The Devil Standing at the Right Hand
A light cloud is assigned to bring the evangelical rain upon the fruitful crops and to shield from the heat from which the prudent man is saved, according to the proverbial decree: 'A prudent son was saved from the heat.' It also shields from the frost of sin, as it is written: 'As a pit chills water, so its wickedness chills.' To this, one will take allegorically: 'A cold north wind shall blow.'
Taking these things said according to contemplation, having possessed fleshy hearts that resembled God's judgments and commands, we might have been reverent toward God so that we might do right, so that God, benefiting the flesh even more, might engrave a divine writing in them with His living Spirit, not as stones, but to be made perfect so as to face to face with the truth, surpassing the seeing of it iconically and in part.
And the Lord showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the face of an angel of the Lord, and the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him (Zech 3:1).
But God shows great and superlative things that happen, which are neither sensible nor human. Because of this, God shows to the prophet the great priest Joshua not standing humanly, but standing divinely before the face of an angel of the Lord; not merely the son of Josedech as is shown through him, but the truly great priest, who had traversed the heavens, ordained 'according to the order of Melchizedek,' not according to the power of a fleshy commandment for a certain time, but according to an unpassable priesthood; for it has been said of him: 'You are a priest forever' (Ps 110:4). Jesus the great priest was not shown merely as it happened, but standing unshakeable and firmly established, similarly to what was said in the Gospel: 'Jesus cried out saying: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink' (John 7:37).
For everyone coming to him drinks, because he stands ready. Regarding the one standing, he is seen by God in the presence of an angel of the Lord, and the devil was seen standing at his right hand to oppose him., standing in addition to the angel of the great counsel?
And he stood also at the right hand of Judas, as it is said in the 108th Psalm: 'Set the sinner against him, and let the devil stand at his right hand.' But see the great difference in the words; for regarding the one betraying the Savior, he stands at the right hands having already taken them, 'having given place to the devil.' For it is said that 'he cast into his heart to betray' the one who had chosen him as best teacher and also Savior. And after the casting into the heart, he had entered into him in order to work the things of betrayal in him as he works in the children of disobedience. For it is written that 'after the morsel Satan entered into him.'
But the great priest did not stand at the right hands any other way than by opposing him, especially when he attempts to seize those being helped and instructed by him; does he not stand opposing from the right hands when he seeks to exclude those called to faith and the rest of virtue, according to what was said: 'Behold, Satan has asked of you to sift you like wheat, and I have prayed for you,' O Peter, our disciple, 'so that your faith may not fail' (Luke 22:31)?
Regarding not being harmed by those whom he opposes, and they receive authority against him, so that they tread upon all the power of the one opposing hostily, they suffer no harm at all because of hoping in the one who is being crushed under the feet of the saints, the standing and muddy devil; for it is written: 'Everyone having hope in God' (Romans 15:13) will remain without infirmity and undefeated, not fainting, not falling away.
Greek
ἀποδοθείσης κούφης νεφέλης, ὑούσης τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ τῷ καρποὺς σωτηρίους ἀγαγεῖν τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ σκεπάζειν ἀπὸ τοῦ καύματος ἐκείνου ἀφ' οὗ διασῴζεται ὁ νοήμων, κατὰ τὸ παροιμιῶδες θέσπισμα ὧδε ἔχον· «∆ιεσώθη ἀπὸ καύματος υἱὸς νοήμων.» Σκεπάζει δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ κρύους τῆς ἁμαρτίας περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «Ὡς ψύχει λάκκος ὕδωρ, οὕτω ψύχει κακία αὐτῆς.» 1.180 Εἰς τοῦτο ἀλληγορικῶς λήμψει· «Βορέας ψυχρὸς ἄνεμος πνεύσει.» 1.181 Τὰ οὕτω λεχθέντα 18 κατὰ θεωρίαν ἐν νῷ λαβόντες καρδίαν σαρκίνην ἐσχηκότες εἴκουσαν τοῖς Θεοῦ δικαιώμασιν καὶ προστάγμασιν, εὐλάβειαν τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν κατορθώσωμεν, ἵν' ἔτι μᾶλλον εὐεργετῶν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς σαρκίνας καὶ οὐ λιθίνας χαράξῃ ἐν αὐταῖς τῷ ζῶντι αὐτοῦ Πνεύματι γραφὴν θείαν, δι' ἧς ὠφελούμενοι τελειωθείημεν ὥστε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον προσβαλεῖν, ὑπερβάντας τὸ εἰκονικῶς καὶ ἐκ μέρους αὐτὴν θεωρεῖν. 1.182 Zach. III, 1: Καὶ ἔδειξέν μοι Κύριος Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν ἑστῶτα πρὸ προσώπου ἀγγέλου Κυρίου. Καὶ ὁ διάβολος εἱστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἀντικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. 1.183 Ἃ δείκνυσιν Θεὸς μεγάλα καὶ ὑπερφυῆ τυγχάνοντα, οὐκ αἰσθητὰ οὐδ' ἀνθρώπινά ἐστιν. Τούτου οὕτως ἔχοντος, δείκνυσιν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ προφήτῃ τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν Ἰησοῦν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνως, ἀλλὰ θείως ἑστηκότα πρὸ προσώπου ἀγγέλου Κυρίου, οὐ τοσοῦτον τὸν τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ υἱὸν ὅσον τὸν δι' αὐτοῦ δηλούμενον, τὸν ἀληθῶς μέγαν ἱερέα, τὸν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς διεληλυθότα, τὸν «κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ» ἱερώμενον, οὐ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐντολῆς σαρκίνης μέχρι καιροῦ τινος κειμένην, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀπαράβατον ἱερωσύνην· εἴρηται γὰρ πρὸς αὐτόν· «Σὺ εἶ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» 1.184 Οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν δὲ ἐδείχθη ὑπὸ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦς ὁ μέγας ἱερεύς, ἀλλ' ἑστὼς ἀκλόνητος καὶ βεβαίως ἱδρύμενος, παραπλησίως τῷ λεχθέντι ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Ἑστὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκέκραγεν λέγων· Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ πᾶς ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρὸς αὐτὸν πίνει, ὅτι ἕστηκεν παραμόνως. 1.185 Πρὸς τῷ δὲ ἑστῶτα αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν, δεικνύντος τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸ προσώπου ἀγγέλου Κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ὤφθη ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἀντικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. Τίσιν δὲ ἔδει ἐναντιοῦσθαι καὶ ἀντικεῖσθαι τὸν διάβολον, ἢ τοῖς δεξιοῖς τοῦ δειχθέντος ὑπὸ Κυρίου, ἑστηκότος ἐπίπροσθεν τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῦ τῆς μεγάλης βουλῆς; 1.186 Ἔστη δὲ καὶ ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Ἰούδα, ὡς ἐν ἑκατοστῷ ὀγδόῳ Ψαλμῷ λέγεται· «Κατάστησον ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἁμαρτωλόν, καὶ ὁ διάβολος στήτω ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ.» 1.187 Ἀλλ' ὅρα γε διαφορὰν πολλὴν ἐν ταῖς λέξεσιν· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ προδόντος τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς ἵσταται προκατειληφότος αὐτά, «τόπον δεδωκότος τῷ διαβόλῳ». Εἴρηται γὰρ ὅτι «ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ προδοῦναι» τὸν ἐκλεξάμενον αὐτὸν ἄριστον διδάσκαλον ἅμα καὶ Σωτῆρα. Καὶ μετὰ τὸ βαλεῖν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν, εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἵν' ἐνεργῇ τὰ τῆς προδοσίας ἐν αὐτῷ ὡς ἐνεργεῖ ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας. Γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι «μετὰ τὸ ψωμίον εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁ Σατανᾶς». 1.188 Τοῦ δὲ μεγάλου ἱερέως οὐκ ἄλλως ἕστηκεν ἐκ δεξιῶν ἢ τῷ ἀντικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ, μάλιστα ὅτε πορθεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖ τοὺς ὠφελουμένους καὶ παιδευομένους ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· ἦ οὐκ ἀντικειμένως ἐκ δεξιῶν ἵσταται, ὅτε ἐξαιτεῖται τοὺς εἰς τὴν πίστιν καὶ λοιπὴν ἀρετὴν κεκλημένους, κατὰ τὸ λεχθέν· «Ἰδοὺ ἐξῃτήσατο ὑμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς τοῦ σινιάσαι ὡς τὸν σῖτον, κἀγὼ ἐδεήθην ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν», ὦ Πέτρε μαθητὰ ἡμέτερε, «ἵνα μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἡ πίστις σου»; 1.189 Πρὸς τῷ μὴ βλαβῆναι δὲ οἷς ἀντίκειται, καὶ ἐξουσίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ λαμβάνουσιν, ἵνα πατῶσιν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθρικῶς ἀντικειμένου, βλάβην οὐδ' ὅλως ὑφιστάμενοι διὰ τὸ ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ τὸν συντρίβοντα ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἁγίων τὸν στασιώδη καὶ λυμεῶνα διάβολον· γέγραπται γάρ· «Πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν» ἄβλητος καὶ ἀκλόνητος μενεῖ, οὐ ψαύοντος, οὐχ ἁπτομένου