he speaks nothing to them; which he also does up to this day; for the crowds do not comprehend the interpretation of parables. But pay attention also to, "Leaving the crowds, he went into his house," very wisely recorded since it was not possible for the crowds to come together with him, but only those who were distinct from the crowds, who were his disciples, and able to have the confidence to enter into the house of Jesus. There, not as those who are outside, but having comprehended what it is to be inside, coming to the teacher, they ask to learn the inner meaning of the parables. And since they were able to follow him as he entered the house, for this reason, in response to, "Explain the parable to us," he said what he said. And not only does Jesus go out of his own house, so that having gone outside he might speak the parables to those outside, but he also sits by the sea, hinting that the crowds and those outside are not far from the waves of the sea and its salt water. But observe that to Jesus, who had gone out of the house and was sitting by the sea, great crowds gathered; but no longer great crowds, but the few who travel the narrow and afflicted way, and who find the way leading to life, the disciples, enter to him into the house. Examining, therefore, with a word befitting the gospel, according to my ability, and the will of Jesus who got into the boat, and who speaks in parables to all the crowd by the shore, I say, perhaps the word to the crowds, not being stable, nor standing firm, but being in the water of the sea, speaks while being carried upon that which, as is possible, is able to be stable upon the water; which is called a boat. But do not be surprised if such thoughts have been presented more beautifully, so that one might not think that the one outside and the crowd, nor that there is any hidden meaning possessed of dense refinement laid up for the evangelical disposition; for it was the work of the administering grace, the word of God. But I also try to hear more deeply both, "And the disciples came and said to him, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?'" and, "Leaving the crowds, he went into his house; and his disciples came to him, saying, 'Explain the parable to us.'" For the crowds, if they hear a parable, never pay attention to it needing explanation; but the disciples, seeing that he speaks to the crowds in parables, because they are outside, follow Jesus when he leaves the crowds, and seeing that they cannot learn the things of the parables elsewhere than by entering into the house of Jesus, they both enter to him and, coming to him, they say, "Explain the parable to us," about which they wish to learn. But such indeed is the parable. And next is the obscure saying. There are, therefore, in the Scriptures some things deliberately said so obscurely, that one could not grasp even the slightest thing in them without much and great examination, being confused both in phrasing, and in thought, 13.24 and in the composition of the language; which things I believe to be what is called in a book an obscure saying. I will set forth an example of such things from the Psalms, from the 31st psalm, the things spoken thus: "Because I kept silent, my bones grew old," and the rest. And it is simply possible to understand the saying in terms of its meaning, as we shall show; but of the obscure saying, not even that; such as that also in Isaiah: "Woe to the land of the wings of ships, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, sending hostages in the sea and papyrus letters upon the water." But to clarify and understand each of these, illuminating their obscurity with an explanation, is not for the present time, so that we may not make many and untimely digressions. But it is sufficient to clarify only the saying from the psalm in this way. For as long as I cried out, hymning God, and speaking of God through the whole day, nothing of me grew old, but rather I was being renewed. But when, ceasing from speaking the things of theology, I fell silent, then old age penetrated even to my bones, and to what seemed to be the firmest things in me. And upon this followed your hand becoming heavy against me night and day, and for this reason from

οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς λαλεῖ· ὃ καὶ μέχρι τῆς δεῦρο ποιεῖ· οἱ γὰρ ὄχλοι οὐ χωροῦσι παραβολῶν ἑρμηνείαν. Πρόσχες δὲ καὶ τῷ, Ἀφεὶς τοὺς ὄχλους εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰ κίαν αὑτοῦ, πάνυ συνετῶς ἀναγεγραμμένῳ ἐπὶ μὴ οἷόν τε ἦν τοὺς ὄχλους αὐτῷ συνελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ μόνους τοὺς διαφέροντας παρὰ τοὺς ὄχλους, οἵτινες ἦσαν μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δυνάμενοι παῤῥησίαν ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ἐκεῖ, οὐχ ὡς οἱ ὄντες ἔξω, ἀλλὰ χωρήσαντες τὸ γενέσθαι ἔσω, προσελθόντες τῷ διδασκάλῳ, τὸν ἔσω νοῦν ἀξιοῦσι τῶν παραβολῶν μαθεῖν. Καὶ ἐπείπερ ἐχώρησαν αὐ τῷ ἀκολουθῆσαι εἰσιόντι εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἀπο κριθεὶς πρὸς τὸ, Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν, εἶ πεν ἃ εἶπεν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐξέρχεται τῆς οἰκίας αὑ τοῦ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἵνα τοῖς ἔξω ἔξω γενόμενος λαλήσῃ τὰς παραβολὰς, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν καθ ίζεται, αἰνισσόμενος, ὅτι οἱ ὄχλοι καὶ οἱ ἔξω τῶν τῆς θαλάσσης κυμάτων, καὶ τοῦ ἁλμυροῦ ὕδατος αὐτῆς, οὐκ εἰσὶ μακράν. Παρατήρει δὲ, ὅτι πρὸς μὲν τὸν ἐξελθόντα τῆς οἰκίας καὶ καθήμενον παρὰ τὴν θάλασ σαν Ἰησοῦν συνήχθησαν ὄχλοι πολλοί· οὐκ ἔτι δὲ ὄχλοι πολλοὶ, ἀλλ' οἱ τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην ὁδεύοντες ὀλίγοι, καὶ εὑρίσκοντες τὴν ἐπάγουσαν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν ὁδὸν μαθηταὶ εἰσέρχονται πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν. Λόγῳ τοίνυν τὸ πρέπον εὐαγγελικῷ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐξετάζων, καὶ τῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ βουλήματι ἐμ βάντος εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ λέγοντος παντὶ τῷ ὄχλῳ τῷ παρὰ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν ἐν παραβολαῖς, φημὶ, μήποτε ὁ λόγος τοῖς ὄχλοις οὐ βεβηκὼς, οὐδὲ ἑστὼς, ἀλλ' ἐν ὕδατι θαλάσσης τυγχάνων, λαλεῖ ὀχούμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ, ὡς οἷόν τε ἐστὶ, δυναμένου βεβηκέναι ἐπὶ ὕδατος· ὅπερ πλοῖον εἴρηται. Μὴ θαυμάσῃς δὲ, εἰ τὰ τοιαῦτα νοήματα ὡραιότερον ἐνήνεκται, ὡς ἂν τὸν ἔξω καὶ τὸν ὄχλον μὴ νομίσαι, μηδὲ νοῦν τινα εἶναι κεκρυμ μένον καὶ ἐχόμενον πυκνῆς γλαφυρότητος τὸν τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ διαθέσει ἀποκείμενον· καὶ γὰρ ἦν τῆς οἰκονομούσης χάριτος τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον, ἔργον. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὸ, Προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· ∆ιὰ τί ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς αὐτοῖς; καὶ τὸ, Ἀφεὶς τοὺς ὄχλους ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ· καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν, βαθύτερον ἀκούειν πειρῶμαι. Ἀεὶ γὰρ οἱ μὲν ὄχλοι, ἐὰν ἀκούωσι παρα βολῆς, οὐδὲ ἐφιστᾶσιν αὐτῇ δεομένῃ ἐξηγήσεως· οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ θεωροῦντες, ὅτι ἐν παραβολαῖς τοῖς ὄχλοις λαλεῖ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἔξω, ἀφιέντι τοὺς ὄχλους τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἕπονται, καὶ ἰδόντες, ὅτι οὐκ ἀλλαχοῦ δύ νανται μανθάνειν τὰ τῶν παραβολῶν ἢ εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ εἰσέρχονται πρὸς αὐ τὸν, καὶ προσελθόντες αὐτῷ, φασί· Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν, περὶ ἧς μαθεῖν βούλονται. Ἀλλὰ τοι αύτη μὲν ἡ παραβολή. Ἑξῆς δέ ἐστιν ὁ σκοτεινὸς λόγος. Ἔστι τοίνυν ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς τινα τοσοῦτον ἐπίτηδες σκοτεινῶς εἰ ρημένα, ὥστε μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ἐκλαβεῖν ἄν τινα ἐν αὐ τοῖς χωρὶς πολλῆς καὶ μεγάλης ἐξετάσεως συγκε χυμένης καὶ κατὰ τὴν φράσιν, καὶ κατὰ τὸ διανόημα, 13.24 καὶ κατὰ τὴν σύνθεσιν τῆς λέξεως· ἅπερ νομίζω εἶ ναι τὸν λεγόμενον ἐν βίβλῳ σκοτεινὸν λόγον. Παρά δειγμα τῶν τοιούτων ἐκθήσομαι ἀπὸ Ψαλμῶν ἐκ τοῦ λαʹ ψαλμοῦ τὰ οὕτω λελεγμένα· Ὅτι ἐσίγησα, ἐπα λαιώθη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ ἁπλῶς τοῦ μὲν νοήματος νοῆσαι ἔστι τὸ ῥητὸν, ὡς δείξομεν· τοῦ δὲ σκοτεινοῦ λόγου, οὐδὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον· οἷον κἀκεῖνο ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ· Οὐαὶ γῆς πλοίων πτέρυγες, ἐπέκεινα ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας, ἀποστέλλων ἐν θαλάσσῃ ὅμηρα καὶ ἐπιστολὰς βυβλίνας ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδα τος. Ἕκαστον δὲ τούτων σαφηνίσαι καὶ νοῆσαι φω τίζοντα τῇ διηγήσει τὸ σκοτεινὸν αὐτοῦ οὐ τοῦ παρ όντος ἐστὶ καιροῦ, ἵνα μὴ πολλὰς καὶ ἀκαίρους ποιώμεθα παρεκβάσεις. Ἀρκεῖ δὲ μόνον τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ οὕτω πως σαφηνίσαι λεγόμενον. Ὅσον γὰρ ἐκεκράγειν ὑμνῶν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας θεολογῶν, οὐδέν μου ἐπαλαιοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἀνεκαι νούμην. Ὅτε δὲ ἀργήσας ἀπὸ τοῦ λέγειν τὰ τῆς θεο λογίας ἐσιώπησα, τότε ἡ παλαιότης εἰσέδυ μέχρι τῶν ὀστέων μου, καὶ τῶν δοκούντων ἐν ἐμοὶ στεῤῥο τάτων. Καὶ τούτοις ἠκολούθησε τὸ βαρεῖαν γενέσθαι τὴν χεῖρά σου νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας κατ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