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This is what this just man also, since he alone had taken hold of it, while all were walking 55.145 the opposite way, takes refuge in the providence of God, saying, Save me, O Lord. Therefore, it means nothing else from this than the following: I have need of a hand from above, of the inclination from the heavens, of that alliance. For traveling a road contrary to all, I have need of much providence. And he did not say, Save me, because the holy one is not, but, Because the holy one has failed, showing that even those who existed perished, since wickedness prevailed, and the disease took over. Paul also fears this, saying, Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? And again, Bad company corrupts good morals. What is, Truths have diminished? There are many truths. Just as with colors, and other kinds, some are true, and some false, and there is true purple, and false purple, and so with saffron, and with stones, and with perfumes, and with other such things; so it is also with the virtues. For truth is that which truly is, but falsehood is that which is not. Since, therefore, these things were distorted and obscured, not having lost their substance from themselves, but having been put to flight by men; for this reason he did not say only, that Truths have diminished, but, From the sons of men, he added, wishing to show this very thing. But consider: There is a true world; there is also a false one. What then is the true world? That concerning the soul. And what is the false? That concerning the body. There is true wealth; there is also false. False is that of money, true that of right actions. There is joy, the one false, the other true, and beauties, and powers, and glories. But the majority of men, leaving the truth of these things, pursue the false. For just as there is a true man, and a false one; true is the one who is living and active, but false is the one who is painted; so it is also to be seen with the virtues. 2. Every one has spoken vain things to his neighbor. Deceitful lips in the heart and in the heart have spoken evil things. Another says, He speaks with a different heart and another. He mentions two evils here, both that they spoke vain things, and that it was to their neighbor; or he calls false things vain, or superfluous and unprofitable things. Paul also says something of this sort, saying, Do not lie to one another. And what is more grievous, is that all were corrupted. Therefore he did not say, This one, and that one, but, Each one. For the wickedness was not simply superficial, but from below, and from the heart. In the heart and in the heart, which another interpreter said, In a different heart and another, teaching that there is much duplicity in their heart. This is more bitter than all enemies. For some are manifest and clear, whence they are also easy to guard against; but these, putting forward one mask, and being another, become difficult to detect for those plotted against, being much more dangerous than those who hide their swords. May the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks great things, those who say, We will magnify our tongue. Another, We will prevail. Our lips are our own. Another, It is with us. Who is our lord? Another, Who will be lord over us? Did you see the Prophet's care, how he prays for them? For what is 55.146 said is not against them, but for them. For he did not say for them to be destroyed, but for the wickedness to be abolished. For he did not say, May the Lord destroy them, but, The deceitful lips. 3. And again he deems worthy not the substance, but the tongue, the folly, the deceit to be destroyed, the pride to be cut off. And mocking their foolishness, he says, Our lips are our own. Who is our lord? Of raging and insane people are the

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τοῦτο καὶ ὁ δίκαιος οὗτος, ἅτε δὴ μόνος αὐτῆς ἐπειλημμένος, πάντων τὴν ἐναντίαν βαδιζόν 55.145 των, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν καταφεύγει, λέγων· Σῶσόν με, Κύριε. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἄλλο, ἢ τοῦτο ἐντεῦθεν δηλοῖ· Τῆς ἄνωθέν μοι χρεία χειρὸς, τῆς ῥοπῆς τῆς ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, τῆς συμμαχίας ἐκείνης. Τὴν γὰρ ἐναντίαν πᾶσιν ὁδεύων ὁδὸν, πολλῆς δέομαι τῆς προνοίας. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Σῶσόν με, ὅτι οὐ γέγονεν ὅσιος, ἀλλ', Ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπεν ὅσιος, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ οἱ ὄντες ἀπώλοντο, ἐπειδὴ ἐπεκράτησεν ἡ κακία, καὶ περιεγένετο ἡ νόσος. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος φοβεῖται λέγων· Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ; Καὶ πάλιν· Φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί. Τί ἐστιν, Ὠλιγώθησαν αἱ ἀλήθειαι; Πολλαί εἰσιν αἱ ἀλήθειαι. Καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν χρωμάτων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰδῶν, τὰ μέν ἐστιν ἀληθῆ, τὰ δὲ ψευδῆ, καὶ ἔστι πορφύρα ἀληθὴς, καὶ πορφύρα ψευδὴς, καὶ ἐπὶ κρόκου, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων, καὶ ἐπὶ ἀρωμάτων, καὶ ἐπὶ ἑτέρων τοιούτων· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν. Ἀλήθεια γὰρ τὸ ὄντως ὂν, ψεῦδος δὲ τὸ μὴ ὄν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ταῦτα διέστραπτο καὶ ἠμαύρωτο, οὐ τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἀπολέσαντα ἐξ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φυγαδευθέντα· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπε μόνον, ὅτι Ὠλιγώθησαν αἱ ἀλήθειαι, ἀλλ', Ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, προσέθηκε, τοῦτο αὐτὸ δηλῶσαι βουλόμενος. Σκόπει δέ· Ἔστι κόσμος ἀληθής· ἔστι καὶ ψευδής. Τίς οὖν ὁ ἀληθὴς κόσμος; Ὁ περὶ ψυχήν. Τίς δὲ ψευδής; Ὁ περὶ σῶμα. Ἔστιπλοῦτος ἀληθής· ἔστι καὶ ψευδής. Ψευδὴς ὁ τῶν χρημάτων, ἀληθὴς ὁ τῶν κατορθωμάτων. Ἔστιν εὐφροσύνη, ἡ μὲν ψευδὴς, ἡ δὲ ἀληθὴς, καὶ κάλλη, καὶ δυναστεῖαι, καὶ δόξαι. Ἀλλ' οἱ πλείους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὴν ἀλήθειαν τούτων ἀφέντες, τὰ ψευδῆ διώκουσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ἀληθὴς, καὶ ψευδής· ἀληθὴς μὲν ὁ ζῶν καὶ ἐνεργῶν, ψευδὴς δὲ ὁ γεγραμμένος· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. βʹ. Μάταια ἐλάλησεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ. Χείλη δόλια ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ ἐλάλησαν κακά. Ἄλλος φησὶν, Ἐν καρδίᾳ ἄλλῃ καὶ ἄλλῃ λαλεῖ. ∆ύο κακίας λέγει ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ὅτι μάταια ἐλάλησαν, καὶ ὅτι πρὸς τὸν πλησίον· ἢ τὰ ψευδῆ μάταιά φησιν, ἢ τὰ περιττὰ καὶ ἀνόνητα. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησι λέγων· Μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι πάντες ἦσαν διεφθαρμένοι. ∆ιὸ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὁ δεῖνα, καὶ ὁ δεῖνα, ἀλλ', Ἕκαστος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ἁπλῶς ἐπιπόλαιος ἡ κακία, ἀλλὰ κάτωθεν, καὶ ἀπὸ καρδίας. Ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ, ὅπερ ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτὴς, Ἐν καρδίᾳ ἄλλῃ καὶ ἄλλῃ, εἶπε, διδάσκων ὅτι πολλὴ διπλόη αὐτῶν ἐν καρδίᾳ. Τοῦτο πολεμίων πάντων πικρότερον. Οἱ μὲν γάρ εἰσι φανεροὶ καὶ δῆλοι, ὅθεν καὶ εὐφύλακτοι γίνονται· οὗτοι δὲ ἕτερον προσωπεῖον προβαλλόμενοι, καὶ ἕτερον ὄντες, δυσφώρατοι τοῖς ἐπιβουλευομένοις καθίστανται, τῶν τὰ ξίφη κρυπτόντων ὄντες πολλῷ χαλεπώτεροι. Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, καὶ γλῶσσαν μεγαλοῤῥήμονα, τοὺς εἰπόντας· Τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡμῶν μεγαλυνοῦμεν. Ἄλλος, ∆υναστεύσομεν. Τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν. Ἄλλος, Σὺν ἡμῖν πάρεστι. Τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν; Ἄλλος, Τίς κυριεύσει ἡμῶν; Εἶδες κηδεμονίαν Προφήτου, πῶς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εὔχεται; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ κατ' αὐτῶν ἐστι τὸ 55.146 εἰρημένον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν αὐτοὺς ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν κακίαν ἀφανισθῆναι. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια. γʹ. Καὶ πάλιν οὐχὶ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν γλῶτταν, τὴν ἀπόνοιαν, τὸν δόλον ἀναιρεθῆναι ἀξιοῖ, τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν ἐκκοπῆναι. Κωμῳδῶν δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἄνοιαν, φησί· Τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστι. Τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστι; Μαινομένων καὶ παραφρόνων τὰ