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Practical virtue also has understanding and knowledge; for how do we know if they are practical or ethical, if we do not understand them? And so Paul, writing practical instructions, says: "may God give you understanding in all things". He was speaking about offerings, about the need for the teacher to be supported by those being taught. And since it seemed to be about himself, or he himself was the teacher, having spoken covertly of the need for the teacher to be supported by the students, he says: "may God give you understanding in all things". Therefore, understanding is multifaceted; the word is homonymous, it has many meanings. But since here he speaks about hidden things, it is used in the sense of knowledge, which is akin to wisdom; for the psalm contains mysteries. And this must also be said: it is impossible to understand grammatical arguments, if one does not have an understanding of letters, and it is not possible to understand philosophical arguments, if one does not have knowledge of their introductory theorem. So also the things of God are impossible to understand without divine understanding. But why is it granted to David alone, or why is the understanding said to be of David? —consider that the properties are known sometimes from the one giving, sometimes from the one receiving. For instance, the holy spirit in scripture is said to be sometimes of Elijah, sometimes of John. Likewise also the gospel is sometimes said to be of God, as God gives and composes it; for "set apart for the gospel of God", and sometimes from the one who ministers it; for "according to my gospel", and it is sometimes said of those who evangelize, who have received the gospel, and sometimes also absolutely: "repent and believe in the gospel". Such names, when they mean the same thing with and without an addition, are with a divine addition and without it, as I was saying, simply 'gospel' and 'gospel of God'. Therefore it is the same thing to say simply 'gospel' and 'gospel of God'. So, therefore, understanding is from God who gives, but from the prophet and sacred psalmist who has received it, the understanding is said to be his. 1 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Sin differs from iniquity. Iniquity is the sinful act of one who does not have the law; for a transgressor of the law is called lawless. "Transgressions ensnare a man". And: "The transgressor says within himself that he will sin". Although in another way sin and iniquity are the same; for this the divine John writes in his epistle: "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness". If, therefore, he has sinned, it is in some way iniquity; but he says they are two. Indeed, by binding them with a connective conjunction he showed that they are two. Then: "and sin is lawlessness". Sin is, as it were, the genus of iniquity; for I said that iniquity is a species, when the one doing evil does not have the law. And this is called sin, and also the transgression or disobedience of the law, which I called lawlessness. As if I say: "everyone who has a horse also has an animal", the animal is the genus. Not everyone who has an animal has a horse, but the one who has a horse has an animal. He who has the species has the genus and the species. So also here he speaks as if he means the same iniquity and sin. But they have the difference in concept, that the one is universal, the other is partial, the one is a genus, the other a species; for I was saying that the name of sin is used for both lawlessness and iniquity. Therefore both sin; "for as many as have sinned without the law". Behold, these are they who are without the law, they sin. "and as many as have sinned in the law"; these are they who have wisdom, who have transgression of the law. Both "have sinned". But forgiveness of iniquities happens, when the divine law, the spiritual one, that "converts souls" takes hold of the lawless. Then iniquities are forgiven. And I say thus the forgiveness of sins does not happen immediately. Jesus forgives if he says that: "the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins". And: "Child, your sins are forgiven"; for does he not say this: "behold

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ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἡ πρακτικὴ ἀρετὴ συ´̣νεσιν καὶ γνῶσιν· πόθεν γὰρ ἴσμεν εἰ πρακτικὰ ἢ ἠθικά εἰσιν, ἐὰν μὴ συνῶμεν αὐτά; καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γοῦν ὑπ̣οθήκας πρακτικὰς γράφων λέγει· "δῴη σοι ὁ θεὸς σύνεσιν ἐν πᾶσιν". περὶ τῶν προσφορῶν ἔλεγεν, περὶ τοῦ δεῖν τὸν διδάσ̣καλον τρέφεσθαι παρὰ τῶν παιδευομένων. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐδόκει περὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι ἢ αὐτὸς ὁ διδάσκαλος τὸ δεῖν τὸν διδ̣άσκαλον ἐπικουρεῖσθαι παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐπικεκρυμμένως αὐτὸ εἰρηκὼς λέγει· "δῴη σοι ὁ θεὸς σύνεσιν ἐν πᾶσιν". πολύτροπος οὖν ἐστιν ἡ σύνεσις, ὁμώνυμός ἐστιν ἡ λέξις, πολλὰ σημαινόμενα ἔχει. ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ κεκρυμμένων ἐνταῦθα λέγει, κεῖται τὸ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν, τὸ συγγενὲς τῇ σοφία· μυστήρια γὰρ περιέχει ὁ ψαλμός. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ λεκτέον· ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν γραμματικοὺς λόγους νοῆσαι, ἐὰν μή τις ἔχῃ γραμμάτων σύνεσιν, καὶ οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν φιλοσόφους νοῆσαι λόγους, ἐὰν μὴ τοῦ εἰσηγουμένου θεωρήματος αὐτῶν γνῶσιν τις ἔχῃ. οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν νοῆσαι χωρὶς θεϊκῆς σ̣υνέσεως. διὰ τί δὲ τῷ ∆αυὶδ μόνῳ χαρίζεται ἢ λέγεται ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἡ σύνεσις; -σκόπει ὅτι τὰ ἰδιώματα ὁτὲ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ διδόντος ὁτὲ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαμβάνοντος γνωριζόντων. αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐν τῇ γραφῇ λέγεται ὁτὲ μὲν Ἠλία ὁτὲ δὲ Ἰωάννου. ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὁτὲ μὲν θεοῦ λέγεται ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ διδόντος αὐτὸ καὶ συντάττοντος· "ἀφωρισμένος" γὰρ "εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ", ὁτὲ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ διακονοῦντος αὐτό· "κατὰ" γὰρ "τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου", καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων ποτὲ λέγεται τῶν εἰληφότων τὸ εὐαγγέλιο̣ν, ὁτὲ δὲ καὶ ἀπολελυμένως· "μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ". τὰ τοιαῦτα ὀνόματα ὁ´̣ταν μετὰ καὶ ἄνευ προσθήκης τὸ αὐτὸ σημαίνουσιν, μετὰ θείας προσθήκης κ̣αὶ ἄνευ ταύτης ἐστίν, ὡς ἔλε158 γον, ἁπλῶς εὐαγγέλιον καὶ εὐαγγε´̣λιον θεοῦ. ταὐτὸν οὖν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν ἁπλῶς εὐαγγέλιον καὶ εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ. οὕτως οὖν σύνεσις ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ δ̣ιδόντος θεοῦ ἔστιν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ εἰληφότος προφήτου καὶ ἱεροψάλτου αὐτοῦ λέγετ̣αι ἡ σύνεσις εἶναι. 1 μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. διαφέρει ἁμαρτία ἀνομίας. ἀνομία ἐστὶν ἡ ἁμαρτητικὴ πρᾶξις τοῦ νόμον μὴ ἔχοντος· παράνομος γὰρ λέγεται ὁ παραβάτης νόμου. "παρανομίαι ἄνδρα ἀγρεύουσιν". καί· "φησὶν ὁ παράνομος τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ". εἰ καὶ ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ η῾̣ ἁμαρτία καὶ η῾̣ ἀνομία ταὐτόν ἐστιν· τοῦτο γὰρ Ἰωάννης ὁ θεῖος ἐν τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐπιστολῇ γράφει· "πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία". εἰ τοίνυν ἥμαρτεν, ἀνομία ἐστίν πως· ἀλλ̣ὰ δυ´̣ο αὐτὰ λ̣έγει. συνπλεκτικῷ γοῦν συνδέσμῳ δήσας ἔδειξεν ὅτι δύο εἰσίν. εἶτα· "καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία". οἷον γένος ἐστὶν ἡ ἁμαρτία τῆς ἀνομίας· ἔλεγον γὰρ εἶδος εἶναι ἀνομίας, ὅταν ὁ πράττων κακῶς νόμον οὐκ ἔχῃ. λέγεται δὲ καὶ αὕτη ἁμαρτία καὶ ἡ τοῦ νόμου παράβασις ἢ παρακοὴ ἣν εἶπον παρανομίαν. ὡς ἐὰν λέγω· "πᾶς ὁ ἔχων ἵππον καὶ ζῷον ἔχει", γένος ἐστὶν τὸ ζῷον. οὐ πᾶς ὁ ἔχων ζῷον ἔχει ἵππον, ὁ δὲ ἵππον ἔχων ἔχει ζῷον. ὁ ἔχων τὰ εἴδη τὸ γένος τὰ εἴδη ἔχει. οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, ὡς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἁμαρτίαν λέγει. κατ' ἐπίνοιαν δὲ ἔχει τὴν διαφοράν, ὅτι ἡ μὲν καθόλου, ἡ δὲ ἐν μέρει ἐστίν, ἡ μὲν γένος ἐστίν, ἡ δὲ εἶδος· ἔλεγον γάρ, ὅτι τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὄνομα καὶ κατὰ τῆς παρανομίας καὶ τῆς ἀνομίας κεῖται. ἁμ̣αρτ̣άνουσιν οὖν ἑκάτεροι· "ὅσοι γὰρ ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον". ἰδοὺ οὗτοι οἳ χωρὶς νόμου εἰσίν, ἁμαρτάνουσ̣ι̣ν̣. "καὶ ὅσοι ἐν νόμῳ ἥμαρτον"· οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ σοφίαν ἔχοντες, οἱ παράβασιν νόμου ἔχοντες. ἀμφότεροι̣ "ἥμαρτον". ἄφεσις δὲ ἀνομιῶν γίνεται, ὅταν ὁ θεῖος νόμος, ὁ πνευματικός, ὁ "ἐπιστρέφων ψυχὰς" κρατήσῃ τῶν ἀνομούντων. τότε ἀφίενται αἱ ἀνομίαι. καὶ λέγω οὕτω ἡ ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μη`̣ γι´̣νεται εὐθέως. ἀφίησιν Ἰησοῦς ἐὰν λέγῃ ὅτι· "ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἁμαρτίας ἀφιέναι". καί· "τέκνον, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι"· μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι· "ἰδοὺ