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describing those who live in wickedness, and proclaiming the providence of God that extends through all things; and he mixed theology and prophecy into his words; for which reason the inscription also refers the reader to the end. 2. "The transgressor speaks of sinning within himself." He means, he says, the one reared in evil, that no one beholds the hidden counsels of his soul. For "says," he has put in place of "he thinks" and "he supposes." There is no fear of God before his eyes. And the cause of such callousness is not fearing the Master who oversees all things. 3. "For he has dealt deceitfully before him, to find his iniquity and to hate." [Thus, he says, he perverted himself, and cast off the fear of God from his eyes, so that his iniquity, being manifest, is both seen and found by all and is therefore worthy of hatred. Unbendingly he gave himself over to iniquity.] And he willingly has this ignorance, as not wishing to take account of what has been done, and to hate what has been wrongly done. 4, 5. "The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he would not understand to do good. He devised iniquity upon his bed, he set himself in every way that is not good; and he did not abhor evil." For he uses words stripped of truth, and entwined with deceit; and he does not want to understand what is proper, but even at night he contrives evils against his neighbor, and by day attempts to fulfill his plans. The cause of this is that he does not loathe, and utterly turn away from the forms of wickedness. For, "he did not abhor evil," he has put in place of "he did not loathe." For indeed holy Scripture calls idols sometimes abominations, and sometimes abhorrences. And this Aquila translated, "he did not reject"; [and Symmachus, "he did not disapprove";] and Theodotion, "he did not push away." 6, 7. "O Lord, your mercy is in heaven, and your truth is unto the clouds. And your righteousness is like the mountains of God." They therefore, as if no one were watching, attempt to do such things; but you, O Master, have both immeasurable mercy, and unweighable truth, and righteousness comparable to the greatest mountains; and your truth reaches even to men, through the prophets, as through certain clouds, bestowing on them the rain of salvation. "Your judgments are a great abyss." But having such truth and righteousness, for what reason you are long-suffering, I do not know; your judgments imitate the unseeable nature of the abyss. For just as its depth is unseen by men, so is the understanding of your judgments unattainable; "You will save men and beasts, O Lord." And what is the cause of this? 8. "How you have multiplied your mercy, O God." For your philanthropy extends even to the beasts, and not only do you nourish men, but also the things that came to be for the sake of man, benefitting men also through these. "But the sons of men will hope in the shelter of your wings." The statement contains a prediction of the change that happened after the incarnation of our Savior. For it did not say "they hoped," but "they will hope." 9. "They will be drunk with the fatness of your house, and you will give them to drink of the torrent of your delight." And the nature of men will flee to you for refuge, beholding the produce of good things sprouting forth in your house. And through these he alludes not only to the streams of divine teaching, but also to the enjoyment of the mystical food; and he compared the provision of such great goods to a torrent; first, because this was not given to men from the beginning; then, however, also urging all men to approach and drink, as the river is not perennial, but a torrent, and flowing for a season. For those who do not approach at the present time will not enjoy the sacred streams after their departure from here. And showing that the produce of good things is by nature perennial, but becomes a torrent in relation to the economies, for a time he added: 10. "For with you is the fountain of life." And here he clearly reveals to us that of the holy

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ποιούμενος τῶν πονηρίᾳ συζώντων, καὶ τὴν διὰ πάντων διήκουσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ προμήθειαν ἀνακη ρύττων· ἀνέμιξε δὲ καὶ θεολογίαν τοῖς λόγοις καὶ προφητείαν· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ εἰς τὸ τέ λος παραπέμπει τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα. βʹ. "Φησὶν ὁ παράνομος τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν ἑαυ τῷ." Οἴεται, φησὶν, ὁ κακίᾳ συντεθραμμένος, μη δένα θεωρεῖν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ τὰ κεκρυμμένα βου λεύματα. Τὸ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἡγεῖται καὶ ὑπολαμβάνει τέθεικεν. Οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπ 80.1121 έναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Αἴτιον δὲ τῆς τοιαύ της ἀναλγησίας, τὸ μὴ δεδιέναι τὸν πάντα ἐφορῶντα ∆εσπότην. γʹ. "Ὅτι ἐδόλωσεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ μισῆσαι." [Οὕτω, φησὶν, ἑαυ τὸν διέτρεψεν, καὶ τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἀπέῤῥιψεν ὀφθαλμῶν, ὡς τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτοῦ προ φανῆ τυγχάνουσαν καὶ πᾶσιν ὁρᾶσθαι καὶ εὑρίσκε σθαι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μίσους ἀξίαν εἶναι. Ἀκάμπτως ἐξέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν τῇ ἀνομίᾳ.] Ἑκὼν δὲ ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἄγνοιαν, ὡς μὴ βουλόμενος λογιστεῦσαι τὰ πεπραγμένα, καὶ μισῆσαι κακῶς πεπραγ μένα. δʹ, εʹ. "Τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἀνομία καὶ δόλος· οὐκ ἐβουλήθη συνιέναι τοῦ ἀγαθῦναι. Ἀνομίαν διελογίσατο ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης αὑτοῦ, παρ έστη πάσῃ ὁδῷ οὐκ ἀγαθῇ· κακίᾳ δὲ οὐ προσώχθι σεν." Λόγοις μὲν γὰρ κέχρηται τῆς ἀληθείας γε γυμνωμένοις, καὶ δόλῳ συμπεπλεγμένοις· συνιδεῖν δὲ τὸ πρέπον οὐ βούλεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ νύκτωρ πονη ρὰ τυρεύει τῷ πέλας, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν πληροῦν ἐπιχειρεῖ τὰ βουλεύματα. Τούτου δὲ αἴτιον, τὸ μὴ βδελύττεσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ παντελῶς ἀποστρέφεσθαι τῆς πονηρίας τὰ εἴδη. Τὸ γὰρ, κακίᾳ οὐ προσ ώχθισεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ ἐβδελύξατο, τέθεικεν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ εἴδωλα ποτὲ μὲν βδελύγματα, ποτὲ δὲ προσ οχθίσματα ἡ θεία προσαγορεύει Γραφή. Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Ἀκύλας, οὐκ ἀπέῤῥιψεν ἡρμήνευσεν· [ὁ δὲ Σύμ μαχος, οὐκ ἀπεδοκίμασεν·] ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, οὐκ ἀπώσατο. ʹ, ζʹ. "Κύριε, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν. Καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου, ὡς ὄρη Θεοῦ." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν, ὡς μηδενὸς ἐφ ορῶντος, τοιαῦτα πράττειν ἐπιχειροῦσι· σὺ δὲ, ∆έσποτα, καὶ ἔλεον ἔχεις ἀμέτρητον, καὶ ἀλήθειαν ἀστάθμητον, καὶ δικαιοσύνην ὄρεσι παραβαλλομένην μεγίστοις· χωρεῖ δέ σου καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ ἀλήθεια, διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, οἷον διά τινων νεφελῶν, τὸν σωτήριον αὐτοῖς ὑετὸν χορηγοῦσα. "Τὰ κρίματά σου ἄβυσσος πολλή." Τοσαύτην δὲ ἔχων ἀλήθειαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, τίνος ἕνεκα μακροθυμεῖς, ἀγνοῶ· τὸ τῆς ἀβύσσου ἀθεώρητον μιμεῖταί σου τὰ κρί ματα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνης ἀνθρώποις ἀθεώρητος ὁ βυθὸς, οὕτως ἀνέφικτος τῶν σῶν κριμάτων ἡ κατα 80.1124 νόησις· "Ἀνθρώπους καὶ κτήνη σώσεις, Κύριε." Καὶ τί τούτου τὸ αἴτιον; ηʹ. "Ὡς ἐπλήθυνας τὸ ἔλεός σου, ὁ Θεός." Μέχρι γὰρ καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν ἡ σὴ διήκει φιλανθρωπία, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ διὰ τὸν ἄν θρωπον γεγενημένα τρέφεις, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τούτων εὐεργετῶν. "Οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιοῦσιν." Πρόῤῥησιν ὁ λόγος ἔχει τῆς μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Σωτῆ ρος ἡμῶν γεγενημένης μεταβολῆς. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἤλπισαν, ἀλλὰ ἐλπιοῦσιν. θʹ. "Μεθυσθήσονται ἀπὸ τῆς πιότητος τοῦ οἴκου σου, καὶ χειμάῤῥους τῆς τρυφῆς σου ποτιεῖς αὐτούς." Καταφεύξεται δὲ πρὸς σὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις, ἀναβλαστάνουσαν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν φορὰν θεωροῦσα. Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τού των, οὐ μόνον τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας τὰ νάματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς μυστικῆς τροφῆς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν· χει μάῤῥῳ δὲ τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν τὴν χορηγίαν ἀπείκασε· πρῶτον μὲν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ταύτην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δοθῆναι· ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ προτρέ πων πάντας ἀνθρώπους προσελθεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, ὡς τοῦ ποταμοῦ οὐκ ἀεννάου ὄντος, ἀλλὰ χειμάῤῥου, καὶ πρὸς καιρὸν φερομένου. Οἱ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν παρ όντα καιρὸν μὴ προσιόντες, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκ δημίαν τῶν ἱερῶν ναμάτων οὐκ ἀπολαύσονται. Καὶ δεικνὺς ὡς φύσει μὲν ἀένναός ἐστι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ φορὰ, χειμάῤῥους δὲ πρὸς τὰς οἰκονομίας γίνεται, εἰς καιρὸν ἐπήγαγεν· ιʹ. "Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς." Ἐνταῦθα δὲ σαφῶς ἡμῖν ἀποκαλύπτει τὸ τῆς ἁγίας