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O mighty one. The sharpened arrows of the mighty one are the well-aimed words, which reach the hearts of the hearers, striking and wounding sensitive souls. For, he says, the words of the wise are like goads. Therefore, the Psalmist also, praying to be delivered from the deceitful people of his generation, seeks the sharpened arrows of the mighty one for the healing of a deceitful tongue. He also seeks for the coals of the desert to be present; so that for those whom the rational arrows do not touch because of the hardness of their heart, punishment is ready, which he also called coals of the desert. For as many as have made themselves desolate of God, for them the preparation of the coals of the desert is necessary. Now then, Your arrows are sharpened. By these arrows the souls that have received the faith are wounded, and being kindled to the utmost love of God, they say similarly to the bride, "I am wounded by love." But the beauty of the word is inexpressible and unutterable, and the comeliness of wisdom, and the form of God in His image. Blessed, therefore, are the lovers of true beauty. For as if bound to him through love, and loving the heavenly and blessed love, they forget their own and friends; they forget their house and all possessions; and forgetting also the bodily necessity of eating 29.404 and drinking, they are fused with the divine and pure love alone. You will also understand sharpened arrows as those sent to sow the Gospel throughout the whole world; who, because they were sharpened, shone with the works of righteousness, and subtly entered into the souls of those being taught; for these arrows, being sent forth everywhere, prepared the peoples to fall under Christ. But it seems to me more consistent that the phrase be restored through hyperbaton, so that the sense is this: Bend your bow and prosper and reign, and your right hand will guide you wonderfully, and peoples will fall under you; by your arrows being sharpened in the heart of the king’s enemies. No one who fights against God and is boastful and proud falls under God, but those who have accepted submission through faith. And the arrows, having fallen into the hearts of those who were once the king’s enemies, draw them to the desire for the truth, draw them to the Lord, so that, being enemies of God, they are reconciled to him through the teachings. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. Since he discussed many things pertaining to the human, he now brings the discourse back to the heights of the glory concerning the Only-begotten. Your throne, he says, O God, is forever and ever; that is, your kingdom is beyond the ages, and is older than all thought. And fittingly, after the submission of the peoples, he praises the magnificence of the kingdom of God. A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. For this reason also he gave him his own title, clearly proclaiming him God: Your throne, O God. The rod of God is a certain disciplinary one; but while it disciplines, it brings forth straight and not crooked judgments. For this reason the scepter of his kingdom is called a scepter of uprightness. For if his sons forsake my law, and do not walk in my judgments, I will visit their iniquities with a rod. Do you see the just judgment of God? He uses it not on ordinary people, but on those who sin. This is also called a rod of comfort; For your rod, he says, and your staff, they have comforted me. This is also a rod of crushing. For you will shepherd them with a rod of iron, you will shatter them like a potter’s vessel. And the earthly and clay things are shattered for the benefit of those being shepherded; just as one is also handed over. For the destruction of the flesh,

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νατέ. Βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα ἐστὶν οἱ εὔ στοχοι λόγοι, οἱ καθικνούμενοι τῆς καρδίας τῶν ἀκροωμένων, βάλλοντες καὶ τιτρώσκοντες τὰς εὐαι σθήτους ψυχάς. Λόγοι γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφῶν ὡς τὰ βού κεντρα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς ῥυσθῆναί ποτε ἀπὸ τῶν δολερῶν τῶν κατὰ τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ εὐχόμενος, εἰς θεραπείαν γλώσσης δολίας τὰ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα ζητεῖ. Ἐπιζητεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄνθρακας παρεῖναι τοὺς ἐρημικούς· ὥστε ὅσων ἂν μὴ καθ άψηται διὰ τὴν πώρωσιν τῆς καρδίας τὰ λογικὰ βέλη, τούτοις ἑτοίμην εἶναι τὴν κόλασιν, ἣν καὶ ἐρημικοὺς ἄνθρακας προσηγόρευσεν. Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐρήμους τοῦ Θεοῦ κατέστησαν ἑαυτοὺς, τούτοις ἀναγκαῖος ὁ εὐτρε πισμὸς τῶν ἐρημικῶν ἀνθράκων. Νῦν οὖν Τὰ βέλη σου ἠκονημένα. Ἐκ τούτων τῶν βελῶν τιτρώσκον ται αἱ παραδεξάμεναι τὴν πίστιν ψυχαὶ, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἄκραν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπην ἐκκαυθεῖσαι λέγουσι παρα πλησίως τῇ νύμφῃ τὸ, Τετρωμένη ἀγάπης ἐγώ εἰμι. Ἀνεκδιήγητον δὲ καὶ ἄῤῥητον τὸ τοῦ λόγου κάλλος, καὶ ἡ τῆς σοφίας ὡραιότης, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι αὐτοῦ μορφή. Μακάριοι οὖν, οἱ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ κάλλους φιλοθεάμονες. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ προσδεθέντες αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ τὸν ἐπουράνιον καὶ μακαριστὸν ἐρῶντες ἔρωτα, ἐπιλανθάνονται μὲν οἰκείων καὶ φί λων· ἐπιλανθάνονται δὲ οἴκου καὶ περιουσίας ἁπά σης· ἐκλαθόμενοι δὲ καὶ τῆς σωματικῆς εἰς τὸ ἐσθίειν 29.404 καὶ πίνειν ἀνάγκης, μόνῳ τῷ θείῳ καὶ καθαρῷ προστετήκασιν ἔρωτι. Νοήσεις δὲ ἠκονημένα βέλη καὶ τοὺς ἀποστελλομένους ἐπὶ τὸ ἐπισπεῖραι πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· οἳ, διὰ τὸ ἠκονῆσθαι, ἔλαμπον τοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἔργοις, καὶ λεπτῶς ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν διδασκομένων ψυχὰς παρεδύοντο· ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ βέλη, πανταχοῦ προπεμπόμενα, παρεσκεύαζε τοὺς λαοὺς ὑποκάτω πίπτειν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι ἀκολουθότερον ἡ λέξις ἀποκαθίστασθαι δι' ὑπερ βατοῦ, ὥστε τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸν νοῦν· Ἔντεινον καὶ κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε, καὶ ὁδηγήσει σε θαυ μαστῶς ἡ δεξιά σου, καὶ λαοὶ ὑποκάτω σου πε σοῦνται· τῷ τὰ βέλη σου ἠκονημένα εἶναι ἐν καρδίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως. Οὐδεὶς θεομάχος καὶ ἀλαζὼν καὶ ὑπερήφανος ὑποκάτω πίπτει τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως ὑποταγὴν καταδεξάμενοι. Τὰ δὲ βέλη, ταῖς καρδίαις ἐμπεσόντα τῶν ποτε ἐχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἕλκει αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας πόθον, ἕλκει αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, ὥστε, ἐχθροὺς ὄντας τῷ Θεῷ, καταλλαγῆναι αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν διδαγμάτων. Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος, ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασι λείας σου. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίση σας ἀνομίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου, ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου. Ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἀνατεινό μενος διελέχθη, ἐπανάγει νῦν ἐπὶ τὰ ὕψη τῆς περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς δόξης τὸν λόγον. Ὁ θρόνος σου, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· τουτ έστιν, ἡ βασιλεία σου ἐπέκεινα τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ ἐννοίας πάσης ἐστὶ πρεσβυτέρα. Καὶ καλῶς μετὰ τὴν τῶν λαῶν ὑποταγὴν τὸ μεγαλοπρεπὲς τῆς βασι λείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνυμνεῖ. Ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἰδίαν προσηγορίαν, σαφῶς αὐτὸν ἀναγο ρεύσας Θεόν· Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεός. Παιδευτική τίς ἐστιν ἡ ῥάβδος τοῦ Θεοῦ· παιδεύουσα δὲ, εὐθείας καὶ οὐ παρατετραμμένας ἐπάγει τὰς κρίσεις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας αὐ τοῦ προσηγόρευται. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἐγκαταλίπωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον μου, καὶ τοῖς κρίμασί μου μὴ πορευθῶσιν, ἐπισκέψομαι ἐν ῥάβδῳ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν. Ὁρᾷς τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν τυχόντων χρῆται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρ τανόντων. Αὕτη δὲ καὶ παρακλήσεως λέγεται ῥάβδος· Ἡ ῥάβδος γάρ σου, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ βακτηρία σου. αὗταί με παρεκάλεσαν. Αὕτη καὶ συντριμμοῦ ἐστι ῥάβδος. Ποιμανεῖς γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, ὡς σκεῦος κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς. Συντρίβεται δὲ τὰ χοϊκὰ καὶ πήλινα ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ τῶν ποιμαινομένων· καθὸ καὶ παραδίδοται. Εἰς ὄλε θρον τῆς σαρκὸς,