8

The desire. Therefore, that he might show his own gravity, he called desire a stranger in his method. For he never broke into another's marriage. nor did he look with unjust eyes; but being wounded indeed for that woman, he lost his gravity, and having become a little careless, he fell from what was proper. The stranger came, the licentious desire, that beastly one came to him. A stranger came to that rich man, and he did not take from his flocks and herds; but he sent and took that ewe lamb, the one sleeping in the bosom of the poor man, and eating from his table. What then? The king was angry.

For he thought he was judging another's case. The king was angry, and he pronounced the just sentence with great splendor. For there was no affection corrupting justice. "By the sword," he says, "he shall die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold." He commands beyond the law. For the law commands the one who steals to give back fourfold; but he has transgressed the law; for he commands both that he himself be put to death, and to pay fourfold. He brought forth the verdict, and he completed the condemnation. Therefore the prophet throws off the mask and says: "You are the man, O king." O cut, not cutting the sense of pain with a sword, but in the brevity of the refutation! For when it was necessary, he acted out the drama; but when there was need of refutation, he immediately gave and cut it off, not causing much pain; "You are the man, O king." What then did he do? "I have sinned against the Lord." Do you see even in sickness the nobility of his soul? He did not say to him: "O miserable and wretched one," nor did he wish to rebuke him openly. What then does the king say? "I have sinned against the Lord." And what does the pro 55.573 phet say? "And the Lord has put away your sin." Swift is the repentance; but swifter is the forgiveness. "Declare your iniquities," he says, "first, that you may be justified." You sinned through deeds, and you repent through words. ζʹ. I say these things, that sinners and those who have fallen into sins may hear, and not despair of their own salvation. "I have sinned," he says, "against the Lord." "And the Lord has put away your sin." You for your part said, "A sword shall fall upon him"; but I say, "You shall not die." Did you see how God annulled the judgment of the prophet? "Declare your iniquities first, that you may be justified." But let us run back to the beginning. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him.

Here is shown his gratitude and forgiveness. See, then, you have learned how he was healed, and what kind of medicine he received. And when God justifies, who condemns? For he did not say, "I forgive," but, "The Lord has put away your sin." He cut the sore, he corrected the wound. "You shall not die," he says. Having said these things, he departed. But I wish to show henceforth both his gratitude, and the correction of his mind, what kind of forgiveness of the sin he received, what kind of remission of the transgression he found. For when Uriah came from the alliance, and announced the victory of the war to the king, the king, wishing to conceal from the wronged man that he had committed adultery with his wife, took such pains to hide the sin, that he even wove murder together with adultery; and after these things he became a philosopher from repentance, he who previously concealed his own sin came to repentance; and after the forgiveness that came from the assent of God, after the prophet came and said, "The Lord has put away your sin, you shall not die," not only did he not hide the passion, but also after these things he made it manifest to all generations, and wrote a psalm, so that those after these things might also learn how much tragedy the passion holds. For when repentance came, it brought boldness of speech. "I was saved," he says; "why are not others also saved through my narrative?" "God has forgiven me." "For this reason I write these things, that they may learn both the wound and the medicine." "I do not fear the shame, since I desire my own salvation." Thus also does Paul; he exposes the sins forgiven him, and

8

Ἡ ἐπιθυμία. Ἵνα οὖν δείξῃ αὐτοῦ τὴν σεμνότητα, ξένον τῇ μεθόδῳ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐκάλεσεν. Οὐ δέποτε γὰρ ἀλλότριον γάμον διώρυξεν. οὐδὲ ἀδί κοις ἐθεάσατο τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς· ἀλλὰ τρωθεὶς δὴ εἰς ἐκεί νην τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν σεμνότητα ἀπώλεσε, καὶ μικρὸν ῥᾳθυμήσας ἐξέπεσε τοῦ προσήκοντος Ἦλθεν ὁ ξένος, ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἡ ἀκόλαστος, ἡ θηριώδης ἐκείνη ἦλθε πρὸς αὐ τόν. Ξένος πρὸς τὸν πλούσιον ἐκεῖνον ἦλθε, καὶ οὐκ ἔλα βεν ἀπὸ τῶν ποιμνίων καὶ βουκολίων αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' ἔπεμψε καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν ἀμνάδα ἐκείνην, τὴν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ πένητος καθεύδουσαν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης αὐτοῦ ἐσθίουσαν. Τί οὖν; Ὠργίσθη ὁ βασιλεύς.

Ἐνόμιζε γὰρ ἀλλοτρίαν δίκην δικάζειν. Ὠργίσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἐξεφώνησε μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς λαμπρότητος. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν φιλοστοργία ἡ λυμαινομένη τὸ δίκαιον. Ῥομφαίᾳ, φησὶν, ἀποθανεῖται, καὶ τὴν ἀμνάδα τετραπλάσιον ἀπο τίσει. Ὑπὲρ τὸν νόμον κελεύει. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος κελεύει τὸν κλέπτοντα τετραπλασίονα ἀποδιδόναι· αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπερβέ βηκε τὸν νόμον· κελεύει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι, καὶ ἐν τετραπλῷ ἀποτῖσαι. Ἐξήνεγκε τὴν ψῆφον, καὶ τὴν καταδίκην ἀπήρτισε. Ῥίπτει οὖν τὸ προσωπεῖον ὁ προ φήτης, καὶ λέγει· Σὺ εἶ, βασιλεῦ. Ὢ τομὴ, οὐ ξίφει τέ μνουσα τὴν αἴσθησιν τῆς ὀδύνης, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ συντομίᾳ τοῦ ἐλέγχου! Ὅτε γὰρ ἔδει, ὑπεκρίνατο τὸ δρᾶμα· ὅτε δὲ χρεία ἦν τοῦ ἐλέγχου, εὐθέως ἔδωκε καὶ ἀπέτεμεν, οὐ πολλὴν ὀδύνην ἐργασάμενος· Σὺ εἶ, βασιλεῦ. Τί οὖν αὐ τός; Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ὁρᾷς καὶ ἐν τῇ νόσῳ τὴν εὐγένειαν τῆς ψυχῆς; Οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Ὦ ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε, οὔτε φανερῶς ἐλέγξαι ἐβουλήθη. Τί οὖν λέγει ὁ βασιλεύς; Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ Τί δὲ ὁ προ 55.573 φήτης; Καὶ Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου. Ὀξεῖα ἡ μετάνοια· ἀλλ' ὀξυτέρα ἡ συγχώρησις. Λέγε σὺ τὰς ἀνομίας σου, φησὶ, πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. ∆ιὰ πρα γμάτων ἥμαρτες, καὶ διὰ ῥημάτων μετανόει. ζʹ. Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα ἀκούσωσιν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐμπεπτωκότες ἁμαρτήμασι, καὶ μὴ ἀπογινώσκωσι τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας. Ἡμάρτηκα, φησὶ, τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου. Σὺ μὲν εἶπας· Ῥομφαία πεσεῖται ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ ἐγὼ, Σὺ οὐκ ἀποθανῇ. Εἶδες πῶς ἔλυσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν δίκην τοῦ προφήτου; Λέγε σὺ τὰς ἀνομίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναδράμωμεν. Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ὅτε εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης.

Ἐνταῦθα δείκνυται αὐτοῦ ἡ εὐγνωμοσύνη καὶ συγχώρησις. Ἰδὲ οὖν, ἔμαθες πῶς ἐθεραπεύθη, καὶ ποῖον φάρμακον ἐδέ ξατο, Ὅταν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς δικαιοῖ, τίς κατακρίνει; Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ συγχωρῶ, ἀλλ', ὅτι Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου. Ἔτεμε τὸ ἕλκος, διωρθώσατο τὸ τραῦ μα. Οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς, φησί. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπῆλθε. Θέλω δὲ δεῖξαι λοιπὸν καὶ τὴν τούτου εὐγνωμοσύνην, καὶ τὴν τῆς διανοίας διόρθωσιν, ποίαν ἔλαβε συγχώρησιν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος, ποίαν εὗρεν ἄφεσιν τοῦ πλημμελή ματος. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε ἦλθεν Οὐρίας ἀπὸ τῆς συμμαχίας, καὶ τὴν νίκην τοῦ πολέμου τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐμήνυσε, βουλό μενος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν ἄνδρα λαθεῖν τὸν ἠδικημένον, ὅτι ἐμοίχευσεν εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, τοσαύτην ἔθετο σπουδὴν τοῦ κρύψαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὅτι καὶ φόνον συν έπλεξε τῇ μοιχείᾳ· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα γέγονε φιλόσοφος ἀπὸ τῆς μετανοίας, ὁ ἀποκρύπτων πρότερον τὸ ἁμάρτημα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἦλθε· καὶ μετὰ τὴν συγχώρη σιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπινεύσεως γενομένην, μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν τὸν προφήτην, καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς, οὐ μόνον οὐ κρύ πτει τὸ πάθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάσαις ταῖς γενεαῖς εὔδηλον κατέστησε, καὶ ψαλμὸν ἔγραψεν, ἵνα καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα μάθωσι, πόσην τραγῳδίαν ἔχει τὸ πάθος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἦλθεν ἡ μετάνοια, ἐκόμισε τὴν παῤῥησίαν. Ἐγὼ ἐσώθην, φησί· διὰ τί μὴ σώζονται καὶ ἄλλοι διὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ διηγήματος; Ὁ Θεός μοι συνεχώρησε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γράφω ταῦτα, ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἕλκος μάθωσι καὶ τὸ φάρμακον. Οὐ φοβοῦμαι τὴν αἰσχύνην, ἐπειδὴ ἐπιθυμῶ τῆς ἐμαυ τοῦ σωτηρίας. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ποιεῖ· τὰ ἀφεθέντα αὐτῷ ἁμαρτήματα στηλιτεύει, καὶ