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deceived by fine-sounding words and praise. And demons, which work various sins in us, are said to dance, because dancing is the all-various movement of limbs. And since dancers, having different faces at different times, take over the stage, so the demons, as if using us as masks, now dance in the one who is angry, now in the one who desires and is fluttered about the enjoyment of the flesh, at another time in the one who lies; and thus we become receivers of the various workings of demons, changing our heart and the members of our body according to their will. When, therefore, you see someone now seized by unrestrained laughter, now humbled by grief, torn apart in lamentations and weeping and wailing, consider that someone is dancing in him, taking on different forms at different times; and now the drama of avarice enters, now that of vainglory, at another time that of pride. In general, he leaps upon the race of men, dancing in and upon souls that are easygoing and easily changed toward sin. The composite name of the onocentaurs signifies a certain strange constitution of an animal, except that it is also a type of demon, now making us look to human things, now dragging us down to bestial passions. The hedgehog is an animal clothed in thorns instead of hair, hard to catch and cunning. All these things will quickly come upon the confused soul, and there will be no extension of days.

14.t CHAPTER 14

14.278 And the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will choose Israel. I think there is a reason for "He will have mercy" to be applied to Jacob, which was his name until the wrestling match at the Jabbok, and "He will choose" to Israel, which was given as a prize to the patriarch for the wrestling. For the one who receives mercy indicates the more humble state, but the one who is chosen, the more distinguished. Therefore, "The Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will choose Israel," is similar to this: "Jacob my servant, I will help him; Israel my chosen one, my soul has accepted him." For Jacob is taken to mean that which is still elementary and corporeal, but Israel that which is better and spiritual. In general, both Jacob and Israel "will rest upon their land," that land about which it is said: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth;" which is not part of this earth, which has come under a curse, which he who works it eats in sorrows all the days of his life. And the sojourner will be added to Jacob and to Israel, resting upon his land. The one who toils about the land, the proselyte, this is the sojourner. Perhaps this is the people from the Gentiles, who is added to Jacob, whom the Scripture calls a sojourner, as being a foreigner and a proselyte. It is a benefit for the inferior and those who do not know how to rule themselves, to serve those who rule with knowledge. Therefore, in the blessings it was said to Esau: "And you will serve your brother." This, then, is "And they will be multiplied on the land of God for male and female slaves." Serving is added to them as a benefit. And the captives will be those who took them captive. Some led into captivity tyrannically, subjecting the conquered to the slavery of the devil; others are humanely led in turn into captivity, being brought from the tyranny of the devil to the service of Christ. And a promise to Israel, of release from the harsh slavery, in which he served the Babylonians, and an exhortation to compassion, so as to take up the lament for the king of Babylon, and not to rejoice at his fall, but to mourn for him, as

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χρηστολογίας καὶ εὐλογίας ἐξαπατώμε νον. Καὶ δαιμόνια δὲ, τὰ ποικίλας ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργοῦντα ἁμαρ τίας, ὀρχεῖσθαι λέγεται, διὰ τὸ τὴν ὄρχησιν παντοδαπὴν εἶναι μελῶν κίνησιν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οἱ ὀρχησταὶ, ἄλλοτε ἄλλα πρόσωπα ἔχοντες, τὴν σκηνὴν καταλαμβάνουσιν, οὕτως οἱ δαίμονες, ὡς προσωπείοις ἡμῖν κεχρημένοι, νῦν μὲν ὀρ χοῦνται τὸν θυμούμενον, νῦν δὲ τὸν ἐπιθυμοῦντα καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν σαρκῶν ἀπόλαυσιν ἐπτοημένον, ἄλλοτε τὸν ψευδό μενον· καὶ οὕτω γινόμεθα ποικίλα ἐνεργήματα δαιμόνων ὑποδεχόμενοι, κατὰ τὸ βούλημα ἐκείνων καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἑαυτῶν καὶ τὰ τοῦ σώματος μέλη μετατιθέντες. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς νῦν μὲν ἀκράτῳ γέλωτι κατεχόμενόν τινα, νῦν δὲ ὑπὸ λύπης τεταπεινωμένον, σπαρασσόμενον ἐν κοπετοῖς καὶ κλαυ θμοῖς καὶ οἰμωγαῖς, ἐνθυμήθητι, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ὀρχεῖταί τις, ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλα μεταλαμβάνων σχήματα· καὶ νῦν μὲν τὸ τῆς φιλαργυρίας εἰσέρχεται δρᾶμα, νῦν δὲ τὸ τῆς κενοδοξίας, ἄλλοτε τὸ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας. Ὅλως δὲ κατασκιρτᾷ τοῦ γέ νους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐγχορεύων τε καὶ ὀρχούμενος ταῖς εὐκόλοις ψυχαῖς καὶ πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν εὐμεταβλήτοις. Τὸ δὲ τῶν ὀνοκενταύρων ὄνομα σύνθετον ἐμφαίνει τινὰ καὶ ἀλλόκοτον ζώου σύστασιν, πλὴν ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸ δαίμονός ἐστιν εἶδος, νῦν μὲν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἀποβλέπειν ποιοῦν τος, νῦν δὲ πρὸς τὰ κτηνώδη κατασύροντος πάθη. Ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος ζῶόν ἐστιν ἀντὶ τριχῶν ἀκάνθας ἠμφιεσμένον, δύσληπτον καὶ πανοῦργον. Ταῦτα πάντα ταχὺ ἥξει ἐπὶ τὴν συγκεχυμένην ψυχὴν, καὶ οὐδεμία παράτασις ἔσται τῶν ἡμερῶν.

14.t ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ιδʹ

14.278 Καὶ ἐλεήσει Κύριος τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ ἐκλέξεται τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Νομίζω λόγον ἔχειν τὸ μὲν Ἐλεήσει, τετάχθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, ὅπερ ἐχρημάτιζεν ὄνομα μέχρι τῆς πάλης τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακώβ, τὸ δὲ Ἐκλέξεται ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅπερἆθλον ἐπὶ τῇ πάλῃ δέδοται τῷ πατριάρχῃ. Ἐμφαίνει δὲ τὸ μὲν ταπεινότερον ὁ ἐλεούμενος, τὸ δὲ διαφορώτερον ὁ ἐκλεγόμενος. ∆ιόπερ Ὁ Κύριος ἐλεήσει μὲν τὸν Ἰακὼβ, ἐκλέξεται δὲ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὅμοιόν ἐστι τούτῳ· Ἰακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου, ἀντιλήψομαι αὐτοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου, προσ εδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ Ἰακὼβ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἔτι στοιχειουμένου καὶ σωματικοῦ λαμβάνεται, τὸ δὲ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τοῦ κρείττονος καὶ πνευματικοῦ. Ὅλως δὲ ὁ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ Ἀναπαύσονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν, γῆς ἐκείνης, περὶ ἧς εἴρηται· Μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονο μήσουσι τὴν γῆν· ἥτις οὐκ ἔστι μέρος ταύτης τῆς γῆς, τῆς ὑπὸ κατάραν γεγενημένης, ἣν ἐν λύπαις ἐσθίει πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐργαζόμενος αὐτήν. Προστεθή σεται δὲ καὶ ὁ γειώρας τῷ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀναπαυομένῳ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ. Ὁ περὶ τὴν γῆν διαπονούμε νος, ὁ προσήλυτος, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ γειώρας. Τάχα οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαὸς, ὁ προστιθέμενος τῷ Ἰακὼβ, ὃν γειώραν ἡ Γραφὴ προσαγορεύει, οἷον πάροικον καὶ προσήλυτον ὄντα. Εὐεργεσία δὲ τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις καὶ ἄρχειν ἑαυτῶν μὴ ἐπισταμένοις, τὸ δουλεύειν τοῖς κατ' ἐπιστήμην ἄρχουσι. ∆ιόπερ ἐν εὐλογίαις εἴρηται τῷ Ἡσαῦ· Καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου δουλεύσεις. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐστι τὸ Καὶ πληθυνθήσονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς δούλους καὶ δούλας. Ἀντ' εὐεργεσίας πρόσκειται αὐτοῖς τὸ δουλεύειν. Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ αἰχμάλωτοι οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες αὐτούς. Οἱ μὲν τυραννικῶς ἦγον εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν, τῇ δουλείᾳ τοῦ διαβόλου ὑποβάλλοντες τοὺς κρατουμένους· οἱ δὲ φιλανθρώπως ἀνθυπάγονται τῇ αἰχμα λωσίᾳ, ἐκ τῆς τυραννίδος τοῦ διαβόλου τῇ δουλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσαγόμενοι. Ἐπαγγελία δὲ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀπαλλαγὴ τῆς δουλείας τῆς σκληρᾶς, ἧς ἐδούλευσε τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις, καὶ προτροπὴ εἰς εὐσπλαγχνίαν, ὥστε λαβεῖν τὸν θρῆνον ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ μὴ ἐπιχαίρειν αὐτοῦ τῷ πτώματι, ἀλλὰ θρηνεῖν αὐτὸν, ὡς