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delivering them from all affliction. You have this, at any rate, in the gospel: "See that you do not scandalize one of these little ones who believe in me; for their angels always see the face of our Father who is in heaven." They are attendants of God, they see his face, they see the invisible one invisibly. Behold, therefore, for the many little ones many angels were spoken of, but for those who fear the Lord, one angel is mentioned. It is spoken of in the singular, for not even one. But it is also possible to say this: The little ones do not fear God, but have a fear related to suffering; for "perfect love casts out fear." And: "fear has to do with punishment." "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul"; but those fear God who have the surpassing fear, about which it is said in Sirach: "The fear of the Lord surpasses all things," which comes to the one who seeks him after much progress. Therefore, those who fear the Lord can have one angel encamped and delivering them, the Savior himself, about whom it is said: "His name is called Angel of Great Counsel"; for in many scriptures an angel appears, mentioned in a way not fitting for any created being. And Jacob also says about him: "the Angel who delivers me from all evils." But no one is able to deliver from all evils, except the Savior who has the authority to forgive all sin. But when sin is forgiven, the subsequent punishment, the subsequent evils, depart along with the wickedness. Like some enclosure and surrounding wall, becoming about them it keeps them unharmed. And in Zechariah, at any rate, the eleventh of the twelve prophets, it says: "Jerusalem shall be inhabited with an abundance of fruit," and it says: "And I will be a pillar of fire round about them and a wall surrounding them." But of fire, so that those who approach might rather be harmed; for immediately in that very section of the prophet it says: "because he who touches you is as he who touches the pupil of his eye." To touch here means to harm, as in: "Do not touch my anointed ones." 9 Taste and see that the Lord is good. It has often been said to us that sensible and bodily things are thus: each thing is only what it is; for example a pomegranate is nothing other than a pomegranate, bread. But the food that nourishes the inner man is spoken of according to different concepts. For it is called light, it is called a spring, it is called bread and flesh, true food. So it says: "Taste" with the invisible taste of the inner man, "and see that the Lord is good," that he is good. Only taste, know that he is nourishment, see a spring of goodness, a spring of kindness. 9 Blessed is the man who hopes in him. The one who hopes in him, the good Lord—for he tastes of him—, will also experience his sweetness and from this food will have all things and, being nourished like an athlete, will be strong, so as to have the struggle no longer "against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers." "Taste and see that he is good." If someone is weary and sick in soul, let him taste of him as nourishment, as one who prepares health, as one who will ward off harm. But this food not only satisfies, but it will also ward off, it casts out harmful things. "Blessed," therefore, is not simply the human, but the "man," the one who has done away with "the things of a child," the one who has not walked "in the counsel of the ungodly" nor stood "in the way of sinners" nor sat "in the seat of the pestilent," but having "his will in the law of the Lord." This man has his will in the law of the Lord; for many keep the law, so that they may not be punished or so that they may seem to be praised. But the holy, the perfect man has his will in the law of the Lord, so that his will is not other than the will of the law. And the will of the law is this: to forbid wickedness and to command virtue. When, therefore, one becomes a law to himself—

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ῥυομένους αὐτοὺς ἐκ πάσης θλίψεως. ἔχεις γοῦν τοῦτο ἐν εὐαγγελίῳ· "ὁρᾶτε μὴ σκανδαλίσητε ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς ἐμέ· οἱ γὰρ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσιν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς". παραστάται εἰσὶν τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὁρῶσιν, ἀοράτως τὸν ἀόρατον βλέπουσιν. ἰδοὺ οὖν τῶν πολλῶν μικρῶν πολλοὶ ἄγγελοι ἐλέχθησαν, τῶν δὲ φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον εἷς ἄγγελος εἴρηται. ἑνικῶς εἴρηται, οὐδὲ γὰρ εἷς. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· οἱ μικροὶ οὐ τὸν θεὸν φοβοῦνται, ἀλλὰ τὸν παθητικὸν ἔχουσιν φόβον· "ἡ τελεία" γὰρ "ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον". καί· "ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει". "μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι"· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὸν θεὸν φοβοῦνται οἱ τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα φόβον ἔχοντες, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται 195 ἐν τῇ Σιράχ· "φόβος κυρίου πάντα ὑπερέβαλεν", ὅστις παραγίνεται τῷ ζητοῦντι αὐτὸν μετὰ πολλὴν προκοπήν. δύνανται οὖν οὗτοι οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον ἕνα ἄγγελον ἔχειν παρεμβεβληκότα καὶ ῥυόμενον αὐτοὺς αὐτὸν τὸν σωτῆρα περὶ οὗ λέγεται· "καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος"· ἐν πολλαῖς γὰρ γραφαῖς φαίνεται ἄγγελος μνημονευόμενος οὐκ ἐφαρμόζων τινὶ γενητῷ. περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγει καὶ ὁ Ἰακώβ· "ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν". οὐδεὶς δὲ δύναται ῥύσασθαι ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν, εἰ μὴ ὁ σωτὴρ ὁ ἐξουσίαν ἔχων ἀφιέναι πᾶσαν ἁμαρτι´̣αν. τῆς δὲ ἁμαρτίας ἀφιεμένης καὶ ἡ ἑπομένη κόλασις, τὰ ἑπόμενα κακωτικά, συναπέρχεται τῃ῀̣ κα̣κίᾳ̣. ὥσπερ περίβολός τις καὶ περίτειχος περὶ αὐτοὺς γινόμενος ἀβ̣λ̣ήτους αὐτ̣οὺς φυλάττει. καὶ ἐν τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ γοῦν τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ τῶν δώδεκα προφητῶν λέγει· "κατακάρπως κατοικηθήσεται Ἰερουσαλήμ", καὶ λέγει· "καὶ ἔσομαι κύκλῳ αὐτῶν ὡς στῦλος πυρὸς καὶ τεῖχος κυκλοῦν αὐτούς". πυρὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας βλάπτεσθαι μᾶλλον· εὐθέως γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ περιοχῇ τοῦ προφήτου λέγει· "διότι ὁ ἁπτόμενος ὑμῶν ὡς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ". τὸ ἅψασθαι ἐνταῦθα τὸ βλάψαι σημαίνει, ὡς τό· "μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου". 9 γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ κύριος. πολλάκις ἐλέχθη ἡμῖν ὅτι τὰ αἰσθητὰ καὶ σωματικὰ οὕτως εἰσίν· ἕκαστον ὅ ἐστιν αὐτὸ μόνον ἐστίν· οἷον ἡ ῥοιὰ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ ῥοιά, ὁ ἄρτος. ἡ δὲ τρέφουσα τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον τροφὴ κατὰ διαφόρους ἐπινοίας λέγεται. λέγεται γοῦν καὶ φῶς, λέγεται καὶ πηγή, λέγεται καὶ ἄρτος καὶ σάρξ, ἀληθινὴ βρῶσις. λέγει γοῦν· "γεύσασθε" τῇ γεύσει τῇ ἀοράτῳ τῇ τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου, "καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστός ἐστιν ὁ κύριος", ὅτι ἀγαθός. γεύσασθε μόνον, γνῶτε ὅτι τρόφιμός ἐστιν, ὁρᾶτε πηγὴν ἀγαθότητος, πηγὴν χρηστότητος. 9 μακάριος ἀνήρ, ὃς ἐλπίζει ἐπ' αὐτόν. ὁ ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν χρηστὸν κύριον ἐλπίζων-γεύεται γὰρ αὐτοῦ-, καὶ τῆς γλυκύτητος αὐτοῦ πειραθήσεται καὶ ἐκ τῆς τροφῆς ταύτης πάντα ἕξει καὶ ἀθλητικῶς τρεφόμενος ἰσχυρὸς ἔσται, ὡς τὴν πάλην μηκέτι "πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας" ἔχειν. "γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστός". εἴ τις κ̣άμ̣ν̣ει καὶ νοσεῖ κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν, γευσάσθω αὐτοῦ ὡς τροφίμου, ὡς παρασκευάζοντος ὑγίειαν, ὡς ἀπαλέξουντος βλάβην. η῾̣ δὲ τροφὴ αὕτη οὐ μόνον κορέννυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπαλέξει, τὰ βλαπτικὰ ἀποβάλλει. "μακάριος" οὖν οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ὁ "ἀνήρ", ὁ καταργήσας "τὰ τοῦ νηπίου", ὁ "ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν" μὴ πορευθεὶς μηδὲ στὰς "ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν" μηδὲ "ἐπὶ καθέδραν λοιμῶν" καθίσας, ἀλλ' ἔχων "τὸ θέλημα ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ κυρίου". οὗτ̣ο̣ς τὸ θέλημα ἑαυτοῦ ἔχει ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ κυρίου· πολλοὶ γὰρ τηροῦσιν τὸν νόμον, ἵνα μὴ κολασθῶσιν ἢ ἵνα δόξωσιν ἐπαινεῖσθαι. ὁ δὲ ἅγιος, ὁ τέλειος ἀνὴρ τὸ θέλημα ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἔχει τοῦ κυρίου, ὡς μὴ εἶναι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἄλλο τοῦ νομικοῦ θελήματος. τὸ νομικὸν δὲ θέλημα τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἀπαγορεύειν τὴν κακίαν καὶ προστάττειν τὴν ἀρετήν. ὅταν τοίνυν ἑαυτοῦ τις γένηται νόμος-