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of virtues and of beneficial sciences, children of the intellects, wickedness and ignorance arise; wherefore one calling these firstborn does not err. But also the faulty activities in the pursuits of virtue according to knowledge must be destroyed. For to everyone acting according to art and science, doing or making well does not come immediately, but after acting irreproachably comes acting blamelessly. The phrase “in their tents” shows that what is proposed is said about souls still entwined with bodies; for bodies are the tents of souls. 811 Ps 77,54 The mountain of the sanctuary is the distinct and most exalted virtue, not only the intellectual but also the practical. And only the one perfect teacher, Jesus, genuinely leads to it. Then, therefore, those who are on the mountain are sanctified, when they are brought to it by the Lord. This mountain is called not some ordinary power but the right hand of God, being none other than the only-begotten Jesus himself. For truly, every excellent mind and contemplative state of truth is a possession of Jesus, whence also those who acquire these dispositions are called possessions of the Lord. 812 Ps 77,61 Perhaps they even considered them blessed in death amid such an onslaught of God-sent evils, rather than weeping for them. 813 Ps 77,66 He struck them from behind, so that they might not advance further into cruelty but be restrained from their inhuman and wicked state; for God wills no one to advance in evil, but caring for them He also gave them an everlasting reproach. And sinners are reproached not only by others but also by themselves, when they perceive the evils they have done. For God says to some, Be ashamed of your boasting and of your reproach all the day long. For those who boast in the worst things are benefited, when they are shamed and reproached for what they held in esteem. 814 Ps 77,72 The name of guilelessness does not signify foolishness here but the absence of evil and guile. Therefore, as many of those who are ruled imitate the guilelessness of the teacher, they are shepherded by it. And lest he be thought to practice guilelessness feignedly, but from a most excellent state, he said that he has the guilelessness of a perfected heart. And he guided others by the understanding of his hands. For the form of understanding is also twofold, that of the hands, and that of the mind and hand; for the understanding called "with wisdom" comes from the mind. About this it is said, The Lord gives wisdom, and from his face comes knowledge and understanding. But that of the hands, being practical and productive, is shown in, A good understanding have all they that do it. For the understanding that is done is of the hands; and by this the teacher guides some who are not benefited so much by word as by deed. But the understanding of the hands may also be conceived as the rationale of things to be done, according to which we can rationally attend to each of the things done according to virtue.
815 Ps 78 αργ ῃιδε απολλ νρ. 127 816 Ps 78,1-3 But according to the sense; or at one time
a soul, having become God's portion and having been called a temple, having changed, experienced the things that lay within. For there came upon it, being the inheritance of God, invisible enemies, who before were not able to draw near it at all, whom he called nations because of their alienation from intimacy with God. These, therefore, having drawn near, defiled the holy temple of God within it, corrupting it through the sins they instilled. Therefore, that this may not happen, it is written to some: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which you are. And it is possible to call the unclean and uncircumcised thoughts "nations" that have come into the inheritance, the soul once made God's own, when they also defiled what was once holy. but if the events according to
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ἀρετῶν καὶ ἐπιστημῶν τῶν ὠφελίμων τέκνων τῶν διανοιῶν κακία καὶ αγνοια ὑφίσταται· διὸ καὶ πρωτότοκά τις ταῦτα ὀνομάζων οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὰς ἐπιτηδεύσεις τῶν κατὰ ἀρετὴν ἐπιστήμην ἐνεργειῶν φαῦλα τυγχάνοντα εστιν ἀναιρετέα. παντὶ γὰρ τῷ κατὰ τέχνην καὶ ἐπιστήμην ἐνεργοῦντι οὐκ εὐθὺς τὸ ευ ποιῆσαι η πρᾶξαι παραγίνεται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ ἀνεπιλήπτως ἐνεργῆσαι τὸ ἀμέμπτως ἐνεργῆσαι παραγίνεται. Τὸ δ' ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν προσκείμενον δηλοῖ περὶ ψυχῶν τὰ προκείμενα λέγεσθαι ετι τοῖς σώμασι συμπεπλεγμένων· σκηνώματα γὰρ ψυχῶν τὰ σώματα. 811 Ps 77,54 ̔Αγιάσματος ορος ἡ διῃρημένη καὶ ὑψηλοτάτη ἀρετή ἐστιν, οὐχ ἡ διανοητικὴ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ πρακτική. μόνος δὲ εἰς ταύτην γνησίως εἰσάγει ὁ μόνος τέλειος διδάσκαλος ̓Ιησοῦς. τότε ουν ἁγιάζονται οἱ ἐν τῷ ορει γινόμενοι, οταν ὑπὸ κυρίου ἀχθῶσιν εἰς αὐτό. τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ορος οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα ἀλλ' ἡ δεξιὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις οὐκ αλλη τοῦ μονογενοῦς ̓Ιησοῦ τυγχάνουσα κέκληται αὐτό. κτῆμα γὰρ ἀληθῶς ̓Ιησοῦ πᾶσα ἀρίστη γνώμη καὶ θεωρητικὴ τῆς ἀληθείας εξις, οθεν καὶ οἱ ταύτας τὰς διαθέσεις κτώμενοι κτήματα τοῦ κυρίου καλοῦνται. 812 Ps 77,61 Τάχα δὲ καὶ τεθνηκυίας αὐτὰς ἐν τοσαύτῃ φορᾷ θεηλάτων κακῶν ἐμακάρισαν μᾶλλον η εκλαυσαν. 813 Ps 77,66 Εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοὺς ἐπάταξεν, οπως μὴ εμπροσθεν καὶ πρόσω ὠμότητος ἐλάσσωσιν ἀλλ' ἀναχαιτίσωσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπανθρώπου καὶ πονηρᾶς εξεως αὐτῶν· οὐδένα γὰρ βούλεται ὁ θεὸς ἐν κακοῖς προκόπτειν, κηδόμενος δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ονειδος αἰώνιον παρέσχεν αὐτοῖς. ὀνειδίζονται δὲ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ οὐ πρὸς αλλων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑφ' αὑτῶν, οταν αισθωνται ων δεδράκασι κακῶν. λέγει γοῦν πρός τινας ὁ θεὸς Αἰσχύνθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ ολην τὴν ἡμέραν. οἱ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς χειρίστοις καυχώμενοι εὐεργετοῦνται, οταν αἰσχυνθῶσι καὶ ὀνειδισθῶσιν ἐφ' οις ἐσεμνύνοντο. 814 Ps 77,72 Τὸ τῆς ἀκακίας ονομα οὐκ εὐήθειαν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει ἀλλὰ στέρησιν κακίας καὶ τὸ αδολον. οσοι ουν τῶν ἀρχομένων μιμοῦνται ἀκακίαν τοῦ διδασκάλου, ποιμαίνονται ὑπ' αὐτῆς. οπως δὲ μὴ ἐπιπλάστως τὸ ακακον ἐπιτηδεύων νομισθῇ ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ βελτίστης εξεως, ἐπιτελούμενον καρδίας ἀκακίαν εχειν αὐτὸν εφη. ̔Ωδήγησε δὲ καὶ αλλους τῇ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συνέσει. διττὸν γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῆς συνέσεως ειδος, τὸ μὲν χειρῶν, τὸ δὲ νοῦ καὶ χειρός· ἡ γὰρ μετὰ σοφίας ὀνομαζομένη σύνεσις νῷ παραγίνεται. περὶ ταύτης λέγεται ̔Ο κύριος δίδωσι σοφίαν, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ γνῶσις καὶ σύνεσις. ἡ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν πρακτικὴ καὶ ποιητικὴ τυγχάνουσα δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ Σύνεσις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν. ἡ γὰρ ποιουμένη σύνεσις χειρῶν ἐστι· καὶ ταύτῃ ὁδηγεῖ τινας ὁ διδάσκαλος τοὺς μὴ τοσοῦτον λόγῳ οσον πράξει ὠφελουμένους. Νοηθείη δὲ χειρῶν σύνεσις καὶ ὁ τῶν πρακτέων λόγος καθ' ον δυνάμεθα ἑκάστῳ τῶν κατὰ ἀρετὴν πραττομένων ἐπιστῆσαι λογικῶς.
815 Ps 78 αργ ῃιδε απολλ νρ. 127 816 Ps 78,1-3 Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· η ποτε
κλῆρος γενομένη θεοῦ ψυχὴ καὶ ναὸς χρηματίσασα μεταπεσοῦσα πεῖραν τῶν ἐγκειμένων ελαβεν. ηλθον γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ουσαν κληρονομίαν θεοῦ οἱ πάλαι μηδὲ κατὰ ποσὸν δυνάμενοι συνεγγίσαι αὐτῇ ἀόρατοι ἐχθροὶ ους ειπεν εθνη διὰ τὸ ἀλλότριον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκειώσεως. ταῦτα ουν ἐγγίσαντα ἐμίαναν τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ αγιον τοῦ θεοῦ ναόν, φθείροντες αὐτὸν δι' ων ἐνῆκαν ἁμαρτημάτων. οπως ουν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, γράφεταί τισιν Οὐκ οιδατε οτι ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν; ει τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθειρεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ αγιός ἐστιν, οιτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους καὶ ἀπεριτμήτους λογισμοὺς εθνη εἰπεῖν ἐλθόντας εἰς τὴν κληρονομίαν τήν ποτε οἰκειωθεῖσαν θεῷ ψυχήν, οτε καὶ ἐμίαναν τό ποτε αγιον. εἰ δὲ τὰ συμβάντα κατά