153

"and even to the clouds," it says, "your truth." One must not pay attention to those who remove providence from the earth and say that it is confined to the limits of the moon by saying: "your truth is even to the clouds." The clouds are the prophets, ministering spiritual rain to us, from which spiritual rain the paradise of God is watered, the seed that fell on good ground, which Jesus cast so that it might become a hundredfold and a hundred and sixty and thirty. Therefore, even to these clouds that minister the spiritual rain, concerning which it is said: "let the clouds rain down righteousness," is the truth of God. If anyone is a cloud, able to flow with spiritual rain and righteousness, that person has the truth of God. 7 your righteousness is as the mountains of God. The mountains of God are interpreted in many ways according to Scripture. When it says: "you shine wondrously from the eternal mountains," by "eternal mountains" it means the saints who no longer regard the things that are seen, which are temporary, but the things that are not seen, which are eternal. "Draw near to the eternal mountains." These perceptible mountains are not eternal. But if the earth and the heaven pass away, the mountains, being outpourings and parts of the earth, depart with it, they pass away with it, so that those are not eternal. But all those who 234 consider the eternal things, the things not seen, the higher things, the things above, those are mountains, having a chariot of a way of life, having the height of a pious mind. "Draw near" therefore "to the eternal mountains," draw near in your disposition, take up the same high mind as them. "Your righteousness" therefore "is as the mountains of God." Righteousness in men, when it increases those who have it, makes them like the mountains of God. And it is possible, in another sense, to call all the higher things mountains of God, to which the ninety-nine sheep remained, when Jesus came to save the one that had strayed from the mountains, the one that had fallen from there and had come to be in error and persecution and death. "Draw near" therefore "to the eternal mountains," draw near in your disposition, take up the same high mind as them. "Your righteousness" therefore "is as the mountains of God." Righteousness in men, when it increases those who have it, makes them like the mountains of God. It is possible, according to another argument, to call those whom he saved the righteousness of the Savior who visited us. For "he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him." Those who have become the righteousness of God in him who became sin for us are as the mountains of God, as the angels, as the archangels; for they have been united to the creation above. "Lord, in heaven is your mercy, and your truth is even to the clouds." God has mercy in one way, and men in another. For the mercy that comes from men and the beneficence to a neighbor is human; for they know how to help and to feed and to do the other things in a human way, and this mercy is indeed near to the earth, that is, to human things. But God, showing mercy, raises up those who are raised, so as to bear them up to heaven. "In heaven" therefore "is your mercy." And this is also possible: in having mercy, you do not have mercy in a human way; for even if "you give food to all flesh," even if you provide health to the sick, yet this is a righteousness not touching heaven. And that I may speak more clearly: the things that pertain to the gift of God not only for the just, but also for the wicked, and for the rational and for the irrational, are not heavenly. But those things alone are of heaven and lead as guides to heaven, which are goods truly worthy of heaven. And in another psalm you have: "the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord." He has mercy on the earth, sending down that mercy which is fitting for those on earth. But the mercy which "he shows to thousands of those who love him" is heavenly and raises them up to heaven. And it is possible here to call the rational substance, the intellectual existence, heaven; for thus some have also understood this: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," with the earth signifying the

153

"καὶ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν", φησίν, "ἡ ἀλήθειά σου". οὐ προσεκτέον τοῖς αἴρουσιν τὴν πρόνοιαν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτὴν περιορίζεσθαι μέχρι τῶν σελήνης ὅρων διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν· "ἡ ἀλήθειά σου ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν". νεφέλαι εἰσὶν οἱ προφῆται διακονοῦντες ἡμῖν πνευματικὸν ὑετόν, ἀφ' οὗ πνευματικοῦ ὑετοῦ ἀρδεύεται ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ παράδεισος, ὁ σπόρος ὁ πεσὼν εἰς καλὴν γῆν, ὃν ἔβαλεν Ἰησοῦς ὥστε ἑκατονταπλασίονα γενέσθαι καὶ ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριάκοντα. ἕως οὖν τού των τῶν νεφελῶν τῶν διακονουσῶν τὸν πνευματικὸν ὑετόν, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην", ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν. εἴ τίς ἐστιν νεφέλη δυνάμενος πνευματικὸν ὑετὸν καὶ δικαιοσύνην ῥεῖν, ἐκεῖνος ἔχει τη`̣ν θεοῦ ἀλήθειαν. 7 ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου ὡς ὄρη θεοῦ. πολυτρόπως τὰ ὄρη τοῦ θεοῦ ἑρμηνεύεται κατὰ τὴν γραφήν. ὅταν λέγῃ· "φωτίζεις σὺ θαυμαστῶς ἀπὸ ὀρέων αἰωνίων", "ὄρη αἰώνια" λέγει τοὺς ἁγίους τοὺς σκοποῦντας οὐκέτι τὰ βλεπόμενα πρόςκαιρα ὄντα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα τυγχάνοντα αἰώνια. "ἐγγίσατε ὄρεσιν αἰωνίοις". τὰ ὄρη ταῦτα τὰ αἰςθητὰ οὔκ εἰσιν αἰώνια. εἰ δὲ παράγει ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ οὐρανός, ἐκβράσματα καὶ μέρη τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὄρη, σὺν αὐτῇ ἀπέρχονται, παράγουσιν σὺν αὐτῇ, ὥστε οὔκ εἰσιν ἐκεῖνα αἰώνια. ὅ234 σοι δὲ σκοποῦσιν τὰ αἰώνι̣α̣, τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα, τὰ ὑπέρτερα, τὰ ἀνωτάτω, ἐκεῖνοι ὄρη εἰσὶν δίαρμα πολιτείας ἔχοντες, ὕψος ἔχοντες φρονήματος εὐσεβοῦς. "ἐνγίσατε" οὖν "ὄρεσιν αἰωνίοις", τῇ διαθέσει ἐνγίσατε, τὸ αὐτὸ ὑψηλὸν φρόνημα ἐκείνοις ἀναλάβετε. "ἡ δικαιοσύνη" οὖν "ἡ σὴ ὡς τὰ ὄρη" εἰσὶν "τοῦ θεοῦ". ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὅταν αὐξήσῃ τοὺς ἔχοντας αὐτήν, ὁμοιοῖ αὐτοὺς τοῖς ὄρεσιν τοῦ θεοῦ. δύναται δὲ ὄρη θεοῦ εἰπεῖν κατὰ ἄλλην διάνοιαν τὰ ὑπέρτερα πάντα, εἰς ἃ ἀπέμεινεν τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα πρόβα τα, ὅτε ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς σῶσαι τὸ α᾿̣π̣οσφαλὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀρῶν, τὸ καταπεσὸν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἐν πλάνῃ καὶ διώξει καὶ θανάτῳ γεγενημένον. "ἐνγίσατε" οὖν "ὄρεσιν αἰωνίοις", τῇ διαθέσει ἐνγίσατε, τὸ αὐτὸ ὑψηλὸν φρόνημα ἐκείνοις ἀναλάβετε. "ἡ δικαιοσύνη" οὖν "ἡ σὴ ὡς τὰ ὄρη" ἐστὶν "τοῦ θεοῦ". ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὅταν αὐξήσῃ τοὺς ἔχοντας αὐτήν, ὁμοιοῖ αὐτοὺς τοῖς ὄρεσιν τοῦ θεοῦ. δυνατὸν δικαιοσύνην τοῦ ἐπιδημήσαντος σωτῆρος κατ' ἄλλον λόγον εἰπεῖν οὓς ἔσωσεν. "τὸν μὴ γνόντα" γὰρ "ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν, ἵν' ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ". οἱ γενάμενοι δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ε᾿̣ν τῷ γεναμένῳ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτία ὡς τὰ ὄρη εἰσὶν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς οἱ ἄγγελοι, ὡς οἱ ἀρχάγγελοι· ἡνώθησαν γὰρ τῇ ἄνω κτίσει. "κύριε, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν". ἑτέρως ὁ θεὸς ἐλεᾷ καὶ ἑτέρως ἄνθρωποι. τὸ ἔλεος γ̣ο̣ῦν τὸ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων γινόμενον καὶ ἡ εἰς τὸν πλησίον εὐεργεσία ἀνθρωπίνη ἐστίν· ἴσασιν γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνως βοηθεῖν καὶ τρέφειν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ποιεῖν, καί ἐστίν γε ὁ ἔλεος οὗτος πλησιάζων τῇ γῇ, τουτέστιν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις. ἐλεῶν δὲ θεὸς μετεωρίζει τοὺς μετεωριζομένους ὥστε εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναφέρειν. "ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ" γοῦν "τὸ ἔλεός σου". δύναται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὅτι· ἐλεῶν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνως ἐλεᾷς· εἰ γὰρ καὶ "δίδως τροφὴν πάσῃ σαρκί", εἰ καὶ ὑγίειαν τοῖς νοσοῦσιν παρέχεις, ἄλλ' ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ δικαιοσύνη οὐ τοῦ οὐρα νοῦ ἁπτομένη. καὶ ἵνα σαφέστερον φράσω· τὰ ἁπτόμενα δωρεᾷ θεοῦ οὐ μόνον δικαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ φαύλων, καὶ λογικῶν καὶ ἀλόγων, οὔκ ἐστιν οὐράνια. ἐκεῖνα δὲ μόνα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰσιν καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ξεναγοῦσιν, ἅ ἐστιν ἀγαθὰ ἀληθῶς ουρ ανιοσπουδη. καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ ἔχεις· "τοῦ ἐλέους κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ". ἐλεᾷ τὴν γῆν ἐκεῖνον καταπέμπων τὸν ἔλεον, ὃς ἁρ̣μόζει τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς. ὃν δὲ "ποιεῖ εἰς χιλιάδας τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν" τὸν ἔλεον, οὐράνιός ἐστιν καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβιβάζει. δυνατὸν δὲ οὐρανὸν ἐνταῦθα εἰπεῖν τὴν λογικὴν οὐσίαν, τὴν νοερὰν ὕπαρξιν· οὕτω γὰρ ἐξειλήφασίν τινες καὶ τό· "ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν", τῆς γῆς σημαινούσης τὴν