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of Christ. He also encamps in the body of those who obey the exhortation which says, Glorify God in your body, of those who achieve perfect chastity. 855 Ps 84,11.12 From this also the mutual implication of the virtues can be shown, as the merciful is true and the true is merciful, but also as the just is peaceful and the peaceful is just. And in other places truth is named together with mercy, as in Your mercy and your truth have always taken hold of me, and God sent forth his mercy and his truth. And I think that for this reason they were spoken of together, since the truth of things is difficult for humans to attain, or rather unattainable, unless it happens to be supplied by the mercy of God; or perhaps because it is not possible to receive true salvation without the mercy of God, they were named together with righteousness. He says that mercy has met with truth. For if mercy and truth should come to the same place, we will both know it and be in it. But righteousness also kisses peace, and peace, righteousness. For where there is righteousness, peace certainly follows, being its offspring. But you can also take these things to refer to the Savior, spoken according to His various concepts, as has already been said. And the truth of the Savior, having become man, has sprung up from the earth. For there was much deceit and much falsehood among men. For there is no truth and mercy nor knowledge of God upon the earth; therefore falsehood and murder and adultery have been poured out upon the earth, says the prophet. Therefore, this falsehood that prevailed over the whole earth, He who said, I am the truth, dissolved, having sprung from the earth (that is, from men). But also, being the righteousness of the Father, as the Word and Wisdom of God, He looked down from heaven, having bowed the heavens and come down. And He brought us peace as righteousness, and mercy as truth; for all these things are conceived in Him, as has just been said. 856 Ps 84,13 Just as when rain is given the earth bears fruit, with the Lord himself having given goodness, the intelligible earth gives fruit, having been watered by the goodness from God. And its fruit is general virtue, whose species the soul, being a fruit-bearing earth, puts forth. 857 Ps 84,14 The present text can be said about the people, so that what is said is of this sort. Since the Lord has spoken peace to His people, the righteousness of the people, going before him, will set his steps on the way that leads to blessedness, or the Lord himself, being righteousness, goes before the people and will set his steps on the way. To someone, at least, He said, I will go before you and make the mountains level. Or also thus: the righteousness according to the law, active in Moses and the prophets, whose end, John, preceded the Savior, having been set on the way in us for His passages, so that He might dwell and walk about in us, has cried out, Prepare the ways of the Lord, make His paths straight; almost shouting, Make a way for him who rides upon the west, the Lord is his name. Indeed, concerning John it is said, And he will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, and, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. But if the Savior is also righteousness going before the Father into the minds of those who are God-borne, understand, considering in what way it has been said, He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 858 Ps 85,2b.3 All the saints boast, as of a great dignity, in being servants of God. Jonah, for example, being asked from what country he was and from what people, said, "I am a servant of God, and I worship the God of heaven. And the apostles, at least, are witnessed by the Savior as rightly confessing him as Lord through works and words; For you call me, 'The Lord and the Teacher,' and you say well; for I am always your Lord and Teacher

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Χριστοῦ. κατασκηνοῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι τῶν πειθομένων τῇ παραινέσει τῇ λεγούσῃ ∆οξάσατε δὴ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ἑαυτῶν τῶν τελείαν σωφροσύνην κατορθούντων. 855 Ps 84,11.12 ∆ύναται καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ἀντακολούθησις τῶν ἀρετῶν δηλοῦσθαι, τοῦ ἐλεητικοῦ ἀληθοῦς καὶ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἐλεητικοῦ τυγχάνοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ δικαίου εἰρηνικοῦ καὶ τοῦ εἰρηνικοῦ δικαίου οντος. καὶ ἐν αλλοις δὲ αμα τῷ ἐλέει ἡ ἀλήθεια ὀνομάζεται, ωσπερ ἐν τῷ Τὸ ελεός σου καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου διαπαντὸς ἀντελάβετό μου, καὶ τὸ ̓Εξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐφίστημι δὲ διὰ τοῦτο αμα αὐτὰ εἰρῆσθαι, ἐπείπερ δυσέφικτός ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνέφικτος, εἰ μὴ τύχοι ἐλέῳ θεοῦ χορηγουμένη· η τάχα τὴν ἀληθῆ σωτηρίαν ανευ ἐλεημοσύνης θεοῦ οὐκ οντος λαβεῖν, αμα ὠνομάσθησαν δικαιοσύνῃ. συνηντηκέναι τὸ ελεος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ φησίν. εἰ γὰρ εἰς ταὐτὸν ελθοι τὸ ελεος καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ γνωσόμεθα αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐσόμεθα. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη καταφιλεῖ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τὴν δικαιοσύνην. ενθα γὰρ δικαιοσύνη, πάντως εἰρήνη επεται ουσα αὐτῆς βλάστημα. δύνασαι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ταῦτα ἐκλαβεῖν κατὰ διαφόρους ἐπινοίας αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα, ὡς ηδη προείρηται. ̓Ανατέταλκε δὲ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀνθρώπου γεγενημένου. πολλὴ γὰρ ἀπάτη καὶ πολὺ τὸ ψεῦδος ἐν ἀνθρώποις ην. Οὐκ εστι γὰρ ἀλήθεια καὶ ελεος οὐδ' ἐπίγνωσις θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· αρα καὶ ψεῦδος καὶ φόνος καὶ μοιχεία κέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης. τοῦτο ουν τὸ ψεῦδος τὸ καθόλου τῆς γῆς ἰσχύσαν ελυσεν ὁ εἰπὼν ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια, τὸ δ' ἐκ τῆς γῆς (τουτέστιν ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων) ἀνατείλας. ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαιοσύνη τυγχάνων πατρὸς κατὰ τὸ ειναι λόγος θεοῦ καὶ σοφία, ἐξ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψε κλίνας οὐρανοὺς καὶ καταβάς. ἐπήνεγκε δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην καθὸ δικαιοσύνη καὶ τὸ ελεος καθὸ ἀλήθεια· ἐπινοεῖται γὰρ αὐτῷ πάντα ταῦτα, ὡς ἀρτίως ειρηται. 856 Ps 84,13 Ονπερ τρόπον ὑετοῦ δοθέντος ἡ χθὼν καρποφορεῖ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου δεδωκότος χρηστότητα, καρπὸν ἡ νοητὴ γῆ δίδωσι, ποτισθεῖσα τῇ ἐκ θεοῦ χρηστότητι. καρπὸς δὲ αὐτῆς ἡ γενικὴ ἀρετὴ ης τὰ ειδη προβαλλομένη ἡ ψυχὴ γῆ καρποφοροῦσα τυγχάνει. 857 Ps 84,14 ∆ύναται περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ εἰρῆσθαι τὸ προκείμενον, ιν' ῃ τὸ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτον. ἐπεὶ ἐλάλησε κύριος εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, η τοῦ λαοῦ δικαιοσύνη εμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πορευομένη θήσει τὰ διαβήματα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἀνάγουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν μακαριότητα, η αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ων ἡ δικαιοσύνη προπορεύεται τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ θήσει εἰς ὁδὸν τὰ διαβήματα αὐτοῦ. πρός τινα γοῦν ειπεν Εμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι καὶ ορη ὁμαλιῶ. Η καὶ ουτως· ἡ κατὰ νόμον δικαιοσύνη ἐν Μωυσεῖ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἐνεργοῦσα ης τέλος ̓Ιωάννης προελήλυθε τοῦ σωτῆρος, τεθεῖσα εἰς ὁδὸν τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν τὰς διαβάσεις αὐτοῦ, ιν' ἐνοικῇ καὶ ἐμπεριπατῇ ἡμῖν, κέκραγεν ̔Ετοιμάσατε τὰς ὁδοὺς κυρίου εὐθείας, ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ· μονουχὶ βοῶν ̔Οδοποιήσατε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν, κύριος ονομα αὐτῷ. ἀμέλει καὶ περὶ ̓Ιωάννου λέγεται τὸ Καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει ̓Ηλίου, καὶ τὸ ̓Ιδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν αγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου ος κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου εμπροσθέν σου. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δικαιοσύνη ἐστὶ προπορευομένη τοῦ πατρὸς εἰς τὰς διανοίας τῶν θεοφορουμένων, ἐπίστησον νοῶν τίνα τρόπον ειρηται τὸ ̔Ο δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με. 858 Ps 85,2b.3 Αὐχοῦσιν ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλῳ ἀξιώματι οἱ αγιοι πάντες ἐπὶ τῷ δοῦλοι θεοῦ ειναι. ̓Ιωνᾶς γοῦν ἐρωτώμενος ἐκ ποίας χώρας ειη καὶ ἐκ ποίου λαοῦ, ̓Εγὼ δοῦλος θεοῦ εἰμι εφη, καὶ τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ σέβομαι. καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι γοῦν μαρτυροῦνται ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος καλῶς δι' εργων καὶ λόγων κύριον αὐτὸν ὁμολογοῦντες· ̔Υμεῖς γὰρ φωνεῖτέ με ̔Ο κύριος καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ καλῶς λέγετε· εἰμὶ γὰρ ὑμῶν καὶ κύριος καὶ διδάσκαλος ἀεὶ