Refusing To Confess

Quomodo dicis, Non sum polluta, post Baalim non abii? Vide vias tuas in convalle. Sive valle, quae Hebraice dicitur ge, et a LXX interpretatur πολυάνδριον, quod sermone nostro dicit potest, sepulcrum multitudinis. Frustra, inquit, non vis confiteri sclerea sua, et jactas munditiam, quae idololatriae polluta es sordibus; et impudenter negas te coluisse idolum Baalim. Respice convallem filiorum Ennon, quae Siloe fontibus irrigatur, et ibi cernes delubrum Baal, quem relicto Dei, venerata es. Quodque additur: Scito quid feceris, clausos oculos aperit denegantis, ut cernat quod erubescit aspicere. Juxta tropologiam, impudentiam frontis eorum qui nolunt sua vitia confiteri, operibus arguamus. Hujuscemdoi enim homines non ambulant in arcta et in angusta via, quae ducit ad vitam: sed in lata et spatiosa, per quam ingrediuntur plurimi, quae ducit ad mortem. Unde et significanter πολυάνδριον nominata est. Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentariorum In Jeremiam Prophetam, Liber I, Caput II Source Migne PL 24.720d-721a

How do you say, 'I am not polluted. I have not gone off after the Baals?' Look at your ways in the valley. 1 The word valley or vale in Hebrew is 'Ge,' and was rendered by the Septuagint as 'polyandrion,' which one can say in our tongue is 'tomb of many' It is in vain, it says, that you refuse to confess your evil deeds and you boast that you are clean, even though you are polluted with the filth of idolatry and shamelessly you deny that you have worshipped the idol of the Baals. Look at the valley of the sons of Hinnom which the springs of Siloam water, and there you will see the shrine of Baal, whom you have venerated, forsaking God. And what is added, 'know what you have done,' opens the closed eyes of him who denies it, so that he will see what he blushes to look on. According to the tropological sense, let us dispute the deeds of those with proud faces, who refuse to admit their vices, for such men will not walk on the straight and narrow path that leads to life, but on the wide and spacious path that leads to death, through which many enter. 2  Whence the name of 'polyandrion,' that is, 'tomb of many' is given. Saint Jerome, from the Commentary on Jeremiah, Book 1, Chapter 2 1 Jerem 2.23 2 Mt 7.13-14

The State Of The Impious

Quoniam fumus flatus est in naribus nostris, et sermo scintilla ad commovendum cor nostrum: qua extincta, cinis erit corpus nostrum, et spiritus diffundetur tamquam mollis aër; et transibit vita nostra tamquam vestigium nubis, et sicut nebula dissolvetur quae fugata est a radiis solis, et a calore illius aggravata. Et nomen nostrum oblivionem accipiet per tempus, et nemo memoriam habebit operum nostrorum. Umbrae enim transitus est tempus nostrum... Notandum autem, quod vita et status impiorum dicitur esse fumus propter rationalius obcaecationem, infra eodem capitulo: Excaecavit eos malitia eorum; item ad Romanos primo: Obscuratum est insipens cor eorum. Assimilatur flatui propter inquietam irascibilis perturbationem, Isaiae quinquagesimo septimo: Impii quasi mare fervens; scintillae, propter concupiscibilis inflammationem, Ecclesiastici vigesimo tertio: Anima calida quasi ignis ardens non exstinguetur; aeri, propter intentionis vacuitatem; cineri propter operum infructuositatem, infra tertio: Opera eorum inutilia; nubi densiori, propter gratiae oppositionem; nebulae leviori, propter mentis elevationem sive elationem; umbrae, propter exteriorem simulationem. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Librum Sapientiae, Caput II Source: Here, 365c

Because the breath in our nostrils is like smoke, and reason is a spark made by the beating of our hearts, which extinguished, our bodies shall be ash, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air, and our lives shall pass by like scraps of cloud and dissolve like a mist chased away by the rays of the sun and by its heat suppressed. Our name will be forgotten in time and no one will remember our deeds. Like a shadow our time passes away... 1 It should be noted that the life and state of the impious is said to be 'smoke' because of the blindness of their reason, whence below in the same chapter: 'Their wickedness has blinded them.' 2 Likewise in the first chapter of Romans: 'Their foolish hearts have been darkened.' 3 And 'like breath' because of the disturbing troubles of the irascible passions. In the fifty seventh chapter of Isaiah: 'The impious are like a boiling sea.' 4 'Sparks' because of the inflammation of the concupiscible passions. In the twenty third chapter of Ecclesiasticus: 'The hot soul is like a burning fire that is not extinguished.' 5 'Air' because of the emptiness of their desires. 'Ash' because of the fruitlessness of their works, whence here below in chapter three: 'Their works are useless.' 6 'Clouds,' those which are more dense 7 because of the opposition to grace, and as lighter ones, 8 because of the elevation or elation of their minds, and 'shadows' because of the exterior simulation of life. Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On Wisdom, Chapter 2 1 Wisd 2.2-5 2 Wisd 2.21 3 Rom 1.21 4 Isaiah 57.20 5 Sirach 23.22 6 Wisd 3.11 7 So low ones, mists 8 Clouds in the sky

The Cedars Of Lebanon

Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον, καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον ὡς τὰς κέδρουσ τοῦ Λιβάνου. καὶ παρῆλθον καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν καὶ ἐζήτησα αὐτόν καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ, φύλασσε ἀκακίαν καὶ ἰδὲ εὐθύτητα ὅτι ἔστιν ἐγκατάλειμμα ἀνθρώπῳ εἰρηνικῷ. Οὕτως ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος διὰ πείρας ἐληλυθέναι τοῦ τέλουσ τῶν ἀσεβῶν φησιν· Οὐ γὰρ ἑξ ἀκοῆς πάλαι ποτὲ γενόμενα ἑτέρων λεγόντων ἀκήκοα· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς εἶδον, φησὶ, βλασφήμους ἄνδρας καὶ ἀθέους θαυμὰομένους μὲν ὑπὸ πάντων, ἐπαιρομένους δὲ καὶ γαυριῶνταη, οἰομένους τε διαιωνίζειν ἐν τῷ βίῳ. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔτι παρ' ἑμαυτῷ διελογιζειν πῶς οἴδε, καίπερ ἀσεβεῖς ὄντες, τοσούτων τετυχήκασι, δεύτερον αὐτοὺς θεάσασθαι βουληθεὶς, ἐπῇρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς· οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἧσαν οὐδαμοῦ, ἀφανεῖς δ' ἀθρόως ὑπῆρχον. Εἶτα δὲ ἴχνος αὐτῶν καὶ ὑπόλειμμ βουληθεὶς καταλαβεῖν, οὐδὲ τὸν τόπον ἐν ᾧ ἐστἀναι ἐδόκουν εὑρεῖν δεδύνημαι. Διόπερ ἐπειδὴ τοιοῦτο τὸ τούτων τέλος, φεῦγε σὺ ὁ μαθητευόμενος τοῦτον τῶν ἀσεβῶν τὸν τρόπον, καὶ ἀπόνιψον μὲν ἑαυτοῦ πᾶσαν κακίαν, ἀγάπησον δὲ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν. Μένει γὰρ ἐγκατάλειμμα καὶ ἐλπὶς ἀγαθὴ, τῷ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν φιλίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μεταδιώξαντι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰρηνικῷ ἀνθρώπῳ γενομένῳ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Φύλασσε, φησὶν, ἀπλότητα, καὶ ὄρα εὐθὺ, ὅτι ἔστι μέλλοντα ἀνθρώπῳ εἰρηνικῷ. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΛϚ' Source: Migne PG 23.337a-b

I saw the impious man exalted and elevated like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by and, behold, he was not, and I sought him and no trace of him was found. Guard innocence and look to righteousness, for a remnant is for the man of peace. 1 Thus in the present he speaks of the end of the impious of which he has experience. For this was not some deed of old told by others and received in the ear, but he says that he himself saw blasphemous men and the godless held as a wonder by all, and lifted up and exalted, who thought they would remain alive forever. But while he thought to himself how they, although impious, obtained such things, and then how they wished to be seen and adored in the eyes, they were not, suddenly they vanished. And then, wishing to consider what they had left behind, there was no place he could find to stand and look upon them. Whence because this is their end, flee, O you who have learnt this, the ways of the impious. Wash off every iniquity of yours and love the right way. For there remains a remnant and good hope for him who pursues the peace and friendship of God, by which the peaceful man is made. For according to the translation of Symmachus, 'I guarded innocence,' he says, 'and I considered right, because the future is for the man of peace.' Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 36 1 Ps 36.35-37

Separation Here And There

Ne simul perdas cum impiis animam meam, et cum viris sanguinum vitam meam. Juste roget ne cum impiis anima ejus pereat in futuro judicio, cum quibus hic communem non habuit actionem. Mertio enim ab eis ibi se sequestrari petiit, a quibus hic se ipse divisit. Sanguinum enim viri sunt, qui carnaliter vivunt, et nulla jussa coelestia concupiscunt. Pereunt ergo tales de futura Jersulaem, qui pro sua impietate damnandi sunt. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XXV Source: Migne PL 70.185c-d

Do not destroy my soul at the same time with the impious, my life with men of blood. 1 Justly he pleads that his soul not perish with the impious in future judgment, with whom he has no deed in common here. For rightly he seeks to separate himself from them there, from whom he has separated himself here. For the men of blood are those who live carnally, and wish for no command of heaven. Such perish from the future Jerusalem, they who are damned by their own impiety. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, Psalm 25 1 Ps 25.9

Captivity And Liberation

Dum avertit Dominus captivitatem plebis suae. Captivitas proprie gentium est, qui in corde suo dixerant Non est Deus; qui trepidaverunt ubi non erat timor, qui spem inopis confuderant et illuserant, quia Dominus spes ejus est; qui in generatione justa Dominum habitaturum negaverant, capti religionibus daemonum, superstitionibus temporum, officiis creaturae. Haec captivitas apellitur, hoc servitium adimitur. Sed Israel erit ille qui credit, Israel erit ille qui Deum oculis cordis adspiciet: quia Israel Deum videns est, qui post captivitatem aversam hoc Dei salutare cognoscit. Laetatur Jacob, laetatur et Israel captivitate aversa, libertate concessa, Deo contemplato, Abraham et Jacob patribus per adoptionem familiae nuncupatis. In his ergo laetemur, et in his exsultemus, scientes per nostram redemptionem ob unius poenitentis salutem esse in coelis gaudia angelorum; et cum coelestis laetitia pro nobis sit, oportet in Christo gaudia nostra esse perpetua, qui est benedictus in saecula saeculorum. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum XIII Source: Migne PL 9.298a-c

When the Lord averts the the captivity of His people. 1 The true captivity is of the Gentiles, who say in their hearts: 'There is no God,' who fear where there is no fear, who confound and mock the hope of the poor, because the Lord is the poor man's hope, who refuse to dwell among the generation of the righteous with the Lord, 2 who are snared by the religion of demons, the superstitions of the times, the service of created things. This is named captivity, this is called servitude. But Israel shall be the one who believes, Israel shall be the one who sees God with the eyes of the heart, because Israel sees God, who after the removal of captivity knows the salvation of God. Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel rejoice, captivity is removed, liberty is given, 3 God is contemplated, with the fathers Abraham and Jacob being called to adoption into His family. In these things then let us rejoice, and in these let us exult, knowing by our redemption that the repentance of just one for salvation is the joy of angels in heaven, 4 and when there is heavenly joy for us, in Christ our joy should be eternal, He who is blessed in eternity. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 13 1 Ps 13.7 2 Ps 13.5-6 3 Ps 13.7 4 Lk 15.7

Creating Giants

Nunc quaero qua ratione Cham illius improbi filium seniorem Scriptura fuisse memoraverit? Duo genera terrae, unum velut arenosum et pulverulentum, imo, ut expressius dicam, pulvis: aliud genus terrae fructiferum atque fecundum, hoc est, terra solidior et profunda. Quid igitur improbus nisi pulverem generat, ex quo generatio esse non possit? Ideoque Propheta pulverem impiis comparavit dicens: Non sic impii, non sic, sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae. Eo quod etiam secundum altiorem sensum infecunda sit impiorum anima, quae fructus utiles generare non possit. Qua ratione etiam Chus Nembroth gigantem genuerit, qui erat venator ante Deum? Unde dictum est: Sicut Nembroth gigas venator ante Deum.Quid igitur aliud pulvis et arena generaret, nisi terrenum hominem; eo quod impius coelestibus terrena praeponat. Gigantes enim fabulae inducunt adversum supera voluisse pugnare, et terreno ascensu scandendum ad coelestia putaverunt. Altiore autem sensu illud significatur, quod qui terrenas diligit voluptates, eas sequitur, et putat his se posse ad Dei gratiam pervenire, et regnum coeleste hujusmodi erroribus deferendum, is adversum coelestia contumaci praeliatur affectu. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XXXIV Source: Migne PL 14.461a

Now I ask for what reason Scripture recalls the elder son of that shameful Ham. 1 Two types of earth there are, one is sandy and powdery, which I say is better expressed as dust, and the other type of earth is fruitful and fecund, that is, it is an earth more solid and deep. What, then, does the shameful give birth to but dust, from there is no generation? Therefore the Prophet compared the impious to dust, saying, 'No so with the impious, not so, but they are as dust which the wind casts forth from the face of the earth.' 2 Which understood according to a higher sense is the barren soul of the impious, which is not able to put forth useful fruits. For what reason did Chus sire the giant Nimrod, who was a hunter before God? Whence it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a giant hunter before the Lord.’3 What shall generate dust and sand, unless a man of the earth? That impious one who prefers earth to heaven. For it is told that the giants of fable wished to fight against the heavens, and rising from the earth they thought to climb up to heaven. And this in a higher sense means that he who loves worldly pleasure, following such things, thinks that by these things he is able to come into the grace of God, and that the heavenly kindgom should defer to his errors, and such a one wars against the heavens in his insolent state. Saint Ambrose, Noah and the Ark, Chapter 34 1 Gen 10.6-7 2 Psal 1.4 3 Gen 10.9

Demons And Souls

Μὴ παραδῷς με, φησὶν, εἰς ψυχὰς θλιβόντων με· ψυχαὶ γὰρ τῶν δαιμόνων τὰ ἀνόσια πάθη, ὦν εὐκτέον δυσθῆναι. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡΟΗ''  Λιμενιῳ Μονακῳ Source: Migne PG 79 152

'Do not hand me over to souls that trouble me,' he says. 1 For the souls of demons are afflicted with impiety, that to be free from is what one should pray for. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 178 to Limenius the Monk 1 Ps 26.12

Friendship And Judgement

Ἐπιγνώμων δίκαιος ἑαυτοῦ φίλος ἔσται αἱ δὲ γνῶμαι τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνεπιεικεῖς ἁμαρτάνοντας καταδιώξεται κακά ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τῶν ἀσεβῶν πλανήσει αὐτούς Ὁ μὲν δίκαιος, εἰδὼς τὴν ἀνθρωπινην ἀσθένιαν, συγγινώσκει, κἂν ἁμάρτημα ᾗ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ φίλου· ἤ ὅτι κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ φίλος, σύμφωνος ἑαυτοῦ ἐστι μετριοφρονῶν, καὶ φυλάσσων ἑαυτὸν, καὶ μηδὲν τῆς ἐχθρᾶς κακίας ἔχων, ἀστασιάστους ἔχει τοὺς λογισμούς. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Παροιμίας Σολομώντος Εξηγήσεων, Κεφ ΙΒ' Source: Migne PG 39.1636

A righteous arbitrator shall be his own friend; but the unjust judgements of the impious shall pursue sinners with evils; and the way of impious men shall deceive them. 1 The righteous man is conscious of human infirmities and sympathises even with the faults of a friend. Or because he knows a friend should be an image of God, he conducts himself prudently, guarding himself, and possessing no wickedness of the enemy, bears tranquil thoughts. Didymus the Blind, On Proverbs, fragment   1 Prov 12.26 LXX

Happy In The World

Μάστιξ δὲ παρὰ Κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς.   Ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἄνθρωπον τοιαῦτα κατὰ Θεοῦ λαλοῦντα ὑγιαίνοντα τῷ σώματι, βλέποντα, τὰ αἰσθητήρια σώζοντα, καὶ δοκοῦντα ἐνίοτε καὶ ἐν τοῖς κοσμικοῖς εὐτυχεῖν· ὅρα, ὅτι πεπλήρωται ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ὄντος τό· Μάστιξ δὲ παρὰ Κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Τον Ιὠβ, Κεφ ΚΑ'  Source: Migne PG 17 77

The whip of The Lord is not upon them... 1 If you observe that a man who speaks things against God is healthy in his body and endowed with good eyesight and unimpaired in his senses, who it seems that whenever he turns to worldly affairs prospers, understand, that it has been fulfilled concerning this impious one: 'The whip of the Lord is not upon them...' Origen, On Job, Chap 21  1 Job 21.9

Defective Speech

Περὶ βλασφήμου καὶ μεγαλοῤῥήμονος.  Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγων· Ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐὰν καταράσηται Θεὸν, ἁμαρτίαν λήψεται· ὁ ὀνομάζων δὲ ὄνομα Κυρίου, λίθοις λιθοβολείτω αὐτὸν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Μὴ ἐξελθέτω μεγαλοῤῥημοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν. Τί ἐτόλμησεν ἡ καρδία σου, ὅτι θυμὸν ἔῤῥηξας ἔναντι Κυρίου;  Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, γλῶσσαν μεγαλοῤῥήμονα· τοὺς εἰπόντας, Τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡμῶν μεγαλυνοῦμεν, τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστι·τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν;  Ἀφανισθήσεται Σαμάρεια, ὅτι ἀντεῖπε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῆς· ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ πεσοῦνται αὐτοὶ, καὶ τὰ ὑποτίτθια αὐτῶν ἐδαφισθήσονται. Μεθύσατε αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἐπὶ Κύριον ἐμεγαλύνθη. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐπειδὴ δέδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου ὡς καρδίαν Θεοῦ, ἰδοὺ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ σὲ ἀλλοτρίους, λοιμοὺς ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἐκκενώσουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς ἐπιστήμης σου, καὶ στρώσουσι τὸ κάλλος σου εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Φιλάνθρωπον πνεῦμα σοφίας, καὶ οὐ κατορθώσει βλάσφημον ἀπὸ χειλέων αὐτοῦ. Πᾶσα ἁμαρτία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις·  τῷ δὲ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα βλασφημήσαντι οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ὁ μὲν ἁμαρτάνων, παραβαίνει νόμον· ὁ δὲ βλασφημῶν, εἰς αὐτὴν ἀσεβεῖ τὴν Θεότητα. Τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει βλασφημοῦντας, σωφρόνιζε· κἂν ἀκούσῃς τινὸς ἐν ἀμφόδῳ, ἢ ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ἐπιτίμησον, κἂν πληγὰς ἐπιθεῖναι δέῃ, μὴ παραιτήσῃ.Ῥάπισον αὐτοῦ τὴν ὄψιν, σύντριψον αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα, ἁγίασόν σου τὴν χεῖρα διὰ τῆς πληγῆς. Κἂν ἐγκαλῶσί τινες, κἂν εἰς δικαστήριον ἕλκωσιν, ἀκολούθησον. Καθάπερ ὁ λίθον ἀκοντίζων εἰς τὸ ὕψος, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὲν τὸ σῶμα διατεμεῖν οὐ δύναται, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος φθάσαι ἐκεῖνο, τὴν δὲ πληγὴν τῇ ἰδίᾳ δέχεται κορυφῇ, πρὸς τὸν ἀκοντίσαντα ἐπανιόντος τοῦ λίθου· οὕτως καὶ ὁ βλασφημῶν εἰς τὴν μακαρίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐσίαν, ἐκείνην οὐ παραβλάψει ποτὲ, πολλῷ μείζονα οὖσαν καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν· κατὰ δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς τὸ ξίφος ἀκονᾷ, ἀγνώμων περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γενόμενος. Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Δαμασκηνός, Τὰ Ιἐρα Παραλληλα, Στοικειον Β'  Τιτλ Ηʹ. Migne PG 95 1285-1288

On Blasphemy and Proud Speech The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'A man who curses God shall bear his sin; he who uses the name of the Lord shall be stoned by all the gathering of the sons of Israel.' 1 'Let not a proud word pass out your mouth.' 2 'For what dares your heart that impassioned you would rise up against the Lord?' 3   The Lord destroys all the lips of the cunning, the tongues of the proud speakers, those who say, 'Our tongues we magnify, our lips are ours; who is our Lord?' 4 'He shall obliterate Samaria, for it has spoken against its God. By the sword they shall fall and the babes at breast shall be cast down to the ground.' 5 'Make him drunk, because he has spoken against the Lord.' 6   Thus says the Lord: Because you claim your heart as the heart of a God, behold I shall lead over you foreigners and pestilence from the nations, and they shall draw out their swords over you, and over the beauty of your knowledge, and they shall crush down your beauty into the dust.' 7 'Benevolent is the spirit of wisdom and it does not let blasphemy come from its lips.' 8 'Every sin shall be forgiven men; yet if a man blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, he shall not be forgiven, not in this age, nor the age to come.' 9 'He who sins indeed violates the law, but he who blasphemes against the Divine name is impious.' 10   Chastise those who blaspheme in the city. And if you hear them in the street, or in the forum, denounce them. And even if the matter should come to blows, do not hesitate to do this. Set yourself against his face, smash his mouth, sanctify your hands through blows. And even if they accuse you, even if they haul you off to judgement, do this. 11   As he who casts a stone into the air, and for certain it cleaves the air above, yet it is not able to come to the heights, rather it may just fall with a blow on his own head, so like a stone thrown in this manner is he who utters contumacious and impious words against the blessed of God. Certainly he does no harm to Him who is at such a far distance and height, but truly in his own soul he drives a sword, senseless concerning the doing of good deeds. 12   Saint John of Damascus, Sacred Parallels, Part 2, Chap 8 1 Levit 24.15 2 1 Kings 2.3 3 Job 15.12 4 Ps 11.3,4 5 Hosea 14.1 6 Jerem 48.20 7 Ezek 28. 6-7 8 Wis 1.6 9 Mt 12.31 10 Basil 11 Chrysostom 12 Chrys Hom 3 On the Incomprehensible.

Soul Haters

Κύριος ἐξετάζει τὸν δίκαιον καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ· ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν ἀδικίαν μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῠ ψυχὴν, κ.τ.ἐ. Διὸ πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ὡς ἄν τις μισῶν ἐπιβουλεύει τῇ ἰδίᾳ ψυχῇ. Ὥωπερ οὖν ὁ πράττων τὸ δίκαιον αὐτὸν ἀγαπᾷ, ἑαυτόν τε καὶ τὸν πλησίον εὐεργετῶν, τῷ εἰς ἁρετὴν αὐτὸν ἄγρειν ὡς ἑαυτον. Ἀσεβῆ δὲ νῦν λέγει τὸν διὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν καταφρονοῦντα Θεοῦ, ὅς καὶ κρίνεται μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου, ὡς πολλαχόθον δῆλον, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐν Γενέσει· Καὶ ἔσται δίκαιος ὡς ὁ ἀσεβής· ὁ γὰρ πάντη ἄθεος οὐκ ἀναστήσεται ἐν κρίσει. Κἂν μὴ λέγῃ τις, ὅτι μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, ἐλεγχεται διὰ τοῦ ἀδικίαν ἀγαπᾷν μισῶν αὐτήν· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀκολασίαν ἀγαπῶν, ἢ δειλίαν, ἢ ἀφροσύνην. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Ι'

'The Lord interrogates the righteous and the impious; he who loves iniquity hates his own soul,' etc 1 For everyone who sins is like one who in hatred ambushes his own soul. And likewise he who acts righteously loves his soul, and concerning himself and his neighbour he acts well, so he leads both to virtue at the same time. It says the impious by sinning spurns God, he who with the righteous is judged, which is found in many places, and certainly in that passage of Genesis: 'And shall it be so with the righteous as with the impious?' 2 For he who is utterly without God shall not rise in judgement. 3 And even if he says that he does not hate his own soul, he shows that he does hate it by his love of iniquity, and in like manner it is with the one who loves incontinence and indolence and foolishness. Origen, On the Psalms, from Psalm 10 1 Ps 10. 6 2 Gen 18.25 3 Ps 1.5

The Wisdom of the Age

Et veniat super me misericordia tua, Domine, salutare tuum secundum eloquium tuum, et respondebo exprobrantibus mihi verbum quia speravi in sermonibus tuis et ne auferas de ore meo verbum veritatis usquequaque quia in iudiciis tuis speravi, et custodiam legem tuam semper in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi et ambulabam in latitudine quia mandata tua exquisivi, et loquebar de testimoniis tuis in conspectu regum et non confundebar et meditabor in mandatis tuis quae dilexi nimis et levavi manus meas ad mandata tua quae dilexi vehementer et exercebor in tuis iustificationibus. Plures secundum Apostolum sunt qui sapientiam saeculi sequentes, sapientiam Dei reprobaverunt : ob quod stultam fecit Deus saeculi sapientiam. Quid enim infidelibus stultius est, qui praeter illum communem irreligiosorum errorem etiam hoc adjiciunt piaculi, ut divina Scripturarum eloquia putent perfectae doctrinae carere ratione? Et quia pro impietate ingenii sui divinorum dictorum capaces esse non possunt, ad contumeliam coelestium verborum pro excusatione hebetudinis suae prorumpunt, dicentes, nihil in his rationabile, nihil esse perfectum: volentes ea quae a se dicantur, sola esse erudita, et doctrinis verae prudentiae expolita; stulti Deo negantes, quae assumere ipsi sibi audent. Nec mirum est, si irreligiose de eis opinantur, quorum pecudeae hebetudinis modo, intelligentiam non consequnntur. Verum quamvis in eo sermone, quem superius habuimus, his qui sapientiam Dei sequuntur, cognitam dictorum coelestium perfectionem existimam, nihilque eorum esse, quod non consummatum atque omni ex parte perfectum sit. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum LVIII

And your mercy came upon me, O Lord, your salvation according to your word and I shall reply to those who reproached me because I hoped in your words and you did not take from my mouth the word of truth at all because in your judgements I have hoped, and I shall guard your laws always, into eternity, and I walked in freedom because your commandments I sought out, and I spoke concerning your testimony in the sight of kings and I was not confounded, and I meditated on your commandments which I loved deeply and I rose up my hands to your commandments with I loved zealously and I exerted myself in your justifications. 1 Many, according to the Apostle, are those who following the wisdom of the age have reproved the wisdom of God, 2 on account of which God has made foolish the wisdom of the age. For what is more stupid than the unfaithful who after their common error of impiety, thrust forward another fault, that they think that the speech of Divine Scripture lacks the reason of perfect teaching? And because on account of the impiety of their own minds they are not able to grasp the Divine words, with excuse of its dullness they burst forth in contumacious attack on the heavenly words, saying that nothing in these things is reasonable, nothing perfect, wishing that only the things that they say be learned and that they possess the refined and true and most wise teaching, these fools refusing God, who dare to claim these things as their own. But it is no wonder, if the irreligious think such things, for just like dull cattle, they do not have understanding. Truly, though, in the passage which we have given above, I judge that the perfect knowledge of the celestial speech is given to those who follow the wisdom of God and nothing of it is flawed, and in every part it is perfect. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, from Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 58 1 Ps 118 41 - 48 2 1 Cor 1. 19-20

An Abandoned Soul

Ἠλλοτρίωται τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ψυχή σου, καὶ πῶς με προέτρεψας πέμψαι σοι λόγον τινὰ ὠφέλιμον, ἀνθρώπῳ εἰωθότι παίζειν τὰ θεϊα, καθάπερ τὰ βέβηλα; Πῶς γὰρ ἂν καὶ λαλήσω εἰς νενεκρωμένον, καὶ ἀνήκοον οὖς; 'Πῶς ᾄσομαι τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας,' ἔνθα ἐχῖνοι, καὶ ἴβεις, καὶ νυκτικόρακες τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων ἐννοσσεύουσι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον; ἔνθα ὀνοκένταυροι καὶ δαίμονες ὀρχοῦνται διὰ παντὸς, καὶ κόρακες κράζουσι.  Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΜΓ' Φαυστιανῳ

Your soul has been estranged from God and so with what reason do you turn to send to me for assistance, you a man accustomed to jest over things Divine, as over things profane? How shall I speak to one who has died and is deaf of ear. 'How shall I sing a song of the Lord in an alien land,' 1 there where, according to what is written, hedgehogs and goats and night owls take their place in the most wretched of souls? There where monsters and demons dance and the crows cry out. 2  Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 43 To Faustinus 1 Ps 136.4 2 cf Is 34.11-14

Councils of the Impious and the Law

Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὅς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, κ. τ. ἑ  Βουλὴ ἀσεβῶν ἐστι λογισμὸς ἐμπαθὴς αἰσθητοῖς πράγμασι τὸν νοῦν προσδεσμῶν. Οὐκ εἶπε δὲ, «ἄνθρωπος,» ἀλλ' «ἀνὴρ,» ὅτι πρὸς ἀγῶνας καὶ πάλας καὶ μάχας τὰς ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς καλεῖ· καὶ βούλε ται καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἀῤῥενώπους καὶ ἀνδρείας εἶναι. Μακαριότης δὲ, ψυχῆς ἀπάθεια μετὰ γνώσεως τῶν ὄντων ἀληθοῦς. Καθέδρα λοιμῶν ἐστι λογικῆς ψυχῆς ἕξις χειρίστη, καθ' ἣν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους διδάσκει· καὶ νομικοὶ, οἳ καὶ κληθεῖεν ἂν ἀσεβεῖς καὶ λοιμοὶ, καὶ ἁμαρτωλοί. Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

Blessed the male who does not go into the council of the impious, etc 1 The council of the impious is agitated thought taking to sensible deeds for the binding of a mind. It does not say, ' 'Blessed the man,' but  'Blessed the male' because to battles and struggles and fights one is called to take up virtue, and he wishes both women and men to be strong in this. And blessed the soul inured to suffering with the knowledge of the truth. The seat of pestilence is of him who possessing a degenerate soul teaches others, and those who by use of the law call others to be impious, pestilential and sinners. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.1

The Reward of the Impious

'Non sic impii.' Illa universa genera praemiorum quae de justo diximus, impius non accipiet. 'Non sic impii.' Non dixit, non sic peccatores; si enim de peccatoribus dixisset, omnes alieni eramus. 'Non sic impii.' Inter impium et peccatorem hoc interest: qui impius est, negat Deum: qui peccator est, confitetur et peccat. 'Non sic impii. In quibusdam legitur, 'non sic' hoc secundo. 'Non sic impii, non sic.' Sed sciamus quia in Hebraico semel positum est. Diximus de sancto viro, et comparationem ejus. 'Et erit tamquam lignum, quod pantatum est secus decursus aquarum.' Nunc contrario de impio dicitur. Sicut justus vir comparatur ligno: sic impius comparatur pulveri, quam projicit ventus a facie terrae. Pulvis licet de terra sit, tamen desinit esse terra. 'sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae.' Videte quid dicitur, tam infelix erit impius, ut nec terrens quidem sit pulvis. Videtur quidem non habere substantiam, sed habet terrae suam substantiam. Nihil habet substantiam, sed habet suam substantiam. Nihil habet solidum; sed quod habet, ad poenam habet. Huc illucque dispergitur. Numquam in uno loco est. Quocumque ventus traxerit, illuc impetus ejus dirigitur. Sic et impius qui semel negaverit Deum, quecumque illum aura diaboli traxerit, illuc errore perducitur. Quoniam diximus quid sit justus, et cui comparetur: quid sit impius, et cui comparetur: et de praesenti caecute diximus; nunc debemus de futuro et aeterno cognoscere. Sanctus Hieronymous, Liber De Expositione Psalmorum, Psalmus Primus

'Not so the impious.'1 All the rewards the righteous man will receive which we have spoken of, the impious shall not have: 'Not so the impious' It does not say, 'not so the sinners,' for if it did speak about sinners we would all have been denied. 'Not so the impious'  Between the impious and the sinner this is the difference: he who is impious denies God, he who is a sinner confesses God and sins. 'Not so the impious.' In this reading 'not so' is repeated but we know that in the Hebrew it is written just once. We have spoken concerning the holy man and his comparison, ' And he shall be like a tree which is planted near flowing waters.' Now of the impious let it be said that as the righteous man is compared to a tree so the impious man is compared to dust which is blown forth by the wind from the face of the earth. Dust does come from the earth, however it is not the earth. 'But as dust which the wind blows forth from the face of the earth.' See what is said, how unhappy the impious shall be, that not earth is what is dust. He seems not to have any substance, but he has the substance of the earth. He has no substance but he has his own substance. There is nothing solid but what he has for punishment. Hither and thither he is blown. He is in no one place. Wherever the wind has dragged him, by that force he is drawn. So even the impious who once has denied God, the breath of the devil buffets him and leads him into error. And because we have spoken of the righteous man and to what he is comparable, so it may be with the impious man and to what is comparable, and having spoken of his present blindness, now we may know his future and eternity. Saint Jerome, Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.4

The Fate of the Impious

Non sic impii, non sic: sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae  Non est impiis comparativae hujus beatitudinis spes relicta, sed vagum os, obtritum, bentilatum, dispersum et inquietum manet, ut ex illa corporalis soliditatis firmitate decussi, ludibrio pulveris differantur in poenam: non in nihilum dissoluti, ut sit in his materies poenae; sed in inane ac leve aridumque pretriti, it ludibriosa poenae mobilitate jactentur. Cujus poenae et loco altero idem propheta meminit, dicens: 'Comminuam eos ut pulverem ante faciem venti, it lutum platearum delebo illos.' Comparatio itaque ut beatitudiniis, ita et poenae est contituta. Quomodo enim nullus labor est vento pulverem dissipare, et quomodo lutum in plateis ingredientes se prope calcasse non sentiunt: ita poenae illi inferni facile est impios delere atque dispergere, quos peccatorum ratio et in lutum solverit, et comminuerit in pulverem, non relicta neque substantia firmitatis, cum pulvis et lutm sint; et per id quod pulvis et lutm sunt, in naturam tantum poenalis substantiae reservati. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum Primum

Not so the impious, not so, but they are as dust which the wind drives away from the face of the earth. The impious have no possible hope of having the image of the happy tree applied to them; the only lot that awaits them is one of wandering and winnowing, crushing, dispersion and unrest. Shaken out of the solid framework of their bodily condition, they must be swept away to punishment in dust, a plaything of the wind. They shall not be dissolved into nothing, however, for punishment must find in them some stuff to work on, but rather ground into particles, and so weightless, unsubstantial and dry they shall be tossed to and fro the amusement of ceaseless punishment. And their punishment is recorded by the same Prophet in another place where he says: 'I will beat them small as the dust before the wind, like the mire of the streets I will destroy them.'1 Thus as there is an appointed type for happiness, so is there one for punishment. For as it is no hard task for the wind to scatter the dust, and as men who walk through the mud of the streets are hardly aware that they have been treading on it, so it is easy for the punishment of hell to destroy and disperse the ungodly, the logical result of whose sins is to melt them into mud and crush them into dust, bereft of all solid substance, for dust and mud they are, and being merely mud and dust are good for nothing else than punishment. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 17.43

Dust and Earth and Pride

Non sic impii, non sic: sed tamquam pulvis quem proicit ventus a facie terrae. Terra hic accipienda est ipsa stabilitas in Deo, secundum quam dicitur: Dominus pars haereditatis meae, etenim haereditas mea praeclara est mihi; secundum hanc dicitur: Sustine Dominum, et observa vias eius, et exaltabit te, ut possideas terram; secundum hanc dicitur: Beati mites, quia ipsi haereditate possidebunt terram. Similitudo autem hinc ducta est; quia ut haec terra visibilis exteriorem hominem nutrit et continet, ita illa terra invisibilis interiorem hominem. A cuius terrae facie proicit ventus impium, id est superbia, quia inflat. Quam cavens ille qui inebriabatur ab ubertate domus Dei, et torrente voluptatis eius potabatur, dicit: Non veniat mihi pes superbiae. Ab hac terra proiecit superbia eum qui dixit: Ponam sedem meam ad Aquilonem, et ero similis Altissimo. Ab huius terrae facie proiecit etiam eum qui, cum consensisset et gustasset de prohibito ligno, ut esset sicut Deus, abscondit se a facie Dei. Hanc terram ad interiorem hominem pertinere, et inde superbia hominem proici, maxime intellegi potest in eo quod scriptum est: Quid superbit terra et cinis? quoniam in vita sua proiecit intima sua; unde enim proiectus est, non absurde se dicitur proiecisse. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarratio in Psalmum I

Not so the impious, not so, but they are like the dust which the wind blows forth from the face of the earth 1 The earth is here to be understood as that steadfastness in God, accordingly it is said, 'The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, mine is indeed a wondrous inheritance.'2 And on account of this it is said, 'Wait on the Lord and keep His ways, and He shall exalt you to inherit the earth.' 3 And on account of this it is said, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' 4 A comparison also is drawn from this, for as this visible earth supports and contains the outer man, so does that invisible earth the inner man. From the face of that earth the wind blows forth the impious man, that is, the pride by which he is inflated. Which on guard against, he who was inebriated by the richness of the house of the Lord, and who drank of the rushing stream of its delights, says, 'Let not the foot of pride come against me.' 5 From this earth pride cast forth him who said, 'I will place my seat in the north, and I will be like the Most High.' 6 From the face of the earth it cast forth him also who, after he had consented and tasted of the forbidden tree that he might be as God, hid himself from the Face of God.7 That this earth pertains to the inner man, and that pride blows forth the man, may be especially understood in that which is written: 'Why is earth and ashes proud? Because in his life he cast forth his bowels.' 8 Because he cast forth, it is not unreasonably said that he has cast forth himself. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Commentary on Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.4 2 Ps15.5 3 Ps 36.34 4 Mt 5:5 5 Jn 4.10, 13 -14  6 Is 14:13-14 7 Gen 3:8 8 Sir 10:9-10

The Impious And Judgement

Διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει. Διὰ τοῦτο μὲν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν, ἀλλ' ὁμοίους εἶναι χοϊ γῆς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου ῥιπιζομένῳ· ἄνεμον δὲ νοήσεις τὴν πειλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν λέγουσαν· Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον. Οἱ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀκούσαντες φωνὴν καταπεσοῦνται δικαίως· οὐ γὰρ ἐστήκασιν εἰς Χριστὸν, ὅς ἐστι πιστευόντων στήριγμα καὶ θεμέλιος· τὸ γὰρ εἰς κρίσι φησὶν, οὐκ εἰς ἐρώτησιν. Ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ δικαίων, λέγει· ἀφορίζει γὰρ τοὺς δικαίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶ. Ψευδό Ἀθανάσιος, Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Α'

'Therefore the impious will not rise in judgement.' 1 Because of this: they have no root, but like dust from the earth they are swept away, and you should understand the warning of God who says, 'Begone from me, you accursed ones, to everlasting fire.' 2 And having heard this, it is rightly said that they fall away, for they have not stood with Christ, who is the foundation and support of the faithful. In judgement he has spoken and not as a question. 'In the council of the the righteous,' it says. For the righteous shall be separated from sinners. Pseudo Athanasius, Expositions of the Psalms, from Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.5 2 Mt 15.41

The Fruit of The Impious

Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἢ ὡσεὶ χοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς.   Ὁ μὲν μακάριος τοιοῦτος οἷον ὁ λόγος διέγραψεν· σπάνιος δὲ οὗτος καὶ ἐν ὀλίγοις εὑρισκόμενος. Πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οἵτινες ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες τῷ μακαρίῳ διαβέβληνται. Καρπὸν γὰρ πρόσκαιρον καὶ σκεδαστὸν, καὶ ἀπολλύμενον κτησάμενοι, γεγόνασιν ὡς ὁ χοῦς ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους. ψαλμος Α' Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος

Not so with the impious, not so, but they are as dust with the wind blows forth from the face of the earth. 1 The type of the blessed man has been described, and indeed men like this are few and rare. But the impious are numerous, who, having nothing of what is blessed, are condemned. Their fruit is only for a moment and scattered and being born it is destroyed, and they are as the dust which the wind drives forth from the face of the earth. Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1, Eusebius of Caesarea 1 Ps 1.4

The Impious and Death

Unde illi intende, de quo dicit Propheta: Qui non accepit in vanum animam suam. In vanum accepit animam suam (ut jam de hujus vitae dicamus molestiis) qui saecularia struit, aedificat corporalia. Quotidie ad edendum et bibendum surgimus, et nullus expletur, ut non post momentum esuriat ac sitiat. Quotidie lucrum quaerimus, et nullus cupiditati modus ponitur. Non satiabitur, inquit, oculus visu, nec auris auditu. Qui diligit argentum, non satiatur argento. Nullus finis laboris, et nullus est fructus abundantiae. Cupimus quotidie scire nova; et quid est ipsa scientia, nisi quotidiani doloris adjectio? Omnia quae sunt jam fuerunt, et nihil sub sole est novum, sed omnia vanitas. Totam vitam odio habui , dixit Ecclesiastes. Qui vitam odio habuit, mortem utique praedicavit. Denique mortuos laudavit magis quam viventes; et illum judicavit beatum, qui in hanc vitam non venit, nec inanem hunc suscepit laborem. Circuivit, inquit, cor meum, ut scirem impii laetitiam, et considerarem, et quaererem sapientiam, et numerum, et ut scirem per imperium laetitiam, et molestiam, et jactationem; et inveni ego eam amariorem, quam mortem: non quia amara sit mors, sed quia impio amara; et tamen amarior vita quam mors. Gravius est enim ad peccatum vivere, quam in peccato mori; quia impius quamdiu vivit, peccatum auget: si moriatur, peccare desinit. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Bono Mortis

Whence to this attend, of which the Psalmist says, 'He who has not received his soul in vain.'1 In vain he receives his soul (so now let us speak of this troubled life) who fashions a worldly life, building up the flesh. Every day we rise to eating and drinking and no one is satisfied, since not even after a moment one may hunger and thirst. Every day we seek wealth and no one places a limit on avarice. 'The eye shall not be satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing.'2 He who loves coin shall not be satisfied with coin. No end of labour, and no abundance of fruit. We desire every day to know new things and what is this knowledge but to add to grief every day? 'Everything which is now was, and there is nothing new under the sun but all is vanity. For all life I have had hate,'3 says Ecclesiastes. He who has had hate for life has thus spoken of death. Next he praises the dead more than the living and he judges blessed he who has not come into this life, he who has not taken up vain labour here. 'It has surrounded my heart, he said, to know the joy of impiety and I pondered and I sought wisdom and numbers that I might know through rule joy and trouble and boasting, and I found in it more bitter than death,'4 not because death is bitter but because it is bitter to the impious, and yet life is more bitter than death. More burdensome it is to live in sin than to die in sin, because while the impious man lives his sin grows, if he dies his sin ceases. Saint Ambrose, On the Good of Death  1 Ps 23.4  2 Eccl 1.8 3 Eccl 2.17  4 Eccl 7.26