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The lion and dragon is our adversary, the devil; for "as a lion he prowls around, seeking whom he may devour." He himself is also the serpent and the dragon, the ancient Satan, according to the Apocalypse. 908 Ps 90,14-16 "Because he has hoped in me," the Lord says, the one who has taken refuge and hoped in me, the one who said, "For you, Lord, are my hope," —"I will deliver him from the thousand falling at his side and the ten thousand at his right hand; but I will also shelter him who has known my name, so that he may remain unharmed, treading on the asp and basilisk and trampling the lion and dragon, the knowledge of my name becoming a quality that wards off evil for him." And crying out to me with the loud voice of his soul, he will find me hearing and assenting to him. For I am always with him, even if he happens to be in distress; for "I am with him in tribulation" (for it is especially then that he needs to be with him, when things are grievous and distressing for us). And not only will I free him from grievous things, but I will also make him honored. And I will grant him eternal life so that, being of many days and long life, he may have eternal light (For "light is sown for the righteous"). And "I will show him my salvation," that is, the salvation from me, or the cause of it, Jesus, which the blessed Simeon also saw and gave thanks, saying, "Now you are letting your servant depart in peace, O Master, for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples." Therefore, it must not be thought that the whole psalm was spoken about the Lord, as the Arians and Eusebius wish, but also about a just man who trusts in God, for whom the best end of hope is set forth: to see Christ Jesus, the salvation of God. But if the devil in his words to the Lord said that the promise, "For he will command his angels concerning you," was laid down for him, he too was speaking to him as to a just man, seeing in him what was purely and preeminently just, but not yet being able to comprehend that which in Christ is more than and superior to man.

909 Ps 91,2.3 He who confesses and accuses himself before the Lord, asking for remission and pardon, having by experience the benefit from confessing, proclaims by his works the mercy of God, having received mercy for those things of which he repented. And he proclaims the mercy of God that has come upon him, having been enlightened and established at the beginning of the day by the sun of righteousness, whence he said to proclaim in the morning the benefit he has received from God. And the singing to the name of the Lord most high, being a subject of theology and vision of God, has as its end the truth which it is fitting to proclaim not superficially and from manifest things but from deep and hidden things through an excess of knowledge. And the obscurity in such things he called night; for by nature, the things said piously and correctly are remote from the knowledge of the many because of the greatness of their power. And night is that which is difficult to comprehend. And this night has a reference to the "darkness which God made his hiding place." And he proclaims the mercy of God in the morning and his truth by night. 910 Ps 91,6.7 And as much as their greatness appears to us, so much do we see the thoughts of God concerning them deepened, according to which he has made and magnified them. With these things agrees what is said by Ecclesiastes: "I said, I will be wise; and it was far from me, far beyond what it was, and a deep depth; who can find it?" as if he says its depth appeared incomprehensible to me; but having said, "Your thoughts are very deep," he encourages the lovers of wisdom, saying that a foolish and senseless man will not know or understand them, it being clear that a wise man who has the Spirit of God which searches all things, even the depths of God, understands. And he calls foolish and senseless the one who is deprived of divine prudence and understanding, even if he seems otherwise to be prudent and intelligent; as from the

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λέων καὶ δράκων ειναι ὁ ἀντίδικος ἡμῶν διάβολος· ̔Ως γὰρ λέων περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τίνα καταπίει· αὐτὸς ων καὶ ὁ οφις καὶ ὁ δράκων, ὁ ἀρχαῖος σατανᾶς, κατὰ τὴν ̓Αποκάλυψιν. 908 Ps 90,14-16 ̓Επεὶ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ηλπισεν, ὁ κύριος λέγει, ὁ καταφυγὼν καὶ ἐλπίσας ἐπ' ἐμέ, ὁ εἰπὼν Οτι σύ, κύριε, ἡ ἐλπίς μου, -ῥύσομαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πιπτούσης ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους αὐτοῦ χιλιάδος καὶ μυριάδος ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ· ἀλλὰ καὶ σκεπάσω αὐτὸν ἐγνωκότα τὸ ονομά μου, οπως ἀβλαβὴς διαμείνῃ ἐπιβὰς ἐπὶ ἀσπίδος καὶ βασιλίσκου καὶ καταστήσας λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα, τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ ὀνόματός μου ἀλεξικάκου ποιότητος περὶ αὐτὸν γινομένης. κεκραγὼς δὲ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς μεγαλοφωνίᾳ πρὸς ἐμέ, ἐπακούοντά με καὶ ἐπινεύοντα αὐτῷ εὑρήσει. ἀεὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ πάρειμι, καν ἐν περιστάσει τυγχάνῃ· μετ' αὐτοῦ γάρ εἰμι ἐν θλίψει (μάλιστα γὰρ τότε συνεῖναι αὐτὸν χρεία, οταν θλιβερὰ καὶ περιστατικὰ ῃ περὶ ἡμᾶς). Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὸν ἐλευθερώσω τῶν θλιβερῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπίβλεπτον ἀπεργάσομαι. παρέξω δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἐπὶ τῷ πολυήμερον καὶ μακροήμερον οντα εχειν φῶς αἰώνιον (Φῶς γὰρ δικαίοις διαπαντός). δείξω δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου ητοι τὴν παρ' ἐμοῦ σωτηρίαν η τὸν ταύτης αιτιον ̓Ιησοῦν, οπερ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Συμεὼν ἰδὼν ηὐχαρίστει λέγων Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, ἐν εἰρήνῃ, οτι ειδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου ο ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν. Οὐ δὴ νομιστέον περὶ τοῦ κυρίου ολον εἰρῆσθαι τὸν ψαλμόν, ὡς οἱ ̓Αρειανοὶ βούλονται καὶ Εὐσέβιος, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ἀνδρὸς δικαίου καὶ θεῷ πεποιθότος ῳ πρόκειται τέλος τῆς ἐλπίδος τὸ αριστον ἰδεῖν Χριστὸν ̓Ιησοῦν τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ. εἰ δὲ ὁ διάβολος ἐν τοῖς πρὸς κύριον λόγοις εφησεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν κεῖσθαι τὸ Οτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ, ὡς ἀνδρὶ κἀκεῖνος διελέγετο δικαίῳ, τὸ καθαρῶς καὶ ἐξόχως δίκαιον ὁρῶν ἐν αὐτῷ, μήπω δὲ τὸ πλέον ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἀνώτερον ἐν Χριστῷ συνιέναι δυνάμενος.

909 Ps 91,2.3 ̔Ο ἐξομολογούμενος καὶ κατηγορῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπὶ κυρίου αφεσιν

καὶ συγχώρησιν αἰτούμενος, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ὠφέλειαν πείρᾳ εχων, εργοις ἀπαγγέλλει τὸ ελεος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐλεηθεὶς ἐφ' οις μετενόησεν. ἀναγγέλλει δὲ τὸν ἐπ' αὐτὸν γενόμενον ελεον θεοῦ, φωτισθεὶς καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἡμέρας ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης συνισταμένης γεγονώς, οθεν πρωῒ ἀναγγέλλειν ειπε τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ην θεόθεν εσχε. Καὶ τὸ ψάλλειν δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ὑψίστου θεολογίας καὶ θεοπτίας ὑπόθεσις τυγχάνον τέλος εχει τὴν ἀλήθειαν ην ἀναγγέλλειν προσήκει οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς καὶ ἐκ τῶν φανερῶν πραγμάτων ἀλλ' ἐκ βαθέων καὶ ἀποκρύφων διὰ γνώσεως ὑπερβολήν. τὴν δὲ ἀσάφειαν τὴν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ὠνόμασε νύκτα· φύσει γὰρ τὰ περὶ τοῦ εὐσεβῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς λεγόμενα τῆς τῶν πολλῶν γνώσεως διὰ μέγεθος δυνάμεως ἀποδημεῖ. νὺξ δ' ἐστὶ τὸ δυσκατάληπτον. αυτη δὲ ἡ νὺξ ἀναφορὰν εχει πρὸς τὸ σκότος ο εθετο ὁ θεὸς ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ. ἀπαγγέλλει τε τὸ πρωῒ τὸ ελεος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ κατὰ νύκτα. 910 Ps 91,6.7 Οσον δὲ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῶν ἀναφαίνεται ἡμῖν, τοσοῦτον βαθυνομένους ὁρῶμεν τοὺς περὶ αὐτῶν θεοῦ διαλογισμοὺς καθ' ους πεποίηκε καὶ ἐμεγέθυνεν αὐτά. τούτοις συνᾴδει τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ ̓Εκκλησιαστοῦ Ειπα Σοφισθήσομαι, καὶ αυτη ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ μακρὰν ὑπὲρ ο ην καὶ βαθὺ βάθος, τίς εὑρήσει αὐτήν; ὡς τὸ βάθος αὐτῆς φησιν ἀκατάληπτόν μοι φανῆναι· εἰπὼν δὲ Σφόδρα ἐβαρύνθησαν οἱ διαλογισμοί σου, εὐθυμοποιεῖ τοὺς σοφίας ἐραστάς, φήσας ανδρα αφρονα καὶ ἀσύνετον μὴ γνώσεσθαι καὶ συνιέναι αὐτά, δηλονότι τοῦ σοφοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ εχοντος τὸ θεοῦ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐρευνοῦν πάντα καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ συνιέντος. αφρονα δὲ καὶ ἀσύνετον λέγει τὸν θείας φρονήσεως καὶ συνέσεως ἐστερημένον, καν δοκῇ αλλως φρόνιμος ειναι καὶ συνετός· ὡς ἐκ τοῦ