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the serpent that corrupted Eve in its cunning. whence also under their lips, that is, their speech, they have thoughts like venom, suggested to them by wicked powers because of the harmful and poisonous nature of what are called asps. It is possible also to take these things as referring to the devil and the other invisible enemies; for the devil has often been called a wicked man and an enemy. But also the one who serves his will might be called antichrist. 1221 Ps 139,5.6 The hand of the sinner is the sinful deed, from which he prays to be guarded by God's protection. and in addition to this, he asks that he might be delivered also from men who by their choice wish to wrong him, since they have planned through deceitful words and thoughts to trip up the steps of those who, in progressing, are advancing to better things. It is possible in these things to understand the sinner as the devil, and unjust men as either his wicked angels or the men in whom he works to wrong souls. These would also be the proud, having a deceitful wisdom, which they do not bring forth openly but hide it like a trap under their sophistical words. but also cords, that is, their intricate wickednesses or the sophistical arguments composed and woven by them, they stretch out to catch the feet of those walking rightly, planning by these cords to trip up the steps of those who do not foresee what they set and what is next to the path someone has worn. He called them stumbling blocks and scandals; these are thoughts suggested to those who choose to journey well and according to virtue. but the one who knows himself, that he is not sufficient to remain unharmed from so many things, taking refuge in God, requests power; for which reason he also reports the things that surround him. 1222 Ps 139,7.8 He who has become familiar with action and practical thought will say to him, You are my God, and he asks that he hearken to the voice of his supplication, receiving it in his ears. For he truly says, O Lord of all, you are my Lord also, as I serve you; whence also you are the power of my salvation. For of the true salvation that touches the inner man, you are the power, since it is impossible for one who has not come to be in you to have salvation. But my likeness is saved, having been made according to your image and likeness, to partake of your holiness, through which I will also have salvation. And the gospel itself is written by the apostle as the power of God for salvation, because the one who has come to be in the gospel already has the power of salvation, which he would have also in practice by thinking and living evangelically. Being the power of my salvation, O master, you have overshadowed my head on the day of battle, my intelligible head. Therefore, I will suffer nothing harsh from the enemies warring invisibly on the day, that is, in the temporal extension of this life. A testimony that the head is intelligible is The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous, and The eyes of the wise man are in his head. 1223 Ps 139,9a The sinner, the devil, takes those who commit sin, having them under his hand from the very act of doing evil. But it is unclear if he also has power over those who have come to be in some shameful desire. For if someone should be drawn out from desire to practical sin, he immediately comes to be under him; but if, having looked at a woman with desire, he should restrain the appetite with reason so as to accomplish nothing of the things desired, he will not come to be with the aforementioned sinner. He prays, therefore, to the Lord not to be handed over to the sinner from desire alone which has not taken on the act of the thing desired, nor to proceed further, conquered by it, but always to be hindered by the better reason from you. But it must also be said thus: since, being righteous, every good desire is present to me, may I not become such as to fall from such desire and be handed over to the sinner, having acted sinfully. 1224 Ps 139,9b So that not according to

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τὸν οφιν τὸν φθείραντα τὴν Ευαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ. οθεν καὶ ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη ἑαυτῶν, τουτέστι τὴν προφοράν, δηλητηρίῳ ἐοικότα εχουσι νοήματα ὑποβληθέντα αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ δυνάμεων πονηρῶν διὰ τὸ βλαπτικὸν καὶ ἰῶδες ἀσπίδων καλουμένων. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν αλλων ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν ἐκλαβεῖν ταῦτα· ανθρωπος γὰρ πονηρὸς καὶ ἐχθρὸς ὁ διάβολος πολλάκις ειρηται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τῷ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ ὑπηρετούμενος ἀντίχριστος αν ῥηθείη. 1221 Ps 139,5.6 Χεὶρ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἡ ἁμαρτητικὴ πρᾶξις ἀφ' ης φυλαχθῆναι θεοῦ φρουροῦντος ευχεται. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἀξιοῖ, ινα καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδικεῖν αὐτὸν τῇ προαιρέσει βουλομένων ἀνθρώπων ῥυσθῇ, ἐπείπερ διελογίσαντο διὰ λόγων καὶ ἐνθυμημάτων ἀπατηλῶν ὑποσκελίσαι τὰ διαβήματα τῶν ἐν τῷ προκόπτειν διαβαινόντων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω. ∆υνατὸν ἐν τούτοις ἐκλαμβάνειν ἁμαρτωλὸν τὸν διάβολον, ἀνθρώπους δὲ ἀδίκους ητοι τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ η εἰς ους ἐνεργεῖ ἀνθρώπους εἰς τὸ ψυχὰς ἀδικεῖν. ουτοι δ' αν ειεν καὶ ὑπερήφανοι σοφίαν εχοντες ἀπατηλήν, ην οὐ προφανῶς προφέρουσιν ἀλλὰ κρύπτουσιν αὐτὴν ὡς παγίδα ὑπὸ τοὺς σοφιστικοὺς αὐτῶν λόγους. ἀλλὰ καὶ σχοινία ητοι τὰς πολυπλόκους αὐτῶν πονηρίας η τοὺς συντιθεμένους καὶ περιπλεκομένους ὑπ' αὐτῶν σοφιστικοὺς λόγους διατείνουσιν ἐπὶ τῷ συλλαβεῖν τοὺς πόδας τῶν ὀρθῶς βαδιζόντων, λογιζόμενοι διὰ τούτων τῶν σχοινίων ὑποσκελίσαι τὰ διαβήματα τῶν ἀπροοράτως ἐχόντων α τιθέασι καὶ ἐχόμενα ης τις ετριψεν ὁδοῦ. Προσκόμματα α καὶ σκάνδαλα ειπε λογισμοὶ δέ εἰσιν ουτοι ὑποβαλλόμενοι τοῖς καλῶς καὶ κατ' ἀρετὴν ὁδεύειν προαιρουμένοις. ἀλλ' ὁ γνοὺς ἑαυτὸν οτι οὐκ αὐτάρκης ἐστὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀβλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῶν τοσούτων διαμεῖναι πρὸς θεὸν καταφεύγων δύναμιν ἀπαιτεῖ· διὸ καὶ ἀπαγγέλλει τὰ περιεστηκότα αὐτόν. 1222 Ps 139,7.8 ̔Ο οἰκειωθεὶς πράξει καὶ φρονήσει πρακτικῶς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ Θεός μου ει σύ, καὶ ἀξιοῖ, οπως ἐνωτίσηται τὴν φωνὴν τῆς δεήσεως αὐτοῦ δεχόμενος αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ ωτα αὐτοῦ. καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς φησιν Ω τοῦ παντὸς κύριε, κἀμοῦ κύριος ει δουλεύοντός σοι· οθεν καὶ δύναμις τῆς σωτηρίας μου ει. τῆς γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ ἁπτομένης σωτηρίας τοῦ εσω ἀνθρώπου δύναμις ὑπάρχεις τῷ ἀμήχανον σωτηρίας εχειν μὴ γενόμενον ἐν σοί. σῴζεται δέ μοι ὁμοιότης κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοιότητα τὴν σὴν γεγενημένῳ τοῦ μετασχεῖν τῆς σῆς ἁγιότητος δι' ην καὶ σωτηρίαν εξω. καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον δύναμις θεοῦ εἰς σωτηρίαν πρὸς τοῦ ἀποστόλου γράφεται τῷ τὸν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ γενόμενον ηδη τὴν δύναμιν τῆς σωτηρίας εχειν, ην σχοίη καὶ κατ' ἐνέργειαν εὐαγγελικῶς φρονῶν καὶ πολιτευόμενος. Τυγχάνων δὲ δύναμις τῆς σωτηρίας μου, ω δέσποτα, ἐπεσκίασας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν μου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου, ἐπὶ τὴν νοητὴν κεφαλήν μου. πείσομαι γοῦν οὐδὲν χαλεπὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀοράτως πολεμούντων ἐχθρῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ παρεκτάσει τῇ χρονικῇ τοῦ βίου τούτου. μαρτυρία τοῦ νοητὴν ειναι κεφαλὴν τὸ Εὐλογία κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου, καὶ Τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐν κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ. 1223 Ps 139,9a ̔Ο ἁμαρτωλὸς διάβολος παραλαμβάνει τοὺς ἀποτελοῦντας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ κακὸν ὑποχειρίους αὐτοὺς εχων. αδηλον δὲ εἰ καὶ τῶν ἐπιθυμίᾳ τινὶ τῶν αἰσχρῶν γεγενημένων κρατεῖ. εἰ γάρ τις ἐξελκυσθείη ἐκ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐπὶ πρακτικὴν ἁμαρτίαν, εὐθὺς ὑπ' αὐτῷ γίνεται· εἰ δ' ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπισχοίη λογισμῷ τὴν ορεξιν ωστε μηδὲν ἐπιτελέσαι τῶν ὀρεκτῶν, οὐ γενήσεται πρὸς τὸν προκείμενον ἁμαρτωλόν. ευχεται τοίνυν τῷ κυρίῳ ἀπὸ μόνης ἐπιθυμίας μὴ προσπαραλαβούσης τὴν πρᾶξιν τοῦ ὀρεκτοῦ μὴ παραδοθῆναι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ μηδὲ περαιτέρω χωρεῖν νικηθέντα ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἀλλ' ἀεὶ κωλύειν τῷ παρὰ σοῦ βελτίονι λογισμῷ. Λεκτέον δὲ καὶ ουτως· ἐπεὶ δικαίῳ τυγχάνοντί μοι πᾶσα ἀγαθὴ ἐπιθυμία πάρεστι, μὴ τοιοῦτος γενοίμην ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιθυμίας ἐκπεσεῖν καὶ παραδοθῆναι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ ἁμαρτητικῶς ἐνεργηκότα. 1224 Ps 139,9b Ινα μὴ κατ'