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them. For the name of confession also signifies agreement in words. But if you wish another confession according to repentance and that he has put on thanksgiving, you would not be wrong. And suitably to this meaning, he will also put on the virtue of those who succeed, which is called magnificence. And just as the Savior, saying "I was naked and you clothed me," shows that the action of those who live according to him becomes his clothing and covering, so also the Father will put on the virtues of those who are zealous to be with him. 990 Ps 103,2a Just as one who puts on a perceptible garment is covered on all sides, so God, being filled on all sides with knowledge, so that his essence is incomprehensible, puts on light as a garment, with the term "light" signifying here also the purest knowledge. Agreeing with this, Paul writes about God that he has a dwelling of unapproachable light or dwells in unapproachable light. For in this phrase also, that God is entirely knowledge and for this reason is difficult to comprehend by intelligible beings, it is said that he dwells in unapproachable light. 991 Ps 103,2b.3a He covers the air above us, which tends toward the aether, with the waters in the gatherings of the clouds. But according to the spiritual sense: he calls the intelligible substance "heaven," which is extended and spread out as a covering for the mind, he who covers with intelligible and divine waters the upper rooms of the soul, that is, its powers that are above sensible things. 992 Ps 103,6a You will find "the abyss" used for incomprehensibility also in "Your judgments, Lord, are a great abyss." For since his judgments are unsearchable, it is not possible to have a comprehension of them. Therefore they are compared not simply to an abyss, but to a great one. And so incomprehensibility, called 'abyss,' covers God—whose judgments are a great abyss—like a mantle. 993 Ps 103,7b Hearing the thunder, that is, the word of providence spoken with a great voice, the mountains are afraid. It is reasonable that these things must be understood as spoken about the perceptible mountains and waters. But it is possible to take "At the voice of your thunder they will be afraid" not of the waters but of men, or rather of all living things being indicated, so that there would be thunder, as they perceive the invisible and unseen divinity. 994 Ps 103,11.12 Through every word the present psalm, praising God, gives glory, mentioning each created thing; whence also in the present verses, accepting his providence, it marvels also at his goodness with wisdom, having taken thought for the survival of the irrational animals. And reasonably so; for if he himself made them, he himself would also be the provider of their food and drink. 995 Ps 103,13-15 And you will also understand the mountains just mentioned in a spiritual sense; they are the spirit-bearing men. They are watered from his, God's, upper rooms, being filled with the gifts of the spirit, the word of wisdom and the things enumerated in order. And the upper rooms of God from which he waters the mountains are pure and transcendent contemplations of the truth, called upper rooms because nothing has ascended above them. From the fruit of your works the earth will be satisfied. For he himself said, "Let the earth bring forth grass for fodder and fruit trees bearing fruit," and so forth. But in a spiritual sense, from the works of Jesus during his sojourn, which have much fruit, all the earth is satisfied, partaking of the things so wondrously done by Jesus. For this is the fruit of his works. And the word concerning the works of his creation and providence, being understood as the fruit of God's works, will satisfy the earth, I mean the men who dwell upon the earth. And he makes grass to grow in his words which are beyond nature and most high, being mountains, which grass the more irrational are able to bear. And the grass in these mountains is the word concerning sensible things and the letter of scripture, but also the more ethical word, of which the many will be able to partake, of each of the

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αὐτά. σημαίνει γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως ονομα καὶ τὴν συμφωνίαν τὴν ἐν λόγοις. εἰ δὲ θέλεις αλλην κατὰ μετάνοιαν ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ τὴν ἐπ' εὐχαριστίαν ἐνδεδύσθαι αὐτόν, οὐχ ἁμάρτοις. καταλλήλως δὲ τούτῳ τῷ σημαινομένῳ καὶ τὴν τῶν κατορθούντων ἀρετὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν καλουμένην ἐνδύσεται. καὶ ωσπερ ὁ σωτὴρ φάσκων Γυμνὸς ημην καὶ περιεβάλετέ με δηλοῖ οτι ενδυσις καὶ σκέπη αὐτοῦ γίνεται ἡ πρᾶξις τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν πολιτευομένων, ουτω καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐνδύσεται τὰς τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν σπουδαζόντων ειναι ἀρετάς. 990 Ps 103,2a Ωσπερ ὁ ἀναβαλλόμενος αἰσθητὸν ἱμάτιον πάντοθεν καλύπτεται, ουτω θεὸς πάντοθεν γνώσεως πεπληρωμένος ὡς ἀκατάληπτον αὐτοῦ τυγχάνειν τὴν οὐσίαν ἀναβάλλεται φῶς ὡς ἱμάτιον, σημαινούσης καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῆς φῶς προσηγορίας τὴν ἀκραιφνεστάτην γνῶσιν. τούτῳ συνᾴδων περὶ θεοῦ γράφει Παῦλος ὡς αρα οικον εχει φῶς ἀπρόσιτον η οἰκεῖ φῶς ἀπρόσιτον. καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ τῇ λέξει τὸ ολον ειναι τὸν θεὸν γνῶσιν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δυσπερινόητον ὑπάρχειν τοῖς νοητοῖς οἰκῶν ειρηται φῶς ἀπρόσιτον. 991 Ps 103,2b.3a Τὸν ἀνωτέρω ἡμῶν ἀέρα καὶ νεύοντα πρὸς τὸν αἰθέρα υδασι τοῖς κατὰ τὰς συστροφὰς τῶν νεφελῶν στεγάζει. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· τὴν νοητὴν οὐσίαν οὐρανὸν ὀνομάζει ἐκτεινομένην καὶ ἁπλουμένην ἐπὶ σκέπῃ τοῦ νοῦ ὁ στεγάζων τοῖς νοητοῖς καὶ θείοις υδασι τὰ ὑπερῷα τῆς ψυχῆς τουτέστι τὰς δυνάμεις αὐτῆς τὰς ὑπεράνω τῶν αἰσθητῶν τυγχανούσας. 992 Ps 103,6a Τὴν αβυσσον ἐπὶ ἀκαταληψίας εὑρήσεις κειμένην καὶ ἐν τῷ Τὰ κρίματά σου, κύριε, αβυσσος πολλή. ἀνεξερευνήτων γὰρ οντων τῶν κριμάτων αὐτοῦ, οὐκ εστι κατάληψιν αὐτῶν εχειν. διὸ καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀβύσσῳ ἀλλὰ πολλῇ παραβάλλονται. καὶ τὸν θεὸν ουν ου πολλὴ αβυσσος τὰ κρίματά ἐστι περιβολαίου δίκην καλύπτει ἀκαταληψία αβυσσος ὀνομαζομένη. 993 Ps 103,7b Βροντῆς ἀκούοντα τὰ ορη τουτέστιν τὸν κατὰ τὴν πρόνοιαν μεγαλοφώνως γινόμενον λόγον δειλιᾷ. εἰκότως περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὀρῶν καὶ ὑδάτων εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα δεῖ νοεῖν. δυνατὸν δὲ τὸ ̓Απὸ φωνῆς βροντῆς σου δειλιάσουσι μὴ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκλαβεῖν ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μᾶλλον δ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμψύχων ἁπάντων δηλουμένων, οπως αν γένοιτο βροντή, τῆς ἀοράτου καὶ ἀφανοῦς θεότητος συναισθανομένων. 994 Ps 103,11.12 ∆ιὰ πάσης λέξεως ὁ προκείμενος ψαλμὸς θεὸν ὑμνῶν δοξολογεῖ, ἑκάστου κτίσματος μνημονεύων· οθεν καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις ἀποδεχόμενος τὴν πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ, θαυμάζει καὶ τὴν μετὰ σοφίας ἀγαθότητα αὐτοῦ φροντίσαντος καὶ τῆς διαμονῆς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων. καὶ εἰκότως· εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτὰ πεποίηκε, καὶ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τοῦ πότου αὐτῶν αὐτὸς χορηγὸς ειη. 995 Ps 103,13-15 Καὶ κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν δὲ νοήσεις τὰ ἀρτίως ἀποδοθέντα ορη· εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ πνευματοφόροι ανδρες. ποτίζονται ἐκ τῶν ὑπερῴων αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, πληρούμενοι τῶν τοῦ πνεύματος χαρισμάτων, λόγου σοφίας καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς ἀπηριθμημένων. ὑπερῷα δὲ θεοῦ ἀφ' ων τὰ ορη ποτίζει ἀκραιφνεῖς καὶ ὑπερβάλλουσαι θεωρίαι τῆς ἀληθείας τυγχάνουσιν, ὑπερῷα καλούμεναι τῷ μηδὲν αὐτὰς ὑπεραναβεβηκέναι. ̓Απὸ καρποῦ τῶν εργων σου χορτασθήσεται ἡ γῆ. αὐτὸς γὰρ ειπε Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. κατὰ δὲ ἀναγωγὴν ἐκ τῶν ̓Ιησοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν εργων πολὺν καρπὸν ἐχόντων απασα ἡ γῆ χορτάζεται μεταλαμβάνουσα τῶν ουτω παραδόξως ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ γεγενημένων. ουτος γὰρ καρπὸς τῶν εργων αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει. καὶ ὁ λόγος δὲ ὁ περὶ τῶν εργων τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ προνοίας αὐτοῦ νοηθεὶς οια καρπὸς εργων θεοῦ τυγχάνων χορτάσει τὴν γῆν, φημὶ δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διατρίβοντας ἀνθρώπους. ̓Ανατελεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ φύσιν καὶ ὑψηλοτάτοις λόγοις αὐτοῦ ορεσιν ουσι χόρτον ον φέρεσθαι οιοί τέ εἰσιν οἱ ἀλογώτεροι. εστι δ' ὁ ἐν τούτοις ορεσι χόρτος ὁ περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν λόγος καὶ τὸ γράμμα τῆς γραφῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἠθικώτερος ου μεταλαβεῖν καὶ οἱ πολλοὶ δυνήσονται, ἑκάστου τῶν