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That is, that You, O God, who in the beginning cast us off because of sin; you yourself

through the bowels of your mercy, having pitied us, you lead us into a fortified city, and guide us as far as Idumea, according to the previously given explanation.

And you will not go out, O God, with our forces. For God will not go out with one who trusts in himself, and in the bow

who hopes, who inscribes salvation for himself on the sword. But with those who in God Himself gore their enemies, and in His name bring to nothing those who rise up against them, with them God will rightly go out to the war against the unseen enemies.

Give us help from tribulation, for vain is the salvation of man. The Prophet optatively beseeches God and Savior on behalf of our common nature,

that help be given to us from tribulation; that is, of our nature which was scattered on account of sin, and which oppressed it even to (872) the gates of Hades. For tribulation, if I may say so, is the tyranny and dominion of death and corruption; but help is the sure hope of the resurrection through grace; looking to which, the pious bear the dejection of death without grief.

Or again, tribulation is the labor for virtue; but help is the dispassion which follows it by the grace of God; compared to which every salvation of men is vanity and utter non-existence. For it is just to understand vanity this way.

In God we shall do valiantly, and He will bring to nothing those who afflict us. They do valiantly in God, who do not ascribe to themselves the achievements of virtues,

nor the comprehension of the divine mysteries to their own wisdom; in whom God Himself alone, and wholly dwelling, brings to nothing all the wicked demons who are opposed both to virtue and to knowledge, and who through malice and ignorance attempt to afflict those who fear Him. For He is the Savior of all, because He is also the Creator of all. To Him be the glory unto the ages. Amen.

ON THE PRAYER OF THE OUR FATHER, TO A CERTAIN CHRIST-LOVER. (872)

A BRIEF INTERPRETATION I received him, my God-guarded master, through his all-praised

letters, arriving; (873) who is indeed always present, and is altogether unable to be absent in spirit; yet, through an abundance of virtue, in a manner imitating God, he associates with his servants, and does not refuse the occasion which God has given to nature. Wherefore, marveling at the greatness of his condescension, I made my fear toward him mingled with longing; and from both, from fear and longing, I established one love, composed of reverence and good will; so that fear, when stripped of longing, might not become hatred, nor longing become contempt, the sober

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Τουτέστιν, ὅτι Σύ ὁ Θεός ὁ κατ᾿ ἀρχάς διά τήν ἁμαρτίαν ἀπωσάμενος ἡμᾶς· αὐτός

διά σπλάχνα ἐλέους σου οἰκτειρήσας, ἀπάγεις εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς, καί ὁδηγεῖς ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας, κατά τήν προαποδεδομένην ἐξήγησιν.

Καί οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ, ὁ Θεός, ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν. Οὐ γάρ ἐξελεύσεται ὁ Θεός ἐν τῷ ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτῷ θαῤῥοῦντι, καί ἐπί τῷ τόξῳ

ἐλπίζοντι, κατά τήν ῥομφαίαν ἐπιγραφομένῳ ἑαυτοῦ σωτήριον. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ κερατιοῦσι τούς ἐχθρούς, καί ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἐξουδενοῦσι τούς ἐπανισταμένους αὐτοῖς, εἰκότως ὁ Θεός ἐξελεύσεται πρός τόν κατά τῶν ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν πόλεμον.

∆ός ἡμῖν βοήθειαν ἐκ θλίψεως, καί ματαία σωτηρία ἀνθρώπου. Εὐκτικῶς δέεται τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἐκ προσώπου τῆς κοινῆς φύσεως ὁ

Προφήτης, δοθῆναι ἡμῖν βοήθειαν ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως· δηλαδή τῆς κατασκεδασθείσης τῆς φύσεως διά τήν ἁμαρτίαν, καί μέχρι (872) τῶν τοῦ ᾅδου πυλῶν αὐτήν καταπιεσάσης. Θλίψις γάρ, κατ᾿ ἐμέ φάναι, ἡ τοῦ θανάτου καί τῆς φθορᾶς ἐστι τυραννίς καί ἐπικράτεια· βοήθεια δέ, ἡ διά τῆς χάριτος βεβαία τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίς· πρός ἥν ἀφορῶντες οἱ εὐσεβεῖς, τήν τοῦ θανάτου κατήφειαν ἀλύπως διαφέρουσιν.

Ἤ πάλιν θλίψις ἐστίν, ὁ ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς πόνος· βοήθεια δέ, ἡ τοῦτον διαδεχομένη κατά Θεοῦ χάριν ἀπάθεια· πρός ἥν πᾶσα συγκρινομένη ἀνθρώπων σωτηρία, ματαιότης ἐστί καί παντελής ἀνυπαρξία. Τοῦτο γάρ δίκαιον νοεῖσθαι τήν ματαιότητα.

Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ποιήσομεν δύναμιν, καί αὐτός ἐξουδενώσει τούς θλίβοντας ἡμᾶς. Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ποιοῦσι δύναμιν, οἱ μη ἐπιγράφοντες ἑαυτοῖς τῶν ἀρετῶν τά

κατορθώματα, μηδέ τῇ ἑαυτῇ σοφίᾳ τήν τῶν θείων μυστηρίων κατάληψιν· ἐν οἷς αὐτός ὁ Θεός μονώτατος, καί ὅλος χωρῶν, ἐξουδενῶν πάντας τούς ἀντικειμένους τῇ τε ἀρετῇ καί τῇ γνώσει πονηρούς δαίμονας, καί διά κακίας καί ἀγνωσίας ἐκθλίβειν ἐπιχειροῦντας τούς φοβουμένους αὐτόν. Αὐτός γάρ πάντων ὑπάρχει Σωτήρ, ὅτι καί πάντων ∆ημιουργός. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΤΕΡ ΗΜΩΝ, ΠΡΟΣ ΕΝΑ ΦΙΛΟΧΡΙΣΤΟΝ. (872)

ΕΡΜΗΝΕΙΑ ΣΥΝΤΟΜΟΣ Αὐτόν ἐδεξάμην τόν θεοφύλακτόν μου δεσπότην διά τῶν αὐτοῦ πανευφήμων

γραμμάτων παραγινόμενον· (873) τόν ἀεί μέν παρόντα, καί ἀπεῖναι τῷ πνεύματι παντελῶς οὐ δυνάμενον· ὅμως δέ δι᾿ ἀρετῆς περιουσίαν θεομιμήτως συγγίνεσθαι τοῖς αὐτοῦ δούλοις, καί δ᾿ ἧς ὁ Θεός δέδωκε τῇ φύσει προφάσεως, οὐκ ἀπαναινόμενον. ∆ιό θαυμάσας αὐτοῦ τό μέγεθος τῆς συγκαταβάσεως, πόθῳ σύγκρατον τόν πρός αὐτόν φόβον ἐποιησάμην· καί μίαν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων, φόβου τε καί πόθου, ἀγάπην ἐνεστησάμην, δι᾿ αἰδοῦς καί εὐνοίας συνισταμένην· ἵνα μήτε μῖσος ὁ φόβος γίνηται τοῦ πόθου γυμνούμενος, μήτε καταφρόνησις ὁ πόθος, τόν σώφρονα