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of nations according to the number of the angels of God, and the synagogue from the circumcision as a handmaid having her eyes on the hands of her mistress, called a handmaid on account of the spirit of bondage; and one is not mistaken in calling her mistress the blameless and spotless church of God. But we do not have our eyes on the hands of those masters, but toward the Lord our God who has pity and mercy on us.

1160 Ps 123,4a He says "Then" not interrogatively but syllogistically.

and "unsubstantial water" because no one would have been able to withstand it without Christ. But if someone should signify wickedness by "unsubstantial water," it must be said that wickedness is called unsubstantial because it is not a substance and has no proper hypostasis; for being an accident, it subsists in those who do it, having no existence of its own.

1161 Ps 124,1 Just as the mountain of Zion is unshaken and immovable (and it is the

Word of God), so also those who trust in God have an immovable stance, hastening to be imitators of him. For the passage is not said about the sensible mountain, since all mountains are likewise unshakable, but about that one concerning which the Spirit, commanding the prophet, says, "Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion." For since the holy church is Zion, the watchtower of good things, with Zion being interpreted as a watchtower, the high mountain is God the Word himself, and the mountain of the heavenly Zion, about which it is said, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Let us therefore establish our trust in God in order to obtain both blessedness and the other promises, as the prophecy here urges: "And you will trust in the Lord, and he will bring you up to the good things of the earth." For the beginning of being brought up by God to the good things of the land of the living and the meek is to trust in him. And it is possible to see the church being named in "Shine, shine, O Jerusalem," and "Jerusalem, built as a city." Therefore, he who perfectly and genuinely understands the things of the church will be said to dwell in her forever, not being shaken nor removed from this intimacy, because he has firmly and immovably received what must be done and what must be thought. And he who lives and believes in the Lord might properly be said to dwell in her forever, not dying forever, because he has from here received the pledge of eternal life. But if they should ever become lazy, so as to give in regarding their attention and desire for the good, he will be moved from his dwelling; for this reason it says in Proverbs, "A righteous man will never give in."

1162 Ps 124,2 And the mountains of the intelligible Jerusalem might be called the lofty dogmas of the truth and the distinct ordinances and ecclesiastical canons, and in addition to these, all the saints, not only those before the incarnation but also those after it; for each of these happens to be a mountain around the church, so that from all of them a single, continuous, and unbroken circle is formed, having the church in the middle. And in addition to these, they can be angels, encamping round about those who fear the Lord, the mountains round about Jerusalem. But a greater security than that from the mountains belongs to the people dwelling in Jerusalem, for which reason especially he who dwells in her is not shaken forever, as the Lord is round about him. And the Lord is round about not locally and corporeally, confining some within, but by being partaken of by them and being with them in all things, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

1163 Ps 124,3 1163 And the purpose of this rod is to compel the righteous to stretch out their hands to iniquity, but the will of the Lord is for the righteous to stretch out their hands to righteousness, lifting them up holy without wrath and doubting.

1164 Ps 124,4 The good are those who out of virtue have the mind

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ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ, παιδίσκην δὲ εἰς χεῖρας τῆς κυρίας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εχουσαν τὴν ἐκ περιτομῆς συναγωγήν, παιδίσκην διὰ τὸ τῆς δουλείας πνεῦμα εἰρημένην· κυρίαν δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν αμωμον καὶ ασπιλον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν λέγων τις οὐ σφάλλεται. ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οὐκ εἰς χεῖρας ἐκείνων τῶν κυρίων εχομεν ἀλλὰ πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν οἰκτείροντα καὶ ἐλεοῦντα ἡμῶν.

1160 Ps 123,4a Οὐ πευστικῶς δὲ τὸ Αρα ἀλλὰ συλλογιστικῶς λέγει.

ἀνυπόστατον δὲ υδωρ τῷ μὴ αν τινα ὑποστῆναι αὐτὸ χωρὶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύνασθαι. εἰ δὲ τὴν κακίαν σημαίνοι τις ἀνυπόστατον υδωρ, ῥητέον ἀνυπόστατον εἰρῆσθαι τὴν κακίαν τῷ μὴ ειναι οὐσίαν καὶ ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν· συμβεβηκὸς γὰρ ουσα ἐν τοῖς ἐνεργοῦσιν ὑφίσταται, καθ' ἑαυτὴν υπαρξιν οὐκ εχουσα.

1161 Ps 124,1 Ωσπερ τὸ τῆς Σιὼν ορος ασειστον καὶ ἀμετακίνητον (εστι δ' ὁ

τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος), ουτω καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν πεποιθότες ἀμετακίνητον στάσιν εχουσι, μιμηταὶ αὐτοῦ σπεύδοντες ειναι. οὐ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ ορους τὸ προκείμενον λέγεται ὁμοίως πάντων τῶν ὀρῶν οντων ἀκλονήτων, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἐκείνου περὶ ου προστάττον τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ προφήτῃ φησὶν ̓Επ' ορος ὑψηλὸν ἀναβάθητι, ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιών. τῆς γὰρ σκοπευτικῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας Σιὼν ουσης ἑρμηνευομένης σκοπευτήριον, ὑψηλὸν ορος ὁ θεὸς λόγος αὐτὸς ων καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπουρανίου Σιὼν ορος περὶ ου ειρηται ̓Αλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ορει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ. κατορθώσωμεν τοίνυν τὴν πρὸς θεὸν πεποίθησιν ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ μακαρισμοῦ τυχεῖν καὶ τῶν αλλων ἐπαγγελιῶν, προτρεπομένης τῆς προφητείας τῆς ωδε ἐχούσης· Καὶ πεποιθὼς εσῃ ἐπὶ κύριον, καὶ ἀναβιβάσει σε ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς. ἀρχὴ γὰρ τοῦ ἀναβιβασθῆναι ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς τῶν ζώντων καὶ πραέων γῆς ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐστὶ τὸ πεποιθέναι ἐπ' αὐτόν. Τὴν ἐκκλησίαν δὲ χρηματίζουσαν εστιν ἰδεῖν ἐν τῷ Φωτίζου φωτίζου, ̔Ιερουσαλήμ, ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ᾠκοδομημένη ὡς πόλις. διὸ ὁ τελείως καὶ γνησίως φρονῶν τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας κατοικεῖν αὐτὴν λεχθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, οὐ σαλευθησόμενος οὐδὲ τῆς οἰκειώσεως ταύτης μεθιστάμενος τῷ βεβαίως καὶ ἀμετακινήτως παρειληφέναι τὰ πρακτέα καὶ φρονητέα. καὶ κυρίως αὐτὴν κατοικεῖν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ῥηθείη ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν κύριον, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ τεθνηξόμενος τῷ τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἠρραβωνίσασθαι. εἰ δὲ ῥαθυμήσαιέν ποτε ὡς ἐνδοῦναι τῇ προσοχῇ καὶ τῷ πόθῳ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν, μετακινήσεται τῆς οἰκήσεως· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν ἐν Παροιμίαις ∆ίκαιος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐκ ἐνδώσει. 1162 Ps 124,2 Ορη δὲ ῥηθεῖεν τῆς νοητῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας δόγματα καὶ οἱ διῃρημένοι θεσμοὶ καὶ κανόνες ἐκκλησιαστικοί, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις οἱ αγιοι πάντες, οὐχ οἱ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας μόνοι ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταύτην· εκαστος γὰρ τούτων ορος ἐστὶ περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τυγχάνων, ὡς ἀπὸ πάντων αὐτῶν ενα κύκλον συνεχῆ καὶ ἀδιάστατον γενόμενον ἐν μέσῳ εχειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις αγγελοι ειναι δύνανται, παρεμβάλλοντες κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον, τὰ κύκλῳ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ορη. Μεῖζον δὲ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ὀρῶν ἀσφαλείας ὑπάρχει τῷ λαῷ τῷ κατοικοῦντι τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ δι' ην μάλιστα οὐ σαλεύεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὁ κατοικῶν αὐτῇ, τοῦ κυρίου κύκλῳ γινομένου αὐτοῦ. κύκλῳ δὲ γίνεται ὁ κύριος οὐ τοπικῶς καὶ σωματικῶς ενδον τινὰς περιορίζων, ἀλλὰ μετεχόμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι συνὼν αὐτοῖς, οὐ κατὰ μόνον τὸν παρόντα αἰῶνα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα. 1163 Ps 124,3 1163 Καὶ σκοπὸς μὲν τῇ ῥάβδῳ ταύτῃ βιάσασθαι ἐπὶ ἀνομίαν ἐκτεῖναι τὰς χεῖρας τοὺς δικαίους, θέλημα δὲ τοῦ κυρίου τὸ ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐκτείνειν τοὺς δικαίους τὰς χεῖρας ἐπαίροντας αὐτὰς ὁσίως χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ. 1164 Ps 124,4 ̓Αγαθοί εἰσιν οἱ τὴν γνώμην ἐξ ἀρετῆς