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he confesses that his soul has cleaved to God, the right hand of God upholding him. And this is the only-begotten power of God; when it upholds and holds securely, the visible and invisible enemies who lie in wait sought the soul of the one saying these things in vain, being unable to snatch the one guarded by the mighty hand of God. 642a Ps 62,10b.11 In agreement with the wicked entering into the lowest parts of the earth is, Let the sinners be turned back to Hades, all the nations that forget God. And having entered, they will be given over to punishment, signified by the name of the sword. The hands of this sword are either the pains and bitterness it works or those who minister to it, called in other places vessels of wrath. And he calls the evil powers portions of foxes, because of the cunning and deceitfulness and maliciousness of those called foxes. But the foregoing must also be interpreted in another way; since it is possible for such a one to become intensely material and carnal, you will say that he has made for himself a descent into the earth so as to enter voluntarily into its very lowest parts. And those suffer this who are given over to dishonorable passions, which they have chosen to have, and to the desires of their hearts for impurity. In this way both Pharaoh and those with him were swallowed by the earth, and Moses as in a victory ode said to God, You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them. And yet as far as the history goes, they were swallowed not by the earth but by the deep, those thus swallowed by the earth and having gone down to the lowest parts of the earth were delivered into the hands of the devil, allegorically called a sword. And his hands are either his angels or his worst deeds. Thus delivered, they will become portions for foxes. 643a Ps 62,12b And he who swears by the God who gladdens the king is also praised.

644a Ps 63,2b And God makes one free from fear, not by altogether overturning or casting down the adversary, but by bestowing courage on the one praying. 645a Ps 63,3.4a Since the harm from evil is twofold, damaging at one time the mind, at another time the action, there are two phalanxes that war against the righteous, from which the one singing the foregoing beseeches to be delivered unharmed, saying to God, Shelter me from the conspiracy of evildoers (and these are the ones who wish to corrupt the truth of doctrines), but also from those who commit practical injustice and wish to draw me into it. For both these armies have sharpened their tongues like a sword, since the evildoers have a word that agrees with them and with falsely called knowledge, and others with practical evil. 646a Ps 63,6ab But even if these are wickedly prepared, yet the beneficent God gives to those who fear him a sign to flee from the face of the bow. What is said to be a bitter thing (and such is every form of evil and impious doctrine), this they stretch like a bow and shoot from it, arrows analogous to the fiery darts of the enemy. 647a Ps 63,6c And the heretics say that there is no one who is able to comprehend their refined and sophistical teaching. 648a Ps 63,7.8a As they who search out searches fail because they have thoroughly searched out iniquity, so as to establish for themselves an evil account and to hide snares in their narratives, in which, being elaborated with much refinement, they pride themselves as having irrefutable arguments so that no one may detect the deceit, a true man will come to them, saving that which is according to the image and being an articulate, eloquent man, and having a deep heart, that is, a deep understanding, so that God may be exalted, catching the wise in their craftiness; for thus also through Paul the apostle, having exposed the deceit of Elymas the magician and

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ὁμολογεῖ κεκολλῆσθαι ὀπίσω τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀντιλαμβανομένης τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δεξιᾶς. αυτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ μονογενὴς θεοῦ δύναμις· ης ἀντιλαμβανομένης καὶ κρατούσης ἀσφαλῶς, εἰς μάτην ἐζήτησαν τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ταῦτα λέγοντος οἱ ἐπικείμενοι ὁρατοὶ καὶ ἀόρατοι ἐχθροὶ, οὐ δυνάμενοι ἁρπάσαι τὸν ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ θεοῦ φρουρούμενον. 642a Ps 62,10b.11 Σύμφωνον τῷ εἰσελεύσεσθαι τοὺς φαύλους εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς τὸ ̓Αποστραφήτωσαν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εἰς τὸν ᾳδην πάντα τὰ εθνη τὰ ἐπιλανθανόμενα τοῦ θεοῦ. εἰσελθόντα δὲ κολάσει παραδοθήσονται σημαινομένῃ ὀνόματι τῆς ῥομφαίας. χεῖρες τῆς ῥομφαίας ταύτης ητοι ους ἐνεργεῖ πόνους καὶ πικρία ἐστὶν η οἱ ὑπηρετοῦντες αὐτῇ, σκεύη ὀργῆς ἐν ἑτέροις ὀνομαζόμενοι. ἀλωπέκων δὲ μερίδας τὰς πονηρὰς δυνάμεις καλεῖ, διὰ τὸ πανοῦργον καὶ δολερὸν καὶ κακόηθες ἀλωπέκων ὀνομαζομένων. ̔Ερμηνευτέον δὲ τὰ προκείμενα καὶ αλλως· ἐπεὶ εστιν ἐπιτεταμένως ὑλικὸν καὶ σάρκινον γενέσθαι τὸν τοιοῦτον, ἐρεῖς βεβαθυγκέναι ἑαυτῷ εἰς γῆν κάθεσιν ὡς εἰς αὐτὰ τὰ κατώτατα αὐτῆς προαιρετικῶς εἰσελθεῖν. πάσχουσι δὲ τοῦτο οἱ παραδιδόμενοι εἰς ἀτιμίας πάθη οις εχειν ειλοντο καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν. τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ καὶ οἱ ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὑπὸ γῆς κατεπόθησαν, καὶ Μωυσῆς ὡς ἐν ἐπινικίῳ υμνῳ ειπε πρὸς θεὸν ̓Εξέτεινας τὴν δεξιάν σου, κατέπιεν αὐτοὺς γῆ. καὶ μὴν οσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἱστορίᾳ οὐχ ὑπὸ γῆς ἀλλ' ὑπὸ βυθοῦ κατεπόθησαν, οἱ ουτως καταποθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς κατεληλυθότες παρεδόθησαν εἰς χεῖρας διαβόλου ῥομφαίας ἀλληγορικῶς καλουμένου. χεῖρες δὲ αὐτοῦ ητοι οἱ αγγελοι αὐτοῦ η αἱ χείρισται πράξεις τυγχάνουσιν. ουτω παραδοθέντες μερίδες ἀλωπέκων γενήσονται. 643a Ps 62,12b ̓Επαινεῖται δὲ καὶ ὁ ὀμνύων ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ τῷ εὐφραίνοντι τὸν βασιλέα.

644a Ps 63,2b Εξω δὲ ποιεῖ φόβου θεός, οὐ πάντως ἀνατρέπων η

καταβάλλων τὸν ἀντικείμενον ἀλλ' ἀνδρείαν ὀρέγων τῷ προσευχομένῳ. 645a Ps 63,3.4a ∆ιττῆς ουσης τῆς ἐκ κακίας βλάβης ζημιούσης ὁτὲ μὲν τὸ φρόνημα, ὁτὲ δὲ τὴν πρᾶξιν, δύο φάλαγγές εἰσιν αἱ προσπολεμοῦσαι τοῖς δικαίοις ἀφ' ων ῥυσθῆναι ἀβλαβὴς παρακαλεῖ ὁ ᾳδων τὰ προκείμενα, φάσκων τῷ θεῷ Σκέπασόν με ἀπὸ συστροφῆς πονηρευομένων (ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ παραχαράττειν τὴν τῶν δογμάτων ἀλήθειαν θέλοντες), ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πρακτικὴν ἀδικίαν ἐπιτελούντων καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν ἑλκῦσαι με θελόντων. ἀμφότερα γὰρ τὰ στρατόπεδα ταῦτα ῥομφαίας δίκην τὰς γλώσσας ἑαυτῶν ἠκόνησαν ὡς λόγον εχοντας τοὺς μὲν πονηρευομένους συναγορεύοντας καὶ ψευδωνύμῳ γνώσει, τοὺς δὲ τῇ πρακτικῇ κακίᾳ. 646a Ps 63,6ab Πλὴν εἰ καὶ ουτοι πονηρῶς εἰσι παρεσκευασμένοι, ἀλλ' ὁ εὐεργέτης θεὸς τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτὸν δίδωσι σημείωσιν τοῦ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου τόξου. οπερ ειρηται τυγχάνειν πρᾶγμα πικρόν (τοιοῦτο δ' ἐστὶ πᾶν κακίας ειδος καὶ ἀσεβὲς δόγμα), τοῦτο ἐντείναντες οια τόξον ἀπ' αὐτοῦ βάλλουσιν, ἀναλογίαν εχοντα βέλη πρὸς τὰ πεπυρωμένα τοῦ ἐχθροῦ βέλη. 647a Ps 63,6c Καὶ οἱ ἑτερόδοξοί φασι μηδένα ειναι τὸν καταλαβεῖν δυνάμενον τὴν κεκομψευμένην αὐτῶν καὶ σεσοφισμένην διδασκαλίαν. 648a Ps 63,7.8a ̓Εκλειπόντων ἐρευνᾶν ἐξερευνήσεις διὰ τὸ σφόδρα ἐξηρευνηκέναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ὡς καὶ λόγον ἑαυτοῖς κραταιῶσαι πονηρὸν καὶ παγίδας κρύψαι ἐν τοῖς διηγήμασιν ἑαυτῶν ἐφ' οις σὺν πολλῇ κομψείᾳ ἐσπουδασμένοις σεμνύνονται ὡς ἀλύτους εχειν λόγους ὡς μὴ φωρᾶσαί τινα τὴν ἀπάτην, προσελεύσεται αὐτοῖς ανθρωπος ἀληθινὸς σῴζων τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ τὸ ειναι διηρθρωμένος λόγιος καὶ βαθεῖαν καρδίαν τουτέστι νόησιν εχων βαθεῖαν, ὡς ὑψωθῆναι τὸν θεὸν δραττόμενον τῶν σοφῶν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν· ουτω γοῦν καὶ διὰ Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου ̓Ελύμαν τὸν μάγον φανερώσας αὐτοῦ τὸν δόλον καὶ