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of the right hand. For when that man proposed to allow no time for these matters, but to attack his father immediately while he was unprepared, he did not allow the counsel of Ahithophel to be accepted, That, it says, the Lord might bring upon Absalom every evil; but it seemed better to them to create more plausible delays and postponements, in order to give David time to gather his forces. Whence also he was accepted by Absalom, who said: The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. However, through the priests Zadok and Abiathar he made known to David what had been arranged, and ordered him not to lodge in Araboth of the wilderness, but urged him to the crossing. Since, therefore, by his good counsel he became David's right hand, he has received the name from the brave deed. For this reason he is called son of Jemeni, that is, son of the right hand. For this is the custom of Scripture, both to name the worse from their sin rather than from their fathers, and to call the better sons from the virtue that characterizes them. Thus the Apostle names the devil the son of perdition: For unless the lawless one, the son of perdition, is revealed. And in the Gospel the Lord called Judas the son of perdition: For none, he says, was lost, except the son of perdition; and those formed in the knowledge of God, children of wisdom: For, he says, wisdom is justified 29.232 by her children; and, If, he says, there is a son of peace there. It is no wonder then that now his physical father is passed over in silence, and David's chief companion is called son of the right hand, having received the name befitting him from his action. O Lord my God, in you have I hoped, save me. That which is thought to be simple and able to be offered up soundly by anyone, O Lord my God, in you have I hoped, save me, is perhaps not such a thing. For one who hopes in man, or is lifted up by anything else in life, such as power, or riches, or any of those things considered glorious by the many, cannot say: O Lord my God, in you have I hoped. For there is a command not to hope in princes; and, Cursed is the man who has his hope in man. Just as it is not fitting to worship anything other than God, so also it is not fitting to hope in another than the Lord God of all. For my hope, he says, and my song is the Lord. But how does he first pray to be saved from his persecutors, and then to be delivered? The distinction will make the statement clear. Save me from all my persecutors, and deliver me, lest he seize my soul like a lion. What then is the difference between being saved and being delivered? That salvation is properly needed by the sick, while deliverance is needed by those held in captivity. For this reason, the one who has sickness in himself, and has received faith in himself, is brought to be saved by his own faith. For your faith, he says, has saved you; and, Be it done for you as you have believed. But he who is to be delivered awaits a price to be paid for him from without. He therefore who is under death, knowing that there is one who saves, one who redeems, says, In you have I hoped, save me from sickness, and deliver me from captivity. But I think that the noble athletes of God, having sufficiently wrestled with unseen enemies throughout their whole life, when they have escaped all their persecutions, upon reaching the end of life, are examined by the prince of this age, so that, if they are found having wounds from the contests, or any stains, and marks of sin, they may be held captive; but if they are found unwounded and unspotted, as unconquered, as free, they may rest in Christ. He prays, therefore, both concerning this life and concerning the life to come. Save me, he says, here 29.233 from my persecutors; and deliver me there at the time of the examination, lest he seize my soul like a lion. And you might learn these things from the Lord himself speaking about the time of the passion: Now the ruler of the world

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δεξιᾶς. Εἰσηγουμένου γὰρ ἐκείνου μηδένα χρόνον ἐμποιεῖν τοῖς πράγμασιν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἀπαρασκεύῳ ὄντι ἐπιτίθεσθαι τῷ πατρὶ, οὐκ εἴασε παραδε χθῆναι τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ, Ὅπως ἐπαγάγῃ, φησὶ, Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ τὰ κακὰ πάντα· ἀλλὰ πιθανωτέρας ἔδοξεν ἀναβολὰς αὐτοῖς καὶ διατριβὰς ἐμποιεῖν, πρὸς τὸ δοῦναι καιρὸν τῷ ∆αβὶδ συλλέξασθαι τὰς δυνάμεις. Ὄθεν καὶ ἀπόδεκτος ἦν παρὰ τῷ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ λέγοντι· Ἀγαθὴ ἡ βουλὴ Χουσὶ τοῦ Ἀραχὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν βουλὴν Ἀχιτόφελ. Τῷ μέντοι ∆αβὶδ διὰ τῶν ἱερέων Σαδὼκ καὶ Ἀβιάθαρ ἐδήλου τὰ οἰκονομηθέντα, καὶ προσέταξε μὴ αὐ λισθῆναι ἐν τῇ Ἀραβὼθ τῆς ἐρήμου, ἀλλὰ κατέσπευ δεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν διάβασιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐκ τῆς ἀγαθῆς συμβουλῆς ἐγένετο δεξιὸς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνδραγα θήματος τῆς προσηγορίας τετύχηκε. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο υἱὸς Ἰεμενεὶ προσηγόρευται, τουτέστιν, υἱὸς δεξιᾶς. Αὕτη δὲ συνήθεια τῆς Γραφῆς, καὶ τοὺς χεί ρονας ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας χρηματίζειν μᾶλλον ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν πατέρων, καὶ τοὺς κρείττονας υἱοὺς ὀνομάζειν ἐκ τῆς χαρακτηριζούσης αὐτοὺς ἀρετῆς. Τὸν τοίνυν διάβολον υἱὸν ἀπωλείας ὁ Ἀπόστολος ὀνομάζει· Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνομος ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπ ωλείας. Καὶ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τὸν Ἰούδαν υἱὸν ἀπωλείας ὁ Κύριος εἶπεν· Οὐδεὶς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπ ώλετο, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας· τέκνα δὲ σοφίας τοὺς ἐν τῇ θεογνωσίᾳ μεμορφωμένους· Ἐδικαιώθη 29.232 γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς· καὶ, Ἐὰν ᾖ, φησὶν, ἐκεῖ υἱὸς εἰρήνης. Οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμα στὸν καὶ νῦν σιωπηθῆναι μὲν αὐτοῦ τὸν σωματικὸν πατέρα, δεξιᾶς δὲ υἱὸν τὸν ἀρχιεταῖρον τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὀνομασθῆναι, ἀπὸ τῆς πράξεως πρέποντα ἑαυτῷ τὸν χρηματισμὸν λαβόντα. Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα, σῶσόν με. Νομιζόμενον ἁπλοῦν εἶναι καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ τυχόντος ὑγιῶς ἀναφέρεσθαι δύνασθαι τὸ, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα, σῶσόν με, τάχα οὐ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον ἐλπίζων, ἢ ἐπ' ἄλλο τι τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον μετεωριζόμενος, οἷον ἐπὶ δυναστείαν, ἢ χρήματα, ἤ τι τῶν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς νομιζομένων εἶναι λαμπρῶν, οὐ δύναται εἰπεῖν· Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα. Παράγγελμα γάρ ἐστι, μὴ ἐλπίζειν ἐπ' ἄρχοντας· καὶ, Ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρω πος, ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον. Ὥσπερ οὐδὲ σέβειν ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὸν Θεὸν προσῆκεν, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐπὶ ἄλλον ἐλπίζειν ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τῶν πάν των Κύριον. Ἐλπὶς γάρ μου, φησὶ, καὶ ὕμνησίς μου ὁ Κύριος. Πῶς δὲ πρῶτον σωθῆναι εὔχετοι ἐκ τῶν διωκόντων, εἶτα ῥυσθῆναι; Ἡ διαστολὴ σαφῆ ποιήσει τὸν λόγον. Σῶσον γάρ με ἐκ πάντων τῶν διωκόντων με, καὶ ῥῦσαί με, μή ποτε ἁρπάσῃ ὡς λέων τὴν ψυχήν μου. Τίς οὖν ἡ διαφορὰ τοῦ σώ ζεσθαι καὶ τοῦ ῥύεσθαι; Ὅτι τῆς σωτηρίας μὲν κυρίως οἱ ἀσθενοῦντες χρῄζουσι, τοῦ ῥυσθῆναι δὲ οἱ ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ κατεχόμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχων τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἐν ἑαυτῷ δὲ λαβὼν τὴν πίστιν, ὑπὸ τῆς οἰκείας πίστεως οἰκονομεῖται πρὸς τὸ σωθῆναι. Ἡ πίστις γάρ σου, φησὶ, σέσωκέ σε· καὶ, Γενηθήτω σοι ὡς ἐπίστευσας. Ὁ δὲ ὀφείλων ῥυσθῆναι τιμὴν ἔξωθεν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ κα τατεθῆναι ὀφείλουσαν ἀναμένει. Ὁ τοίνυν ὑπὸ τὸν θάνατον ὢν, εἰδὼς, ὅτι εἷς ὁ σώζων, εἷς ὁ λυτρούμε νος, Ἐπὶ σοὶ, φησὶν, ἤλπισα, σῶσόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας, καὶ ῥῦσαί με ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. Οἶμαι δὲ, ὅτι οἱ γενναῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀθληταὶ, ἱκανῶς παρὰ πάντα τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον τοῖς ἀοράτοις ἐχθροῖς προσπαλαίσαντες, ἐπειδὰν πάσας αὐτῶν ὑπεκφύγωσι τὰς διώξεις, πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ βίου γενόμενοι, ἐρευ νῶνται ὑπὸ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἵνα, ἂν μὲν εὑρεθῶσιν ἔχοντες τραύματα ἀπὸ τῶν παλαισμάτων, ἢ σπίλους τινὰς, καὶ τύπους τῆς ἁμαρτίας, κατασχε θῶσιν· ἐὰν δὲ ἄτρωτοι εὑρεθῶσι καὶ ἄσπιλοι, ὡς ἀκράτητοι ὄντες, ὡς ἐλεύθεροι ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ ἀναπαύ σωνται. Εὔχεται οὖν περί τε τῆς ἐνταῦθα ζωῆς καὶ περὶ τῆς μελλούσης. Σῶσον γάρ με, φησὶν, ἐνταῦθα 29.233 ἀπὸ τῶν διωκόντων· ῥῦσαι δέ με ἐκεῖ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐρεύνης, μή ποτε ἁρπάσῃ ὡς λέων τὴν ψυχήν μου. Καὶ ταῦτα μάθοις ἂν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυ ρίου λέγοντος περὶ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους· Νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου