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In the morning like grass it would pass away, in the morning it would flourish and pass away, in the evening it would fall away, be hardened, and withered. this is human nature. But in what follows, the human condition is further pitied, saying that the life of men has been consumed by wrath, being storm-tossed as by some wind by the assault of anger. And it is clear that through wrath and anger he signifies the apostate energy, through which an eclipse of life comes to men, and a disturbance of him who is at peace. And the text reads thus, that We have failed in your wrath and in your anger we have been troubled. and to these things he adds consequently that it is not fitting for God to make a spectacle of human wickedness, nor that our age, which has been defiled by our sins, should appear to his undefiled face; and he speaks thus with his voice, interpreting such a thought: You have set our iniquities before you. as if someone, adding 'why' for greater clarity, were to advance the argument, so that the thought of the saying is this: that it is fitting for you to have good things in your eyes, but what is lawless is unworthy of being seen by you. Therefore make the human condition such as to not be unworthy of your visitation, but that our age become worthy of appearing to you; for as things are now all our days have failed; for not to be in you, is not to be at all; for over whom the 5.49 dominion of wrath will prevail, life is unsubstantial and shadow-like in the likeness of a spider's thread; for that indeed is visible, as long as it happens to hold together, but if one should bring his hand to it, immediately at the touch of the fingers it dissolves and vanishes; so too human life, always being interwoven with its unsubstantial pursuits like some threads in the air, in vain weaves for itself the non-existent tapestry. of which if anyone should take hold with firm reasoning, the vain pursuit escapes the grasp and vanishes into nothing; For all things pursued in this life are opinion and not substance; honor is opinion, rank, birth, pride, pomposity, wealth, all the things in which the spiders of life are practiced, for which reason such things require God to heal them; For I consider this to be the thought of the saying which says that The days of our years in them are seventy years; and if in strength, eighty years, and the greater part of them is toil and trouble. Not that life is toilsome for one living beyond this measure, but that of so short a life the greater part is in toil and trouble. Trouble, infancy; toil, youth; the life in between abounds more in troubles. But old age especially, with its gray hair and wrinkles, bears witness to the excess of toil. Again he devises another way, how the divine might be made gracious to men. And the thought of what is said is this: The mass of our sins indeed draws down great punishment; but the substance of our nature is insignificant, so as not to contain the deserved wrath for the offenses committed. But even if what is brought upon us for punishment is gentle, it will be sufficient for correction for those who endure; If therefore the 5.50 mildness of the retribution sufficed for both correction and punishment, who will withstand the might of the wrath? Or what numbering of anger will be able to measure out the fear? If therefore the wrath is unbearable, but the operation according to loving-kindness is containable, thus make known to us your right hand, so that we may be able to contain it in wisdom, not in punishment, with the correction being worked in us by you. Since, therefore, the thought has been set forth by us, it would be fitting to bring forward also the divinely-inspired sayings themselves which are of this manner: Because gentleness has come upon us and we shall be corrected. Who knows the might of your wrath, and from the fear of you to number your anger? Make your right hand so known to me and turn back those who have been instructed in heart in wisdom; and the expression is good which is brought in consequently to what has been said. For he says that because of the weakness of nature we do not contain the magnitude of wrath, which sin stirs up against us, but we need to be corrected. Let salvation through turning back correct us rather than that which is for the

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Τὸ πρωὶ ὡσεὶ χλόη παρέλθοι, τὸ πρωὶ ἀνθήσαι καὶ παρέλθοι, τὸ ἑσπέρας ἀποπέσοι, σκληρυνθείη, καὶ ξηρανθείη. τοῦτο ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις. ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐφεξῆς πλέον κατοικτίζεται τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, λέγων δεδαπανῆσθαι τῇ ὀργῇ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζωὴν οἷόν τινι ἀνέμῳ τῇ τοῦ θυμοῦ προσβολῇ χειμαζομένην. δῆλον δὲ ὅτι διὰ τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ τὴν ἀποστατικὴν διασημαίνει ἐνέργειαν, δι' ἧς ἔκλειψις μὲν γίνεται τῆς ζωῆς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ταραχὴ δὲ τοῦ ἡσυχάζοντος. οὕτω δὲ ἡ λέξις ἔχει, ὅτι Ἐξελίπομεν ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ σου καὶ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐταράχθημεν. καὶ τούτοις ἐπάγει δι' ἀκολούθου τὸ μὴ πρέπειν θεῷ θέαμα ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κακίαν, μηδὲ δεῖν φαίνεσθαι τῷ ἀκηράτῳ προσώπῳ τὸν ἐμμολυνθέντα ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν αἰῶνα· λέγει δὲ οὑτωσὶ τῇ φωνῇ τὴν τοιαύτην ἑρμηνεύων διάνοιαν· Ἔθου τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν ἐναντίον σοῦ. ὡς ἂν εἴ τις τὸ ἵνα τί προσθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστε ρον προάγοι τὸν λόγον, ὡς εἶναι τοιαύτην τοῦ ῥήματος τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅτι Σοὶ πρέπει τὰ καλὰ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἔχειν, τὸ δὲ ἄνομον τοῦ παρὰ σοῦ ὁρᾶσθαι ἀνάξιον. τοιοῦτον οὖν ποίησον τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ὡς τῆς σῆς ἐπισκοπῆς μὴ ἀνάξιον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ γενέσθαι τὸν αἰῶνα ἡμῶν τοῦ σοὶ φαίνεσθαι ἄξιον· ὡς τό γε νῦν ἔχον πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι ἡμῶν ἐξέλιπον· τὸ γὰρ ἐν σοὶ μὴ εἶναι, οὐδέ ἐστιν ὅλως εἶναι· ὧν γὰρ ἐπικρατήσει ἡ τῆς ὀργῆς 5.49 δυναστεία, ἀνυπόστατός τε καὶ σκιοειδής ἐστιν ἡ ζωὴ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τοῦ ἀραχνίου νήματος· ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνο φαίνεται μέν, ἕως ἂν συνεστὸς τύχῃ, εἰ δέ τις ἐπαγάγοι τὴν χεῖρα, παραχρῆμα πρὸς τὴν ἐπαφὴν τῶν δακτύλων διαρρυὲν ἀφανίζεται· οὕτως καὶ ὁ ἀνθρώπινος βίος ταῖς ἀνυποστάτοις σπουδαῖς οἷόν τισιν ἐναερίοις νήμασιν ἀεὶ συμπλεκόμενος μάτην ἐξυφαίνει ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀνύπαρκτον ἱστουργίαν. οὗπερ εἴ τις καθάψαιτο στερρῷ λογισμῷ, διαδιδράσκει τὴν λαβὴν ἡ ματαία σπουδὴ καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ἀφανίζεται· πάντα γὰρ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ζωὴν ταύτην σπουδαζό μενα οἴησίς ἐστι καὶ οὐχ ὑπόστασις· οἴησις ἡ τιμή, τὸ ἀξίωμα, τὸ γένος, ὁ τύφος, ὁ ὄγκος, ὁ πλοῦτος, πάντα τὰ οἷς ἐμμελετῶσιν αἱ τοῦ βίου ἀράχναι, οὗ χάριν τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῦ θεοῦ δεῖται θεραπεύοντος· ταύτην γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι τοῦ ῥητοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι Αἱ ἡμέραι τῶν ἐτῶν ἡμῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη· ἐὰν δὲ ἐν δυναστείαις ὀγδοή κοντα ἔτη, καὶ τὸ πλεῖον αὐτῶν κόπος καὶ πόνος. οὐχ ὅτι τῷ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον τοῦτο ζῶντι ὁ βίος ἐπίπονος, ἀλλ' ὅτι τῆς οὕτω βραχείας ζωῆς ἐν κόπῳ τὸ πλέον ἐστὶ καὶ πόνῳ. πόνος, ἡ νηπιότης· κόπος, ἡ νεότης· ὁ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ βίος πλέον τοῖς πόνοις ἐνδαψιλεύεται. τὸ δὲ γῆρας διαφερόντως αὐτῇ τῇ πολιᾷ καὶ ταῖς ῥυτίσι τὸν πλεονασμὸν τοῦ κόπου μαρτύρεται. πάλιν ἕτερον ἐπινοεῖ τρόπον, ὅπως ἂν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἱλεωθείη τὸ θεῖον. τοιαύτη δὲ τῶν λεγομένων ἐστὶν ἡ διάνοια· ὁ μὲν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ὄγκος μεγάλην ἐφέλκε τὴν τιμωρίαν· οὐτιδανὴ δὲ τῆς φύσεως ἡ ὑπόστασις, ὡς μὴ χωρῆσαι τὴν κατ' ἀξίαν ἐπὶ τοῖς πλημμεληθεῖσιν ὀργήν. ἀλλὰ κἂν πρᾶον ᾖ τὸ ἐπαγόμενον εἰς τιμωρίαν ἡμῖν, ἱκανὸν ἔσται πρὸς παιδείαν τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν· εἰ οὖν τὸ 5.50 πρᾶον τῆς ἀντιδόσεως πρὸς παίδευσίν τε καὶ τιμωρίαν ἐξήρκεσεν, τίς τὸ κράτος τῆς ὀργῆς ὑποστήσεται; ἢ τίς ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θυμοῦ τὸν φόβον ἐκμετρῆσαι δυνήσεται; Εἰ οὖν ἀνυπόστατος μὲν ἡ ὀργή, χωρητὴ δὲ ἡ κατὰ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐνέργεια, οὕτως γνώρισον ἡμῖν τὴν δεξιάν σου, ὡς χωρῆσαι δυνάμεθα ἐν σοφίᾳ, οὐκ ἐν τιμωρίᾳ, παρὰ σοῦ τῆς παιδεύσεως ἡμῖν ἐνεργουμένης. προεκτεθείσης τοίνυν ἡμῖν τῆς διανοίας, ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη καὶ αὐτὰ ἐπαγαγεῖν τὰ θεόπνευστα ῥήματα τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον· Ὅτι ἐπῆλθε πραότης ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ παιδευθησόμεθα. τίς γινώσκει τὸ κράτος τῆς ὀργῆς σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου τὸν θυμόν σου ἐξαριθμήσασθαι; τὴν δεξιάν σου οὕτως γνώρισόν μοι καὶ τοὺς πεπαιδευμένους τὴν καρδίαν ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐπίστρεψον· καλὴ δὲ ἡ λέξις ἡ κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον ἐπαχθεῖσα τοῖς εἰρη μένοις. λέγει γὰρ ὅτι οὐ χωροῦμεν δι' ἀσθένειαν φύσεως τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς μέγεθος, ὃ κινεῖ καθ' ἡμῶν ἡ ἁμαρτία, χρήζομεν δὲ τοῦ παιδευθῆναι. Παιδευσάτω ἡμᾶς ἡ δι' ἐπιστροφῆς σωτηρία μᾶλλον ἤπερ ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς