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of faith in Christ. Where Moses also was placed, when he was about to see God. There (it says) Enter, and hide yourselves in the earth, that is, bury yourselves. To what end? So that having been buried with Him through baptism and having died with Him, you might walk in newness of life, having died to sin. But gather the things concerning the rock in Scripture, so that the passage may become clear to you. In a rock you have exalted me. And the people drank from a rock, but also had honey from a rock, and the Psalmist says: The rock is a refuge for the hares. Pure to satiety; and the solid rock provided oil, with which they were anointed, according to the song of Moses. If, therefore, you enter into the rock, you will be able to turn away from the fear of the Lord, when he arises to shatter the earth, when he is about to destroy earthly things, and to destroy the man of dust in order to provide an unimpeded life for the spiritual man. One must therefore attain his resurrection with glory and strength, by taking care of oneself in such a manner. 2.86 For the eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is lowly. Lest you think he advises some bodily withdrawal from God, he added, The eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is lowly. Nothing below escapes the one who watches from on high, since all things are in sight and nothing obscures his eyes. But a lowly man is one who either considers himself as nothing in comparison with the majesty of God, or who through moderation has put away an arrogant mind, or who through sin has cast himself down from his former height. And the loftiness of men shall be humbled. In what follows, loftiness was humbled and man was worthy of accusation: For man was bowed down, and a man was humbled. But here the humbling is beneficial. For the putting away of a vain mind and the return to one's own worth from swelling and arrogant loftiness and empty conceit is a praiseworthy humbling. For of those who have fled for refuge to the rock and have made their body in the earth in hope of the resurrection with Christ, the heights from their irrationality fall and their vain opinion of themselves; and the true testimony of loftiness is sent up by them to God alone. 2.87 And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. The word refers us to a day that is recognized and confessed by all. In that day, the last of all days, which neither night interrupts, nor time confines, nor bodily light gives it a beginning and end, but it is one, like unto itself, motionless, without evening, without successor. Therefore, in that day the Lord alone shall be exalted, when every proud thought will fall, and every brightness of the blessed powers is made to disappear by the excess of the flashes of that glory. Whether it be a Prophet, or an Apostle, or holy and super-cosmic Powers; when the true Loftiness is manifested, all things will be counted lowly. Understand for me what is being said from some example from life. Let there be some city of artisans, who from their daily work barely provide the necessities for life; and let there be some here who are wealthier than the exceedingly poor, being for the time blessed by those who are destitute and looked up to. Then let some king visit the city, the richest of all kings, having much gold, and much silver, and many precious stones, some set in the royal diadem, others brought forth for display. Some beauty and impossible number of garments, a multitude of servants and guards exceeding number; an unspeakable expense; an unspeakable number of camels and mules carrying the wealth as baggage; horses adorned with gold and purple tapestries, some serving, others leading the procession. What would that poor populace suffer at the sight of this, they who formerly admired small things, those who surpassed them? Would they not be ashamed of their own judgment? And of all

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τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως. Ὅπου καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐτέθη, μέλλων τὸν Θεὸν βλέπειν. Ἐκεῖ (φησὶν) Εἰσέλθετε, καὶ κατακρύπτεσθε εἰς τὴν γῆν, τουτέστι θάψατε ἑαυτούς. Ἵνα τί; Ἵνα συνταφέντες Αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καὶ συναπο θανόντες, ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσητε, ἀποθανόντες τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Συνάγαγε δὲ τὰ περὶ πέτρας ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ, ὥστε σοι τρανωθῆναι τὸν τόπον. Ἐν πέτρᾳ ὕψωσάς με. Καὶ ἐκ πέ τρας ἔπιεν ὁ λαός, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέλι εἶχεν ἐκ πέτρας, Καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδός φησι· Πέτρα καταφυγὴ τοῖς λαγωοῖς. Τὸ καθαρὸν πρὸς κόρον· καὶ ἔλαιον δὲ, ᾧ ἐχρίοντο, ἡ στερεὰ πέτρα παρεῖχε, κατὰ τὴν ᾠδὴν τὴν Μωϋσέως. Ἐὰν οὖν εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν πέτραν, δυνήσεσθε ἐκκλῖναι ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου Κυ ρίου, ὅταν ἀναστῇ θραῦσαι τὴν γῆν, ὅταν μέλλῃ ἀφανί ζειν τὰ γήϊνα, καὶ ἀφανίζειν τὸν χοϊκὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνεμπό διστον παρέχειν τῷ πνευματικῷ τὴν ζωήν. Φθάσαι οὖν δεῖ τὴν μετὰ δόξης καὶ ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ ἀνάστασιν, διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου τρόπου ἐπιμεληθέντας ἑαυτῶν. 2.86 Οἱ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ὑψηλοὶ, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ταπεινός. Ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς σωματικήν τινα τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀνα χώρησιν συμβουλεύειν, ἐπήγαγε τὸ Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ὑψηλοὶ, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ταπεινός. Τὸν ἐξ ὕψους ἀποσκο πεύοντα οὐδὲν τῶν κάτω λανθάνει, πάντων ὑπ' ὄψιν ὄντων καὶ μηδενὸς ἐπισκοτοῦντος τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς. Ταπεινὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ὁ τῇ συγκρίσει τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλοπρεπείας τὸ μηδὲν ἑαυτὸν λογιζόμενος, ἢ ὁ διὰ μετριοπάθειαν τὸ ἀλο ζονικὸν ἀποθέμενος φρόνημα, ἢ ὁ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου ὕψους ἑαυτὸν καταῤῥίψας. Καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται τὸ ὕψος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐν τοῖς κα τόπιν τὸ ὕψος ἐταπεινοῦτο καὶ κατηγορίας ἄξιος ὁ ἄνθρωπος· Ἔκυψε γὰρ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐταπεινώθη ἀνήρ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὠφέλιμος ἡ ταπείνωσις. Ἡ γὰρ ἀπόθεσις τοῦ ματαίου φρονήματος καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπάρματος καὶ ὕψους ἀλαζο νικοῦ καὶ οἰήματος διακένου τὴν οἰκείαν ἀξίαν ἐπάνοδος, ταπείνωσίς ἐστιν ἐπαινετή. Τῶν γὰρ προσφυγόντων τῇ πέτρᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἑαυτῶν ποιησάντων τὸ σῶμα ἐν ἐλπίδι τῆς μετὰ Χριστοῦ ἀναστάσεως, πίπτει μὲν τὰ ἐξ ἀλογίας ὑψώματα καὶ ἡ περὶ ἑαυτῶν ὑπόληψις αὐτῶν ματαία· ἀναπέμπεται δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν μόνῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡ ἀληθὴς μαρ τυρία τοῦ ὕψους. 2.87 Καὶ ὑψωθήσεται Κύριος μόνος ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. Ὡς ἐπιγινωσκομένην ἡμέραν καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων ὁμολογου μένην ὁ λόγος ἡμᾶς ἀναπέμπει. Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, τῇ ἐσχάτῃ πασῶν ἡμερῶν, ἣ οὔτε νὺξ διακόπτει, οὐ χρόνος περιορίζει, οὐ σωματικὸν φῶς ἀρχὴν αὐτῇ παρέχει καὶ τέλος, ἀλλὰ μία ἐστὶν ὁμοία πρὸς ἑαυτὴν, ἀκίνητος, ἀνέσπερος, ἀδιάδεκτος. Ἐν οὖν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ὑψωθήσεται Κύριος μόνος, ὅτε πεσεῖται μὲν πᾶν ὑπερηφάνων φρόνημα, πᾶσα δὲ λαμπρότης τῶν μακαρίων δυνάμεων τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν μαρμαρυγῶν τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης ἐναφανίζεται. Κἂν Προφή της ᾖ, κἂν Ἀπόστολος, κἂν ἅγιαι ∆υνάμεις ὦσι καὶ ὑπερ κόσμιοι· ἐκφανέντος τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ὕψους, πάντα ταπεινὰ λογισθήσεται. Νόησόν μοι ἀπό τινος τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ὑποδείγμα τος τὸ λεγόμενον. Ἔστω τις πόλις χειροτεχνῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐκ τῆς ἐφ' ἡμέραν ἐργασίας μόλις τὰ ἀναγκαῖα τὰ πρὸς τὸν βίον ποριζομένων· εἶναι δέ τινας ἐνταῦθα τῶν καθ' ὑπερ βολὴν πενήτων εὐπορωτέρους, μακαριζομένους τέως ὑπὸ τῶν πτωχευόντων καὶ ἀποβλεπομένους. Εἶτα ἐπιδημῆσαί τινα τῇ πόλει βασιλέα, πάντων βασιλέων πλουσιώτατον, πο λὺν μὲν τὸν χρυσὸν ἔχοντα, πολὺν δὲ τὸν ἄργυρον, πολλοὺς δὲ λίθους τῶν πολυτιμήτων, τοὺς μὲν ἐν τῷ βασιλικῷ ἐπι κειμένους, τοὺς δὲ εἰς ἐπίδειξιν προβεβλημένους. Ἐσθῆτός τι κάλλος καὶ πλῆθος ἀμήχανον, οἰκετῶν καὶ δορυφόρων πλῆθος ἀριθμὸν ὑπερβαῖνον· δαπάνην ἀμύθητον· καμήλων καὶ ἡμιόνων ἀμύθητόν τι χρῆμα τὸν πλοῦτον σκευαγωγούν των· ἵππους χρυσῷ καὶ τάπησιν ἁλουργοῖς κατακεκοσμη μένους, τοὺς μὲν ὑπηρετοῦντας, τοὺς δὲ προπομπεύοντας. Τί ἂν ἐπὶ τῇ τούτου θέᾳ παθεῖν τὸν πτωχὸν δῆμον ἐκεῖνον, τὸν τέως τὰ μικρὰ θαυμάζοντα, τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ὑπερέχοντας; Οὐχὶ αἰσχυνθῆναι μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ κρίσει; Πάντων δὲ κα