300 Ps 143,4.5 But all human things are alike, and are indications of a divine operation, fearful, strong, and destructive of men. 301 Ps 144,1 In the present life, these things could be of the one man according to succession, because as the former depart to their own place, there are those who succeed them; wherefore we are all called by the name of Adam as being him ourselves, and God says, I made the earth and man upon it, considering all as one. But in the life to come, these things are also true for each one who hymns God continually and eternally, and as it is not sufficient to hymn him for a short time, he adds 'For ever and for ever and ever'. 302 Ps 144,4 Since all that God made remains forever according to Ecclesiastes, each generation seeing His works praises them, seeing that they are beyond all praise. And they shall declare your power, according to which you brought them into existence. And this is the wisdom according to which you have made all things, and your power and wisdom is your only-begotten offspring; for Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
303 Ps 144,12 But they make known that He has dominion over all, even if not
does He reveal this, since men are not yet receptive. For men are small in regard to the majesty of the divine kingdom being revealed in them; wherefore he adds what is fitting for God. 304 Ps 144,16 When he speaks of the opening of God's hands as the provision of nourishment for created things, it is clear he is not presenting corporeal hands but is likening the creative power in this way. 305 Ps 144,17 For if, he says, his love for mankind is not seen through all things, but to the pleasant and salvific things are added many that are also painful and destructive, such as the failure of crops and the generation of deadly beasts and the onslaughts of diseases; yet still none of these things is outside of justice, which is well interwoven with goodness, so that the zeal for what is good might not be corrupted on account of the unpunished ease of those who have transgressed. 306 Ps 144,21 Again he extends his hymns at length and does not limit them to one person, that is his own, but that all men will do the same *** unto the infinite age, if ever he sees them running together, declaring a communion of the righteous who have become a first-fruit to God according to the apostle.
307 Ps 145,1.2 He seems to teach that this is the work of life, this of existing
benefit, if we are joined to the true life and to him who truly is; for this is the provision both for the true life and for existing eternally, since from the present life we bring provisions for the one to come. 308 Ps 145,5 Thus hope in men is wretched, but hope in God is blessed. For He is a true helper, eternal and ruling over all things; in Him is the power, as from an abundant and infinite wealth, to easily bestow great benefits.
309 Ps 146,4 He is so great and of such magnitude that not even the innumerable stars are outside his knowledge but, having been set in order by him, the nature and power of each is known precisely to him, who discerns them as if by names of designation. 310 Ps 146,5 Therefore, though we hear of strength and understanding in human terms, let us not conceive of them in human terms, such as the strength by which a strong man acts and the understanding by which a wise man deliberates, possessing power and wisdom as something acquired and lost. For as God He is not powerful and wise in this way, who indeed has nothing better or worse in Himself, such as power and that which is filled with power, and wisdom and that which is full of wisdom, being altogether the most perfect and for this reason not
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300 Ps 143,4.5 Πάντα δὲ ὅμοια τὰ μὲν ἀνθρώπινα, θείας δὲ ἐνεργείας φοβερᾶς τε καὶ ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ ὀλοθρευτικῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐνδείγματα. 301 Ps 144,1 Κατὰ μὲν τὸν νῦν βίον τοῦ κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ταῦτα ἂν εἶναι δύναιτο, ὅτι τῶν προτέρων ἀπιόντων εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων χώραν εἰσὶν οἱ διαδεχόμενοι· διὸ καὶ τῷ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὀνόματι καλούμεθα πάντες ὡς ἐκεῖνος ὄντες αὐτοί, καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἐγώ, φησίν, ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῆς, ἕνα τοὺς πάντας λογιζόμενος. κατὰ δὲ τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστου ταῦτα ἀληθινὰ διηνεκῶς καὶ αἰωνίως ὑμνοῦντος θεὸν καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἐξαρκοῦντος πρὸς ὀλίγον ὑμνῆσαι προστίθεται τὸ Εἰς αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. 302 Ps 144,4 Ἐπεὶ πάντα ἃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὸν Ἐκκλησιαστήν, ἑκάστη γενεὰ βλέπουσα αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα ἐπαινεῖ αὐτὰ, ὑπὲρ πάντα ἔπαινον τυγχάνοντα αὐτὰ ὁρῶσα. Καὶ ἀπαγγέλλουσι τὴν δύναμίν σου, καθ' ἣν εἰς ὕπαρξιν ἤγαγες αὐτά. αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ σοφία καθ' ἣν πάντα πεποίηκας, δύναμις δὲ καὶ σοφία σου τὸ γέννημα τὸ μονογενές σου· Χριστὸς γὰρ θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία.
