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he says either because of what is hidden and unseen or as giving the nourishment from the word. He says therefore that: my soul is consumed with fire and I weep unceasingly, so that even the power of sight of my eyes has been damaged. But other copies have "a shadow of death," so that he might say: "And I have death before my eyes." But this also, he says, grieves me more: to offer always a pure prayer to God, and to be conscious of no unjust deed in myself, and to be astonished at the things I endure. But note the prayer of the just man, being pure and unmixed with any passion, not enduring distractions nor being torn apart by cares. This the apostle who prayed in the spirit also said, that it is necessary to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and disputing. 150 16, 18 O earth, cover not the blood of my flesh, and let there be no place for my cry. Being in perplexity, he speaks to the earth, and the words are of one calling out for sympathy. And he says: Be not silent, O earth, about my case, nor hide my blood unjustly shed from my flesh; nor let it stand in a place and be hidden and the matters of my lamentations come to be forgotten. You have said these things both in prayer and prophetically; for the things concerning you were not hidden, O thrice-blessed one, but we all, as men, have on our lips your struggles and courage and endurance and the prizes for these things and the crowns and the proclamation. 16, 19 And now, behold, my witness is in the heavens, and my advocate is in the highest. Well done, for a pure soul and an unsurpassable love and a true conscience calling upon the all-seeing eye of God as a witness. 16, May my prayer come to the Lord; and may my eye drop tears before him. But this also came to pass for you; for the great judge of the contest beheld your struggles, he heard your supplication, he looked upon your most precious tears; wherefore he also gave full assurance of the reason for the contests. 16, 21 May there be a pleading for a man before the Lord, and for a son of man with his 151 neighbor. What he says is this: May I be vindicated by God's judgment against those who contradict, whom he also calls his neighbors, as friends. And he said "a man" and "a son of man" as the same thing, speaking about himself. And this he also said prophetically; for God, having heard the things said by both sides, justified him, but condemned his friends. 16, 22 For numbered years are come, and I shall go the way by which I shall not return. Again he sets forth the shortness of his time for supplication, and at the same time teaches that those who have once died are not able to return to this life. 17, 12 I am destroyed, carried away by the spirit, and I ask for burial and do not get it, I beg, being weary, and what shall I do? Therefore I am utterly perishing, being carried about by the thoughts of my soul, and looking to all the things that have happened to me. Wherefore I also long for death and am held in perplexity, being unable to obtain it. Do you see, then, what we were saying from the beginning, that he longs for death and it was possible for him to become his own killer, but he does not take his own life on account of the honor of the one who bound the soul to the body? 17, 3 And strangers have stolen my possessions. 152 By "strangers" he means the horsemen and enemies or also the demons who waged war against him. 17, 34 Who is this? Let him be bound by my hand, for they have hidden their heart from understanding. As to the literal meaning, he says this: Who is it that wants to go to law with me? Let him be bound by my hand, so that we may be brought together to the divine tribunal; for I wish to be justified before God. But as to his friends he says that, though they seem to be wise, they hide their own counsel, being conscious that they have nothing to say against me, but as advocates of God they bear false witness against me. But as to the spiritual sense, he perceives the opposing power invisibly warring against him and says: Who is this that attempts to turn me aside? Let him not depart far from me, instead of: Let him show himself, who he is. And let him be bound by my hand, that is: let him be made equal to me, so that he might say: He has an advantage over me according to nature, but having obtained something through

