master. For even if the accusations against the servants were just, but there is also a sparing concern for what is one's own when it is inhumanely ravaged by another. He also says that the bodies of the holy have become food for beasts and their blood has been poured out unsparingly like water before Jerusalem, perhaps calling the transgressors holy because of their election from the beginning, just as the apostle also calls holy the branches broken off because of impiety (because they were from a holy root), and perhaps he indicates that holy ones perished along with the unjust, which happens in the capture and end of a city and a nation and has been shown to happen through Ezekiel. For thus he says: The Lord says, Behold, I am against you, and I will draw my sword from its sheath and I will destroy from you, Aquila righteous and impious, O and I will cut off from you righteous and impious. This indeed was also spoken more allegorically thus: Behold, I kindle a fire in you, and it will devour in you every tree, Aquila moist, O and every dry tree; the moist wood being an allegory for the righteous man, and the dry for the impious, which the Lord also, the true righteous wood, showed himself to be, saying, If they do these things in the moist wood, what will happen in the dry? But if the Lord shared in the things inflicted upon the world, insofar as he shared in the flesh, but not in any sin, it is not surprising that righteous men, being somehow participants even in sin, also become participants in the calamities that come upon sins, suffering on an equal footing with the unjust by being killed just as he himself was numbered among the lawless, but being distinguished before God. Such was the case of Jeremiah being taken captive among the impious, but having a certain distinction even among men after the captivity in the honor from his captor. But he who, being righteous, would share even unto death with sinners, for him good things are already laid up after death for distinction from the wicked, just as for Josiah the king; for he, being most righteous, died in battle when the Egyptian prevailed, since the impiety of Israel had become great and did not receive forgiveness. Therefore, for the righteous themselves, if they should suffer with the sinners, better things are laid up from God after the suffering; and indeed also for the brothers and kinsmen suffering because of sin, there is much help through them, so that on account of their destruction, a certain turning of God to the race might occur, which the prophet now requests. 129 Ps 78,4 These things depend on a justification acceptable to God. For even if we are worthy, he says, of what we have suffered, yet your name is reproached along with us, just as God himself says through Isaiah, Continually on your account my name is blasphemed among the nations. 130 Ps 78,7 Because like beasts, he says, they ravaged the God-fearing nation and laid waste the holy land.
131 Ps 79,3.4 Naming him who is seated upon the cherubim, he indicates the authority, the
heavenly, through which all things are subject to him and nothing can resist, if only he should appear. And he exhorts his sovereignty to be roused because he has been silent and kept still and overlooked the people's suffering. What they suffered from the Assyrians, he asks him to come now, being absent, to them because of their abandonment. But how is he to come, except by his working? For this reason he says, Come to save us, as if he said, Come according to saving. And as for Restore us and show your face, this is because he who is turned away from God is not able to obtain his appearance, unless he first be turned toward him. For he says, Turn to me, and I will turn to you. He asks for this indeed from the guidance and cooperation of God, such as is also Incline my heart to your testimonies. For the pious entrust the whole to God. But if your face should appear, he says, we shall be saved; for the appearance of God is salvation. 132 Ps 79,9-14 To the
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δεσπότην. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐγκλήματα κατὰ τῶν δούλων εἴη δίκαια, ἀλλὰ καὶ φειδὼ περὶ τὸ οἰκεῖόν ἐστιν ἀπανθρώπως ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου πορθούμενον. λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁσίων σώματα θηρίοις γεγενῆσθαι βρώματα καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἀφειδῶς ὕδατος δίκην ἐκκεχῦσθαι πρὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἴσως μέν που καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐκλογὴν ὁσίους καλῶν τοὺς ἐπταικότας, ὥσπερ αὖ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἁγίας λέγει καὶ τοὺς δι' ἀσέβειαν ἀποκεκλασμένους κλάδους (διότι τῆς ῥίζης ἦσαν ἁγίας), ἴσως δὲ καὶ συναπολωλότας δηλοῖ τοῖς ἀδίκοις ὁσίους, ὅπερ ἐν ἁλώσει καὶ συντελείᾳ πόλεώς τε καὶ ἔθνους γίνεται καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἱεζεκιὴλ δεδήλωται γινόμενον· τάδε γὰρ λέγει· Φησὶν κύριος Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ καὶ ἐκπετάσω τὸ ἐγχειρίδιόν μου ἐκ τοῦ κολεοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω ἐκ σοῦ, Ἀκύλας δίκαιον καὶ ἀσεβῆ, Ο καὶ ἐκκόψω ἐκ σοῦ δίκαιον καὶ ἀσεβῆ. ὃ δὴ καὶ ἀλληγορικώτερον προείρητο οὕτως· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀνάπτω ἐν σοὶ πῦρ, καὶ καταφάγεται ἐν σοὶ πᾶν ξύλον, Ἀκύλας ὑγρόν, Ο καὶ πᾶν ξύλον ξηρόν· ὑγροῦ μὲν ἀλληγορουμένου ξύλου τοῦ δικαίου ἀνδρός, ξηροῦ δὲ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, ὅπερ καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς δίκαιον ξύλον ἑαυτὸν ὁ κύριος ἐδήλωσε λέγων Εἰ ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ ξύλῳ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν, ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ τί γίνεται; εἰ δὲ ὁ κύριος ἐκοινώνησεν τῶν ἐπιφερομένων τῷ κόσμῳ καθὸ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκοινώνησεν, ἁμαρτίας δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς, οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἀνθρώπους δικαίους, μετόχους ἁμῆ γέ πῃ καὶ ἁμαρτίας ὄντας, μετόχους καὶ τῶν ἐφ' ἁμαρτίαις γίνεσθαι συμφορῶν, ἐν ἴσῳ μὲν τοῖς ἀδίκοις πάσχειν φονευομένους ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἀνόμοις ἐλογίσθη, παρὰ θεῷ δὲ διακεκριμένους· οἷον ἦν τὸ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου μεταξὺ τῶν ἀσεβῶν αἰχμαλώτου λαμβανομένου, ἔχοντος δέ τινα καὶ παρ' ἀνθρώποις διάκρισιν μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐν τῇ τιμῇ τῇ παρὰ τοῦ αἰχμαλωτίσαντος. ὁ δὲ καὶ μέχρι θανάτου κοινωνήσειεν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς δίκαιος ὤν, τούτῳ τὰ μετὰ θάνατον ἤδη χρηστὰ πρὸς διάκρισιν τὴν ἀπὸ πονηρῶν ἀποκείσεται, καθάπερ Ἰωσίᾳ τῷ βασιλεῖ· δικαιότατος γὰρ δὴ καὶ οὗτος ὢν ἐν πολέμῳ τέθνηκεν ἐπικρατοῦντος τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου, τῆς Ἰσραηλιτικῆς ἀσεβείας πολλῆς τε προγεγενημένης καὶ οὐ δεχομένης συγχώρησιν. αὐτοῖς τε οὖν τοῖς δικαίοις, εἰ μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν πάθοιεν, ἀπόκειται τὰ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ τὸ πάθος καλλίονα· καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῖς δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ὁμογενέσι πολλὴ δι' αὐτῶν ἐπικουρία, ὥστε τῆς ἐκείνων ἀναιρέσεως ἕνεκα γενέσθαι θεοῦ τινα εἰς τὸ γένος ἐπιστροφήν, ὅπερ καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης ἀξιοῖ. 129 Ps 78,4 Ταῦτα δικαιολογίας ἤρτηται δεκτῆς παρὰ θεῷ. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἄξιοι, φησίν, ὧν πεπόνθαμεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ σὸν συνονειδίζεται, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου λέγει ∆ιὰ παντὸς δι' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. 130 Ps 78,7 Ὅτι θηρίων δίκην, φησίν, ἐλυμήναντο τὸ θεοσεβὲς ἔθνος καὶ χώραν ἠρήμοσαν ἱεράν.
131 Ps 79,3.4 Καθήμενον ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ὀνομάσας τὴν ἐξουσίαν δηλοῖ τὴν
οὐράνιον δι' ἣν ὑποχείρια πάντα αὐτῷ καὶ οὐδὲν ἀντιστατεῖν δύναται, εἰ μόνον φανείη· καὶ τὴν δυνάστειαν ἐξεγερθῆναι παρακαλεῖ διὰ τὸ παρασιωπῆσαι καὶ ἡσυχάσαι καὶ περιϊδεῖν τὸν λαὸν πάσχοντα· οἷα πέπονθεν ὑπὸ Ἀσσυρίων ἐλθεῖν τέως, οὐ παρόντα, αὐτοῖς ἀξιοῖ διὰ τὴν ἐγκατάλειψιν. πῶς δ' ἐλθεῖν ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν; διὰ τοῦτό φησιν Ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς, ὥσπερ εἰ ἔλεγεν Ἐλθὲ κατὰ τὸ σῴζειν. τὸ δὲ Ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου διότι τῆς ἐπιφανείας οὐχ οἷός τε τυχεῖν ὁ ἀπεστραμμένος θεοῦ, εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἐπιστραφείη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐπιστράφητε γάρ φησι πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. αἰτεῖ δὴ τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς ὁδηγίας καὶ συνεργίας τοῦ θεοῦ, οἷόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ Κλῖνον τὴν καρδίαν μου εἰς τὰ μαρτύριά σου. θεῷ γὰρ οἱ εὐσεβεῖς τὸ σύμπαν ἀνατίθεισιν. εἰ δὲ ἐπιφανείη, φησί, τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ σωθησόμεθα· ἐπιφάνεια γὰρ θεοῦ σωτηρία. 132 Ps 79,9-14 Τῇ
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