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But it is praiseworthy that the eyes of the Lord and his ears are for the righteous, but it is punitive that the face of the Lord is "to destroy the memory from the earth"; for even if the end is better, it comes about through evil, as health comes through cauteries and surgeries and very bitter potions. Therefore, he speaks to the other, the preceding. Since the ears of God are for the supplication of the righteous and his eyes watch over them, when they cried out, they did not fail; for "he heard them." And to the other point, "the face of the Lord is against those who do evil," he says in what follows: "but the death of sinners is evil." Not every death is evil, but that of sinners. The discussion is not now about the common death; for that belongs to a living being, not to a quality, not to a sinner, not to a righteous person. So even if you take the common death, when one dies as a sinner, he has an evil death—for punishment will succeed it—and if you take the other death which is in reality fitting for the sinner, "sin," he says, "when it is finished, brings forth death." But sin is not finished outside of those who do it, but in the people who do it. Therefore, the death that follows them is evil. And in the first sense, we say that death is evil because it is productive of evil, harmful. But here we say it is evil according to the second interpretation, because it is outside of goodness. The grammarians therefore read *poneron* as "3the harmful *poneron*."3 "And all the evil diseases of Egypt I will not bring upon you," the grievous plagues which the Egyptians suffered according to the story. But when he says, "Abstain from every form of evil," we do not mean this grievous evil; for it is not ours to abstain from these things. They are sent by God; these things happen to us against our will on account of preceding wickedness. To the verse, "But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil," is then added: "The death of sinners is evil"; either evil or evil; it has both meanings; for they have both the punishment and the wickedness which drags them down from the blessed life, which is equal to vice. "Take away the wickedness from your souls before my eyes." See the precision: since he named the wickednesses of souls, and these are not seen by anyone other than God, he says: Do not feign the removal of the wickedness from your souls before my eyes, as I am watching, even if not from a contrary position. It is equal to what is said by the Savior, that one ought to give alms in secret, so that "the Father who sees in secret will repay." 18 And he delivered them from all their tribulations. And in other verses of the psalm it was said that to be delivered from all tribulations does not mean to be made outside of being afflicted, since the saints were never heard, as Paul says, "in everything afflicted." 19 The Lord is near to the contrite of heart and will save the humble in spirit. Just as the dialecticians and demonstrators say, that one must construct and demonstrate the non-evident from the evident; for this is true. It is impossible for the unknown to become known from the similarly unknown, and much more so from the more unknown. Therefore, the non-evident is made known from the evident and the unknown from the known. So let us consider another, clearer scripture, so that we may also obtain a correct opinion and knowledge of the one before us. It is said therefore in Proverbs: "Before destruction a man's heart is exalted, or before glory it is humbled." This is what he says: the proud man is humbled without being crushed. But having been crushed by the labors on behalf of freedom from pride, he is exalted. "Before destruction a man's heart is exalted." The proud man hears words against pride, and sometimes also has experience of afflictions, because he is puffed up. If you submit to this destruction which is better brought on through the labors for the sake of humility, the heart is not exalted. before the reproof, so that thus

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ἐπαινετὸν δὲ τὸ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τὰ ὦτα εἰς τοὺς δικαίους εἶναι, κολαςτικὸν δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον κυρίου "τοῦ ἐξολεθρεῦσαι ἐκ τῆς γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον"· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τέλος ἀμείνω ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ διὰ κακοῦ γινόμενον, ὡς διὰ καυστήρων καὶ χειρουργιῶν ὑγίεια καὶ προποτισμῶν δριμυτάτων. πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον οὖν τὸ προηγούμενον λέγει. ἐπεὶ τὰ ὦτα τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τὴν δέησιν τῶν δικαίων ἐστὶν καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐφορῶσιν αὐτούς, κράξαντες οὐκ ἀπέτυχον· "εἰσήκουσεν" γὰρ "αὐτῶν". πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἄλλο τό· "πρόσωπον κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά", ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς λέγει· "θάνατος δὲ ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός". οὐ πᾶς θάνατος πονηρός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ὁ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. οὐ περὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ δὲ νῦν ὁ λόγος· ζῴου γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος, οὐ ποιοῦ, οὐχ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, οὐ δικαίου. κἂν τὸν κοινὸν οὖν λά201 βῃς, ὅταν ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀποθάνῃ, πονηρὸν ἔχει τὸν θάνατον -διαδέξεται γὰρ αὐτὸν κόλασις-, καὶ ἐὰν τὸν ἄλλον τὸν τῷ ὄντι κατάλληλον τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, "ἡ ἁμαρτία", φησίν, "ἀποτελεσθεῖσα ἀποκύει θάνατον". ἡ ἁμαρτία δὲ ἀποτελεῖται οὐκ ἔξωθεν τῶν ποιούντων, ἀλλὰ ἐν τοῖς ποιοῦσιν ἀνθρώποις. θάνατος οὖν ὁ ἑπόμενος αὐτοῖς πονηρός ἐστιν. καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ προτέρου νοήματος πονηρὸν λέγομεν εἶναι τὸν θάνατον πονηροῦ ποιητικόν, κακωτικόν. ὧδε δὲ πονηρὸν λέγομεν κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν ἀπόδοσιν, ὅτι ἔξω ἀγαθότητός ἐστιν. οἱ γραμμα τικοὶ οὖν πονηρὸν ἀναγιγνώσκουσιν "3πονηρὸν τὸ κακωτικόν"3. "καὶ πάσας τὰς νόσους Αἰγύπτου τὰς πονηρὰς οὐκ ἐπαφῶ ἐπὶ σέ", τὰς ἐπιπόνους̣ ἃς ὑπέστησαν πληγὰς οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν. ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ· "ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε", οὐ λ̣έγομεν πονηροῦ τούτου τοῦ ἐπιπόνου· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμέτερόν ἐστιν ἀπέχεσθαι τούτων. θεήλατά εἰσιν, μὴ θελόντων ἡμῶν ἐπιγίνεται ταῦτα διὰ προλαβοῦσαν κακίαν. πρὸς τό· "πρόσωπον δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά", εἶτα ἐπενήνεκται· "θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός"· ἢ πονηρὸς ἢ πονηρός· τἀμφότερα ἔχει· καὶ τὴν κόλασιν γὰρ ἔχουσιν καὶ τὴν κατασπῶσαν ἀπὸ τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς πονηρίαν ἥτις ἴση κακίᾳς ἐστίν. "ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου". ὅρα γε τὴν ἀκρίβειαν· ἐπειδὴ ψυχῶν πονηρίας ὠνόμασεν, αὗται δὲ οὐκ ἄλλῳ ὁρῶνται ἢ τῷ θεῷ, λέγει ὅτι· μὴ ἐπιμορφάζεσθε ἀφαίρεσιν πονηριῶν τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ἐμῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὡς ἐμοῦ ὁρῶν τος, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου. ἴσον ἐστὶν τῷ λεγομένῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος δεῖν τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν κρυπτῷ ποιεῖν, ἵν' "ὁ πατὴρ ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσῃ". 18 καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ἐρύσατο αὐτούς. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις στίχοις τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἐλέχθη, ὅτι τὸ ῥυσθῆναι ἀπὸ θλίψεων πασῶν οὐ τὸ ἔξω τοῦ θλίβεσθαι ποιεῖν σημαίνει, ἐπεὶ οὐδέποτε ἐπηκούσθησαν οἱ ἅγιοι, ὡς τὸν Παῦλον λέγειν· "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι". 19 ἐγγὺς κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύματι σώσει. ὥσπερ οἱ διαλεκτικοὶ καὶ ἀποδεικτικοὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι δεῖ ἐκ τῶν φανερῶν τὰ μὴ φανερὰ κατασκευάζειν καὶ ἀποδεικνύναι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀληθές ἐστιν. ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἄγνωστα γνωσθῆναι ἐξ ὁμοίως ἀγνώστων καὶ πολλῷ γε πλέον ἐξ ἀγνωστοτέρων. ἐκ τῶν φανερῶν οὖν τὰ μὴ φανερὰ γνωρίζεται καὶ ἐκ̣ τῶν γιγνωσκομένων τὰ μὴ γιγνωσκόμενα. λοιπὸν ἄλλην γραφὴν σαφεστέραν νοήσωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τῆς προκειμένης ὀρθὴν γνώμην λάβωμεν καὶ γνῶσιν. λέγεται τοίνυν ἐν Παροιμίαις· "πρὸ συντριβῆς ὑψοῦται καρδία ἀνδρὸς ἢ πρὸ δόξης ταπεινοῦται". τοῦτο λέγει· ὁ ὑπερήφανος οὐ συντριβεὶς ταπεινοῦται. συν̣τριβεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ πόνων τῶν ὑπὲρ ἀτυφίας ὑψοῦται. "πρὸ συντριβῆς ὑψοῦται καρδία ἀνδρός". ὁ ὑπερήφανος ἀκούει λόγους κατὰ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας, ἐνίοτε καὶ θλιβηρῶν πεῖραν λαμβάνει, ὅτι τετυφωμένος ἐστίν. ἐὰν ὑποπέσῃς τῇ συντριβῇ ταύτῃ τῇ βελτιόνως προσαγομένῃ διὰ τῶν πόνων τῶν ὑπὲρ ταπεινοφροσύνης, οὐχ ὑψοῦται ἡ καρδία. πρὸ τῆς ἐπιτιμίας, ἵν' οὕτως