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the savior is the reaper, saying in the prophet, *Therefore I have reaped your prophets*. He therefore will also thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, having the winnowing fork in his hand to gather the wheat into the barn, but to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Who then are those who hate Zion? They are not grass, but become like grass, or the tares sown among the good seed by the evil one and burned up in the age to come at the time of harvest. For the heretics are the tares, and the grass of the housetops are the wise of the world who supposedly have leaped beyond the human way of life, to whom the word is addressed: *Why have you all gone up to the housetops in vain?* However, let those who are citizens of Zion, being on the housetop, not come down to take the things from the house, but also let them proclaim on the housetops what they have heard in the ear, so that, remaining good seed, they may bear fruit to be gathered in by the one who gathers such sheaves into the threshing floor of salvation. And those who pass by did not say, *The blessing of the Lord be upon you, we have blessed you in the name of the Lord*. The aforementioned heterodox who hate Zion and the wise of the world, interpreted as grass of the housetops, since they held the promise of their life and way of thinking only for temporary and passing things, are called those who pass by. But these, being harsh and proud, having no brotherly love and loving disposition at all, thinking themselves alone to be great and friends of God, address no one with a blessing; whence it is said about them, *And those who pass by did not say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you*, saying that no one else besides themselves will obtain a blessing from the Lord. But even if they address no one with a blessing, yet we who bless the name of the Lord, being disposed to friendship, address a blessing to all to whom our word is directed. It is possible to take both half-verses as being said by those who pass by, so that *They did not say* is prefixed to both; for those who pass by did not say, *The blessing of the Lord be upon you*, nor did they say, *We have blessed you in the name of the Lord*.

1178 Ps 129,1.2 He who has fallen into the depths of evil and impiety according to *When the impious man comes*

*into the depth of evils, he despises*, having come to a perception of the evils where he is, having arrived at the depths of the billowing sea of life from his own indolence, he begs for the one who leads him up from there; but finding no one able to help, he cries out to God. Confessing where he has fallen and arrived, he also says, *Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice*; for having heard, you will lead me up from the very abyss of evil and the deepest hades. What is said by him afterwards in *If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?* agrees with this interpretation. It is also possible for everyone living in the earthly region with a human way of life to offer up this prayer, perceiving himself to be somewhere very far below both heaven and God; for *heaven is high, and the earth is deep*. It is also possible for the one praying to be a holy person, according to what has been explained before. But this one does not offer up the prayer for small and earthly things, but for great and heavenly things. He does not offer up the prayer to God asking for them from a soulish conception of them, but being enlightened by the Spirit that searches all things, even the depths of God, in knowledge and contemplation; following the Spirit that searches these things, from these very depths he cries out to him what he must ask of God, asking that his voice be heard. And from these depths he cries, asking to receive nothing perceptible, but all intelligible things and the Holy Spirit itself. And *Let your ears be attentive* can mean the same as *Incline your ear to me*. since our voice does not reach the heights, and *Your ears* happen to be far away by difference of nature. And from this we also learn, having paid attention, that *Let it be* does not always signify substantial being but also a certain relation. For not

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σωτὴρ ὁ θεριστὴς φάσκων ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπεθέρισα τοὺς προφήτας ὑμῶν. αὐτὸς γοῦν καὶ διακαθαριεῖ τὴν αλωνα αὐτοῦ, εχων τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν σῖτον εἰς ἀποθήκην συνάξαι, τὸ δὲ αχυρον κατακαῦσαι πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ. Τίνες δὲ οντες οἱ μισοῦντες Σιών; οὐ χόρτος ἀλλ' ὡσεὶ χόρτος γίνονται η ζιζάνια ἐπισπαρέντα τῷ καλῷ σπέρματι ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ κατακαιόμενα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἐν καιρῷ θερισμοῦ. ζιζάνια γὰρ οἱ αἱρετικοί, χόρτος δὲ δωμάτων οἱ ὑπερπηδήσαντες δῆθεν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην πολιτείαν τοῦ κόσμου σοφοί, πρὸς ους ὁ λόγος Ινα τί ἀνέβητε πάντες εἰς δώματα μάταια; οἱ μέντοι τῆς Σιὼν πολῖται οντες ἐπὶ δώματος μὴ καταβαινέτωσαν αραι τὰ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ο ηκουσαν εἰς τὸ ους κηρυξάτωσαν ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων, ινα καὶ σπέρμα καλὸν διαμείναντες καρποφορήσωσιν ἐπὶ τῷ συγκομισθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα δράγματα συνάγοντος εἰς τὴν αλω τῆς σωτηρίας. Καὶ οὐκ ειπαν οἱ παράγοντες Εὐλογία κυρίου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, εὐλογήκαμεν ὑμᾶς ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου. οἱ ἀποδοθέντες ἑτερόδοξοι μισοῦντες τὴν Σιὼν καὶ οἱ ἑρμηνευόμενοι τοῦ κόσμου σοφοὶ δωμάτων χόρτος, ἐπεὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ βίου καὶ τοῦ φρονήματος μέχρι τῶν προσκαίρων καὶ παρερχομένων εσχον, παράγοντες ειρηνται. ουτοι δὲ ἀπηνεῖς καὶ ὑπερήφανοι φιλαδελφίαν καὶ ἀγαπητικὴν διάθεσιν οὐδ' ολως εχοντες, μόνους ἑαυτοὺς δοκοῦντες ειναι μεγάλους καὶ θεοῦ φίλους, οὐδενὶ προσφωνοῦσιν εὐλογίαν· οθεν περὶ αὐτῶν ειρηται Καὶ οὐκ ειπαν οἱ παράγοντες Εὐλογία κυρίου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, οὐδένα τῶν αλλων παρὰ σφᾶς τευξόμενον εὐλογίας παρὰ κυρίου λέγοντες. ομως δὲ εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι οὐδενὶ προσφωνοῦσιν εὐλογίαν, ἀλλ' ουν ἡμεῖς οἱ τὸ ονομα κυρίου εὐλογοῦντες φιλεταιρίᾳ προστιθέμενοι προσφωνοῦμεν εὐλογίαν πᾶσι τοῖς πρὸς ους ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν. ∆υνατὸν ἐκλαβεῖν ἀμφότερα τὰ ἡμιστίχια ὡς λεγόμενα πρὸς τῶν παραγόντων, ιν' ἀμφοτέρων ῃ προτεταγμένον τὸ Οὐκ ειπαν· οὐκ ειπαν γὰρ οἱ παράγοντες Εὐλογία κυρίου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ειπαν Εὐλογήκαμεν ὑμᾶς ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου.

1178 Ps 129,1.2 ̔Ο εἰς βάθη κακίας καὶ δυσσεβείας πεσὼν κατὰ τὸ ̓Εὰν ελθῃ

ἀσεβὴς εἰς βάθος κακῶν, καταφρονεῖ, ἐν συναισθήσει γενόμενος οι κακῶν ἐστι, φθάσας εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς κυμαινομένης τοῦ βίου θαλάσσης ἐξ ἰδίας ῥαθυμίας δέεται τοῦ ἐκεῖθεν ἀνάγοντος· ἀλλὰ μηδένα εὑρὼν δυνάμενον βοηθῆσαι κράζει πρὸς θεόν. μετὰ τοῦ ὁμολογεῖν ποῦ πεσὼν εφθασε, καί φησιν ̓Εκ βαθέων ἐκέκραξά σε, κύριε· κύριε, εἰσάκουσον τῆς φωνῆς μου· εἰσακούσας γὰρ ἀνάξεις με ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βυθοῦ τῆς κακίας καὶ τοῦ βαθυτάτου ᾳδου. συνᾴδει ταύτῃ τῇ ἐκδοχῇ τὰ μεθ' ετερα λεγόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ̓Εὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃ, κύριε, κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; ∆υνατὸν καὶ πάντα τὸν ἐν τῷ περιγείῳ τόπῳ μετὰ ἀνθρωπίνης πολιτείας διατρίβοντα ταύτην ἀναπέμπειν τὴν εὐχὴν αἰσθανόμενον ἑαυτῷ πάνυ κάτω που οντα οὐρανοῦ τε καὶ θεοῦ· Οὐρανὸς γὰρ ὑψηλὸς γῆ τε βαθεῖα. ∆υνατὸν καὶ αγιον ειναι τὸν εὐχόμενον κατὰ τὰ προαποδοθέντα. ουτος δὲ οὐ περὶ μικρῶν καὶ ἐπιγείων ἀλλὰ μεγάλων καὶ ἐπουρανίων τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει. οὐκ ἐκ ψυχικῆς περὶ αὐτῶν διαλήψεως τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει πρὸς θεὸν αἰτούμενος αὐτά. ἀλλὰ φωτιζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ πάντα ἐρευνῶντος καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσει καὶ θεωρίᾳ· ἑπόμενος τῷ ἐξερευνῶντι αὐτὰ πνεύματι ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν βαθέων τούτων α δεῖ θεὸν αἰτεῖν κράζει πρὸς αὐτὸν, εἰσακουσθῆναι τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀξιῶν. ἐκ τούτων δὲ τῶν βαθέων κράζει ὁ μηδὲν αἰσθητὸν ἀλλὰ πάντα νοητὰ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα αἰτούμενος λαβεῖν. Ισον δὲ δύναται τὸ Γενηθήτω τὰ ωτά σου προσέχοντα τῷ Κλῖνον πρός με τὸ ους σου. ἐπεὶ οὐ φθάνει ἡ ἡμετέρα φωνὴ εἰς τὰ ὑψηλά, καὶ μακρὰν τυγχάνοντα διαφορᾷ φύσεως Ωτά σου. καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μανθάνομεν ἐπιστήσαντες μὴ ἀεὶ οὐσίωσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ σχέσιν τινὰ σημαίνειν τὸ Γενηθήτω. οὐ γὰρ