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of such things saying, In a place of green pasture, there he made me dwell. But having once transcended such a state, being no longer in bondage to men but having become men, each will say again, You have prepared a table before me. And wine gladdens the heart of men, not every wine, but only that which has its origin from the one who said, I am the true vine, but since all sensible things are called 'earth' because of their material nature. From these it is possible to receive a word that elevates through a certain analogy to the intelligible things. and this word is bread brought forth from the earth to nourish the inner and hidden man; and from the corporeal narratives of Scripture, which are called 'earth' because of their historical nature, the mystical word is bread brought forth. and the face of the inner man is gladdened and brightened by the oil that nourishes the divine light and that dissolves the diseases and pains of the soul, differing from the aforementioned wine only in conception. For the Word of God is just as much a vine as it is an olive tree; for he says, I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God. For his teaching, in its different aspects, is wine and oil and bread. 996 Ps 103,18 But according to the allegorical sense: the race of deer is hostile to the race of serpents. Indeed, they hasten to destroy them. Such in every way are the disciples of Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience. And they have received power against the intelligible serpents from him who gave them authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. These spiritual deer, therefore, longing for the spiritual springs of water, which are also otherwise called mountains, spend their time on these very mountains. And the souls perfected in virtue might be great leaping deer, imitating him who leaps upon the mountains and bounds over the hills, being also a gazelle because of his keen and perceptive sight. But those souls that are inferior to these and weaker, called rock badgers, flee to the rock as to an unconquerable fortress, on which Jesus founds the church; and this is the confession of faith. And in Proverbs it is said, And the rock badgers, a people not strong, have made their houses in the rocks. And it is no wonder if in some places 'the rock' is spoken of in the singular, and in others in the plural, since Christ is simply the rock, but is also 'rocks' according to various conceptions. Scripture says, The rock is a refuge for the hares, as if 'hare' and 'rock badger' were synonymous. It is possible, then, to hear each one saying, Behold, the Lord helps me; who will harm me? and The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid; what can man do to me? 997 Ps 103,24 But the "How" placed here is indicative not of comparison but of truth, just as in "How good is God to Israel"; for it does not say that God is like good, but that he is truly good. And so in the present text, that the works of God have been magnified is signified by "How magnified are your works, O Lord." For everything that comes into being in the wisdom of God is great. And the wisdom of God in which all things have been made is the Lord; for Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 998 Ps 103,27.28 But another says that it is spoken only of rational beings. For to expect and to have one's expectation toward God implies this. They expect to receive this in due season, when they have been freed from all infirmity and disease. For when this is given, they will gather it, hastening so much to receive it as to be fed to satiety. And the goodness in such great abundance will be provided for them, as he opens to them the hand of your words and wisdom. 999 Ps 103,31 God, providing eternal glory to his own works, rejoices when all things look to him. For as in the beginning, having made all things very good, he rejoiced, having completed the inhabited world, and he rejoiced in the sons of men when there was not yet transgression, so at the consummation and restoration of the upon the

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τοιούτων λέγοντος Εἰς τόπον χλόης, ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν. ὑπερβάντες δέ ποτε τὴν τοιαύτην κατάστασιν οὐκέτι δουλεία τῶν ἀνθρώπων οντες ἀλλ' ανθρωποι γεγενημένοι ἐροῦσι πάλιν εκαστος ̔Ητοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν. Οινος δ' εὐφραίνει καρδίαν ἀνθρώπων, οὐ πᾶς η μόνος ὁ τὴν γένεσιν εχων ἐκ τοῦ εἰπόντος ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ αμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τὰ αἰσθητὰ πάντα γῆ διὰ τὸ ὑλικὸν ὀνομάζεται. ̓Εκ τούτων δὲ λαβεῖν εστι λόγον ἀναβιβάζοντα διά τινος ἀναλογίας ἐπὶ τὰ νοητά. καὶ ουτος ὁ λόγος αρτος ἐστὶν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐξαγόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ τρέφειν τὸν ενδον καὶ ἐν κρυπτῷ ανθρωπον· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σωματικῶν δὲ τῆς γραφῆς διηγημάτων διὰ τὸ ἱστορικὸν γῆ εἰρημένων αρτος ἐξαγόμενος ὁ μυστικός ἐστι λόγος. ἱλαρύνεται δὲ καὶ φαιδρύνεται τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ εσω ἀνθρώπου ἐλαίῳ τῷ θρεπτικῷ τοῦ θείου φωτὸς καὶ λύοντι τὰς νόσους καὶ τοὺς πόνους τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπινοίᾳ μόνῃ διαφέρον τοῦ ἀποδοθέντος οινου. ὁ γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ωσπερ αμπελος, ουτως καὶ ἐλαία ἐστίν· ̓Εγὼ γάρ φησι ὡσεὶ ἐλαία κατάκαρπος ἐν τῷ οικῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἡ γὰρ αὐτοῦ διδασκαλία κατὰ διάφορον σχέσιν οινός τε καὶ ελαιόν ἐστι καὶ αρτος. 996 Ps 103,18 Κατὰ δὲ ἀναγωγήν· τὸ γένος τῶν ἐλάφων πολεμίως εχει πρὸς τὸ τῶν οφεων γένος. σπεύδουσι γοῦν ἀνελεῖν αὐτούς. τοιοῦτοι δὲ πάντως οἱ Χριστοῦ μαθηταί, ἑτοίμως εχοντες ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν. εσχον δὲ καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν νοητῶν οφεων δύναμιν ἐκ τοῦ ὀρέξαντος ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῖς πατεῖν ἐπάνω οφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. Αυται ουν αἱ πνευματικαὶ ελαφοι ἐπιποθοῦσαι ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων τὰς πνευματικὰς αι καὶ ορη αλλως ὀνομάζονται, ἐπ' αὐτὰ ταῦτα τὰ ορη διατρίβουσι. Καὶ ειεν αν αἱ κατ' ἀρετὴν τετελειωμέναι ψυχαὶ πηδῶσαι μεγάλα ελαφοι, μιμούμεναι τὸν πηδῶντα ἐπὶ τὰ ορη καὶ διαλλόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν βουνῶν οντα καὶ δορκάδα διὰ τὸ ὀξυωπὲς καὶ διορατικόν. αἱ δέ γε ὑποβεβηκυῖαι ταύτας τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ ἀσθενέστεραι χοιρογρύλλιοι καλούμεναι καταφεύγουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ φρούριον ἀκαταμάχητον τὴν πέτραν ἐφ' ῃ θεμελιοῖ ̓Ιησοῦς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· αυτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ ὁμολογία τῆς πίστεως. καὶ ἐν Παροιμίαις ειρηται Καὶ οἱ χοιρογρύλλιοι, εθνος οὐκ ἰσχυρόν, ἐποίησαν ἐν πέτραις τοὺς ἑαυτῶν οικους. θαυμαστὸν δὲ οὐδὲν εἰ οπου μὲν ἑνικῶς, οπου δὲ πληθυντικῶς ειρηται ἡ πέτρα, τοῦ Χριστοῦ οντος πέτρας ἁπλῶς, οντος δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὰς διαφόρους ἐπινοίας πετρῶν. φέρεται γραφὴ Πέτρα καταφυγὴ τοῖς λαγωοῖς, ὡς τάχα συνωνυμίαν ειναι λαγωοῦ καὶ χοιρογρυλλίου. εστιν ουν ἑκάστου ἀκούειν λέγοντος ̓Ιδοὺ κύριος βοηθεῖ μοι· τίς κακώσει με; καὶ Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθός, καὶ Οὐ φοβηθήσομαι· τί ποιήσει μοι ανθρωπος; 997 Ps 103,24 Τὸ δὲ ̔Ως ἐνταῦθα κείμενον οὐχ ὁμοιώσεως ἀλλ' ἀληθείας ἐστὶ δηλωτικόν, ωσπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ ̔Ως ἀγαθὸς τῷ ̓Ισραὴλ ὁ θεός· οὐ γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ ομοιον ἀλλ' ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὸν τὸν θεὸν λέγει. καὶ ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ τοίνυν λέξει τὸ μεμεγαλύνθαι τὰ εργα τοῦ θεοῦ σημαίνεται διὰ τοῦ ̔Ως ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ εργα σου, κύριε. πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ἐν σοφίᾳ γινόμενον θεοῦ μέγα ἐστί. σοφία δὲ θεοῦ ἐν ῃ τὰ πάντα γεγένηται ὁ κύριός ἐστι· Χριστὸς γὰρ θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία. 998 Ps 103,27.28 Αλλος δὲ περὶ τῶν λογικῶν μόνον εἰρῆσθαί φησι. τὸ γὰρ προσδοκᾶν καὶ πρὸς θεὸν εχειν τὴν προσδοκίαν τοῦτο αἰνίττεται. εἰς ευκαιρον δὲ προσδοκῶσι ταύτης τυχεῖν, οταν πάσης καχεξίας καὶ νόσου ωσιν ἀπηλλαγμένοι. τότε γὰρ διδομένης ταύτης, συλλέξουσι τοσοῦτον σπεύδοντες αὐτὴν λαβεῖν, οσον εἰς κόρον τραφῆναι. ὑπαρχθήσεται δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ εὐθηνίᾳ χρηστότης, τὴν χεῖρα τῶν λόγων σου καὶ τὴν σοφίαν ἀνοίγοντος αὐτοῖς. 999 Ps 103,31 Τὴν αἰώνιον παρέχων δόξαν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ εργοις ὁ θεός, οταν πάντα πρὸς αὐτὸν προσδοκήσῃ, εὐφραίνεται. ὡς γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ τὰ πάντα λίαν καλὰ ποιήσας ἐνηυφραίνετο τὴν οἰκουμένην συντελέσας καὶ ἐνηυφραίνετο ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων ουπω τότε παραβάσεως ουσης, ουτως ἐπὶ τελειώσει καὶ ἀποκαταστάσει τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