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opposites, the good and the bad. It is possible to take evening as the end of the shadow, the end of the letter. But when, the letter and the shadow having reached their end, someone wishes to be in them, he weeps rather, no longer seeing the cheerfulness of the letter, no longer contemplating the flower of the scripture. But when the life-giving spirit has risen and the new covenant has appeared, it is the beginning of a day, bringing exultation. Then also the more common things: when the synagogue of the circumcision received evening, as the sun of righteousness was setting for it—for "she who bore seven was made empty, the sun set for her while it was still midday." She bore seven; then she had received the Sabbath, so that in it she might accomplish all things spiritually and become a mother of good thoughts and deeds, but she was made empty; she did not receive the fullness, from which John, who signifies the letter and the old scripture, having received, says: "from his fullness we have all received." For this reason her soul failed as the sun was setting "while it was still midday," while this age was still present; for it too is often called a day. "and in the morning," therefore, "exultation." 7 But I said in my prosperity, I shall not be moved forever. The wording is ambiguous. It can be read thus: "But I said in my prosperity, I shall not be moved forever." When I was prospering, I said this: I shall not be moved forever. But it can also be read thus: "I said, In my prosperity I shall not be moved forever." Both punctuations make sense. When I prospered, having sown in righteousness and harvested the fruits of righteousness, I was so disposed, that I shall no longer be moved forever; for if "he who does the will of God remains forever" and his "righteousness is immortal," having brought forth the fruits of righteousness and prospering, I said; for I said it so by disposition, as in: "no one says, 'Jesus is Lord'," by disposition and by life. Prospering and bearing the fruits of virtue, I confessed this, that I remain unmoved forever according to: "he who believes and everyone who lives and believes shall not die forever"; and: "the righteousness of the Lord remains forever and ever." But it is also possible thus: to punctuate differently, "I said in my prosperity"; when I was prospering and seemed to be at rest, I said: "I shall not be moved forever." But if help had not come quickly, he would have been shaken, because he was confident in himself, having great trust in his fruitfulness. Therefore, if the person speaking is the Savior, let the former meaning prevail, but if it is one of the others, let this one also be accepted. 8 O Lord, in your will you have provided strength for my beauty. He speaks either optatively or thankfully. Let us see about what sort of beauty he speaks. He is not speaking about bodily beauty, but of the soul and of the inner man. This perceptible beauty, which is imagined in the face and the form, has its composition from the proportion of the limbs, if the limbs of a person are proportional to each other and not such that some are too large and others too small; for the beauty is distorted. It is necessary to have an eye suitable to the nose, and the latter to the mouth; for if the limbs are disproportionate, even if one by itself seems beautiful, it does not create beauty in the face. This, therefore, he says: in your will the specific virtues are consequent, so that my thoughts are proportional to my actions. And in the Song of Songs, the one praising the bride: "You are all beautiful, my love, and there is no blemish in you." For this reason, "you are all beautiful," because there is no blemish nor anything contrary to proportion in you, nor shame. 9 To you, O Lord, I will cry, and to my God I will make my plea. It is possible, so that we may explain it more simply: to you, O Lord, as high priest, as physician, I will cry, but to my God I will make my plea, not separating the Father from the Son. For he who cries to God cries to the Trinity; for the Trinity is one God, not the same in number, if indeed one must speak of numbers there. 10 What profit is there in my blood

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ἐναντία, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακόν. δυνατὸν ἑσπέραν λαβεῖν τὸ τέλος τῆς σ̣κιᾶς, τὸ τέλος τοῦ γράμματος. ὅταν δὲ τέλους λαβόντος τοῦ γράμματος καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς ἐν αὐτοῖς τις θέλῃ εἶναι, κλαίει μᾶλλον οὐκέτι ὁρῶν τοῦ γράμματος τὸ ἱλαρόν, οὐκέτι τῆς γραφῆς θεωρῶν τὸ ἄνθος. ἀνατείλαντος δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος καὶ φανείσης τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης ἀρχὴ ἡμέρας ἐστὶν φέρουσα ἀγαλλίασιν. λοιπὸν καὶ τὰ δημωδέστερα· ὅτε ἑςπέραν ἔλαβεν ἡ ἐκ περιτομῆς συναγωγὴ δύναντος αὐτῇ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης-"ἐκενώθη" γὰρ "τίκτουσα ἑπτά, ἐπέδυ ὁ ἥλιος αὐτῇ ἔτι μεσούσης τῆς ἡμέρας". ἑπτὰ ἔτικτε· τότε εἰλήφει τὸ σάββατον, ἵνα κατ' αὐτὸ πνευματικῶς ἐπιτελῇ πάντα καὶ μήτηρ καλῶν νοημάτων καὶ ἔργων γίνηται, ἀλλ' ἐκενώθη· οὐκ ἐδέξατο τὸ πλήρωμα, ἀφ' οὗ λαβὼν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ σημαίνων τὸ γράμμα καὶ τὴν παλαιὰν γραφὴν λέγει· "ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν". διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεκάκησεν αὐτῆς ἡ ψυχὴ ἐπιδύναντος τοῦ ἡλίου "ἐτι μεσούσης τῆς ἡμέρας", ἔτι ἐνεστηκότος τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος· λέγεται γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς πολλάκις ἡμέρα. "καὶ εἰς τὸ πρωὶ" οὖν "ἀγαλλίωσις". 7 ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἀμφίβολός ἐστιν ἡ λέξις. δύναται οὕτως ἀναγνωσθῆναι· "ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". ὅτε εὐθήνουν, εἶπον τοῦτο· οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. δύναται δὲ καὶ οὕτως· "ἐγὼ εἶπα Ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". ἀμφότεραι αἱ στιγμαὶ ἔχουσιν λόγον. ὅτε εὐθήνουν σπείρας εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ τρυγήσας γενήματα δικαιοσύνης, οὕτω διετέθην, ὅτι οὐκέτι σαλευθήσομαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· εἰ γὰρ "ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει" καὶ "ἡ δικαιοσύνη" αὐτοῦ "ἀθάνατός ἐστιν", ἀγαγὼν τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ εὐθηνούμενος εἶπον· εἶπον γὰρ οὕτω τῇ διαθέσει, ὡς εἰς τό· "οὐδεὶς λέγει Κύριον Ἰησοῦν", τῇ διαθέσει καὶ τῷ βίῳ. εὐθηνῶν καὶ ἀρετῆς γενήματα φέρων ὡμολόγησα τοῦτο, ὅτι ἀσάλευτος μένω εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τό· "ὁ πιστεύων καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα"· καί· "ἡ δικαιοσύνη τοῦ κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως· ἄλλως στίξαι "ἐγὼ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου"· ὅτε εὐθήνουν καὶ ἐδόκουν διαναπαύεσθαι, εἶ135 πον· "οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". εἰ μὴ ταχέως δὲ βοήθεια γέγονεν, ἐκλονεῖτο, ὅτι ἐθάρσησεν ἑαυτῷ, μέγα πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τῇ καρποφορίᾳ. ἐὰν μὲν οὖν πρόσωπον ᾖ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ λέγον, τὸ πρότερον κρατείτω νόημα, ἐὰν δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν, ἀποδεχέσθω καὶ τοῦτο. 8 κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν. ἤτοι εὐκτικῶς ἤτοι εὐχαριστητικῶς λέγει. ἴδωμεν, περὶ ποίου κάλλους λέγει. οὐ περὶ σωματικοῦ κάλλους λέγει, ἀλλὰ ψυχικοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου. τὸ κάλλος δὲ τοῦτο τὸ αἰσθητόν, τὸ ἐνφανταζόμενον τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ τῇ μορφῇ, ἐξ ἀναλογίας μελῶν ἔχει τὴν σύνστασιν, ἐὰν ἀνάλογα ᾐ῀̣ τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλη πρὸς ἑαυτὰ καὶ μὴ οὕτως εἶναι ὡς τὰ μὲν ὑπεραίρειν, τὰ δὲ εἴκειν· διαστρέφεται γὰρ το`̣ κάλλος. δεῖ κατάλληλον ὀφθαλμὸν ἔχειν τῇ ῥινὶ καὶ ταύτην τῷ στόματι· ἐὰν γὰρ ἀσύνμετρα̣ ᾐ῀̣ τὰ μέλη, κἂν αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ δοκῇ ὡραῖον εἶναι, ἀλλ' οὐ ποιεῖ τῷ προσώπῳ κάλλος. τοῦτο γοῦν λέγει· ἐν τῷ θελήμ̣ατι τῷ σῷ ἀντακολουθοῦσιν τῶν ἀρετῶν αἱ ἰδικαί, ὥστε τὰς νοήσεις μου ἀναλογούσας̣ εἶναι ταῖς πράξεσιν. καὶ ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων ὁ ἐπαινῶν τὴν νύμφην· "ὅλη καλή, ἡ πλησίον μου, καὶ μῶμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν σοί". διὰ τοῦτο "ὅλη καλὴ εἶ", ὅτι οὐκ ἔνι μῶμος οὐδὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν ἔστιν τι ἐν σοὶ οὐδὲ αἶσχος. 9 πρὸς σέ, κύριε, κεκράξομαι καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεόν μου βοήσομαι. δύναται, ἵνα δημωδέστερον ἐξηγησώμεθα· πρὸς σέ, ὦ κύριε, ὡς ἀρχιερέα, ὡς ἰατρὸν κεκράξομαι, πρὸς δὲ τὸν θεόν μου βοήσομαι, οὐ διαιροῦντες τὸν πατέρα ἀπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ. ὁ δὲ βοῶν πρὸς θεὸν πρὸς τὴν τριάδα βοᾷ· εἷς γὰρ θεὸς ἡ τριάς, οὐ τὸ ταὐτὸν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ, εἴ γε δεῖ ἀριθμοὺς ἐκεῖ φάναι. 10 Τίς ὠφελία ἐν τῷ αἵματί