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their craftiness. For how is God not exalted through holy men, when the error of deceivers is dissolved? The magicians and enchanters of Egypt were greatly proud of their sorcery and sophistry, but the hierophant of God, Moses, having in himself a deep heart, approached and overthrew the deceit in which they were greatly proud. and thus God was exalted, hymned by all. He who has this deep understanding receives it from the Spirit who searches all things. 649a Ps 63,8b-10 Just as the arrows sent by infants do not even inflict a scratch, wounding nothing, so also when the prepared sophists devised a bitter thing, the disgrace has come upon them; and their tongues have been weakened, that is, their words, so that they were not able to strike in any way the one who takes up the shield of faith. The people, seeing the aforementioned things, who formerly testified to their own cleverness, were troubled, no longer remaining in the deceitful opinions they had from the sophists, having fear because they had consented to such impious doctrines. For they had learned from them that there is no providence; that all things move by chance, and others, carried away by other deceivers, accepted that men are by nature good and evil, and in addition that fate is in control. When these false opinions were shaken as they were being troubled, they had a true manifestation that God is the maker and provider for all things. So they announced the works of providence and understood his creations and knew the one who provides, beholding the creator analogously from their greatness and beauty. 650a Ps 63,11 When error is refuted, the just man will rejoice in God, seeing the men who formerly were in error announcing the works of God and having understanding of his creations. and in addition to this he will hope still more in the Lord in whom he rejoiced, so that henceforth only those who have an upright heart in the practical and contemplative life will be praised.

651a Ps 64 arg It has been said before that the psalm [indicates] action, but the song

indicates contemplation. Therefore, the practical life, being accomplished together with the contemplative life, shows a perfect man. 652a Ps 64,2.3a From the literal text one must pass to the ecclesiastical meaning. Because it is called Sion on account of its contemplation of the truth, in it a hymn and a prayer are fittingly offered to the cause of all things. The hymn signifies contemplation of God and of the truth, but the prayer, thanksgiving. Therefore, let him who gives thanks in everything do this in Sion, beginning by hymning the one to whom he offers the prayer. Therefore, hear the prayer we have offered with mind and spirit to God, O Lord; and it is concerning that for which we have asked you to be merciful for what we seemed to do impiously through ignorance. 653a Ps 64,3b All flesh comes to God, fulfilling "To you the nations will come from the end of the earth," and "All the nations you have made will come before you." But "all flesh comes to God" must also be understood in another way as the soul which is pliable to being most easily formed by the divine laws and the characteristics of the truth; according to which meaning it is said that the spiritual law is written on tablets of fleshly hearts and not on tablets of stone. This very thing is also presented from the prophecy of Ezekiel, with God saying concerning those called hard-hearted because of their foolishness: "I will take from them their hearts of stone and put in them hearts of flesh, so that they may walk in my commandments." 654a Ps 64,5ab He who is chosen on account of holiness, if he persists in the choice, is received by God, so that having been removed from the place around the earth he may dwell in the courts of the one who chose him, concerning which it is said, "Enter into his courts with hymns"; someone having a longing for these from here said, "My soul longs and faints for the courts

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τὴν πανουργίαν. πῶς γὰρ οὐχ ὑψοῦται θεὸς δι' ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν, τῆς πλάνης λυομένης τῶν ἀπατεώνων; Μέγα ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ γοητείᾳ καὶ σοφιστείᾳ οἱ Αἰγύπτου φαρμακοὶ καὶ ἐπαοιδοί, ἀλλ' ὁ θεοῦ ἱεροφάντης Μωυσῆς, εχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ καρδίαν βαθεῖαν. προσελθὼν ἀνέτρεψε τὴν ἀπάτην ἐφ' ῃ μέγα ἐφρόνουν. καὶ ουτως ὑψώθη θεὸς πρὸς πάντων ἀνυμνούμενος. ὁ ταύτην δὲ τὴν βαθεῖαν νόησιν εχων δέχεται αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐρευνῶντος πνεύματος. 649a Ps 63,8b-10 Ωσπερ τὰ πεμπόμενα νηπίων βέλη οὐδὲ μέχρις ἀμυχῆς πλήττει τι τιτρώσκοντα, ουτω καὶ τῶν παρεσκευασμένων σοφιστῶν ἐντεινάντων πρᾶγμα πικρὸν κεχώρηκε κατ' αὐτῶν ἡ λώβη· καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι ἠσθένησαν δ' αὐτῶν, τουτέστιν οἱ λόγοι, ὡς μηδὲ κατὰ ποσὸν βαλεῖν δύνασθαι τὸν ἀναλαμβάνοντα τὸν τῆς πίστεως θυρεόν. Θεωροῦντες οἱ ανθρωποι τὰ προειρημένα, οἱ πάλαι δεινότητα ἑαυτοῖς μαρτυροῦντες, ἐταράχθησαν, οὐκέτι μένοντες ἐν αις εσχον ὑπὸ τῶν σοφιστῶν ἠπατημέναις δόξαις, φόβον ἐσχηκότες διὰ τὸ τοιούτοις ἀσεβέσι δόγμασιν συγκατατεθεῖσθαι. μαθόντες γὰρ ησαν παρ' αὐτῶν ὡς οὐκ ειη πρόνοια· ὡς ἐκ ταὐτομάτου φέρονται τὰ πάντα, καὶ πρὸς αλλων ἀπατεώνων ετεροι συναρπαγέντες φύσει ἀγαθοὺς καὶ κακοὺς ἀνθρώπους παρεδέξαντο, καὶ προσέτι ὡς εἱμαρμένης πρυτανευούσης. τούτων κλονηθεισῶν τῶν ψευδοδοξιῶν ἐν τῷ ταράττεσθαι αὐτούς, ἀληθῆ φανέρωσιν εσχον ὡς ειη θεὸς ποιητὴς τῶν ολων καὶ προνοητής. ἀνήγγειλαν γοῦν τὰ τῆς προνοίας εργα καὶ τὰ κτίσματα αὐτοῦ συνῆκαν καὶ τὸν προνοούμενον εγνωσαν, ἐκ τοῦ μεγέθους καὶ κάλλους αὐτῶν ἀναλόγως τὸν δημιουργὸν θεωρήσαντες. 650a Ps 63,11 ∆ιελεγχομένης τῆς πλάνης, ὁ δίκαιος εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ, ὁρῶν τοὺς πάλαι πλανωμένους ἀνθρώπους ἀναγγέλλοντας τὰ εργα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σύνεσιν εχοντας τῶν ποιημάτων αὐτοῦ. καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ ετι μᾶλλον ἐλπίσει ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν ῳ ηὐφράνθη, ὡς λοιπὸν ἐπαινεῖσθαι μόνους τοὺς εὐθεῖαν εχοντας καρδίαν ἐπὶ πρακτικῷ καὶ θεωρητικῷ βίῳ.

651a Ps 64 αργ Ειρηται δὲ πρότερον ὡς πρᾶξιν μὲν ὁ ψαλμός, θεωρίαν δὲ ἡ

ᾠδὴ δηλοῖ. ὁ πρακτικὸς αρα αμα τῷ θεωρητικῷ βίῳ κατορθούμενος ανδρα τέλειον ἀποδείκνυσιν. 652a Ps 64,2.3a ̓Εκ τοῦ ῥητοῦ μεταβατέον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν γνώμην. διὰ τὸ σκοπευτικὸν τῆς ἀληθείας Σιὼν ὀνομαζομένης, ἐν ταύτῃ πρεπόντως υμνος καὶ εὐχὴ ἀποδίδοται τῷ πάντων αἰτίῳ. σημαίνει δὲ ὁ μὲν υμνος θεωρίαν θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἡ δὲ εὐχὴ εὐχαριστίαν. ὁ ἐν παντὶ τοίνυν εὐχαριστῶν ἐν τῇ Σιὼν τοῦτο ποιείτω, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑμνεῖν τὸν ῳ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀποδίδωσιν. ης τοίνυν προσηγάγομεν νῷ καὶ πνεύματι θεοῦ προσευχῆς εἰσάκουσον, ω κύριε· εστι δὲ περὶ ου ἠξιώσαμεν τὸ ιλεών σε εχειν ὑπὲρ ων ἀσεβεῖν ἐδόξαμεν κατὰ αγνοιαν. 653a Ps 64,3b Ερχεται πρὸς τὸν θεὸν πᾶσα σάρξ, πληρουμένου τοῦ Πρὸς σὲ εθνη ηξουσιν ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, καὶ τοῦ Πάντα τὰ εθνη οσα ἐποίησας ηξουσιν ἐναντίον σου. ̓Εκληπτέον δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως πρὸς θεὸν ερχεσθαι πᾶσαν σάρκα τὴν ευεικτον ψυχὴν πρὸς τὸ ῥᾷστα τυποῦσθαι πρὸς τῶν θείων νόμων καὶ τῶν χαρακτήρων τῆς ἀληθείας· καθὸ σημαινόμενον ειρηται ὁ πνευματικὸς νόμος ἐν πλαξὶ καρδίας σαρκίναις γεγράφθαι καὶ οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις. τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ παρίσταται καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ̓Ιεζεκιὴλ προφητείας, τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος περὶ τῶν σκληροκαρδίων λεγομένων κατ' ἠλιθιότητα ̓Εκσπάσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας καὶ ἐνθήσω καρδίας σαρκίνας, οπως ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασί μου πορεύωνται. 654a Ps 64,5ab ̔Ο ἐκλεγεὶς δι' ἁγιότητα, ἐὰν ἐπιμείνῃ τῇ ἐκλογῇ, προσλαμβάνεται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς μετοικισθέντα αὐτὸν τοῦ περὶ γῆν τόπου κατασκηνῶσαι ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τοῦ ἐκλεξαμένου περὶ ων ειρηται Εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν υμνοις· ων ἀπεντεῦθεν πόθον τις εχων ειπεν ̓Επιποθεῖ καὶ ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς