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and peace have kissed each other; truth has sprung out of the earth, righteousness has looked down from heaven.” 2.302 And consider if truth signifies the mystical and elevated contemplation of the dogmas of piety, with the moral and practical virtue being called righteousness, according to what was said about it to those who have a desire for salvation: “Learn to do righteousness, you who dwell on the earth.” 2.303 It must be considered what follows the mentioned virtues. 2.304 Mercy meets truth, “righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” For since the truth of God is great and elevated, there is need to be shown mercy by God, who is the fount of goodness, so that it might be granted to men. But righteousness, also, dissolving all injustice, the mother of all strife and every war, proclaims peace and harmony. One of the wise among men has also said that peace and righteousness have a harmony with each other; for if all were to justly pursue what is just, should it so happen, all strife and enmity will be gone from our midst, just as, in turn, when peace prevails, equality and righteousness reign. 2.305 This being so, the almighty Lord is of truth and righteousness. It is said, at any rate, in the thirtieth Psalm, by the one having the Lord as his hope, according to the beginning of the ode: “You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth”; and in the fourth Psalm: “When I called, you heard me, O God of my righteousness.” Harmoniously with being the God of truth, He is also of knowledge, as the blessed mother of holy Samuel said: “Let not boasting come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge.” 2.306 When we strive through good works and true and pious knowledge to be called the people of God, then He Himself will also be our God, making Himself our own in truth and in righteousness. 2.307Zach. VIII, 9: Thus says the Lord Almighty: Let your hands be strong, you who in these days hear these words from the mouth of the prophets, from the day that the house of the Lord Almighty was founded, and the temple from when it was built. 2.308 The almighty Lord commands the hands of the people dedicated to the Lord Almighty to be strong, according to the words of the Lord God Almighty since His house was founded, according to the former days, since the temple was built. And they are made strong with piety and holiness of the truth, according to the words spoken from the mouth of the prophets, since the house of the Lord was founded, and the holy temple was built. 2.309 And hands are made strong in words when the moral lessons change into deeds. For it is then that the active hands of the soul are changed into action, when deeds with virtue happen to be interwoven with the words, with those hearing being not only hearers of the law but also doers of the work. 2.310 And when are these things pursued genuinely and piously, if not when the people of God act and think with the word of piety, with the divine house being founded and the temple being built according to the former days? And the house of the Lord is founded and the temple is built, with the fulfillment of what was said in Proverbs thus: “Wisdom has built her house, and has set up seven pillars.” Concerning this house and temple the incarnate Lord says to the Father: “But a body you have prepared for me.” With the house thus spoken of having had its foundations laid like a holy temple that was built, the hands, that is, the practical powers, are made strong according to the former luminous contemplations, which are called days. 2.311 Consider if the glorious Church happens to be a house that has been founded and a temple that has been built, about which the Apostle writes to Timothy, his disciple: “But if I am delayed, that you may know how one ought to conduct oneself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” The prophetic voice of Isaiah also suggests this thought thus

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καὶ εἰρήνη κατεφίλησαν· ἀλήθεια ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνέτειλεν, δικαιοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ δ̣ιέκυψεν.» 2.302 Καὶ σκόπει εἰ ἡ ἀλήθεια τὴν μυστικὴν καὶ ἀνηγμένην θεωρίαν τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας δογμάτων δηλοῖ, τῆς ἠθικῆς καὶ πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς δικαιοσύνης καλουμένης, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν περὶ αὐτῆς τοῖς σωτηρίας πόθον ἔχουσιν· «∆ικαιοσύνην μάθετε ποιεῖν, οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» 2.303 Τί δὲ παρέπεται ταῖς μνημονευθείσαις ἀρεταῖς θεωρητέον. 2.304 Τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἔλεος συναντᾷ, «ἡ δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη κατεφίλησαν.» Ἐπεὶ γὰρ μεγάλη τίς ἐστιν καὶ ἀνηγμένη ἡ Θεοῦ ἀλήθεια, χρεία ἐστὶν ἐλεηθῆναι πρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄντος πηγῆς ἀγαθότητος, ἵνα ἀνθρώποις ὑπαρχθῇ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη, λύουσα πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν, μητέρα πάσης στάσεως καὶ παντὸς πολέμου, εἰρήνην καὶ συμφωνίαν ἐπικηρυκεύεται. Εἴρηκέ τις καὶ τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις σοφῶν συμφωνίαν πρὸς ἑαυτὰς ἔχειν τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ δικαιοσύνην· πάντων γὰρ δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον διωκόντων, εἰ οὕτω τύχοι̣, πᾶσα στάσις καὶ ἔχθρα ἐκποδὼν οἰχήσεται, ὡς αὖ εἰρήνης ἐπικρατούσης, ἰσότης καὶ δικαιοσύνη βασιλεύει. 2.305 Τούτων ὧδε ἐχόντων, ὁ παντοκράτωρ Κύριος τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἐστίν. Εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν τριακοστῷ Ψαλμῷ, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐλπίδα τὸν Κύριον ἔχοντος κατὰ τὴν τῆς ᾠδῆς ἀρχήν· «Ἐλυτρώσω με, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἀληθείας»· καὶ ἐν τετάρτῳ Ψαλμῷ· «Ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαί με εἰσήκουσάς μου, ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης μου.» Ἁρμονίως τῷ εἶναι τῆς ἀληθείας Θεόν, καὶ τῆς γνώσεώς ἐστιν, ὡς ἡ μακαρία μήτηρ τοῦ ἁγίου Σαμουὴλ εἶπεν· «Μὴ ἐξελθάτω μεγαλορημοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν, ὅτι Θεὸς γνώσεως Κύριος.» 2.306 Ὅταν σπουδάσωμεν διὰ ἀγαθῶν ἔργω̣ν καὶ ἀληθοῦς καὶ εὐσεβοῦς γνώσεως Θεοῦ χρηματίσαι λαός̣, τὸ τηνίκαδε καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῶν ἔσται Θεός, οἰκειούμενος ἡμῖν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. 2.307Zach. VIII, 9: Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτω̣ρ· Κα̣τισχυέτωσαν αἱ χεῖρες ὑμῶν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐκ στόματος τῶν προφητῶν, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας τεθεμελίωται ὁ οἶκος Κυρίου παντοκράτορος, καὶ ὁ ναὸς ἀφ' οὗ ᾠκοδόμηται. 2.308 Ὁ παντοκράτωρ Κύριος προστάττει κατισχύειν τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ ἀνακειμένου Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι λαοῦ, κατὰ τοὺς λόγους Κυρίου Θεοῦ παντοκράτορος ἀφ' οὗ ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ τεθεμελίωται, κατὰ τὰς ἔμπροσθεν ἡμέρας, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ ναὸς ᾠκοδόμηται. Κατισχύουσι δὲ αἱ σὺν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας, κατὰ τοὺς λόγους τῶν λεχθέντων ἀπὸ στόματος τῶν προφητῶν, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ οἶκος Κυρίου τεθεμελίωται, καὶ ὁ ναὸς ὁ ἅγιος ᾠκοδόμηται. 2.309 Κατισχύουσι δὲ χεῖρες ἐν λόγοις ὅταν εἰς ἔργα μεταβάλωσιν τὰ ἠθικὰ μαθήματα. Τότε γὰρ τότε αἱ δραστήριοι χεῖρες τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ἐνέργειαν μεταβάλλουσιν, ὅταν συνυφῆ τυγχάνῃ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ σὺν ἀρετῇ ἔργα, τῶν ἀκουόντων οὐκ ἀκροατῶν μόνου νόμου ὄντων ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιητῶν ἔργου. 2.310 Πότε δὲ ταῦτα γνησίως καὶ θεοσεβῶς σπουδάζεται, ἢ ὅτε ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λαὸς σὺν λόγῳ τῆς εὐσεβείας πράττει καὶ διανοεῖται, τοῦ θείου οἴκου θεμελιουμένου καὶ οἰκοδομουμένου τοῦ ναοῦ κατὰ τὰς ἔμπροσθεν ἡμέρας. Θεμελιοῦται δὲ ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου οἶκος καὶ ὁ ναὸς οἰκοδομεῖται, πληρουμένου τοῦ ἐν Παροιμίαις εἰρημένου οὕτως· «Ἡ σοφία ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον, καὶ ὑπήρεισεν στύλους ἕπτα.» Περὶ τούτου τοῦ οἴκου καὶ ναοῦ ὁ ἐνανθρωπήσας Κύριος λέγει τῷ Πατρί· «Σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι.» Τοῦ οὕτω λεχθέντος οἴκου θεμελίους ἐσχηκότος οἷα ναοῦ ἁγίου οἰκοδομηθέντος, αἱ χεῖρες, τοῦτ' ἔστιν αἱ πρακτικαὶ δυνάμεις, κατισχ̣ύουσιν κατὰ τὰς ἔμπροσθεν φωτε̣ινὰς θεωρίας, ἡμέρας καλουμένας. 2.311 Ἐπίστησον εἰ οἶκος τεθεμελιωμένος καὶ ναὸς ᾠκοδομημένος τυγχάνει ἡ ἔνδοξος Ἐκκλησία, περὶ ἧς ἐπιστέλλει ὁ Ἀπόστολος Τιμοθέῳ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ μαθητῇ· «Ἐὰν δὲ βραδύνω, ἵν' εἰδῇς πῶς δεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἐκκλησία Θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας.» Ταύτην ὑποβάλλει τὴν νόησιν καὶ ἡ προφητικὴ τοῦ Ἠσαΐου φωνὴ ὧδε