70

these things being carried along not by chance, but by the will of the maker, at one time being shut in, at another being led out. But also, opening heaven, the treasury of good things, he gives rain to the seed of the earth, just as he also withholds the rain by closing heaven, as in the time of the prophet Elijah. And so the abysses, which have sufficient power to do harm because of the boundless multitude of their waters, he places in treasuries, enclosing them, so that whenever he wishes he may use them as is expedient at the right time. 298 Ps 32,7 And it can also mean that the incomprehensible thoughts and unsearchable judgments of him, which are abysses, he has placed in the hidden treasuries of knowledge and of wisdom, so that no one attains this of himself unless God should grant it. 299 Ps 32,8.9 Since at his saying they came into being and at his commanding they were created, let them be shaken by him; for it belongs to the maker also to alter things for the better. "They came into being" signifies the substantializing of things brought into being, while "they were created" signifies the ordering that occurred after the substantializing. And if all things came into being and were created at the saying and commanding of God, there is one to whom he spoke and commanded, none other than the creative Word; and this is the Son of God. 300 Ps 32,11a And elsewhere it is said: For what the holy God has counseled, who shall scatter it? 301 Ps 32,11b 301 Just as it speaks anthropomorphically about God concerning the other things we know, as having hands and eyes and other things, so also it speaks of his heart as, so to speak, his deliberative and intellectual energy. Therefore, the thoughts of this, being fixed and firm, extend from generation to generation, that is, the divine thoughts remain throughout every succession of generations. Or perhaps, the thoughts which he put into the generation of the circumcision, these he puts into the generation from the believing nations; for the nations are not called to other things but to those things which those of the circumcision possessed, hidden in shadow. 302 Ps 32,14b And not only men dwell on the earth, but also invisible spirits and the other mortal creatures. Therefore the care of God extends to all those on earth, as he watches over them from his aforementioned dwelling-place. 303 Ps 32,15b Since God knows not only the things that have been done but also the intention from which these things are performed, he is said not to see but to understand all their works. 304 Ps 32,16.17a That a king is not saved through great power, you may learn from history. Pharaoh, for instance, had a great battle-array, but God cast "his chariots and his power into the sea." And all of history is full of such examples. And he said that a giant, being exceedingly strong, will not be saved by the strength he possesses; and you will see this by paying attention to the story of Goliath. And if the name also signifies one who fights against God, not even he will be saved in the abundance of the strength of the godless doctrines which he has. One so called strong can be found in Isaiah, who says "A giant and a strong one," and the one who fights against God again in the same prophet: "Giants come to fulfill my wrath, rejoicing." And also in Genesis: "And Nimrod was a giant, a hunter before the Lord." A horse, however, is prepared for the day of war, but help is from the Lord. 305 Ps 32,19 Since the illumination sent forth from the eyes of God is life, the devout, partaking of this and having their hope in his mercy, would be delivered from the death that follows upon wickedness, so that their souls may be made alive; but also, partaking of the heavenly bread (and this is the Word of God), they are nourished in famine. And by famine he means not the scarcity of perceptible foods but the deprivation of divine teachings. In harmony with this is: "I will bring a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." 306 Ps 32,20.21 Since we are not self-sufficient to help ourselves or to fight for ourselves, knowing that God is a helper and a defender, we wait for him with our soul, that is, from the depth of our mind.

70

τούτων φερομένων ἀλλὰ βουλήσει τοῦ πεποιηκότος ὁτὲ μὲν ἀποκλειομένων, ὁτὲ δὲ ἐξαγομένων. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν τῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐρανὸν ἀνοίγων δίδωσιν ὑετὸν τῷ σπέρματι τῆς γῆς, ωσπερ αυ καὶ ἐπέχει τὸν ὑετὸν κλείων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ προφήτου ̓Ηλιοῦ· καὶ τὰς ἀβύσσους ουν ἱκανῶς ἐχούσας διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ ἀπεριόριστον τῶν ὑδάτων βλάψαι ἐν θησαυροῖς τίθεται περικλείων αὐτάς, ιν' οτ' αν βούληται χρήσηται αὐταῖς ὡς συμφέρει κατὰ καιρόν. 298 Ps 32,7 ∆ύναται δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀκατάληπτα τῶν νοημάτων καὶ ἀνεξερεύνητα τῶν κριμάτων αὐτοῦ, τυγχάνοντα ἀβύσσους, τεθεικέναι ἐν τοῖς ἀποκρύφοις θησαυροῖς τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς σοφίας, ὡς μηδένα ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τούτου τυγχάνειν εἰ μήπου ὁ θεὸς παράσχοι. 299 Ps 32,8.9 ̓Επεὶ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος ἐγενήθησαν καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐντειλαμένου ἐκτίσθησαν, σαλευθήτωσαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· τοῦ γὰρ πεποιηκότος καὶ τὸ ἀλλοιοῦν ἐπὶ τὸ καλόν ἐστιν. σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ̓Εγενήθησαν τὴν οὐσίωσιν τῶν εἰς τὸ ειναι ἠγμένων, τὸ ̓Εκτίσθησαν δὲ τὴν διακόσμησιν τὴν μετὰ τὴν οὐσίωσιν γεγενημένην. εἰ δὲ εἰπόντος καὶ ἐντειλαμένου θεοῦ ἐγενήθη καὶ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα, ἐστὶν ῳ ειπε καὶ ἐνετείλατο οὐκ αλλος παρὰ τὸν δημιουργικὸν λόγον· ἐστὶν δὲ ουτος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱός. 300 Ps 32,11a Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ ειρηται· Α γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὁ αγιος βεβούλευται τίς διασκεδάσει; 301 Ps 32,11b 301 Ωσπερ τὰ αλλα ἀφ' ων οιδαμεν ἀνθρωπίνως περὶ θεοῦ λέγει ὡς χεῖρας καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ τὰ αλλα εχοντος, ουτω καὶ καρδίαν αὐτοῦ λέγει τήν, ιν' ουτως ειπω, βουλευτικὴν καὶ νοητικὴν αὐτοῦ ἐνέργειαν. ταύτης ουν οἱ λογισμοὶ ἀραρότες καὶ βέβαιοι τυγχάνοντες παρατείνουσιν ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεάν, τουτέστιν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν γενεᾷ διαδοχὴν οἱ θεῖοι λογισμοὶ μένουσιν. η τάχα ους ἐνέβαλεν λογισμοὺς τῇ ἐκ περιτομῆς γενεᾷ, τούτους ἐμβάλλει τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐθνῶν γενεᾷ· οὐ γὰρ ἐπ' αλλοις κέκληται τὰ εθνη ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἐκείνοις οις ειχον οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς σκιᾷ κρυπτομένοις. 302 Ps 32,14b Κατοικοῦσι δὲ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ανθρωποι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πνεύματα ἀόρατα καὶ τὰ αλλα θνητὰ ζῷα. εἰς πάντας ουν τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς παρατείνει ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ κηδεμονία ἐφορῶντος αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ προειρημένου κατοικητηρίου αὐτοῦ. 303 Ps 32,15b ̓Επεὶ μὴ μόνον τὰ πεπραγμένα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γνώμην ἀφ' ης ἐνεργεῖται ταῦτα ἐπίσταται ὁ θεός, οὐχ ὁρᾶν ἀλλὰ συνιεῖν πάντα τὰ εργα αὐτῶν λέγεται. 304 Ps 32,16.17a Οτι δὲ οὐ σῴζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, μαθήσῃ ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας· Φαραὼ ουν ειχεν πολλὴν παράταξιν, ἀλλὰ Τὰ αρματα καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ερριψεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν. πλήρης δὲ τῶν τοιούτων πᾶσα ἡ ἱστορία. καὶ γίγαντα δὲ τὸν ὑπερβαλλόντως ἰσχυρὸν οὐ σωθήσεσθαι εφη ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ αὐτῷ ἰσχύϊ· οψει δὲ τοῦτο ἐπιστήσας τῷ κατὰ τὸν Γολιάθ. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν θεομάχον ἡ προσηγορία δηλοῖ, οὐδὲ ουτος σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος ων εχει δογμάτων ἀθεότητος. τὸν μὲν ουν ἰσχυρὸν ουτω καλούμενον εστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν ̔Ησαίᾳ λέγοντι Γίγαντα καὶ ἰσχύοντα, τὸν δὲ θεομάχον πάλιν παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ· Γίγαντες ερχονται πληρῶσαι τὸν θυμόν μου χαίροντες. αμα καὶ ἐν Γενέσει· Καὶ ην Νεβρὼθ γίγας κυνηγὸς εναντι κυρίου. Ιππος μέντοι ἑτοιμάζεται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου, παρὰ δὲ κυρίου ἡ βοήθεια. 305 Ps 32,19 ̓Επεὶ ὁ ἀπολυόμενος φωτισμὸς ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ζωή ἐστιν, τούτου μετάσχοντες οἱ εὐλαβεῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ελεον τὴν ἐλπίδα εχοντες ῥυσθεῖεν αν ἐκ θανάτου τοῦ ἑπομένου τῇ κακίᾳ, ὡς τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ζωοποιηθῆναι· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ οὐρανίου αρτου (θεοῦ δὲ λόγος ουτος) μεταλαμβάνοντες διατρέφονται ἐν λιμῷ. λιμὸν δὲ οὐ τὴν σπάνιν τῶν αἰθητῶν τροφῶν ἀλλὰ στέρησιν μαθημάτων λέγει θείων. τούτῳ συνῳδὸν τὸ ̓Επάξω λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, οὐ λιμὸν αρτου οὐδὲ δίψαν υδατος ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον κυρίου. 306 Ps 32,20.21 ̓Επεὶ οὐκ αὐτάρκεις ἐσμὲν πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῖς βοηθεῖν η ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν μάχεσθαι, εἰδότες θεὸν βοηθὸν καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν οντα ἐπ' αὐτῷ ὑπομένομεν τῇ ψυχῇ τουτέστιν ἀπὸ βάθους διανοίας.