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to idols, but to partake of swine's flesh, they stir up their own reasoning toward piety, and sharpen their zeal on behalf of piety. Do you not prefer, it says, O soul, the service of God above all things? Then they teach the gain from this. "For with Him is my salvation. [3.] For He is my God, and my savior; my helper, I shall not be moved any more." This service, O soul, provides you salvation. For He is God and the provider of good things, and able to support those who are shaken. Therefore, having called upon His aid, I will be delivered from those who try to cast me down. Thus having fired up their own reasonings toward piety, they turn their tongue against their adversaries. 4. "How long do you attack a man? You all murder, as against a leaning wall and a tottering fence?" The sense of the verse is transposed. It is this: How long will you use cruelty against us, not considering our common nature, but just as a leaning wall, and a fence in danger of falling from the wind, you hasten to push and cast down, having a murderous intent? Instead of, Do not be greatly elated against us, as being weak. For we have as a helper the God of all things. 5. "But they plotted to cast away 80.1332 my honor." They have one purpose, he says, to strip me of the providence of God, from which I have all honor and glory. For the honor of the pious is to serve God; wherefore also the divine Paul everywhere calls himself a servant of Christ. "I ran in thirst." They do not hold this plot as a secondary matter; but with all eagerness they do this, thirsting to cast me into the pit of impiety. And what schemes they use, he says: "With their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed." They use prattling words, trying to deceive; but they have destruction hidden within. Having thus shown their plots, they again exhort themselves to persevere, and to await the divine inclination. 6. "But be subject to God, O my soul; for from Him is my patience." Do not abandon, O soul, the service of God, but strengthened by the inclination supplied by Him, bear the attacks of terrible things. 7. "For He is my God, and my savior, my helper, I will not emigrate." For knowing Him to be the true God, and the fount of salvation, I will not endure to change my service, and to run to another dominion. For he has put, I will emigrate, instead of, I will change. I will not become, he says, an emigrant, and a servant of impiety. 8. "In God is my salvation, and my glory; the God of my help, and my hope is in God." [Behold, again the prophetic mind has shown us more clearly the hypostases of the indivisible and light-bearing and ever-existing Trinity; not speaking of three gods, far from it; for the term God, as has often been said by us, and Lord and King and Creator and Almighty is applied to the hypostases. For which reason indeed] they often use the same words, calling the God of all things God and Savior, and glory, and helper; that they might repel the attacks of impiety. For which reason also they stir up all other kinsmen to the same piety, not enduring to be called victors alone. 9. "Hope in Him, all the congregation of the peoples, pour out your hearts before Him, 80.1333 for God is our helper." Despising all men, O kinsmen, make your hope in Him firm; and entrust your whole mind to Him, undoubtedly awaiting the help from Him. For, "Pour out your hearts before Him," signifies this, instead of, Dedicate all your reasonings to Him, and admit no division of mind. [Knowing well, that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, and that, no one can serve two masters.] 10. "But vain are the sons of men; false are the sons of men in the scales to do wrong." Theodotion interpreted this more clearly: "But a vapor are the sons of men;

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εἰδώλοις, ὑείων δὲ μεταλαμβάνειν κρεῶν, τὸν οἰκεῖον εἰς εὐσέβειαν διεγείρουσι λο γισμὸν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας παρα θήγουσι ζῆλον. Οὐ προτιμᾷς, φησὶν, ἁπάντων, ὦ ψυχὴ, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δουλείαν; Εἶτα τὸ ἐντεῦθεν διδάσκουσι κέρδος. "Παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου. [γʹ.] Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς Θεός μου, καὶ σωτήρ μου· ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον." Αὕτη σοι, ὦ ψυχὴ, ἡ δουλεία παρέχει τὴν σωτηρίαν. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι Θεὸς καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγὸς, καὶ τοὺς κλονουμέ νους ἐρεῖσαι δυνάμενος. Τὴν αὐτοῦ τοίνυν ἐπικου ρίαν καλέσας, τῶν καταβαλεῖν πειρωμένων ἀπαλλα γήσομαι. Οὕτω τοὺς οἰκείους εἰς εὐσέβειαν πυρεύ σαντες λογισμοὺς, μεταφέρουσι πρὸς τοὺς ἐναν τίους τὴν γλῶτταν. δʹ. "Ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον; φονεύ ετε πάντες ὑμεῖς, ὡς τοίχῳ κεκλιμένῳ καὶ φραγμῷ ὠσμένῳ;" Μεθυπέρβατος δὲ ἡ τοῦ στί χου διάνοια. Ἔστι δὲ αὕτη· Μέχρι τίνος ὠμότητι καθ' ἡμῶν κέχρησθε, τὸ κοινὸν τῆς φύσεως οὐ σκο πούμενοι, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ τοῖχόν τινα κεκλιμένον, καὶ φραγμὸν ὑπ' ἀνέμου πεσεῖν κινδυνεύοντα, ὦσαι καὶ καταβαλεῖν ἐπείγεσθε, μιαιφόνον ἔχοντες γνώ μην; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μὴ σφόδρα ἡμῶν, ὡς ἀσθενῶν, κατεπαίρεσθε. Ἔχομεν γὰρ ἐπίκουρον τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν. εʹ. "Πλὴν τὴν τιμήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀπ 80.1332 ώσασθαι." Ἕνα, φησι, σκοπὸν ἔχουσι, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ με γυμνῶσαι προνοίας, ἀφ' ἧς πᾶσαν ἔχω τι μήν τε καὶ εὔκλειαν. Τιμὴ γὰρ τῶν εὐσεβῶν, τὸ δου λεύειν Θεῷ· διόπερ καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος παντα χοῦ δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει Χριστοῦ. "Ἔδραμον ἐν δίψῃ." Οὐ πάρεργον δὲ ταύτην ἔχουσι τὴν ἐπι βουλήν· ἀλλὰ σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀσεβείας με βόθρον καταβαλεῖν διψῶντες. Ποίαις δὲ κέχρηνται μηχαναῖς, λέγει· "Τῷ στό ματι αὐτῶν εὐλόγουν, καὶ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν κατηρῶντο" Κωτίλοις μὲν κέχρηνται λόγοις, φενακῖσαι πειρώ μενοι· ἀλλ' ὄλεθρον ἔνδον ἔχουσι κεκρυμμένον. Οὕτως τὰς ἐκείνων δείξαντες ἐπιβουλὰς, πάλιν ἑαυτοῖς ἐγκελεύονται καρτερεῖν, καὶ τὴν θείαν ἀναμένειν ῥοπήν. ʹ. "Πλὴν τῷ Θεῷ ὑποτάγηθι, ἡ ψυχή μου· ὅτι παρ' αὐτοῦ ἡ ὑπομονή μου." Μὴ καταλίπῃς, ὦ ψυχὴ, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δουλείαν, ἀλλὰ τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ χορηγουμένῃ ῥωσθεῖσα ῥοπῇ, φέρε τὰς τῶν δεινῶν προσβολάς. ζʹ. "Ὅτι αὐτὸς Θεός μου, καὶ σωτήρ μου, ἀντι λήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ μεταναστεύσω." Αὐτὸν γὰρ εἰ δὼς καὶ ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ σωτηρίας πηγὴν, οὐκ ἀνέξομαι τὴν δουλείαν ἀμεῖψαι, καὶ πρὸς ἑτέραν δεσποτείαν ἀναδραμεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ, μεταναστεύσω, ἀντὶ τοῦ μεταθήσομαι τέθεικεν. Οὐ γενήσομαι, φησὶ, μετανάστης, καὶ δοῦλος τῆς ἀσεβείας. ηʹ. "Ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου, καὶ ἡ δόξα μου· ὁ Θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ." [Ἰδοὺ πάλιν ὁ προφητικὸς νοῦς τῆς ἀδιαιρέτου καὶ φωτοφόρου καὶ ἀεὶ οὔσης Τριάδος σαφέστερον ἡμῖν ὑπέδειξε τὰς ὑποστάσεις· οὐ τρεῖς θεοὺς λέγων, ἄπαγε· τὸ γὰρ Θεὸς, ὡς πολ λάκις ἡμῖν εἴρηται, καὶ τὸ Κύριος καὶ Βασιλεὺς καὶ ∆ημιουργὸς καὶ Παντοκράτωρ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποστάσεων κεῖται. ∆ιὸ δὴ] τοῖς αὐτοῖς πολλάκις κέχρηνται λόγοις, Θεὸν καὶ Σωτῆρα, καὶ δόξαν, καὶ βοηθὸν, τὸν τῶν ὅλων καλοῦντες Θεόν· ἵνα τῆς δυσσεβείας τὰς προσβολὰς ἀποκρούσωνται. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας ὁμοφύλους εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν εὐσέβειαν διεγείρουσιν, οὐκ ἀνεχόμενοι μόνοι νικη φόροι καλεῖσθαι. θʹ. "Ἐλπίσατε ἐπ' αὐτὸν, πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαῶν, ἐκχέατε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, 80.1333 ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν." Πάντων, ὦ ὁμόφυλοι, τῶν ἀνθρώπων καταφρονήσαντες, τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα βεβαίαν ἐργάσασθε· καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῷ ἀνάθεσθε τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀναμφιβόλως τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν ἀναμένοντες. Τὸ γὰρ, "Ἐκχέατε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν," τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Πάντας αὐτῷ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀφιερώσατε, καὶ μηδεμίαν δι χόνοιαν εἰσδέξησθε. [Εὖ μάλα ἐπιστάμενοι, ὡς ἄν θρωπος δίψυχος, ἀκατάστατος ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὸ, δυσὶ κυρίοις οὐδεὶς δύναται δου λεύειν.] ιʹ. "Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι." Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Θεοδοτίων ἡρμήνευσε· "Πλὴν ἀτμὶς υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων·