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then the earth with the heaven. therefore "you will seek his place and you shall not find it". But place is properly called the position of each. Of course, it is also said concerning Judas that he transgressed the place of his ministry; "from which Judas transgressed". A place of ministry is the position according to the ministry; for when Paul says that, "he appointed first apostles, second prophets, third," these are ranks being indicated through the position. Of course, also in the military ranks they say that: he has the place of a beneficiarius, of an adjutant, and likewise in the churches. The position of the sinner will not be found, if he is no longer a sinner. For his place was sin. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth. Since the sinner will in a little while no longer exist nor his place be found, even if it is sought, the place of the meek 246 remains forever; for the ····· ····· life is eternal, it is immortal. And concerning the virtuous man it is said that: "his righteousness endures forever and ever". The meek therefore, that is, those having meekness, those who achieve freedom from anger, will inherit the earth; for the meek is the one free from anger; for one must not pay attention to certain others who say that he is meek, even if he is angered at those at whom he ought to be angered. But this is a more civil and rhetorical meekness. Why is that? For the virtuous man is free from anger; for indeed in the preceding verses it was said: "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath". 11 And they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. But when does this abundance of peace come to be? When the prayer is heard of those who say: "Grace to you and peace be multiplied". The one who is able to say that, "With those who hate peace, I was peaceful," has an abundance of peace, he delights in the abundance of this peace. It is possible to say that: having moved from this place, where wars and disturbances happen, they come to be in the land of the meek, where peace reigns. I have also said this at another time, that such a topic is handed down in the topics of argumentation: "What virtue has need of what?" And it says that: when all are just, there is no need of courage. And by courage it means the more civil kind, that which consists in wars. When all are just, there is no need of courage. But when courage is present, there is a need for justice. And here, therefore, they delight in the abundance of peace, when they are meek. But the meek man, as has been said by us, is untroubled by anger. And from the one who taught and prepared us for imitation of himself, consider the greatness of the virtue: "Learn," he says, "from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart". He did not simply say "lowly," but "in heart". I am meek by disposition, according to the heart. He who has no pride is "lowly in heart". But since the evangelical expression came up, we must refute those who say that Jesus did not have a mind (nous), but an irrational soul. In all the scriptures, both new and old, the heart is spoken of instead of the mind; for when it says: "hear me, you who have lost your heart," it means those who have lost their understanding. And a "heart of stone" means a foolish understanding. If, therefore, he has a heart and this has virtue—for he is meek and lowly in heart—, he assumed a perfect man. 12 The sinner will watch the righteous and will gnash his teeth at him. This means that the sinner always wants to be an enemy of the righteous, and not only an enemy, but also wants to be murderous toward him. And see how "he will watch" is used; properly this watching means to observe how someone might harm someone. Someone is armed; the one wanting to strike him with arrows observes which of his members is exposed, and sends the arrow there. Since, therefore, the righteous man is fenced in, he is not exposed, but is clothed in "the whole armor of God" and "has taken up the breastplate of faith" and is entirely secured. But if "he will watch" is instead of "he will keep"—for often verbs with a preposition mean the same thing, such as "going" and "going down"; he who goes down

