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He prepared it. He made the aforementioned inhabited world and earth ready through the given legislation for receiving the Holy Spirit, from whom, as from a spring, the various gifts flow like rivers of living water. For in order to have these rivers, He prepared it, having founded it, as was said before, upon the seas.

211 Ps 23,4a An answer is brought to the one who asked, explaining what sort

person this is. He is innocent of hands who has blameless and innocent deeds, and he has a pure heart who has taken on the best disposition and is a contemplator of the truth. 212 Ps 23,4b To receive the soul in vain is when someone having a rational soul that knows what is beneficial and harmful does not use this knowledge, so as to flee the harmful and choose the beneficial; just as we also say that he has received the law in vain who has learned from it the things prescribed and acts oppositely in doing the things forbidden. Therefore, he who follows the judgments of the soul concerning good and evil, so as to withdraw from wicked things and pursue good things, this one *has not received his soul in vain*. Perhaps also someone who has received a rational soul, capable of virtues and knowledge, and has not received these things of which he is capable, but withered by the deceit of life and worldly care, by pleasures and passions, has received his soul in vain. But he who is disposed contrary to this has not received it in vain. And the life of the many is altogether vanity of vanities. 213 Ps 23,4c.5 It belongs to him of whom the word speaks both to swear true oaths and not to swear cunningly to his neighbor with deceit. And only he and everyone who keeps the "Yes, yes" and the "No, no" swears without deceit. And he will have as a prize from God his savior a blessing which comes upon the head of the just. This is altogether spiritual, not earthly. And with this blessing he will also receive mercy from God who saves him by pity and grace, for this reason he will also be blessed because having been merciful and generous he will receive mercy. *For blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy*. 214 Ps 23,6 Since the question was not about some one person ascending to the mountain of the Lord and standing in His holy place, neither is the answer about one, but about everyone innocent of hands and pure in heart. Therefore he adds, *This is the generation of those who seek him*, instead of "All such people who have the aforementioned virtue are a generation seeking the Lord"; seeking, in order to find, the face of the God of Jacob, whom they wish to behold so that, having been improved by the contemplation and effulgence of Him, they might say: *The light of your countenance, O Lord, has been signed upon us*. 215 Ps 23,8-10 Divine angels, running ahead, called out to those in charge of the heavenly gates: *Lift up the gates, you rulers*, your gates of which you are leaders and guards. For just as when descending, having bowed the heaven and not opened it, he came down, so when he was taken up, he did not enter through opened gates, but through gates that were lifted up. Then, since these gates also happen to be rational, the angels also say to them: *Be lifted up, you everlasting gates*. And these spiritual gates are not temporary, since they are not corporeal, but everlasting on account of being immaterial and incorruptible; nevertheless, saying that the gates should be raised and lifted up, they say that not one of those held in honor would enter but the King of glory. And the Savior is called King of glory by ruling over all those held in honor according to God, and as receiving glory from all and having the true and abiding kingdom. And providing this to the worthy, he is also called Lord of it, according to *For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory*. But since not only God the Word ascended but he was also bearing the flesh which he had assumed, animated with a rational soul, the powers above were astonished and inquired, *Who is this King of glory?* For seeing the one called King of glory clothed in flesh, they were amazed. Again

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ἡτοίμασεν αὐτήν. εὐτρεπῆ τὴν προειρημένην οἰκουμένην καὶ γῆν κατεστήσατο διὰ τῆς δοθείσης νομοθεσίας πρὸς τὸ δέξασθαι τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα, ἀφ' ου ὡς ἀπὸ πηγῆς τὰ ποικίλα χαρίσματα ῥέουσιν ποταμοὶ υδατος ζῶντος. ἐπὶ τῷ γὰρ εχειν τούτους τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἡτοίμασεν αὐτήν, θεμελιώσας αὐτήν, ὡς προείρηται, ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν.

211 Ps 23,4a Ἀπόκρισις φέρεται πρὸς τὸν ἐρωτήσαντα ἑρμηνεύουσα ὁποῖός

ἐστιν ουτος. ἀθῷος δὲ χερσίν ἐστιν ὁ ἀμέμπτους καὶ ἀθῴους πράξεις εχων, καθαρὰν δὲ καρδίαν εχει ὁ βελτίστην εξιν ἀναλαβὼν καὶ θεωρητικὸς ων τῆς ἀληθείας. 212 Ps 23,4b ̓Επὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχήν ἐστιν λαβεῖν, οτ' αν τις λογικὴν ψυχὴν εχων γινώσκουσαν τί τὸ ὠφέλιμον καὶ βλαβερὸν μὴ χρῷτο τῇ γνώσει ταύτῃ, ωστε φεύγειν τὸ βλαβερὸν καὶ αἱρεῖσθαι τὸ ὠφέλιμον· ὡς καὶ νόμον ἐπὶ ματαίῳ εἰληφέναι φαμὲν τὸν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μαθόντα τὰ ὑπαγορευόμενα καὶ ἐναλλὰξ χρώμενον ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα. ὁ ουν ἑπόμενος ταῖς κρίσεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ταῖς περὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν ὡς ἀναχωρῆσαι τῶν φαύλων μεταποιεῖσθαι δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ουτος Οὐκ ελαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. Τάχα δὲ καὶ λαβών τις ψυχὴν λογικήν, δεκτικὴν ἀρετῶν καὶ ἐπιστημῶν, καὶ μὴ δεξάμενος ταῦτα ων ἐστιν δεκτικός, ἀλλ' ἀπάτῃ τοῦ βίου καὶ μερίμνῃ βιωτικῇ καταξανθεὶς ἡδοναῖς καὶ πάθεσιν, ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ειληφεν. ὁ δ' ἐναντίως τούτῳ διακείμενος οὐκ ἐπὶ ματαίῳ αὐτὴν ελαβεν. καὶ ολος ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων ὁ τῶν πολλῶν βίος ἐστίν. 213 Ps 23,4c.5 Πρόσεστι τῷ περὶ ου ὁ λόγος καὶ εὐορκεῖν καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐπὶ δόλῳ πανούργως ὀμνύειν τῷ πλησίον. ὀμνύει δὲ ανευ δόλου μόνος καὶ πᾶς ὁ φυλάττων τὸ Ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ Ου ου. αθλον δὲ εξει παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ εὐλογίαν ητις φθάννει ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου. πνευματικὴ δὲ πάντως αυτη, οὐ χοϊκή. σὺν ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ εὐλογίᾳ καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην λήψεται παρὰ θεοῦ τοῦ σῴζοντος αὐτὸν ἐλέῳ καὶ χάριτι, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μακάριος ἐσόμενος οτι ἐλεητικὸς καὶ κοινωνητικὸς γεγενημένος ἐλεηθήσεται. Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ ἐλεήμονες, οτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται. 214 Ps 23,6 ̓Επεὶ μὴ περὶ ἑνός τινος ἀναβαίνοντος εἰς τὸ ορος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἱσταμένου εἰς τόπον αγιον αὐτοῦ ἡ ἐρώτησις γέγονεν, οὐδὲ ἡ ἀπόκρισις περὶ ἑνὸς ἀλλὰ περὶ παντὸς ἀθῴου χερσὶν καὶ καθαροῦ τῇ καρδίᾳ. διὸ καὶ ἐπιφέρει τὸ Αυτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτὸν ἀντὶ τοῦ Πάντες οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων ἀρετὴν ἐσχηκότες γενεὰ ζητοῦντές εἰσι τὸν κύριον· ζητοῦντες δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ εὑρεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ ̓Ιακώβ, ον θεωρῆσαι θέλουσιν ινα βελτιωθέντες ἐκ τῆς κατανοήσεως καὶ ἐκλάμψεως αὐτοῦ ειπωσιν· ̓Εσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε. 215 Ps 23,8-10 Προτρέχοντες θεῖοι αγγελοι προσεφώνουν τοῖς ἐφεστηκόσιν ταῖς οὐρανίαις πύλαις· Αρατε πύλας, οἱ αρχοντες ὑμῶν, τὰς ὑμετέρας ων ἡγεῖσθε καὶ φύλακές ἐστε. ὡς γὰρ κατιών, κλίνας οὐρανὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀνοίξας κατῆλθεν, ουτως ἀναληφθείς, οὐκ ἀνοιχθεισῶν πυλῶν, εἰσῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ αἰρομένων. ειτα ἐπεὶ αυται αἱ πύλαι καὶ λογικαὶ τυγχάνουσιν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς οἱ αγγελοί φασιν· ̓Επάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι. αυται δὲ αἱ πνευματικαὶ πύλαι οὐ πρόσκαιροι, ἐπεὶ μὴ σωματικαί, ἀλλ' αἰώνιοι διὰ τὸ αϋλον καὶ ἀκήρατον· πλὴν φάσκοντες ἀρθῆναι καὶ ἐπαρθῆναι τὰς πύλας, οὐχ ενα τῶν ἐπιδόξων εἰσελεύσεσθαι ἀλλὰ τὸν Βασιλέα τῆς δόξης φασίν. Βασιλεὺς δὲ δόξης ὁ σωτὴρ τῷ αρχειν πάντων τῶν ἐπιδόξων κατὰ θεὸν ειρηται καὶ ὡς τὴν παρὰ πάντων κομιζόμενος δόξαν καὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ μόνιμον εχων βασιλείαν. ταύτην δὲ παρέχων τοῖς ἀξίοις, καὶ κύριος αὐτῆς ειρηται κατὰ τὸ Εἰ γὰρ εγνωσαν, οὐκ αν τὸν κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνος ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἀνῆλθεν ἀλλ' ἐπιφερόμενος ην ἀνείληφεν σάρκα ἐψυχωμένην ψυχῇ νοερᾷ, ξενιζόμεναι αἱ ανω δυνάμεις ἐπυνθάνοντο Τίς ἐστιν ουτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; σάρκα γὰρ περικείμενον τὸν λεχθέντα Βασιλέα τῆς δόξης ἰδοῦσαι, ἐθαύμαζον. Πάλιν