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then they became dogs. And it followed their becoming dogs that they are "a synagogue of evildoers"; for when they were sheep, they were a divine flock. Therefore, dogs have surrounded me and a synagogue of evildoers. For this reason they subjected me to the cross; for the piercing of the hands and feet of the savior signifies nothing other than the cross. For the rest, consider the details: is it not of shameless and licentious and barking souls, barking through insults, to hate the one who performed the resurrection of the dead and the recovery of sight for the blind and the cleansing of lepers, and to want to subject him to death, is this not a synagogue of evildoers? 39 But there is a praiseworthy synagogue. They pierced my hands and my feet and some have said this in the historical sense too. Many have become shepherds of irrational animals, and it was never recorded that a herd of cattle attacked a herdsman, nor a flock of goats a goatherd, nor a flock of sheep a shepherd, nor horses a horse-breeder. Only humans have attacked rulers, and history bears many rulers, both good in character and serious in judgment, who were killed by those they ruled. Therefore, remaining sheep, they would not have killed. Therefore, when they became dogs, and these very people became dog-like in manner and life and disposition, they were called "a synagogue of evildoers." And it is the mark of evildoers to rise up against the benefactor, to rebel against the shepherd. 18 They have counted all my bones. As far as it concerned them, they subjected my bones to a number, although they are not countable. For the rest, he interweaves the thought. And this indeed happened according to the historical account, their dividing his garments and casting a lot for the tunic woven from a single piece. In a way, however, the saying in the Gospel conflicts with the present expression; for the soldiers did these things. But the soldiers were not Hebrews; for a Jew was not permitted to serve as a soldier at all; but since in a way they themselves were the cause of his being handed over to the soldiers, they attribute the charge to them. 18 But they have observed me and looked upon me. Question: having observed, did they look upon me? -Having stood over me, they saw the scattering of my bones. And "to look upon" is often said of those who rejoice in others' misfortune. And it is possible to call the powers of his teaching bones. 19 They divided my garments among themselves. On this point we no longer wish to remain here on the historical level; for it has already been said that the soldiers also divided them, making four parts, and cast a lot for the seamless tunic woven from the top throughout. I say: just as the assembly of the faithful was called the body of Christ in a certain sense, as the apostolic testimonies indicated, and we said that the strong ones of this body are the bones, so again we say that the God-inspired scripture itself is the body of the savior, and the bones of this body are the strong thoughts, the contemplation of the other higher thoughts. And the garments are the words; for the word, according to the thought, is clothed by the words. So even if they counted his bones, they did not divide them; they only saw them as they are not; for if they had seen them as they are, they would have been strengthened in them and would have made them their own, so as to say: "All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like you?" For they do not mean these perceptible bones. Therefore all who think differently, who hold false opinions, divide the garments of the word. They drag the words to what they want and make them their own, for example: "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways." The expression is a garment of the contemplation. The Arians drag it as they wish and consider it their own. The ecclesiastics, in turn, receive it as Wisdom, who says this, wears it, and others in other ways. And in general it is possible to find the same sayings being handled in different ways by almost all the heterodox. Therefore they divided them, they stripped the word of its expressions and dragged them, naked of the word, to their own will. 19 And for my clothing they cast a lot. No one

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τότε κύνες γέγοναν. ἠκολούθησεν δὲ τῷ κύνας αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι τὸ "συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων" εἶναι· ὅτε γὰρ πρόβατα ἦσαν, ποίμνη θεία ἦσαν. κύνες οὖν γέγοναν περὶ ἐμὲ καὶ συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων. διὰ τοῦτο σταυρῷ με ὑπέβαλαν· τὸ γὰρ ὀρύττειν χεῖρας καὶ πόδας τοῦ σωτῆρος οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ σταυρὸν σημαίνει. λοιπὸν τὰ καθέκαστα σκόπει· οὔκ ἐστιν ἀναιδῶν ψυχῶν καὶ ἀκολάστων καὶ ὑλακτικῶν, διὰ λοιδοριῶν ὑλακτούντων, τὸν ποιήσαντα ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν καὶ ἀνάβλεψιν τυφλῶν καὶ καθαιρομένους λεπροὺς μισεῖν καὶ θανάτῳ θέλειν ὑποβαλεῖν, οὐ πονηρευομένη ἐστὶν αὕτη συναγωγή; 39 ἔστιν δὲ συναγωγὴ ἐπαινετή. ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἱστορίας δέ τινες εἴρηκαν τοῦτο. πολλοὶ νομεῖς γέγοναν ἀλόγων ζῴων, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἱστορήθη, ὅτι βουκόλιον ἐπέθετο βουκόλῳ οὐδὲ αἰπόλιον αἰπόλῳ οὐδὲ ποιμένι ποίμνιον οὐδὲ ἵπποι ἱπποτρόφῳ. μόνοι ἄνθρωποι ἐπέθεντο ἄρχουσιν, καὶ πολλοὺς φέρει ἡ ἱστορία ἄρχοντας καὶ χρηστοὺς τὸ ἦθος καὶ σπουδαίους τὴν γνώμην ἀναιρεθέντας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων. μένοντες οὖν πρόβατα οὐκ ἂν ἀνῄρουν. ὅτε οὖν κύνες γέγοναν καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἄνθρωποι κυνώδεις τῷ τρόπῳ καὶ τῷ βίῳ καὶ τῇ καταστάσει, "συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων" ἐλέχθησαν. πονηρευομένων δέ ἐστιν τὸ ἐγείρεσθαι κατὰ τοῦ εὐεργέτου, τὸ κατὰ τοῦ νομέως ἐπανίστασθαι. 18 ἐξηρίθμησαν πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. τὸ ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς αὐτούς, ἀριθμῷ ὑπέβαλαν τὰ ὀστᾶ μου καίπερ οὐκ ὄντα ἀριθμητά. λοιπὸν συνπλέκει τὴν διάνοιαν. ὑπῆρκται μὲν καὶ τοῦτο κατ' ἱστορίαν τὸ μερίσασθαι αὐτοὺς τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ βαλεῖν κλῆρον περὶ τοῦ ὑφαντοῦ δι' ὅλου χιθῶνος. τρόπον τινὰ ὅμως μάχεται τὸ ῥητὸν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τῇ παρούσῃ λέξει· οἱ στρατιῶται γὰρ ταῦτα πεποίηκαν. οὐκ ἦσαν δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται Ἑβραῖοι· ὅλως γὰρ Ἰουδαῖος οὐκ ἐπετρέπετο στρατεύεσθαι· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τρόπον τινὰ αὐτοὶ αἴτιοι γέγοναν τοῦ καὶ στρατιώταις αὐτὸν παραδοθῆναι, αὐτοῖς τὸ ἔνκλημα προσάπτουσιν. 18 αὐτοὶ δὲ κατενόησάν με καὶ ἐπεῖδόν με. ἐπερ · κατανοήσαντες ἐπεῖδόν με; -ἐπιστήσαντες εἶδον τὸν σκορπισμὸν τῶν ὀστῶν μου. καὶ τὸ "ἐπιδεῖν" δὲ πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιχαιρεκάκων λέγεται. καὶ τὰς δυνάμ̣εις τῆς διδαςκαλίας αὐτοῦ δυνατὸν ὀστᾶ εἰπεῖν. 19 διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς. εἰς τοῦτο οὐκέτι ὧδε ἐπὶ τῆς ἱστορίας μεῖναι θέλομεν· ἤδη γὰρ ἐλέχθη ὅτι καὶ ἐμερίσαντο οἱ στρατιῶται τέσσερα μέρη πεποιηκότες καὶ κλῆρον ἔβαλον ἐπὶ τὸν ἄραφον τὸν ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῶν ὅλων ὑφαντὸν χιθῶνα. λέγω· ὥσπερ σῶμα Χριστοῦ ἐλέγετο κατά τινα λόγον τὸ ἄθροισμα τῶν πιςτῶν, ὡς αἱ μαρτυρίαι αἱ ἀποστολικαὶ ἐσήμαινον, καὶ ἐλέγαμεν τοὺς εὐτόνους τούτου τοῦ σώματος ὀστᾶ εἶναι, οὕτω πάλιν λέγομεν ὅτι αὐτὴ ἡ θεόπνευστος γραφὴ σῶμα τοῦ σωτῆρός ἐστιν, ὀστᾶ δὲ τούτου τοῦ σώματος τὰ εὔτονα νοήματα, τὰ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερτέρων νοημάτων θεωρήματα. ἱμάτια δὲ αἱ λέξεις εἰσίν· ἐνδιδύσκεται γὰρ ὁ λόγος ὁ κατὰ τὴν νόησιν ὑπὸ τῶν λέξεων. εἰ καὶ ἐξηρίθμησαν οὖν τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμερίσαντο αὐτά· μόνον εἶδον αὐτὰ ὡς οὔκ εἰσιν· εἰ γὰρ ὥς εἰσιν θεασάμενοι ἦσαν, ἐνεδυναμοῦντο ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξιδιοποιοῦντο αὐτὰ ἑαυτοῖς ὡς λέγειν· "πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσιν· κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι"; οὐ γὰρ τὰ αἰσθητὰ ὀστᾶ ταῦτα λέγουσιν. διαμερίζονται οὖν τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ λόγου πάντες οἱ ἑτερογνωμονοῦντες, οἱ ψευδοδοξοῦντες. ἕλκουσιν δὲ τὰς λέξεις εἰς ὃ βούλονται καὶ ἐξιδιοποιοῦνται αὐτάς, οἷον· "κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ". ἡ λέξις ἱμάτιόν ἐστιν τοῦ 40 θεωρήματος. ἕλκουσιν αὐτὸ οἱ Ἀριανοὶ ὡς θέλουσιν καὶ ἴδιον αὐτῶν αὐτὸ νομίζουσιν. οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικοὶ πάλιν δέχονται αὐτὸ ὡς φορεῖ αὐτὸ ἡ Σοφία ἡ τοῦτο λέγουσα, καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλα. καὶ ὅλως εὑρεῖν ἔστιν τὰ αὐτὰ ῥητὰ σχεδὸν παρὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἑτεροδόξοις ἄλλως καὶ ἄλλως μεταχειριζόμενα. ἐμερίσαντο ἄρα αὐτά, ἐξέδυσαν τὸν λόγον τὰς λέξεις καὶ εἵλκυσαν αὐτὰς γυμνὰς τοῦ λόγου εἰς τὸ ἑαυτῶν βούλημα. 19 καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. οὐδεὶς