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······················· ·····························is prayed for; it agrees with the prophetic ····················· in his epistle: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Therefore this one alone ··························· gives "good things to those who ask him" ·····················of him he obtains, and ··································of him, as desire 3.227 ···························· arousing the soul ···························· the Lord "who satisfies your desire with good things." It must be understood ····························· faith and knowledge ···························· of his good being given ·····························of the right action. For instance ···························· the concept is good and ························n and what is beneficial is good ···························is called beautiful. 3.228 ···············the psalmist to say: "Do good" ·······················the great-voiced Isaiah learn to do good ·······er Apostle, to hold fast to what is good ·········· with an apostolic voice: "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." "For if there is anything good, it is his; and if anything beautiful, it is from him," harmoniously ··············· "grain for the young men, and fragrant wine for the maidens" ······ of perceptible and ready wheat ··········· are these things. 3.229 For not spiritual and 3.236 of the soulish man, in addition to not receiving the things of the spirit, considering them foolishness because the senses of the inner man have been harmed. For how has the sense of smell and taste not been harmed of one who has not tasted the Lord, according to what was said: "Taste and see that the Lord is good," and the perception of the holy breath of his name, according to this: "Your name is oil poured out; therefore the maidens loved you"?

3.237 Zach. X, 1-3: Ask for rain from the Lord in the season of the early and

the late rain; the Lord made flashes of lightning and winter rain, he will give to them, to each one, grass in the field. Because the diviners have spoken trouble, and the soothsayers have seen false visions, and the dreams have spoken falsely, they have given vain comfort; because of this they have dried up like sheep and were afflicted, because there was no healing. My anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I will visit the lambs. 3.238 When wickedness abounds, a drought often occurs 3.238 by the judgment of God, therefore in such circumstances one must appease the one who is indignant against those who have thus fallen into godlessness ·········, so as to propitiate demons instead of God ···· from there to be appeased, so as to receive oracles and dreams from them. Such a trial came upon the Hebrews in the time of Elijah the great prophet, when there was no rain upon the earth for three years and six months, so that every crop failed, so that the people stood near death and the other animals perished because of the scarcity of necessities. 3.239 When this affliction became widespread, it was fitting for Israel, who had often been benefited by God in such circumstances, to hold to him and to ask rain from him, so that there might be abundance. This he did not do, since deception prevailed, as if the idols were able to grant to those who ask of them things which they are not able to provide. And this madness came from Jezebel, the wife of the king of the Hebrews, who was an extreme idolater, so that her husband was also led away with her. 3.240 At any rate, in her days the prophets of Baal multiplied—an idol of the Sidonians—who were soothsayers and diviners and even dreamers given to dreams, always charming people boldly with supposedly predictive ways, lying in different ways when a good season occurred, so that they no longer asked for the bestowal of rain from "the one who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." 3.241 Since, therefore, those who were led astray by ···········him have fallen into such great ignorance, pity

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······················· ·····························εύεται· συνᾴδει τῷ προφητικῷ ····················· ἐν τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐπιστολῇ· «Πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τε´̣λειον ἄνωθέν ἐστιν καταβαῖνον ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φωτῶν, παρ' ᾧ οὐκ ἔνι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα̣.» ∆ιὸ μόνος οὗτος ··························· δίδωσι̣ν «ἀγαθὰ τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν» ·····················τ̣ου τυγχάνει, καὶ ··································ου, ὡς τὸν πόθον 3.227 ···························· ἐγείροντα τὴν ψυχὴν ···························· τὸν Κύριον «τὸν ἐμπιπλῶντα ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμ̣ίαν σου». Ἐπιστατέον ····························· π̣ίστις καὶ ἡ ἐπίγνωσις ···························· αὐτοῦ ἐνδιδομένου καλοῦ ·····························ο̣υ κατορθώματος. Οἷον ···························· τὴν ἐπίνοιαν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ························ν καὶ ὠφέλιμον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ···························ες προσαγορεύεται καλόν. 3.228 ···············ὑμνῳδὸν εἰπεῖν· «Ποίησον ἀγαθόν» ·······················τὸν μεγαλόφωνον Ἠσαΐαν μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν ········ε̣ρον Ἀπόστολον, τὸ καλὸν κατέχειν ·········· ἀποστολικῇ φωνῇ· «Πάντα δοκιμάζετε, τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε, ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε.» «Ὅτι εἴ τι ἀγαθόν, αὐτοῦ· καὶ εἴ τι καλόν, παρ' αὐτοῦ», ἁρμονίως ··············· «σῖτος νεανίσκοις καὶ οἶνος εὐωδιάζων εἰς παρθένους» ······ι̣ αἰσθητοῦ δὲ πυροῦ καὶ προχείρου ···········λ̣εται ταῦτα. 3.229 Οὐ γὰρ πνευματικὴ καὶ 3.236 ψυχικοῦ ἀνθρώπου πρὸς τῷ μὴ δέχεσθαι τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, μωρίαν αὐτὰ ἡγουμένου τῷ βεβλᾶφθαι τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου τὰς αἰσθήσεις. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐβλάβη ἡ ὄσφρησις καὶ γεῦσις τοῦ μὴ γευομένου τοῦ Κυρίου κατὰ τὸ λεχθέν· «Γεύσασθε καὶ εἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος», καὶ ἡ ἀντιλημπτικὴ τῆς ἱερᾶς πνοῆς τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τό· «Μύρον ἐκκενωθὲν ὄνομά σοι, διὰ τοῦτο νεάνιδες ἠγάπησάν σε»;

3.237 Zach. X, 1-3: Αἰτεῖσθε ὑετὸν παρὰ Κυρίου καθ' ὥραν πρόϊμον καὶ

ὄψιμον· Κύριος ἐποίησεν φαντασίας καὶ ὑετὸν χειμερινόν, δώσει αὐτοῖς ἑκάστῳ βοτάνην ἐν ἀγρῷ. ∆ιότι οἱ ἀποφθεγγόμενοι ἐλάλησαν κόπους, καὶ οἱ μάντεις ὁράσεις ψευδεῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια ψευδῆ ἐλάλουν, μάταια παρεκάλουν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐξηράνθησαν ὡς πρόβατα καὶ ἐκακώθησαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἴασις. Ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας παρωξύνθη ὁ θυμός μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀμνοὺς ἐπισκέψομαι. 3.238 Κακίας ἐπιπολαζούσης, ἀβροχία γ̣ίνεται πολλάκις 3.238 κρίναντος Θεοῦ, διὸ ἐξευμενίζεσθαι ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις τὸν ἀγανακτοῦντα κατὰ τῶν οὕτω εἰς ἀθεότητα ·········ς πεσόντων, ὡς ἀντὶ Θεοῦ δαίμονας προιλ̣άσκεσθαι ··θεν ἐξευμενίζεσθαι, ὡς μαντείας καὶ ἐνύπνια λαβεῖν παρ' αὐτῶν. Τοιαύτη ἐπαγωγὴ ὑπῆρκται τοῖς Ἑβραίοις κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἠλίου τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου, ὑετοῦ μὴ γενομένου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ ἔτη τρία̣ καὶ μῆνας ἕξ, ὡς παντὸς ἀπορῆσαι γενήματος, ὡς ἐγγυ`̣ς θανάτου στῆναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ζῷα φθάσαι διὰ σπανιότητα τὴν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων. 3.239 Ταύτης τῆς κακώσεως ἐπιπολασάσης, ἀκόλουθον ἦν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εὐεργετηθέντα πολλ̣άκις ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις Θεοῦ περιέχεσθαι καὶ αἰτεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ ὑετὸν ἵν' εὐθηνία ὑπαρχθῇ. Τοῦτ' οὐ πεποίηκεν, ἐπικρατησάσης ἀπάτης ὡς δυναμένων τῶν εἰδώλων ἐπι̣νεύειν τοῖς ζητοῦσιν παρ' αὐτῶν ἃ μὴ δύνανται παρασχεῖν. Γέγονε δὲ ἡ φρενοβλάβεια ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰεζάβελ, γυναικὸς τοῦ βασιλεύοντος τῶν Ἑβραίων, σφόδρα εἰδωλολατρούσης ὡς συναπαχθῆναι αὐτῇ καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα. 3.240 Ἐπλήθυνον γοῦν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς οἱ προφῆται τοῦ Βαάλ, ἀγάλματος ὄντος Σιδωνίων, μάντεις καὶ ἀποφθεγγόμενοι καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐνυπνιασταὶ ὀνείρων ἐξεχόμενοι τυγχάνοντες, θέλγοντες ἀεὶ τολ̣μήρως προγνωστικαῖς δῆθεν ὁδοῖς, διαφόρως ψεύδοντες ἐπιγενομένης εὐετηρίας, ὡς μηκέτι αἰτεῖσθαι χορηγεῖν ὑετὸν «τὸν ἀνατέλλοντα τὸν ἥλιον ἐπὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ πονηροὺς καὶ βρέχοντα ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους». 3.241 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν εἰς τοσαύτην ἄγνοιαν πεπτώκασιν οἱ παρὰ ···········μου ὑπαχθέντες, οἶκτον