Книга 17 [глава 24, стихи 20–25, главы 25–26]

All that remains in the twenty-fourth chapter, beginning in the middle of verse 20, as well as the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth chapters, is fully explained, mainly in a moral sense. Allegorical interpretation Often, when considering the history of a holy person, in a new book, in order to unravel the secret meaning of a direct explanation, we start from the image of this person or from his suffering in order to understand the mystical interpretation; in the same way, a sign with the name of the person living there is hung above the doors of a residential building, so that it is known whose house it is, and one can enter it with greater safety. So I remember that I often said that blessed Job, and, of course, his sufferings, often reflect the Person and sufferings of our Redeemer, as well as His Body, i.e. Holy Church. For "Job" means "The Mourner." And who else could be this mourner except Him, in relation to Whom it is written: But He took upon Himself our infirmities and torments, and bore our sorrows (Is. 53:4) 982, in relation to whom it is again written: And by His stripes we were healed? (Isa.53:5) 983. But his friends bear the image of heretics, who, as we have often said, while they seem to put themselves in His defense, only insult God. So, let a holy man tell us with words and wounds about the things that happened to him, and at the same time, set forth our events as well, and most often, in the spirit of prophecy, let him speak about the things that will come, speaking as if about real things, and speak about the present as if he were concerned about the future. While we maintain this training of our discernment in understanding the change in his voice, let our understanding also expand, so that we can agree more faithfully with his words the closer we come to what he wants to emphasize. Thus in the preceding words the holy man, in sentences eloquently formed by the art of wisdom, has set forth the crimes of any bad man, and has shown how cursed his conduct is, and the punishment for which he directly adds, saying: Let there be no memory of him; let it be broken like a barren stump ( Job 24:20 ) 984 . 2. For he who until the very end of his life is subject to evil habits will not remain in the “memory” of his Creator. So, if the memory from Above were felt on such a person, undoubtedly, it would call him from wickedness. For his punishment requires that he should be completely blotted out from the memory of his Creator. But it must be borne in mind that of God one can never strictly say “remember,” for for Him who cannot forget, how is it possible to remember? But while this is our way: to accept those whom we remember, but to leave those whom we have forgotten far from ourselves, in the manner familiar to man, God is spoken of as “remembering” when He gives gifts, and “forgetting” when He leaves a person alone with his guilt. But because He weighs everything, sees everything constantly and without interruption, He remembers the good ones, whom He has never forgotten until now, and in no way remembers the bad ones, those whom He never contemplated in judgment. For He, as it were, returns to the memories of the good ones, which He never left, and, as it was, He never touches the bad ones, whose deeds He nevertheless saw, but left for the final decision of condemnation. For, therefore, it is written: The eyes of the Lord are in every place, seeing evil and good (Prov. 15:3) 985. Consequently, it is said by the psalmist: The face of the Lord is against them who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the face of the earth (Ps. 33:17) 986. Consequently, He does not neglect people for His punishment, but He does not know these same people whom He has not seen before. For He will say to some in the end: I don’t know you where you come from; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity (Luke 13:27) 987. Thus, in a miraculous way, He both sees and forgets about the lives of bad people, because those whom He judges according to the severity of their punishment have no memory of mercy. 3. And also because they do not fall into His memory, like a barren stump they are broken into pieces by His judgment. For the earth supported their temporary existence, and the rain of preaching fell upon them from above. But because their lives never bore the fruit of good deeds, the farmer in anger uproots him, so that, according to the decision of the Truth, he does not occupy a place in the space that another can occupy who bears fruit. John said about these same “barren stumps”: the ax is already at the root of the trees; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down, and thrown into the fire (Matt. 3:10; Luke 3:9) 988 but in this place, in order that the eternal punishments of the lost sinner may be indicated, the stump is not said to be cut down, but, broken, because death does cut off the flesh of the reprobates, but the subsequent punishment breaks them into pieces. For here he is really, as it were, cut down, when he is separated from real life. But in hell he is broken into pieces as he is in the throes of eternal damnation. But the holy man, after he has laid down the severe punishment of the wicked, immediately returns back to the words of sin, that by the immensity of injustice he may effectually teach that his excessive troubles were not unjust. And then it continues: Verse 21. For he fed the barren woman and the one who did not give birth, and he did no good to the widow (Job.24:21) 989. 4. Who is called “barren” in this place if not the flesh, which, while only pursuing the things of the present, is unable to generate good thoughts? And who is called “widow” if not the soul, which the Creator took care to unite to Himself, and He came to the wedding chamber of the carnal womb, as the psalmist testifies, who says: Who, like a bridegroom, came out of his chamber? ( Ps. 19:6 ) 990 and she is rightly called a “widow,” because her husband suffered death for her sake, and at the present time He lives in the Heights of Heaven, hidden from view, as in the tract of another place. Thus, the wicked man “feeds the barren” and despises “doing good to the widow” because, obeying the desires of the flesh, he cares little about the soul and its life. For he is entirely attentive and with effort considers any, even unnecessary, desires of the flesh in order to support it, which must die, and is indifferent to the life of the soul, which, either in torment or in bliss, certainly lives forever. Now, it is also correct that when he said: He feeds the barren one, he immediately adds: and the one who has not given birth. For some women, as we know from sacred history, were called “barren,” but still gave birth at the end of their days. But the flesh is not only called barren, but also not giving birth, because in its thinking, even in the last days, it is not capable of conceiving good thoughts. For, by her own strength, even when she is already gone, yet she still does not cease to desire things that are transitory, and, being at present still in the strength of her nature, even having almost left this very world that she loves, through her harmful efforts she still strives to acquire what is temporary. Even though now she no longer has the opportunity to do evil, she does not stop imagining in her thoughts those things that she can no longer do. It is right therefore that she is called not only “barren,” but also “unbearable,” because her own mind, as we have already said, cannot bear the offspring of good thoughts, even when she has become powerless to do bad things herself. 5. The same can also be understood in relation to heretical preachers. For, every preacher of error, while he teaches the people outside the stable unity of the Church, is certainly “feeding the barren and the one who has not given birth,” seeing that he bestows the efforts of his labor on her, which will never return spiritual fruits. At the same time, he did not do any good to the widow, because for her, the Holy Universal Church, whose Husband suffered and came to death, he despises living and serving. For to “do good to a widow” is to accept much of her pain in consoling her, who suffers for love of her dead Husband. And, therefore, according to the psalmist’s voice, this is a widow, i.e. The Holy Church is torn, saying: I sought comforters, but I did not find (Ps. 68:21) 991. From then on, she “finds comforters” when, thanks to the death her Husband suffered, she sees many in herself rising to life. Now very often the preachers of error enter into an alliance with the rich of this world, who, because they lean on earthly pursuits, are too blind to detect the crafty tricks of the false things presented, and only strive to be strong outwardly, they easily fall into the loop of false preaching. Therefore it is also added: Verse 22. He takes away the strong with his strength (Job 24:22) 992. 6. In the strength of his wickedness he takes away the mighty, while by the cunning of his error he leads away with him the great and mighty of this world. Against this it was said by Paul: God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things (1 Cor. 1:27) 993. At present, the “strength” of the heretical preacher is in the loud science of his speeches, being proud of which, he despises everything else in the world, and because of the feeling of his own skill, in disrespect for all people, he swells even more. Who, thinking about himself that he is great, and not knowing what the truth of God is, has wandered far from the knowledge of the faith, and yet works to look like a true preacher. Therefore he also added: And when he stands, he will not believe his life (Job.24:22) 994. 7. Every preacher of evil “stands” in this world as long as he lives in an earthly body. But he refuses to "believe his life" because he is too proud to open his eyes to what is true in relation to God. For he would “believe his life” if he had correct ideas about the Essence of his Creator. These things that we described above were said about every bad person, but we suddenly made a semantic turn towards the preacher of error. Therefore, it should be noted that while we consider a particular case in detail, we should not exclude the general one. For every bad person, even if he seems to be supported in faith in the bosom of the Universal Church, “stands and will not believe his life” because he understands the right things in true faith about his Creator, but he does not care at all about maintaining the works of faith. And he is found guilty of unbelief, because even if what he states as his religion is true, he is condemned by his way of life. For this is why John said: whoever says that he knows God and does not keep His commandments is a liar (1 John 2:4) 995. That is why Paul says: They say that they know God, but in works they deny (Titus 1:16) 996. Consequently, James says: Faith without works is dead (James 2:20, James 2:26) 997. But in the midst of all this, the Creator, by secret dispensation, sees the criminals, and grants periods of life, so that in some period of temporary life, a person can either be converted to strengthen his reward, or not be converted to increase his condemnation. Further, therefore, it is added: Verse 23. God gave him room for repentance, and he blasphemed him in pride (Job.24:23) 998. 8. Whoever commits a sin and continues to live, such a person is, by Divine Purpose, precisely for this reason, to be tolerated in lawlessness, so that he can then refrain from lawlessness. But the one who is patient for a long time, and yet does not give up lawlessness, now actually receiving benefit from patience from Above, binds himself ever more tightly with the chains of his guilt. For because the time given for repentance is spent on sin, the strict Judge in the end transforms the granted but despised mercy into punishment. Hence Paul said: Or do you not know that the long-suffering of God leads you to repentance? But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God (Rom. 2:4–5) 999. Thus, Isaiah says: For a child will die a hundred years old, but a sinner who is a hundred years old will be cursed (Isaiah 65:20) 1000. It is as if he were frightening us with simple words, saying: “The life of a child is indeed made long so that he can be corrected, but if he does not even by the length of the given time refrain from committing sin, this very length of life, which he received in mercy, will become an increase in his curse.” Whence it follows that the longer we see us being tolerated, the more we fear lest the time of mercy bestowed before become the basis of condemnation, for for neglecting the mercy of the Judge the punishment of the sinner must be increased; and for the same reason by which anyone could be saved from death, he will come to a death even more terrible. And this is exactly what happens very often, because the eye of the mind is not in the least removed from the things of present life. For sinners are careless in the way of the Savior, and therefore he grows old in his ways without stopping. From here it is added: And his eyes are on his ways (Job.24:23) 1001. 9 . For the sinner is “in his ways” because he directs his mind only to keep his eyes on things that can serve him for temporary advantage. Therefore, for example, Paul says that: everyone seeks their own, and not what is pleasing to Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:21) 1002. For the path of arrogance is pride; the path of the robber is greed; the path of depravity is carnal lust. Thus, every bad person casts his eyes down upon his ways in that he is determined only to follow evil, because only by this can he satisfy his mind. Therefore Solomon said: the eyes of a fool are at the ends of the earth (Proverbs 17:24) 1003; because they take into account all the inclinations of the heart, with the result that they can ultimately achieve earthly desires. Now, the sinner would never have fixed his gaze on the consideration of earthly things, if he had raised the eyes of his mind to the holy ways of his Redeemer. Therefore Solomon said again: The eyes of the wise are in his head (Eccl. 2:14) 1004. Thus, with undistracted attention, the wise man adheres to Him, Whose member he is, and which he reflects by faith. These paths of steps and thoughts of man, he considered it worth having before his eyes, who said: I will meditate on Your statutes, and consider Your ways (Ps. 119:15) 1005. It’s as if he directly said: “from now on, I don’t want to see everything that is my own, so that by imitating Your path, I can follow Your steps in my behavior.” For he who henceforth opposes this world, in the constant kindling of love, presents the ways of his Redeemer in the eyes of the heart, so that the mind also may shun prosperity, be alert to what is unfavorable, desire nothing that drags down, fear nothing that is supposed to lead to despair, count sorrow as a joy, count the delights of this life as bitter troubles, not fear the possibility of becoming despised by the world, and thereby seek a place of lasting glory. For these paths the Truth showed to the eyes of those who followed Him, when He said: if anyone serves Me, let him follow Me (John 12:26) 1006. To these paths He called the swelling hearts of the disciples when they were already looking for a place for glory, but did not know the path of this glory, saying: are you able to drink from the cup from which I will drink? (Matthew 20:22) 1007. For they sought the height of His teaching with Him both on the right hand and on the left, but how great the narrowness of these ways was, they did not see; and, consequently, the cup of passions was immediately presented to their eyes as a thing to imitate, for, of course, if they aspired to sublime joys, they must first find the path of humility. And because the sinner never keeps his eyes on the ways of God, but on those only where he can enjoy the carnal image, he rightly said in this place: And his eyes are on his ways. And then follows: Verse 24. They are exalted for a short time, but they will not stand ( Job 24:24 ) 1008 . 10. The fame of bad people, while for the most part it lasts for many years, is perceived by the minds of the weak as something lasting, and therefore stable; but when an instant death takes him, of course, it itself proves that it was short, because the end, outlining the limit, makes it known that everything that passes is short-lived. So, They exalt themselves for a short time, but they will not be able to resist because from the simple fact that they strive to exalt themselves, through self-exaltation they move far from the true essence of God. For they are unable to maintain themselves, because they are separated from the solid foundation of the Eternal Essence, and they destroy themselves, because, having praised themselves, they themselves fall. Therefore the psalmist said: You cast them down when they rose up (Ps. 72:18) 1009; because they fall within in proportion as they falsely rise outwardly. Concerning the temporality of passing glory, he again says: I have seen the wicked exalted beyond measure, and exalted like the cedar of Lebanon; I passed by, and behold, he disappeared (Ps. 36:35-36) 1010. Therefore he says again: for yet a little while, and the wicked will no longer be (Ps. 36:10) 1011. Likewise, Jacob says: for what is your life? this is a vapor that appears for a little time (James 4:14) 1012. Therefore, the prophet, reflecting on the transience of carnal glory, further tells, saying: all flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field (Is. 40:6) 1013. For the power of the wicked is likened to “the flower of the field,” because the glory of the flesh, while it shines, falls, and while it rises high in itself, is suddenly cut off and comes to an end. Also, when the wind blows, the stem rises to the clouds, but suddenly falls to the ground and falls off. Likewise, the fog rises to a height, but the ray of the sun clears and disperses it, as if it were not there. Also, dew moisture covers the surface of plants at night, but due to sudden heat in daylight it evaporates. Also, foamy bubbles of water in puddles, raised by a downpour, rise from the inside, and burst the faster, the higher they rise and swell, and it is precisely because they swell that they cannot “hold on.” Therefore, concerning the wicked, who swell with the exaltation of temporal glory, and have no steadfastness in that glory, let it be justly said: They are exalted for a little time, but they will not endure. About which it is also additionally added: And they go down, like all things, and are taken up (Job 24:24) 1014. 11. Progress towards contemplation is such that first one must learn to select a few from many things, and then from all things to select a few, so that step by step one can advance in it; and, appreciating all passing things, comprehending, growing forward towards the almost incomprehensible. Therefore the holy man, while he is sifting through the glory and shortcomings of the wicked, casts his mind's eye over "all things," and says that they "sink down" and "climb up." “All things” are undoubtedly all earthly things. It is as if he said in simple words: “Temporary things cannot stand in any way without support, so they sink, and those who love temporary things come to an end with them in the course of time.” But here a question may arise, because Solomon said: “A generation passes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever” (Eccl. 1:4) 1015; Why did blessed Job then declare that all things are “put down and taken up”? But this is easy to understand if we distinguish exactly how heaven and earth pass and how they remain. For they will pass away in relation to the form that they now have, but in relation to their essence they remain without end. Therefore Paul said: for the image of this world is passing away (1 Cor. 7:31) 1016. Therefore, too, the Truth Itself says: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35) 1017. Therefore, it was said to John in the voice of an angel: There must be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1) 1018, and in fact these will not be other things created anew, but these same ones, only renewed. And thus heaven and earth will at once both “pass away” and “shall be,” for from this form which they now have they are purified, but in their own nature they are forever preserved. Therefore the psalmist said: thou shalt change them, and they must be changed (Ps. 101:26-28) 1019 and this same final change of themselves they now declare to us as the constant succession of the seasons, which they continually demonstrate to our attention. For winter falls on dry land, and the moisture of spring makes it green. Every day the darkness of night is superimposed on the heavens, and it is again replaced by the brightness of day. Therefore, let every believer observe how these things perish, and are restored after renewal, and just as this is clearly happening now, so it will be renewed at the end of times. The holy man, while he sees the way of the wicked, makes known with what punishment they will one day be reduced to nothing, when he immediately adds: And like the tops of ears of grain they will be cut off (Job 24:24) 1020. 12. For the tops of the ears of grain are the awn - a thin long beard. These beards come from one ear, but, growing little by little, they are separated from each other every day by coarse stubble. Thus, verily, the wicked rich wicked rise up in the glory of this world. For in their nature they are united with each other, but with their growth, in turn, they are separated from each other. For one looks down on another, and another burns against the third with torches of envy; they, who by swelling of the mind have separated themselves from the unity of love, stand like the spine of ears of corn, bristling against each other. Who, then, can I call the wicked rich of this world, if not a kind of spine of the human race, who, while they rise high against each other, with one zeal and cruelty press down on the lives of the good, and indeed, being divided among themselves, they unanimously press down the grains beneath them. 13. At the present time, the awn rises to a height, and the grains are hidden by it; because at the same time the power of the lost sinners stands tall like a tower, and the glory of the elect is not revealed openly. The first show themselves brightly in honor, others humble themselves in humility. But the time of winnowing will come, which is designed to simultaneously break the protruding awn, and not hit the hard grains. For then the pride of the wicked is crushed, and the life of the elect is revealed to behold with what impeccability it shines; while the unrighteous are lamented, it is from this very cutting of the awn that the grains appear in plain sight, which were previously hidden from it; and when the awn is cut off, the whiteness of the grain is revealed, because the wicked fall into everlasting punishment, but the righteousness of the saints is seen, because they shine in the truth. Therefore, it is also rightly said by John: the winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will carefully clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn the tares in unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12) 1021. So, let blessed Job mark for us in what terrible punishment the pride of bad people will be broken, and, comparing them to the heads of ears of grain that perish, let him say: And, like the tops of ears of grain, they will be cut off. For bristling pride is cut off in the latest trend, whereas now, looking down on the life of the elect, it rises upward. It continues: Verse 25. And if this is not so now, who will condemn me for lying, and establish my words before God? (Job 24:25) 1022. 14. If this is not what he says, then, of course, all people are able to accuse him of lying. Why then did he say: And if this is not so now, who will condemn me for lying? After all, we know that in relation to someone who has lied, it is allowed to expose the lie? But if we sift through the meaning of what he said very carefully, we will quickly discover how clear the things he put forward are. For a righteous man, even if he ever says any thing wrongly, is still far from being judged by the unrighteous and living in evil. How does a holy man, denouncing the pride of his friends, and even saying “if it is not so,” be sure that he will never be justly accused by them, because, undoubtedly, he is able to justly denounce things that are false, only those who do not do things that are false. Therefore, in exposing deception, those who still live by the principles of deception lose. Therefore he says: And if this is not so now, who will condemn me for lying? It was as if he had said in simple words: “All things are exactly as I have stated, but even if they were not so, I could not worry at all about being convicted by you; for as long as you still walk the path of your own lies, you are unable to find fault in the lies of another.” 15. At this point he rightly added: And he will establish my words before God. For he who really truly finds a lie in any statements, thinking about the things he has heard and evaluating them, truly “sets the words before God,” because in himself, before the eye of Truth, he shows that he must condemn the lie. So “to set the words before God” means to correctly evaluate external statements before the inner Judge. Thus, a holy man does not consider it possible that his “words will be established before God” by his friends because they behave with pride. It was as if he said directly: “The things that I say you are not able to establish before the Judge because, by committing sin, you hide His face from yourself.” However, nothing prevents us from understanding here the Holy Church, in which its weak members find errors with the help of the ridicule of heretics, and which also laughs in response at the craftiness of their ridicule, because for God it is more tolerable for a person to lie prostrate in weakness and ignorance, combined with humility, than for him to embrace the high with self-exaltation. But because thus the holy man had uttered many words against those who were puffed up from temporary power, and swollen within from windy honors, by his reproof Bildad the Sabean had already opened his eyes to see with whom true power comes, saying: Verse 2. Dominion and fear are with Him; Who creates peace in His heights (Job.25:2) 1023. 16. It was as if he had said in simple words: “He alone truly terrifies the hearts of mortals, Who by the power of His Divine Nature truly possesses all things.” For what fear can a man's power inspire if no one knows when he might lose it? Now he said correctly: Who creates the world in His heights. Because there are many disparate things below, but they happen in accordance with the harmonious completeness of the things above, and things that seem disordered actually happen for reasons of the inner world. Thus Almighty God allows the merits of the righteous to grow when He allows the bad to rage against their lives; and the things above are in complete harmony, while those below are in confusion; because in the Heavenly World He joins His chosen ones to the choirs of Angels by the same means which He suffers in earthly things from the works of lost sinners, which are contrary to His covenants. 17. But this should be interesting for us to know: if the highest world is maintained “in the heights,” then why was it said to Daniel by the Angel: I would have come according to your words, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me twenty-one days; but behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me (Dan. 10:12–13) 1024. And a little later: And now I will return to fight the Prince of Persia. For when I am gone, the prince of the Greeks will appear (Dan.10:20) 1025. Who else, if not the Angels, did he call the “princes” of the nations, who could have the power to resist him when he came out? Accordingly, what kind of world can exist “in the heights,” if even among angelic spirits there can be opposition and confrontation, among those who always stand before the gaze of Truth? But because there are prescribed duties for the Angels appointed to guide particular nations, when the nations ask for the assistance of the presiding spirits in matters against each other, the very spirits to whom the duties are assigned are said to “go against each other.” Thus, the Angel who spoke to Daniel was known to be responsible for the captive people of Israel in Persia, and Michael was responsible for those who remained in the land of Judah from the same people. And therefore, a little later, the same Angel said to Daniel: And there is no one who would support me in this, except Michael, your prince (Dan. 10:21) 1026, in relation to whom he says before: Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me. And when he did not say: “was with,” but said “came to the rescue,” it is clearly clear that we are talking about people who were captured in another unit. Who then was the Angel talking about when he said: I would have come according to your words, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me, if not about the deeds of those under him? It is as if he said in simple words: “The requests of your prayers do indeed cry out that the people of Israel should be freed from the yoke of captivity, but the fact is that the same people must be purified under the oppression of the Persians; so regarding liberation, the people of the Prince of Persia should rightfully oppose their liberation, although the tears of your prayers were helped by the prayers of those who remained in Judea. Therefore, he adds what we have already said: but behold, Michael, your prince, has come to help me. And when he goes forward to fight the prince of Persia, the prince of Greece is also there. This circumstance implies that even before the Greeks Judea was guilty of something. Thus, the Angel effectively hears the prayers of the prophet, but the prince of Persia restrains him because, although the life of the righteous one who asks is already praying for the salvation of the people, the life of this people is still such that those who were brought into captivity have not yet been completely cleansed. And therefore Persia should rightfully continue to have power over them. Michael comes to the rescue, but the prince of Greece enters the fray because this long captivity of a people suffering in oppression may indeed deserve forgiveness, but what is opposed to their release is what they have done wrong to the Greeks. Therefore, he correctly said that the angels act against each other, meaning that the requests of the peoples they care for sometimes mutually contradict each other. For the high Spirits, the princes of nations, never fight for those who act unjustly, but fairly judge their actions. And when either the guilt or the innocence of each particular people is revealed in the debates of the court, the ruling Spirit of that people is said to have been respectively either defeated or victorious in the conflict; although, nevertheless, the only victory of all of them is the Supreme Will of the Creator over them, which is always before their eyes. Therefore he said well: He who creates peace in His heights. And then follows: Verse 3. Can His armies be numbered? (Job 25:3) 1027. 18. In the knowledge of the human mind there is no knowledge of the number of spirits higher, therefore he cannot say how great the number of Invisible Spirits is, of which Daniel said: a thousand thousand served Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him (Dan. 7:10) 1028. The number of the inhabitants of the highest is presented as an infinite and yet countable number in order to show that what can be counted by God cannot be counted by man. Although it is one thing to “stand before”, and another to “serve”. Those forces stand before Him, without a doubt, which never go to people with messages. But those “serve” Him who are bearers of the message; And because the number of those who serve is greater than those who “stand before Him,” the number of those who “stand” is presented as definite, and those who “serve” as indefinite. 19. Now we rightly call the angelic spirits the “army” of God, because we know that they fight against the forces of evil, but they fight these battles not with labor, but with power; for, in any matter, acting against unclean spirits, they ask for the help of Him who is the ruler of all things. So about this army, when our King was born, it is written: and suddenly a large army of heaven appeared with an angel (Luke 2:13) 1029. A certain number of chosen ones also joined this heavenly army, those who, through the high aspirations of their minds, freed themselves from earthly slavery. Regarding which Paul said: no man who is a warrior binds himself to the affairs of this life (2 Tim. 2:4) 1030. They, although now it seems that they are few in number, but in the invisible country there are innumerable numbers of them, and although in comparison with evil minds they are few, but still, collected all together, they cannot be counted. But because the grace of these soldiers was established not by their own strength, but by the inspiration of grace from Above, it is rightly added: And on whom does His light not rise? ( Job 25:3 ) 1031 . 20. For the "light" of God is a protecting grace, which, if it has not arisen as a gift in our hearts, surely our minds will remain dim in the darkness of our sins. And therefore it is added: Verse 4. Can a man be justified when compared with God? or can one born of a woman be pure? ( Job 25:4 ) 1032 . 21. This blessed Job has already said above, what is now being repeated; for every holy man is holy by light from God, and not in comparison to God. For the righteousness of man in comparison with the Creator is unrighteousness; no matter how quick man is in his formation, the creation can never be equal to the Creator. This creation bears a heavy burden of accumulated sin, which the serpent brought, and the woman, having proven weakness, accepted. Therefore, at the present time, knowing that a person is born through a woman who has been subjected to sin, the weakness of the first guilt is inherited in the offspring, because the beginning of the human race has become rotten at the root, did not survive in the greenery of its creation. Hence it is now rightly said: Can a person be justified when compared with God? or can one born of a woman be pure? As if it were expressed in simple words: “Let man not entertain pride against his Creator, let him remember where he came from here, and understand that he exists.” And let us see that there are those who, by the gift of the Spirit, are strengthened against the weakness of the flesh, shine with virtues, perform miracles and miraculous signs, but still there is not a single person who can go through life free from sin while he carries corruptible flesh. Therefore he further adds: Verse 5. Even the moon is here, and it does not shine; yea, the stars are not pure before Him (Job 25:5) 1033. 22. For what is signified by the “moon” if not the whole Church together? and what are “stars” if not the souls of those people who live by the truth? Those who, among the deeds of evil people, are striking with rare virtues, like a sparkle in the darkness of the night. Therefore, Paul also said to the disciples: Among whom you shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:15) 1034. The prophet testifies that the Holy Church is represented by the designation “moon,” saying: The sun rose up, and the moon was in order (Hab. 3:11) 1035, for “The sun was risen up, and the moon was in order,” because when our Lord ascended into Heaven, the Holy Church in this connection was strengthened in the power of preaching. And that under the name “stars” the elect are represented, Paul again informs us, saying: for star differs from star in glory (1 Cor. 15:41) 1036. Thus: “The moon does not shine and the stars are not pure before Him,” because neither the Holy Church works miracles by her own light, except by the gifts of the Spirit poured upon her, nor will the minds of the righteous who live according to the truth be cleansed from the stains of sins if they are judged without mercy; because in the eyes of the stern Judge, every man in his own tendency to decay is polluted, if the grace of His mercy does not purify him day by day. For the mind of the elect strives to go forward to the freedom of righteousness, but is still bound by the chains of weakness, and it pulls and drags him to commit crimes, and so long as he is bound by corruptible flesh, he is bound by its chains to sin, even if he does not commit it. Therefore, let him emphasize what a weight of sins drags down those who neglect to fight against them, even if those who are not completely free from evil and who strenuously fight against it. And therefore he said: Here is even the moon, and it does not shine; yea, the stars are not pure before Him; and immediately adds directly: Verse 6. How long then is man rotten, and the son of man a worm? ( Job 25:6 ) 1037 . 23. As if it were said in simple words: “If even these people cannot be free from corruption, who amid the darkness of the present life shine with virtuous achievements, then by what guilt of evil are they bound who still live according to the flesh. If even these people cannot be free from sin, who are already walking along the path of heavenly desires, how have those fallen who are still living under the burden of sinful habits? If even those who have given up the pleasures of the flesh still bear the yoke of rottenness?” Therefore Peter says: And if the righteous can hardly be saved, where will the ungodly and sinful appear? (1 Peter 4:18) 1038. Therefore it is said by Isaiah: Thorns and thistles will rise up in the land of My people; how many are there in all the houses of rejoicing in the rejoicing city (Is.32:13) 1039. For by “the lands of His people” the Lord designates the minds of all the elect. After which He talks about “thorns and briars rising up,” because He sees that even the minds of the elect are not free from the thorns of bad desires. But the "houses of rejoicing in the rejoicing city" are the minds of the wicked, which, while they neglect to consider the punishments that are destined, in the gratification of the flesh, revel in empty revelry. Thus he says: Thorns and thistles will rise up in the land of My people; there are so many of them in all the fun houses in the jubilant city. It was as if he had said in simple words: “If evil habits drag down even the minds of those who are exhausted in thirst for the Heavenly Land, then how guilty are those who, without any fear, indulge themselves in the pleasures of the flesh?” 24. But this is an important point that should be noted in the speech, as Bildad shows the order of our creation and our birth, because he calls “man” not “worm”, but “rottenness”, and “the son of man” - “worm”. For the first parent of the human race was “man,” and not “the son of man.” And the one who came next was no longer only “man,” but also “the son of man.” And just as from man comes the son of man, so from rottenness comes the worm. Therefore man is called “rottenness,” but the son of man is called “worm.” For the first man was “rottenness,” but not a “worm,” because, although by death he turned into “rottenness,” he did not come by birth from rottenness. But the son of man is already called “worm,” because from now on he comes from the rot of the mortal body. 25. And so, as the words of his friends are summed up, blessed Job passes to a more piercing sharpness of judgment, and his words are the more powerful as he approaches the end of his speech. In the same way, it is the habit of all defenders to leave for the final word an argument which they know in advance will be stronger than their opponents. 1, 2. And Job answered and said, Whose helper are you? to the one who is powerless? And do you hold his hand, who is not strong? ( Job 26:1–2 ) 1040 . 26. For to help someone who is weak is an act of mercy, but to wish to help someone who is strong is an act of pride; and because his friends, while showing the likeness of heretics, under the pretext of helping God, tried to show their own wisdom, Bildad received a just reproach when it was said: to whom are you a helper? to the one who is powerless? And do you hold his hand, who is not strong? It was as if he had said in simple words: “While you place yourself in the aid of Him, under whose majesty you will sink into the earth, all the support you show comes from boasting and not from piety.” 27. But it must certainly be known that we help even God, Who is certainly not “powerless,” when we act with humility. And, therefore, Paul said: For we are fellow workers with God (1 Cor. 3:9) 1041. When we convey to the one whom He Himself permeates with inner grace, with a voice of exhortation, what He brings inside through the Spirit, we help Him with an outer voice; and then only our call comes to the goal, when God was in the heart, and our voice becomes an assistant. Therefore, he says in another place: therefore, the one who plants and the one who waters is nothing, but God who grows everything (1 Cor. 3:7) 1042, for both “sowing” and “watering” will not become “help,” but will be empty vanity if God does not give growth in the heart. But those who have high thoughts about their own power of mind will not be helpers of God with humility; because while they consider themselves useful to God, they themselves become strangers to the fruits of usefulness. And, therefore, he said to the disciples according to the voice of truth: So you also, when you have done everything commanded you, say: we are worthless servants, because we did what we had to do (Luke 17:10). What follows: Verse 3. To whom did you give advice? maybe someone who doesn't have wisdom? (Job 26:3) 1043. 28. For “giving advice” to someone who is foolish is a matter of mercy, giving advice to someone who is wise is boasting; but to give advice to Him Who Himself is Wisdom is evil; and because those who, as we have said, bear the semblance of heretics, and their style of speech proceeds from boasting, and not from usefulness, he further adds, by right, against Bildad: And he showed his excessive prudence. For about those in whom there is prudence not excessive, according to the words of Paul it is said: do not seek to be wise more than you ought to be wise (Rom. 12:3) 1044. But whoever has excessive prudence does not have true prudence. For when it is not carried out properly, it leads to one or the other side of the crime. Those show their prudence as “excessive”, who strive to appear more prudent in comparison with others; therefore it very often happens that until they have mastered the art of being wise within moderate limits, they even sometimes say things that are foolish. Regarding this circumstance, about exceeding the measure of prudence, what he has to say is added even further: Verse 4: Whom have you taught? Is it not the One who created breath? (Job 26:4) 1045. 29. We live by breathing, we are wise by prudence. But first we live, and then we become imbued with wisdom; because in order for us to be wise, we must first have being. He who gave life also certainly gave prudence. For Bildad thought that blessed Job was scourged for sin, but he would never penetrate into the mystery of God’s judgment, which he could penetrate in humility, in arrogant courage. So, to Him he preferred his own prudence, Whose decisions, without understanding them, he judged. And to this One he preferred his own prudence, to Him from Whom he received the breath of life, as if he were wiser than He Who is Being Itself, and Who gave him what he should be. But since blessed Job shows the likeness of the Holy Church, he spoke with several things with a formidable voice against the proud people, who, as he knew, showed the likeness of heretics, according to which he said above: I would like to reason with God; The first have shown that you are builders of lies, and adherents of incorrect teachings (Job 13:3–4) 1046; he suddenly rises up to teach, and in opposition to ignorance of pride, he opens wide the breadth of his knowledge in the following statements, saying: Verse 5. Behold, the giants groan under the waters (Job 26:5) 1047. 30. For it is appropriate to first, through reproof, bring down the swelling of earthly wisdom, and then, in teaching, to convey words that abound in secrets. Thus, by "giants", either the apostate angels, or all proud people can be understood without objection. For, therefore, the prophet said: The dead shall not live, the giants shall not rise again (Isa. 26:14) 1048. For who does he call “dead” if not sinners, and whom does he call “giants” if not those who take upon themselves the sin of pride. Now the first ones “will not come to life” because through sin they have lost their righteous life; and the latter also “should not rise” after death because, after their crime was committed in pride, they did not resort to the defense of repentance. Therefore it is also written: A man who has gone astray from the path of reason will dwell in the congregation of the dead (Prov. 21:16) 1049 For whoever forsakes the path of righteousness, to whom will he join himself, if not among the proud spirits? Therefore, he said well against the highly intelligent: Behold, the giants groan under the waters. As if it were expressed in simple words: “Therefore, should a person be proud of knowledge, when the abyss of oblivion holds the proudest spirits of Angels at the bottom?” 31. But if by the name “giants” the mighty of this world are designated, then by “waters” we can perhaps understand the people, as John testifies, who says: the waters that you see are nations (Rev. 17:15) 1050. Now against him, which is filled with pride, it is well said: Behold, the giants groan under the waters; because all who rise high in this life, the more time they spend to reach the highest degree of honor, the more they groan under the burden. For the higher a person rises here, the greater the burden of his heavy worries. For internally, in thoughts and mind, he is dependent and, as it were, subordinate to the same people in relation to whom he is placed higher in external honors. And with these words he well and briefly showed that all this pride falls prostrate to the ground by the same action by which it raises itself to a height, in order to more effectually bend below all things for the same reason for which it wanted to be above all. For a man, when he rises to high honors, carries as many people inwardly as he outwardly rules. But those who are directly associated with such persons also gravitate towards the earth. For they also become burdened and add heaviness to the burden, while with them they go after the glory of external honors. Therefore also, immediately after he said: Behold, the giants groan under the waters; he adds directly: And those who live with them (Job.26:5) 1051. 32. As if he said: “They groan along with them,” those who are connected with someone else’s glory through receiving earthly joys. It should also be noted that the very involvement in the achievement of worldly virtues bends towards the severity of vices the more strongly, the more it is connected with the severity of worldly concerns. Oh, if the human mind, even when at rest, was always able to see and avoid sins! And because he saw that the desire for honorable deeds cannot exist without sins, and because nothing of an unlawful kind is hidden from God's wrath, he accordingly adds: Verse 6. The grave is naked before Him, and there is no covering of destruction (Job.26:6) 1052. 33. Paul says the same thing: but everything is naked and open before His eyes (Heb. 4:13) 1053, but by the name “sheol” and “destruction” he designated the devil and all his associates of condemnation; but Who is the One, before Whom “the underworld is naked,” he goes on to reveal, saying: Verse 7. He spread out the north over the void (Job 26:7) 1054. Mystical interpretation 34. The name “north” in the Holy Scriptures is used to designate the devil, who, with the intention of binding the hearts of the nations with the ice of insensibility, said: I will sit on the Mount of the Covenant, in the north side (Is. 14:13) 1055, and he “stretched out the north over the void,” because he owns the hearts of those who are not filled with the grace of God's love. Nevertheless, it is within the power of Almighty God, that even those vessels of the devil, which are empty of all virtue, He may fill with the gift of His grace, and establish in the fear of God those from whom He sees not the slightest manifestation of righteousness. Therefore this is rightly added: and hung the earth for nothing (Job 26:7) 1056. 35. For what is signified by the name “earth” other than the Holy Church; which, while it receives the words of the sermon, produces the fruits of good works? What does Moses say: let the earth hear the words from my mouth, let my speech be like rain (Deut. 32:1-2) 1057. And that the nations are designated by the word “nothing,” says the prophet: All nations are as nothing before Him, and they are considered less than nothing to Him (Is. 40:17) 1058. And on this “nothing”, which was previously occupied by the “north”, now “the earth hangs”; because the hearts of the pagans were filled with the love of God, which were previously weighed down by the deadness of the devil. But it may be that this “emptiness” denotes the infidelity of Judea, and “earth,” as we have already said, the spread of the Holy Church. So, let a holy man look at the fall of Judea in her destruction, at the mercy of the pagan nations, and let him say: He stretched out the north over the void, and hung the earth on nothingness. For, because the hearts of the pagans, being deprived of faith, were subject to the devil, “He spread out the north over the void,” and because they had no merit (as it is said: for nothing will You keep them (Ps. 57:7) 1059, the Lord founded His Church on the pagans, on those pagans whom the prophet calls “nothing,” and emphasizing this, he rightly adds: he hung the earth on nothing. Now, to show in what order this was done, he continues by adding the following: For he says: Verse 8. He shuts up the waters in His thick clouds so that they cannot escape from under them ( Job 26:8 ) 1060 . 36. For what does he call “waters” in this place if not knowledge, and what are clouds if not preachers? That "water" in the Holy Scriptures can sometimes be a word that is used to denote knowledge, we learned from Solomon, who testifies to this by saying: the words of a man's mouth are deep waters, and the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream (Prov. 18:4) 1061. The fact that water also signifies knowledge is also testified by the prophet David, saying: dark water is in the clouds in the sky (Ps. 17:12) 1062, i.e. the secret knowledge of the prophets, who, before the appearance of the Lord, carried hidden secrets within themselves, but their meaning was hidden to the eyes of those looking on. But under the name "clouds", which is also indicated in this passage, if not the holy preachers, i.e. the apostles who were sent in every direction throughout the regions of the world, and knew both how to shed life-giving words and how to show miracles in the flesh? Whom did the prophet Isaiah see long before and say: who are these that fly like clouds? (Isa.60:8) 1063. Therefore, because this man, filled with the spirit of prophecy, in this utterance of his voice longs to say that by the grace of God the Holy Church will grow, he takes upon himself the liberty to inform us of its growth, which comes out of the preaching of the apostles, who underwent the greatest sufferings in order to preach to people what even to the ignorant would be simple and understandable, and not what would be high and difficult. For holy knowledge is here designated under the name of “water,” because they convey it to the hearts, as if pouring it from their lips, and at the same time with its immensity they do not crush, but life-givingly water their listeners. Hence, about the knowledge that is free inside, but at the same time should not crushingly fall down, but should nourish the listeners with even drops of words, this “cloud” says: and I, brothers, could not speak to you as spiritual, but as carnal, as babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food (1 Cor. 3:1–2) 1064. For who could do this but he, who was exalted to the Third Heaven, who was placed in Paradise, who even heard the unspeakable words that it is not lawful for man to utter, who discovered such unlimited depths of heavenly knowledge? And what strength would it require of his hearers, could the tongue of flesh withstand it, if all the knowledge that it might have managed to receive into itself, it poured out in a crushing stream of waters? 37. But that even ignorant hearers might be comforted by the soft drops of the sermon, and not drown in knowledge, God bound the waters in the clouds so that they could not escape from under them. Because through the preaching of teachers He strengthens the listeners gradually, so that weakness, feeding on the dewdrops of the words that are spoken, can turn into strength. This is well described in the Gospel in a mystical representation, where it is said: Jesus entered Peter's boat and asked him to sail a little from the shore, and sitting there, he taught the people (Luke 5:3) 1065. What else does Peter's boat represent if not the Church? and that the Lord might preach from this boat to the crowds that flock to Him, He commands, as it were, “to sail a little from the shore.” Thus, the boat stops without swimming into the depths, and yet so as to lift itself off the earth, which means, of course, that to the ignorant man His preachers should not preach too deep things pertaining to the heavenly world, nor that which is earthly. So, “the waters must not burst out from under the clouds,” because the knowledge of the preacher speaking to the minds of the weak is forbidden to teach without limitation everything that he himself can see. 38. Because, for the most part, if the hearts of the listeners are spoiled by spacious utterances, the language of the one who taught is punished by immodesty. Therefore it is written: And if a man opens a pit, or if he digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit must pay (Ex. 21:33–34) 1066. For what does it mean to “open the pit” if not to penetrate with strong understanding into the mysteries of the Holy Scriptures? And what is meant by “ox” and “donkey,” clean and unclean animals, if not a believer and an unbeliever? So let him who has already “dug the hole” cover it, so that “an ox or a donkey” does not fall into it; that is, let the one who already has deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures cover his lofty ideas with a lid of silence before those who have not yet reached the heights, so that this does not become a stumbling block for a fragile soul, and so as not to kill or harm a person of little faith, or an unbeliever who can still come to faith. For after the death of animals, the damage done is measured, because he will be found guilty of what he has done until he pays his debt by performing repentance. Accordingly, “the pit must be covered” before weak minds, because deep knowledge requires that it be hidden from them, otherwise, by means of which the strong heart of the teachers rises to the highest things, the weak heart of the listener falls to the lowest things. Accordingly it should rightly be said: He shuts up the waters in His thick clouds so that they cannot escape from under them. For "the waters would burst out of them" if, in the presence of weak listeners, strong knowledge would come out of the mouth of the speaker as it is, without restrictions, and the whole fullness of the sermon would pour out at one time, sweeping away everyone. But it is appropriate to preach only in such a way that the one who preaches understands the measure of those who listen to him, and speaks in such a way that the power of the sermon grows in proportion to the stages of growth of his listeners. For this is what every preacher should do, as it was done from Above for himself; and never tell the weak everything of which he has an idea, because he himself, too, so long as he is shrouded in the mortality of the flesh, remains weak and does not perceive all the things that belong to Heaven. And therefore he should not preach to the ignorant everything with which he is familiar, because even he himself, touching the heavenly mysteries, cannot have his eyes open to see all things in their true greatness. That is why the Apostle Paul, after he was initiated into the mysteries of heaven, says: now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face (1 Cor. 13:12) 1067 and therefore continues: Verse 9. He turned back the face of His Throne, and spread His cloud over it (Job.26:9) 1068. 39. It is a tradition to show your face before meeting someone. Thus, “the face of His Throne is turned back” because in this life the glory of His Kingdom is not perceived by us in all its greatness; and over which, as it is rightly said, “the cloud is spread out,” because the glory of the Heavenly Kingdom is not visible as it is. For the corruptible body pulls down the soul, and the earthen tabernacle pulls down the inspired mind. (Wis.9:15) 1069. So, from contemplating it we are hidden by fog, for we are darkened by the cloud of our ignorance. Therefore, the psalmist said correctly: and darkness is underfoot; and He mounted the Cherubim and flew; He flew on the wings of the wind: He made darkness His secret place (Ps. 17:10-12) 1070. For the “darkness under His feet” is that those under Him do not see all the brightness that He shows to those above. And He mounted the Cherubim and flew, for “Cherubim” is a word that is used for the completeness of knowledge. Therefore, He is above the fullness of knowledge, He who “sat down and flew” because the sublimity of His Majesty is not limited by rational knowledge. He “flew” because He carries Himself to a height far beyond the reach of our understanding. He flew on the wings of the wind because He surpassed the knowledge of souls. He made the darkness His secret place, because while we are shrouded in the fog of our infirmity, due to our ignorance, He hides from us, and is not seen by us at the present time in eternal Brightness. Therefore in the Song of Songs the bride also told Him: run, my Beloved, run (Song.8:14) 1071. We say that “it eludes us” as often as what we want to remember does not fit into our minds. “It eludes us,” we say, when what we want we cannot store in our memory. So the Holy Church, after the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord, calls to Him, full of the Spirit of Prophecy: run, my Beloved, run. It was as if she had said: “You, Who through the incarnation of the Flesh became intelligible, yet made Your Divine Nature beyond the understanding of our perception, and therefore You Yourself remain Incomprehensible to us.” So, He turned back the face of His Throne, because it hides the power of His Majesty from mortals. 40. But if we understand by “His Throne” the Angelic Powers, since He sits on these powers as on the Royal Throne, He turned back the face of His Throne, away from us because while we are in this mortal flesh, we do not perceive how wonderful this guardianship of the Angels is. “And He spread His cloud over it,” of course, because He lifts our heart to search, and yet, according to a secret dispensation, it happens that in the very infinity of this search there is a restraining of it. Therefore it is written: the deep has given its voice on the height of its understanding (Hab. 3:10) 1072. For the mind of man is forced to shout in admiration when, in the sublimity of the quest, it is constrained in its quest by the very act by which it expands. Or, of course, because we ourselves can also be understood as the Throne of God, it is rightly said that He turned back the face of His Throne when our knowledge cannot advance to things of a higher level. After which, about the same Throne of God it is said: and He spread His cloud over it, because, remaining Invisible, He puts forward secret decisions about us so that at the same time, we are able to see what is happening externally, and yet the origin of the event is hidden in mystery and the internal reason why something happened is not known to us. From here it is also rightly added: Verse 10. He put boundaries around the waters until light and darkness ended (Job 26:10) 1073. 41. Very often in the Holy Scriptures, as we said above, the word “waters” refers to nations; The Lord surrounded the waters with boundaries because He tempers the knowledge of mankind in this way: until all times have passed, it cannot fully achieve the knowledge of the inner Brightness. But if by the name “light” we understand the righteous, and by the designation “darkness” sinners (as Paul says: You were once darkness, but now you are light (Eph. 5:8) 1074 there is nothing to hinder the same understanding of which we said: “that no one was vouchsafed a perfect knowledge of eternity until the way of the righteous and the unrighteous reached its end.” But since it is natural that carnal people know nothing about on high, the holy man is amazed at the Divine power, and says that it surpasses the knowledge of the Angels and the most perfect of people, adding the following: The pillars of heaven tremble and are amazed at His nod (Job.26:11) 1075. 42. What else does he call “the pillars of heaven,” if not the holy Angels, or the chief preachers of the Church, on whom in the heavenly world the whole structure of the spiritual building arose, and the Holy Scripture elsewhere testifies, saying: He who overcomes will I make a pillar in the church of My God (Rev. 3:12) 1076. For whoever is established firmly in the right purpose of the mind in the affairs of God is established as a support in the structure of the spiritual building; and, being placed in this church, which is the Church, it must be both for use and for decoration. But Job calls “pillars of heaven” those whom the apostle calls “pillars of the Church,” saying: Peter, James and John, who seemed like pillars, gave me their right hand (Gal. 2:9) 1077. 43. We can also quite rightly understand by the “pillars of heaven” the churches themselves, which, in the unity of their multitude, constitute one Church throughout the entire earth. Therefore, the Apostle John also writes to the seven Churches, and this means one Church, which is replenished by the Spirit of sevenfold grace, and we know what Solomon said about the Lord: Wisdom built herself a house, hewn out its seven pillars (Proverbs 9:1) 1078. And further, in order to make it known that this was said about the seven Churches, moving on, the Sacraments themselves are carefully presented: she slaughtered the sacrifice, dissolved her wine, she prepared the meal; she sent her maidens ahead so that they could call upon the citadel and the walls of the city. If anyone is small, let him come to me ( Proverbs 9:2–4 ) 1079 . For the Lord “slaughtered the sacrifices,” offering Himself on our behalf. He “mixed the wine,” mixing both historical narrative and spiritual meaning together into the cup of His commandments. Therefore, in another place it is written: For in the hand of the Lord is a cup, and there is red wine in it; and she is confused (Ps. 74:9) 1080. And He prepared a table, that is, the Holy Scripture, which refreshes us with the bread of the word when we are tired and come to Him from the burden of the world, and this respite strengthens us in the fight against our opponents. From where it is also said in another place about the Church: You have prepared a table before me, against them, that it is trouble for me (Ps. 22:5) 1081. He sent His handmaidens, that is, the souls of the apostles, who were at the very beginning weak (and therefore called in the feminine gender - handmaids), so that “they could cry out to the citadel and the walls of the city,” because while they talk about the inner life, they raise us to the walls of the City Most High; and what are walls, of course, if not those who are modest and do not rise themselves. Therefore further added by Wisdom Itself: If anyone is small, let him come to Me. As if it were said in simple words: “He who sees himself as great in his own eyes blocks his own path to Me; for true exaltation is achieved the more, the more the mind of each one is humbled in himself.” 44. But, despite the degree of righteousness a person can achieve, despite the level of knowledge that he can cover in his growth, he still cannot fully understand the judgment of the Lord in the internal management of us. Therefore let them say: The pillars of heaven tremble and are amazed at His nod; because for the most part, even those who see the fruits of this will in advance are unable to comprehend the height of His will. At the same time, as we said above, nothing prevents us from interpreting this as the Holy Angels, because the Powers of the heavenly world, which contemplate Him incessantly, tremble in this very contemplation. But this is not trembling from fear of His wrath, but trembling in admiration. Now, because he has shown how great his amazement was, he now speaks of the order of our salvation. And then follows: Verse 12. In His power the seas suddenly gathered together, and His Wisdom struck down the proud ( Job 26:12 ) 1082 . 45. What else is meant by the name sea, if not the present world, in which the hearts of people seeking earthly things are raging in various waves of thoughts? which at one time rise in the exaltation of pride, and then are torn down by something else, just as waves rushing against each other wash away one another. But from now on, “In His power the seas suddenly gathered together,” because after the Incarnation of the Lord, the indignant hearts of the worldly people believed in harmony. And Peter “walks on the sea” because, thanks to the preachers of Christ, these once indignant hearts bowed to the ground from humble obedience, so that the Gospel also rightly presents the softening of this world, in which the stormy waters of the sea fell down, pacified by the feet of the Lord. Now it is revealed to us in what sense this was said when he says: and His Wisdom struck down the proud man. 46. ​​Who else is called “pride” here, if not the one who said: I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High (Is. 14:14) 1083; and in relation to which it is said by the voice of God: who was created fearless, and himself is king over all the sons of pride (Job 41:25–26) 1084. Regarding which the prophet David also agrees with this proposal, saying: You have cast down the proud as if he were wounded (Ps. 89:11) 1085. And although, speaking of the nature of the Divinity, there is no difference between BEING and being Wisdom, and again, there is no difference between being Wise and being Strong, because His power is identical with His wisdom, and wisdom is the essence of the Divine, but, nevertheless, I think it is necessary to consider with lively attention the fact that this holy man, filled with the prophetic Spirit, chose to describe the defeat of the proud devil still “Wisdom” and not strength God. For he did not say “His Power,” but said His Wisdom has slain the proud. For, as we have already said, although by the right of simple nature, the Power of God is the Wisdom of God, yet outwardly the Lord defeated the devil not by force, but by justice; for the devil himself, having overthrown our first parent, took into his slavery, as it were by right, man, who, being created with free will, consented to the proposal of what was unjust. For, being created to live in his own free will, he of his own free will became a debtor to death. Therefore such sin must be atoned for; but he cannot be redeemed by anything other than sacrifice. The victim had to be found, but what kind of victim could be found in order to free a person? For it is unfair for a dumb animal to be sacrificed for a rational person. Therefore the apostle says: the images of heavenly things were to be purified with these, but the most heavenly things with the best of these sacrifices (Heb. 9:23) 1086. And therefore, if dumb creatures on behalf of a rational being, that is, man, could not be a proportionate sacrifice, man had to find one of the people who could be offered, for to atone for the sin of a rational being only a reasonable sacrifice could be offered. But what if a person without sin cannot be found? And what kind of sacrifice can be offered for us, such that it can cleanse us from sin, if the sacrifice itself cannot be found without the infection of sin? For what is defiled will never cleanse what is defiled. Therefore, for the sacrifice to be reasonable, a person had to be offered, but in order for the sacrifice to be able to cleanse humanity from sins, it had to be not just a person, but a sinless person. But how can a person be without sin if he is conceived in sin? Therefore, for us, the Son of God came in the womb of the Virgin; and for our sake He became man. And sinless Nature was placed upon Him. He offered a sacrifice on our behalf, He gave His Body on behalf of sinners, pure from sin, for in human Nature He was able to die, and by His Righteousness was able to cleanse us. He alone withstood when the ancient enemy, after Baptism, attacked Him with temptations and sought to enter Him with various tricks; he was overcome and brought down on his face by the righteous sinlessness of His invincible wisdom. 47. But since his inner strength did not reach, he aimed at His outer man, since he was amazed at the valor of the soul of Him, whom he could not deceive with temptations, he tried to defeat by the death of the flesh. And, as has already been said, he began to fight what the Mediator took from us mortals. But even where he had the power to do something, he was completely defeated on all sides; and for the same reason that he received the power to outwardly kill the flesh of the Lord, he himself was slain. For he himself was defeated within, while he seemed to have conquered outwardly; and he who justly turned us into debtors of death, justly lost the right of death in us; because with the help of his powers, he sought to bring to death the Flesh of Him in Whom he did not find the debt of sin. Thus our Lord in our name paid the debt of death, so that death might not wound us any more, and therefore he said well: and His Wisdom smote the proud man; because our old enemy, through excess of arrogance, lost even him, whom through evil conviction he had gained possession of; and while he boldly went against Him, in whom there was nothing that belonged to him, he justly lost him, whom he justly held in bondage. Therefore, he was “struck by Wisdom” and not by Strength, for while he encroached on God, he lost possession of man; so that he lost the one who was under him as a result of the same act with which he attacked the One who was above him. But when the flesh of the Lord is slain, the glory of His power comes to His preachers, about which he further adds: Verse 13. His Spirit has adorned the heavens (Job 26:13) 1087. 48. What do heavens mean, if not those of whom it is written: The heavens proclaim the glory of God? (Ps. 19:2) 1088, the same heavens, which are adorned with His Spirit, because they are filled with Him. We also learned about this from Luke, who says: Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting; and cloven tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, and one rested on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4) 1089. From Him they received the adornment of strength, those who were previously possessed by fear. For we know that the first of the apostles, that is, from “heaven,” before he was granted the grace of the Holy Spirit, fearing to die, denied “Life,” who was cast down to the ground not by punishments, not by suffering, not by the terrible power of another, but by a simple question of a slave. And indeed, to show that this slave could not by his strength force him or even cause alarm, he was shown by the maid who asked the question. Again, so that not only the weakness of the sex, but also the low position of the questioner would be shown, he was asked not only by the maid, but also by the slave-gatekeeper. See how an excessive weakness of fear took possession of one who could not withstand even the voice of the slave-gatekeeper. 49. But let's see what the one who was previously so filled with fear became after the coming of the Holy Spirit. Of course, we learned from Luke, who confirms with what power he preached the word in opposition to the priests and rulers. For when the miracle happened, an inquiry arose and the rulers from among the priests, elders and scribes made every effort to persecute the apostles, they asked by what authority they had performed the miracle. To them Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, openly said: leaders of the people and elders of Israel! If today we are asked to answer in kindness to a weak man, how he was healed, then let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him he has been presented before you healthy (Acts 4:8–10) 1090. And when the rage of the persecutors against them increased even more, and the priests and rulers forbade them to preach Jesus, how much the power of Peter rose in height against the wrath of the rulers, it becomes clear when it is directly added that Peter and the apostles answered them by saying: We must obey God rather than men (Acts 4:19) 1091. But when their orders had no effect on those who preached, they moved from speeches to punishments. For it is added: and then the chief priests beat them and, forbidding them to speak in the name of Jesus, and sent them away (Acts 5:40) 1092. But that the courage of the apostles even the whips had no power to restrain, is openly shown when he immediately presented the following: and they departed from the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were worthy to endure dishonor for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41) 1093. And immediately, even after the joy of their misfortunes that they endured, we are told: And every day in the church, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ (Acts 5:42) 1094. See that a man who some time ago was full of fears now speaks in tongues, shines with miracles, freely reproaches the unbelief of priests and rulers, and gives others an example of independence in the preaching of Jesus. They even tried to restrain him by beating him so that he would not speak in His name, but they did not succeed. He ignores the threats of those who scourged him, the same man who some time ago was afraid of one question. And he, having received the question earlier, ran away in fear from the imaginary power of the maid, then, even when he was beaten, he was not afraid of the real power of the rulers. For from now on he was established in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he trampled the heights of this world with the foot of freedom, for he saw that everything on earth was low, which was against the grace of the Creator. 50. These are the ornaments of heaven, these gifts of the Spirit, which are manifested by various powers, and which are bestowed by secret distribution, as Paul testifies, saying: To one is given the Spirit of the word of wisdom; to another the words of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diversities of tongues; interpreting tongues to another (1 Cor. 12:8–10) 1095. Everything that he lists in detail in a general statement, he says that: all these things work one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one individually, as He pleases (1 Cor. 12:11) 1096. And these heavens are also spoken of in the psalm: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were created (Ps. 32:6) 1097. He also added about these ornaments of the Spirit: and all their powers are through the Spirit of His mouth. Therefore he said well: His Spirit hath adorned the heavens; because the holy preachers, if they had not received the gifts from the Comforter that were promised to them, would not have been able to sanctify with any outfit of power. But because, when the holy apostles were adorned with the grace of the gifts of power, they received the preaching of life against the hearts of unbelievers, and our old enemy, driven out by the voices of the preachers, left the minds of unbelievers in which he had already taken up residence; After decorating the heavens, it is then rightly added: And the help of His hand drove out the crooked serpent (Job 26:13) 1098. 51. For who is described by the designation “serpent”, if not our ancient enemy, who slithers crookedly, who speaks with the mouth of a serpent to deceive a person? About which the prophet said: Leviathan is a crooked serpent (Is.27:1) 1099. For the serpent is not only crooked, but also slippery: because it does not stand in the rightness of the truth, it is crooked, and because, if its first proposal is not resisted, it will slide all the way inside the heart, speaking to a person like a slippery creature. Now the “shelters” of this serpent are the hearts of evil people. This is said because he, placing his own depravity there, seems to rest in them, as in a dwelling. Therefore, “the help of the hand of the Lord drives out the crooked serpent from his hiding places,” because, while Divine grace heals us, he, who has already taken possession of the dwelling, our old enemy, will be driven out from us, as Truth Incarnate says: now the prince of this world will be cast out (John 12:31) 1100. Therefore, now he does not possess all the Saints thanks to holding, but he pursues in an attempt to possess. For because he did not reign among them internally, he fights against them, and because he cannot gain power in the internal, he goes to war against them externally. For only He alone can remove it from the carnal hearts of people, He Who came Incarnate for the sake of people; and while He took possession of the hearts of the unbelievers, He laid His hand, as it were, upon the hiding places of the serpent. Therefore the prophet said correctly: And the child will play over the asp’s hole, and the child will lay his hand on the snake’s hiding place. They shall do no harm or harm in all My holy mountain (Isa. 11:8–9) 1101. For who does he call “baby” or “child” if not the Lord? And what does he mean by “the asp’s hole” and “the snake’s refuge” if not the hearts of evil people? Because our old enemy, while he has settled himself within them by their consent, and like a serpent wriggles in his hole, climbs inside and wounds them with his cunning, is called “asp” as secretly hungry for prey, and “basilisk” as openly wounding. So the Lord “put His hand on the refuge of the asp and the basilisk” when He took the hearts of the wicked by Divine power. And the serpent, that is, the devil, is cast out because “on His Holy Mountain,” which is the Church, he cannot possibly harm His chosen believers. 52. Therefore it is said in the Song of Songs: You will be crowned from the top of Amana, the top of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions (Song.4:8) 1102. What else is meant by the word “lions” if not the devil, who attacks us with the fury of deadly cruelty? And because sinners turn to faith, those whose hearts were once “the den of lions” when they confessed the Lord may have overcome death, and it is truly as if He had been “crowned out of the dens of lions.” For the crown is the reward for victories. And so often do believers offer a crown to Him, as often do they recognize that He overcame death in the power of the Resurrection. So, "the lion will be driven out of his hiding place" because "by the hand of the Lord the crooked serpent will be driven out of his hiding places" which he possessed. For he came out of the stricken hearts of the believers, whom he had previously controlled with the words of unbelief. 53. Speaking of the Comings of the Lord, he laid out the great significance of it, and described what in love His Incarnation will do for us. But He who performed miracles when He came in humility cannot be seen by us in all the great horror of His Coming, when He comes in the power of His Majesty. The order of His First Coming we see and appreciate to the extent that He, in order to redeem carnal beings, tempered the greatness of His Divinity for carnal eyes. But who can endure the horror of His Majesty, when in the Power of the Second Coming for the implementation of the fiery Judgment, He will shine in the greatness of power? Therefore, the holy man describes His First Coming, but also touches on the Second, saying: Verse 14. Behold, these things were spoken of a part of His way; and while we scarcely hear a small drop of His word, who can look upon the thunder of His Power? (Job 26:14) 1103. 54. What is meant by the word “ways” in this passage, if not the way of the Lord’s actions? Therefore, the Lord also says through the prophet: For My ways are not like your ways (Is. 55:8) 1104. Accordingly, in talking about the Coming of the Lord, he described only part of the ways of God; because His manner of action by which He created us was one thing, and that by which He redeemed us was another. Thus, these things which he related concerning the actions of the Lord in redeeming us, throwing light on the comparison of them with the Last Judgment, he says: Behold, these things were said about a part of His way. And this is also what he calls “a small drop of His word,” for whatever things that are lofty or terrible, we, being in this life, learned in the contemplation of Him, still from the vast ocean of Heavenly mysteries, this is a small drop. And who can look at the thunder of His Power? It was as if he expressed it in simple words: “If we so weakly tolerate the miracles of His humility, then how can we bear the loud and terrible thunder of His Majesty’s Coming?” The psalmist also says about this thunder of His Coming: Our God has come, our God, and not in silence: a consuming fire is before Him, and a great storm is around Him (Ps. 49:3) 1105. That is why the prophet Zephaniah says: the great day of the Lord is near; he is nearby and is in a hurry. The voice of the Day of the Lord is bitter: a mighty man will then cry. This day is a day of wrath, a day of sorrow and distress, a day of desolation and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and a whirlwind, a day of trumpets and a terrible sound (Zeph. 1:14-16) 1106. The horror of the Last Judgment, about which Zephaniah speaks of “trumpet,” is designated by blessed Job with the word “thunder.” Joel says the same thing: Let all the inhabitants of the earth tremble; The day of the Lord will come; for it is at hand, a day of darkness and darkness, a day of clouds and whirlwinds. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can endure it? ( Joel.2:1-3 ) 1107 But even when it is almost impossible to imagine the greatness in which He will come at His Second Coming, to some extent we can still appreciate it correctly if we study with vigilance the solid information about His First Coming. Of course, to redeem us from death, the Lord came to die, and He took the weakness and punishment of our flesh into His Body; The One who, before he came to the Cross, allowed himself to suffer and allowed himself to be tied up, spat on, humiliated and hit in the face. See what shameful treatment He agreed to endure for our sake, and yet, before He allowed Himself to be captured, He asked His persecutors, saying: whom are you looking for? And they gave the answer: Jesus of Nazareth. And when He said to them: I am He, as soon as He uttered the softest answer in a voice, His armed pursuers immediately fell prostrate to the ground. What will happen when He comes to judge the world, He who with one utterance of His voice defeated His enemies even when He came to be judged? What kind of Judgment will it be that He will carry out as an immortal One, Whose one utterance the enemies could not bear when He was on the verge of death? Who can withstand His wrath if even His gentleness could not be endured? So let a holy man consider this and say: Behold, these things were spoken of a part of His way; and while we scarcely hear a small drop of His word, who can look upon the thunder of His Power? But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses; and we thought (that) He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. Let his (mother's) womb forget him; let the worm feast on it; let no memory of him remain; like a tree, let the wicked be broken. The eyes of the Lord are in every place: they see the evil and the good. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. But He will say: I tell you, I don’t know you, where you come from; Depart from Me, all workers of iniquity. Already the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. who oppresses the childless woman who has not given birth, and does no good to the widow. and it comes out like a bridegroom from his bridal chamber, rejoicing like a giant to run the race. Reproach crushed my heart, and I was exhausted, I waited for compassion, but there was none, I found no comforters. He also captivates the strong with his strength; he gets up and no one is sure for his life. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things. ... he gets up and no one is sure for his life. He who says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and there is no truth in him. They say that they know God, but deny by deeds, being vile and disobedient and incapable of any good deed. But do you want to know, unfounded person, that faith without works is dead? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. And He gives him (everything) for safety, and he (on this) relies, and His eyes see their ways. Or do you neglect the riches of God’s goodness, meekness and long-suffering, not realizing that God’s goodness leads you to repentance? But, due to your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God. There will no longer be a child or an old man who will not reach the fullness of his days; For a man who is a hundred years old will die a youth, but a sinner who is a hundred years old will be cursed. ... and His eyes see their ways. because everyone seeks their own, and not what (pleases) Jesus Christ. Wisdom is in the face of the wise, but the eyes of the fool are at the ends of the earth. a wise man's eyes are in his head, but a fool walks in darkness; but I learned that one fate befalls them all. I meditate on Your commandments, and consider Your ways. Whoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant also be. And whoever serves Me, My Father will honor him. Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking.” Can you drink the cup that I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They say to Him: We can. They rose high, and behold, they were gone; they fall and die like everyone else, and like the tops of ears of corn they are cut off. So! You have placed them on slippery paths and are casting them into the abyss. I saw a terrible wicked man, expanding like a rooted many-branched tree; but he passed, and now he is gone; I'm looking for it and can't find it. A little more, and the wicked will no longer be; you look at his place, and he is not there. you who do not know what will happen tomorrow: for what is your life? steam that appears for a short time and then disappears. The voice says: Proclaim! And he said: What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. they fall and die like everyone else, and like the tops of ears of corn they are cut off. A generation passes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. and those who use this world as if they do not use it; for the image of this world passes away. heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. In the beginning You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You will remain; and they will all wear out like a robe, and like a garment You will change them, and they will be changed; but You are the same, and Your years will not end. ... and, like the tops of ears of corn, they are cut off. His shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, and He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. If this is not so, who will convict me of lying and turn my speech into nothing? power and fear are with Him; He creates peace on His heights! But he said to me: “Do not be afraid, Daniel; from the first day that you set your heart to gain understanding and humble you before your God, your words were heard, and I would come according to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me twenty-one days; but behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. And he said: “Do you know why I came to you? Now I will return to fight the Prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. However, I will tell you what is written in the true Scripture; and there is no one who would support me in this except Michael, your prince. Is there an account of His armies? and on whom does His light not rise? A river of fire came out and passed before Him; thousands upon thousands served Him, and darkness stood before Him; the judges sat down and the books were opened. And suddenly a large army of heaven appeared with the Angel, praising God and crying out. No warrior binds himself to everyday affairs in order to please the military leader. ... and on whom does His light not rise? And how can a person be right before God, and how can one born of a woman be pure? Even the moon is not bright, and the stars are unclean in His sight. that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish among a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world, the sun and the moon stood still in their place before the light of Your flying arrows, before the radiance of Your sparkling spears. There is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another of the stars; and star differs from star in glory. Much less is man (who) is a worm, and the son of man (who) is a moth. And if the righteous are barely saved, then where will the wicked and sinful appear? Thorns and thistles will grow in the land of my people, and in all the houses of joy in the rejoicing city. And Job answered and said: how you helped the powerless, how you supported the arm of the weak! For we are fellow workers with God, (and) you are God’s field, God’s building. Therefore, the one who plants and the one who waters is nothing, but God who increases everything. What advice did you give to the unwise and how completely did you explain the matter! By the grace given to me, I say to each of you: do not think (about) (yourself) more than you ought to think; but think modestly, according to the measure of faith that God has allocated to each. To whom did you speak these words, and whose spirit came from you? But I would like to speak to the Almighty and would like to compete with God. And you are gossipers of lies; you are all useless doctors. The Rephaim tremble under the waters, and those who live in them. The dead will not live; the Rephaim will not rise, because You visited and destroyed them, and destroyed all memory of them. A man who has strayed from the path of reason will find his home in the assembly of the dead. And he says to me: The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are people and peoples and nations and languages. Sheol is naked before Him, and there is no covering for Abaddon. And there is no creature hidden from Him, but everything is naked and open before His eyes: to Him we will give an account. He spread the north over the void, hanging the earth on nothing. And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north...”. ... hung the ground on nothing. Listen, heaven, I will speak; and listen, O earth, to the words of my mouth. My teaching will fall like rain, my speech will fall like dew, like fine rain on the greenery, like rain on the grass. All nations are considered as nothing before Him—they are considered less than nothingness and emptiness by Him. He shuts up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud does not disperse under them. The words of men's mouths are deep waters; the source of wisdom is a flowing stream. And he made darkness His cover, the darkness of waters and clouds of air surrounding Him. Who is it that flies like clouds and like doves to their dovecotes? And I could not speak to you, brethren, as spiritual, but as carnal, as babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, and not with (solid) food, for you were not yet strong, and even now you are not strong. Entering one boat, which was Simon's, He asked him to sail a little from the shore and, sitting down, taught the people from the boat. If someone opens a hole, or if they dig a hole and do not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, then the owner of the hole must pay, give the money to their owner, and the corpse will be his. Now we see as if through a (dull) glass, fortune-telling, but then face to face; Now I know in part, but then I will know, even as I am known. He set up His throne, He spread His cloud over it. for the corruptible body burdens the soul, and this earthly church suppresses the over-anxious mind. He bowed the heavens and descended, and darkness was under His feet. And he mounted the Cherubim and flew and was carried on the wings of the wind. And he made darkness His cover, the darkness of waters and clouds of air surrounding Him. Run, my beloved; be like a chamois or a young deer on the balsam mountains! Seeing You, the mountains trembled, the waters rushed; the abyss gave its voice, raised its hands high. He drew a line over the surface of the water, to the boundaries of light and darkness. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light. The pillars of heaven tremble and are terrified by His thunder. He who overcomes will I make a pillar in the church of My God, and he will no longer go out; And I will write on it the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. and, having learned of the grace given to me, James and Cephas and John, venerated as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the hand of fellowship, so that we might (go) to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. Wisdom built herself a house and hewed out its seven pillars. she slaughtered the sacrifice, dissolved her wine and prepared a meal for herself; sent her servants to proclaim from the heights of the city: “Whoever is foolish, turn here!” And she said to the idiot. For the cup is in the hand of the Lord, the wine is boiling in it, full of mixture, and He pours from it. Even its yeast will be squeezed out and drunk by all the wicked lands. Thou hast prepared a table before me in the sight of my enemies; anointed my head with oil; my cup is overflowing. With His power He stirs the sea and with His mind overcomes its insolence. I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. There is no one like him on earth; he was created fearless; looks at everything lofty with courage; he is the king over all the sons of pride. Thou hast cast down Rahab as one that was slain; With Your mighty arm I have scattered Your enemies. So the images of heavenly things had to be purified with these, and the heavenly things themselves with the best of these sacrifices. From His spirit comes the splendor of heaven; His hand formed a swift scorpion. The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: Leaders of the people and elders of Israel! If today we are asked to answer in kindness to a weak man, how he was healed, then let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him he has been set before you healthy. But Peter and John answered and said to them: Judge, is it right before God to listen to you rather than to God? They obeyed him; and, calling the Apostles, they beat (them) and, forbidding them to speak about the name of Jesus, sent them away. They left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus. And every day in the church and from house to house they did not stop teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Yet all these things are done by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually, as He pleases. By the word of the Lord the heavens were created, and by the spirit of his mouth all their host. ... His hand formed a fast scorpion. On that day the Lord will smite with His heavy sword, and great and strong, Leviathan the straight running serpent, and Leviathan the crooked serpent, and He will kill the sea monster. Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. And the child will play over the asp's hole, and the child will stretch out his hand into the snake's nest. They will not do evil or harm in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. With me from Lebanon, bride! come with me from Lebanon! hurry from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards! Behold, these are the parts of His ways; and how little we have heard of Him! And who can understand the thunder of His power? My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Our God comes, and not in silence: before Him is a consuming fire, and around Him is a great storm. The great day of the Lord is near, near, and hastens greatly: the voice of the day of the Lord is already heard; Then even the bravest will cry out bitterly! The day of wrath is this day, a day of sorrow and distress, a day of desolation and ruin, a day of darkness and darkness, a day of clouds and darkness, a day of trumpets and shouts of abuse against fortified cities and high towers. Blow the trumpet in Zion and sound the alarm in My holy mountain; Let all the inhabitants of the earth tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is near - a day of darkness and gloom, a cloudy and foggy day: like the morning dawn spreading over the mountains, a people numerous and strong, such as has not happened since the beginning of time and will not be thereafter for generations. Before him the fire consumes, and behind him the flame burns; in front of him the earth is like the garden of Eden, and behind him there will be a desolate steppe, and no one will be saved from him.