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How could he say, "I rise early," with the dawn not having arrived for him? But the phrase, "To you I rise early," is not to be understood in a local sense. For God is not in a place but in a disposition, a relationship with God coming into being for one who has leaped beyond sensible things; for to this follows the coming to God. And it is also well to say, "O God, my God." For indeed he is the God of the saints who worship him and is God once for all, not of all who have being, some being even separated. For instance, the belly of those concerned with luxury, being a god, is not simply called God, nor indeed are the demons, who are called gods of the nations, properly gods; whence only and every truly wise person will say to the God who is by nature and truly God, "O God, my God." 637 Ps 62,2b-3 Turn my desire away from all present things; I thirst in my soul to be with God who will offer me a spring of water leaping up to eternal life. And since, as the soul is benefited and enlightened, the flesh also partakes, and of these things as it is able, it also in many ways thirsts for God and *** his power and his glory. And if it were the Father for whom it thirsts, his power and glory is the Only-begotten. For Christ is the power of God, he being also the glory about which it is said, "The glory of the Lord shall be seen." but if the Son, his glory and power is the theology concerning him and the wonder-working energy that exists according to what is written in the Gospel, "Power went out from him and healed all," and again, "And the power of God was for him to heal." Suitably to this power you will also take the things concerning his glory from both "We have seen his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten," and "Glorify me, Father, with the glory that I had before the world was." Consequently, for each rendering you will take "In the holy place I have appeared to you," since "my soul has thirsted for you, my flesh in many ways" in a desert and trackless and waterless land. And see if not the place around the earth is signified by the word, being a desert of perfection and waterless by not having abundantly the gifts of the Spirit, said to be "Rivers of living water" coming out of the belly of the one who has believed; wherefore it is also trackless, with none of those who are in every way, as far as possible, made like God, dwelling on it. For how is the interpreted region not a desert, with knowledge being in it in part, and waterless, with a pledge of the spirit coming to be in it? For it is not called desert and waterless according to a complete privation of inhabitants and travelers and water, but because these things happen in it rarely and briefly. But the matter at hand must also be taken in another way: he who is outside of evil and ignorance is a desert of these things, and being outside the moisture of the passions, he is waterless, so as to be now trackless to the worse things, because there is not found in him a place for the devil or any other worse spirit. Therefore if ever the unclean spirit should dare to approach such waterless places, it passes through them not finding rest in them; for they are filled with all good things that drive away and overcome every evil power. In the land interpreted in two ways as desert and trackless and waterless, one happening to be seen, in a holy desire thirsts in soul for God, with the flesh also following as far as is possible. But another reading is also brought forward, "And my flesh has melted away," about which the following must be said: when my soul thirsts for God, the flesh melts, having laid aside the thickness consisting of shameful desires and the other passions. For this you will take the gospel passage that goes thus: "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." For when one has willingness, with the soul thirsting for God, the flesh, melting away, is weak to draw near. 638a Ps 62,4a The apostle has written that piety, being profitable for all things, has the promise of life, both the present and the future. But in saying "the present," he does not speak of the common life of animals but of that which is possible to exist in this life, about which the Savior says, "He who believes in me has eternal life," and "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." of this present

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πῶς αν λέγοι τὸ ̓Ορθρίζω, μὴ ἐνστάντος αὐτῷ τοῦ ορθρου; Τὸ δὲ Πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω οὐ τοπικῶς ἀκουστέον. οὐ γὰρ ἐν τόπῳ θεὸς ἀλλ' ἐν διαθέσει, σχέσει πρὸς θεὸν γινομένου τοῦ τὰ αἰσθητὰ ὑπερπηδήσαντος· τούτῳ γὰρ ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ πρὸς θεὸν ἐλθεῖν. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν ̔Ο θεὸς ὁ θεός μου. καὶ γὰρ τῶν ἁγίων ὁ θεὸς λατρευόντων αὐτῷ καὶ καθάπαξ θεός ἐστιν οὐ πάντων τῶν ἐχόντων τὸ ειναι, τινῶν καὶ ἀπολελυμένων οντων. ἡ κοιλία γοῦν τῶν περὶ τρυφὴν ἐχόντων θεὸς ουσα ἁπλῶς οὐ λέγεται θεός, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οἱ δαίμονες κυρίως εἰσὶ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν λεγόμενοι θεοί· οθεν μόνος καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀληθῶς σοφὸς ἐρεῖ τῷ φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς θεῷ ̔Ο θεὸς ὁ θεός μου. 637 Ps 62,2b-3 Πάντων τῶν παρόντων ἀποστήσῃ μου τὸν πόθον· διψῶ τῇ ψυχῇ ειναι πρὸς θεὸν ὀρέξοντά μοι πηγὴν υδατος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. καὶ ἐπεὶ ὠφελουμένης καὶ φωτιζομένης τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ἡ σὰρξ μεταλαμβάνει, καὶ τούτων ὡς οιόν τε καὶ αὐτὴ ποσαπλῶς διψᾷ πρὸς θεὸν καὶ *** τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ειη ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς ον διψᾷ, δύναμις καὶ δόξα αὐτοῦ ὁ μονογενής. Χριστὸς γὰρ θεοῦ δύναμις, αὐτὸς ων καὶ ἡ δόξα περὶ ης ειρηται ̓Οφθήσεται ἡ δόξα κυρίου. εἰ δὲ ὁ υἱὸς δόξα αὐτοῦ καὶ δύναμις, ἡ περὶ αὐτοῦ θεολογία καὶ τεραστίων ἐπιτελεστικὴ ἐνέργεια ὑπάρχει κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ∆ύναμις παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐξήρχετο καὶ ἰᾶτο πάντας, καὶ πάλιν Καὶ δύναμις ην θεοῦ εἰς τὸ ἰᾶσθαι αὐτόν. καταλλήλως ταύτῃ τῇ δυνάμει καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐκλήψῃ εκ τε τοῦ ̓Εθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς, καὶ τοῦ ∆όξασόν με, πάτερ, τῇ δόξῃ ῃ ειχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον ειναι. ̔Επομένως ἑκατέρᾳ ἀποδώσει ἐκλήψῃ τὸ ̓Εν τῷ ἁγίῳ ωφθην σοι, ἐπειδὴ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐδίψησέν σοι, ἡ σάρξ μου ποσαπλῶς ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀβάτῳ καὶ ἀνύδρῳ. Καὶ ορα μὴ ὁ περὶ γῆν τόπος δηλοῦται διὰ τῆς λέξεως, ερημος ων τῆς τελειότητος καὶ ανυδρος τῷ μὴ εχειν δαψιλῶς τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ πνεύματος Ποταμοὶ υδατος ζῶντος εἰρημένα ἐξιόντες ἐκ νηδύος τοῦ πεπιστευκότος· διὸ καὶ αβατός ἐστιν, οὐδενὸς ἐπ' αὐτοῦ διατρίβοντος τῶν πάντῃ κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν θεῷ ὁμοιωμένων. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ερημος ὁ ἑρμηνευθεὶς χῶρος ἐκ μέρους ουσης ἐν αὐτῷ γνώσεως, καὶ ανυδρος ἀρραβῶνος πνεύματος ἐν αὐτῷ γινομένου; οὐ γὰρ ερημος καὶ ανυδρος κατὰ παντελῆ στέρησιν οἰκούντων καὶ πατούντων καὶ υδατος ειρηται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ σπανίως καὶ βραχέως ἐν αὐτῷ ταῦτα γίνεσθαι. ̓Εκδεκτέον δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως τὸ προκείμενον· ὁ ἐκτὸς κακίας καὶ ἀγνοίας ερημός ἐστι τούτων, ων δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν παθῶν ὑγρότητος ἐκτὸς ανυδρος ὑπάρχει, ὡς αβατος ειναι ηδη τοῖς χείροσι διὰ τὸ μὴ εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ τόπον διαβόλου η τινος αλλου χείρονος πνεύματος. καν ποτε ουν ἐπιτολμήσῃ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πλησιάσαι τοῖς ουτως ἀνύδροις τόποις, διέρχεται αὐτοὺς οὐχ εὑρίσκον παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀνάπαυσιν· πεπληρωμένοι γὰρ πάντων ἀγαθῶν εἰσι τῶν ἀπελαυνόντων καὶ καταπονούντων πᾶσαν πονηρὰν δύναμιν. ̓Εν τῇ ἑκατέρως ἑρμηνευθείσῃ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀβάτῳ καὶ ἀνύδρῳ γῇ τυγχάνων τις ὀφθῆναι, ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ πόθῳ διψᾷ ψυχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἐπακολουθούσης καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτόν. Φέρεται δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα γραφὴ Καὶ ἐτάκη ἡ σάρξ μου, περὶ ης λεκτέον τάδε· οτε ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς θεὸν διψᾷ, τήκεται ἡ σὰρξ ἀπολαβοῦσα παχύτητα τὴν ἐξ αἰσχρῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῶν τε αλλων παθῶν συνισταμένην. εἰς τοῦτο λήψῃ τὸ ωδε εχον εὐαγγελικόν· Τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής. οταν γὰρ προθυμίαν εχῃ τις διψώσης τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὸν θεόν, τὸ ἠγγίκεναι δὲ ἀσθενεῖ ἡ σὰρξ τηκομένη. 638a Ps 62,4a Γέγραφεν ὁ ἀπόστολος ὡς πρὸς πάντα ὠφέλιμος ουσα ἡ εὐσέβεια ἐπαγγελίαν ζωῆς εχει τῆς τε νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης. τῆς δὲ νῦν εἰπὼν οὐ τῆς κοινῆς λέγει τῶν ζῴων ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐν βίῳ δυνατῆς ὑπαρχθῆναι, περὶ ης φησιν ὁ σωτὴρ ̔Ο πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ εχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ Αυτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ινα γινωσκῶσι σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ον ἀπέστειλας ̓Ιησοῦν Χριστόν. ταύτης τῆς νῦν