεημοσύνας πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους μετὰ ἁπλότητος καρδίας· οὐ γὰρ ἐπίστασαι τίς ὁ ἀληθῶς χρῄζων, ἢ τίς ὁ κατὰ πονηρίαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν αἰτῶν. "Ἐὰν πληρωθῶσι τὰ νέφη ὑετοῦ, ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκχέουσι· καὶ ἐὰν πέσῃ ξύλον ἐν τῷ νότῳ, καὶ ἐὰν ἐπὶ τῷ Βοῤῥᾷ, τόπῳ οὗ πεσεῖται τὸ ξύλον, ἐκεῖ ἕσται." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, ἡ πρώτη λέξις δύναται καὶ περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης νοεῖσθαι· ὅτι ὥσπερ τὰ νέφη κελεύσει θείᾳ τὸν ὄμβρον ἐπὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ῥαίνουσι, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην γίνεσθαι. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, νεφέλαι οἱ ἅγιοι ἄνδρες εἴρηνται, ὧν εἷς ἦν Μωσῆς ὁ λέγων, Προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου. Οὗτοι πληρωθέντες τοῦ θείου λόγου, τοῦ γινομένου πρὸς Ὠσηὲ, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἁγίους ἐκχέουσι τὸν κάρπιμον ὑετὸν, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, εἰς ἣν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τοῦ ὑετοῦ. Ξύλα δὲ εἴρηνται παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί· νότος δὲ ἐκλαμβάνεται ὁ φωτεινὸς τόπος, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· βοῤῥᾶς δὲ ὁ ζοφώδης καὶ σκότους πλήρης διάβολος. Ἐν ᾧ δ' ἂν τοιγαροῦν τόπῳ, εἴτε τοῦ φωτὸς, εἴτε τοῦ σκότους, εἴτε τῷ τῆς κακίας ἔργῳ, εἴτε τῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς, καταληφθῇ ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἐν ἐκείνῳ μένει τῷ βαθμῷ καὶ τῇ τάξει, ἢ ἐν φωτὶ μετὰ τῶν δικαίων, καὶ τοῦ παμβασιλέως Χριστοῦ, ἢ ἐν τῷ σκότει μετὰ τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ τοῦ κοσμοκράτορος. "Τηρῶν ἄνεμον οὐ σπείρει, καὶ βλέπων ἐν ταῖς νεφέλαις οὐ θερίσει. Ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἔστι γινώσκων τίς ἡ ὁδὸς τοῦ πνεύματος, ὡς ὀστᾶ ἐν γαστρὶ τῆς κυοφορούσης· οὕτως οὐ γνώσῃ τὰ ποιήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅσα ποιήσει τὰ σύμπαντα." Οἱ τοὺς ἀνέμους ἐπιτηροῦντες οὐ σπείρουσι. Πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ σήμερον πνέων αὔριον οὐ πνεῖ· καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον· καὶ πολλάκις σήμερον μὲν ὕει, αὔριον δὲ ἀνέχει τὸν ὄμβρον ὁ Θεός. Ὥστε οὐ δεῖ παρατηρεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἐλπίδι σπείρειν, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθότητι θαῤῥοῦντας. Ἐὰν δὲ παρατηρούμενοι ὑπερθώμεθα τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ σπόρου, οὐ θερίζομεν. Ἐπιτηρεῖν δὲ