226

it is said 'to give birth while being a virgin'; she did not conceive from a man, the child she brought forth while being a virgin. In this sense it is said by God, *I am, I am, and until you grow old, I am*. 1055 Ps 111,9c He says the horn is God. For all the righteous say this with confidence: *In you we will gore our enemies*. And therefore the one who is blessed, having gored his own enemies in the Lord, has the horn with which he cast them down exalted in glory. 1056 Ps 111,10 In the life after this, when those who have lived well attain the promises, each of the sinners, encountering punishment, will see the righteous one whom he persecuted, and will be enraged against himself, being in most vehement repentance, when he will also gnash his teeth, and will melt away, having cast off the bulk and swelling of his material and fleshly state and choice, the desire of the sinners being destroyed. Indeed, they even gnash their teeth against themselves. And the Savior said that these things happen to those who are punished, saying, *Cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth*. But do not be so slow as to think that perceptible teeth are spoken of. Since we do not take *You have broken the teeth of sinners* perceptibly, perhaps then those nourished in this life on wickedness and the impiety joined with it as poisonous food, with certain powers of the soul ground down the godless doctrines as with teeth and molars; repenting for those things on which they were badly nourished, they will gnash vehemently, attacking those very powers of the soul through which they cut and ground down the worst food, blaming themselves for the deeds for which they have been confined in the burning punishment.

1057 Ps 112,1b Spoken absolutely, the word *children* does not permit one to think that *children* is said instead of slaves; for simply and without addition the young are called children. But slaves are the children of certain people; for just as *slave*, so also *child* has reference to the master. Indeed, in many places one can see the slaves of David and the slaves of Solomon and of many others called their children. But if *Praise, children* can be equivalent to *Praise, sons*, consider this yourself. For it can have a logical consistency, distinguishing that it is for slaves to fear God, but for sons to glorify him by praising; for God says, *A son glorifies his father, and a slave fears his master. And if I am a master, where is my fear? And if I am a father, where is my glory?* 1058 Ps 112,3.4 Perhaps there may also be certain risings of the sun of righteousness, according to which it rises. And these have a kinship (or are identical to themselves) with the east where paradise was planted. And there may be settings corresponding to these risings, according to which risings and settings it is fitting to praise the name of the Lord. For he set for Israel, but he rose for the believing Gentiles. Since therefore with wisdom and just judgment he set for them and rose for these, accepting the judgments of providence that come to be everywhere and for everything from the Lord, *Praise his name*; *High above all the nations is the Lord, his glory is above the heavens*. And taken more simply, the sayings declare that God provides for all things, being high as a king over all the nations, having his glory also in the heavens by also leading the rational orders there. But with a deeper mind, the Lord is high over all the believing nations, praised by them with a pure life both practical and contemplative. But his glory is upon the heavens that no longer bear the image of the man of dust but that of the heavenly man, so that they even declare it to their own disciples; for *The heavens declare the glory of God*. For they surely declare it to some. But if you can say the glory of the Lord is the radiance of his glory, our Lord and Savior,

226

τεκεῖν παρθένος ουσα ειρηται, οὐκ ἐξ ἀνδρὸς συνείληφεν ο προήνεγκε παρθένος ουσα τέκνον. ταύτῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ ὑπὸ θεοῦ λέγεται ̓Εγώ εἰμι, ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ εως αν καταγηράσητε, ἐγώ εἰμι. 1055 Ps 111,9c Κέρας τὸν θεόν φησι. πάντες γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι τοῦτο θαρροῦντές φασιν ̓Εν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν. καὶ ὁ μακαριζόμενος τοίνυν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἐν κυρίῳ κερατίσας τὸ κέρας ῳ αὐτοὺς καθεῖλεν ἐν δόξῃ ὑψούμενον εχει. 1056 Ps 111,10 ̓Εν τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα βίῳ τυγχανόντων τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τῶν ευ βεβιωκότων, τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εκαστος περιτυχὼν κολάσει οψεται ον ἐπόρθησε δίκαιον, καὶ ὀργισθήσεται καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐν μεταμελείᾳ σφοδροτάτῃ γινόμενος, οτε καὶ βρύξει τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τακήσεται ἀποβαλὼν τὸν ογκον καὶ τὸ οιδημα τῆς ὑλικῆς καὶ σαρκικῆς εξεώς τε καὶ προαιρέσεως, τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐπιθυμίας ἀπολλυμένης. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ βρύχουσι καθ' ἑαυτῶν τοὺς ὀδόντας. συμβαίνειν ταῦτα τοῖς κολαζομένοις καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ειπε φάσκων ̓Εκβάλετε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ἐκεῖ εσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. ̓Αλλὰ μὴ ουτως βραδὺς εσο ὡς αἰσθητοὺς ὀδόντας νομίζειν λέγεσθαι. ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ̓Οδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας αἰσθητῶς λαμβάνομεν, μήποτ' ουν οἱ τραφέντες ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τὴν κακίαν καὶ τὴν συνηρμοσμένην αὐτῇ δυσσέβειαν οιαν τροφὴν δηλητήριον ψυχικαῖς δυνάμεσί τισι τὰ αθεα δόγματα κατελέαινον οια ὀδοῦσι καὶ μύλαις μεταμελούμενοι· ἐφ' οις κακῶς ἐτράφησαν αὐτὰς ἐκείνας τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις δι' ων ετεμνον καὶ ἐλέαινον τὴν χειρίστην τροφήν, βρύξουσι σφοδρῶς αὐτῶν καθικνούμενοι, μεμφόμενοι ἑαυτοὺς ἐφ' οις πράξαντες συνεσχέθησαν τῇ φλεγούσῃ τιμωρίᾳ.

1057 Ps 112,1b ̓Απολύτως εἰρημένον τὸ Παῖδες οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει νομίσαι ἀντὶ

δούλων εἰρῆσθαι τοὺς παῖδας· ἁπλῶς γὰρ καὶ χωρὶς προσθήκης οἱ νέοι παῖδες καλοῦνται. οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι παῖδές τινων· ὡς γὰρ δοῦλος, ουτω καὶ τὸ παῖς πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην εχει τὴν ἀναφοράν. πολλαχοῦ γοῦν εστιν ἰδεῖν παῖδας ∆αυὶδ καὶ παῖδας Σολομῶντος καὶ ἑτέρων πλειόνων τοὺς δούλους αὐτῶν καλουμένους. εἰ δὲ ισον δύναται τὸ Αἰνεῖτε, παῖδες, τῷ Αἰνεῖτε, υἱοί, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπίστησον. δύναται γὰρ ἀκολουθίαν εχειν τοῦ λόγου διαστελλομένου, οτι δούλων ἐστὶ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν, υἱῶν δὲ τὸ δοξάζειν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ ὑμνεῖν· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς Υἱὸς δοξάζει πατέρα καὶ δοῦλος φοβεῖται τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ· καὶ εἰ κύριός εἰμι ἐγώ, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ φόβος μου; καὶ εἰ πατήρ εἰμι, ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα μου; 1058 Ps 112,3.4 Τάχα καὶ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡλίου ειεν αν ἀνατολαί τινες καθ' ας ἀνατέλλει. αυται δὲ συγγένειαν εχουσιν (η αὐταὶ αὐταῖς τυγχάνουσι) πρὸς τὰς ἀνατολὰς ἐν αις ὁ παράδεισος πεφύτευται. ειεν δὲ ταύταις ταῖς ἀνατολαῖς καταλλήλως εχουσαι καὶ δύσεις καθ' ας ἀνατολὰς καὶ δυσμὰς αἰνεῖν τὸ ονομα κυρίου προσήκει. εδυνε γὰρ τῷ ̓Ισραήλ, ἀνέτειλε δὲ τοῖς πιστεύσασιν εθνεσιν. ἐπεὶ ουν σοφῶς καὶ δικαίᾳ κρίσει κἀκείνους εδυνε καὶ τούτοις ἀνέτειλεν, ἀποδεχόμενοι τὰ τῆς προνοίας κρίματα πανταχοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ ὑπὸ κυρίου γινόμενα Αἰνεῖτε τὸ ονομα αὐτοῦ· ὑψηλὸς ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ εθνη ὁ κύριος, ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἁπλουστέρως λαμβανόμενα τὰ ῥητὰ δηλοῦσιν ὡς θεὸς τῶν πάντων προνοεῖται ὑψηλὸς ων οια βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ εθνη, εχων καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τὴν δόξαν τῷ καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε λογικῶν ταγμάτων ἡγεῖσθαι. βαθυτέρῳ δὲ νῷ ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ πεπιστευκότα εθνη ὁ κύριος ὑψηλός ἐστιν ὑμνούμενος πρὸς αὐτῶν καθαρῷ βίῳ πρακτικῷ τε καὶ θεωρητικῷ. ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς τοὺς μηκέτι φοροῦντας τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει ὡς καὶ ἀπαγγέλλειν αὐτὴν ἰδίοις μαθηταῖς· Οἱ οὐρανοὶ γὰρ διηγοῦνται δόξαν θεοῦ. πάντως γάρ τισιν αὐτὴν διηγοῦνται. Εἰ δὲ δύνασαι δόξαν κυρίου φάναι τὸ ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ τὸν κύριον καὶ σωτῆρα ἡμῶν,