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φησιν ἢ διὰ τὸ ἀπόκρυφον καὶ ἀόρατον ἢ ὡς ἀναδοτικὴν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ λόγου τροφῶν. φησὶν οὖν ὅτι· ἡ ψυχή μου συγκαίεται καὶ ἀπαύστως δακρύω, ὥστε καὶ ἡ ὀπτικὴ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου κατεβλάβη δύναμις. ἄλλα δὲ ἀντίγραφα σκιὰν θανάτου ἔχουσιν, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχω τὸν θάνατον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο, φησίν, ἀνιᾷ με μᾶλλον τὸ τὴν μὲν εὐχὴν ἀεὶ καθαρὰν ἀναφέρειν θεῷ, ἄδικον δὲ πρᾶξιν ἐμαυτῷ μὴ συνειδέναι καὶ ξενίζεσθαι ἐφ' οἷς ταῦτα ὑπομένω. σημειοῦ δὲ τὴν εὐχὴν τοῦ δικαίου καθαρὰν οὖσαν καὶ παντὸς πάθους ἀμιγῆ, μὴ ῥεμβασμοὺς ὑπομένουσαν μηδὲ ὑπὸ φροντίδων κατασπωμένην. τοῦτο καὶ ὁ πνεύματι προσευχόμενος ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν, ὅτι δεῖ προσεύχεσθαι ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ὀσίους χεῖρας ἐπαίροντας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν. 150 16, 18 γῆ, μὴ ἐπικαλύψῃς ἐφ' αἵματι τῆς σαρκός μου, μηδὲ εἴη τόπος τῇ κραυγῇ μου. ἀπορούμενος πρὸς τὴν γῆν διαλέγεται καὶ εἰς συμπάθειαν ἐκκαλουμένου τὰ ῥήματα. λέγει δὲ ὅτι· μὴ σιωπήσῃς, ὦ γῆ, τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ μηδὲ συγκρύψῃς τὸ ἐμὸν αἷμα τὸ ἀδίκως ἐκχεόμενον ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου· μηδὲ στῇ ἐν τόπῳ καὶ ἀποκρυβῇ καὶ εἰς λήθην ἔλθῃ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ἐμοὺς ὀδυρμούς. ταῦτα καὶ εὐκτικῶς καὶ προφητικῶς εἶπες· οὐ γὰρ κατεκρύβη τὰ κατὰ σέ, τρισμακάριστε, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἀνὰ στόμα ἔχομεν ἄνθρωποι τὰ σὰ παλαίσματα καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις βραβεῖα καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ τὴν ἀναγόρευσιν. 16, 19 καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὁ μάρτυς μου, ὁ δὲ συνίστωρ μου ἐν ὑψίστοις. εὖγε, ψυχῆς καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀγάπης ἀνυπερβλήτου καὶ συνειδήσεως ἀληθινῆς τὸν πάντα ἐφορῶντα ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς μαρτύριον ἐπικαλουμένης. 16, ἀφίκοιτό μου ἡ δέησις πρὸς κύριον· ἔναντι δὲ αὐτοῦ στάξαι μου ὁ ὀφθαλμός. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτό σοι πρὸς ἔργον ἐξέβη· ἐθεώρει γάρ σου τὰ παλαίσματα ὁ μέγας ἀγωνοθέτης, ἐπήκουσέ σου τῆς ἱκεσίας, ἐπεῖδέ σου τὰ τιμιώτατα δάκρυα· διὸ καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπληροφόρησεν. 16, 21 εἴη δὲ ἔλεγχος ἀνδρὶ ἐναντίον κυρίου καὶ υἱῷ ἀνθρώπου τῷ 151 πλησίον αὐτοῦ. ὃ μὲν λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅτι· γένοιτό με θεοῦ δικάζοντος διελεγχθῆναι πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας, οὓς δὴ καὶ πλησίον αὐτοῦ φησιν ὡς φίλους. ἄνδρα δὲ καὶ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου τὸν αὐτὸν ἔφησε περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγων. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ προφητικῶς εἶπε· διακούσας γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τῶν ἑκατέροις τοῖς μέρεσιν εἰρημένων, αὐτὸν μὲν ἐδικαίωσε, τοὺς δὲ αὐτοῦ κατεδίκασε φίλους. 16, 22 ἔτη δὲ ἀριθμητὰ ἥκασιν, ὁδῷ δὲ ᾗ οὐκ ἐπαναστραφήσομαι πορεύσομαι. πάλιν τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον εἰς ἱκετηρίαν προβάλλεται ὁμοῦ καὶ διδάσκει, ὡς οἱ ἅπαξ τελευτήσαντες παλινδρομῆσαι πρὸς τόνδε τὸν βίον οὐ δύνανται. 17, 12 ὀλέκομαι πνεύματι φερόμενος, δέομαι δὲ ταφῆς καὶ οὐ τυγχάνω, λίσσομαι κάμνων, καὶ τί ποιήσω; ἀπόλλυμαι τοίνυν πανταχοῦ τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμοῖς περιφερόμενος, καὶ πρὸς πάντα ἀφορῶν τὰ ἐμοὶ συμβεβηκότα. διὸ καὶ ποθῶ τὸν θάνατον καὶ ἀπορίᾳ συνέχομαι τούτου τυχεῖν μὴ δυνάμενος. ὁρᾷς οὖν, ὅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐλέγομεν, ὡς ποθεῖ μὲν τὸν θάνατον καὶ ἐξὸν ἦν αὐτόχειρα αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῦ καταστῆναι, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐξάγει διὰ τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ συνδήσαντος τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ σώματι; 17, 3 ἔκλεψαν δέ μου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ἀλλότριοι. 152 ἀλλοτρίους λέγει τοὺς ἱππεῖς καὶ πολεμίους ἢ καὶ τοὺς κατ' αὐτοῦ στρατευσαμένους δαίμονας. 17, 34 τίς ἐστιν οὗτος; τῇ χειρί μου συνδεθήτω, ὅτι καρδίαν αὐτῶν ἔκρυψαν ἀπὸ φρονήσεως. πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι· τίς ἐστιν ὁ θέλων μοι δικάσασθαι; συνδεθήτω τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἵνα κοινῶς ἐπαχθῶμεν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον δικαστήριον· ἐπὶ γὰρ θεοῦ δικαιωθῆναι βούλομαι. ὡς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους λέγει, ὅτι δοκοῦντες εἶναι φρόνιμοι κρύπτουσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν βουλήν, συνειδότες μὲν ὡς οὐδέν μου καταλέγειν ἔχουσιν, ὡς δὲ θεοῦ συνήγοροι καταψευδόμενοί μου. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν συναισθάνεται τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως ἀοράτως αὐτῷ πολεμούσης καί φησιν ὅτι· τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ παρατρέπειν με ἐπιχειρῶν; μὴ μακρὰν ἀποχωρείτω μου, ἀντὶ τοῦ· δεικνύτω ἑαυτόν, τίς ἐστιν. συνδεθήτω δὲ τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, τουτέστιν· ἐξισωθήτω μοι, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· πλεονεκτεῖ με κατὰ τὴν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τυχών τινος διὰ