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I will protect them openly and clearly, so that all may learn. And when does he not save openly? There are times when not openly, but secretly; for he does not need glory from men. But now, since it was likely that their enemies would attack, leap upon, and reproach them, as having no God to help, so that those others might be brought to their senses, and become better, learning by experience the Master’s alliance, I will work their salvation openly, he says. The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles: silver refined, a trial for the earth. And what is the connection of this to what has been said? A great and continuous one. For do not think, he says, that these things were said simply, nor that it is a superfluous threat; his words are pure, free from falsehood. For just as refined silver has nothing foreign and spurious, so also the words of God, whatever he might say, must surely come to pass. Therefore he says: Silver refined, a trial for the earth. Another, Refined, pervading the earth. But the Hebrew, instead of, Pervading the earth, said Baalil laares, that is, what is smelted, what flows in the earth. Purified sevenfold. 4. Did you see how he shows what is without falsehood, what is true, by the image of the material? for just as that which is smelted, which is refined by fire, which has undergone this many times, is foreign to any foreign material, having been purified with exactness; so is the decree of God. You, Lord, will guard us, and you will preserve us from this generation, and forever. Another, You will guard them. Another, You will guard them, and you will preserve us from this generation, and forever. Another, Along with the eternal generation. The impious walk 55.148 round about. Another, They will walk about. Another, They will walk about in the circle of the impious. According to your height you have greatly cared for the sons of men. Another, When the vile among the sons of men are exalted. Another, According to the height, made cheap to the sons of men. But the Hebrew says, Charm zollo lebne Adam. You, Lord, will guard us, and you will preserve us. See how he continually, or rather perpetually, takes refuge in God, and seeks alliance from there; for that help is all-powerful, interrupted by no time. We need none of the human things, he says; for you are the one who guards perpetually. What is, The impious walk round about? According to the Septuagint it should be said thus, that Even if the impious surround us, we will suffer nothing; for you guard us, and raise us up, and make us glorious. But according to the other interpreter this should be said: The impious will be cast out, when you exalt the vile among the sons of men; that is, when you glorify us who are considered to be contemptible, who are humbled, you will remove them and thrust them aside. And what is, According to your height? Instead of, You have made them like you, as it is possible for a human to be like you; for let us make man in our image, he says, and after our likeness. For what he is in heaven, this we are on the earth; and just as no one is superior to him above, so no one on earth is like this creature in virtue. Be, he says, like your Father who is in heaven. And he has even shared his name with us; I said, You are gods, he says, and all of you sons of the Most High. And again: I have made you a god to Pharaoh. And he made him to be a creator of both corporeal and incorporeal things. And now Moses changes creation, and now others change other elements; but he has commanded us to build a temple for him: ourselves. So even if you do not create a heaven, yet you do create a temple of God. Since heaven too is bright for this reason, because it has God dwelling in it; or rather, through Christ, it also has us. For he raised us up together, he says, and made us sit together at the right hand in the heavenly places; and he gave us to do greater things than he himself did. For the signs, he says, that I do, he also will do,

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αὐτῶν προστήσομαι φανερῶς καὶ δήλως, ὥστε πάντας μαθεῖν. Καὶ πότε οὐ φανερῶς σώζει; Ἔστιν ὅτε οὐ φανερῶς, ἀλλὰ λάθρα· οὐδὲ γὰρ δεῖται τῆς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων δόξης. Νυνὶ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοὺς αὐτῶν ἐπεμβαίνειν, ἐνάλλεσθαι, ὀνειδίζειν αὐτοῖς, ὡς οὐκ ἔχουσι Θεὸν βοηθὸν, ὥστε κἀκείνους σωφρονισθῆναι, καὶ γενέσθαι βελτίους, τῇ πείρᾳ μαθόντας τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν συμμαχίαν, Φανερῶς ποιήσομαι τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν σωτηρίαν, φησί. Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου, λόγια ἁγνά· ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ. Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἀκολουθία πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα; Πολλὴ καὶ συνεχής. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ νομίσητε ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἁπλῶς εἰρῆσθαι, μηδὲ ἀπειλὴν εἶναι περιττήν· καθαρὰ αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὰ ῥήματα, ἀπηλλαγμένα ψεύδους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἄργυρος ὁ πεπυρωμένος οὐδὲν ἀλλότριον ἔχει καὶ νόθον, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, ἅπερ ἂν εἴπῃ, πάντως ἐκβῆναι δεῖ. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ. Ἄλλος, Πεπυρωμένον, χωροῦν τῇ γῇ. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος ἀντὶ τοῦ, Χωροῦν τῇ γῇ, Βααλὶλ λάαρες εἶπε, τουτέστι, τὸ χωνευόμενον, τὸ ῥέον ἐν τῇ γῇ. Κεκαθαρισμένον ἑπταπλασίως. δʹ. Εἶδες πῶς δείκνυσι τὸ ἀψευδὲς, τὸ ἀληθεῦον, τῇ εἰκόνι τῆς ὕλης; ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο τὸ χωνευθὲν, τὸ πυρωθὲν, τὸ πολλάκις τοῦτο παθὸν, ἀλλότριόν ἐστιν ἀλλοτρίας ὕλης, ἐκκεκαθαρμένον μετὰ ἀκριβείας· οὕτως ἡ ἀπόφασις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Σὺ, Κύριε, φυλάξεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἄλλος, Φυλάξεις αὐτούς. Ἄλλος, Φυλάξεις αὐτὰ, καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἄλλος, Ἅμα τῇ γενεᾷ τῇ αἰωνίᾳ. Κύκλῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς περι 55.148 πατοῦσιν. Ἄλλος, Περιπατήσουσιν. Ἄλλος, Κύκλῳ ἀσεβῶν ἐμπεριπατήσουσι. Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος σου ἐπολυώρησας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἄλλος, Ὅταν ὑψωθῶσιν οἱ εὐτελεῖς τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἕτερος, Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος εὐωνισμένοι τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος, Χὰρμ ζολλῶ, φησὶ, λεβνὴ Ἀδάμ. Σὺ, Κύριε, φυλάξεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς. Ὅρα συνεχῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ διηνεκῶς ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν καταφεύγοντα, κἀκεῖθεν ζητοῦντα τὴν συμμαχίαν· καὶ γὰρ παναλκὴς ἡ βοήθεια, οὐδενὶ διακοπτομένη χρόνῳ. Οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων δεόμεθα, φησί· σὺ γὰρ ὁ φυλάττων εἶ διηνεκῶς. Τί ἐστι, Κύκλῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς περιπατοῦσι; Κατὰ μὲν τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα οὕτω λεκτέον, ὅτι Κἂν κυκλώσωσιν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐδὲν πεισόμεθα· καὶ γὰρ φυλάττεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ μετεωρίζεις, καὶ ἐνδόξους ποιεῖς. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἕτερον ἑρμηνευτὴν τοῦτο ῥητέον· Οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐξωσθήσονται, ὅταν τοὺς εὐτελεῖς τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑψώσῃς· τουτέστιν, ὅταν ἡμᾶς τοὺς νομιζομένους εἶναι εὐκαταφρονήτους, τοὺς τεταπεινωμένους δοξάσῃς, ἀποστήσεις αὐτοὺς καὶ διακρούσῃ. Τί δέ ἐστι, Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος σου; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὁμοίουςσου ἐποίησας, ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν εἶναι ὅμοιον· Ποιήσωμεν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα, φησὶν, ἡμετέραν, καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν αὐτὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ, τοῦτο ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ ὥσπερ οὐδεὶς αὐτοῦ ἀνώτερος ἄνω, οὕτως οὐδεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ ζώου τούτου κατὰ ἀρετὴν ὅμοιος. Γίνεσθε, φησὶν, ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος δὲ ἡμῖν μετέδωκεν· Ἐγὼ εἶπα, Θεοί ἐστε, φησὶ, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες. Καὶ πάλιν· Τέθεικά σε θεὸν Φαραώ. Καὶ δημιουργὸν εἶναι ἐποίησε καὶ σωματικῶν καὶ ἀσωμάτων. Καὶ νῦν μὲν τὴν κτίσιν ὁ Μωϋσῆς μεταβάλλει, νῦν δὲ ἕτεροι ἕτερα στοιχεῖα· ἡμῖν δὲ ἐπέταξε ναὸν αὐτῷ κτίζειν ἡμᾶς αὐτούς. Κἂν τοίνυν οὐ δημιουργῇς οὐρανὸν, ἀλλὰ δημιουργεῖς ναὸν Θεοῦ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οὐρανὸς διὰ τοῦτο λαμπρὸς, ἐπειδὴ Θεὸν ἔχει κατοικοῦντα ἐν αὐτῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡμᾶς. Συνήγειρε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἡμᾶς ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ μείζονα ἔδωκε ποιεῖν ὧν αὐτὸς ἐποίησε. Τὰ γὰρ σημεῖα, φησὶν, ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει,