Especially in Christ we hear of innocence, the purity from all evil, which the creator sought from men who were made for this purpose, so that they might be worthy of their maker and remain in the good, because all the works of God are very good, but seeking, he found it in none of those from Adam, but only in him who was from Adam according to the flesh and who had not shown the like of his transgression, but had the divine form remaining even with the fleshly covering, just as the heavenly voice also testifies, 'This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.' The abiding and confirmation before God is eternal, which is in heaven, which was also foretold in the fifteenth [Psalm] after the resurrection in 'You will fill me with joy with your countenance.' For he has ascended into heaven to appear in the presence of God for us, bringing in himself that which was separated and alienated from the beginning.

45 Ps 41,3 From this it is possible for the understanding one whom the inscription exhorts to understand that

man has been outside the presence of God, so that he might long for the restoration to the presence of God. Rightly, then, he seeks the strong one, having fallen into weakness according to 'Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak;' whence it is necessary to have fallen into the present weakness. For not loving to be content with his own small strength nor being able, he seeks not to be left behind from true strength. 46 Ps 41,4 Of those who have, he says, completely forgotten the return to God, considering the seeking of God to be in vain and reproaching those who do this, I was brought to tears instead of pleasant food, being with most unpleasant grief according to what is said in Lamentations, 'He has fed me with ashes,' not abandoning my desire because of the separation and the reproach, but being grieved on behalf of righteousness being reproached. Necessarily, therefore, both the vexation of the wicked and the reproaches, since the tears from these things are not harmful to the just. For on these things is the beatitude, 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' Immediately, therefore, also that of consolation. 47 Ps 41,6 Let not the present things, he says, grieve you, O soul, nor trouble you, but let the hope in God comfort you that we will obtain good things worthy of thanksgiving and will have the things of salvation in his appearing, which according to Paul is to await the appearing of the Lord and his kingdom. These things are indeed intelligible concerning the things to come and the promises according to the law, going higher also to what was said after this by Paul † prophets whose better thing is to depart and be with Christ; but what comes after this is a narrative of the things that still cause grief. 48 Ps 41,7 Separation from the desired one melts the desiring soul. And he says he is separated from God, as long as he does not yet see paradise, his own foundation from the beginning, but still inhabits the land of Jordan and Mount Hermoniim, very small in comparison to that, and is disturbed as if by squalls of winds and attacks of waves, by calamities brought on one after another in a torrent. 49 Ps 41,9 It teaches that the good things are of the age to come, calling this 'day' into which God has promised to place his mercy according to what was said in Ps 90, 'Satisfy us in the morning with your mercy;' but the now he says is for gladness, when night and darkness are the conversation with God through hymns and the renunciation through prayers. 50 Ps 41,10 The words of supplication, then, are also spoken as things of supplication in songs. But since it is necessary to offer supplication with thanksgiving, the song precedes the prayer. For no one who is ungrateful for things past is strong in petitions for things to come. And the petition seeks a divine remembrance from God. For if I were in your memory, he says, I would not be living sadly and be afflicted by the unjust. But it is clear that forgetfulness does not touch the divine nature, being a change of memory, because the divine is unchangeable. For this reason he also asks, 'Why have you forgotten me?' For no one concerning an involuntary

6

Ἐξαιρέτως ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἀκακίαν ἀκούομεν τὴν πάσης κακίας καθαρότητα, ἣν ἐζήτει μὲν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ὁ δημιουργὸς ἐπὶ τούτῳ γεγενημένων ὡς εἶναι τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἀξίους καὶ διαμένοντας ἐν τῷ καλῷ ὅτι πάντα τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ποιήματα καλὰ λίαν, ζητῶν δὲ εὗρεν ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἀδάμ, ἐν δὲ τῷ κατὰ σάρκα ἐξ Ἀδὰμ ὄντι μόνῳ καὶ μὴ διαδεδειγμένῳ τὰ ὅμοια τῆς ἐκείνου παραβάσεως ἀλλ' ἔχοντι τὴν θείαν μορφὴν διαμένουσαν καὶ μετὰ τῆς σαρκικῆς περιβολῆς, καθὸ καὶ ἡ οὐράνιος φωνὴ μαρτυρεῖ τὸ Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησα. ἡ δὴ ἔμπροσθεν θεοῦ διαμονὴ καὶ βεβαίωσις αἰώνιός ἐστιν ἡ ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἣ καὶ ἐν πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ προείρηται μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐν τῷ Πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου. ἀναβέβηκεν γὰρ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἐν ἑαυτῷ προσάγων τὸ χωρισθὲν καὶ ἀπαλλοτριωθὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς.

45 Ps 41,3 Ἐκ τούτου συνιέναι ἔστι τῷ συνετῷ ὃν ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ παρακαλεῖ, ὅτι

ἐκτὸς προσώπου θεοῦ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἵν' ἐπὶ θεοῦ μήσῃ τὴν εἰς θεοῦ πρόσωπον ἀποκατάστασιν. εἰκότως δὴ τὸν ἰσχυρὸν ἐπιζητεῖ, περιπεσὼν ἀσθενείᾳ κατὰ τὸ Ἐλέησόν με, κύριε, ὅτι ἀσθενής εἰμι· ὅθεν ἀναγκαῖον τὸ τῇ νῦν ἀσθενείᾳ περιπεπτωκέναι. μὴ τῇ μικρᾷ γὰρ ἰσχύι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγαπῶν διαρκεῖσθαι μήτε δυνάμενος ζητεῖ μὴ τῆς ὄντως ἰσχύος ἀπολείπεσθαι. 46 Ps 41,4 Τῶν ἐπιλελησμένων, φησίν, παντάπασι τῆς εἰς θεὸν ἐπανόδου ματαίαν ἡγουμένων τὴν ἐπιζήτησιν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὀνειδιζόντων τοὺς τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, εἰς δάκρυα προηγόμην ἐγὼ ἀντὶ τῆς ἡδείας τροφῆς ἀηδεστάτῃ λύπῃ συνὼν κατὰ τὸ ἐν Θρήνοις λεγόμενον Ἐψώμισέ με σποδόν, τῆς μὲν ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἀφιστάμενος διὰ τὸν χωρισμὸν καὶ τὸν ὀνειδισμόν, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὀνειδιζομένης ἀχθόμενος. ἀναγκαίως ἄρα καὶ ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν παρενόχλησις καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη, ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐκ τούτων δάκρυα τοῖς δικαίοις οὐ βλαβερά. ἐπὶ γὰρ τούτοις ὁ μακαρισμὸς τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. εὐθὺς οὖν καὶ τὸ τῆς παρακλήσεως. 47 Ps 41,6 Μή σε λυπείτω, φησίν, τὰ παρόντα, ὦ ψυχή, μηδὲ ταρασσέτω, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡ εἰς θεὸν παραμυθείσθω ὅτι τευξόμεθα τῶν εὐχαριστίας ἀξίων ἀγαθῶν καὶ σωτηρίας ἕξομεν τὰς ἐν ἐπιφανείᾳ αὐτοῦ, ὅπερ κατὰ τὸν Παῦλόν ἐστι τὸ προσδέχεσθαι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τὸ βασίλειον αὐτοῦ. ταῦτα δὴ συνετὰ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων καὶ τῶν κατὰ νόμον ἐπαγγελιῶν, ἀνωτέρω χωροῦντα καὶ τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ Παύλου † προφήτας ὧν τὸ κρεῖσσον τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι· τὰ δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο διήγησις τῶν ἔτι λυπούντων. 48 Ps 41,7 Τήκει ψυχὴν ἐπιθυμοῦσαν ὁ τοῦ ἐπιθυμουμένου χωρισμός. κεχωρίσθαι δὲ θεοῦ φησιν, ἕως οὔπω παράδεισον ὁρᾷ τὴν ἰδίαν πῆξιν τὴν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἀλλ' ἔτι τὴν Ἰορδάνου γῆν οἰκεῖ καὶ τὸ Ἑρμωνιεὶμ ὄρος μικρότατον ὡς πρὸς ἐκεῖνο καὶ οἱονεὶ καταιγίσιν ἀνέμων καὶ κυμάτων ἐμβολαῖς θορυβεῖται ταῖς ἐπ' ἀλλήλοις συμφοραῖς κρουνηδὸν ἐπιφερομέναις. 49 Ps 41,9 τὰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος εἶναι διδάσκει, τοῦτον ἡμέραν καλῶν εἰς ὃν ἐπήγγελται ὁ θεὸς θήσειν τὸν ἔλεον αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸ ῥηθὲν ἐν ΠΘ Ἔμπλησον ἡμᾶς τὸ πρωΐας ἔλεός σου· τὸ δὲ νῦν φησιν εἰς εὐφροσύνην, ὅτε νὺξ καὶ σκότος ἡ δι' ὕμνων ὁμιλία πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ἡ δι' εὐχῶν ἀπότασις. 50 Ps 41,10 ∆εήσεως τὰ ῥήματα λέγεται μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ τῆς δεήσεως ἐν ᾠδαῖς. ἐπεὶ δὲ σὺν εὐχαριστίᾳ τὴν δέησιν προσάγεσθαι χρή, πρόκειται τῆς προσευχῆς ἡ ᾠδή. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς πρόσθεν ἀχάριστος ὢν ἰσχυρὸς ἐν ταῖς τῶν μελλόντων αἰτήσεσιν. ἡ δὲ αἴτησις θείαν ἀνάμνησιν ἐπιζητεῖ παρὰ θεοῦ. οὐ γὰρ ἐν μνήμῃ γε, φησίν, ὢν παρὰ σοὶ σκυθρωπὸς ἂν διῆγον καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδίκων ἐθλιβόμην. δῆλον δὲ ὅτι λήθη θείας φύσεως οὐχ ἅπτεται, μεταβολὴ μνήμης οὖσα, ὅτι τὸ θεῖον ἀμετάβλητον. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐρωτᾷ τὸ ∆ιὰ τί ἐπελάθου μου; οὐδεὶς γὰρ περὶ ἀκουσίου

6