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placing charms around the necks of innocent children, or you go last to the doctor, having neglected the medicines of the One who is able to save. And if a dream disturbs you, you run to the dream-interpreter. And if you fear an enemy, you consider one of the men as a protector; and in general, in every need you are found wanting, in word calling God a refuge, but in deed drawing on help from the useless and vain. But for the righteous, God is true help, just as some general, having equipped a noble heavy-armed soldier, is always ready to help the part that is hard-pressed, so God is our helper. Are you sick? Be of good cheer. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens. Are you poor? Rejoice, for the good things of Lazarus will succeed you. Are you dishonored for the name of Christ? You are blessed, for your shame will be changed into the glory of an angel. And if, as you say, this patron should die, again the Lord will provide you another patron better than this one, and more magnanimous, if you have faith in Him. He who hopes in man, or is puffed up by anything else in life, such as on power or money, or any of the things considered splendid by many, is not able to say: In You, O Lord, 95.1432 I have hoped. For it is a commandment, not to hope in princes. And, Cursed is the man who has hope in man. He who is eager to achieve divine dispassion ought to keep his own reasoning unenslaved to every passion. Persuade yourself, therefore, to perform the good for God's sake alone, and not for human, easily perishable, and transient glory.

TITLE 6. - Concerning the church, and the house of God, and the altar, and the priestly sacrifice; and that one must not sacrifice [or, do business] in churches.

The altar shall be most holy; and everyone who touches the altar shall be sanctified. You shall bring the firstfruits of the first produce of your land into the house of your God. You shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that you do not expose your nakedness on it. You shall set bread on my table before me always. Whoever touches the sacrifice of the priests shall be sanctified. The Lord said to Moses: Speak to Aaron your brother, that he not come at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat. But I, in the abundance of Your mercy, will enter Your house; I will worship toward Your holy temple in fear of You, and the rest. In the midst of the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise Him. Lord, I have loved the beauty of Your house, and the place of the tabernacle of Your glory. One thing I have asked from the Lord, this I will seek, and the rest. Worship the Lord in His holy court. We shall be satisfied with the good things of Your house. In the congregations bless God the Lord from the fountains of Israel. How beloved are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts, my king. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand. Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days. Enter His gates with thanksgiving. Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them, etc. 95.1433 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth be reverent before His face. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord Almighty. Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob. He will announce to us His way. My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. How great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of His creation! Great, and it has no end; high and immeasurable. You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. Jesus entered the temple, and cast out all those selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the

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χαρακτῆρας τοῖς τραχήλοις τῶν ἀναιτίων παιδίων περιτιθέντα, ἢ τὸ τελευταῖον ἐπὶ τὸν ἰατρὸν ἔρχῃ, τὰ φάρμακα τοῦ δυναμένου σώζειν καταμελήσας. Κἂν ἐνύπνιόν σε ἐκταράξῃ, πρὸς τὸν ὀνειροκρίτην τρέχεις. Κἂν φοβηθῇς ἐχθρὸν, προστάτην ἕνα τῶν ἀνθρώπων περινοεῖς· καὶ ὅλως ἐφ' ἑκάστης χρείας ἐλέγχῃ, ῥήματι μὲν ὀνομάζων τὸν Θεὸν καταφυγὴν, ἔργῳ δὲ τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀνωφελῶν καὶ ματαίων βοήθειαν ἐπισπώμενος. Ἔστι δὲ τῷ δικαίῳ ἀληθινὴ βοήθεια ὁ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ τις στρατηγὸς ὁπλιτικὸν γενναῖον ἐξηρτημένος, ἕτοιμος ἀεὶ βοηθεῖν τῷ καταπονουμένῳ μέρει, οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν. Νοσεῖς; εὐθύμει. Ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει. Πτωχεύεις; εὐφραίνου, ὅτι Λαζάρου σε τὰ ἀγαθὰ διαδέξεται. Ἀτιμάζῃ διὰ τὸ ὄνομα Χριστοῦ; μακάριος εἶ, ὅτι σοι ἡ αἰσχύνη εἰς δόξαν ἀγγέλου μεταβληθήσεται. Κἂν, ὡς φὴς, τελευτήσαι οὗτος ὁ πάτρων, πάλιν ἕτερον πάτρωνά σοι ἀγαθώτερον τούτου, καὶ μεγαλοψυχότερον ὁ Κύριος παρέξει, ἐὰν τὴν πίστιν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχῃς. Ὁ ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον ἐλπίζων, ἢ ἐπ' ἄλλο τι τῶν κατὰ βίον μετεωριζόμενος, οἷον ἐπὶ δυναστείαν ἢ χρήματα, ἤ τι τῶν παρὰ πολλοῖς νομιζομένων εἶναι λαμπρῶν, οὐ δύναται εἰπεῖν· Ἐπὶ σὲ, Κύριε, 95.1432 ἤλπισα. Παράγγελμα γάρ ἐστι, μὴ ἐλπίζειν ἐπ' ἄρχοντας. Καὶ, Ἐπικατάρατος, ἄνθρωπος, ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον. Ὁ τὴν θείαν ἀπάθειαν κατορθῶσαι σπουδάζων, ἀδούλωτον παντὶ πάθει ὀφείλει φυλάξαι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λογισμόν. Πεῖσον τοίνυν σεαυτὸν διὰ τὸν Θεὸν μόνον, καὶ μὴ δι' ἀνθρωπίνην εὔφθαρτον καὶ ἐξίτηλον δόξαν, τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐκτελεῖν.

ΤΙΤΛ. ϛʹ. -Περὶ ἐκκλησίας, καὶ οἴκου Θεοῦ, καὶ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ θυσίας ἱερατικῆς· καὶ ὅτι οὐ δεῖ ἐν ἐκκλησίαις θήειν [καπηλεύειν].

Ἔσται τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἅγιον ἁγίων· καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἁγιασθήσεται. Τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τῶν πρωτογεννημάτων τῆς γῆς σου εἰσοίσεις εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. Οὐκ ἀναβήσῃ ἐν ἀναβαθμίσιν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριόν μου, ὅπως μὴ ἀποκαλύψῃς τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην σου ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Ἐπιθήσεις ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζάν μου ἄρτον ἐναντίον μου διὰ παντός. Πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἅψηται τῆς θυσίας τῶν ἱερέων ἁγιασθήσεται. Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Λάλησον πρὸς Ἀαρὼν τὸν ἀδελφόν σου, καὶ μὴ εἰσερχέσθω πᾶσαν ὥραν εἰς τὸ ἅγιον ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τοῦ ἐλεούς σου εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου· προσκυνήσω πρὸς ναὸν ἅγιόν σου ἐν φόβῳ σου, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε. Οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, αἰνέσατε αὐτόν. Κύριε, ἠγάπησα εὐπρέπειαν οἴκου σου, καὶ τόπον σκηνώματος δόξης σου. Μίαν ᾐτησάμην παρὰ Κυρίου, ταύτην ζητήσω, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Προσκυνήσατε τῷ Κυρίω ἐν αὐλῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Πλησθησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τοῦ οἴκου σου Ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν Κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ. Ὡς ἀγαπητὰ τὰ σκηνώματά σου, Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ βασιλεύς μου. Κρείσσων ἡμέρα μία ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας. Τῷ οἴκῳ σου πρέπει ἁγίασμα, Κύριε, εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν. Εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς πύλας αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει. Ὑψωσάτωσαν αὐτὸν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαοῦ. Ἀνοίξατέ μοι πύλας δικαιοσύνης, εἰσελθὼν ἐν αὐταῖς, κ.τ.λ. 95.1433 Εὐφράνθην ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρηκόσι μοι, Εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου πορευσόμεθα. Κύριος ἐν ναῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ, εὐλαβείσθω ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. Μεγάλη ἔσται ἡ δόξα τούτου τοῦ οἴκου ἡ ἐσχάτη ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην, λέγει Κύριος ὁ παντοκράτωρ. ∆εῦτε, ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακώβ. Ἀγγελεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ οἶκός μου οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Ὡς μέγας ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εὐμήκης ὁ τόπος τῆς κτίσεως αὐτοῦ! Μέγας, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τελευτήν· ὑψηλὸς καὶ ἀμέτρητος. Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐξέβαλε πάντας τοὺς πωλοῦντας καὶ ἀγοράζοντας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, καὶ τὰς τραπέζας τῶν κολλυβιστῶν ἀνέτρεψεν, καὶ τὰς