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he will keep a feast to you.". xii, 8. And he built there an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. Fittingly, he who had crossed over and reached the mountain that was assigned and the house of God and was illumined by the things of the east and had trodden on the opposing things in such a way that no one feared them, raised an altar of thanksgiving, on which he performs the sacrifice of praise and righteousness according to what was said before about the spiritual sacrifice, which is the system of the virtues. "And he called upon the name of the Lord," which someone taking it readily would say that the altar, which he built, he named "of the Lord"; but it is possible to say in a more mystical and exalted way that he called upon the name of the Lord not with a bare syllable but in reality, with the mind making its petition to God, practicing the virtues for no other reason than for the good itself. For according to this thought, the Savior also, when teaching to pray and say "Our Father," did not instruct to do this by 224 pronunciation, but so that they might present themselves as sons and no longer call upon God as father in vain; so we hear also ...... "No one says, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit," and this does not belong to those who say this by pronunciation alone and in vain. Therefore Abram made the building of the altar of virtues for the Lord and for His sake and not for another. xii, 9. And Abram departed and, having journeyed, encamped in the desert. Since the literal meaning is not unclear, we must speak of the spiritual meaning. For even if one is perfect, he is not free from those who wage war, even if he is still an infant like the Corinthians, to whom Paul says in his letter: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.". But to the Ephesians, as to those already perfect, he writes, numbering himself among them: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood"; he does not say "it has not been," but "we do not wrestle"; for it once was, when he supposed himself to be carnal, sold under sin, indicating those in such a state, to whom it is also necessary to say as he himself writes: "But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.". But he has the fight, using heavenly weapons, against the spiritual things in the heavenly places. It is, therefore, characteristic of the perfect man to wage war, just as Abram also, having come to the house of God according to what was assigned, himself also becoming like it, as it is said: "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.". Having become so great, therefore, and knowing that the opposing phalanx would not spare him, he encamped, just as Jacob, when about to meet Esau, who was a great enemy and envied him, "saw the camp of God"; for it was necessary for God, preparing the athlete for courage, to show him that he has allies. And Elisha, too, when about to be besieged by the king of Syria, had around him a divine army, which the prophet's servant, not knowing of, feared, but later took courage from the revelation to his eyes. 225 And it is well that he encamped "in the desert.". Thus, at any rate, the Savior is also tempted in the desert; and in Isaiah you have: "As a storm might pass through a desert, coming from the desert, from the land," which signifies temptation. Therefore Abram encamped "in the desert"; for temptations for the most part happen outside cities, because they are found to be without help from fellow human beings; "For a brother helped by a brother is like a strong city.". And so the Savior, as I said before, is tempted in the desert, so that what is said may be of this sort: the soul that comes into temptation sees itself as destitute of alliance, God doing this according to his plan; for if he had revealed to them beforehand the outcome and that they would conquer the temptation, what was accomplished would not be great; for they would neither send up a prayer nor do anything else. But it is shown

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ἑορτάσει σοι"6. χιι, 8. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ θυσι̣α̣σ̣τ̣η´̣ρ̣ιον τῷ Κυρίῳ κ̣α̣ι`̣ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Πρεπόντως ὁ διαβὰς καὶ ἐπὶ τ̣ο`̣ ἀποδοθὲν ὄρ̣ος και`̣ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνατολῶν̣ καταυγασθεὶς καὶ πατήσας τὰ ἀντικείμενα οὕτως ὡς μηδένα αὐτὰ δεδι´̣ττεσθαι εὐχαριστίας ἤγειρε θυσιαστήριον, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπιτελεῖ τῆς αἰνέσεως τὴν θυσίαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα περὶ πνευ<μα>τικῆς θυσίας, ἥτις ἐστὶ τὸ σύστημα τῶν ἀρετῶν. "6Καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου"6, ὅπερ προχείρως τις ἐκλαμβάνων λέξει ὅτι τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ὃ ᾠκοδόμησεν, ὠνόμασεν "3Κυρίου"3· δυνατὸν δὲ μυστηρι- κώτερον καὶ ὑπεραναβεβηκότως εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἐπικαλέσασθαι οὐ ψιλῇ συλλαβῇ ἀλλὰ πραγματικῶς, τοῦ νοῦ τὴν ἔντευξιν Θεῷ ποιουμένου, μὴ δι' ἄλλο τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐνεργοῦντ̣ο̣ς ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθόν. Κατὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ διδάσκων προσεύχε̣σθαι καὶ λέγειν "6Πάτερ ἡμῶν"6 οὐ κατὰ 224 προφορὰν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπαίδευσεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα παραστήσωσιν ἑα̣υ̣τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ μηκ̣ε´̣τ̣ι̣ ματαίως ἐπικαλῶνται τὸν Θεὸν πατέρα· ο̣ὕτως ἀκούομεν και`̣ ······ "6Οὐδεὶς λέγει Κύριον Ἰησοῦν εἰ μὴ ἐν Πνεύματι α῾̣γίῳ"6, τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ὑπ̣α´̣ρ̣χ̣ε̣ι̣ τοῖς κατὰ μόνην τὴν προφορὰν του῀̣τ̣ο λέγουσιν καὶ ματ̣α̣ι´̣ω̣ς̣. ῾Ο̣ οὖν Ἀβρὰμ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ ἐξ ἀρ̣ετῶν θυσια- στηρίου τ̣ῳ῀̣ Κυρίῳ καὶ δι' αὐτὸν καὶ οὐ δι' ἄλλον ἐποιεῖτο. χιι, 9. Καὶ ἐπῇρεν Ἀβρὰμ καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐστρατο- πέδευσεν ἐν τῇ ε᾿̣ρ̣η´̣μ̣ῳ̣. Τοῦ ῥητοῦ οὐκ ἀδήλου ὄντος, λεκτέον τὸ πρὸς διάνοιαν. Κ̣ἀ`̣ν̣ γ̣α`̣ρ̣ τ̣ε´̣λειός τις ᾖ, οὐκ ἀπαλλάττεται τῶν πολεμούντων, κἂν ἐ´̣τ̣ι̣ ν̣ήπιος καθὼς Κορίνθιοι, οἷς ἐπιστέλλων Παῦλός φησιν· "6Πει̣ρασμὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ εἴληφεν εἰ μὴ ἀνθρώπινος· πιστὸς δὲ ὁ Θεός, ὃς ο̣ὐκ ε᾿̣άσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ σὺν τῷ πειρα̣σ̣μ̣ῳ῀̣ ποιήσει τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν"6. Ἐφεσίοις δὲ ὡς ἤδη τελείοις ἐπιστέλλει καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀριθμῶν· "6Οὐ γάρ ἐστ̣ιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα"6· οὐ λέγει "3οὐ γέγονεν"3, ἀλλ' "6οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη"6· γέγονεν γάρ ποτε, ὅτε ὑπετίθετο ἑαυτὸν σάρκινον εἶναι πεπραμένον ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, σημαίνων τοὺς ἐν τοιαύτη καταστάσει, οἷς καὶ δέον ἐστὶν λέγειν ὡς αὐτὸς γράφει· "6Ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι"6. Ἔχει δὲ τὴν μάχην χρώμενος ὅπλοις ἐπουρανίοις ᾗ πρὸς πνευματικὰ ἐπουράνια. Τελείου οὖν ἐστιν τὸ πολεμεῖν καθὰ καὶ Ἀβρὰμ ἐπιστὰς τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὰ ἀποδοθέντα, κατ' αὐτὸ καὶ αὐτὸς γινόμενος καθὰ εἴρηται· "6Οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ Κύριον ὡς ὄρος Σιών"6. Τηλικοῦτος οὖν γεγενημένος, ἐπιστάμενος ὅτι οὐκ ἀφέξεται αὐτοῦ ἡ ἐναντία φάλαγξ, ἐστρα<το>πέδευσεν, ὥσπερ ὁ Ἰακὼβ μέλλων τῷ Ἠσαύ, μεγάλῳ πολεμίῳ ὄντι καὶ φθονοῦντι αὐτῷ, συντυγχάνειν, "6εἶδεν παρεμβολὴν Θεοῦ"6· ἔδει γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν παρα- σκευάζοντα εἰς ἀνδρείαν τὸν ἀθλητὴν δεῖξαι αὐτῷ ὅτι ἔχει τοὺς συμμαχοῦντας. Καὶ Ἐλισαῖος δὲ μέλλων πορθεῖ- σθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς Συρίας βασιλέως εἶχεν περὶ ἑαυτὸν θεῖον στρατόπεδον, ὅπερ ἀγνοοῦν τὸ παιδάριον τοῦ προφήτου πεφόβηται, ὕστερον ἐκ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ θαρσήσας. 225 Εὐ῀̣ δὲ καὶ τὸ "6ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ"6 ἐστρατοπεδευκέναι. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν ἐρήμῳ πειράζεται· καὶ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ ἔχεις· "6Ὡς καταιγὶς δι' ἐρήμου διέλθοι ἐξ ἐρήμου ἐρχομένη ἐκ γῆς"6, ἅπερ δηλοῖ πειρασμόν. Ἐστρα- <το>πέδευσεν οὖν ὁ Ἀβρὰμ "6ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ"6· ἔξω πόλεων γὰρ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον οἱ πειρασμοὶ <ἔ>τυχον διὰ τὸ ἀβοηθήτους αὐτοὺς εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐκ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀνθρώπων· "6Ἀδελφὸς γὰρ ὑπὸ ἀδελφοῦ βοηθούμενος ὡς πόλις ὀχυρά"6. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ οὖν, ὡς πρόειπον, ἐν ἐρήμῳ πειράζεται, ἵν' ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτον· ἡ εἰς πειρασμὸν ἐρχομένη ψυχὴ ὥσπερ ἔρημον ἑαυτὴν ὁρᾷ συμμαχίας, Θεοῦ τοῦτο οἰκονομικῶς ποιοῦντος· εἰ γὰρ προαπεκάλυπτεν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἔκβασιν καὶ ὅτι νικήσουσιν τὸν πειρασμόν, οὐ μέγα [ἦν] τὸ ἀνυσμένον· οὐδὲ γὰρ εὐχὴν ἀνέπεμπον οὐδ' ἄλλο τι ἐποίουν. ∆είκνυται δὲ