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your own worth. You were bought with the precious blood of Christ; do not become a slave of sin. Understand your own price, lest you be compared to senseless beasts. This their way is a stumbling block to them. God, who orders our affairs, hinders us when we walk in wickedness, placing stumbling blocks and obstacles for us, so that, having departed from an irrational life, we may afterwards be well-pleased in our mouth, having believed with the heart unto righteousness, and confessed with the mouth unto salvation. Paul was persecuting, he was ravaging the Church of Christ, He impeded his course toward wickedness; afterwards He was well-pleased in his mouth, as he proclaimed in the synagogues, "That this is the Christ." He has set them as sheep in Hades, death shall shepherd them. But those who are beastly and compared to senseless beasts, as sheep having neither understanding nor the power to defend themselves, the one who plunders into captivity, being an enemy, has already cast them down into his own fortress, and has handed them over to death to be shepherded. For death shepherded from Adam until the polity according to Moses, until the true shepherd came, the one who laid down his own life for the sheep, and thus raising them up with himself and leading them out from the 29.453 prison of Hades into the morning of the resurrection, he handed them over to the upright, that is, to his holy angels, to shepherd them. And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. For to each of the faithful an angel is yoked, worthy to see the Father who is in heaven. These upright ones, therefore, will have dominion over those who have been freed from the most bitter slavery, and they will have dominion over those who have come to be in the morning, that is, those who have undergone the rising of the light. Behold the whole sequence of the scriptural words. Man, being in honor, did not understand; he was compared to senseless beasts. He who on account of his creation has that which is honorable, but on account of the sin dwelling in him does not perceive himself, this one was compared to the beasts. Then because he alienated himself from the Word of God, becoming irrational, the enemy snatched him like an unshepherded sheep and placed him in Hades, and handed him over to death to be shepherded. For this reason, the one rescued from there, and freed from the evil shepherd, says, "The Lord shepherds me." And no longer death, but life; no longer a fall, but resurrection; no longer falsehood, but the truth. And their help shall grow old in Hades. He is either speaking about death, which was not able with all its help to hold on to those shepherded by it because of the one who destroys him who has the power of death; of whom all help is old and weak. And then the help of the men deceived in their mind will be exposed, who think great things of wealth, and glory, and power. In Hades it shall grow old, their weakness being exposed. Or perhaps the help of the righteous who were redeemed by the Lord will be prolonged in Hades. For they have not yet received the promises, God having foreseen something better for us, that those who went before might not be made perfect without us. Nevertheless God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hades, when he receives me. He clearly prophesies the descent of the Lord into Hades, who with the others will also redeem the soul of the Prophet himself, so that it does not remain there. Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, or when the glory of his house is increased. Do not be afraid, he says, when a man becomes rich. This proclamation is also necessary for those who inhabit the world, both for the earth-born and the sons of men, for rich and poor together. Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich. When you see, he says, an unjust man growing rich, but a just man being poor, do not be afraid within yourself; do not be alarmed in your mind, as if 29.456 there were nowhere a providence of God overseeing human affairs; or perhaps there is indeed a divine oversight, but it does not reach the terrestrial place,

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σεαυτοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν. Τῷ πολυτιμήτῳ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἠγοράσθης· μὴ γίνου δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Σύνες σεαυτοῦ τῆς τιμῆς, ἵνα μὴ παρεικασθῇς τοῖς ἀνοήτοις κτή νεσιν. Αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν σκάνδαλον αὐτοῖς. Ὁ οἰκονομῶν τὰ ἡμέτερα Θεὸς ἐμποδίζει ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς κακίας βαδίζουσιν, προσκόμματα ἡμῖν καὶ κωλύ ματα τιθεὶς, ἵνα, ἀποστάντες τῆς κατὰ ἀλογίαν ζωῆς, μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ στόματι ἡμῶν εὐδοκήσω μεν, καρδίᾳ μὲν πιστευσάντων εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογησάντων εἰς σωτηρίαν. Ἐδίωκε Παῦλος, ἐπόρθει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐνῆκεν αὐτοῦ τὸν δρόμον τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πονηρίαν· μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ εὐδόκησε, καταγ γέλλων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς, Ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός. Ὡς πρόβατα ἐν ᾅδῃ ἔθετο, θάνατος ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς. Τοὺς δὲ κτηνώδεις καὶ παρασυμ βληθέντας τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, ὡς πρόβατα οὔτε σύνεσιν ἔχοντα, οὔτε τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἀμύνασθαι δύναμιν, ὁ διαρπάζων εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἐχθρὸς ὢν, ἤδη κατέβαλεν εἰς τὸ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ ὀχύρωμα, καὶ παρέδωκε τῷ θανάτῳ ποιμαίνειν. Ἐποί μαινε γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι τῆς κατὰ Μωϋσέα πολιτείας, ἕως οὗ ἦλθεν ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμὴν, ὁ θεὶς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, καὶ οὕτως ἑαυτῷ συναναστήσας καὶ ἐξαγαγὼν ἐκ τῆς 29.453 φυλακῆς τοῦ ᾅδου εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως πρωΐαν, παρέδωκε τοῖς εὐθέσι, τουτέστι, τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ ἀγγέλοις, εἰς τὸ ποιμαίνειν αὐτούς. Καὶ κατακυριεύ σουσιν αὐτῶν οἱ εὐθεῖς τὸ πρωΐ. Ἑκάστῳ γὰρ τῶν πιστῶν ἐστιν ἄγγελος παρεζευγμένος, ἄξιος τοῦ βλέπειν τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὗτοι οὖν οἱ εὐθεῖς κατακυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς πικρο τάτης δουλείας ἐλευθερωθέντων, καὶ κατακυριεύ σουσι τῶν γενομένων ἐν τῇ πρωΐᾳ, τουτέστι, τῶν ὑπελθόντων τὴν ἀνατολὴν τοῦ φωτός. Θέασαι πάντα τὸν εἱρμὸν τῶν γραφικῶν ῥημάτων. Ἄνθρω πος, ἐν τιμῇ ὢν, οὐ συνῆκε· παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις. Ὁ διὰ μὲν τὴν κατασκευὴν ἔχων τὸ τίμιον, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἐνοικοῦσαν ἐν αὐτῷ ἁμαρ τίαν οὐκ αἰσθανόμενος ἑαυτοῦ, οὗτος παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσιν. Εἶτα διὰ τὸ ἀλλοτριῶσαι ἑαυτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγου, γενόμενον ἄλογον, ὡς πρόβατον ἀποίμαντον ὁ ἐχθρὸς διαρπάσας ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ ἔθετο, καὶ παρέδωκε τῷ θανάτῳ ποιμαίνειν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ ἐκεῖθεν ῥυσθεὶς, καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ ποιμένος ἀπαλλαγεὶς, λέ γει τὸ, Κύριος ποιμαίνει με. Καὶ οὐκέτι θάνατος, ἀλλὰ ζωή· οὐκέτι πτῶσις, ἀλλ' ἀνάστασις· οὐκέτι τὸ ψεῦδος, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀλήθεια. Καὶ ἡ βοήθεια αὐτῶν πα λαιωθήσεται ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ. Ἤτοι περὶ τοῦ θανάτου λέγει, τοῦ μὴ δυνηθέντος μετὰ πάσης αὐτοῦ τῆς βοηθείας ἀντισχέσθαι τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ποιμαινομένων διὰ τὸν καταλύοντα τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανά του· ὧν πᾶσα ἡ βοήθεια παλαιὰ καὶ ἀσθενής. Καὶ τότε ἐξελεγχθήσεται ἡ βοήθεια τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἠπατημένων τῇ διανοίᾳ, τῷ πλούτῳ, καὶ δόξῃ, καὶ δυναστείᾳ μέγα φρονούντων. Ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ πα λαιωθήσεται, ἐλεγχομένης αὐτῶν τῆς ἀσθενείας. Ἢ μήποτε ἡ βοήθεια τῶν δικαίων τῶν λυτρωθέντων παρὰ Κυρίου παραταθήσεται ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ. Οὔπω γὰρ ἐκομίσαντο τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένου, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν οἱ προειληφότες. Πλὴν ὁ Θεὸς λυτρώσε ται τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου, ὅταν λαμ βάνῃ με. Σαφῶς προφητεύει τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου κάθοδον εἰς ᾅδου, ὃς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ αὐτοῦ λυ τρώσεται τοῦ Προφήτου τὴν ψυχὴν, ὡς μὴ ἐναπομεῖναι ἐκεῖ. Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Μὴ φο βοῦ, φησὶν, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος. Ἀναγ καῖον καὶ τοῦτο τὸ κήρυγμα τοῖς τὴν οἰκουμένην κατ οικοῦσι, τοῖς τε γηγενέσι καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώ πων, πλουσίοις τε ὁμοῦ καὶ πένησι. Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος. Ὅταν ἴδῃς, φησὶν, ἄδι κον μὲν πλουτοῦντα, δίκαιον δὲ πενόμενον, μὴ φοβη θῇς κατὰ σεαυτόν· μὴ πτοηθῇς τῇ διανοίᾳ, ὡς ἄρα 29.456 οὐδαμοῦ ἔστι πρόνοια Θεοῦ ἐπισκοποῦσα τὰ ἀνθρώ πινα· ἤ ἐστι μέν που τάχα ἡ θεία ἐπισκοπὴ, οὐ μὴν καὶ πρὸς τὸν περίγειον τόπον φθάνει,