4

of himself in the first instance, and before all men, so that it might be fulfilled in him: A righteous man is his own accuser, anticipating every man who would accuse him. He himself condemned himself, and he shut every mouth of his enemies, as they had nothing else to say against him. And the word teaches us not to hide our own evils, nor, like some bruise and decay, to hold our sins in the depths of the soul, searing our conscience. Just as with fevers, if the fever goes inward and deep, it makes the sickness greater, but having come out into the open, it shows a hope of decline; so also could it be with the soul. And David teaches something else that happened to him, saying: Like a heavy burden they have weighed down upon me. For the things he had dared to do weighed on his conscience, so that he was not able to bear them because of the nobility and good judgment of his soul. For the unyielding and hardened man, according to his own hardness and unrepentant heart, stores up for himself wrath on the day of wrath, drawing sin upon sin, increasing his own evils; For when a sinner comes into the depth of evils, he despises them; but the man of good judgment, even if he should slip once by some snatching of the devil, is terribly burdened in his conscience, so that he cannot be silent, nor hide his own evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Therefore, unable to bear silence, he revealed the things that afflicted him, saying: Like a heavy burden they have weighed down upon me; and it is clear that this means, my iniquities. And again: My bruises stank because of my foolishness. And he calls foolishness the foolish deed that came from foolishness. For every sin happens through foolishness; but prudence, being a virtue, shows all things done according to it to be worthy of praise and virtue. But also, things done according to prudence are productive of health for the soul; but foolishness produces wounds and bruises. Therefore, those who 30.93 persist in their sins, rejoicing in them and taking pleasure in them, are like pigs wallowing in the mire; but he who has slipped once, then recovers himself, abhors that defiled deed as foul-smelling and unclean. David, having suffered something of this sort, confesses from a healthy conscience, saying: My bruises have become foul and rotten because of my foolishness. Since, therefore, my iniquities, being multiplied, have gone over my head, and having become higher than my head they have weighed down upon me, and they have become foul and rotten; for this reason, healing myself, I was wretched, and was bowed down to the end; and not for a single day, nor for a brief hour, but All the day long I went about mourning, or, according to Symmachus, I walked about downcast; not being indifferent to what I had done, nor being puffed up as a king because I was subject to no judge; but because of your fear and your indignation, all the day long I went about mourning. Because my loins are filled with mockings, and there is no healing in my flesh. I was afflicted and humbled exceedingly, I roared from the groaning of my heart. Lord, before you is all my desire, and my groaning is not hidden from you. Instead of, my loins are filled with mockings, Aquila has rendered it, because my flanks were filled with dishonor, and Symmachus, because my loins were filled with dishonor. And for this reason, coming to the remembrance of the shameful and dishonorable deed, because the sensorium of his soul was sound, he said these things: My bruises have become foul and rotten because of my foolishness. And why did they become foul, he adds, saying: Because my loins are filled with mockings, or, my flanks with dishonor; and through these he alluded to the nature of the shameful deed. Then, recovering himself, he said: There is no healing in my flesh.

4

ἑαυτοῦ ἐν πρωτολογίᾳ, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν, ὡς ἂν πληρωθείη ἐπ' αὐτῷ· ∆ίκαιος ἑαυτοῦ κατ ήγορος, φθάνων πάντα ἄνθρωπον κατήγορον. Αὐτὸς μὲν ἑαυτὸν κατέκρινε, πᾶν δὲ ἐχθρῶν ἀπέφραττε στόμα, μὴ ἐχόντων ἕτερόν τι κατ' αὐτοῦ λέγειν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος μὴ κρύπτειν τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ, μηδὲ, ὥσπερ τινὰ μελανίαν καὶ σῆψιν, κατὰ βάθους τῆς ψυχῆς συνέχειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, τὴν συνείδησιν καυτηριαζομένους. Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν πυ ρετῶν, εἴσω μὲν καὶ κατὰ βάθους χωρῶν ὁ πυρετὸς, μείζονα τὴν νόσον ἐργάζεται, προκόψας δὲ εἰς τοὐμ φανὲς, ἐλπίδα παρακμῆς ὑποφαίνει· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἂν γένοιτο. Καὶ ἄλλο δέ τι διδάσκει περὶ ἑαυτὸν γεγονὸς ὁ ∆αβὶδ, λέγων· Ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Ἐβάρει γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν συνείδησιν τὰ τετολμημένα αὐτῷ, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι βαστάζειν αὐτὰ δι' εὐγένειαν καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνην ψυ χῆς. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀτεράμνων καὶ ἀπόσκληρος, κατὰ τὴν σκληρότητα ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἀμετανόητον καρ δίαν, θησαυρίζει ἑαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς, ἐπι σπώμενος ἁμαρτίαν ἐφ' ἁμαρτίας, αὔξων τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κακά· Ὅταν γὰρ ἔλθῃ ἁμαρτωλὸς εἰς βάθος κακῶν, καταφρονεῖ· ὁ δὲ εὐγνώμων, εἰ καὶ ἅπαξ ποτὲ ὀλισθήσειε κατά τινα τοῦ διαβόλου συναρπαγὴν, δεινῶς βαρεῖται τὴν συνείδησιν, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι σιγᾷν, μηδὲ κρύπτειν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ κακόν. Ἐκ περισ σεύματος γοῦν καρδίας τὸ στόμα λαλεῖ.

Ὅθεν μὴ φέρων σιωπᾷν, ἐξέφηνε τὰ συνέχοντα αὐτὸν, λέγων· Ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ· δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι αἱ ἀνομίαι μου. Καὶ πάλιν· Προσώζεσαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου. Ἀφροσύνην δὲ ὀνομάζει τὴν ἄφρονα πρᾶξιν ἐξ ἀφροσύνης γενομένην. Πᾶν γὰρ ἁμάρτημα κατὰ ἀφροσύνην γίνεται· ἀρετὴ δὲ οὖσα ἡ φρόνησις, πάν τα τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὴν πραττόμενα ἐπαίνου καὶ ἀρετῆς ἄξια ἀποφαίνει. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑγείας ἐστὶ τῇ ψυχῇ ποιη τικὰ τὰ κατὰ φρόνησιν γινόμενα· ἡ δὲ ἀφροσύνη τραύματα καὶ μώλωπας ἀπεργάζεται. Οἱ μὲν οὖν 30.93 ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐπιμένοντες, χαίροντες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐνηδόμενοι, χοίροις ἐοίκασιν ἐγκυλιομέ νοις βορβόρῳ· ὁ δὲ εἰς ἅπαξ ὀλισθήσας, ἔπειτα ἀναλαβὼν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τὴν μιαρὰν ἐκείνην πρᾶ ξιν ὡς δυσώδη καὶ ἀκάθαρτον βδελύσσεται. Τοιοῦτόν τι πεπονθὼς ὁ ∆αβὶδ, ὑπὸ συναισθήσεως ὑγιοῦς ὁμο λογεῖ, λέγων· Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώ λωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὑπερήρθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι μου πληθυν θεῖσαι, καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀνώτεραι γενόμεναι ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν· τούτου χάριν ἰατρεύων ἐμαυτὸν, Ἐταλαιπώρησα, καὶ κατεκάμφθην ἕως τέλους· καὶ οὐδὲ πρὸς μίαν ἡμέραν, οὐδὲ πρὸς βραχεῖαν ὥραν, ἀλλὰ Πᾶσαν ἡμέραν σκυθρωπάζων ἐπορευόμην, ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, σκυθρωπὸς περιεπάτουν· οὐκ ἀδιαφο ρῶν ἐπὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων μοι, οὐδ' οἷα βασιλεὺς ἐπαιρόμενος, διὰ τὸ μηδενὶ κριτῇ ὑποκεῖσθαι· διὰ δὲ τὸν σὸν φόβον καὶ τὴν σὴν ἐμβρίμησιν, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν σκυθρωπάζων ἐπορευόμην. Ὅτι αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου. Ἐκακώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην ἕως σφόδρα, ὠρυόμην ἀπὸ στε ναγμοῦ τῆς καρδίας μου. Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου, καὶ ὁ στεναγμός μου ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐκ ἀπεκρύβη. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, αἱ ψόαι μου ἐν επλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων, ὁ Ἀκύλας, ὅτι ἐπλη ρώθησαν αἱ λαγόνες ἀτιμίας, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ὅτι αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἀτιμίας, ἐκδεδώκα σιν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰς ὑπόμνησιν ἐλθὼν τῆς αἰσχρᾶς καὶ ἀτίμου πράξεως, τῷ ἐῤῥῶσθαι αὐτῷ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητήριον, ταῦτα ἔλεγε· Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσά πησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφρο σύνης μου. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ προσώζεσαν, ἐπάγει, λέγων· Ὅτι αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων, ἢ, αἱ λαγόνες μου ἀτιμίας· ᾐνίξατο δὲ διὰ τούτων τὸ εἶδος τῆς αἰσχρᾶς πράξεως. Εἶτα ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτώμε νος ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου.