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placing the head of the Church thus he inscribes: "Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone." 5.106 And Paul was able to call the Savior the cornerstone, having taken from above from the prophecy of Isaiah the prophetic word from the person of God for himself: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a cornerstone, chosen, precious, for its foundations, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame." And Peter, the disciple of Christ, in his own epistle, stated that the Lord, being a living stone, is the foundation and head of the sacred building of the Church. 5.107 But otherwise it is possible to speak of the corners as being false, in which the hypocrites, standing, pray, they preen themselves with ambition ... so that they might seem to be devout. For these corners too, which begin from the first gate, are no longer saving. For a corner is nothing other than a breaking of the straight line, since ... to be led into knowledge or virtue not ...-ing go outside the straight line, in corners ... they have their ... and occupation. 5.108 In these corners and worse than them lies in wait the personified harlot in the public squares, that is vainglory ... shameful things. "For in her house, it says, her feet do not rest; for at one time she roams outside, and at another time she lies in wait at every corner of a public square" ... the deception of the foolish youth. For chattering, she is able to hunt no one else than this young man who is lacking in sense, not at all approaching the one grown gray in wisdom and possessing as a venerable old age a spotless life. 5.109 Since both blameworthy and praiseworthy corners have been found in scripture, let us pay attention to their difference, so that we may see which ones to flee and which not. 5.110 The gates of the corners after the gate of Benjamin and first in honor are entrances for those who are united and in agreement, which it is good to enter--for they are of righteousness--concerning which a command is given: "Open the gates, let the people who keep faith enter," and what follows; concerning these the psalmist has cried out: "Open to me the gates of righteousness; entering into them, I will give thanks to the Lord," with the not-good corners not being called corners at all, but this very thing, corners of public squares, and public squares not in which wisdom speaks freely, but of the ... of the broad and wide way leading to destruction. 5.111 And the praiseworthy entrances reach as far as the tower of Hananeel, interpreted ... by grace a circumcision. And the grace of circumcision is not that of the flesh accomplished according to the letter, but that of the heart which comes about according to the life-giving spirit. And the tower of Hananeel can be the way of life according to the gospel and Judaism in secret. 5.112 For from this the Savior taught, saying to the disciples: "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'"; it has been said in the manner of a parable concerning the practical and contemplative life. But those who have the grace of circumcision are not like this; for having laid a foundation they completed the building, so as to also put on a roof and a crown. 5.113 For having purposed to build their own life as a tower, they completed it, so as to have in it their refuge and safe abode, because of watching for enemies pressing on from afar. Having completed this building, the psalmist says with thanksgiving to the one who helped: "You have guided me, for you have become my hope, a tower of strength from the face of the enemy." 5.114 The one who has reached as far as the tower of the grace of circumcision and has reached as far as the winepresses of the great king Christ, dwells on a couch so as to receive the grape harvested from the true vine and the fruit-bearing branches

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θεὶς τὴν κ̣εφαλὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὧδε χαράττει· «Ἐποικοδομηθέντε̣ς ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος αὐτοῦ ἀκρογωνιαίου Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ.» 5.106 Ἔσχεν δὲ Παῦλος εἰπεῖν ἀκρογωνιαῖον λίθον τὸν Σωτῆρα, ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῆς Ἠσαΐου προφητείας λαβὼν ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ τὸ προφητικὸν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ· «Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον ἀκρογωνιαῖον ἐκλεκτ̣ὸν ἔντιμον εἰς τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ.» Καὶ Πέτρος δὲ ὁ Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς ἐν τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐπιστολῇ ἔθηκεν ὡς λίθος ζῶν τυγχάνων ὁ Κύριος θεμέλιος καὶ κεφαλὴ ὑπάρχει τῆς ἱερᾶς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. 5.107 Ἄλλως δὲ περὶ τῶν γωνιῶν ἔστι φάναι ὡς ἐψευσμένων, ἐν αἷς οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ε῾̣στηκότες προσεύχονται, ἐναβρύνονται φιλοδοξίᾳ ·····κω̣ς̣ δόξωσιν θεοσεβεῖς εἶναι. Καὶ γὰρ αὗται αἱ γωνίαι αἳ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἄρχονται πύλης οὐκέτι σῴζουσαί εἰσιν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερόν ἐστιν γωνία ἢ κλάσις τῆς εὐθείας, ἐπ̣ε̣ι̣··· οι̣······ εἰσαχθῆναι εἰς ἐπιστήμην ἢ ἀρετὴν μὴ οδ̣····· π······τες ἔξω γίνονται τῆς εὐθείας, ἐν γωνίαις ···· στ̣····ιν καὶ διατριβὴν ἔχουσιν. 5.108 Ἐν ταύταις ταῖς γων̣ίαις κα̣ὶ χείροσιν αὐτῶν ἐνεδρεύει ἡ προσωποποι̣ο̣υμένη π̣όρνη ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἤτοι ψευδοδοξ····· αν̣···ουσα αἰσχρά. «Ἐν οἴκῳ γάρ, φησίν, οὐχ ἡσυχάζουσιν οἱ πόδες αὐτῆς· χρόνον γα´̣ρ τινα ἔξω ῥέμβεται, χρόνον δ' ἄλλον παρὰ πᾶσαν γωνία̣ν πλατείας ἐνεδρεύει» ε·· ρ··· α᾿̣πάτη τοῦ ἀφραίνοντος νεανίου. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλον τ̣ινὰ θηρα῀̣σαι δύναται στωμυλευομένη ἢ τὸν νεαρὸν το̣ῦτον ἐνδεῆ φρενῶν ὄντα, οὐδ' ὅλως προσερχομένη τῷ κατὰ φρόνησιν πεπολιωμένῳ καὶ ἔχοντι τίμιον γῆρας τὸν ἀκηλίδωτον βίον. 5.109 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ψεκταὶ καὶ ἐπαινο̣ύμεναι γωνίαι ηὑρέθησαν ἐν τῇ γραφῇ, ἐπιστήσωμεν τῇ διαφορᾷ αὐτῶν, ἵνα ἰδῶμεν ποίας φεύγειν καὶ ποίας οὐ προσήκει. 5.110 Αἱ μετὰ τὴν πύλην Βενιαμὶν καὶ κατὰ τιμὴν πρώτην εἰσὶ γωνιῶν πύλαι τῶν ἡνωμένων καὶ συμφωνούντων εἴσοδοι ἃς καλὸν εἰσιέναι-δικαιοσύνης γάρ εἰσιν-περὶ ὧν πρόσταξις δίδοται· «Ἀνοίξατε πύλας, εἰσελθάτω λαὸς φυλάσσων ἀλήθειαν», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· περὶ τούτων ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς κέκραγεν· «Ἀνοίξατέ μοι πύλας δικαιοσύνης· εἰσελθὼν ἐν αὐταῖς, ἐξομολογήσομαι τῷ Κυρίῳ», τῶν μὴ ἀγαθῶν γωνιῶν οὐ καθάπαξ λεγομένων γωνιῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο τῶν πλατειῶν γωνιῶν, πλατειῶν δὲ οὐ τῶν ἐν αἷς ἡ σοφία παρρησίαν ἄγει, ἀλλὰ τω῀̣ν ·υ̣·φ̣·ε̣ω̣ν τῆς πλατείας καὶ εὐρυχώρου ἀπαγούσης εἰς τ̣ὴν ἀπώλειαν. 5.111 Φθάνουσαι δὲ αἱ ἐπαινούμεναι εἴσοδοι ἕως τοῦ πύργου Ἁναμεήλ, ἑρμηνευομέν·υ̣ χάρ̣ι̣τι π̣εριτομή. Χάρις δὲ περιτομῆς ὑπάρχει οὐχ ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς κατὰ γράμμα τελουμένη, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς καρδίας κατὰ πνεῦμα ζωοποιοῦν γινομένη. Πύργος δὲ Ἁναμεὴλ εἶναι δύναται ἡ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγελίον καὶ τὸν ἐν κρυπτῷ ἰουδαϊσμὸν πολιτεία. 5.112 Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐδίδαξεν φήσας τοῖς μαθηταῖς· «Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὃς θέλει πύργον οἰκοδομῆσαι οὐ καθίσας πρῶτον ψηφίσει εἰ ἔχει τὰ πρὸς ἀπαρτισμόν; μή ποτε θέντος αὐτοῦ θεμέλιον καὶ μὴ ἰσχύσαντος ἐκτελέσαι, ἄρξωνται οἱ θεωροῦντες ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ, λέγοντες· οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἤρξατο οἰκοδομεῖν καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐκτελέσαι»· περὶ βίου πρα̣κτικοῦ καὶ θεωρητικοῦ παραβολῆς τρόπῳ εἴρηται. Ἀλλ̣' οὐ τοιοῦτοι οἱ τὴν χάριν περιτομὴν ἔχοντες· θέντες γὰρ θεμέλιον ἐπλήρωσαν τὴν οἰκοδομήν, ὡς καὶ δῶμα καὶ στεφάνην ἐπιθεῖναι. 5.113 Προτεθειμένοι γὰρ πύργον οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον, ἐξετέλεσαν αὐτόν, ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν καταφυγὴν καὶ τὴν ἀσφαλ̣η῀̣ διατριβὴν ἔχειν, διὰ τὸ σκοπεύειν τοὺς πόρρωθεν ἐπειγομένους πολεμίους. Τοῦτο πληρώσας τὸ οἰκοδόμημα ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς χαριστηρίως τῷ συνεργήσαντί φησιν· «Ὡδήγησάς με, ὅτι ἐγενήθης ἐλπίς μου, πύργος ἰσχύος ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ.» 5.114 Ὁ φθάσας μέχρι τοῦ πύργου τοῦ τῆς περιτομῆς ὑπ̣αρχούσης χάριτος καὶ μέχρι τῶν ὑποληνι´̣ων τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως Χριστοῦ φθάσας, κατοικεῖ ἐπὶ κλίτει ὡς λαβεῖν τὴν σταφυλὴν τὴν τρυγωμένην ἀπὸ τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς ἀληθινῆς καὶ τ̣ῶν καρποφορούντων̣ κλημάτων