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a hard spirit. He who has become stiff-necked before the Almighty and has hardened his heart, this one brings them smoke, a cause for tears; whom some also call dexterous. But who, if not those who have the judgment of their mind corrupted, and declare their opinions about things in a contrary manner? those who say that bitter is sweet, and sweet is bitter? those who put light for darkness, and darkness for light? These, being deceived by the one who transforms himself into an angel of light, call him dexterous who is sinister and to be sent away. But that the north wind is appointed for the opposing energy is clear from "From the face of the north shall the evils be kindled;" which was said in the vision of the boiling cauldron. And such as these have fallen from being. Since the truly One Who Is is not in them, for this reason it is said: And it is not of being. 14.292 And what will the kings of nations answer? That the Lord has founded Zion, and through him the humble of the people will be saved. Since, therefore, there is no one among the foreigners with whom being is, but they have become as if they were not, on account of their own wickedness (For he says, "Let sinners fail from the earth and the lawless, so that they be no more;" not that they should proceed to annihilation, but that they should be separated from the visitation of God, who is the truly existing one) what will their kings say, seeing so great a difference between the nations and Zion? Or is it clear that they will come to a perception, that those who walk according to the nations are in turmoil because of their own wickedness, but those who have their mind purified? which is called Zion, since from there is the watch-tower of all nature. For as from some summit of the mind's height, the world is contemplated, and the good order concerning it, and through these, God. But the affairs of life and the worthlessness in them are also contemplated. As therefore the mind, which is drenched with wine and the other passions, falls from intoxication, so the pure one has God as its founder. And through him the humble of the people will be saved; For blessed are the poor, and woe to the rich, because they have received their consolation.

15.t CHAPTER 15

15.293 The oracle concerning the Moabite woman. Gather the things concerning Moab, so that you may be able to grasp

the meaning of the entire prophecy concerning him. From Genesis, the things concerning Lot, who begot Moab from his elder daughter, the father of the Moabites; and from Numbers, the things after the bronze serpent; For the sons of Israel departed, and encamped in Oboth; and having departed from Oboth, they encamped in the wilderness, which is opposite Moab. Also the things concerning Balak, who was the son of Zippor, king of Moab. Wishing to destroy Israel by a curse, he sent to Balaam, son of Beor of Pethor, the diviner, counselor of fornication and idolatry, because of whom (it says) the people were profaned with the daughters of Moab, and they called them to the sacrifices of their idols. Examine also the things concerning Ruth, who from the Moabite seed was added to Israel, and was ennobled to such an extent that not only David, but also our Lord arose from her. And try to find from every quarter the oracle concerning the Moabite woman, in which the word has fashioned some things threateningly, and others by way of promise. But all things have been said with a covering, so that the veil lying upon the reading of the Old Testament, if we are truly grieved when turning to the Lord, might be taken away from us. 15.294 By night the Moabite land will perish; for by night the wall of the Moabite land will perish. More bitter is the punishment that is brought on by night. For he who suffers any of the afflictions by day has the light itself as a consolation for what happens; but the night also in itself

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σκληρὸν πνεῦμα. Ὁ τραχηλιάσας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Παντοκράτορος καὶ σκληρύνας ἑαυτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, οὗτος φέρει αὐτοῖς καπνὸν, δακρύων ὑπόθεσιν· ὃν καὶ ἐπιδέξιόν τινες ὀνομάζουσι. Τίνες δὲ, ἢ οἱ διεφθαρμένον τοῦ νοῦ τὸ κριτήριον ἔχοντες, καὶ ἐνηλλαγμένως τὰς περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων δόξας ἀποφαινόμενοι; οἱ φάσκοντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν; οἱ τιθέντες τὸ φῶς σκότος, καὶ τὸ σκότος φῶς; Οὗτοι, ἀπατώμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ μετασχηματιζομένου εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς, ἐπιδέξιον αὐτὸν λέγουσι τὸν σκαιὸν καὶ ἀπόπεμπτον. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ βοῤῥᾶς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀντικειμένης ἐνεργείας τέτακται, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ Ἀπὸ προσώπου βοῤῥᾶ ἐκκαυθήσεται τὰ κακά· ὃ εἴρηται ἐν τῇ ὁράσει τοῦ λέβητος τοῦ ὑποκαιομένου. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι ἐξ έπεσαν τοῦ εἶναι. Ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ὄντως Ὢν ἐν αὐτοῖς, διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται· Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ εἶναι. 14.292 Καὶ τί ἀποκριθήσονται βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν; Ὅτι Κύ ριος ἐθεμελίωσε Σιὼν, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ σωθήσονται οἱ ταπει νοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐδείς ἐστι τῶν ἀλλοφύλων παρ' οἷς τὸ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ γεγόνασιν ὡς μὴ ὄντες, διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν κακίαν (Ἐκλείποισαν γὰρ (φησὶν) ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἄνομοι, ὥστε μὴ ὑπάρχειν αὐτούς· οὐχ ὡς εἰς ἀφανισ μὸν χωρῆσαι, ἀλλ' ὡς τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρι σθῆναι, ὅστις ἐστὶν ὁ ἀληθινῶς ὤν) τί ἐροῦσιν οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν, τοσαύτην διαφορὰν βλέποντες τῶν τε ἐθνῶν καὶ τῆς Σιών; Ἢ δηλονότι εἰς συναίσθησιν ἥξουσιν, ὅτι οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὰ ἔθνη περιπατοῦντες, ἐν σάλῳ εἰσὶ διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν κακίαν, οἱ δὲ τὸν νοῦν ἑαυτῶν κεκαθαρμένον ἔχοντες; ὃς ὀνομάζεται Σιών, ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖθέν ἐστι τὸ σκοπευτήριον πά σης φύσεως. Οἷον γὰρ ἀπό τινος ἀκρωρείας τῆς τοῦ νοῦ ὑψηλότητος θεωρεῖται μὲν ὁ κόσμος, καὶ ἡ περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν εὐταξία, καὶ διὰ τούτων ὁ Θεός. Θεωρεῖται δὲ τὰ τοῦ βίου πράγματα καὶ ἡ ἐν τούτοις εὐτέλεια. Ὡς οὖν ὁ νοῦς, ὁ βε βαπτισμένος τῷ οἴνῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πάθεσι, πίπτει ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης, οὕτως ὁ καθαρὸς ἔχει θεμελιωτὴν ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ οἱ ταπεινοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σωθήσονται· Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πτωχοί, καὶ οὐαὶ τοῖς πλουτοῦσιν, ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὴν παράκλησιν αὐτῶν.

15.t ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ιεʹ

15.293 Τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς Μωαβίτιδος. Συνάγαγε τὰ περὶ τοῦ Μωὰβ, ἵνα δυνηθῇς

πάσης τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν προφητείας τὸν νοῦν ἐκλαβεῖν. Ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Γενέσεως, τὰ περὶ Λὼτ, ἐκ τῆς θυγατρὸς τῆς πρεσβυτέρας γεννῶντος τὸν Μωὰβ, πατέρα Μωαβιτῶν· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν Ἀριθμῶν, τὰ μετὰ τὸν χαλκοῦν ὄφιν· Ἀπῆραν γὰρ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν Ὠβώθ· καὶ ἐξάραντες ἐξ Ὠβὼθ, παρενέβαλον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἥ ἐστι κατὰ πρόσωπον Μωάβ. Ἔτι καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Βαλὰκ, ὃς ἦν υἱὸς Σεπφὼρ, βασιλεὺς Μωάβ. Βουλόμενος διὰ τῆς κατάρας ἐξολο θρεῦσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἐξαπέστειλε πρὸς Βαλαὰμ, υἱὸν Βεὼρ Παθουρᾶ, τὸν οἰωνοσκόπον, τῆς πορνείας καὶ εἰδωλολα τρείας σύμβουλον, δι' ὃν Ἐβεβηλώθη (φησὶν) ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας Μωὰβ, καὶ ἐκάλεσαν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ θυσίαις τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν. Ἐξέτασον καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς Ῥοὺθ, τῆς ἐκ τοῦ Μωαβιτικοῦ σπέρματος προστιθεμένης τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξευγενιζομένης, ὡς οὐ μόνον τὸν ∆αβὶδ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἀνατεῖλαι. Καὶ πειράθητι παντα χόθεν εὑρεῖν τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς Μωαβίτιδος, ἐν ᾧ τὰ μὲν ἀπει λητικῶς, τὰ δὲ κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν ἐσχημάτισεν ὁ λόγος. Μετ' ἐπικαλύψεως δὲ εἴρηται πάντα, ἵνα τὸ κάλυμμα τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης κείμενον, ἐὰν λυπηθῶ μεν ἀληθινῶς ἐπιστρεφόμενοι πρὸς Κύριον, περιαιρεθῇ ἡμῶν. 15.294 Νυκτὸς ἀπολεῖται ἡ Μωαβῖτις· νυκτὸς γὰρ ἀπο λεῖται τὸ τεῖχος τῆς Μωαβίτιδος. Πικροτέρα ἡ κόλασις ἡ ἐν νυκτὶ προσαγομένη. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πάσχων τι τῶν περιστατικῶν, αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς ἔχει πα ραμυθίαν τῶν γινομένων· ἡ δὲ νὺξ καὶ καθ'