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the beginning of the ways was created in us, the foundation of the ages to be expected would not have been laid, nor would the Lord have become for us the father of the age to come, unless according to Isaiah a child was born for us and his name was called all the other things that the prophet named and with all of them, father of the age to come. Therefore, first came the mystery of the virginity and the economy of the passion, and then the wise architects of the faith laid the foundation of the faith. And this is Christ, the father of the age to come, upon whom is built the life of the end 3.1.56 less ages. And when this has come to be, so that for each of the believers the divine wills of the evangelical law and the various gifts of the Holy Spirit might come to be, all of which the divine Scripture tropologically, according to some fitting meaning, calls mountains and hills, calling righteousness the mountains of God, and judgments the abysses, and the earth that which is sown by the Word and bears the abundant fruit, or as elsewhere in David we are taught peace through the mountains and righteousness through the hills, of necessity wisdom and the true Word are born in the faithful. For he who is in those who receive him has not yet been born in the unbelievers. Therefore, so that these things might also come to be in us, it is necessary for their creator to be born in us. 3.1.57 And so let us understand the things that follow these according to this train of thought. For if wisdom is born in us, then both the inhabited and the uninhabited land is prepared by God in each person, the inhabited being that which receives the sowing and plowing of the Word, and the uninhabited being the heart separated from wicked inhabitants, and thus our dwelling will be 3.1.58 on the ends of the earth. For since the earth has both depth and surface, when someone does not become subterranean or cave-like in thinking on things below (such is the life of those living in sins, of those stuck in the unstable mire of the deep, for whom life is truly a well, according to the psalm which says, *Let not the well shut its mouth upon me*), if, therefore, someone, with wisdom having been born in him, thinks on things above, touching the earth only as much as is necessary, this person dwells on the ends of the earth under heaven, not delving deep into earthly thought; for this one who prepares heaven for himself 3.1.59 instead of the earth, wisdom is present. and when he makes the teaching of the clouds from above strong for himself, putting the commands into action, and having separated the great and wide sea of evil by a precise way of life as by some shore, he prevents the passionate water from proceeding from his mouth, and though he may hold it in springs, by the gift of teaching he pours forth the stream of the word with security, so as not to offer to anyone a muddy subversion as a drink instead of pure water, and though having been lifted up above every earthly foundation he becomes airy in his life, walking in the spiritual way of life, which the word called winds, until he is set apart as a throne for the one established in him (such as Paul was, set apart for the gospel, to become a chosen vessel, to bear the name of God, who in another sense became a throne bearing the one established upon him), 3.1.60 when these and such things are accomplished, so that the one who has completed the world of God in himself already rejoices, rejoicing that he became a father not of some beasts and irrational creatures, but of men (and these would be the godlike thoughts that are formed according to the divine image through faith in the one who was created in us and born and founded, and faith according to the voice of Paul is understood as the foundation, through which wisdom is born <in> the faithful and accomplishes all the things that have been said), then truly blessed becomes the life of the one who has succeeded, for whom wisdom is fitting and rejoices at every moment, for him who daily 3.1.61 rejoices in her alone. For the Lord rejoices over his holy ones, and there is joy in heaven over those who are being saved, and the good father celebrates over the son who was saved. these things from us in a cursory review

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ἐκτίσθη ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ τῶν ὁδῶν ἀρχή, οὐκ ἂν ὁ τῶν προσδοκωμένων αἰώνων θεμέλιος κατεβλήθη, οὐδ' ἂν ἐγένετο ἡμῖν ὁ κύριος πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, εἰ μὴ κατὰ τὸν Ἠσαΐαν παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ τά τε ἄλλα πάντα ὅσα ὁ προφήτης ὠνόμασε καὶ μετὰ πάντων πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. πρότερον οὖν γέγονε τὸ κατὰ τὴν παρθενίαν μυστήριον καὶ ἡ περὶ τὸ πάθος οἰκονομία, καὶ τότε οἱ σοφοὶ τῆς πίστεως ἀρχιτέκτονες τὸν θεμέλιον τῆς πίστεως κατεβάλοντο. οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, ᾧ ἐποικοδομεῖται ἡ τῶν ἀτε 3.1.56 λευτήτων αἰώνων ζωή. τούτου δὲ γενομένου, ἵνα ἑκάστῳ τῶν πεπιστευκότων τὰ θεῖα θελήματα τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ νόμου καὶ τὰ ποικίλα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος χαρίσματα γένηται, ἅπερ πάντα τροπικῶς κατά τινα προσφυῆ σημα σίαν ὄρη καὶ βουνοὺς ὀνομάζει ἡ θεία γραφή, τὴν δικαιο σύνην μὲν ὄρη θεοῦ ὀνομάζουσα, τὰ δὲ κρίματα ἀβύσσους προσαγορεύουσα, γῆν δὲ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου σπειρομένην καὶ καρποφοροῦσαν τὸν πολύχουν καρπόν, ἢ ὡς ἑτέρωθι παρὰ τῷ ∆αβὶδ εἰρήνην μὲν διὰ τῶν ὀρῶν, δικαιοσύνην δὲ διὰ τῶν βουνῶν διδασκόμεθα, ἀναγκαίως ἐν τοῖς πιστοῖς ἡ σοφία γεννᾶται καὶ ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος. ὁ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς δεξα μένοις αὐτὸν ὢν ἐν τοῖς ἀπίστοις οὔπω ἐγεννήθη. ἵνα οὖν ταῦτα καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν γένηται, χρὴ τὸν τούτων δημιουργὸν ἐν ἡμῖν γεννηθῆναι. 3.1.57 Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς τούτοις κατὰ τὸν εἱρμὸν τοῦ τον κατανοήσωμεν. ἐὰν γὰρ γεννηθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ σοφία, τότε παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κατασκευάζεται ἐν ἑκάστῳ ἥ τε χώρα καὶ ἡ ἀοίκητος, χώρα μὲν ἡ δεχομένη τοῦ λόγου τὴν σπορὰν καὶ τὴν ἄροσιν, ἀοίκητος δὲ ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν οἰκη τόρων χωριζομένη καρδία, καὶ οὕτως ἔσται ἡμῶν ἡ οἴκησις 3.1.58 ἐπὶ τῶν ἄκρων τῆς γῆς. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς γῆς τὸ μέν τι βάθος ἐστὶν τὸ δὲ ἐπιπόλαιον, ὅταν τις μὴ ὑπόγειος γένηται μηδὲ σπηλαιώδης ἐν τῷ τὰ κάτω φρονεῖν (οἷός ἐστιν τῶν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζώντων ὁ βίος τῶν ἐμπεπηγότων τῇ ἀνυπο στάτῳ τοῦ βυθοῦ ἰλύϊ, οἷς ἀληθῶς φρέαρ ἐστὶν ἡ ζωὴ κατὰ τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν τὴν λέγουσαν Μηδὲ συσχέτω ἐπ' ἐμὲ φρέαρ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ), ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐγγεννηθείσης αὐτῷ τῆς σο φίας τὰ ἄνω φρονῇ, τοσοῦτον τῆς γῆς ἐφαπτόμενος ὅσον ἐπάναγκες, οὗτος τὰ ἄκρα τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν οἰκεῖ, οὐκ ἐμβαθύνων τῷ γηΐνῳ φρονήματι, τούτῳ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἑαυτῷ 3.1.59 ἀντὶ τῆς γῆς ἑτοιμάζοντι ἡ σοφία πάρεστι. καὶ ὅταν τὴν τῶν ἄνωθεν νεφῶν διδασκαλίαν ἰσχυρὰν ἑαυτῷ ποιῇ, εἰς ἔργον ἄγων τὰ παραγγέλματα, τήν τε μεγάλην καὶ εὐρύ χωρον τῆς κακίας θάλασσαν τῇ ἀκριβεῖ πολιτείᾳ καθάπερ ἠϊόνι τινὶ διαλαβὼν κωλύῃ τὸ ἐμπαθὲς ὕδωρ προϊέναι τοῦ στόματος, κἂν ἐν πηγαῖς κατάσχῃ, τῷ τῆς διδασκαλίας χαρίσματι μετ' ἀσφαλείας προχέων τοῦ λόγου τὸ νᾶμα, ὡς μή τινι παρασχεῖν τὸ ποτὸν ἀντὶ καθαροῦ ὕδατος ἀνα τροπὴν θολεράν, κἂν ὑπεραρθεὶς πάσης γηΐνης βάσεως διαέριος τῷ βίῳ γένηται, ἐπὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς βεβηκὼς πολιτείας, ἣν ἀνέμους ὁ λόγος ὠνόμασεν, ἕστε εἰς θρόνον τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ καθιδρυμένου ἀφορισθῆναι (οἷος ἦν ὁ Παῦλος ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον, πρὸς τὸ γενέσθαι σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς, πρὸς τὸ βαστάσαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃς ἄλλῳ λόγῳ θρόνος ἐγένετο ὁ τὸν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ καθιδρυμένον βαστάζων), 3.1.60 ὅταν ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατορθωθῇ, ὥστε εὐφραίνεσθαι ἤδη τὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν οἰκουμένην τοῦ θεοῦ συντελέσαντα, εὐφραινόμενον ὅτι οὐχὶ θηρίων τινῶν καὶ ἀλόγων, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπων πατὴρ ἐγένετο (οὗτοι δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ θεοειδεῖς λογισμοὶ οἱ κατὰ τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα μορφούμενοι διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν κτισθέντα ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ γεννηθέντα καὶ θεμελιω θέντα πίστεως, ἡ δὲ πίστις κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνὴν ὁ θεμέλιος νοεῖται, δι' ἧς γεννᾶται <ἐν> τοῖς πιστοῖς ἡ σοφία καὶ πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα ἐργάζεται), τότε μακάριος ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ τοῦ κατωρθωκότος γίνεται βίος, ᾧ ἁρμόζει καὶ ἐπευφραίνεται ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἡ σοφία, τῷ καθ' ἡμέραν 3.1.61 αὐτῇ μόνῃ προσχαιρομένῳ. εὐφραίνεται γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ χαρὰ γίνεται ἐπὶ τοῖς σῳζομένοις, καὶ ὁ χρηστὸς πατὴρ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνασωθέντι υἱῷ ἑορτάζει. τούτων δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐν ἐπιδρομῇ