8

betrayal. "They have opened upon us." Reviling, or seeking to devour. "Fear and trembling." From the various temptations. "Exaltation and crushing." Either through exaltation, he says, and arrogance we were crushed, or because our enemies, being lifted up against us, crushed us. 93.749 "My eye was swallowed up." It has encompassed [hidetur deesse hoc, darkness], he says, my power of seeing. And I lament, seeking a return to sobriety. "My eye." In detail, he says, the soul's power of sight will hold, and it investigates [alt. it will see and will investigate] its transgressions beyond the cures through actions; for by daughters of the city, he means the practices of the community. "Hunting." According to tyranny, having been done no prior wrong. "They put to death." The Jews, then, having killed the author of life, but the demons, the soul in their subterranean counsel. "And they placed upon." The Jews, indeed, that they might cover the tomb, but the demons, the weight of sins against the soul, persuading it to despise the better things. "Water overflowed." Against the Lord, the various afflictions; but against the soul, the waves of sin. "I said: I am cast off." The Lord, having become man for the passion, speaks in a human way according to what is in the psalms: I have become like a man without help. But the soul of the sinner says this because of sin. "I called upon." From whence they cast me out. "Do not hide your ears." Similar to this: Incline your ear to my supplication. "To my help." Our Lord and God Jesus Christ foretells his resurrection; but the one repenting says these things because God is by nature present everywhere. "You have judged, Lord." From the person of Christ, that the Jews paid worthy penalties for the offenses committed against him, having been handed over to the Romans. But from the person of those saved through Christ, through the resurrection, that he condemned the ruler of this age. "You have redeemed." From the person of Christ through the resurrection. But the one being saved, he says, says to him, that You have redeemed me, having deigned to pay my debts through yourself. "You have seen, Lord, my troubles." Which the Lord endured from the Jews, or also which the soul from the unseen enemies. "I heard." Prophetically the preceding things are referred to the person of the Lord concerning what he suffered from the Jews; but they are also said from the person of the soul entreating the Father himself against the unseen enemies. "Their seat." That sometimes they pretend to be at peace, suggesting pride or even negligence to the soul, as if it had reached a state of passionlessness, but they suddenly rise up against it. "Look upon." Instead of, upon their purpose; for whatever they may do, they do for the destruction of the soul. 93.752 "You will render to them a defense, the toil of my heart." Defending my heart, he says, you will render toil to my enemies. You yourself will pursue in wrath; for it is for no other to pursue and rout the sinful demons, than for our Lord Jesus Christ. {1CHAPTER 4.}1 "Gold." The evangelical teaching. "It will be changed." The Mosaic law, but good, because it alone is divinely inspired for them, although there are many laws among men. "Stones were poured out." Each one became common in the purpose of the established way of life. And the word contains an outcry, also against the demons who work these things. "Those who are valued with gold." He has taken the saying from the image of things being weighed on a balance. Those who are weighed against, he says. For this is what is meant by, valued with gold, that is, with everything precious; how did they become fragile vessels, shattered by the assault of sin? or from not abiding, that is, in the better things. "Breasts." The venomous doctrines, or misinterpretations. "Their whelps." Those who obey them. "Daughters of my people." The souls that have accepted their corrupting teachings. Having been captured because they were without help. "Those who eat delicacies." Those from the word and the spiritual teaching. "They have vanished." They were changed in their purposes. Or also thus: Having begun in the spirit, they are perfected in the flesh. For to have begun with virtue,

8

προδοσίαν. "∆ιήνοιξαν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς." Λοιδοροῦντες, ἢ καταπιεῖν ζητοῦντες. "Φόβος καὶ θάμβος." Ἐκ τῶν ποικίλων ἐπαγωγῶν. "Ἔπαρσις καὶ συντριβή." Ἢ δι' ἔπαρσιν, φησὶν, καὶ ἀλαζωνείαν συνετρίβημεν, ἢ ὅτι ἐπαιρόμενοι καθ' ἡμῶν οἱ ἐχθροὶ συνέτριψαν ἡμᾶς. 93.749 "Ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου κατεπόθη." Περιέλαβεν [ῃιδετυρ δεεσσε ῃοχ, σκότος], φησὶν, τὸ ὁρατικόν μου. Καὶ ὀδύρομαι ζητῶν ἔκνηψιν. "Ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου." Λεπτομερῶς, φησὶν, ἕξει, καὶ διερευνᾶται [ἴσ. βλέψει καὶ διερευνήσεται] τὸ ὁρατικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ παραπτώματα ὑπὲρ τὰς διὰ τῶν πράξεων θεραπείας· θυγατέρας γὰρ πόλεως, τὰς πράξεις τῆς πολιτείας φησί. "Θηρεύοντες." Κατὰ τυραννίδα, οὐδὲν προαδικηθέντες. "Ἐθανάτωσαν." Οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀποτείναντες, οἱ δὲ δαίμονες τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν τῇ καταχθονίῳ αὐτῶν βουλῇ. "Καὶ ἐπέθηκαν." Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν, ἵνα τὸ μνημεῖον σκεπάσωσιν, οἱ δὲ δαίμονες κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν βάρος, καταφρονεῖν ἀναπείθοντες τῶν κρειττόνων. "Ὑπερεχύθη ὕδωρ." Κατὰ μὲν τοῦ Κυρίου αἱ διάφοροι θλίψεις, κατὰ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς, οἱ κλύδωνες τῆς ἁμαρτίας. "Εἶπα· Ἀπῶσμαι." Ὁ μὲν Κύριος διὰ τὸ πάθος ἅνθρωπος γεγονὼς ἀνθρωπίνως φθέγγεται κατὰ τὸ ἐν ψαλμοῖς· Ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ψυχὴ, διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦτι λέγει. "Ἐπεκαλεσάμην." Ὅθεν με ἔκβαλον. "Μὴ κρύψῃς τὰ ὦτα." Ὅμοιον τό· Κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου εἰς τὴν δέησίν μου. "Εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου." Ὁ μὲν Κύριος καὶ Θεὸς ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ προλέγει· ὁ δὲ μετανοῶν ταῦτά φησιν διὰ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν πανταχοῦ παρεῖναι τὸν Θεόν. "Ἐδίκασας, Κύριε." Ἐκ μὲν προσώπου Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ἀξίας τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πλημμεληθέντων οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὰς δίκας ἔτισαν, παραδοθέντες Ῥωμαίοις. Ἐκ δὲ προσώπου τῶν σωθέντων διὰ Χριστοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ὅτι τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου κατέκρινεν. "Ἐλυτρώσω." Ἐκ μὲν προσώπου Χριστοῦ διὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ὁ δὲ σωζόμενος, φησὶν, πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι Ἐλυτρώσω με, καταξιώσας τὰ ὀφειλήματά μου διὰ σαυτοῦ ἀποτίσαι. "Ἴδες, Κύριε, τὰς ταραχάς μου." Ἃς ὁ Κύριος ὑπέμεινεν ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἢ καὶ ἃς ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκ τῶν ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν. "Ἤκουσα." Προφητικῶς ἀναφέρεται τὰ προκείμενα εἰς πρόσωπον Κυρίου περὶ ὧν πέπονθεν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων· λέγονται δὲ καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τῆς ψυχῆς ἐντυγχανούσης αὐτῷ τῷ Πατρὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν. "Καθέδραν αὐτῶν." Ὅτι μέν ποτε ὑποκρίνονται εἰρηνεύειν φυσίωσιν, ἢ καὶ ἀμέλειαν τῇ ψυχῇ ὑποβάλλοντες, ὡς εἰς ἀπάθειαν ἐλθούσῃ, αἰφνίδιον δὲ αὐτῇ ἐπανίστανται. "Ἐπίβλεψον." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐπὶ τὸν σκοπὸν αὐτῶν· ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν ποιήσωσιν, εἰς ἀπώλειαν ψυχῆς ποιοῦσιν. 93.752 "Ἀποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ὑπερασπισμὸν καρδίας μου μόχθον." Ἐμοῦ, φησὶν, τῆς καρδίας ὑπερασπίζων, τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀποδώσεις μόχθον. Σὺ αὐτὸς καταδιώξεις ἐν ὀργῇ· οὐδενὸς γὰρ ἅλλου τοὺς ἀλιτηρίους δαίμονας καταδιῶξαι καὶ τροπώσασθαι, ἢ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. {1ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ.}1 "Χρυσίον." Ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ διδασκαλία. "Ἀλλοιωθήσεται." Ὁ νόμος ὁ Μωσαϊκὸς, ἀγαθὸς δὲ, ὅτι θεόπνευστος μόνος αὐτοῖς, καίτοι πολλῶν ὄντων παρ' ἀνθρώποις νόμων. "Ἐξεχύθησαν λίθοι." Χυδαῖοι ἐγένοντο ἕκαστος ἐπὶ τῇ προθέσει τῆς πολιτείας τῇ προκειμένῃ. Καταβοὴν δὲ ἔχει ὁ λόγος, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ταῦτα ἐνεργούντων δαιμόνων. "Οἱ ἐπηρμένοι ἐν χρυσίῳ." Ἐξ εἰκόνος τῶν σταθμιζομένων ἐν ζυγῷ τὸν λόγον εἴληφεν. Οἱ ἀντισταθμιζόμενοι, φησίν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, ἐπηρμένοι τῷ χρυσῷ, τουτέστι παντὶ τιμίῳ· πῶς ἐγένοντο σκεύη εὔθρυπτα, ὑπὸ τῆς προσβολῆς τῆς ἁμαρτίας συντριβόμενα; ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ἐμμένειν, τοῖς κρείττοσι δηλονότι. "Μαστούς." Τὰ ἰοβόλα δόγματα, ἢ παρεξηγήματα. "Σκύμνοι αὐτῶν." Τοὺς αὐτοῖς πειθομένους. "Θυγατέρας λαοῦ μου." Αἱ τὰ φθοροποιὰ αὐτῶν μαθήματα παραδεξάμεναι ψυχαί. Ὑπὸ ἀβοηθησίας ἀγρευθεῖσαι. "Οἱ ἐσθίοντες τὰς τρυφάς." Τὰς ἐκ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας τῆς πνευματικῆς. "Ἠφανίσθησαν." Ἠλλοιώθησαν ἐν ταῖς προθέσεσιν. Ἢ καὶ οὕτως· Ἐναρξάμενοι πνευματικῶς, σαρκὶ ἐπιτελοῦνται. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀρετῆς ἄρξασθαι,