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iniquity consists, while sin consists in the transgression of the law; but in either case he asks God, who is able to wash it out and cleanse it, that it be washed out and cleansed from the aforementioned state. 537 Ps 50,5 He who has the sin once committed before him would not endure to commit another; for it is by forgetting the former things that we commit others. 538 Ps 50,6ab Insofar as he was a king, he was not subject to human law, whence he did not sin against any of the lawgivers nor did he do evil in the sight of any of them; but since, in addition to being a king, he also wishes to be God-fearing, he was subject to the law of God; for which reason he also sinned against God alone, and did evil in his sight. 539 Ps 50,6cδ And again: since God said that the mind of men is more prone to evil things and "There is no man who will not sin," with even the perfect sinning, God is justified in his words in which he said that all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; and in this way he also overcomes when he is judged by men, proving them to be sinners. In harmony with these things is "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar"; for if he declared against all who are prone to sin, he who boasts of sinlessness, as far as it is in him, declares God a liar. 540 Ps 50,8 He who has been trained in the sophistic art for the hunt of truth, having known its greatness, had a perfect love for it. For those who have not trained themselves in falsehoods, having become more discerning, behold the admirable beauty of truth, such as are Moses and Daniel. For after being tested by sophistic arguments, having ascended to true wisdom itself, they had testimony from God as being perfectly wise, God having revealed to them the unseen and hidden things of his wisdom, so that nothing was any longer unclear or overshadowed for them. And David, possessing this state, uttered the preceding verse. 541 Ps 50,9 He who has genuinely approached the typical Passover is cleansed by the blood of the lamb among us, with hyssop being applied, as it is written in Exodus; but he who has accepted the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, being washed by the blood from his slaughter, is made whiter than snow. Both of these things happened to David; for he was sprinkled with hyssop (the blood of the typical lamb) and was washed by Jesus so as to be made whiter than snow; and here it means intelligible snow. 542 Ps 50,10 It has often already been said that the bones are dogmas and powers of the soul; these are humbled by sin and sophistic enchantment. But when God makes one hear joy and gladness, the humbled bones will rejoice. 543 Ps 50,11b Sins are blotted out by the participation in the virtues; for just as knowledge, upon entering the soul, blots out and makes ignorance disappear, so by the presence of perfect virtue every sin is blotted out. 544 Ps 50,12 If you blot out all my sins which have been inscribed by impressions on my heart, you create a clean heart in me, deprived of all wickedness, but also "Renew a right spirit within my inward parts." The inward parts of the soul are the right thoughts and serious conceptions, concerning which he says: "And all that is within me, bless his name." A right spirit is either the Holy Spirit or the right conscience or what he calls "the spirit of man that is in him." It should be noted that the word "created" does not signify an act of creating substance but a certain relation that is intensified in those in whom it comes to be. 545 Ps 50,13.14 While the virtuous stand without separation in the presence of God, only the sinner is cast out and rejected from it. But as for me, who am encompassed by your divine understanding, do not judge me to be such, as to be cast away from your presence; but also the Holy Spirit which you have caused to dwell in me, do not take away from me, so that I should be stripped of it. Expecting the advent of the Savior here, at which it happens that one has perfect joy, he beseeches the

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συνίστασθαι ἀνομίαν, τῷ δὲ κατὰ παράβασιν νόμου συνίστασθαι ἁμαρτίαν· πλὴν ἑκατέρως αὐτὴν ἐκπλυθῆναι καὶ καθαρισθῆναι ἀξιοῖ θεὸν τὸν ἐκπλύναι αὐτὴν καὶ καθαρίσαι δυνάμενον ἀπὸ τῆς προειρημένης εξεως. 537 Ps 50,5 ̔Ο δὲ τὴν απαξ πραχθεῖσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εχων οὐκ ἀνάσχοιτο ἑτέραν ποιῆσαι· τῶν γὰρ προτέρων ἐπιλανθανόμενοι ἑτέρας ἐνεργοῦμεν ἡμεῖς. 538 Ps 50,6ab Οσον ἐπὶ τῷ ειναι βασιλεὺς οὐχ ὑπέκειτο ἀνθρωπίνῳ νόμῳ, οθεν οὐδέ τινι τῶν νομοθετῶν ημαρτεν οὐδ' ἐνώπιόν τινος αὐτῶν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐποίησεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τῷ βασιλεὺς καὶ θεοσεβὴς ειναι βούλεται, ὑπέκειτο τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ νόμῳ· διὸ καὶ ημαρτεν μόνῳ θεῷ, καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐποίησεν. 539 Ps 50,6cδ Καὶ πάλιν· ἐπεὶ θεὸς ειπεν ἐπιρρεπεστέραν ειναι τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ τὸ Οὐκ εστιν ανθρωπος ος οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται ἁμαρτανόντων καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν τελείων, δικαιοῦται ὁ θεὸς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἑαυτοῦ ἐν οις ειπεν πάντας ἐκκεκλικότας αμα ἠχρεῶσθαι· ταύτῃ δὲ καὶ νικᾷ κρινόμενος πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀποδεικνὺς αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς. συνῳδὸν τούτοις τὸ ̓Εὰν ειπωμεν Οὐχ ἡμαρτήκαμεν, ψεύστην ποιοῦμεν αὐτόν· εἰ γὰρ ἀπεφήνατο κατὰ πάντων ἐπιρρεπῶς ἐχόντων πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν, ὁ ἀναμαρτησίαν αὐχῶν οσον εἰς αὐτὸν ψεύστην ἀποφαίνει τὸν θεόν. 540 Ps 50,8 ̔Ο τῇ σοφιστικῇ εξει ἐγγεγυμνασμένος ἐπὶ θήρᾳ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῆς γνοὺς ἀγάπην πρὸς αὐτὴν εσχεν τελείαν. οἱ μὴ γὰρ τοῖς ψεύδεσιν ἐγγυμνασάμενοι διορατικώτεροι γεγενημένοι καθορῶσι τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ ἀξιάγαστον κάλλος, οιός ἐστι Μωυσὴς καὶ ∆ανιήλ. μετὰ γὰρ τὸ πειραθῆναι σοφιστικῶν λόγων ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἀληθῆ σοφίαν ἀναβάντες ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ μαρτυρίαν εσχον ὡς οντες τέλειοι σοφοί, δηλώσαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ αδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ὡς μηδὲν αὐτοῖς ετι ἀσαφὲς η ἐπεσκιασμένον ειναι. ταύτης τῆς εξεως καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ τυγχάνων ἀνεφθέγξατο τὸν προκείμενον στίχον. 541 Ps 50,9 ̔Ο γνησίως τῷ τυπικῷ πάσχα προσεληλυθὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ αιματος τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν προβάτου καθαίρεται, προσαγομένου ὑσσώπου ὡς ἐν ̓Εξόδῳ γέγραπται· ὁ δὲ τὸν ἀμνὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν αιροντα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου προσηκάμενος, πλυνόμενος τῷ αιματι τῷ ἐκ τῆς σφαγῆς αὐτοῦ, ὑπὲρ χίονα λευκαίνεται. ἑκάτερα δὲ περὶ τὸν ∆αυὶδ γέγονεν· ἐρραντίσθη γὰρ ὑσσώπῳ (τὸ αιμα τοῦ τυπικοῦ προβάτου) καὶ ἐπλύθη ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ ὡς ὑπὲρ χίονα λευκανθῆναι· χίονα δὲ νοητὴν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει. 542 Ps 50,10 Πολλάκις ηδη δόγματα καὶ ψυχῆς δυνάμεις ειναι ειρηται τὰ ὀστᾶ· ταῦτα ταπεινοῦται ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίας καὶ σοφιστικῆς γοητείας. θεοῦ δὲ ἀκουτίσαντος ἀγαλλίασιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην, ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ τεταπεινωμένα ὀστᾶ. 543 Ps 50,11b ̓Εξαλείφονται δὲ ἁμαρτίαι ἀπὸ τῆς μετουσίας τῶν ἀρετῶν· ὡς γὰρ ἡ ἐπιστήμη εἰς ψυχὴν ἐλθοῦσα ἐξαλείφει καὶ ἀφανίζει τὴν αγνοιαν, ουτω παρουσίᾳ ἀρετῆς τελείας ἐξαλείφεται πᾶσα ἁμαρτία. 544 Ps 50,12 ̓Εὰν πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου ἐξαλείψῃς τὰς ἐγγεγραμμένας διὰ τῶν τυπώσεων τῇ καρδίᾳ μου, καρδίαν κτίζεις καθαρὰν ἐν ἐμοὶ πάσης κακίας στερομένην, ἀλλὰ Καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐγκαίνισον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις μου. Εγκατα δὲ ψυχῆς αἱ ὀρθαὶ εννοιαι καὶ σπουδαῖαι διαλήψεις περὶ ων φησιν· Καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου εὐλογεῖτε τὸ ονομα αὐτοῦ. εὐθὲς δ' ἐστὶν πνεῦμα ητοι τὸ αγιον η ἡ συνείδησις ἡ ὀρθὴ η ο λέγει πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ. σημειωτέον οτι ἡ εκτισεν φωνὴ οὐκ οὐσίωσιν σημαίνει ἀλλὰ σχέσιν τινὰ ἐπιτεινομένην οις αν παραγένηται. 545 Ps 50,13.14 Τῶν σπουδαίων ἀδιαστάτως παρισταμένων τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ προσώπῳ μόνος ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἐκβάλλεται καὶ ἀπορρίπτεται αὐτοῦ. ἐμὲ δὲ περιεχόμενον τῆς θείας κατανοήσεώς σου μὴ κρίνῃς ειναι τοιοῦτον, ωστ' ἀπορριφῆναι ἀπὸ προσώπου σου· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ο ἐνῴκισάς μοι αγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ωστε με γυμνωθῆναι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Προσδοκῶν τὴν δεῦρο κάθοδον τοῦ σωτῆρος, ἐφ' ῃ ἀγαλλίασιν τελείαν εχειν συμβαίνει, παρακαλεῖ τὸν