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Therefore, just as the Savior is humble in heart, so also those who learn this from him become humble in mind. And these are the poor in spirit who do not wish to be rich in arrogance. 20 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and from all their afflictions he will deliver them. It has already often been said to us that he delivers from all of them. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous"; I said that it is throughout life and until the last breath. 21 The Lord guards all their bones. If they are delivered from all afflictions so as not to fall under and be crushed, all their strong powers, called bones, are guarded by God. And it was also said before this that the powers of the soul are called its bones; for they are what holds the whole soul together, as the perceptible bones do for the whole body. It would be impossible for the flesh or the other parts to stand; the bones are what hold together the members of the body. And the strong powers of the soul, such as the mnemonic 203 or the theoretical or perceptive of beautiful things, when they are unbending and are perfectly guarded, they have this from God, not by their own power. Therefore, from choice they come to will this, and they are perfected in this with God cooperating. 21 one of them will not be broken. If they are righteous and cried out to God and were delivered from all afflictions, "one" of their bones "will not be broken," instead of "one power." And so that I may begin from the more perceptible powers: there is a certain power of seeing. when one does not see in order to desire the beauty of women nor is overcome by the desire of beauty, this bone has not been broken by the Lord, but is kept unharmed by him. when, having looked to heaven, one sees the sun and the moon and does not worship and serve them, but from the visible creation perceives the one who pointed out all things and from the greatness of his creatures and their beauty contemplates by analogy, this bone according to sight is strong. So I take it in a more perceptible sense, when one does not accept an idle report, but judges by what words he is persuaded and by what not, and to which he gives assent and which he rejects— "apply your ear to the words of the wise," and "do not accept an idle report"—, this one has also the bone, the hearing, the sense of hearing, unbroken, healthy. 22 The death of sinners is evil, and those who hate the righteous will do wrong. The bones of the righteous, on the one hand, are guarded by the Lord and one of them is not broken, but the death of sinners is evil. And it has already been said by us, that evil is spoken of in two ways. And if death, which pulls one down from the blessed life, follows sin, according to: "sin when it is fully grown brings forth death," this death is evil. Again, since they are handed over to punishment having departed from this life, they have died again in order to be punished. For it is said: "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"; for how is it possible for this one to be evil or for the death planted together with the death of Christ to be evil? "For if we have been united," he says, "with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also of the resurrection." And: "if we have died with him, we will also live with him." "and those who hate the righteous will do wrong." The sinner, if he receives an intensification of sin, hates the righteous one. and hating the righteous one, he hates virtue. For sinners hate the righteous one not because he is a human being—for they do not hate sinners—but because he is righteous. And the one who hates a physician because he is a physician, hates the art of medicine. For this reason they will do wrong, they will be punished. 23 The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants. Finally, he says: even if an evil death touches the sinners and wrongdoing will befall those who hate the righteous, yet he redeems the good souls of his servants. He redeems their souls from the grievous things that previously held them. Again you take it in two ways: he both redeems from punishment and redeems from sin; for if he redeems from sin, it follows that from

