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of a mediator, the prophet says that the law of the divine mouth is good for him above all the pleasant things of the world which he indicated by thousands of gold and silver. But for contemplation, it must be said that silver stands for reason, and gold for mind; for while there are many thousands of such silver and gold among those who philosophize about the things of the world and of the heresies, above all these things, to the lover of the God of wisdom and truth, the law of the mouth of God is good, because from this alone true benefit comes to those who attend to it. 1110 Ps 118,74 And you will understand it thus: those who fear God are perfect in that they lack nothing; and being such, they happen to be good according to the one they fear. Therefore they also want everyone to advance and have benefit and they rejoice over those who please God, imitating those in heaven who rejoice over the benefit of those who repent. But it is possible also to understand those of a lower state concerning whom he says, They will see me and be glad, so that the meaning of what is said may be such. Having hoped in your words, I long to be perfectly united, I act and think according to your instruction; but those out of fear of not falling into the punishment that follows judgment for sinners abstain from evil. If, therefore, those who so fear you are able to see me, they will be glad, no longer abstaining from sins out of grief and necessity, but with haste to take up hope, they too, in your words. 1111 Ps 118,77a And since not only here but also in many other places the mercies of God are spoken of, we must consider whether the only-begotten and the holy spirit, the givers of life, are the mercies of God. And according to the philosophy of the apostle, the Father is called of mercies. 1112 Ps 118,78a And it is for a great man to say, They have acted lawlessly against me unjustly. 1113 Ps 118,81 My soul faints for the salvation of God, when it receives salvation as the end of faith; for it no longer remains a soul, laying aside the state by which it happened to be a soul, by its longing for the salvation of God and by its constant hope in his oracle, becoming spirit and mind. For the name "soul" is not indicative of its substance, but of its relation to its communion with the body. But when it partakes of immaterial life and receives back from the resurrection the incorruptible and spiritual body, which was formerly joined to it as corruptible and soulish, being a soul, it will become mind and spirit, fainting for the salvation of God and becoming one spirit with it through him to the Lord. And this is for one to deny oneself; for he who has denied himself will become another in place of another, not according to the underlying hypostasis but according to the things that make it what it is, at one time a soul, at another a mind. For even if the sayings of the Gospel are exhortations to martyrdom, yet they must also be understood according to the mystical reason that has been stated. 1114 Ps 118,83a The word of God, being a spiritual frost, since it is also called dew and rain in many places, cools the intemperate flame of my passions and makes my flesh weak, so as to bear the dying of Jesus in it. 1115 Ps 118,85 Many attempt to interpret the divine scriptures, both those of the church and those outside of it, heretics and Jews or even Samaritans, but not all speak well; for rare is the one who has the grace from God for this, while many profess to speak, but live not well or even lawlessly. if they say anything, it is idle talk and nonsense; for a vigorous and strong and saving word cannot be in a lawless soul. 1116 Ps 118,87a He who is persecuted for the sake of righteousness and the teaching of Christ will rightly say the aforementioned word, and so will all the prophets. And to be finished on the earth is not to die in the common sense, but to come to the material state which he called earth as to an end, so as to be qualified according to it. 1117 Ps 118,88 To live according to the oracle of God is to live with piety, not simply this sensible life. For having obtained this, he will be in a state of well-being, as

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μεσίτου, ὁ προφήτης ἀγαθὸν αὐτῷ λέγει τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεϊκοῦ στόματος ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἡδέα α διὰ χιλιάδων χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου ἐδήλωσεν. πρὸς θεωρίαν δὲ λεκτέον τὸ ἀργύριον ἀντὶ λόγου, τὸ δὲ χρυσίον ἀντὶ νοῦ· πολλῶν γὰρ χιλιάδων τοιούτου ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου ἐν τοῖς τὰ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τῶν αἱρέσεων φιλοσοφοῦσιν, ὑπὲρ πάντα ταῦτα τῷ τῆς σοφίας καὶ ἀληθείας θεοῦ ἐραστῇ ἀγαθὸς ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστι τῷ ἐκ μόνου τούτου τὴν κυρίως ὠφέλειαν ἐγγίνεσθαι τοῖς αὐτῷ προσέχουσιν. 1110 Ps 118,74 Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ουτως· οἱ θεὸν φοβούμενοι τῷ μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ὑστερεῖν τέλειοί εἰσιν· οντες δὲ τοιοῦτοι ἀγαθοὶ τυγχάνουσι κατὰ τὸν ου εχουσι φόβον. διὸ καὶ πάντας βούλονται προκόπτειν καὶ ὠφέλειαν εχειν καὶ εὐφραίνονται ἐπὶ τοῖς εὐαρεστοῦσι θεῷ, μιμούμενοι τοὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ χαίροντας ἐπὶ τῇ ὠφελείᾳ τῶν μετανοούντων. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ ὑποδεεστέρους ἐκλαβεῖν περὶ ων λέγει Οψονταί με εὐφρανθήσονται, ιν' ῃ ὁ νοῦς τῶν λεγομένων τοιοῦτος. ̓Επελπίσας ἐγὼ εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου ποθῶ τὸ τελείως συγγενέσθαι, πράττω καὶ φρονῶ κατὰ τὴν σὴν παίδευσιν· οἱ δὲ φόβῳ τοῦ μὴ περιπεσεῖν τῇ κατὰ τὴν κρίσιν ἑπομένῃ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τιμωρίᾳ ἀπέχονται κακίας. ἐὰν ουν οἱ ουτω φοβούμενοί σε δυνηθῶσιν ἰδεῖν με, εὐφρανθήσονται, οὐκέτι ἐκ λύπης καὶ ἀνάγκης ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπεχόμενοι ἀλλὰ σπουδῇ ἀναλαβεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλπίσαι καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου. 1111 Ps 118,77a ̓Επειδὴ δὲ μὴ ἐνταῦθα μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αλλοις πολλοῖς οἱ οἰκτιρμοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγονται, ἐπιστατέον μήποτε ὁ μονογενὴς καὶ τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα, οἱ ζωῆς παρεκτικοί, οἰκτιρμοὶ θεοῦ εἰσι. καὶ πατὴρ ειρηται κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀποστόλου φιλοσοφίαν τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν. 1112 Ps 118,78a Μεγάλου δὲ ἀνδρὸς τὸ λέγειν ̓Αδίκως ἠνόμησαν εἰς ἐμέ. 1113 Ps 118,81 ̓Εκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, οταν τέλος τῆς πίστεως σωτηρίαν κομίσηται· οὐ γὰρ ετι μένει ψυχή, ἀποτιθεμένη τὴν κατάστασιν δι' ην ἐτύγχανε ψυχή, ὀρέξει τῇ πρὸς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐλπίδι συνεχεῖ τῇ πρὸς τὸ λόγιον αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα καὶ νοῦς γινομένη. οὐ γὰρ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς δηλωτικὸν τὸ ψυχῆς ονομα ἀλλὰ τῆς σχέσεως τῆς πρὸς τὴν κοινωνίαν τοῦ σώματος. οταν δὲ ἀΰλου μεταλάβῃ ζωῆς καὶ αφθαρτον καὶ πνευματικὸν ἐξ ἀναστάσεως ἀναλάβῃ τὸ σῶμα, τὸ πάλαι αὐτῇ συνεζευγμένον φθαρτὸν καὶ ψυχικὸν ψυχῇ τυγχανούσῃ νοῦς καὶ πνεῦμα γενήσεται, ἐκλείπουσα εἰς τὸ θεοῦ σωτήριον καὶ εν πνεῦμα πρὸς αὐτὸ γινομένη δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἀπαρνήσασθαί τινα ἑαυτόν· ὁ γὰρ ἀπαρνησάμενος ἑαυτὸν ετερος ἀνθ' ἑτέρου γενήσεται, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὑπόστασιν ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰ ποιοῦντα ταύτην, ὁτὲ μὲν ψυχήν, ὁτὲ δὲ νοῦν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ προτρεπτικὰ εἰς μαρτύριον τὰ εὐαγγελικὰ ῥητά, ἀλλ' ουν καὶ κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον μυστικὸν λόγον ἐκληπτέον. 1114 Ps 118,83a ̔Ο τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος πνευματικὴ ων πάχνη, ἐπεὶ καὶ δρόσος καὶ ὑετὸς πολλαχοῦ λέγεται, καταψύχει μου τὸν ἀπὸ παθῶν ἀκόλαστον φλογμὸν καὶ ἀσθενῆ μου τὴν σάρκα ποιεῖ, ὡς τὴν νέκρωσιν ̓Ιησοῦ φέρειν ἐν αὐτῇ. 1115 Ps 118,85 Πολλοὶ ἑρμηνεύειν ἐπιχειροῦσι τὰς θείας γραφὰς καὶ τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῶν εξω ταύτης αἱρετικῶν τε καὶ ̓Ιουδαίων η καὶ Σαμαρειτῶν, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες λέγουσι καλῶς· σπάνιος γὰρ ὁ εχων τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τοῦτο χάριν, πολλῶν μὲν ἐπαγγελομένων λέγειν, οὐ καλῶς δὲ η καὶ παρανόμως βιούντων. ει τι λέγουσιν, ἀδολεσχία ἐστὶ καὶ φλυαρία· οὐ γὰρ δύναται λόγος ευτονος καὶ ἐρρωμένος καὶ σωτήριος ειναι ἐν ψυχῇ παρανόμῳ. 1116 Ps 118,87a Ταῦτα ὁ διὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν διωκόμενος ὑγιῶς ἐρεῖ τὴν προειρημένην λέξιν, καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ προφῆται. συντελεσθῆναι δέ ἐστιν ἐν τῇ γῇ οὐ τὸ κοινῶς τεθνάναι ἀλλὰ τὸ εἰς τὴν ὑλικὴν εξιν ην ἐκάλεσε γῆν ὡς εἰς τέλος ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ κατ' αὐτὴν ποιωθῆναι. 1117 Ps 118,88 Τὸ κατὰ τὸ λόγιον τοῦ θεοῦ ζῆν τὸ σὺν εὐσεβείᾳ ζῆν ἐστιν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὴν αἰσθητὴν ταύτην ζωήν. τούτου γὰρ τυχὼν ἐν εὐζωΐᾳ εσται, ὡς