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above thousands of gold and silver, and to the "Receive instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold;" For wisdom is better than precious stones, and every precious thing is not worthy of it. wherefore also it was said concerning it by Job to his companions, "The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it." But these things are not said by way of comparison, but with respect to the choice of men. 1130 Ps 118,130 He who came to fulfill the law and the prophets manifested all the words in them, on the one hand fulfilling the prophecies by the outcome, on the other hand unveiling the law so that it might no longer be seen as letter and shadow but as spiritual. Therefore this manifestation of the divine words will prove the prophet to be wise and will enlighten the infants called from the nations after Israel because later and at last they have received their birth from faith. But even if before the coming of the one who fulfilled the law and the prophets, the wise man declared, saying, "The declaration of your words will give me understanding," yet seeing these things with a prophetic spirit, as was possible to have understanding of them, he longed for the understanding that was possible to be declared before the coming of Christ. 1131 Ps 118,135 He asks to see and learn the Savior's illumination here, saying about it to the Savior, "Make your face to shine," for one who has seen it sees you. For he himself says of himself, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." For when this has happened, he says, it will come to pass that I learn your ordinances. And to learn them is to walk in them, not according to the flesh but according to grace. 1132 Ps 118,137.138 For this reason your judgment is upright, since being righteous according to the rules of righteousness, which are most upright, you will judge all those who have received your judgments, which you have commanded as righteousness and truth exceedingly. For your divine scriptures which you commanded to men, not only the new but also the old, being righteousness according to morals and truth exceedingly, that is, made precise according to the contemplation of existing things according to which you would have commanded us to make judgments, so that we may judge according to the great and the small, judging a righteous judgment exceedingly, are truth and righteousness. 1133 Ps 118,140 Wherefore the saying thus exceedingly refined, when loved by someone, makes him fervent in spirit, since he is a servant of God. Such a one, when the scriptures are clarified by Jesus, his heart is kindled, so that he says, like those with Cleopas, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he opened to us the scriptures?" 1134 Ps 118,142 For being unchangeable and unalterable, he does not at one time have righteousness and at another time not, being its source and begetter; and his word is truth * of those hearing truth for ever, there being no such human word; for the word of human wisdom, even if it seems to become true, will afterwards, when the truth is revealed, be proven to be false. 1135 Ps 118,144 The testimonies you have given me, not being profitable for a short time, are righteousness for ever, justifying the one who draws near to them with disposition. 1136 Ps 118,147 First, in the untimely hour, which you will also understand thus of the present age, often called night in relation to the age to come, which is called day, according to "The night is far spent, the day is at hand." 1137 Ps 118,148 And his discerning powers, which are his eyes, also went before toward the dawn that comes from the rising of the sun of righteousness. Wherefore also being illuminated and already being in the light, he meditates on the commandments of God, which give him wings to be lifted up and to approach the true light itself, naked, so as to be no longer in the untimely hour but in the prime and noonday light. 1138 Ps 118,151 But another scripture has it thus: And all your ways are truth, clearly those that lead to him; for the end of all these ways is the one who said, "I am the way and the life and the truth." He who has reached the end of these ways is in truth, having it and its father in himself. But since also of those who sin

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ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου, καὶ τῷ Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον· Κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ αξιον αὐτῆς ἐστι. διὸ καὶ πρὸς ἑταίρους ειρηται περὶ αὐτῆς τῷ ̓Ιὼβ Οὐκ ἰσωθήσεται αὐτῇ τοπάζιον Αἰθιοπίας. ταῦτα δὲ οὐ κατὰ σύγκρισιν ειρηται ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων αιρεσιν. 1130 Ps 118,130 ̔Ο ἐληλυθὼς πληρῶσαι τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας πάντας τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς λόγους ἐφανέρωσε, τοῦτο μὲν ἐκβάσει πληρῶν τὰς προφητείας, τοῦτο δὲ ἀνακαλύπτων τὸν νόμον ἐπὶ τῷ μηκέτι γράμμα καὶ σκιὰν ἀλλὰ πνευματικὸν αὐτὸν ὁρᾶσθαι. αυτη τοιγαροῦν ἡ γεναμένη δήλωσις τῶν θείων λόγων συνετὸν τὸν προφήτην ἀποδείξει καὶ φωτίσει τοὺς μετὰ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ καλουμένους ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν νηπίους τῷ υστερον καὶ ὀψέ ποτε τὴν ἐκ πίστεως ἐσχηκέναι γένεσιν. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς καθόδου τοῦ πληρώσαντος τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἀπήγγειλεν ὁ σοφὸς λέγων ̔Η δήλωσις τῶν λόγων σου συνετιεῖ με, ἀλλ' ουν γε πνεύματι προφητικῷ ταῦτα ὁρῶν ὡς οιόν τ' ην σύνεσιν αὐτῶν εχειν ἐπόθει τὴν ἐγχωροῦσαν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας Χριστοῦ δηλωθῆναι. 1131 Ps 118,135 Τὴν δεῦρο τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπίλαμψιν ἰδεῖν καὶ μαθεῖν ἀξιοῖ, περὶ αὐτῆς τῷ σωτῆρι φάσκων Τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπίφανον, οπερ ἰδών τις σὲ ὁρᾷ. αὐτὸς γὰρ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγει ̔Ο ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα. τούτου γὰρ ὑπάρξαντος, φησίν, συμβήσεταί με μαθεῖν τὰ δικαιώματά σου. τὸ δὲ μαθεῖν αὐτό ἐστι τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατεῖν, μὴ κατὰ σάρκα ἀλλὰ κατὰ χάριν. 1132 Ps 118,137.138 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐθής ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις σου, ἐπεὶ δίκαιος ων κατὰ τοὺς τῆς δικαιοσύνης κανόνας εὐθυτάτους οντας κρινεῖς πάντας τοὺς δεξαμένους τὰ κρίματά σου, απερ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀλήθειαν σφόδρα ἐνετείλω. αἱ γὰρ θεῖαί σου γραφαὶ ας ἀνθρώποις ἐνετείλω, οὐχ αἱ καιναὶ μόναι ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ παλαιαί, δικαιοσύνη κατὰ τὰ ἠθικὰ τυγχάνουσαι καὶ ἀλήθειαν σφόδρα, τουτέστιν ἠκριβωμέναι κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν οντων καθ' ην αν ἐνετείλω ἡμῖν ποιεῖν κρίματα, οπως κρινῶμεν κατὰ τὸν μέγα καὶ τὸν μικρὸν κρίμα δίκαιον κρίνοντες σφόδρα, ἀλήθεια καὶ δικαιοσύνη εἰσίν. 1133 Ps 118,140 Οθεν τὸ ουτως πεπυρωμένον λόγιον σφόδρα παρά τινος ἀγαπηθὲν ποιεῖ αὐτὸν τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντα ατε δοῦλον οντα τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ σαφηνιζομένων ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ τῶν γραφῶν ἐξάπτεται τὴν καρδίαν, ὡς φάσκειν κατὰ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Κλεώπαν Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν καιομένη ην ἐν ἡμῖν, ὡς διήνοιγεν ἡμῖν τὰς γραφάς; 1134 Ps 118,142 Ατρεπτος γὰρ καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος ων οὐ ποτὲ μὲν ποτὲ δὲ οὐκ εχει δικαιοσύνην, πηγὴ καὶ γεννήτωρ αὐτῆς ὑπάρχων· καὶ ὁ λόγος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀλήθεια * ἀκουόντων ἀλήθεια εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, οὐκ οντος ἀνθρωπίνου λόγου τοιούτου· τῆς γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας ὁ λόγος, καν δόξῃ γενέσθαι ἀληθής, μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς ἀληθείας φανείσης ἐλεγχθήσεται ψευδὴς ων. 1135 Ps 118,144 Α δέδωκάς μοι μαρτύρια οὐ πρὸς ὀλίγον οντα ὠφέλιμα δικαιοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τυγχάνουσι, δικαιοῦντα τὸν διαθέσει συνεγγίζοντα αὐτοῖς. 1136 Ps 118,147 Πρῶτον ἐν ἀωρίᾳ, οπερ νοήσεις καὶ ουτως ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος νυκτὸς ὀνομαζομένου πολλάκις ὡς πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα ἡμέραν καλούμενον, κατὰ τὸ ̔Η νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ηγγισεν. 1137 Ps 118,148 Προέφθασαν δὲ καὶ αἱ διορατικαὶ αὐτοῦ δυνάμεις χρηματίζουσαι αὐτοῦ ὀφθαλμοὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀνατολῆς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης γινόμενον ορθρον. διὸ καὶ καταυγασθεὶς καὶ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τυγχάνων ηδη μελετᾷ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ πτερούσας αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ μετεωρισθῆναι καὶ αὐτῷ γυμνῷ τῷ ἀληθινῷ φωτὶ προσβαλεῖν, ὡς μηκέτ' ἐν ἀωρίᾳ ἀλλ' ἐν ἀκμαίῳ καὶ μεσημβρινῷ φωτὶ τυγχάνειν. 1138 Ps 118,151 ̔Ετέρα δὲ γραφὴ ωδε εχει· Καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοί σου ἀλήθεια, δηλονότι αἱ πρὸς αὐτὸν φέρουσαι· τέλος γὰρ πασῶν τῶν ὁδῶν τούτων ὁ εἰπὼν ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια. τούτων τῶν ὁδῶν ὁ ἐπὶ τέρμα φθάσας ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἐστίν, εχων αὐτὴν καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς ἐν ἑαυτῷ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων