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May these things pass to them, and may they receive the same things they have done, and may their arrogance be brought down, and their inflammation. One might often see this happening; for God is accustomed to do this continuously, putting down those who are greatly puffed up, and humbling the inflamed; so that they might be delivered from the path leading to wickedness. For nothing is worse than pride. For this reason there are temptations and tribulations, and a mortal body, and the many circumstances of life; for this reason there are passions and diseases, so that countless bridles might be placed on the soul that is easily lifted up and raised to arrogance. Do not, therefore, be troubled when you are tempted, 55.353 beloved, but remembering the Prophet who says, *It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I might learn your statutes*, accept your misfortune as a remedy, and make use of the temptation for what is needed, and you will be able to attain greater relief; may we all be deemed worthy of this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

ON THE 123RD PSALM. If it had not been that the Lord was with us.

1. What I have often said, this I also say now, and I will not cease saying it, that great is the fruit from the captivity, and sufficient to lead those who pay attention to philosophy. For see those who ran to idols, and despised God, and had been driven ashore to impiety, what do they say now after the captivity, and how do they attribute their salvation to God? And the Prophet, like an excellent chorus-leader, continuously exhorts them to say the same things. After being the first to speak, he then instructs them to speak, as a teacher to his students: *Let Israel now say, If it had not been that the Lord was with us, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive.* For they were unarmed and naked, and captives and slaves, and just delivered from evils, and having an unwalled city, or rather, not even a city, and after their return they were set before all as ready prey; but instead of a wall and a tower, God became this for them. Let us also now say this: *If it had not been that the Lord was with us, then they would have swallowed us alive.* For what would our enemy the devil not have done, if the Lord had not been with us? Hear what Christ says to Simon: *Simon, Simon, how many times has Satan asked to sift you as wheat, and I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail?* For the beast is wicked and insatiable, and if he were not continuously bridled, he would have overturned and thrown everything into confusion. For if, having received some small permission against the blessed Job, he tore up his house from the roots, he mutilated his body, he wrought such a tragedy, he destroyed his substance, he buried his children, he made his flesh boil with worms, he set his wife against him, he prepared his friends, his enemies, his servants to say such things, if he were not held by countless bridles, how would he not have destroyed everyone? For this reason this man also says: *If it had not been that the Lord was with us.* For they were very few, and of no account, and many attacked them when they returned. And in this the wisdom of God was shown, in not giving them safety all at once, but gently and little by little. And he did this, keeping them in the knowledge of God, and not allowing the correction that came to them from the captivity to flow away. For since deliverance from evils is accustomed to make men more careless, even in the very giving of good things he allows them to be tempted continuously, so that they may have temptations as a perpetual exercise of philosophy. For this very reason

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Μετασταίη ταῦτα εἰς ἐκείνους, καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσαιεν ὧν ἐποίησαν, καὶ καταχθείη τὸ φύσημα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ φλεγμονή. Ὃ δὴ καὶ γινόμενον πολλάκις ἴδοι τις ἄν· καὶ γὰρ συνεχῶς αὐτὸ ποιεῖν ὁ Θεὸς εἴωθε, τοὺς μεγάλα φυσῶντας καταστέλλων, καὶ τοὺς φλεγμαίνοντας ταπεινῶν· ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν κακίαν φερούσης ὁδοῦ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑπερηφανίας χεῖρον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πειρασμοὶ καὶ θλίψεις, καὶ σῶμα θνητὸν, καὶ αἱ πολλαὶ τῶν πραγμάτων περιστάσεις· διὰ τοῦτο πάθη καὶ νοσήματα, ἵνα μυρίοι χαλινοὶ περίκεινται τῇ ψυχῇ ῥᾳδίως ἐπαιρομένῃ, καὶ πρὸς ὄγκον ὑψουμένῃ. Μὴ τοίνυν θορυβοῦ πειραζόμενος, 55.353 ἀγαπητὲ, ἀλλ' ἀναμνησθεὶς τοῦ Προφήτου τοῦ λέγοντος, Ἀγαθόν μοι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσας με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σου, πρὸς φάρμακον δέχου τὴν συμφορὰν, καὶ εἰς δέον κέχρησο τῷ πειρασμῷ, καὶ δυνήσῃ πλείονος τυχεῖν ἀνέσεως· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΚΓʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Εἰ μὴ ὅτι Κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν.

αʹ. Ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι, ὅτι μέγας ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καρπὸς, καὶ ἱκανὸς πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν ἐναγαγεῖν τοὺς προσέχοντας. Ἴδε γὰρ οἱ πρὸς εἴδωλα τρέχοντες, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφρονοῦντες, καὶ πρὸς ἀσέβειαν ἐξοκείλαντες, τί λέγουσι νῦν μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ πῶς τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν ἀνατιθέασι τῷ Θεῷ; Καὶ ὁ Προφήτης δὲ καθάπερ χοροστάτης ἄριστος τὰ αὐτὰ συνεχῶς αὐτοῖς παρακελεύεται λέγειν. Μετὰ γοῦν τὸ πρῶτος εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἐκείνοις παρεγγυᾷ ὥσπερ μαθηταῖς διδάσκαλος λέγειν· Εἰπάτω δὴ Ἰσραὴλ, Εἰ μὴ ὅτι Κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐν τῷ ἐπαναστῆναι ἀνθρώπους ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, ἄρα ζῶντας ἂν κατέπιον ἡμᾶς. Καὶ γὰρ ἦσαν ἄοπλοι καὶ γυμνοὶ, καὶ αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ δοῦλοι, καὶ ἄρτι τῶν κακῶν ἀπηλλαγμένοι, καὶ πόλιν ἀτείχιστον ἔχοντες, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ πόλιν, καὶ πᾶσι μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον προέκειντο θήρα ἕτοιμος· ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τείχους καὶ πύργου ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῖς γέγονε. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς νῦν λέγωμεν· Εἰ μὴ ὅτι Κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν, ἄρα ζῶντας ἂν κατέπιον ἡμᾶς. Τί γὰρ ἂν οὐκ ἐποίησεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῶν διάβολος, εἰ μὴ Κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν; Ἄκουσον τῷ Σίμωνι τί φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Σίμων, Σίμων, ποσάκις ᾐτήσατο ὁ Σατανᾶς σινιάσαι σε ὡς τὸν σῖτον, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐδεήθην περὶ σοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἡ πίστις σου; Πονηρὸν γὰρ τὸ θηρίον καὶ ἀκόρεστον, καὶ εἰ μὴ συνεχῶς ἐχαλινοῦτο, πάντα ἂν ἀνέτρεψε καὶ συνέχεεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου Ἰὼβ μικράν τινα λαβὼν ἐπιτροπὴν, πρόῤῥιζον αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνέσπασε, τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ διελωβήσατο, τοσαύτην τραγῳδίαν εἰργάσατο, τὴν οὐσίαν διέφθειρε, τοὺς παῖδας κατέχωσε, τὴν σάρκα σκώληκας ἐπιζέσαι ἐποίησε, τὴν γυναῖκα ἐπέστησε, τοὺς φίλους, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, τοὺς οἰκέτας τοιαῦτα εἰπεῖν παρεσκεύασεν, εἰ μὴ μυρίοις κατείχετο χαλινοῖς, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἅπαντας ἐλυμήνατο; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὗτος λέγει· Εἰ μὴ ὅτι Κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν. Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ὀλίγοι ἦσαν, καὶ εὐτελεῖς, καὶ πολλοὶ αὐτοῖς ἐνεπέθεντο ἐπανελθοῦσι. Κἀν τούτῳ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ σοφία ἐδείκνυτο, τῷ μὴ ἀθρόον αὐτοῖς δοῦναι τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ἀλλ' ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρόν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίει τηρῶν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θεογνωσίᾳ, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας προσγινομένην αὐτοῖς διόρθωσιν οὐκ ἀφεὶς διαῤῥυῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἴωθεν ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγὴ ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιεῖν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ δόσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς συνεχῶς πειράζεσθαι, ἵν' ἔχωσι διηνεκῆ γυμνασίαν φιλοσοφίας τοὺς πειρασμούς. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο