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drawing near was in another way, he is near them; and all his ways, according to which, travelling, he makes the examination and judgment of their deeds, are truth. 1139 Ps 118,152 The testimonies were founded by God, so that no one can shake or overturn them; for your Word, being wisdom and your Son, exists as their foundation. Therefore, also setting forth their invincible and indestructible nature, he said, "My words will by no means pass away, even if heaven and earth pass away." 1140 Ps 118,160 Since "beginning" is taken in many ways according to one meaning, we shall say that the beginning of the words of God is the truth, as that for the sake of which. For the words of God in the law and the prophets, and moreover also those of the new covenant, have been given so that it might be known and appear naked of types; for being trained by them and guided according to their spiritual will, we arrive at encountering the truth face to face. But if that "for the sake of which" is the beginning of the things that lead to it and happen for its sake, and the words of God also lead to the truth (for they are spoken for its sake), it is reasonably called their beginning. And since also in another sense "beginning" is called that which is inherent in things, and truth is inherent in the words of God, which are true in themselves, for this reason also it is said to be their beginning. Appropriately, the true state leads in the case of true words, according to which they are said from the very truth which inspires one to speak the divinely-inspired scriptures, which are the words of God. And for this reason, it would be correct for the beginning of the words of God to be the truth. And further: since the Lord says, "I am the truth," he is also the Word of God, as he himself says to the Father, "Your Word is truth," which comes to each prophet. And otherwise: the one seized by God being truth, those who are formed according to the truth become a beginning of the words of God. As, therefore, the beginning of your words was truth, so for ever all the judgments of your righteousness are indestructible and shown for ever. 1141 Ps 118,161c Cowardice is twofold, the one irrational, occurring in the spirited part of the soul, the other rational, established in the heart and the mind not without reason, and perhaps it can be the same as the divine fear. 1142 Ps 118,164 Throughout his whole life the just man, being enlightened, will be in a perfect day not interrupted by night and praises God seven times, having become super-cosmic by having advanced beyond the world that came to be in six days, when also, having come to be in the paradise of God, having contemplated the word of God's creation and providence, he confesses concerning the judgments of the righteousness of God, according to which judgments each thing had a manifold creation and providence. 1143 Ps 118,166 But if he also awaits the Savior, concerning whom it is said, "All flesh shall see the salvation of God," he consequently loves the commandments of God whose salvation he also awaited, so that he might be pure in action and contemplative in expectation, always awaiting and contemplating the Word of God who has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 1144 Ps 118,170 He asks that the petition be of such a kind as to be approved and firm and irreproachable, so that it may enter into the presence of the Lord. But I will know if my petition has entered into your presence, if I should be delivered by you according to your word and your wisdom; for he who has advanced beyond all irrational passions and the evils worked by irrationality has been delivered by God according to his oracle. 1145 Ps 118,171 Or when you teach me from their being activated and clearly guaranteed to me, may I offer to you a hymn that arises in thanksgiving from the lips of my inner man. But if the belching is a hymnody of God, evidently the food which becomes its beginning is a most full theology. 1146 Ps 118,172 Your various commandments, being precepts of the virtues according to species, are one in all things, the universal, generic virtue, by the mutual implication of the particular virtues, so that he who possesses one perfectly possesses them all.

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ἐγγίζων ην καθ' ετερον τρόπον, ἐγγύς ἐστιν αὐτῶν· καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ καθ' ας ἐπιπορευόμενος τὴν ἐξέτασιν καὶ κρίσιν τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν ποιεῖται ἀλήθειά εἰσιν. 1139 Ps 118,152 ̓Εθεμελιώθη τὰ μαρτύρια ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς μηδένα δύνασθαι σεῖσαι η ἀνατρέψαι αὐτά· ὁ γὰρ σὸς λόγος σοφία καὶ υἱός σου τυγχάνων θεμέλιος αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει. διὸ καὶ παριστὰς τὸ ἀκαταμάχητον καὶ ἀκαθαίρετον αὐτῶν εφη Οἱ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρελεύσονται, καν ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρέρχωνται. 1140 Ps 118,160 Πολλαχῶς λαμβανομένης τῆς ἀρχῆς καθ' εν σημαινόμενον, ἐροῦμεν ἀρχὴν ειναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγων ὡς τὸ ου ενεκα. τοῦ γὰρ γνωσθῆναι αὐτὴν καὶ γυμνὴν τύπων ἀναφανῆναι οἱ νομικοὶ καὶ προφητικοὶ καὶ ετι μὴν καὶ οἱ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης θεοῦ λόγοι δέδονται· γυμναζόμενοι γὰρ δι' αὐτῶν καὶ χειραγωγούμενοι κατὰ τὸ πνευματικὸν αὐτῶν βούλημα φθάνομεν ἐπὶ τὸ προσβάλλειν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. εἰ δ' εστι τὸ ου ενεκα ἀρχὴ τῶν ἐπ' αὐτὰ φερόντων καὶ αὐτοῦ χάριν γινομένων, φέρουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ θεοῦ λόγοι ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν (αὐτῆς γὰρ χάριν ειρηνται), εἰκότως ἀρχὴ αὐτῶν ειρηται. ̓Επειδὴ δὲ καὶ κατ' αλλο σημαινόμενον ἀρχὴ καλεῖται τὸ ἐνυπάρχον τισίν, ἐνυπάρχει δὲ τοῖς θεοῦ λόγοις ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτόθεν ἀληθέσιν ουσι, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀρχὴ αὐτῶν αυτη ειναι λέγεται. Καταλλήλως ἐπὶ τῶν ἀληθῶν λόγων ἡγεῖται ἡ ἀληθὴς εξις, καθ' ην λέγονται ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοαληθείας τῆς ἐμπνεομένης εἰπεῖν τὰς θεοπνεύστους γραφάς, αιπερ εἰσὶν οἱ θεοῦ λόγοι. καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ὀρθῶς εχοι αν ἀρχὴν τῶν θεοῦ λόγων ειναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Καὶ ετι· ἐπεὶ ὁ κύριός φησιν ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια, θεοῦ λόγος καὶ αὐτὸ τυγχάνει, ῃ φησιν αὐτὸς τῷ πατρὶ ̔Ο λόγος ὁ σὸς ἀλήθειά ἐστιν, ὁ γινόμενος πρὸς εκαστον προφήτην. Καὶ αλλως· ὁ θεοληπτούμενος ἀλήθεια ων, ἀρχὴ γίνονται λόγων θεοῦ οἱ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πεποιωμένοι. ὡς ουν τῶν λόγων σου ἀρχὴ ην ἀλήθεια, ουτως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα πάντα τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου τυγχάνει ἀκατάλυτα καὶ εἰς ἀεὶ δεικνύμενα. 1141 Ps 118,161c ∆ιττή ἐστιν ἡ δειλία, ἡ μὲν αλογος περὶ τὸ θυμικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς καταγινομένη, ἡ δὲ λογικὴ περὶ τὴν καρδίαν συνισταμένη καὶ τὴν νόησιν οὐκ ανευ λόγου, καὶ τάχα ἡ αὐτὴ τῷ θείῳ φόβῳ τυγχάνειν δύναται. 1142 Ps 118,164 Παρ' ολον τὸν βίον ἑαυτοῦ ὁ δίκαιος φωτιζόμενος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εσται τελείᾳ οὐ μεσολαμβανομένῃ ὑπὸ νυκτὸς καὶ αἰνεῖ τὸν θεὸν ἑπτάκις, ὑπερκόσμιος γεγονὼς τῷ ανω κεχωρηκέναι τοῦ ἐν εξ ἡμέραις γενομένου κόσμου, οτε καὶ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγενημένος, τὸν τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ προνοίας θεοῦ λόγον θεωρήσας, ἐξομολογεῖται ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ θεοῦ, καθ' α κρίματα εκαστον ποικίλην δημιουργίαν καὶ πρόνοιαν εσχε. 1143 Ps 118,166 Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν σωτῆρα προσδοκᾷ, περὶ ου ειρηται Πᾶσα σὰρξ οψεται τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀκολούθως ἀγαπᾷ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ ου καὶ τὸ σωτήριον προσεδόκησεν, ινα καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ῃ καθαρὸς καὶ τὴν προσδοκίαν θεωρητικός, προσδοκῶν ἀεὶ καὶ θεωρῶν ἐληλυθότα τὸν θεὸν λόγον ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός. 1144 Ps 118,170 Παρακαλεῖ τοιαύτην ειναι τὴν ἀξίωσιν δόκιμον καὶ βεβαίαν καὶ ἀκατάγνωστον ωστε εἰσελθεῖν ἐνώπιον κυρίου. γνώσομαι δὲ εἰ εἰσέλθοι ἐνώπιόν σου τὸ ἀξίωμά μου, εἰ ῥυσθείην ὑπὸ σοῦ κατὰ τὸν λόγον καὶ τὴν σοφίαν σου· ὁ γὰρ ἀνωτέρω πάντων παθῶν ἀλόγων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ ἀλογίας ἐνεργουμένων κακῶν χωρήσας ῥέρυσται ὑπὸ θεοῦ κατὰ τὸ λόγιον αὐτοῦ. 1145 Ps 118,171 Η οταν διδάξῃς με ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεργεῖσθαι καὶ τρανῶς ἐγγυῶσθαί μοι αὐτά, εὐχάριστον προσγινόμενον υμνον σοι προσενέγκωμαι ἐκ χειλέων μου τοῦ εσω ἀνθρώπου. εἰ δὲ ἡ ἐρυγὴ ὑμνῳδία θεοῦ, δηλονότι ἡ ἀρχὴ γινομένη αὐτῆς τροφή, πληρεστάτη θεολογία τυγχάνει. 1146 Ps 118,172 Αἱ διάφοροι ἐντολαί σου προστάξεις ουσαι τῶν κατ' ειδος ἀρετῶν εν πᾶσαι τυγχάνουσιν, ἡ καθόλου γενικὴ ἀρετὴ τῷ ἀντακολουθεῖν τὰς ἰδικὰς ἀρετάς, ὡς τὸν μίαν τελείως εχοντα πάσας εχειν.