25 Ps 37,4a He compares his much-suffering and much-afflicted state to a body completely mistreated, such as also in Isaiah the "From the feet to the head there is no soundness in him, but a wound and a welt of an inflamed threat"; therefore these are the signs of wrath, and the cause of wrath is sin, so that the sufferings bring one to a sense of sins and in this way benefit souls just as bodies are brought from insensibility to sensibility. 26 Ps 37,12 He laments the desertion of friends and the uprising of enemies, which are also observed in the sufferings of the savior, with the disciples having been scattered in fear, and the wicked using every bitterness and malice against him, toward whom he also fulfilled the silence foretold here. 27 Ps 37,14 Having, he says, the just things to say in reply to the slanderers, but knowing that the word would not be for their benefit, I bore the false accusations with forbearance. And as one not hearing I was silent, and as one unable to rebuke; for what could I have said and replied? But to no avail, as the Lord also said: "If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask, you will not answer." And with men not listening, the word is useless to them, but useful to God who hears. 28 Ps 37,22.23 Men indeed would not say these things on their own behalf, but Christ, on behalf of men to men and suffering justly at the hands of the unjust, taking their things upon himself, would say them; where there is the "Why have you forsaken me?" and where there is the "Do not forsake me," and the "Do not depart from me," as this is impossible for him. "For I am not," he says, "alone, because my Father is with me." Indeed, he asks for the salvation of men as his own, having something proper to the request with respect to his humanity in its commixture with divinity (and this was the passible nature inherent to the flesh), and also having the dignity of his transcendent nature by which he also fulfilled the requests.

29 ps 38,4 And hearing, he says, and considering the audacious and abusive words of the

enemy and seeing with how much authority of words he uses, who ought not even to speak, I was kindled on behalf of justice which was being dishonored. 30 Ps 38,8a Not indeed in myself, he says, do I have anything worthy of expectation, but I wait, expecting from you and your things, persevering in the present toils in hope of future good things. 31 Ps 38,9b I bear, he says, being reproached now and not even speaking in return, knowing somehow that God wills me to be exercised by reproaches. Thus David himself bore being reviled by Shimei, saying that "the Lord has told him to curse David."

32 Ps 39,2-4b He speaks in his own person of the age-long waiting of the righteous and the

prayers, through which they will be heard by God to accomplish the ascent from Hades and the sure life for ever and the establishment in it with gladness and cheerfulness and hymns to God, such as was also in [Psalm] 29 the "I cried to you, and you healed me and brought up my soul from Hades, you saved me from those who go down into the pit," and so forth; in which he clearly referred the things of Adam to himself. And having introduced the resurrection, he says at the end, "So that my glory may sing to you and I may not be pierced with sorrow." 33 Ps 39,4cd For the things of Christ extend to the salvation of all, having happened neither for his own sake nor stopping with him alone. For this reason Paul says, "If the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised." For if not for the end for whose sake the cause would have happened, which is the resurrection of Christ, but the fearful mystery is the abolition of death and the ascent of souls from Hades, which also constitutes the true hopes in God; concerning which hope Paul speaks, joining faith to it and adding love for the one who [did] such great things

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25 Ps 37,4a Σώματι διόλου κακουμένῳ παραβάλλει τὸ πολύπονον καὶ πολυπαθὲς αὐτοῦ, οἷον καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ τὸ Ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως τῆς κεφαλῆς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ ὁλοκληρία ἀλλὰ τραῦμα καὶ μώλωψ ἡ ἀπειλῆς φλεγμαίνουσα· ὀργῆς οὖν εἶναι ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα, τῆς δ' ὀργῆς πρόφασιν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ὥστε εἰς αἴσθησιν ἄγει τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ παθήματα καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ὠφελεῖ τὰς ψυχὰς ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ σώματα ἐξ ἀναισθησίας εἰς αἴσθησιν ἀγόμενα. 26 Ps 37,12 Φίλων ἀπόστασιν ὀδύρεται καὶ ἐχθρῶν ἐπανάστασιν, ἅπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος παθήμασι θεωρεῖται, φόβῳ μὲν τῶν μαθητῶν σκεδασθέντων, πικρίᾳ δὲ πάσῃ καὶ κακοηθείᾳ τῶν πονηρῶν ἐπ' αὐτὸν κεχρημένων πρὸς οὓς καὶ τὴν σιωπὴν τὴν ἐνταῦθα προλεγομένην ἐπλήρωσεν. 27 Ps 37,14 Ἔχων μέν, φησίν, τὰ δίκαια ἀντειπεῖν πρὸς τοὺς συκοφαντοῦντας, εἰδὼς δὲ οὐκ ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τὸν λόγον ἐσόμενον ἀνεξικάκως ἔφερον τὰς ψευδολογίας. καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἀκούων ἐσιώπων καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἔχων ἐλέγχειν· τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἔλεγον καὶ ἀπεκρινόμην; εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ ὡς καὶ ἔλεγεν ὁ κύριος Ἐὰν ὑμῖν εἴπω, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε· ἐὰν δὲ ἐρωτήσω, οὐ μὴ ἀποκριθῆτε. ἀνθρώπων δὲ οὐκ ἀκουόντων πρὸς μὲν ἐκείνους ὁ λόγος ἄχρειος, χρήσιμος δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἀκούοντα θεόν. 28 Ps 37,22.23 Ἄνθρωποι μὲν οὐ ταῦτα λέγοιεν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν, Χριστὸς δὲ ἀντ' ἀνθρώπων ἀνθρώποις καὶ πάσχων δίκαιος ἀπό περ ἀδίκων τὰ ἐκείνων εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἄγων ἂν λέγοι· ὅπου μὲν τὸ Ἵνα τί ἐγκατέλειπές με; ὅπου δὲ τὸ Μὴ ἐγκαταλείπῃς με, καὶ τὸ Μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὡς ἐπ' αὐτοῦ γε τοῦτο ἀδύνατον. Οὐ γάρ εἰμι, φησίν, μόνος, ἐπεὶ ὁ πατήρ μου μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστιν. τὴν σωτηρίαν γε τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὡς ἰδίαν αἰτεῖται, ἔχων μέν τι καὶ πρὸς τὴν αἴτησιν οἰκεῖον ὅσον πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐν συμμίξει θεότητος (τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ παθητικὸν τὸ σαρκὶ συμφυές), ἔχων δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ὑπερανεστηκυίας ἀξίωμα φύσεως ᾧ καὶ τὰ τῆς αἰτήσεως ἐξεπλήρου.

29 ps 38,4 Καὶ ἀκούων, φησίν, καὶ ἀναλογιζόμενος τὰ θρασέα καὶ λοίδορα τοῦ

ἐχθροῦ καὶ ὁρῶν, ὅσῃ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῶν λόγων χρῆται ᾧ μηδὲ φθέγγεσθαι προσῆκον ἦν, ἐξηπτόμην ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀτιμαζομένης δικαιοσύνης. 30 Ps 38,8a Οὐ δὴ ἐν ἐμαυτῷ, φησίν, ἔχω τι προσδοκίας ἄξιον, ἀλλὰ παρὰ σοὶ καὶ τὰ σὰ προσδοκῶν ἀναμένω, διακαρτερῶν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι πόνοις ἐπ' ἐλπίδι μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν. 31 Ps 38,9b Φέρω, φησίν, ὀνειδιζόμενος νῦν καὶ οὐδὲ ἀντιφθεγγόμενος, οὕτω πως εἰδὼς βουλομένου με τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς ὀνείδεσιν ἐκγυμνάζεσθαι. οὕτως ἤνεγκεν αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυὶδ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σεμεεὶ λοιδορούμενος λέγων ὅτι κύριος εἶπεν αὐτῷ καταρᾶσθαι τὸν ∆αυίδ.

32 Ps 39,2-4b Τὴν ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀναμονὴν τῶν δικαίων ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ λέγει καὶ τὰς

δεήσεις, δι' ὧν ἀκούσονται τὸν θεὸν ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν ἄνοδον τὴν ἐξ ᾅδου καὶ τὴν βεβαίαν εἰς αἰῶνα ζωὴν καὶ τὸν ἐν ταύτῃ στηριγμὸν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καὶ φαιδρότητι καὶ ὕμνοις θεοῦ, οἷα ἦν καὶ ἐν ΚΘ τὸ Ἐκέκραξα πρὸς σέ, καὶ ἰάσω με καὶ ἀνήγαγες ἐξ ᾅδου τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἔσωσάς με ἀπὸ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἐν οἷς σαφῶς τὰ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνέφερε. καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐπαγαγὼν ἐν τέλει φησὶν Ὅπως ἂν ψάλῃ σοι ἡ δόξα μου καὶ οὐ μὴ κατανυγῶ. 33 Ps 39,4cd Εἰς γὰρ τὴν τῶν ἁπάντων σωτηρίαν διατείνει τὰ Χριστοῦ οὔτε δι' αὐτὸν γεγενημένα οὔτε ἐν αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἱστάμενα. διὸ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν Εἰ μὴ νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται, οὐδὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται. εἰ γὰρ μὴ τὸ τέλος οὗ χάριν τὸ αἴτιον ἂν ἦν γεγονὸς ἡ Χριστοῦ ἀνάστασις, φοβερὸν δὲ τὸ μυστήριον θανάτου κατάλυσις καὶ ἡ ἐξ ᾅδου τῶν ψυχῶν ἀνάβασις ἡ καὶ τὰς ἀληθεῖς εἰς θεὸν ἐλπίδας ὑπάρχουσα· περὶ ἧς ἐλπίδος ὁ Παῦλος λέγει, συνάπτων αὐτῇ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπιφέρων τὴν πρὸς τὸν οὕτω μεγάλα

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