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their iniquity will come forth as from fat, then it comes forth when it is practically accomplished, no longer remaining in thoughts alone. They passed into a disposition of heart. having first been disposed according to wickedness, they did not set up the evil for themselves alone, but also desiring to be harmful to others; whence, after passing into a disposition of wickedness, having conceived evil, they spoke deceitfully as if good things. They were lifted up, it says, so as to even speak unjust things against God and to slander his creation and his providence, such as those who attribute to the movement of the stars the things that happen by choice, who also deify the stars and creation rather than the creator. they set their mouth against heaven. they were dragged down, or rather cast down, so that their tongue, which they sharpened against the Most High, passed through the earth, so that all who hear know that they philosophize vainly and impiously against God and his providence. 765a Ps 72,10 When the impious had spoken proud things, the people of God found an occasion for conversion, wishing to enjoy luminous contemplations which the Word calls days. But the "Here" is where God is who says this, like what was said to Moses: "But you, stand here with me." 766 Ps 72,11-13 Those who wish to cast out providence and have spoken iniquity on high utter such words: how is it possible for God to know human affairs? For does he have a sensory, organic power? For does his mind receive impressions of things seen and heard, so that having known * he might arrange them providentially and at the same time royally, leading them where he wills? But having said before "How will God know?", they confess that they know * God, but they are ignorant of the manner of his knowledge. But after this they also say he is ignorant, saying, "Is there knowledge in the Most High?" But they have been deceived, thinking he has a disposition according to quality. For he is the father of wisdom and truth and divine knowledge. For it has been said, "The Lord is a God of knowledge," and "He who teaches man knowledge," and "The Lord knows the thoughts of men." And how, being and teaching and giving, is he lacking, and of a vengeful passion the will for each to obtain things according to worth, while the truly wise man does not place prosperity or adversity in pleasures or pains, but the one in the acquisition of virtue and piety, and the other in the deprivation of these? Since, therefore, unpleasant and painful things happen to both, it is no longer the case that to the pious or to sinners these things happen to the one, and those to the other. which is established by the text at hand, so that after the troubling things have been said, a pious solution may be brought forth, such a thing God says in Malachi: "You have spoken hard words against me, and you said, 'In what have we spoken against you?'" And you said, 'Vain is he who serves God; and behold, we call strangers blessed, and all who do lawless things are built up, they opposed God and were saved, we who serve him having no advantage, though we go as suppliants before his face.'" But to those who say these things, he adds after other things, "You said, 'Everyone who does evil is good in his sight, and in them he has delighted.'" 767 Ps 72,14 ...concerning the future age, how the lawless and impious will be punished, while the just will receive divine promises. It is possible to take "And I was scourged all the day" with such a thought: having said, "Therefore in vain have I justified my heart," and what follows, knowing that he ought not, being troubled, to have said this, I was scourged by the thought of piety all the day, being reproved and rebuked by it. 768 Ps 72,19b The following also agrees with the text at hand: "I saw the impious man highly exalted and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and behold, he was not, and I sought him, and his place was not found." 769a Ps 72,20b.21a For God despised the image of the earthy, not allowing it to enter into the heavenly city; for this belongs to those who have the image of the heavenly. But it is also written that "My heart was gladdened," having ceased, that is, from the disturbance of not believing in providence and

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ἐξελεύσεσθαι τὴν ἀδικίαν αὐτῶν ὡς ἐκ στέατος, τότε ἐξερχομένης οταν πρακτικῶς ἐπιτελῆται μηκέτι ἐν μόνοις τοῖς λογισμοῖς μένουσα. ∆ιήλθοσαν εἰς διάθεσιν καρδίας. κατὰ κακίαν πρότερον διαθέντες, οὐ μόνοις ἑαυτοῖς εστησαν τὸ κακὸν καὶ αλλοις βλαπτικοὶ ποθοῦντες ειναι· οθεν μετὰ τὸ διελθεῖν εἰς διάθεσιν κακίας διανοηθέντες ἐν πονηρίᾳ ἐλάλησαν ἀπατηλῶς ὡς ἀγαθά. ̓Επήρθησαν, φησίν, ὡς καὶ κατὰ θεοῦ λαλεῖν αδικα καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν διαβάλλειν, ὁποῖοί τινές εἰσιν οι τῇ φορᾷ τῶν ἀστέρων ἀνατιθέντες τὰ προαιρέσει γινόμενα, οι καὶ θεοποιοῦντες τὰ αστρα καὶ τὴν κτίσιν παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα εἰς οὐρανὸν εθεντο τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν. κατεσπάσθησαν, μᾶλλον κατερίφθησαν ὡς τὴν γλώτταν αὐτῶν ην κατὰ τοῦ ὑψίστου ἠκόνησαν διελθεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὡς πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας εἰδέναι οτι ματαίως καὶ ἀσεβῶς κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς προνοίας αὐτοῦ φιλοσοφοῦσιν. 765a Ps 72,10 Τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὑπερήφανα λελαληκότων, ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λαὸς ἀφορμὴν ευρεν ἐπιστροφῆς, φωτεινῶν ἐθέλων ἀπολαύσασθαι θεωριῶν ας ἡμέρας ὁ λόγος καλεῖ. τὸ δὲ ̓Ενταῦθα ενθα ὁ λέγων τοῦτο θεὸς ὁποῖον τὸ λεχθὲν Μωυσῇ Σὺ δὲ αὐτοῦ στῆθι μετ' ἐμοῦ. 766 Ps 72,11-13 Οἱ ἐκβάλλειν θέλοντες τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ ἀδικίαν εἰς τὸ υψος λαλήσαντες τοιούτους προφέρουσι λόγους· πῶς γνῶναι θεὸν δυνατὸν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα; μὴ γὰρ αἰσθητικὴν εχει ὀργανικὴν δύναμιν; μὴ γὰρ τύπους τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ ἀκουομένων δέχεται ἡ νόησις αὐτοῦ, ινα καὶ γνοὺς * διάθηται προνοητικῶς αμα καὶ βασιλικῶς αγων αὐτὰ ῃ βούλεται; εἰπόντες δὲ πρότερον Πῶς γνώσεται ὁ θεός; ὁμολογοῦσι γινώσκειν * τὸν θεόν, ἀγνοοῦσι δὲ τὸν τρόπον τῆς γνώσεως. μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἀγνοεῖν αὐτὸν λέγουσιν εἰπόντες Εἰ εστι γνῶσις ἐν τῷ ὑψίστῳ; πεπλάνηνται δὲ νομίζοντες αὐτὸν εχειν διάθεσιν τὴν κατὰ ποιότητα. πατὴρ γὰρ σοφίας καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ θείας ἐπιστήμης ἐστίν. ειρηται γοῦν Θεὸς γνώσεων κύριος, καὶ ̔Ο διδάσκων ανθρωπον γνῶσιν, καὶ Κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ πῶς ων καὶ διδάσκει καὶ δίδωσι λείπεται, νεμεσητικοῦ δὲ πάθους τὸ θέλειν εκαστον τῶν πρὸς ἀξίαν τυγχάνειν, τοῦ ἀληθῶς σοφοῦ τὴν εὐπραγίαν η δυσπραγίαν οὐκ ἐν ἡδέσιν η λυπηροῖς τιθεμένου, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ἐν ἀρετῆς κτήσει καὶ εὐσεβείας, τὴν δὲ τῇ τούτων στερήσει; ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἑκατέροις συμβαίνει ἀηδῆ τε καὶ λυπηρά, οὐκέτι ὡς εὐσεβέσιν η ἁμαρτωλοῖς τοῖς μὲν ταῦτα, τοῖς δὲ ἐκεῖνα συμβαίνει. οπερ διὰ τοῦ προκειμένου κατασκευάζεται, ὡς αν μετὰ τὸ λεχθῆναι τὰ ταράττοντα λύσις εὐσεβὴς ἐπενεχθῇ, τοιοῦτον ἐν τῷ Μαλαχίᾳ φησὶν ὁ θεός· ̓Εβαρύνατε ἐπ' ἐμὲ τοὺς λόγους ὑμῶν καὶ ειπατε Ἐν τίνι κατελαλήσαμέν σου; καὶ ειπατε Μάταιος ὁ δουλεύων θεῷ· καὶ ἰδοὺ μακαρίζομεν ἀλλοτρίους, καὶ ἀνοικοδομοῦνται πάντες ποιοῦντες ανομα, ἀντέστησαν θεῷ καὶ ἐσώθησαν, οὐδὲν ἡμῶν πλέον ἐχόντων τῶν δουλευόντων αὐτῷ, καίτοι ἱκέται προπορευόμενοι τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ταῦτα λέγοντας ἐπάγει μεθ' ετερα Ειπατε Πᾶς ποιῶν πονηρά, καλὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς εὐδόκησεν. 767 Ps 72,14 ...περὶ τῆς μελλούσης αἰῶνος ὡς κολασθήσονται ανομοι καὶ ἀσεβεῖς, τῶν δικαίων ἐπαγγελίας θείας ληψομένων. ∆υνατὸν ἐκλαβεῖν Καὶ ἐγενήθην μεμαστιγωμένος ολην τὴν ἡμέραν νοήσει τοιαύτῃ· εἰρηκὼς Αρα ματαίως ἐδικαίωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, γνοὺς ὡς οὐκ εδει ταραχθέντα τοῦτ' εἰπεῖν, ἐμαστίχθην ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας λογισμοῦ ολην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐλεγχόμενος καὶ ἐπιτιμώμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 768 Ps 72,19b Συνᾴδει τῷ προκειμένῳ καὶ τὸ Ειδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβανοῦ καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ην, καὶ ἐζήτησα αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ. 769a Ps 72,20b.21a Τὴν εἰκόνα γὰρ τοῦ χοϊκοῦ ἐξουδένωσεν ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐῶν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον πόλιν· τοῦτο γὰρ τῶν ἐχόντων τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου. γράφεται δὲ καὶ οτι Ηὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου, παυσαμένη δηλονότι τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ νομίζειν πρόνοιαν ταραχῆς καὶ