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I might say, and before the scourges it has a heart that is lifted up. So when it falls into afflictions, it knows that it fell into unwanted things because of its own pride. Thus also should be heard: "Capernaum, you who will be exalted to heaven, you will be brought down to Hades." For to be brought down to Hades is a shattering. Before this shattering, it was proud. "before glory one is humbled." One must first be humbled voluntarily, in order to attain glory; for glory comes second, after the lack of pride. For this reason the Savior also said: "he who humbles himself will be exalted." And see, "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled," he will be shattered here. Before this shattering, he has a heart that is lifted up, boasting, being proud. Again, it brings glory to the one who humbles himself, that he may be without pride. Before this glory, one must be humbled, one must work, in order to receive a reward. Therefore he receives glory for his lack of pride from God. Thus indeed Peter also exhorts, saying: "Humble yourselves under 202 the mighty hand of God, that you may be exalted in due time." And Job indeed says: God is "the one who makes the humble high." But "shattered" here "in heart" does not mean those who have been harmed in the heart. But sometimes the name of shattering signifies something like this: not having healthy reasonings, not having thoughts that are unperverted. This shattering of the heart needs a physician, a physician who heals what is hidden; for it is said: "The Lord builds up Jerusalem and will gather the dispersed of Israel, who heals the shattered in heart." These were shattered like wounded men. Thus indeed also the one who went down from Jerusalem, that is, to Jericho, that is, to the place around the earth and his way of life called Jericho because of the interpretation of the name— for Jericho is interpreted as "moon." And it is said, "the fool changes like the moon," as a moon which does not have increasing light, but decreasing. But the bride praised in the Song of Songs becomes "looking forth like the dawn, beautiful," "chosen as the moon." This change is for the better, for perfection; for the moon changes in two ways: changing from the crescent it comes to the full-orbed. And the transitions of the progress of its waxing are four: crescent, half-moon, gibbous, full-orbed. And conversely from the full-orbed it comes to the gibbous, and from the gibbous to the half-moon, from the half-moon to the crescent. Thus indeed the bride of the Word looks forth like the dawn, the perfect soul, the church adorned as a bride for him. And she is changed so as to become beautiful, chosen as the moon shining fully. And after this he says: "a wonder like the sun." And from the lunar light she comes to the solar, that prophecy being fulfilled which says: "the moon will be as the sun." One will be shattered in heart, therefore, when he is filled with shattered reasonings, with thoughts alien to sound truth. Of these shatterings the Savior becomes the physician; for "he who heals the shattered in heart and binds up their broken pieces," binding up their wounds. And I take for an example: someone is often shattered in a contest, contending against an adversary, and wins a crown. These broken pieces bring him no blame. But when he is shattered by wild beasts or robbers, we blame him—I do not speak according to the story; for it is possible to suffer this through ignorance—, saying: "3Why were you where the wild beasts are, or why did you approach the spiritual robbers of wickedness?"3? "and he will save the humble in spirit." Here "spirit" means the disposition. This is equivalent to what is said in the beatitudes of the gospel: "blessed are the poor in spirit," the poor in disposition. And these are they who, through right reason, achieve a lack of pride, who have heard from the Savior saying: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart." And disposition and heart are the same thing.

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εἴπω, καὶ πρὸ τῶν μαστιγῶν ὑψουμένην ἔχει τὴν καρδίαν. ὅταν γοῦν ὑποπέσῃ θλιβηροῖς, γιγνώσκει ὅτι διὰ τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν ἑαυτοῦ ὑπέπεσεν τοῖς ἀβουλήτοις. οὕτως ἀκουστέον καὶ τοῦ· "Καφαρναού, ἣ ἕως οὐρανοῦ ὑψωθήσῃ, ἕως ᾅδου καταβιβασθήσῃ". συντριβὴ δέ ἐστιν τὸ καταβιβασθῆναι ἕως ᾅδου. πρὸ ταύτης τῆς συντριβῆς ὑπερηφανεύσατο. "πρὸ δόξης ταπεινοῦται". δεῖ πρῶτον ταπεινωθῆναι ἑκουσίως, ἵνα δόξης τύχῃ· δευτέρα γὰρ ἡ δόξα γίνεται μετὰ τὴν ἀτυφίαν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἔλεγεν ὅτι· "ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται". καὶ ὅρα γε, "πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται", συντριβήσεται ὧδε. πρὸ ταύτης τῆς συντριβῆς ὑψουμένην ἔχει τὴν καρδίαν, ἀλαζονευομένην, ὑπερηφανευομένην. πάλιν δόξαν φέρει τῷ ταπεινοῦντι ἑαυτόν, ἵν' ἀτυφωθῇ. πρὸ ταύτης τῆς δόξας δεῖ ταπεινωθῆναι, δεῖ ἐργάσασθαι, ἵνα μισθὸν λάβῃ. λαμβάνει δόξαν οὖν τῆς ἀτυφίας παρὰ θεοῦ. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ Πέτρος παραινεῖ λέγων· "ταπεινώθητε ὑπὸ 202 τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖραν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα ὑψώθητε ἐν καιρῷ". καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ γοῦν λέγει· "ποιῶν ταπεινοὺς εἰς ὕψος" ἐστὶν ὁ θεός. "συντετριμμένους" δὲ ὧδε "τὴν καρδίαν" λέγει οὐ τοὺς βλαβέντας τὴν καρδίαν. σημαίνει δέ ποτε τὸ τῆς συντριβῆς ὄνομα τοιοῦτό τι τὸ μὴ ὑγιεινοὺς ἔχειν λογισμούς, τὸ μὴ τὰς νοήσεις ἀδιαστρόφους ἔχειν. αὕτη ἡ συντριβὴ τῆς καρδίας ἰατροῦ δέεται, ἰατροῦ δὲ τοῦ τὸ κρυπτὸν θεραπεύοντος· εἴρηται γὰρ τό· "οἰκοδομῶν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὁ κύριος καὶ τὰς διασπορὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπισυνάξει, ὁ ἰώμενος τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν". οὗτοι συνετρίβησαν οἷα τραυματίαι. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ καταβὰς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ τουτέστιν εἰς Ἰεριχώ, τουτέστιν εἰς τὸν περὶ γῆν τόπον καὶ τὴν πολιτέιαν αὐτοῦ Ἰεριχὼ καλούμενον διὰ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τοῦ ὀνόματος- σε̣λήνη γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται ἡ Ἰεριχών. λέγεται δὲ "ὁ ἄφρων ὡς σελήνη ἀλλοιοῦσθαι", ὡς σελήνη ἣ οὐκ αὐξάνον ἔχει τὸ φῶς, ἀλλὰ μειούμενον. ἡ δὲ νύμφη ἡ ὑμνουμένη ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων "ἐκκύπτουσα ὡσεὶ ὄρθρος καλὴ" γίνεται, "ὡς σελήνη ἐκλεκτή". ἡ ἀλλοίωσις αὕτη ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον γίνεται, ἐπὶ τὸ τελειωθῆναι· ἑκατέρως γὰρ ἀλλοιοῦται ἡ σελήνη· ἐκ τοῦ μηνοειδοῦς μεταβαλοῦσα ἔρχεται ἐπὶ τὸ πλησιφαές. καὶ γίνονται μεταβάσεις τῶν προκοπῶν τῆς αὐξήσεως τέσσαρες, μηνοειδές, διχότομον, ἀμφίκυρτον, πλησιφαές. ἔνπαλιν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησιφαοῦς ἔρχεται ἐπὶ τὸ ἀμφίκυρτον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀμφικύρτου ἐπὶ τὸ διχότομον, ἀπὸ τοῦ διχοτόμου ἐπὶ τὸ μηνοειδές. οὕτω γοῦν ἐκκύπτει ὡσεὶ ὄρθρος ἡ νύμφη τοῦ λόγου, ἡ τελεία ψυχή, ἡ ἐκκλησία ἡ νυμφοστοληθεῖσα αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀλλοιοῦται ὥστε καλὴ γενέσθαι, ἐκλεκτὴ ὡς σελήνη πλησίφως. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο λέγει· "ὡς ἥλιος θάμβος". καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σεληνιακοῦ φωτὸς ἔρχεται ἐπὶ τὸ ἡλιακὸν πληρουμένης τῆς προφητείας ἐκείνης τῆς λεγούσης ὅτι· "ἔσται ἡ σελήνη ὡς ὁ ἥλιος". συντριβήσεταί τις οὖν τὴν καρδίαν, ὅταν πληρωθῇ συντετριμμένων λογισμῶν, φρονημάτων ἀλλοτρίων τῆς ὑγιαι νούσης ἀληθείας. τούτων τῶν συντριβῶν ὁ σωτὴρ ἰατρὸς γίνεται· "ὁ ἰώμενος" γὰρ "τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν καὶ δεσμεύων τὰ συντρίμματα αὐτῶν", δεσμεύων τὰ τραύματα αὐτῶν. καὶ λαμβάνω ἐπὶ παραδείγματος· συντρίβεταί τις πολλάκις ἐν ἀγῶνι ἀγωνιζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου καὶ τυγχάνει στεφάνου. μὴ τὰ συντρίμματα ταῦτα ψόγον αὐτῷ φέρει. ὅταν δὲ συντριβῇ ὑπὸ θηρίων ἢ λῃστῶν, αἰτιώμεθα αὐτόν-οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν λέγω· ἐνχωρεῖ γὰρ κατὰ ἄγνοιαν τοῦτο παθεῖν-, ὅτι· "3διὰ τί ἐγίνου ἔνθα τὰ θη̣ρ̣ία̣, ἢ δια`̣ τί ἐπλησίαζες τοῖς πνευματικοῖς τῆς πονηρίαις λῃσταῖς"3; "καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύματι σώσει". πνεῦμα ὧδε τὴν̣ γνώμην λέγει. ἰσοδυναμεῖ τοῦτο τῷ ἐν μακαρισμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου εἰρημένῳ· "μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι", οἱ πτωχοὶ τῇ γνώμῃ. οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ διὰ λόγον ὀρθὸν ἀτυφίαν κατορθοῦντες, οἱ ἀκούσαντες ὑπο`̣ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγοντος· "μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ". ταὐτὸν δὲ γνώμη καὶ καρδία.