39

indicating a wonder; that is, responding to one another in turn, not because they grow weary, but because they yield honors to one another, and give the doxologies back and forth; for all things above are in order. And saying "holy" three times, they conclude the doxology with "Lord of Sabaoth," placing the Holy Trinity in one nature of divinity. But the prophet, having learned of the desolation that was about to overtake them, fears lest he himself might also perish with the multitude. And comparing human nature to the one that had appeared, he says that he is wretched, and confesses the uncleanness of his own lips, not of his soul, nor of his whole body, unless he is indicating his whole nature through a part, but rather, the rest of him and his heart had been cleansed. For he would not have seen the Lord, but he says his lips are unclean. From where, if not from conversation with the unclean, with whom, in speaking, he was compelled to utter things worthy of their wickedness? For he was so pure, as to be pricked and to count himself wretched even for a small thing. For a just man is his own accuser in his first words; and Abraham, having seen the Lord, called himself earth and ashes, not having said this before, just as Isaiah now did not say "wretched" before perceiving the Lord. Nor did Moses, when being educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians, and, as is likely, surpassing them in talent and understanding, perceive that he was of a feeble voice or slow of speech; but when he heard the one who was speaking in the oracle, he found fault with his own voice. Indeed, the law of Moses commanded that the profane not mingle with the holy; and they observed this with great care. Wherefore also Peter, at the great catch of fish, having experienced the power of Jesus, when at his command he let down the net, says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For otherwise he would not have thought it right for Christ to depart from him. And the Gergesenes too, after the experience of so many wonders, begged him to depart from their borders 1937, although they should rather have held on to the one who cast out demons and became the physician of every disease. Whence also the Pharisees, when Matthew was called to salvation and had called Jesus into his house, since many sinners and tax collectors were with them, said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with sinners and tax collectors?" And God also accuses the rulers of the Jews, saying, "They did not distinguish between the holy and the profane." For which reason the prophet now also, is pricked by his conscience, he says, because while the holy powers were hymning the Lord with all-holy lips, he was not able to hymn along with them, knowing that "praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner." Therefore Symmachus rendered it: "Woe is me, for I was silent." For Israel was unclean in lips, having blasphemed the Lord Jesus Christ. But the prophet, in addition to the reasons we have mentioned, humbling himself, includes himself with the people; and perhaps he also confesses the sickness of human nature, according to what David said: "But I said in my ecstasy: 'Every man is a liar.'" For nature is sick with falsehood, even if a few who are sober have been able to flee it. And that one must hymn God with pure lips, one of the disciples indicates, saying concerning the tongue, "With it we bless the Lord, and with it we curse men who have been made in the likeness of God." But Symmachus rendered it yet more clearly, saying: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the things at his feet filled the temple." "Seraphim standing above." For since heaven is his throne, and the earth the footstool of his feet, the temple on earth was included in his footstool; it was reasonable that the things filling the house on earth were said to be at the feet of God. But the Seraphim stood above the house. For not of the Lord, nor were they inside the house (for then they too would have been at the feet of God), but they were above the house, circling the royal throne. Let us not be unaware, however, that some have said the house is the entire system of the intelligible and sensible creation, and the lifted-up throne, the rule over all things. But these should have added also how the one thus understood

39

θαῦμα δηλῶν· ἤγουν ἐξ ἀμοιβῆς ἀντιφωνοῦντα πρὸς ἄλληλα, οὐ διὰ τὸ κάμνειν, διὰ δὲ τὸ τὰς τιμὰς ἀλλήλοις παραχωρεῖν, ἀντιδωρεῖσθαί τε τὰς δοξολογίας· πάντα γὰρ ἐν κόσμῳ τὰ ἄνω. Τρὶς δὲ τὸ ἅγιος λέγοντες, κατακλείουσι τὴν δοξολογίαν εἰς τὸ, Κύριος Σαβαὼθ, ἐν μιᾷ θεότητος φύσει τὴν ἁγίαν τιθέντες Τριάδα. Τὴν δὲ μέλλουσαν αὐτοὺς ἐρημίαν καταλαβεῖν ὁ προφήτης μαθὼν, δέδοικε μὴ τῷ πλήθει καὶ αὐτὸς συναπόλοιτο. Καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δὲ φύσιν τῇ φανείσῃ παρατιθεὶς, ὡς ἔστι τάλας φησὶ, καὶ τῶν ἰδίων χειλῶν τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν ὁμολογεῖ, οὐ ψυχῆς, οὐδὲ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος, πλὴν εἰ μὴ τὴν πᾶσαν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν ἐκ μέρους δηλοῖ, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰ λοιπὰ καὶ τὴν καρδίαν κεκάθαρτο. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἴδε τὸν Κύριον, τὰ δὲ χείλη φησὶν ἔχειν ἀκάθαρτα Πόθεν, ἢ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους ὁμιλίας, οἷς ὁμιλῶν ἠναγκάζετο τῆς ἐκείνων μοχθηρίας ἄξια φθέγγεσθαι; οὕτω γὰρ ἦν καθαρὸς, ὡς κἀπὶ σμικρῷ κατανύττεσθαι καὶ ταλανίζειν ἑαυτόν. ∆ίκαιος γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος ἐν πρωτολογίᾳ· καὶ Ἀβραὰμ δὲ θεωρήσας τὸν Κύριον, γῆν καὶ σποδὸν ἑαυτὸν ἀπεκάλεσε, πρότερον μὴ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ὡς οὐδὲ νῦν Ἡσαΐας τὸ τάλας πρὶν κατανοῆσαι τὸν Κύριον. Οὐδὲ Μωϋσῆς παιδευόμενος τὴν Αἰγυπτίων σοφίαν, καὶ, ὡς εἰκὸς, εὐφυίᾳ καὶ συνέσει τούτους νικῶν, ᾔσθετο ἑαυτοῦ ἰσχνοφώνου ἢ βραδυγλώσσου· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἤκουσε τοῦ χρηματίζοντος, τὴν ἰδίαν φωνὴν ἐμέμψατο. Ὁ μέντοι Μωσέως προσέταξε νόμος μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι τοῖς ἁγίοις τὸν βέβηλον· καὶ τοῦτο διὰ πολλῆς ἐτίθεντο φυλακῆς. ∆ιὸ καὶ Πέτρος ἐν τῷ τῆς ἄγρας πλήθει, τῆς Ἰησοῦ δυνάμεως πειραθεὶς, ὅτε κελεύσαντος αὐτοῦ καθῆκε τὸ δίκτυον, Ἔξελθε, φησὶν, ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, Κύριε. Ἄλλως γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἠξίωσεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀπελθεῖν. Καὶ οἱ Γεργεσηνοὶ δὲ μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν τῶν τοσούτων θαυμάτων παρεκάλεσαν μεταβῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων 1937 αὐτῶν, καίτοι κρατεῖν ἔδει μᾶλλον τὸν ἐλαύνοντα δαίμονας, καὶ πάσης νόσου γινόμενον ἰατρόν. Ὅθεν καὶ Φαρισαῖοι, κληθέντος πρὸς σωτηρίαν Ματθαίου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἑαυτοῦ καλέσαντος Ἰησοῦν, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ συνῆσαν ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ τελῶναι, τοῖς αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἔλεγον· ∆ιὰ τί μετὰ ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ τελωνῶν ἐσθίει ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν; Αἰτιᾶται δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐξάρχοντας τῶν Ἰουδαίων Θεὸς λέγων, Ἀναμέσον ἁγίου καὶ βεβήλου οὐ διέστελλον. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος κατανένυκται, φησὶν, ὅτι τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων χείλεσι παναγίοις ὑμνούντων τὸν Κύριον, οὐκ εἶχε σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀνυμνεῖν, εἰδὼς ὡς οὐχ ὡραῖος αἶνος ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ. ∆ιόπερ ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος· Οἴμοι, ὅτι ἐσιώπησα. Ἦν μὲν γὰρ ἀκάθαρτος χείλεσιν Ἰσραὴλ, βλασφημήσας τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστόν. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης πρὸς αἷς εἰρήκαμεν αἰτίαις, μετριάζων ἑαυτὸν συναναμίγνυσιν τῷ λαῷ· τάχα δὲ καὶ τῆς ἀνθρώπου φύσεως τὴν νόσον ὁμολογεῖ, κατὰ ∆αβὶδ εἰρηκότα· "Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης." Νοσεῖ γὰρ τὸ ψεῦδος ἡ φύσις, εἰ καὶ νήφοντες ὀλίγοι τοῦτο φεύγειν δεδύνηνται. Ὅτι δὲ χρὴ καθαροῖς χείλεσιν ὑμνολογεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, δηλοῖ τις τῶν μαθητῶν περὶ τῆς γλώσσης εἰπὼν, "Ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ' ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονότας. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν ἔτι σαφέστερον εἰπών· Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου, καὶ τὰ πρὸς ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπλήρου τὸν ναόν. Σεραφεὶμ ἑστῶτα ἐπάνωθεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς αὐτῷ θρόνος, ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἐπὶ γῆς δὲ ναὸς, ἐν τῷ ὑποποδίῳ αὐτοῦ συνειστήκει· εἰκότως τὰ πληροῦντα τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς οἶκον, πρὸς ποδῶν ἐλέγετο τοῦ Θεοῦ. Σεραφεὶμ δὲ εἰστήκει ἐπάνωθεν τοῦ οἴκου. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἴσω ἦν τοῦ οἴκου (ἦ γὰρ ἂν καὶ αὐτὰ πρὸς τοῖς ποσὶν ἦν τοῦ Θεοῦ), ἀλλ' ἦν ὑπεράνω τοῦ οἴκου περιπολοῦντα τὸν βασίλειον θρόνον. Μὴ ἀγνοῶμεν δὲ ὡς οἶκόν τινες ἔφασαν τὸ σύμπαν σύστημα τῆς νοητῆς καὶ αἰσθητῆς κτίσεως, ἐπηρμένον δὲ θρόνον, τὴν ἐπὶ πάντων ἀρχήν. Ἐχρῆν δὲ τούτους προσθεῖναι καὶ πῶς ὁ οὕτω νοούμενος