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The reason is stated here as the "3therefore"3, just as in: "therefore God, your God, has anointed you". To have been anointed for a reason shows that the one anointed is worthy; for by doing righteousness and hating lawlessness he has obtained the anointing. Therefore he is blessed forever, since he had a tongue like a swift writer's pen, or rather, a writer. He says these things about the man. And since he has a priesthood and a teaching that have no successor—for even if heaven and earth pass away, his words remain—he was blessed forever. 4 Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one. Often the thigh refers to manly movements. For we say that the Word, denouncing those who have the moisture of licentiousness, says in Ezekiel: "and every thigh will be wet with moisture," instead of: the loin, the things of generation, is defiled with moisture. But these things would not be said about the worthy one. You have, for instance, in the Song of Songs, said by the bridegroom to the bride: "like an ornament"—since you have dedicated yourself with complete purity, O soul or church, whom you have prepared for no other than the true bridegroom, the Word of God—"are the curves of your thighs." It is compared to an ornament, a necklace. And often submission signifies a necklace-like ornament. It also signifies that the church is subject. Paul says that: "Wives, be subject to your husbands as the church is to Christ." Therefore, the curve of your thighs, which are like desires and appetitive powers, are well-ordered according to the variegated ornament. And one should take this anagogically, but also historically the part about the licentious: "every thigh will be wet with moisture." Both the thigh of the soul and that of the body minister to licentiousness. For this reason Abraham, when sending the elder of his house, that divine and wise servant, to arrange the marriage of Rebecca—I speak to the text—made him put his hand under Abraham's thigh, so that he might thus lead the virgin blamelessly and purely; for he was put under oath under the thigh, having placed his action, so to speak, under the venereal impulse; for thus he also brought the virgin unharmed. Since, therefore, the Savior took up the temple through human generation, it says to him who is mighty—for he is God the Word—: "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one." We say, therefore: the faithful man, the temperate, the imitator of God, 338 girds the unbreakable word of God, which is sharpened beyond any two-edged sword, about his thigh, in order to cut off superfluous desires; for he who has undertaken to enter into an honorable marriage and to keep the marriage bed undefiled has the word of God as a circumcising sword. If, then, it says "3mighty"3 here of the Word of God or of the soul yoked to him, by thigh it means the incarnation, the birth from a woman. Gird, therefore, this sword while your beauty and your fairness remain. But fairness and beauty is sinlessness, when it is said of the soul; for it did not know sin. But if it is about the Word of God, it says this: the fairness of God and beauty remains with you who have become man; for you did not change from being the Word and the Word of God. And finally, to each of the temperate it is said: add fairness and beauty from the other virtues, receive also temperance, the cutting word. For instance: what sort of sword should we take? —the word concerning temperance, the universal word, the one that cuts out. 247 Behold a wise man subject to reproofs. This one is advancing and beginning. But the perfect one is unperturbed; he is not subject to reproofs, he does not turn aside from the mouth, that is, from the word, of God. "Make known to a righteous man, and he will increase in receiving it"; and: "a righteous man is his own accuser in his first speech." He has in general that of which he will accuse himself. But the truly perfect righteous man does not sin; for "everyone who does

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αἰτία δὲ κεῖται ὧδε τὸ "3διὰ τοῦτο"3, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ· "διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου". τὸ ἐπ' αἰτίᾳ δὲ κεχρῖσθαι δηλοῖ σπουδαῖον εἶναι τὸν κεχρισμένον· ποιήσας γὰρ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀνομίαν μισήσας τετύχηκεν τοῦ χρίσματος. διὰ τοῦτο εὐλόγηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἐπεὶ ἔσχεν γλῶτταν κάλαμον ὀξυγράφου, μᾶλλον γράφοντος. περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ταῦτα λέγει. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀδιάδοχον ἔχει τὴν ἱερωσύνην καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν-κἂν γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρέλθῃ, μένουσιν αὐτοῦ οἱ λόγοι-, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα εὐλογήθη. 4 περίζωσαι τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν σου, δυνατέ. πολλάκις ὁ μηρὸς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνδρικῶν κινημάτων. ἐλέγομεν γοῦν ὅτι τοὺς ἔχοντας ὑγρότητα ἀκολασίας διαβάλλων ὁ λό γος ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ λέγει· "καὶ πᾶς μηρὸς ὑγρανθήσεται ὑγρασίᾳ", ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἡ ὀσφῦς, τὰ γενέσεως πράγματα, μολύνεται ὑγρασίᾳ. περὶ μέντοι τοῦ σπουδαίου οὐ ῥηθείη ταῦτα. ἔχεις γοῦν ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων πρὸς τὴν νύμφην παρὰ τοῦ νυμφίου λεγόμενον· "ὅμοιοι ὁρμίσκῳ"-ἐπεὶ παντελῆ ἁγνείᾳ σαυτὴν ἀνέθηκας, ὦ ψυχὴ ἢ ἐκκλησία, ἣ οὐκ ἄλλῳ ἢ τῷ ἀληθινῷ νυμφίῳ, τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ, εὐτρέπισας-"ῥυθμοὶ τῶν μηρῶν σου". ὁρμίσκῳ, περιτραχηλίῳ̣ κόσμῳ, ὡμ̣οίωται. σημαίνει δὲ πολλάκις κόσμον περιτραχήλιον ἡ ὑποταγή. σημαίνει κα̣ὶ ὅτι ὑποτέτακται ἡ ἐκκλησία. ὁ Παῦλος λέγει ὅτι· "αἱ γυναῖκες οὕτως ὑποτάσσεσθε τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία τῷ Χριστῷ". ὁ ῥυθμὸς οὖν τῶν μηρῶν σου τῶν ὡσανεὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν καὶ ὀρεκτικῶν δυνάμεων ῥερυθμισμένοι εἰσὶν κατὰ τὸν ποικίλον ὁρμίσκον. καὶ τὸ μὲν κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν λημπτέον, τὸ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τὸ περὶ τῶν ἀκολάστων τό· "πᾶς μηρὸς ὑγρανθήσεται ὑγρασίᾳ". καὶ ὁ τῆς ψυχῆς μηρὸς καὶ ὁ τοῦ σώματος ὑπουργεῖ τῇ ἀκολασίᾳ. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐκπέμπων τὸν πρε̣σβύτερον τῆς οἰκίας ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν θεῖον καὶ σοφὸν ἐκεῖνον παῖδα ἐπὶ μνηστείᾳ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας-πρὸς̣ τὸ ῥη̣τὸν λέγω-ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν θεῖναι τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν μηρὸν τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, ἵν' οὕτως ἀμέμπτως καὶ ἁγνῶς ἀγάγῃ τὴν παρθένον· ἐξωρκίσθη γὰρ ὑπὸ τὸν μηρὸν τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ τεθ̣εικω´̣ς, ὑπὸ τὴν ἀφροδίσιον, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ὁρμήν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἀβλαβῆ τὴν παρθένον ἐκόμ̣ισεν̣. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν διὰ γενέσεως ἀνθρωπίνης ὁ σωτὴρ ἀνεδέξατο τὸν ναόν, λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄντα δυνατόν-θεὸς γὰρ λόγος ἐστίν -· "περίζωσαι τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν σου, δυνατέ". λέγομεν οὖν· καὶ ὁ πιστὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὁ ἐνκρατής, ὁ θεοῦ 338 μιμητής, τὸν ἀρραγῆ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον τὸν ἠκονημένον ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον ζώννυται περὶ τὸν μηρόν, ἵν' ἐκτέμνῃ τὰς περιττὰς ἐπιθυμίας· ὁ γὰρ τίμιον μεταλαβὼν γάμον μετέρχεσθαι καὶ κοίτην ἀμίαντον φυλάττειν ἔχει τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον ῥομφαίαν περιτέμνοντα. ἐὰν οὖν "3δυνατὸν"3 ἐνταῦθα λέγῃ τὸν θεὸν λόγον ἢ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν συνεζευγμένην αὐτῷ, μηρὸν λέγει τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν, τὴν ἐκ γυναικὸς γένεσιν. περίζωσαι οὖν ταύτην τὴν ῥομφαίαν μενούσης τῆς ὡραιότητός σου καὶ τοῦ κάλλους σου. κάλλος δὲ καὶ ὡραιότης ἡ ἀναμαρτησία ἐστίν, ὅταν περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς λέγηται· οὐκ ἔγνω γὰρ ἁμαρτίαν. ἐὰν δὲ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου, τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι· τὸ κάλλος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ ὡραιότης παραμένει σοι ἀνθρώπῳ γεναμένῳ· οὐ γὰρ μετέβαλες ἀπὸ τοῦ εἶναι λόγος καὶ θεοῦ λόγος. καὶ πρὸς ἕκαστον δὲ λοιπὸν τῶν σωφρόνων λέγεται ὅτι· ἐπιθοῦ κάλλος καὶ ὡραιότητα ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν, πρόσλαβε καὶ τὴν σωφροσύνην, τὸν λόγον τὸν τέμνοντα. ἐπερ · ἵνα τὴν ῥομφαίαν ποίαν λάβωμεν; -τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ σωφροσύνης, τὸν λόγον τὸν καθόλου, τὸν ἐκτέμνοντα. 247 ἰδοὺ σοφὸς ὑποκείμενος ἐλέγχοις. οὗτος προκόπτων καὶ ἀρχόμενός ἐστιν. ὁ δὲ τέλειος ἀτάραχός ἐστιν· οὐκ ἐλέγχοις ὑπόκειται, οὐκ ἐκκλίνει ἐκ στόματος, τουτέστιν τοῦ λόγου, τοῦ θεοῦ. "γνώριζε δικαίῳ, καὶ προσθήσει τοῦ δέχεσθαι"· καί· "δίκαιος αὐτοῦ κατήγορος ἐν πρωτολογίᾳ". ὅλως ἔχει, ὃ κατηγορήσει ἑαυτοῦ. ὁ δὲ ἀληθῶς τέλειος δίκαιος οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· "πᾶς" γὰρ "ὁ ποιῶν