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of the giving of the laws has handed down the things concerning the creation of the world, through which he teaches that there is one God, and that all the parts of the world and the world itself are created. 1065 Ps 113,24 But he who wishes to contemplate these things more deeply will say that there is a certain heaven spoken of exceptionally in Scripture, appropriated to God, in which God alone is; and I say God, thinking of the Trinity. From this heaven, somewhere far, not by place but by a property of being, are the created things, even if these things are in the heavens. Indeed, before the transgression the devil, being in heaven, yet being as it were somewhere below this heaven, said, "I will ascend into heaven, and above the stars of heaven I will set my throne"; for these things were said by him before he fell from heaven; this, then, is also mentioned as the cause of his fall. into this heaven no one has ascended except he who descended from heaven, since he also came, having been sent from there, saying, "I have come down from heaven." But also the Holy Spirit was sent from this heaven, as Peter says, "The things which have now been announced to us through those who preached the gospel to us by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven." For there are the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But pay close attention lest you bring down the thought concerning these things to perceptible things, assuming a heaven of place and a transition from there happening by motion; for the name of the heaven which has been described denotes the pre-eminent, so to speak, superiority and state of God. 1066 Ps 113,25.26 None of those who have been put to death by sinning praises God (For praise is not beautiful in the mouth of a sinner), nor of those descending into the figurative hades into which go those who die the death that follows sin (For there is no one in death who remembers God), with no one in hades confessing him. Since these, therefore, do not praise him, we praise him, we who are living and partaking of eternal life, concerning which the Savior says, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

1067 Ps 114,6 The Lord himself guards those who are infants according to the command of Jesus, by having turned and become like children, not allowing enemies to attack them because it is not yet the time for struggle. however, while guarding the ones who are thus infants, he humbled me, putting me forward into a struggle as one who has surpassed the age of children, and caused me to be tempted by many strong ones; and just as he humbled me, so also he saved me, clothing me with irresistible strength and unconquerable full armor.

1068 Ps 115,1 The meaning of this saying the Apostle to the Corinthians [expressed]: "Having," he said, "the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed, therefore I spoke,' we also believe, and so we also speak;" saying "spirit of faith" meaning either the state which comes from it or the spirit supplied by God to the one who has faith. "I believed, therefore I spoke" is in harmony with "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation;" if then, he says, you confess the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved; for to this was immediately added the "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness," and what follows. For this meaning you will also take the "Unless you believe, you will not understand;" for first one believes, then understands, and after this speaks, as the psalm says, "I believed, therefore I spoke." But when, having believed, I spoke supernatural and great things, then seeing myself as nothing, I was greatly humbled. such is what was said by John concerning Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease." For John was not decreased by casting off some greatness he had, but by comparing himself to the superiority of the

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νόμων δόσεως τὰ περὶ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας παραδέδωκε, δι' ης διδάσκει ενα θεὸν ειναι, πάντα δὲ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου μέρη καὶ αὐτὸν ειναι γενητά. 1065 Ps 113,24 ̔Ο δὲ βαθύτερον καὶ ταῦτα θεωρεῖν βουλόμενος ἐρεῖ ειναί τινα ἐξαιρέτως ἐν τῇ γραφῇ λεγόμενον οὐρανὸν θεῷ προσῳκειωμένον, ἐν ῳ μόνος ὁ θεός· θεὸν δὲ λέγω περὶ τῆς τριάδος διανοούμενος. τούτου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πόρρω που οὐ τόπῳ ἀλλ' οὐσίας ἰδιώματι τυγχάνει τὰ γενητά, καν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ῃ ταῦτα. ἀμέλει πρὸ παραβάσεως ὁ διάβολος, ων ἐν οὐρανῷ ὡς κάτω που τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τούτου τυγχάνων, ελεγεν Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι καὶ ἐπάνω τῶν αστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου· ειρηται γὰρ αὐτῷ ταῦτα πρὶν ἐκπεσεῖν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· αυτη γοῦν καὶ αἰτία τῆς καταπτώσεως αὐτοῦ μνημονεύεται. εἰς τοῦτον τὸν οὐρανὸν οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖθεν ἀποσταλεὶς ἐλήλυθε φάσκων Καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα ἐκ τούτου ἀπεστάλη τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ῃ ὁ Πέτρος φησὶν Α δὴ ἀνηγγέλη ἡμῖν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελισαμένων ἡμᾶς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἀποσταλέντι ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ. ενθα γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα. ἀλλ' ἐπίστησον ἀκριβῶς μὴ εἰς αἰσθητὰ κατενέγκῃς τὴν περὶ τούτων νόησιν, οὐρανὸν τοπικὸν καὶ μετάβασιν ἐκεῖθεν κατὰ φορὰν γινομένην ὑπολαβών· θεοῦ γὰρ προηγουμένην, ιν' ουτως ειπω, ὑπεροχὴν καὶ κατάστασιν δηλοῖ ἡ τοῦ διηγηθέντος οὐρανοῦ προσηγορία. 1066 Ps 113,25.26 Οὐδεὶς τῶν νεκρωθέντων τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν θεὸν αἰνεῖ (Οὐχ ὡραῖος γὰρ αινος ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ), ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς τὸν ᾳδην τὸν τροπικὸν εἰς ον γίνονται οἱ ἀποθνῄσκοντες τὸν ἑπόμενον τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ θάνατον (Οὐκ εστι γὰρ ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὁ μνημονεύων θεοῦ), οὐδενὸς ἐν τῷ ᾳδῃ ἐξομολογουμένου αὐτοῦ. Τούτων τοίνυν μὴ αἰνούντων αὐτόν, ἡμεῖς αὐτὸν αἰνοῦμεν οἱ ζῶντες καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου μετέχοντες ζωῆς, περὶ ης ὁ σωτήρ φησιν Αυτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ινα γινώσκωσι σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ον ἀπέστειλας ̓Ιησοῦν Χριστόν.

1067 Ps 114,6 Τοὺς κατὰ τὴν ̓Ιησοῦ ἐντολὴν νηπίους οντας τῷ ἐστρέφθαι καὶ

γεγονέναι ὡς τὰ παιδία αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος φυλάσσει, οὐκ ἐῶν προσβαλεῖν αὐτοῖς πολεμίους τῷ μήπω καιρὸν εχειν ἀγῶνος. ομως τοὺς ουτως τυγχάνοντας νηπίους φυλάττων, ἐμὲ ὡς ὑπεραναβεβηκότα τὴν τῶν παιδίων ἡλικίαν εἰς ἀγῶνα προβαλλόμενος ἐταπείνωσέ με καὶ ἀντὶ πολλῶν ἰσχυρῶν πειρασθῆναι ποιήσας· ωσπερ δ' ἐταπείνωσέ με, ουτω καὶ εσωσέ με ἀνανταγώνιστον ἰσχὺν καὶ ἀκαταμάχητον πανοπλίαν ἐνδύσας με.

1068 Ps 115,1 Ταύτης τῆς λέξεως τὴν διάνοιαν ὁ ἀπόστολος Κορινθίοις

Εχοντες, εφη, τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ̓Επίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα, καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὸ καὶ λαλοῦμεν· πνεῦμα πίστεως λέγων ητοι τὴν εξιν τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἐγγινομένην η τὸ ἐπιχορηγούμενον ἐκ θεοῦ τῷ πίστιν εχοντι πνεῦμα. Τὸ ̓Επίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα συνῳδὸν τῷ Καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν· ἐὰν ουν φησι ὁμολογήσῃς κύριον ̓Ιησοῦν καὶ πιστεύσῃς τῇ καρδίᾳ οτι ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ηγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ· τούτῳ γὰρ εὐθὺς ἐπηνέχθη τὸ Καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰς ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν παραλήψῃ καὶ τὸ ̓Εὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ συνῆτε· πρότερον γὰρ πιστεύει τις, ειτα συνίησι καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο λαλεῖ, ῃ φησιν ὁ ψαλμὸς ̓Επίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα. Οτε δὲ πιστεύσας ἐλάλησα ὑπερφυῆ καὶ μεγάλα, τότε τὸ μηδὲν ἐμαυτὸν ἰδὼν ἐταπεινώθην σφόδρα. τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ ̓Ιωάννου περὶ ̓Ιησοῦ λεγόμενον ̓Εκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι. οὐ γὰρ ἀποβαλών τι ου ειχε μεγέθους ὁ ̓Ιωάννης ἠλαττοῦτο, ἀλλὰ συγκρίνων ἑαυτὸν τῇ ὑπεροχῇ τῆς