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οὖν ἡ γῆ μετὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. "ζητήσεις" οὖν "τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃς". τόπος δὲ κυρίως λέγεται ἡ θέσις ἑκάστου. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα λέγεται ὅτι παρέβη τὸν τόπον τῆς διακονίας· "ἀφ' ἧς παρέβη Ἰούδας". τόπος τις διακονίας ἐστὶν ἡ θέσις ἡ κατὰ τὴν διακονίαν· ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ ὁ Παῦλος ὅτι· "τίθενται πρῶτον ἀπόστολοι, δεύτερον προφῆται, τρίτον", βαθ μοί εἰσιν διὰ τῆς θέσεω̣ς δηλ̣ούμενοι. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ἐν ταῖς στρατιωτικαῖς τάξεσιν λέγουσιν ὅτι· τόπον ἔχει βενεφικιαρίου, βοηθοῦ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐκ̣κλησίαις ὁμοίως. οὐκ εὑρεθήσεται ἡ θέσις τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐὰν μηκέτι ἁμαρτωλὸς ᾖ. τόπος δὲ ἦν αὐτοῦ ἡ ἁμαρτία. 11 οἱ δὲ πραεῖς κληρονομήσουσιν γῆν. τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ μεθ' ὁλίγον οὐκέτι ἐσομένου οὐδὲ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ εὑρισκομένου, κἂν ζητηθῇ, ὁ τόπος τῶν πράων 246 μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· αἰώνιος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ····· ····· ···ω̣η, ἀθάνατός ἐστιν. καὶ περὶ τοῦ σπουδαίου λέγεται ὅτι· "ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος". οἱ πραεῖς οὖν, τουτέστιν̣ οἱ πραότητα ἔχοντες, οἱ ἀοργησίαν κατορθοῦντες, κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν· πρᾶος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἀο´̣ργη̣τος· οὐ γὰρ προσεκτέον ἄλλοις τισὶν λέγουσιν ὅτι ἐκεῖνος πρᾶός ἐστιν, κἂν ὀργίζηται οἷς δεῖ ὀργισθῆναι. πολιτικωτέρα δ̣ε´̣ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ πραότης καὶ ῥητορική. τί ποτε; ἀόργητος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ σπουδαῖος· καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν στίχοις εἴρηται· "παῦσαι ἀπὸ ὀργῆς καὶ ἐνκατάλιπε θυμόν". 11 καὶ κατατρυφήσουσιν ἐπὶ πλήθει εἰρήνης. πότε δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς εἰρήνης ταύτης γίνε̣ται; ὅταν ἡ ἐπευχὴ εἰσακούηται τῶν λεγόντων· "χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη". ὁ δυνάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι· "μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἤμην εἰρηνικός", πλῆθος εἰρήνης ἔχει, κατατρυφᾷ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τῆς εἰρήνης ταύτης. δυνατὸν δε`̣ εἰπεῖν ὅτι· μετοικισθέντες ἀπὸ τοῦ χωρίου τούτου, ἔνθα πόλεμοι καὶ τάραχοι τυγχάνουσιν, γίνονται ἐν γῇ τῶν πραέων, ἔνθα εἰρήνη πολιτεύεται. εἶπον καὶ ἄλλοτε τοῦτο ὅτι τόπος παραδίδοται τοιοῦτος ἐν τοῖς ἐπιχειρηματικοῖς τόποις· "ποία ἀρετὴ ποίας δεῖται"; καὶ λέγει ὅτι· δικαίων ὄντων πάντων οὐ χρεία ἀνδρείας. ἀνδρείαν δὲ λέγει τὴν πολιτικωτέραν τὴν ἐν πολέμοις συνισταμένην. πάντων δικαίων ὄντων οὔκ ἐστιν χρεία ἀνδρείας. ἀνδρείας δὲ παρούσης χρεία δικαιοσύνης. καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὖν κατατρυφῶσιν ἐπὶ πλήθει εἰρήνης, ὅταν ὦσιν πρᾶοι. ὁ δὲ πρᾶος, ὡς εἴρηται ἡμῖν, ἀταράχως πρὸς ὀργὰς ἔχει. καὶ ἐκ τοῦ διδάξαντος καὶ παρασκευάσαντος πρὸς μίμησιν ἑαυτοῦ τὸ με´̣γεθος τῆς ἀρετῆς σκόπει· "μάθετε", φησίν, "ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πραύς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ". οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν "ταπεινός", ἀλλ̣ὰ "τῇ καρδίᾳ". κατὰ διάθεσιν πρᾶός εἰμι, κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν. ὁ ἀτυφίαν ἔχων "ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ" ἐστίν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐνέπεσεν ἡ λέξις ἡ εὐαγγελική, ἐλεγκτέον τοὺς λέγοντας ὅτι νοῦν οὐκ ἔσχεν Ἰησοῦς, ἀλλὰ ἄλογον ψυχήν. ἐν πάσαις ταῖς γραφαῖς καὶ καιναῖς καὶ παλαιαῖς ἡ καρδία ἀντὶ νοῦ λέγεται· ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ· "ἀκούσατέ μου οἱ ἀπολω λεκότες τὴν καρδίαν", οἱ ἀπολωλεκότες τὸ νοεῖν. καὶ "λιθίνη καρδία" ἡ ἠλίθιος νόησις. εἰ τοίνυν ἔχει καρδίαν καὶ αὕτη ἀρετὴν ἔχει-πραὺς γάρ ἐστιν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ ταπεινός-, τέλειον ἄνθρωπον ἀνείληφεν. 12 παρατηρήσεται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς τὸν δίκαιον καὶ βρύξει ἐπ' αὐτὸν τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι· ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀεὶ ἐχθρὸς εἶναι θέλει τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ οὐ μόνον ε᾿̣χ̣θρός, ἀλλὰ καὶ φονικὸς θέλει κατ' αὐτοῦ εἶναι. καὶ ὅρα γε τὸ "παρατηρήσεται", πῶς κεῖται· κυρίως τὸ παρατηρεῖσθαι τοῦτο σημαίνει π̣αρατηρεῖν πῶς βλάψῃ τίς τινα. ὡπλισμένος τίς ἐστιν· ὁ βαλεῖν αὐτὸν βέλεσιν θέλων παρατηρεῖται, ποῖον αὐτοῦ μέλος γυμνόν̣ ἐστιν, καὶ ἐκεῖ πέμπει τὸ βέλος. ἐπεὶ οὖν πεφραγμένος ἐστὶν ὁ δίκαιος, οὔκ ἐστιν γυμνός, ἀλλὰ "τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ" ἐνδέδυται καὶ "τὸν θώρακα τῆς πίστεως ἀνείληφεν" καὶ ὅλος ἐστὶν ἠσφαλισμένος. ἐὰν δὲ τὸ "παρατηρήσεται" ἀντὶ τοῦ "τηρήσει" -πολλάκις γὰρ τὰ μετὰ προθέσεως λεγόμενα ῥήματα τὸ αὐτὸ σημαίνουσιν, οἷον "βαίνων" καὶ "καταβαίνων"· ὁ καταβαίνων