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becoming a partaker of good things, says, But for me it is good to cling to God. For having this good, he is untouched by the contrary evils, conquering evil in the good and through this doing the good. Therefore, the one filled with goodness by doing and working the good is without share in things that are truly evil. But since the aforementioned evils do not come near to the one who has made the Most High his refuge, neither does punishment, which is called a scourge for these things, come near his dwelling, since he is not a sinner; for it belongs to this one alone to be scourged for these things; For many are the scourges of the sinner; and it has been said by us in other places that the same circumstances are scourges for sinners, but contests for the just. Therefore, if ever any of the painful and afflictive things should come to the pious man, it comes not as a scourge but as a test, just as it came upon Job so that he might be shown to be just. And it is well said, Evils will not come near you. For the nature of wickedness comes from without, while virtue has its cause from within; for God made man upright, who, having sought out evil reasonings, drew wickedness upon himself from without. 906 Ps 90,11.12 The devil has taken these words as having been spoken to the Savior, as is reported in the Gospel; but the psalm is spoken from the person of every just man who is helped and protected by the Most High, who is God of heaven. But if it is also said concerning Christ, it is clear that it is not as he is God but as he is man; and everything reported concerning him or to him as man will also be fitting for every saint who is his imitator and follower. And so much for that. Let us see also the intention of the words themselves. God gives a command to his angels, that they might guard and protect the just man, being ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. Of course the angels encamp around those who fear him in order to deliver them from invisible enemies and foes. So then Jacob the patriarch, about to encounter the greatest enemies, sees a camp of God filled with angels who would fight for him, whence giving thanks he said, The God who has been my shepherd from my youth, the angel who has redeemed me from all my evils. Likewise Elisha also had a multitude of angels surrounding him, seen by him, but not indeed by his servant; so he prays for the eyes of the boy to be opened, so that he might see that he had more fighting for them than those arrayed against them. And the angels, having received a command from the Lord to guard the diligent man from all actions and energies which he called his ways, lift him up, raising him on their own hands (and these are the angelic energies) so that the foot of his soul might not strike against a stone. For he who is carried by angels obtains the blessing which says, And your foot will not stumble. For when the true light has risen and illuminated the intelligible day, he who walks in this day will not stumble, because he sees the light. And the stone against which those not raised up by angels stumble is foolish and most hardened sin. But they also stumble over the choice, precious cornerstone through unbelief, so that it becomes for them a stone of stumbling. 907 Ps 90,13 It signifies four kinds of opposing powers through the four names mentioned, which are of venomous and savage animals. And Paul also, having gone beyond the struggle against flesh and blood, has his contests against four different kinds of invisible adversaries, against principalities, against powers, against the world-rulers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness. And so the one now being praised for valor treads upon the asp and the basilisk, having received authority from Jesus to tread upon snakes and scorpions; and treading down also every power of the enemy, he will trample the lion and the dragon. it is also possible in parallel

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ἐν μετοχῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν γινόμενος λέγει ̓Εμοὶ δὲ τὸ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ θεῷ ἀγαθόν ἐστι. τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθὸν εχων αψαυστός ἐστι τῶν ἐναντίων κακῶν, νικῶν ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακὸν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιῶν. ̔Ο πληρωθεὶς ουν ἀγαθότητος τῷ ποιεῖν καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀμέτοχός ἐστι τῶν κυρίως κακῶν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ συνεγγίζει τῷ θεμένῳ τὸν υψιστον καταφυγὴν ἑαυτοῦ τὰ προειρημένα κακά, οὐδὲ κόλασις ἡ ἐπὶ τούτοις μάστιξ προσαγορευομένη ἐγγίζει τῷ σκηνώματι αὐτοῦ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἁμαρτωλός ἐστι· μόνου γὰρ τούτου τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις μαστίζεσθαι· Πολλαὶ γὰρ αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ· καὶ ἐν αλλοις ειρηται ἡμῖν οτι αἱ αὐταὶ περιστάσεις τοῖς μὲν ἁμαρτωλοῖς μάστιγες, τοῖς δὲ δικαίοις ἀγῶνές εἰσι. καν ποτ' ουν τῶν ἐπιπόνων καὶ κακωτικῶν προσέλθοι τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, οὐχ ὡς μάστιξ ἀλλ' ὡς δοκίμιον παραγίνεται, ωσπερ τῷ ̓Ιὼβ ἐπὶ τῷ δίκαιον ἀναφανῆναι ἐπελήλυθεν. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι Οὐ προσελεύσεται πρὸς σὲ κακά. ἡ γὰρ τῆς κακίας φύσις εξωθεν ἐπέρχεται, τῆς ἀρετῆς οικοθεν τὴν πρόφασιν ἐχούσης· εὐθῆ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὸν ανθρωπον πεποίηκεν, ος ζητήσας λογισμοὺς πονηροὺς εξωθεν ἐπεσπάσατο τὴν κακίαν. 906 Ps 90,11.12 Ταῦτας τὰς λέξεις ὡς πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα εἰρημένας ἐξείληφεν ὁ διάβολος, ὡς ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ φέρεται· εστι δὲ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐκ προσώπου παντὸς δικαίου λεγόμενος βοηθουμένου καὶ σκεπαζομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑψίστου οντος θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ Χριστοῦ λέγεται, φανερὸν οτι οὐχ ῃ θεὸς ἀλλ' ῃ ανθρωπός ἐστι· πάντα δὲ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ῃ πρὸς αὐτὸν ῃ ανθρωπος ἀπαγγέλλεται, ἁρμόσει καὶ πρὸς πάντα αγιον τὸν μιμητὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἑπόμενον αὐτῷ. καὶ ταῦτα μέχρι τούτου. Ιδωμεν δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν λέξεων τὸ βούλημα. ἐντολὴν δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἑαυτοῦ, οπως φρουρῶσι καὶ σκέπωσι τὸν δίκαιον, πνεύμασι λειτουργικοῖς ουσιν εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλομένοις διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. ἀμέλει παρεμβάλλουσιν οἱ αγγελοι κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ῥύεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων ἀοράτων. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ̓Ιακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης, μέλλων προσβάλλειν πολεμίοις μεγίστοις, ὁρᾷ παρεμβολὴν θεοῦ συμπληρουμένην ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ὑπερμαχησόντων αὐτοῦ, οθεν εὐχαριστῶν ειπεν ̔Ο θεὸς ὁ τρέφων με ἐκ νεότητός μου, ὁ αγγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν μου. ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ ̓Ελισσαῖος πλῆθος ἀγγέλων ειχε περικυκλούντων αὐτόν, αὐτῷ μὲν ὁρωμένων, οὐ μὴν καὶ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ· ευχεται γοῦν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ παιδαρίου ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδεῖν οτι πλείους ειχεν ὑπερμαχοῦντας τῶν ἀντιπαλαιόντων αὐτοῖς. ̓Εντολὴν δὲ λαβόντες οἱ αγγελοι ὑπὸ κυρίου διαφυλάξαι τὸν σπουδαῖον ἐκ πασῶν πράξεων καὶ ἐνεργειῶν ας ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ ειπεν αιρουσι μετεωρίζοντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν (αυται δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ ἐνέργειαι) ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν πόδα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ μὴ προσπταῖσαι λίθῳ. τυγχάνει γὰρ ὁ ὑπ' ἀγγέλων βασταζόμενος εὐλογίας τῆς λεγούσης ̔Ο δὲ ποῦς σου οὐ μὴ προσκόψει. ἀνατείλαντος γὰρ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ νοητὴν ἡμέραν καταυγάσαντος, ὁ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ περιπατῶν οὐ προσκόψει, οτι τὸ φῶς βλέπει. εστι δὲ ὁ λίθος εἰς ον προσκόπτουσιν οἱ μὴ μετεωριζόμενοι ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ἠλίθιος καὶ σκληρωτάτη ἁμαρτία. προσκόπτουσι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀκρογωναῖον λίθον ἐκλεκτὸν εντιμον δι' ἀπιστίας ὡς λίθον προσκόμματος αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι. 907 Ps 90,13 Τέσσαρα ειδη ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων σημαίνει διὰ τῶν ἐγκειμένων τεσσάρων ὀνομάτων τυγχανόντων ἰοβόλων καὶ ἐκτεθηριωμένων ζῴων. καὶ Παῦλος δὲ ὑπερβὰς τὴν πρὸς αιμα καὶ σάρκα πάλην πρὸς τεσσάρας διαφορὰς ἀντιπάλων ἀοράτων, πρὸς ἀρχὰς πρὸς ἐξουσίας πρὸς κοσμοκράτορας σκότους πρὸς πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας εχει τοὺς ἀγῶνας. Καὶ ὁ νῦν ουν ἐπὶ ἀριστείας ἐγκωμιαζόμενος ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβαίνει, λαβὼν ἐξουσίαν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω οφεων καὶ σκορπίων· καταπατῶν δὲ καὶ πᾶσαν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καταπατήσει λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα. δύναται καὶ ἐκ παραλλήλου