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Luxury, by stirring up the irrational pleasures, irrationally elevates the soul, while fasting, doing the opposite, casts down the passions; but also the commendable fast brings about a cleansing of sins, and truly working freedom from pride in the soul, it humbles it. 335 Ps 34,13c The prayer of one who has prayed well returns to him, bringing the good things for which it was made, and having turned back, it is gathered into the bosom of the one who sent it up. The bosom signifies their ruling faculty; For this is their scorn in the land of Egypt into their bosom, and Into the bosom comes everything for the unjust; and in this way also all the righteous enter the bosom of Abraham, that is, into the same mind and promise as he. 336 Ps 34,14 I was so well-disposed toward those who wished to harm the aforementioned things, as one might be well-disposed to a neighbor and to one's own brother, or thus, as their neighbor and as their own brother I was pleasing them. Since I was disposed as if toward genuine brothers, seeing them being put to death by what they were doing, as one mourning them and being downcast for them, I was humbled, propitiating the one who is able to keep me unharmed from them. 337 Ps 34,15ab The present can be an exegesis of They repaid me evil for good. For while I was mourning for them and was downcast at the deadness they possessed, they, gathering against me, had joy as if they were about to take me captive; and they have done both against me, then to be gathered together and to rejoice. Through what they attempted against me, they scourged my soul intellectually; but I, remaining unharmed, had neither perception nor knowledge of the things being brought forth by them. But if ever, when the enemies were provoking to sin, a disturbance occurred in my thoughts, so that I was scourged by the perception of the things from my thoughts, I did not reveal these scourges to my adversaries, so that, taking no occasion from the agitation of my soul, they might not attack even more. 338 Ps 34,15c.16 Having been gathered against me and having rejoiced, by divine providence they were torn asunder; having been dissolved and nevertheless also thus scattered, they were not pierced to the heart, that is, they did not repent of the evil things they planned, but again they attempted the same things. Through all that they did, striving to make a trial of me, they have not been able to seize me; wherefore also they turned to mocking and scorning me. Like wild beasts they gnashed their teeth, that is, their wrathful and angry power, against me; for wishing to devour me, they failed. 339 Ps 34,17 The saint says: Lord, when will you look upon this? For when you look upon it, all the aforesaid things will be gone, departing with those who do them. And he calls his soul only-begotten because he has only it; for one must not pay attention to the myth-making about metempsychosis. or perhaps the only-begotten, other than his soul, is the substance of the spirit joined to the soul; for this is only-begotten by being separated from all things in us according to its divinity. 340 Ps 34,18 A great church is that gathered from many saints, a weighty people is the firm and strong, contrasted with the superficial and flighty. 341 Ps 34,22b Since you are present with me, the enemies are far off; Do not stand aloof from me, so that they may not come upon me, being isolated from you. 342 Ps 34,23 Since in many places the longsuffering of God is called his sleep, when the enemies are pressing, he rouses the Lord to indignation, saying: Awake, O Lord, and attend to my judgment, that is, set your overseeing power upon it, so that the matters concerning me against my enemies may be examined. For this is for good, since they are my enemies without cause and will surely be condemned, They who hate me without a cause. 343 Ps 34,27.28 And this author, indeed, took the psalm to refer to both David and to Christ, but rather to Christ; another indefinitely to a righteous man; and the third to David alone. And concerning praying against enemies, one said that the things that were to happen were spoken prophetically, but the other for the benefit of the enemies

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τρυφὴ τὰς ἀλόγους ἡδονὰς διεγείρουσα ἀλόγως ἐπαίρει τὴν ψυχήν, νηστεία τὸ ἐναντίον ποιοῦσα καθαιρεῖ τὰ πάθη· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων καθαίρεσιν ἡ ἐπαινετὴ νηστεία ποιεῖ, η καὶ ἀληθῶς ἀτυφίαν ἐργαζομένη τῇ ψυχῇ ταπεινοῖ αὐτήν. 335 Ps 34,13c Τοῦ καλῶς προσευξαμένου ἡ προσευχὴ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνακάμπτει φέρουσα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὑπὲρ ων γέγονεν, καὶ ἀποστραφεῖσα εἰς κόλπον συστρέφεται τοῦ ἀναπέμψαντος αὐτήν. σημαίνει δὲ ὁ κόλπος τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν αὐτῶν· Ουτος γὰρ ὁ φαυλισμὸς αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ εἰς κόλπον αὐτῶν, καὶ Εἰς κόλπον ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις· καὶ ταύτῃ καὶ πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι εἰς κόλπον ̓Αβραὰμ χωροῦσιν, τουτέστιν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ γνώμην καὶ ἐπαγγελίαν. 336 Ps 34,14 Ἐγὼ ουτως εὐαρέστως διεκείμην πρὸς τοὺς βλάψαι τὰ προειρημένα βουλομένους, ὡς αν τις εὐαρεστοίη τῷ πλησίον καὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ ἀδελφῷ, η ουτως, ὡς πλησίον αὐτῶν καὶ ὡς ἀδελφὸς σφέτερος εὐηρέστουν αὐτοῖς. ̓Επεὶ ὡς περὶ γνησίων ἀδελφῶν διεκείμην ὁρῶν αὐτοὺς δι' ων πράττουσι νεκρουμένους, ὡς πενθῶν αὐτοὺς καὶ σκυθρωπάζων ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐταπεινούμην, ἐξευμενιζόμενος τὸν δυνάμενον ἀβλαβῆ ἀπ' αὐτῶν με διαφυλάξαι. 337 Ps 34,15ab ̓Εξηγητικὸν τὸ παρὸν ειναι δύναται τοῦ ̓Ανταπεδίδοσάν μοι πονηρὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν. ἐμοῦ γὰρ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πενθοῦντος καὶ σκυθρωπάζοντος ἐφ' ῃ εχουσι νεκρότητι, αὐτοὶ κατ' ἐμοῦ συναγόμενοι εὐφροσύνην ειχον ὡς ὑποχείριόν με ληψόμενοι· ἑκάτερα δὲ κατ' ἐμοῦ πεποιήκασιν, τότε συναχθῆναι καὶ εὐφρανθῆναι. ∆ι' ων ἐπεχείρουν κατ' ἐμοῦ, ἐμάστιζον τὴν ψυχήν μου λογικῶς· ἐγὼ δὲ ἀβλαβὴς διαμένων οὐδὲ αισθησιν η γνῶσιν εσχον τῶν πρὸς αὐτῶν προσαγομένων. εἰ δὲ καί ποτε διερεθιζόντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν τάραχος ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς γεγένητο ὡς μαστίζεσθαί με ἐξ αἰσθήσεως τῶν ἀπὸ λογισμῶν, οὐκ ἐφανέρουν τὰς μάστιγας ταύτας τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις, οπως μὴ λαβόντες ἀφορμὴν ἐκ τοῦ κλόνου τῆς ψυχῆς ετι μᾶλλον ἐπιβῶσιν. 338 Ps 34,15c.16 Κατ' ἐμοῦ συναχθέντες καὶ εὐφρανθέντες θείᾳ προνοίᾳ διεσχίσθησαν· διαλυθέντες καὶ ομως καὶ ουτω σκεδασθέντες οὐ κατενύγησαν, τουτέστιν οὐ μετέγνωσαν ἐφ' οις κακῶς ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀλλ' αυθις τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπεχείρησαν. ∆ιὰ πάντων ων ἐποίουν ἀπόπειράν μου σπουδάζοντες λαβεῖν, ἑλεῖν με οὐ δεδύνηνται· διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ χλευάζειν καὶ ἐκμυκτηρίζειν με μετεβάλοντο. Θηρῶν ἀγρίων δίκην τοὺς ὀδόντας, τουτέστιν τὴν ὀργίλον καὶ θυμωτικὴν αὐτῶν δύναμιν, ἐπ' ἐμὲ εβρυξαν· καταφαγεῖν με γὰρ θέλοντες ἀπέτυχον. 339 Ps 34,17 ̔Ο αγιός φησιν· Κύριε, πότε ἐπόψει; ἐποψομένου σου γὰρ οἰχήσεται τὰ προειρημένα πάντα συναπιόντα τοῖς δρῶσιν αὐτά. Μονογενῆ δὲ λέγει τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ τῷ μόνην αὐτὴν ἐσχηκέναι· οὐ γὰρ προσεκτέον τῇ περὶ μετεμψυχώσεως μυθοποιΐᾳ. η τάχα μονογενὴς αλλη παρὰ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἡ οὐσία τοῦ συνεζευγμένου τῇ ψυχῇ πνεύματός ἐστιν· μονογενὴς γὰρ αυτη τῷ ἀποκεχωρίσθαι ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν κατὰ θειότητα. 340 Ps 34,18 Πολλὴ ἐκκλησία ἡ ἐκ πολλῶν ἁγίων συναγομένη, λαὸς βαρὺς ὁ βέβαιος καὶ στιβαρὸς ἐπιπολαίῳ καὶ εὐχερεῖ ἀντιδιαστελλόμενος. 341 Ps 34,22b ̓Επεὶ σοῦ παρόντος μοι, οἱ ἐχθροὶ μακράν· Μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οπως μὴ ἐπέλθωσί μοι μονωθέντι σου. 342 Ps 34,23 ̓Επεὶ πολλαχοῦ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ μακροθυμία υπνος αὐτοῦ λέγεται, ἐπιτριβομένων τῶν ἐχθρῶν διανίστησιν εἰς ἀγανάκτησιν τὸν κύριον λέγων· ̓Εξεγέρθητι, κύριε, καὶ πρόσχες τῇ κρίσει μου, τουτέστιν, ἐπίστησον τὴν εφορον δύναμίν σου, οπως ἐξετασθῇ τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου. πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ γὰρ τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἀδίκως ἐχθρεύουσίν μοι καὶ πάντως καταδικασθήσονται Οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν. 343 Ps 34,27.28 Καὶ ουτος μὲν ὁ συγγραφεὺς εις τε τὸν ∆αυὶδ καὶ εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἐξέλαβεν τὸν ψαλμόν, μᾶλλον δὲ εἰς τὸν Χριστόν· αλλος δὲ ἀορίστως εἰς δίκαιον· ὁ δὲ τρίτος εἰς τὸν ∆αυὶδ μόνον. περὶ δὲ τοῦ κατεύχεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὁ μὲν προφητικῶς εφη λελέχθαι τὰ μέλλοντα συμβήσεσθαι, ὁ δὲ ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν