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speaking. You see that the words were not those of one justifying himself, but a certain comfort for the pain, with speech restoring the body and relieving the soul. "Hear, hear my words; for I will proclaim them while you are listening." I wish to be judged, he says, I do not refuse the court, and I know that I will not be condemned. And inviting his friends to hear the things said by him, for greater entreaty, he doubles the exhortation; for he saw them being vexed at the reproofs, at which he says he speaks freely while they listen openly. The doubling, therefore, of "Hear," either presents his despondency, or wishes to effect attentiveness, so that they may surely hear. For it is possible sometimes for the hearing to be struck by the voice, yet for one not to have heard due to the mind not paying attention; wherefore the Savior also, stirring up the listeners to hear genuinely, said: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. "For you have written down evil things against me, and have encompassed me with the sins of my youth." And perhaps you are awed by me, not knowing the worthlessness of my nature, that I differ in no way from a leaf or from grass carried by the wind. For what reason then, O Master, did you pronounce such a great sentence against me? For the phrase, "You have written down evil things against me," that is, afflictions, is a metaphor from kings, who issue their sentence in writing. And the phrase, "you oppose me," instead of, "you bring punishment as upon an opponent." So that he might say that, "As a master does to a rebellious servant, with authority you have decreed punishment against me," for this is the meaning of "You have written down"; and so he spoke, preserving what is fitting for the Master. "Which grows old like a wineskin." Again he speaks of the greatness of the misfortune, again he mocks the worthlessness of nature. And for what reason did he introduce a wineskin? Because the wineskin is empty, having only air; this is also a custom for many to say, that "We are a puffed-up wineskin." Do not, therefore, he says, look at my bulk, nor my stretched-out skin, but consider what is inside, and you will see much emptiness. "Or like a moth-eaten garment." Through the moth-eaten garment he shows the bodily passions, which no less than the moth gnaw through and devour our bodies.

CHAPTER 14

"For who shall be clean from filth? Nay, not one, even if his life be but one day upon the earth." You see him again taking refuge in nature, and seeking to be set free, not only because of its worthlessness, nor because of its short duration, nor because it is full of despondency in life, but because it is not even possible to be clean. "For in time the sea fails, and a river, being desolate, is dried up; but a man, having fallen asleep, shall not rise again, until the heaven be not sewn together, and they shall not be awakened out of their sleep." And perhaps, just as in the preceding passages man was shown to be more short-lived than plants, so also here he is more short-lived than the sea and the river; for neither the sea nor the river is cut off, but man endures this. For would that this were so, that we should die and live again, but this is not so. For the sea fails, and is filled again, now increasing, now ceasing, and rivers are dried up, and flow again; but when a man dies, he no longer returns to life. And these things are according to the literal sense. But, according to allegory, there is hope for a tree, instead of for a man. For if one should be in transgression, but repent, and be in the land of piety, and on the rock, that is, the pious faith, from the water of regeneration, or from the tear of repentance, he will sprout again; but he who dies in his turning aside and his sin has no good hope. And in the time to come sin is made to disappear, which is tropically called the sea; and the devil, and his temptations, are dried up; but indeed

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φθεγγόμενος. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτὸν δικαιοῦντος ἦν τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ παραμυθία τις τῆς ὀδύνης διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἀνακτωμένου τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἀνακουφίζοντος τὴν ψυχήν. «Ἀκούσατε, ἀκούσατε τὰ ῥήματά μου· ἀναγγελῶ γὰρ ὑμῶν ἀκουόντων.» Βούλομαι κριθῆναι, φησὶν, οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ δικαστήριον, καὶ οἶδα ὅτι οὐ κατακριθήσομαι. Εἰς ἀκοὴν δὲ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων τοὺς φίλους παρακαλῶν, πρὸς πλείονα δυσώπησιν, διπλασιάζει τὴν παράκλησιν· ἑώρα γὰρ αὐτοὺς δυσανασχετοῦντας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐλέγχοις, ἐφ' οἷς ἀπερικαλύπτως ἀκροωμένων αὐτῶν παῤῥησιάζεσθαι λέγει. Ὁ οὖν διπλασιασμὸς τοῦ, Ἀκούσατε, ἢ τὴν ἀθυμίαν παρίστησιν, ἢ προσοχὴν ἐνεργάσασθαι βούλεται, ἵνα βεβαίως ἀκούσωσιν. Ἔνεστι γάρ ποτε πληγείσης τῆς ἀκοῆς τῇ φωνῇ, διὰ τὸ μὴ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν ἀκηκοέναι· διὸ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ διεγείρων τοὺς ἀκούοντας εἰς τὸ γνησίως ἀκούειν ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω. «Ὅτι κατέγραψας κατ' ἐμοῦ κακὰ, περιέθηκας δέ μοι νεότητος ἁμαρτίας.» Καὶ τάχα εὐλαβῇ με, ἀγνοῶν τῆς φύσεώς μου τὸ εὐτελὲς, ὅτι φύλλου ἢ χόρτου ὑπ' ἀνέμου φερομένου μηδὲν διαφέρω. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, ὦ ∆έσποτα, ἀπεφήνω κατ' ἐμοῦ τηλικαύτην ἀπόφασιν; Τὸ γὰρ, Κατέγραψας κατ' ἐμοῦ κακὰ, ἤγουν κακώσεις, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν βασιλέων, τῶν γράμματι τὴν ἀπόφασιν ἐκφερόντων. Τὸ δὲ, ἀντίκεισαί μοι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὡς ἀντικειμένῳ ἐπάγεις τὴν κόλασιν. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι Ὡς ὁ δεσπότης καταστασιάζοντος οἰκέτου, μετ' ἐξουσίας τὴν κατ' ἐμοῦ ὥρισας τιμωρίαν, τοῦτο γὰρ, τὸ, Κατέγραψας· οὕτω δὲ ἔφη φυλάξας τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τὸ πρέπον. «Ὃ παλαιοῦται ἴσα ἀσκῷ.» Πάλιν τὸ μέγεθος λέγει τῆς συμφορᾶς, πάλιν τὸ εὐτελὲς τῆς φύσεως κωμῳδεῖ. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἀσκὸν παρήγαγε; Ὅτι κενός ἐστιν ὁ ἀσκὸς, πνεῦμα μόνον ἔχων· τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔθος λέγειν, ὅτι Ἀσκός ἐσμεν πεφυσημένος. Μή μοι οὖν, φησὶ, τὸν ὄγκον ἴδῃς, μηδὲ τὸ δέρμα διαταθὲν, ἀλλ' ἐννόησον τὰ ἔνδον, καὶ ὄψει πολλὴν τὴν κενότητα. «Ἢ ὥσπερ ἱμάτιον σητόβρωτον.» ∆ιὰ τοῦ σητοβρώτου ἱματίου τὰ σωματικὰ πάθη δηλοῖ, οὐδὲν ἧττον τοῦ σητὸς διατρώγοντα τὰ σώματα καὶ κατεσθίοντα.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ι∆ʹ

«Τίς γὰρ καθαρὸς ἔσται ἀπὸ ῥύπου, ἀλλ' οὐθεὶς, ἐὰν καὶ μία ἡμέρα ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» Ὁρᾷς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν φύσιν καταφεύγοντα, καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι ζητοῦντα, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ εὐτελὲς, οὐδὲ διὰ τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον, οὐδὲ διὰ τὸ ἀθυμίας γέμειν ἐν τῷ βίῳ, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐδὲ δυνατὸν καθαρὸν εἶναι. «Χρόνῳ γὰρ σπανίζεται θάλασσα, ποταμὸς δὲ ἐρημωθεὶς ἐξηράνθη· ἄνθρωπος δὲ κοιμηθεὶς, οὐ μὴ ἀναστῇ, ἕως ἂν ὁ οὐρανὸς οὐ μὴ συῤῥαφῇ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξυπνισθήσονται ἐξ ὕπνου αὐτῶν.» Τάχα δὲ, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσι καὶ φυτῶν ὠκυμορώτερος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀπεδείκνυτο, οὕτω κἀνταῦθα θαλάσσης καὶ ποταμοῦ ὀλιγοχρονιώτερος· οὔτε γὰρ θάλασσα, οὔτε ποταμὸς διακόπτεται, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ὑπομένει. Εἴθε γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν, ὥστε ἀποθανεῖν ἡμᾶς, καὶ πάλιν ἀναζῇν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο. Θάλασσα μὲν γὰρ σπανίζεται, καὶ πάλιν πληροῦται, νῦν μὲν αὐξανομένη, νῦν δὲ λήγουσα, καὶ ποταμοὶ ξηραίνονται, καὶ αὖθις νάουσιν· ἄνθρωπος δὲ ἐπὰν ἀποθάνῃ, οὐκέτι πρὸς ζωὴν ἐπάνεισι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν πρὸς τὸ ῥητόν. Ἔστι δὲ, κατ' ἀλληγορίαν, δένδρῳ ἐλπὶς, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἐν παραπτώματι γένηται, μετανοήσῃ δὲ, καὶ γένηται ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ, ἤγουν τῇ εὐσεβεῖ πίστει, ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τῆς παλιγγενεσίας, ἢ ἐκ τοῦ δακρύου τῆς μετανοίας, ἀναβλαστήσει· ὁ δὲ τῇ παρατροπῇ καὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἐναποθανὼν, οὐδεμίαν ἔχει χρηστὴν ἐλπίδα. Καὶ χρόνῳ μὲν τῷ μέλλοντι ἀφανίζεται ἡ ἁμαρτία, θάλασσα τροπικῶς ὀνομαζομένη· ὁ δὲ διάβολος, καὶ οἱ αὐτοῦ πειρασμοὶ ξηραίνονται· οἵγε μὴν