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disturbs the mind like a contentious argument. The evil powers are also those who hunt with a trap, capturing souls through harmful desires and the other passions; For it says, *The eye of a harlot is a snare for the sinner*, and again, *For a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.* And through wealth and similar things they hunt. The leader of these hunters is the devil, who himself also has a trap. For it is said concerning someone, *Lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil*. 902 Ps 90,4ab In harmony with these things, it is sung about God in the ode of Deuteronomy: *As an eagle he shall cover his nest and has longed for his young, spreading out his wings he took them and bore them up on his back.* All who through endurance and the other strength that comes from virtue are high-flying like an eagle, being lifted up by the wings of understanding and practical virtue. They have their being as such from God; for this reason they are also his young, whence it is said in the prophet, *But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall grow wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary.* God will cover those who have grown wings in the same way as the eagles, as if they were the young of an eagle; *For as an eagle he shall cover his nest.* whence also, having longed for his young, he took them up on his back in order to cover them. And so in the present text, it is said concerning him who dwells in the help of the Most High that God takes him up on his back because he hopes and expects good things that are in the wings of God. And it is said what God's wings are and how one hopes, being overshadowed by them, in Psalm 56; where it is written, *And in the shadow of your wings I will hope.*

903 Ps 90,4c-6 God the defender, as with a shield and weapon, with the truth

of himself, surrounds everyone who is guarded by him, so that he may remain unwounded by all those who plan to strike him, and especially by the evil one who sends fiery darts. But this one, having been surrounded by the truth of God by having put on the full armor of God and in all things having taken up the shield of faith, even if he is in the night, is not afraid, being enlightened by the truth surrounding him, which is also light. For if ever someone, being in ignorance, should seem to be in a state of night, he will not be afraid, having the cause of knowledge, the light which is said to be the same as the truth. And if the harmful and gloomy affairs of life should be a night, not even being in this night is he afraid, being able to say, *The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?* For honoring God and for this reason being strong, he fears no one except him, having learned, *Honor God and you will be strong, but besides him, do not fear another.* For just as one who is in the night is not afraid when he has light and there are night watchmen, so he who has the one who said, *Do not be afraid, for I am with you*, will fear none of the aforementioned things of the night. Only those are afraid who sleep and are drunk in the night, but he who is surrounded by the truth of God is not frightened even by an arrow flying by day. But an arrow flying by day is a heterodox argument, professing to be of the light. But neither is he afraid of a thing that walks in darkness, using truth as a weapon. And a thing that walks in darkness is every sin and ignorance and the evil spirits of error that work them. In addition to these, he will not fear misfortune either, bearing all things patiently and nobly, saying the same things as Job, *If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure the evil?* As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it has happened. For he accepts everything that is brought by the Lord as good, knowing that *All things work together for good for those who love the Lord*, even painful and grievous things

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συνταράττει διάνοιαν ὡς ἐριστικὸς λόγος. Θηρεύοντες διὰ παγίδος εἰσὶ καὶ αἱ πονηραὶ δυνάμεις, ἀγρεύουσαι τὰς ψυχὰς δι' ἐπιθυμιῶν βλαβερῶν καὶ τῶν αλλων παθῶν· ̓Οφθαλμὸς γάρ φησι πόρνης παγὶς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ ετι Γυνὴ γὰρ ἀνδρῶν τιμίας ψυχὰς ἀγρεύει. καὶ διὰ πλούτου δὲ καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων ἀγρεύουσιν ουτοι. ἡγεμὼν δὲ τούτων τῶν θηρευόντων ὁ διάβολος, εχων καὶ αὐτὸς παγίδα. ειρηται γοῦν περί τινος Ινα μὴ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐμπέσῃ καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου. 902 Ps 90,4ab Τούτοις συνῳδὰ ἐν τῇ τοῦ ∆ευτερονομίου ᾠδῇ περὶ θεοῦ ᾳδεται· ̔Ως ἀετὸς σκεπάσει νοσσιὰν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς νεοσσοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπεπόθησεν, διεὶς τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτοῦ ἐδέξατο αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀνέλαβεν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφρένων αὐτοῦ. απαντες οἱ δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς αλλης ἰσχύος ἐξ ἀρετῆς ἐγγινομένης ἀετοῦ δίκην ὑψιπετεῖς εἰσιν, ὑπὸ πτερῶν τῆς νοήσεως καὶ τῆς πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς μετεωριζόμενοι. ἐκ θεοῦ τὸ ειναι τοιοῦτοι ἐσχήκασι· διὸ καὶ νεοσσοὶ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνουσιν, οθεν ειρηται ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ Οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὸν κύριον ἀλλάξουσιν ἰσχύν, πτεροφυήσουσιν ὡς ἀετοί, δραμοῦνται καὶ οὐ κοπιάσουσι. τοὺς πτεροφυήσαντας κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς ἀετοῖς ὁ θεὸς σκεπάσει οια νεοσσοὺς ἀετοῦ· ̔Ως ἀετὸς γὰρ σκεπάσει νοσσιὰν αὐτοῦ. οθεν καὶ τοὺς νεοσσοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπιποθήσας ἐνέλαβεν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφρένων αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ σκεπάζειν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐν τῇ προκειμένῃ τοίνυν λέξει περὶ τοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ ὑψίστου ειρηται ὡς αρα ἀναλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφρένων αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλπίζειν καὶ προσδοκᾶν ἀγαθὰ τυγχάνοντα ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξι τοῦ θεοῦ. ειρηται δὲ τίνες θεοῦ πτέρυγες καὶ πῶς ἐλπίζει τις σκιαζόμενος ἐπ' αὐταῖς ἐν νς· ενθα γέγραπται Καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ.

903 Ps 90,4c-6 ̔Ο ὑπερασπιστὴς θεὸς ωσπερ ἀσπίδι καὶ οπλῳ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ

ἑαυτοῦ κυκλοῖ πάντα τὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φρουρούμενον, οπως ατρωτος διαμένοι ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν βαλεῖν αὐτὸν βουλευομένων καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ πεπυρωμένα ἐκπέμποντος βέλη πονηροῦ. ουτος δὲ ὁ κυκλωθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ ἐνδεδύσθαι τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀνειληφέναι, καν ἐν νυκτὶ γένηται, οὐ φοβεῖται, φωτιζόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς κυκλούσης αὐτὸν ἀληθείας τυγχανούσης καὶ φωτός. εἰ γάρ ποτε καὶ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ τις γενόμενος δόξειεν ἐν νυκτερινῇ καταστάσει ειναι, οὐ φοβηθήσεται, εχων τὸ τῆς γνώσεως αιτιον φῶς ο ταὐτὸν ειρηται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. εἰ δὲ καὶ νὺξ ειη τὰ βλαβερὰ καὶ σκυθρωπὰ πράγματα τοῦ βίου, οὐδ' ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ γενόμενος φοβεῖται, δυνάμενος εἰπεῖν Κύριος φωτισμός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου· τίνα φοβηθήσομαι; τιμῶν γὰρ τὸν θεὸν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰσχύων, πλὴν αὐτοῦ οὐδένα φοβεῖται, μαθὼν τὸ Τίμα τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἰσχύσεις, πλὴν δὲ αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ αλλον. ὡς γὰρ ὁ ἐν νυκτὶ τυγχάνων οὐ φοβεῖται, οτε φῶς εχει καί εἰσιν οἱ νυκτοφυλακοῦντες, ουτως ὁ εχων τὸν εἰπόντα Μὴ φοβοῦ· μετὰ σοῦ γάρ εἰμι οὐδὲν φοβηθήσεται τῶν προειρημένων νυκτερινῶν. ̓Εκείνων μόνων φοβουμένων τῶν ἐν νυκτὶ καθευδόντων καὶ μεθυόντων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ βέλος πετόμενον ἡμέρας δεδίττεται ὁ κυκλωθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀληθείας. βέλος δὲ πετόμενον ἡμέρας ἐπαγγελλόμενος φωτεινὸς ειναι ἑτερόδοξος λόγος. ̓Αλλ' οὐδ' ἀπὸ πράγματος ἐν σκότει διαπορευομένου φοβεῖται, οπλῳ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ χρώμενος. πρᾶγμα δὲ ἐν σκότει διαπορευόμενον πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ αγνοια καὶ τὰ ἐνεργοῦντα αὐτὰ πονηρὰ πνεύματα τῆς πλάνης. πρὸς τούτοις οὐδὲ σύμπτωμα φοβηθήσεται, πάντα τλητικῶς καὶ γενναίως φέρων, κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ ̓Ιὼβ λέγων Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ εδοξεν, ουτως καὶ ἐγένετο. πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ἐπαγόμενον παρὰ κυρίου προσδέχεται ὡς ἀγαθόν, εἰδὼς οτι Τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν κύριον πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν, καὶ τὰ ἐπίπονα καὶ θλιβερὰ