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is the one who ascends through progress. But progress is an ascent. The standing is in perfection. When someone becomes "perfect as the heavenly Father," he has stood in the holy place, unless perhaps he surpasses such a whole state and takes the beginning of another; wherefore it is also said in the Psalms: "I have seen an end of all perfection." There are many ends, as is the case in the learning of letters. Someone is perfected in the knowledge of the characters, and begins with syllables, and again when those have reached their end, another beginning occurs. Of a circle, it is not possible to grasp either a beginning or an end. If then you establish a beginning of the circle from a point, you will also complete the whole circle. It comes again to the beginning, as is the case with the sun. In such ends, it is always borne along the same things. The Jews then perhaps say that "to ascend the mountain" is to ascend to the temple and to stand in it. But what is appended next prevents this interpretation. 3-4 Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place? The one innocent in hands and pure in 69 heart, who has not taken his soul in vain and has not sworn in vain to his neighbor. In the Decalogue it is written: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold guiltless the one who takes his name in vain." This must be understood both inwardly and perfectly and introductorily and suitably for beginners. Properly the young man who is ready to receive the laws of God "does not swear at all"; wherefore he does not take the name of the Lord in vain. He does not take it for any vain thing, being content with "yes, yes" and "no, no." But it is possible to say this to those being initiated: one must not swear falsely; for the one who names the name of the Lord falsely, as far as it pertains to him, has taken it in vain; for being able to prove and give faith to what is disputed without an oath, he easily resorts to the oath. This faith through an oath they call unprovable. And the external laws, when it was not possible to prove, not through documents, not through witnesses—then he does not even throw himself into swearing, but the judges, having wished to find all proof and not having found it, resort to this last. "who has not taken his soul in vain". And immediately it added: "nor sworn with deceit"; for every perjurer swears "with deceit"; for let him not think he is not perjuring. It rarely happens through ignorance. Often someone swears, having forgotten, and again he is accused, as in the case of involuntary sins. I mean: some do not blame those who are drunk for saying what they ought not, and doing what they should not, saying that the drunkenness from which these things which they are accused of, the things done after drunkenness, come is involuntary; but the drunkenness itself is voluntary; for one should not have gotten drunk. 5 This one will receive a blessing from the Lord. Having described who it is that ascends the mountain and stands in the holy place, he also says what follows for such a one: according to the one who has ascended is in the mountain of God and stood in the holy place. And after the ascent of the mountain, so that the summit of the mountain might be the holy place, he says that "this one will receive a blessing from the Lord," "a spiritual blessing in the heavenly places"; for it is said: "for the lawgiver will also give blessings." But the lawgiver gives not to those who transgress the law, but to those who transform it into deed. And again: "behold, thus," it says, "will the man who fears the Lord be blessed." The cause of the blessing is reverence, the fear toward the Lord; wherefore it is said: "May the Lord bless you from Zion." If God blesses such a one from Zion, he extends the blessing to him on account of preceding virtue and right understanding. See, the zealous one, the one 70 innocent in hands and pure in heart, who has not taken his soul in vain, nor "sworn to his neighbor with deceit," he says will receive a blessing from the Lord; he does not receive it from just anyone; for there are also men who bless one another and who bless themselves,

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ἐστιν ὁ ἀναβαίνων διὰ προκοπῆς. ἡ προκοπὴ δὲ ἄνοδός ἐστιν. ἡ στάσις ἡ ἐν τῷ τελείῳ. ὅταν τις γένηται "τέλειος ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος", ἔστη ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ τόπῳ, εἰ μὴ ἄρα ὑπερβῇ τὴν ὅλην τοιαύτην κατάστασιν καὶ ἀρχὴν λάβῃ ἄλλης· διὸ καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς λέγεται· "πάσης συντελείας εἶδον πέρας". πολλὰ πέρατα ἔστιν, ὡς ἔχει ἐπὶ μαθήσεως γραμμάτων. συντελεῖταί τις ἐν τῇ γνώσει τῶν χαρακτήρων, καὶ ἄρχεται συλλαβῶν, καὶ πάλιν ἐκείνων τέλος ἀπολαβόντων ἀ´̣λ̣λ̣η̣ ἀρχὴ γίνεται. κύκλου οὐκ ἔστιν λαβεῖν οὔτε ἀρχὴν οὔτε τέλος. ἐὰν οὖν ἀπὸ σημείου ἐπιστήσῃ ἀρχὴν τοῦ κύκλου, καὶ συντελέσεις τὸν ὅλον κύκλον. εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν πάλιν ἔρχεται, ὡς ἔχει ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡλίου. ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις τέλεσιν ἀεὶ κατὰ τῶν αὐτῶν φέρεται. Ἰουδαῖοι οὖν ἴσως τὸ "ἀναβῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος" τὸ εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἀναβῆναι λέγουσιν καὶ στῆναι ἐν αὐτῷ. τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ ἐπισυναπτόμενα εἴργει ταύτης τῆς διανοίας. 3-4 τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ; ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρ69 δίᾳ, ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τῷ πλησίον. ἐν τῇ δεκαλόγῳ κεῖται· "οὐ λήμψῃ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ ματαίῳ· οὐ μὴ γὰρ καθαρίσῃ κύριος τὸν λαμβάνοντα τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ ματαίῳ". τοῦτο καὶ εἰσωτερικῶς καὶ τελείως καὶ εἰσαγωγικῶς καὶ καταλλήλως τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ. κυρίως ὁ νέος ὁ ἕτοιμος ὢν πρὸς τὸ δέξασθαι τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ νόμους "οὐκ ὀμνύει ὅλως"· διὸ οὐ λαμβάνει ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου. ἐπ' οὐδενὶ ματαίῳ παραλαμβάνει αὐτὸ ἀρκούμενος τῷ "ναὶ ναὶ" καὶ τῷ "οὒ οὔ". δυνατὸν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς εἰσαγομένους τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· οὐ δεῖ ψευδῶς ὀμνύναι· ὁ γὰρ ψευδῶς ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου, ὅσον εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκεν, ἐπὶ ματαίῳ αὐτὸ ἔλαβεν· δυνάμενος γὰρ ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ πίστιν τῷ ἀμφισβητουμένῳ δοῦναι χωρὶς ὅρκου ῥᾳδίως ἐπὶ τὸν ὅρκον καταφέρεται. ταύτην τὴν διὰ ὅρκου πίστιν ἀναπόδεικτον λέγουσιν. καὶ οἱ ἔξω νόμοι, ὅτε μὴ οἷόν τε ἦν ἀποδεῖξαι, μὴ διὰ γραμμάτων, μὴ διὰ μαρτύρων-τότε καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιρίπτει εἰς τὸ ὀμόσαι, ἀλλ' οἱ δικάζοντες πᾶσαν ἀπόδειξιν θελήσαντες εὑρεῖν καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες εἰς τελευταίαν ταύτην καταφεύγουσιν. "ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ". καὶ εὐθέως συνῆψεν· "οὐδὲ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ δόλῳ"· πᾶς γὰρ ἐφίορκος "ἐπὶ δόλῳ" ὀμνύει· μὴ γὰρ νομίζει μὴ ἐφιορκεῖν. σπανίως γίνεται κατὰ ἄγνοιαν. πολλάκις τις ἐπιλαθόμενος ὄμνυσιν, καὶ πάλιν ἔχει ἔνκλημα, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀκουσίων ἁμαρτημάτων. λέγω· τινὲς οὐκ αἰτιῶνται τοὺς μεθύοντας λέγοντας ἃ μὴ δεῖ, καὶ πράττοντας ἃ οὐ χρῆ, λέγοντες ὅτι ἀκουσία ἐστὶν ἡ μέθη παρ' ἧς ταῦτα ἃ αἰτιῶνται, τὰ μετὰ μέθην γινόμενα· ἀλλ' αὐτὴ ἡ μέθη ἑκούσιός ἐστιν· ἔδει γὰρ μὴ μεθυσθῆναι. 5 οὗτος λήμψεται εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου. διαγράψας τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἀναβαίνων εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἱστάμενος ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ, καὶ τὸ ἑπόμενον τῷ τοιούτῳ λέγει· κατὰ τὸν ἀναβάντα ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ στάντα ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ. καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάβασιν τοῦ ὄρους, ἵνα ᾖν ἡ ἀκρώρεια τοῦ ὄρους ὁ τόπος ὁ ἅγιος, λέγει ὅτι "λήμψεται οὗτος εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου", "εὐλογίαν πνευματικὴν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις"· λέγεται γάρ· "καὶ γὰρ εὐλογίας δώσει ὁ νομοθετῶν". δίδωσιν δὲ ὁ νομοθετῶν οὐ τοῖς παραβαίνουσιν τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ τοῖς εἰς ἔργον αὐτὸν μεταβάλλουσιν. καὶ πάλιν· "ἰδοὺ οὕτως", φησίν, "εὐλογηθήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν κύριον". αἰτία τῆς εὐλογίας ἡ εὐλάβειά ἐστιν, ὁ φόβος ὁ πρὸς τὸν κύριον· διὸ λέγεται· "εὐλογήσαι σε κύριος ἐκ Σιών". εἰ ἐκ τῆς Σιὼν εὐλογεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον, διὰ ἀρετὴν προλαβοῦσαν καὶ φρόνησιν ὀρθὴν αὐτῷ ὀρέγει τὴν εὐλογίαν. ἴδε, τὸν σπουδαῖον, τὸν ἀ70 θῷον ταῖς χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸν τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ λαβόντα ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ "ὤμοσεν τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ δόλῳ", λέγει λήμψεσθαι εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου· οὐ παρὰ τοῦ τυχόντος αὐτὴν λαμβάνει· εἰσὶν γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωποι ἀλλήλους εὐλογοῦντες καὶ ἑαυτοὺς εὐλογοῦντες,