303 Ps 144,12 Γνωρίζουσι δὲ ὅτι τὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἔχει δυναστείαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ
ταύτην ἐκφαίνει οὔπω τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐχόντων δεκτικῶς. μικροὶ γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι πρὸς τὸ δηλωθῆναι τὴν μεγαλειότητα τῆς θείας βασιλείας ἐν αὐτοῖς· διὸ ἐπιφέρει τὸ πρέπον θεῷ. 304 Ps 144,16 Χειρῶν θεοῦ λέγων ἄνοιξιν τὴν τῶν δημιουργουμένων τροφῶν χορηγίαν δῆλός ἐστιν οὐ σωματικὰς χεῖρας παριστὰς ἀλλὰ τὸ δημιουργικὸν οὕτως ὁμοιῶν. 305 Ps 144,17 Εἰ γὰρ μὴ διὰ πάντων, φησί, θεωρεῖται τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ πρόσεστι τοῖς τερπνοῖς καὶ σωτηρίοις πολλὰ καὶ ἐπίπονα καὶ φθαρτικά, οἷα δὴ καρπῶν τε ἀφορία καὶ θηρίων γενέσεις ὀλεθρίων καὶ νόσων καταβολαί· ἀλλ' οὖν οὐδὲν τούτων ἐκτὸς δικαιοσύνης καλῶς συμπεπλεγμένης τῇ ἀγαθότητι πρὸς τὸ μὴ φθαρῆναι τὴν περὶ τὸ καλὸν σπουδὴν διὰ τὴν ἐν παρανομήσασιν ἀνεπιτίμητον εὐθυμίαν. 306 Ps 144,21 Πάλιν δ' ἐπὶ τὸ μακρὸν καὶ ἀνατείνει τὰς ὑμνήσεις καὶ οὐκ ἐφ' ἑνός τε ἴστησι καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου προσώπου, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους τὸ ἴσον ποιήσειν *** εἰς τὸν ἄπειρον αἰῶνα, εἰ καὶ ὄψεταί ποτε σὺν δραμουμένοις, δηλῶν εἰς κοινωνίαν τῶν δικαίων οἳ γεγόνασιν ἀρχὴ θεῷ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον.
307 Ps 145,1.2 Ἔοικε διδάσκειν ὅτι τοῦτο τῆς ζωῆς ἔργον, τοῦτο τοῦ ὑπάρχειν
ὄφελος, εἰ πρὸς τὴν ὄντως ζωὴν συναπτόμεθα καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὄντως ὄντα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐφόδιον καὶ εἰς τὴν ὄντως ζωὴν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀϊδίως ὑπάρξαι, ἐπείπερ ἐκ τῆς νῦν ζωῆς ἐφόδιον πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπαγόμεθα. 308 Ps 145,5 Οὕτω μὲν ἡ εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐλπὶς ἀθλία, ἡ δὲ εἰς θεὸν μακαρία. ἀληθὴς γὰρ βοηθός, αἰώνιος καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων κρατῶν· ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἐξουσία ὡς ἐξ ἀφθόνου πλούτου καὶ ἀπείρου μεγάλα ῥᾳδίως εὐεργετεῖν.
309 Ps 146,4 Τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτός ἐστιν ὡς μηδὲ τοὺς ἀναρίθμους
ἀστέρας ἐκτὸς εἶναι τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ῥυθμισθέντας αὐτῷ δὴ καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἐγνῶσθαι τὴν ἑκάστου φύσιν καὶ δύναμιν διακρίνοντι καθάπερ ὀνόματα τῶν διορισμῶν. 310 Ps 146,5 Ἰσχὺν μὲν οὖν καὶ σύνεσιν, εἰ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως ἀκούομεν, μὴ ἀνθρωπίνως νοῶμεν οἵα ἐστὶν ἰσχὺς καθ' ἣν ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐνεργεῖ καὶ σύνεσις καθ' ἣν ὁ σοφὸς βουλεύεται προσγινόμενόν τε καὶ ἀπογινόμενον ἔχων τὸ δυνατὸν καὶ σοφόν. ὡς θεὸς γὰρ οὐχ οὕτω δυνατὸς καὶ σοφὸς ὅς γε μηδ' ἔχει τι κάλλιον καὶ ἧττον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οἷον τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὸ πεπληρωμένον δυνάμεως σοφίαν τε καὶ σοφίας πλῆρες, ὅλως ὢν τὸ τελεώτατον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ
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