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the prophet came in to her? And for what reason did he write this psalm? For not all the psalms are spoken about David. For all are from him, but not all are spoken about him. For he not only related his own sufferings, but also dramatized the calamities of others. For instance, By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept; it is clear that the psalm is not spoken about him; for he neither went away to Babylon, nor saw the land of barbarians, nor sat in a foreign land and wept; but he relates the sufferings of the Jews. Again when he says: They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones; he is not explaining his own suffering, but was proclaiming the cross, the sacrifice of the world, for the salvation of our race. For it is an image having a varied teaching. Sometimes, therefore, he relates his own affairs, and sometimes those of others. Since, therefore, this psalm also relates the affairs of others, for this reason, When Nathan the prophet came to him, is inscribed. So the inscription does not allow us to be lethargic, nor to wander in our thought; but it stands commanding and teaching such things, and it also teaches other thoughts, which the inscription tells us.

b. But pay attention with exactness, both the righteous and the sinners. For the psalm is useful to each

party; to the righteous, that he may not be slothful; and to the sinner, that he may not despair of his own salvation. For both are hard to grasp. For the righteous who becomes slothful is cast down, and the sinner who despairs does not rise. Therefore, so that neither the one may remain in his fall, nor the other fall down, this salutary psalmody of this melodist is given to each party. I am about to speak, then, of a great and grievous sin of the prophet. But let none of us condemn him. For the philanthropy of God, taking thought for the common race of men, has transformed both the good deeds of the saints and their sins 55.567 into medicines, so that the wounds of some might become medicines for others, and the shipwreck of the righteous man might become a harbor for the sinner. For when the righteous man sins, I no longer despair of my own salvation; when I see that he was brought down from the heavens, his fall becomes for me a foundation for resurrection.

For because of this the grace of the Spirit has remembered not only the good deeds of the righteous, but also their sins. For it did not remember only those things beforehand, but also the things that happened after them. I wish, therefore, to show this noble man wounded, fallen, risen, wrestled, defeated, victorious, crowned. For I show him not only lying in his fall, but also raised up, so that from both you may gain, so that, when you sin, you may not despair, but immediately run to the resurrection; nor say: Woe is me, I am lost, I have committed adultery, I have fornicated, I have murdered. For you have a harbor of salvation that beats back sin. For when you see such a one receiving wounds and being torn apart, run immediately to repentance, and take courage, pouring out fountains of tears, so that through his repentance you may learn more accurately your own salvation. I say something like this: Many times many have fallen, both men and women, into a grievous and incurable disease. Tears were poured out, medicines were spent, medical skill was at a loss, beauty was consumed, the body has given up. The woman then goes about: Where shall I go? What shall I do? I have spent my money, I have called physicians, the medicines were used up; the disease remains, the wound is not healed.

It has often happened that one of the visitors said: I too fell into such a suffering, and so-and-so, or she, applied a medicine to me, and delivered me from the pain. Then she entreats: Show me the woman. Go to the narrow way. So indeed even now, since he committed adultery, and committed murder, and the wound is grievous, I show you

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εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ προφήτης; καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τὸν ψαλμὸν τοῦτον ἔγραψεν; Οὐ γὰρ ἅπαν τες οἱ ψαλμοὶ εἰς τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἰρημένοι εἰσίν. Ἅπαντες μὲν γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῦ, οὐ πάντες δὲ εἰς αὐτὸν εἴρηνται. Οὐ γὰρ τὰ οἰκεῖα πάθη διηγήσατο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἀλλοτρίας συμφορὰς ἐτραγῴδησεν. Οἷον, Ἐπὶ τῶν πο ταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσα μεν· εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ψαλμὸς εἴρηται· οὔτε γὰρ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπῆλθεν, οὔτε εἶδε γῆν βαρβάρων, οὔτε ἐκάθισεν εἰς ἀλλοτρίαν γῆν καὶ ἔκλαυσεν· ἀλλὰ τὰ πάθη τῶν Ἰουδαίων διηγεῖται. Πάλιν ὅταν λέγῃ· Ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου, ἐξηρίθμησαν πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου· οὐ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πάθος ἐξηγεῖται, ἀλλὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, τὴν θυσίαν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκήρυττε, τὴν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ γένους τοῦ ἡμετέρου. Εἰκὼν γάρ ἐστι ποι κίλην ἔχουσα διδασκαλίαν. Ποτὲ μὲν οὖν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ ἀλλότρια διηγεῖται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ ψαλμὸς οὗτος καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια διηγεῖται, διὰ τοῦτο, Ὅτε εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης, ἐπιγέγραπται. Ὥστε ἡ ἐπι γραφὴ οὐ συγχωρεῖ ἡμῖν ληθαργῆσαι, οὐδὲ ἀλλαχοῦ πε ριφέρειν τὴν διάνοιαν· ἀλλ' ἕστηκε τὰ τοιαῦτα προστάτ των καὶ διδάσκων, διδάσκει δὲ καὶ ἕτερα νοήματα, ἅπερ ἡμῖν ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ λέγει.

βʹ. Ἀλλὰ προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οἵ τε δίκαιοι, οἵ τε ἁμαρτωλοί. Ἑκατέρῳ

γὰρ τῷ μέρει χρήσιμος ὁ ψαλμός· τῷ μὲν δικαίῳ, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ ῥᾴθυμος· τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἀπογινώσκῃ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας. Ἀμφότερα γὰρ δυσεπίληπτα. Ὅ τε γὰρ δίκαιος ῥᾳθυμήσας καταβάλλε ται, ὅ τε ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀπογνοὺς οὐκ ἀνίσταται. Ἵνα οὖν μήτε οὗτος ἐν πτώματι μείνῃ, μήτε ἐκεῖνος εἰς πτῶμα καταπέσῃ, ἑκατέρῳ τῷ μέρει σωτηριώδης αὕτη δίδοται τοῦ μελῳδοῦ τούτου ἡ ψαλμῳδία. Μέλλω γοῦν λέγειν ἁμάρτημα τοῦ προφήτου μέγα καὶ χαλεπόν. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς ἡμῶν καταγινωσκέτω. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρω πία τοῦ κοινοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρόνοιαν ποιου μένη, τά τε κατορθώματα τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτή 55.567 ματα εἰς φάρμακα μετέβαλλεν, ἵνα τὰ τῶν ἄλλων τραύ ματα ἑτέροις φάρμακα γένηται, καὶ τὸ τοῦ δικαίου ναυ άγιον τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ λιμὴν καταστῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ δίκαιος ἁμάρτῃ, οὐκέτι ἀπογινώσκω τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ σωτηρίας· ὅταν ἴδω, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν κατηνέχθη, τὸ ἐκείνου πτῶμα ἐμοὶ ὑπόθεσις ἀναστάσεως γίνεται.

∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις οὐ μόνον τῶν κατορθωμάτων τῶν δικαίων ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκείνων προεμνημόνευσε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα γινομένων. Θέλω τοίνυν δεῖξαι τοῦτον τὸν γεν ναῖον ἄνδρα τρωθέντα, πεσόντα, ἀναστάντα, παλαίσαντα, ἡττηθέντα, νικήσαντα, στεφανωθέντα. Οὐ γὰρ δείκνυμι αὐτὸν κείμενον ἐν τῷ πτώματι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐγερθέν τα, ἵνα ἑκατέρωθεν σὺ κερδάνῃς, ἵνα, ὅταν ἁμάρτῃς, μὴ ἀπογνῷς, ἀλλὰ παραυτὰ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν δράμῃς· μηδὲ εἴπῃς· Οἴμοι ἀπωλόμην, ἐμοίχευσα, ἐπόρνευσα, ἐφόνευσα. Ἔχεις γὰρ σωτηρίας λιμένα διακρουόμενον τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς τὸν τοιοῦτον δεξάμενον τραύματα καὶ διασπαραττόμενον, εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὴν μετάνοιαν τρέχε, καὶ παῤῥησιάζου δακρύων πηγὰς ἐκχέων, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἐκείνου μετανοίας ἀκριβέστερον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν μάθῃς. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Πολλοὶ πολλάκις περιέπεσον, καὶ ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, χαλεπῷ νοσήματι καὶ ἀνιάτῳ. ∆ά κρυα ἐξεχύθη, φάρμακα ἐδαπανήθη, ἰατρικὴ ἠπόρησε τέχνη, κάλλος ἀνηλώθη, τὸ σῶμα ἀπηγόρευται Περιέρ χεται λοιπὸν ἡ γυνή· Ποῦ ἀπέλθω; τί ποιήσω; Χρήματα ἀνήλωσα, ἰατροὺς ἐκάλεσα, φάρμακα ἀνηλώθη· μένει τὸ νόσημα, οὐκ ἰάθη τὸ ἕλκος.

Πολλάκις συνέβη τινὰ τῶν ἐπισκεπτομένων εἰπεῖν· Κἀγὼ τοιούτῳ πάθει περι έπεσον, καὶ ὁ δεῖνα, ἢ ἡ δεῖνα περιέθηκάν μοι φάρμα κον, καὶ ἀπήλλαξάν με τῆς ὀδύνης. Εἶτα παρακαλεῖ· ∆εῖξόν μοι τὴν γυναῖκα. Ἄπελθε ἐπὶ τὸν στενωπόν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ ἐμοίχευσε, καὶ φόνον ἐποίησε, τὸ δὲ ἕλκος χαλεπὸν, δείκνυμί σοι