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ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ σωτὴρ τῇ καρδίᾳ ταπεινός ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ μανθάνοντες παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦτο ταπεινοὶ γίνονται τῇ γνώμῃ. καὶ οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι οἱ μὴ πλουτεῖν ἐν ἀλαζονείᾳ βουλόμενοι. 20 πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτούς. πολλάκις ἤδη ἡμῖν ἐλέχθη ὅτι ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύεται. "πολ λαί" εἰσιν "αἱ τῶν δικαίων θλίψεις"· εἶπον ὅτι διὰ βίου καὶ μέχρις ὑστέρας ἀναπνοῆς. 21 κύριος φυλάττει πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν. εἰ ῥύονται ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων ὥστε μὴ ὑποπεσεῖν καὶ συντριβῆναι, πᾶσαι αἱ εὔτονοι αὐτῶν δυνάμεις ὀστᾶ καλούμεναι φυλάττονται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐλέχθη δὲ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ὅτι αἱ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις ὀστᾶ αὐτῆς καλοῦνται· διακρατητικὰ γάρ εἰσιν ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς, τὰ ὀστᾶ τὰ αἰσθητὰ ὅλου τοῦ σώματος. ἀδύνατον ἦν στῆναι τὰς σάρκας ἢ τὰ ἄλλα· τὰ διακρατοῦντα τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος ὀστᾶ. καὶ αἱ εὔτον̣ο̣ι αἱ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις, οἷον ἡ μνημονικὴ 203 ἢ ἡ θεωρητικὴ ἢ αἰσθητικὴ τῶν καλῶν, ὅταν ἀκαμπεῖς ὦσιν καὶ τέλειαι φυλαττόμεναι, ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦτ' ἔχουσιν, οὐχ ἱδίᾳ δυνάμει. ἐκ προαιρέσεως οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ θέλειν τοῦτο ἔρχονται, τελειοῦνται δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο συνεργήσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ. 21 ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συντριβήσεται. εἰ δίκαιοί εἰσιν καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων ἐρύσθησαν, "ἓν" τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτῶν "οὐ συντριβήσεται", ἀντὶ τοῦ "μία δύναμις". καὶ ἵνα ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητικωτέρων ἄρξωμαι δυνάμεων· δύναμίς ἐστίν τις ὁρατική. ὅταν μὴ ὁρᾷ ἵνα ἐπιθυμήσῃ κάλλος γυναικῶν μηδὲ νικηθῇ ὑπὸ κάλλους ἐπιθυμίας, τὸ ὀστοῦν τοῦτο οὐ συνετρίβη ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, ἀλλὰ φυλάττεται ὑπ' αὐ τοῦ ἀβλαβές. ὅταν βλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἴδῃ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελη´̣ν̣ην καὶ μὴ προςκυνήσῃ καὶ λατρεύσῃ, ἀλλὰ ἐκ τῆς ὁρωμένης κτίσεως τὸν καταδείξαντα πάντα νοήσῃ καὶ ἐκ̣ μεγέθους τῶν κτισμάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς καλλονῆς ἀναλόγως θεωρῶν, ἔρρωται τοῦτο τὸ ὀστοῦν τὸ κατ̣ὰ τὴν ὄψιν. ὥστε αἰσθητικώτερον λαμβάνω, ὅταν μὴ παραδέχηταί τις ἀκοὴν ματαίαν, ἀλλὰ κρίνῃ ποίοις λόγοις πείθηται καὶ ποίοις μὴ καὶ ποίοις συνκαταθῆται καὶ ποίοις ἀνανεύῃ- "λόγοις σοφῶν παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς", καὶ "μὴ παραδέξῃ ἀκοὴν ματαίαν"-, οὗτος ἔχει καὶ τὸ ὀστοῦν, τὴν ἀκοήν, τὴν αἴσθησιν τῶν ἀκοῶν ἀσύντριβον, ὑγιαίνουσαν. 22 θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός, καὶ οἱ μισοῦντες τὸν δίκαιον πλημμελήσουσιν. τῶν μὲν δικαίων τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑπὸ κυρίου φυλάττεται καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συντρίβεται, τῶν δὲ ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ θάνατος πονηρός ἐστιν. ἐλέχθη δὲ ἡμῖν ἤδη, ὅτι διχῶς λέγεται πονηρός. εἰ δὲ ἕπεται ὁ κατασπῶν ἀπὸ τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς θάνατος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, κατὰ τό· "ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀποτελεσθεῖσα ἀποκύει θάνατον", πονηρός ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ θάνατος. πάλιν ἐπεὶ κολάσει παραδίδονται ἀπαλλαγέντες τοῦ βίου, τεθνήκασιν πάλιν ἵνα κολασθῶσιν. λέγεται γοῦν· "τίμιος ἐναντίον κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ"· πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε εἶναι τοῦτον πονηρὸν ἢ πονηρὸν τὸν θάνατον σὺν τῷ θανάτῳ Χριστοῦ φυτευόμενον; "εἰ γὰρ σύνφυτοι", φησίν, "γεγόνα μεν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως". καί· "εἰ συναπεθάναμεν, καὶ συνζήσομεν". "καὶ οἱ μισοῦντες τὸν δίκαιον πλημμελήσουσιν". ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐὰν ἐπίτασιν ἁμαρτίας λάβῃ, τὸν δίκαιον μισεῖ. μισῶν δὲ τὸν δίκαιον τὴν ἀρετὴν μισεῖ. οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ γοῦν μισοῦσιν τὸν δίκαιον οὐχ ᾗ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν-τοὺς γοῦν ἁμαρτωλοὺς οὐ μισοῦσιν-, ἀλλ' ᾗ δίκαιός ἐστιν. ὁ δὲ μισῶν ἰατρὸν ᾗ ἰατρός, τὴν ἰατρικὴν μισεῖ. διὰ τοῦτο πλημμελήσουσ̣ιν, κολασθήσονται. 23 λυτρώσεται κύριος ψυχὰς δούλων αὐτοῦ. λοιπὸν λέγει· εἰ καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἅπτ̣εται πονηρὸς θάνατος καὶ τῶν μισούντων τὸν δίκαιον γενήσεται πλημμέλεια, ἀλλὰ τὰς τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὰς ψυχὰς λυτροῦται. λυτροῦται τὰς ψυχὰς ἀπὸ τῶν προλαβόντων κρατησάντων ἀνιαρῶν. ἑκατέρως π̣άλιν λαμβάνεις· καὶ ἀπὸ κολάσεως λυτροῦται καὶ ἐξ ἁμαρτίας λυτροῦται· εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἁμαρτίας λυτροῦται, ἕπεται τὸ ἀπὸ