41

of heaven for a light upon the earth." The divine David said this very thing, that he set his tabernacle in the heavens for the sun; so that it, being borne upon them, might, in beauty, imitate a bridegroom coming out of his chamber with great comeliness; and in speed, a giant running with great strength and force; [with nothing standing in the way, and trying to hinder its forward course; so also this rises from the east, and in one day runs across the heaven, 80.996 reaches the west, imparting its own heat to every living thing.] "And there is no one who will be hidden from its heat." Here he mentioned heat instead of light, showing the greater effect than that of a man-made light; because it is possible even for those far away to enjoy its heat. For it is not possible for a man-made light to do this for those who are not near. But the sun, sending forth rays from afar, imparts heat along with light. These things are also sufficient to show the Creator to men; but nevertheless he also gave the law as a help, able to convert the wandering. 8-11. "The law [for, he says,] of the Lord is blameless, converting souls; the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to infants. The justifications of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is far-shining, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever and ever; the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves. More to be desired than gold and much precious stone; and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." Law and testimony, and justifications, and commandment, and judgments, he calls the Mosaic law; for so the law itself also names itself; for sometimes it says: "These are the justifications and the judgments, which the Lord gave to Moses." And elsewhere: "You shall keep the law of the Lord your God, and you shall observe his commandments;" and it is called law, as regulating and ordering the best polity. Testimony, as testifying against those who sin, and indicating the punishment for transgression; justifications, as teaching what is just, and forbidding what is unjust, and showing those who do right to be just; commandment, as enjoining what must be done and commanding with authority; judgments, as indicating the divine decrees, and teaching what good things the one who keeps them will obtain, and to what punishments the one who transgresses will be delivered. He says, therefore, that the law of God, being free from all blemish, converts the souls of men, and makes them blameless. And the threatening testimony makes wise the imperfect and the infants; and the justifications rejoice the heart, showing the cause of justification. And the commandment enlightens the eye of the mind, teaching what serves the God of all; reverence, however, and the fear of God, by enjoining the keeping of these things, 80.997 procures the enjoyment of eternal goods. And he rightly called the fear of God pure, that is, clean from blame; since human fear is censured, and has the name of cowardice; and he named the judgments true and justified; inasmuch as they bring just honors and punishments upon men. These things, therefore, he said are more precious than gold and precious stones, and sweeter than honey; but not to all men, but to those who are truly men, whose life is not compared to irrational beasts, according to the voice of the Prophet himself. 12. "For your servant also keeps them." For what profit, teach more clearly; "In keeping them there is great reward." A very great recompense, he says, is set before those who choose to keep these things; and since he had said that he keeps the judgments of God, taking into account human weakness, and considering the great weight of the saying, he immediately added: 13. "Who will understand transgressions? Cleanse me from my secret faults." For even if I should wish to keep the commandments of God with great eagerness, by my natural weakness I am dragged down into many things against my will; and some things I transgress in ignorance, and others by things that befall

41

οὐρανοῦ εἰς φαῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἔφη ∆αβὶδ, ὅτι ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τῷ ἡλίῳ· ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐπ' ἐκείνων ὀχούμε νον, καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸ κάλλος μιμεῖσθαι νυμφίον ἐκ παστάδος προϊόντα μετὰ πολλῆς εὐπρεπείας· κατὰ δὲ τὸ τάχος, γίγαντά τινα μετὰ πολλῆς διατρέ χοντα ῥώμης καὶ ἰσχύος· [μηδενὸς ἐμποδὼν ἱσταμένου, καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω πορείας πειρω μένου κωλύειν· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀνίσχει μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἔω, ἐν μιᾷ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τὸν οὐρανὸν διατρέχει τὴν 80.996 ἑσπέραν καταλαμβάνει, παντὶ ζώῳ μεταδιδοὺς τῆς οἰκείας θερμότητος.] "Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυ βήσεται τῆς θέρμης αὐτοῦ." Τῆς θέρμης ἐν ταῦθα ἀντὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐμνημόνευσε, μείζονα δεικνὺς τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ χειροποιήτου φωτός· ὅτι καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντας δυνατὸν ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς θέρμης. Τὸ γὰρ χειροποίητον φῶς οὐχ οἷόν τε μὴ πελάζοντας τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Ὁ δέ γε ἥλιος καὶ πόῤ ῥωθεν ἀφεὶς ἀκτῖνας τῆς θέρμης σὺν τῷ φωτὶ μεταδίδωσιν. Ἀπόχρη καὶ ταῦτα δεῖξαι τοῖς ἀν θρώποις τὸν Ποιητήν· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ νόμον ἔδω κεν εἰς βοήθειαν, ἐπιστρέψαι τοὺς πλανωμένους δυνάμενον. ηʹ-ιαʹ. "Ὁ νόμος [γὰρ, φησὶν,] Κυρίου ἄμωμος, ἐπιστρέφων ψυχάς· ἡ μαρτυρία Κυρίου πιστὴ, σοφίζουσα νήπια. Τὰ δικαιώματα Κυρίου εὐθέα, εὐφραίνοντα καρδίαν· ἡ ἐντολὴ Κυρίου τηλαυγὴς, φωτίζουσα ὀφθαλμούς. Ὁ φόβος Κυρίου ἁγνὸς, διαμένων εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος· τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου ἀληθινὰ, δεδικαιωμένα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Ἐπιθυμητὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολύν· καὶ γλυκύ τερα ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον." Νόμον καὶ μαρτυρίαν, καὶ δικαιώματα, καὶ ἐντολὴν, καὶ κρίματα, τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν νόμον καλεῖ· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ λέγει· "Ταῦτα τὰ δικαιώματα καὶ τὰ κρίματα, ἃ ἔδωκε Κύριος Μωσῇ." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· "Φυλάξεις τὸν νόμον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, καὶ τηρήσεις τὰς ἐν τολὰς αὐτοῦ·" καὶ καλεῖται μὲν νόμος, ὡς τὴν ἀρί στην πολιτείαν ῥυθμίζων, καὶ διατάττων. Μαρτυ ρία δὲ, ὡς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας διαμαρτυρόμενος, καὶ τῆς παραβάσεως τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑποδεικνύς· δικαιώματα δὲ, ὡς διδάσκων τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ἀπ αγορεύων τὸ ἄδικον, καὶ τοὺς κατορθοῦντας ἀπο φαίνων δικαίους· ἐντολὴ δὲ, ὡς τὸ πρακτέον ἐντελλόμενος καὶ κελεύων δεσποτικῶς· κρίματα δὲ, ὡς τὰς θείας ψήφους ὑποδεικνὺς, καὶ διδάσκων τίνων μὲν ὁ φυλάττων τεύξεται ἀγαθῶν, τίσιν δὲ ὁ παραβαίνων τιμωρίαις παραδοθήσεται. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι ὁ νόμος τοῦ Θεοῦ, μώμου παντὸς ἐλεύθερος ὢν, τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιστρέφει ψυ χὰς, καὶ ἀμώμους αὐτὰς ἀπεργάζεται. ∆εδιττο μένη δὲ ἡ μαρτυρία τοὺς ἀτελεῖς καὶ νηπίους σοφί ζει· εὐφραίνει δὲ τὴν καρδίαν τὰ δικαιώματα, τῆς δικαιώσεως τὴν αἰτίαν ὑποδεικνῦντα. Ἡ ἐντολὴ δὲ φωτίζει τῆς διανοίας τὸ ὀπτικὸν, διδάσκουσα τί τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεραπεύει Θεόν· ἡ εὐλάβεια μέν τοι καὶ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος, τὴν τούτων ὑποτιθέμενος φυλα 80.997 κὴν, τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν προξενεῖ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Εἰκότως δὲ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον ἁγνὸν προσηγόρευσε, τουτέστι μέμψεως καθαρόν· ὡς τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου φόβου ψεγομένου, καὶ δειλίας προσηγορίαν ἔχοντος· τὰ δὲ κρίματα ἀληθινὰ καὶ δεδικαιωμένα ὠνόμα σεν· ἅτε δὴ καὶ τιμὰς καὶ τιμωρίας ἐνδίκους ἐπιφέροντα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ταῦτα οὖν ἔφη καὶ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων τιμίων τιμιώτερα, καὶ μέλιτος εἶναι γλυκύτερα· ἀλλ' οὐ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀληθῶς ἀνθρώποις, ὧν ὁ βίος οὐ παραβάλλεται τοῖς ἀλόγοις κτήνεσι, κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Προφήτου φωνήν. ιβʹ. "Καὶ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτά." Ἐπὶ τίνι κέρδει, σαφέστερον δίδαξον· "Ἐν τῷ φυλάσσειν αὐτὰ ἀνταπόδοσις πολλή." Μεγίστη, φησὶν, ἀντίδοσις πρόκειται τοῖς ταῦτα φυλάττειν προαιρουμένοις· καὶ ἐπειδήπερ εἴρηκε τοῦ Θεοῦ φυλάττειν τὰ κρίματα, εἰς νοῦν λαβὼν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν, καὶ τοῦ ῥήματος τὸ ὑπέρ ογκον λογισάμενος, εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγε· ιγʹ. "Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει; ἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με." Κἂν γὰρ προθυμίᾳ πολλῇ φυλάξαι βουληθῶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐντολὰς, ὑπὸ τῆς φυσικῆς ἀσθενείας εἰς πολλὰ παρὰ γνώμην καθέλκομαι· καί τινα μὲν ἀγνοῶν πλημμελῶ, τινὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν προσπιπτουσῶν