178

The Father has the Son co-existing in conception and operation; for the Word is with God, being God the Word, so that the Father may be in the Son and the Son in the Father; for it was fitting for God the Father to be with God the Word. But God being light also has light with him, the Son, as Daniel says, "And the light is with him." For he did not say "Was" or "Will be" but "Is"—for this is indicative of eternity, whence he is also called the effulgence of eternal light. And the truth has not come to be or will be in a cycle but is said to be of the mighty God. And present with the mighty God also is the eternal power, being the same as the wisdom and truth and light and Word of God, but also "among those who surround you is your truth." 885 Ps 88,10 You will also understand it thus: a proof of his ruling over all of creation and of the sea are the things written about Jonah; for there he is said to have stirred up a surge in the sea, and again by his will "the sea was stilled from its tossing." And Jesus, showing by deed that he is the son of the master of the sea's power, rebukes it as it foams and stirs up great waves and immediately calms it. But if the appellation "sea" should signify the life of men, its power can be the evil one in whom the whole world lies, that is, the mortal and perilous way of life. Therefore, its Master, bringing weakness to this power of the sea, extends authority to the disciples to tread upon all its power, calming the unsteady and irregular impulses called its waves, so that it may also be walkable for those who have received authority to walk upon it with Jesus, of whom Peter bears the image. For no one without Jesus is able, according to him, to tread the sea of life, becoming above cares and pleasures, unless Jesus walks with him. For he is the one who walks upon the sea as if on dry land, whence it is said to him, "Your way is in the sea, and your paths in many waters." For the paths which Jesus trod in the mighty waters are the passions and the cares of life which can be trodden upon by those who follow in his footsteps. 886 Ps 88,12.13 But according to the spiritual sense, all the interpreted heavens confessing his wonders and the earth which receives the seed of Jesus and bears fruit a hundredfold and sixtyfold and thirtyfold, being his earth, is also his possession, and the inhabited world which he founded together with its fullness, being none other than the church in which dwell the souls that have received the right word and the truth. And holy powers also dwell in it, encamping round about those who fear him. And the foundation upon which it has been founded is no other than that about which Paul writes, "For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And the fullness of this intelligible inhabited world, established upon the same foundation, is the fullness of the virtues and of the doctrines of piety together with the divine gifts of the spirit. And the Lord created the north and the seas so that they would no longer be what they were before. For just as having created the two into one new man he has made them one from two, and the heart being created clean from which it has become clean, he also creates those outside the faith, so that in Christ they might become a new creation—thus he creates the north and the seas. And everyone who obtains divine election and is raised up by light, by having illumined for himself the light of knowledge, rejoices in the name of God. as Tabor is "outside", and Hermoniim "uplifting of light"; for into these are translated the Hebrew names of the mountains. But if Tabor is also interpreted as "pit" (for so it is rendered), you will understand how a commendable pit is spoken of, having considered how God gives to some in the manner of a blessing hewn pits which those who received them did not hew. But if the word "pit" should be spoken in blame, having changed, thus it is named so as not to be called a well, the spring will rejoice in the name of the Lord. 887 Ps 88,14.15 The creative power of God

178

ἐπίνοιαν καὶ ἐνέργειαν συνυπάρχοντα εχει τὸν υἱὸν ὁ πατήρ· εστι γὰρ ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν θεὸς ων λόγος, ιν' ὁ πατὴρ ῃ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἐν τῷ πατρί· ηρμοζε γὰρ θεῷ πατρὶ συνεῖναι θεὸν λόγον. ἀλλὰ καὶ φῶς ων ὁ θεὸς εχει φῶς σὺν αὐτῷ τὸν υἱὸν ῃ φησι ∆ανιὴλ Καὶ τὸ φῶς μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. οὐ γὰρ ειπεν Ην η Εσται ἀλλ' ̓Εστίνδηλωτικὸν γὰρ τοῦτο ἀϊδιότητος, οθεν καὶ ἀπαύγασμα φωτὸς ἀϊδίου ειρηται. Καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια δὲ οὐ γέγονεν η εσεσθαι κύκλῳ ἀλλ' ειναι τοῦ δυνατοῦ θεοῦ ειρηται. παρέσται δὲ τῷ δυνατῷ θεῷ καὶ ἡ ἀΐδιος δύναμις, ἡ αὐτὴ τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ φωτὶ καὶ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπάρχουσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς κυκλοῦσί σε ἡ ἀλήθειά σου. 885 Ps 88,10 Νοήσεις καὶ ουτως· πίστις τοῦ δεσπόζειν αὐτὸν πάσης τῆς κτίσεως καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης τὰ περὶ τοῦ ̓Ιωνᾶ ἀναγραφέντα· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἐξεγηγερκέναι κλύδωνα ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ λέγεται, καὶ πάλιν θελήσει αὐτοῦ Εστη ἡ θάλασσα ἐκ τοῦ σάλου αὐτῆς. καὶ ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς εργῳ δεικνὺς οτι υἱός ἐστι τοῦ δεσπότου τοῦ κράτους τῆς θαλάσσης, ἐπαφριζούσῃ αὐτῇ καὶ τρικυμίας διεγειρούσῃ ἐπιτιμᾷ καὶ εὐθέως αὐτὴν καταπραΰνει. Εἰ δὲ σημαίνοι τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον ἡ τῆς θαλάσσης προσηγορία, κράτος αὐτῆς δύναται ειναι ὁ πονηρὸς ἐν ῳ ὁ κόσμος ολος κεῖται τουτέστιν ἡ θνητὴ καὶ ἐπίκηρος πολιτεία. τούτῳ ουν τῷ κράτει τῆς θαλάσσης ἀσθένειαν ὁ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ παρέχων ἐξουσίαν ὀρέγει τοῖς φοιτηταῖς πατεῖν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, καταπραΰνων τὰς ἀστάτους καὶ ἀνωμάλους ὁρμὰς κύματα αὐτῆς καλουμένας ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ βάσιμον αὐτὴν ειναι τοῖς ἐξουσίαν λαβοῦσιν ἐπ' αὐτῆς σὺν ̓Ιησοῦ βαδίζειν ων εἰκόνα ὁ Πέτρος φέρει. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ανευ ̓Ιησοῦ κατ' ἐκεῖνον πατεῖν δύναται τὴν τοῦ βίου θάλασσαν, ὑπεράνω μεριμνῶν καὶ ἡδυπαθειῶν γινόμενος, εἰ μὴ ̓Ιησοῦ συμπεριπατῇ. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ περιπατῶν ὡς ἐπ' ἐδάφους ἐπὶ θαλάσσης, οθεν ειρηται πρὸς αὐτὸν ̓Εν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ ὁδός σου καὶ αἱ τρίβοι σου ἐν υδασι πολλοῖς. αις γὰρ ετριψεν ̓Ιησοῦς τρίβοις ἐν τοῖς ἰσχυροῖς υδασι, τὰ πάθη εἰσὶ καὶ βιωτικαὶ μέριμναι αις ἐπιβαίνειν δύνανται οἱ ἐπακολουθοῦντες τοῖς ιχνεσι αὐτοῦ. 886 Ps 88,12.13 Πρὸς διάνοιαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἑρμηνευόμενοι οὐρανοὶ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ τὸν ̓Ιησοῦ δεχομένη σπόρον καὶ καρποφοροῦσα εἰς ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριάκοντα γῆ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνουσα κτῆμα δὲ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει, καὶ ην ἐθεμελίωσεν αμα τῷ πληρώματι αὐτῆς οἰκουμένην, οὐκ αλλη τῆς ἐκκλησίας ουσα ἐν ῃ οἰκοῦσι ψυχαὶ αἱ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν προσηκάμεναι. οἰκοῦσι δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ ἱεραὶ δυνάμεις παρεμβάλλουσαι κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν. θεμέλιος δὲ ἐφ' ον τεθεμελίωται οὐχ ετερός ἐστι τοῦ περὶ ων γράφει Παῦλος Θεμέλιον γὰρ αλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ος ἐστιν ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστός. πλήρωμα δὲ τῆς νοητῆς ταύτης οἰκουμένης ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν θεμέλιον ἱδρυμένον τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐστι καὶ τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας δογμάτων αμα τοῖς θείοις τοῦ πνεύματος δωρήμασιν. Εκτισε δὲ τὸν βορρᾶν ὁ κύριος καὶ τὰς θαλάσσας ἐπὶ τῷ μηκέτι ειναι ο ησαν πρότερον. ὡς γὰρ κτίσας τοὺς δύο εἰς ενα καινὸν ανθρωπον ἐκ δύο ενα αὐτοὺς πεποίηκε καὶ ἡ κτιζομένη δὲ καρδία καθαρὰ ἐξ ου καθαρὰ γεγένηται κτίζει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐκτὸς τῆς πίστεως, ιν' ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις γένωνται-ουτω κτίζει τὸν βορρᾶν καὶ τὰς θαλάσσας. Πᾶς δὲ ὁ τυγχάνων ἐκλογῆς θείας καὶ ὑπὸ φωτὸς μετεωριζόμενος τῷ πεφωτικέναι ἑαυτῷ φῶς γνώσεως ἀγαλλιᾶται τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ θεοῦ. ὡς ἐκτὸς μὲν τὸ Θαβώρ, φωτὸς δὲ μετεωρισμὸς τὸ ̔Ερμωνιείμ· εἰς ταῦτα γὰρ μεταλαμβάνονται αἱ ̔Εβραϊκαὶ τῶν ὀρέων προσηγορίαι. εἰ δὲ καὶ λάκκος ἑρμηνεύεται τὸ Θαβώρ (καὶ ουτω γὰρ φέρεται), νοήσεις πῶς ειρηται ἐπαινετὸς λάκκος, ἐπιστήσας ὡς δίδωσι θεός τισιν εὐλογίας τρόπῳ λάκκους λελατομημένους ους οὐκ ἐξελατόμησαν οἱ εἰληφότες. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ψόγου λέγοιτο ἡ λάκκος φωνὴ μεταβαλὼν ουτως ὠνομασμένος ὡς οὐ χρηματίσαι φρέαρ, ἡ πηγὴ ἀγαλλιάσεται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου. 887 Ps 88,14.15 ̔Η ποιητικὴ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις