257

illuminating all things as the word says, ‘The God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in the hearts of men for the illumination of the knowledge of Christ,’ the night will be lighted as the day, with the one who has passed from ignorance and wickedness saying, I am no longer a son of darkness and of night but of light and of day. For this reason the night will be lighted as the day, since as its darkness, so also is its light. For since he has darkness by choice and not by nature (for no one is evil by constitution), so also he has virtue. But finding no place of escape, turning to himself he says, It is not surprising if, having become evil, I am not able to be far from you, since you possess my very reins, being God who tests the reins and heart. For if you are the knower of my secrets, since you possess my reins, in whatever part of the world I may be, you have knowledge as if I were present. For you also took hold of me from my mother's womb, having formed me in the belly and placed your hand upon me. Then, since through all the aforesaid things you were fearfully made wonderful (for with fear I wondered at all the things I have understood about you), turning to thanksgiving I say, ‘I will give thanks to you, for you were fearfully made wonderful.’ 1216 Ps 138,14b.15 God possesses the reins of the one who has achieved purity in self-control. Therefore, the one who devotes himself to celibacy, having registered his own reins to God, will say, You, Lord, possessed my reins. After this accomplishment, having knowledge of all his wonderful works of creation and providence and wonder-working, ‘Wonderful,’ he said, ‘are your works, and my soul knows it very well.’ The ‘very well’ refers either to the knowledge of the soul or to the wonderful things. And my bone, he says, which you made in secret so that no one might know its composition, is not hidden from you. For how could it be, since you are the maker of it just as of the whole body? It has also been said by those who have dealt with the nature and generation of animals that the transformation of blood into bone is invisible and incomprehensible, although I mean they observe how the other parts, flesh and sinews, come into being as they are. And the scripture of Ecclesiastes also presents this, saying thus, ‘As bones in the womb of her who is with child, so you will not know the works of God.’ And my substance was not hidden from you, having reached the lowest parts of the earth. For neither the soul which has been in Hades nor the body itself, buried and dissolved into earth, escapes your sight. 1217 Ps 138,16 Having spoken of God through the things set forth before, with prophetic eyes he says that he has also seen the Lord's coming, how he was born of the virgin. For the birth from the Virgin Mary would be unformed, not composed from the practiced working-out of union but existing from the Holy Spirit. Thus some understand what is said in Daniel about the stone cut from a mountain without hands. This very unformed thing having appeared, the salvation of all will follow, so that they become worthy to be written in the book of God. But since that also can be unformed, which is by nature able to receive working-out, but has not yet had it, the present text can be said about all the things which are to be, God being the maker, and especially about the resurrection of the dead, so that there may be a connection in what is said. Since my substance is in the lowest parts of the earth, but it will not continue to be so forever since there will be a resurrection of the dead, having grasped this beforehand by faith and hope I say, ‘My eyes saw your unformed substance, and in your book all shall be written.’ you becoming all in all and all darkness and grief and pain and groaning being put to flight, in a bright day they will be shining forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. whence it is said 'Days will be formed,' their formation no longer being of darkness, being sown in

257

καταυγάζοντος τὰ πάντα ῃ φησιν ὁ λόγος ̔Ο θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ̓Εκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, ος ελαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, νὺξ ὡς ἡμέρα φωτισθήσεται, τοῦ μεταβάντος ἐξ ἀγνοίας καὶ κακίας λέξοντος Οὐκ ετι εἰμὶ υἱὸς σκότους καὶ νυκτὸς ἀλλὰ φωτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ νὺξ ὡς ἡμέρα φωτισθήσεται, ἐπείπερ ὡς τὸ σκότος αὐτῆς ουτω καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτῆς. ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὸ σκότος προαιρετικῶς ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ φύσιν εχει (οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐκ κατασκευῆς κακός ἐστιν), ουτω καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν εχει· μηδεμίαν δὲ χώραν φυγῆς εὑρὼν εἰς ἑαυτὸν στραφείς φησιν Οὐ θαυμαστὸν εἰ γενόμενος κακὸς μακρυνθῆναί σου οὐ δύναμαι, ὁπότε καὶ τοὺς νεφρούς μου αὐτοὺς κέκτησαι, θεὸς ων νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίαν ἐτάζων· εἰ γὰρ τῶν κρυπτῶν μου γνώστης ατε τοὺς νεφρούς μου κεκτημένος ει, ἐν ὁποίῳ μέρει τοῦ κόσμου ἐὰν γένωμαι, ὡς παρόντος μου γνῶσιν εχεις· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀντελάβου μου ἐκ γαστρὸς μητρός μου, ἐν κοιλίᾳ πλάσας με καὶ ἐπιθείς μοι τὴν χεῖρά σου. ειτ' ἐπεὶ διὰ πάντων τῶν προειρημένων φοβερῶς ἐθαυμαστώθης (μετὰ φόβου γὰρ ἐθαύμασα πάντα α περὶ σοῦ διείληφα), εἰς εὐχαριστίαν τρεπόμενός φημι ̓Εξομολογήσομαί σοι, οτι φοβερῶς ἐθαυμαστώθης. 1216 Ps 138,14b.15 Κέκτηται ὁ θεὸς τοὺς νεφροὺς τοῦ κατορθώσαντος τὴν ἐν σωφροσύνῃ καθαρότητα. ὁ τοίνυν ἀγαμίᾳ σχολάζων, τῷ θεῷ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ νεφροὺς καταγράψας, ἐρεῖ Σὺ ἐκτήσω τοὺς νεφρούς μου, κύριε· μεθ' ο κατόρθωμα γνῶσιν εχων πάντων τῶν θαυμαστῶν εργων αὐτοῦ τῶν τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ προνοίας καὶ παραδοξοποιΐας, Θαυμάσια, εφη, τὰ εργα σου, καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου γινώσκει σφόδρα. τὸ Σφόδρα η ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ψυχῆς η ἐπὶ τὰ θαυμάσια ἀναφέρεται. Καὶ τὸ ὀστοῦν μου, φησίν, ο ἐν κρυφῇ πεποίηκας ὡς μηδένα τούτου τὴν σύμπηξιν εἰδέναι, ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐ κέκρυπται· πῶς γὰρ καὶ οιόν τέ σου ποιητοῦ οντος ωσπερ ολου τοῦ σώματος ουτω καὶ αὐτοῦ; ειρηται δὲ καὶ τοῖς περὶ φύσεως καὶ γενέσεως τῶν ζῴων πραγματευσαμένοις ἀόρατον ειναι καὶ ἀκατάληπτον τὴν εἰς ὀστέον τοῦ αιματος μεταβολήν, καίτοι τῶν αλλων σαρκῶν καὶ νεύρων λέγω οπως ποτὲ ὡς εχουσι γενέσεως θεωρούντων. καὶ ἡ γραφὴ δὲ τοῦ ̓Εκκλησιαστοῦ παρίστησι τοῦτο ουτω λέγουσα ̔Ως ὀστᾶ ἐν γαστρὶ τῆς κυοφορούσης, ουτως οὐ γνώσῃ ποιήματα τοῦ θεοῦ. Οὐκ ἐκρύβη δὲ ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐδὲ ἡ ὑπόστασίς μου, ἐν τοῖς κατωτάτοις τῆς γῆς φθάσασα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν ᾳδῃ γεγενημένη οὐδ' αὐτὸ σῶμα κατορωρυγμένον καὶ εἰς γῆν διαλυθὲν διαφεύγει τὴν θεωρίαν σου. 1217 Ps 138,16 ∆ιὰ τῶν προεκτεθέντων θεολογήσας ὀφθαλμοῖς προφητικοῖς καὶ τὴν κυριακὴν ἐπιδημίαν ἑωρακέναι φησίν, ὡς ἐκ τῆς παρθένου γεγένηται. ὁ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας γεγονὼς τόκος ἀκατέργαστος ειη, μὴ συστὰς ἐκ τῆς μεμελετημένης ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ κατεργασίας ἀλλ' ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου ὑπάρχων. ουτω νοοῦσί τινες τὸ ἐν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ εἰρημένον περὶ τοῦ ανευ χειρῶν τετμῆσθαι ἐξ ορους λίθον. Τούτου αὐτοῦ ἀκατεργάστου φανέντος, ἀκολούθως σωτηρία πάντων γενήσεται, ὡς ἀξίους αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον γραφῆναι τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνο ἀκατέργαστον ειναι δύναται, τὸ πεφυκὸς μὲν κατεργασίαν δέχεσθαι, μήπω δὲ ταύτην ἐσχηκός, δύναται περὶ πάντων τῶν εσεσθαι μελλόντων, ποιοῦντος θεοῦ, καὶ μάλιστα τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως εἰρῆσθαι τὸ προκείμενον, ιν' ῃ τῶν λεγομένων ὁ εἱρμός. ἐπεὶ ἡ ὑπόστασίς μου ἐν τοῖς κατωτάτοις τῆς γῆς ἐστιν, οὐκ εἰς τὸ ἀεὶ δὲ ουτως εχουσα διατελέσει ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν ἐσομένης, ταύτην πίστει καὶ ἐλπίδι προκατειληφώς φημι Τὸ ἀκατέργαστόν σου ιδοσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον σου πάντες γραφήσονται· σοῦ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι γινομένου καὶ σκότους παντὸς καὶ λύπης καὶ ὀδύνης καὶ στεναγμοῦ ἐκ ποδῶν γινομένου, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ φωτεινῇ εσονται ἐκλάμψαντες ὡς ὁ ηλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς ἑαυτῶν. οθεν ειρηται τὸ ̔Ημέρας πλασθήσονται, οὐκέτι σκοτίας τῆς πλάσεως αὐτῶν ουσης σπειρομένων ἐν