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"mount Zion," and saying, "I have trusted in the Lord," not in human "wealth or cities," but in the divine wealth179 and "the city of the great king," whose "foundations are in the holy mountains," considering the oracles of the Lord to be wealth "more desirable than gold and much precious stone." "But you, too, have come upon me mercilessly." And one who admonishes with a gloomy face those who have fallen into a blameworthy cause is not reproving them when moved by reason. For this is not the purpose, but rather to exhort to courage and to bear it nobly. For to say, "Why did you sin?" is to weigh down rather than to lighten labors. For in reality they came upon him mercilessly from being deceived about the cause of the affliction and because they were trying to reprove one who was not subject to reproof. "so that seeing my wound you were afraid." The holy man behaves most solicitously even toward those not well-disposed toward him, correcting them by his own example and taking the beginning of his exhortation from their own assumption; for if everyone who sins falls into gloomy circumstances and he who has fallen into this has suffered it because of sins, you too should be afraid, receiving fear from our wound. For it was clear to them that180 "no one among men is clean from filth." And the blessed one says these things correctively with respect to their assumption, but the sayings are also useful for sympathy and for not being puffed up. "For what? Did I ask anything of you, or do I need your strength, to save me from the hand of enemies or to deliver me from the hand of rulers?" Reproving the irrationality of the rebuke against himself he says that: if, when I was asking something from you, such as a prayer to God, you claimed you were not able to offer up the prayer on my behalf because of my being in sin, it would have had some reason. But since this has not happened, the reproof against me is in vain. And this very thing we have in the divine writings. For sometimes prayer is made for those who are disposed toward repentance, but for those who resist, what is done has no reason. For instance, God says to the prophet: "And you, do not pray for this people." And next he gives the reason why one should not offer prayer to him, saying: "Do you not see what these people are doing? Their sons gather wood and the fathers kindle a fire and the women make cakes for the host of heaven," introducing a common zeal for a common sin;181 therefore do not pray for them. Therefore, if ever an intercession is sent up to God by a holy person on behalf of someone, that person for whom the intercession is made must also cooperate. For if he acts contrary to the one interceding, he does something similar to those about whom it is said: "One building and one tearing down. What have they gained more than labors?" And besides, the one interceding will be, as it were, put to shame. A testimony to this is the story of Moses; for when he had gone up to God, while the people below were transgressing, it was said: "Go down quickly; your people has sinned." And observe what was said: for when he was sent to rule them and to lead them and to give them laws, God himself says from his own person: "Go and lead out my people." For they were worthy to be his people. When they departed from sincere worship of him, they are no longer of God but of man. For he says: "Your people has sinned," and not showing philanthropy in this. For seeing the people unworthy of himself, he did not completely cast them off, but again he commits them to Moses, leading him to solicitude for them by saying: "your people," so that he might thus intercede for them and again turn them from their error, which also happened.182 Indeed, he said in prayer: "If you will forgive their sin, forgive it. But if not, blot me out also from your book which you have written." Paul says something similar to this: "For I could wish that I myself were accursed for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." And that with good intention the saints pray for certain people, even if they are wicked,

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ὄρος Σιών", καὶ λέγων· "ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ πέποιθα", οὐκ "ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἢ πόλεσιν" ἀνθρωπίναις, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ θείῳ πλού179 τῳ καὶ "τῇ πόλει τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου", ἧς "οἱ θεμέλιοι ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις", χρήματα λογιζόμενος τὰ λόγια κυρίου "ἐπιθυμητὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολύ". "ἄταρ δὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπέβητέ μοι ἀνελεημόνως." καὶ τοὺς ἐπ' αἰτίᾳ ψεκτῇ περιπεσόντας σκυθρωποῖς νουθετῶν τις οὐκ ἐλέγχει κατὰ λόγον κινούμενος. οὐ τοῦτο γὰρ πρόκειται, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εἰς ἀνδρείαν προτρέπεσθαι καὶ γενναίως ἐνεγκεῖν. τὸ γὰρ λέγειν· «διὰ τί γὰρ ἡμάρτανες;» βαρῦναί ἐστιν μᾶλλον ἢ πόνων κουφίσαι. καὶ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι ἀνελεημόνως ἐπέστησαν αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ πεπλανῆσθαι περὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς καὶ ὅτι τὸν μὴ ὑποκείμενον ἐλέγχῳ ἐλέγχειν ἐπειρῶντο. "ὥστε ἰδόντες τὸ ἐμὸν τραῦμα φοβήθητε." κηδεμονικώτατα ὁ ἅγιος καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μὴ ὀρθῶς διακειμένους πρὸς αὐτὸν προσφέρεται ἀπὸ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν κἀκείνους διορθούμενος καὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῶν διαλήμψεως δεχόμενος τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς παραινέσεως· εἰ γὰρ πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων σκυθρωποῖς περιπίπτει καὶ ὁ περιπεσὼν ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν τοῦτ' ἔπαθεν, καὶ ὑμεῖς φοβήθητε ἐκ τοῦ ἡμετέρου τραύματος τὸν φόβον δεχόμενοι. καὶ γὰρ δῆλον αὐτοῖς ὑ180 πῆρχεν ὅτι "οὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου τῶν ἀνθρώπων". καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ μακάριος ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων διάλημψιν διορθωτικῶς λέγει, χρήσιμα δὲ καὶ πρὸς συμπάθειαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ χαυνοῦσθαι τὰ ῥητά. "τί γάρ; μή τι ὑμᾶς ᾔτησα ἢ τῆς παρ' ὑμῶν ἰσχύος ἐπιδέομαι, ὥστε με σῶσαι ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν ἢ ἐκ χειρὸς δυναστῶν ῥύσεσθαί με;" τὸ ἄλογον τῆς ἐπιπλήξεως τῆς κα θ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐλέγχων φησὶν ὅτι· εἰ μὲν ἐμοῦ ἐξαιτουμένου παρ' ὑμῶν τι οἷον εὐχὴν εἰς θεὸν ἐφάσκεστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀνενεγκεῖν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ εὐχὴν διὰ τὸ ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ εἶναι, λόγον τινὰ εἶχεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ γέγονεν, μάταιος ὁ κατ' ἐμοῦ ἔλεγχος. καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἔχομεν ἐν τοῖς θείοις γράμμασιν. γίνεται γάρ ποτε εὐχὴ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείως ἐχόντων εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν ἀντιτεινόντων οὐκ ἔχει λόγον τὸ γινόμενον. αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τῷ προφήτηι φησὶν ὁ θεός· "καὶ σὺ μὴ προσεύχου περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου." καὶ ἐφεξῆς τὸν λογισμόν φησιν τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἀναφέρειν πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐχὴν λέγων· "οὐχ ὁρᾷς τί οὗτοι ποιου῀̣σιν; οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν συλλέγουσι ξύλα καὶ οἱ πατέρες καίουσιν πῦρ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ποιοῦσιν χαυῶνας τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ", κοινῷ ἁμαρτήματι κοινὴν σπουδὴν εἰσαγαγόν181 τες· διόπερ μὴ προσεύχου περὶ αὐτῶν. δεῖ οὖν, εἴ ποτε πρεσβεία θεῷ ἀναπέμπεται ὑπὸ ἁγίου περί τινος, συντρέχειν κἀκεῖνον ὑπὲρ οὗ ἡ πρεσβεία γίνεται. ἐὰν γὰρ ἐναντίως τῷ πρεσβεύοντι ποιῇ, ὅμοιόν τι ποιεῖ περὶ ὧν λέγεται· "εἷς οἰκοδομῶν καὶ εἷς καθελών. τί ὠφέλησαν πλέον ἢ κόπους;" ἄλλως τε καὶ ὡσανεὶ καταισχυνεῖται ὁ πρεσβεύων. τούτου μαρτυρία τὰ κατὰ Μωσέα· ἀνελθόντι γὰρ αὐτῷ πρὸς θεὸν εἴρηται τοῦ λαοῦ κάτω παραβαίνοντος· "σπεύσας κατάβηθι· ὁ λαός σου ἥμαρτεν." καὶ παρατήρησαι τὸ εἰρημένον· ὅτε γὰρ ἐπέμπετο καὶ ἄρξαι αὐτῶν καὶ στρατηγῆσαι καὶ νομοθετῆσαι, αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἰδίου λέγει· "πορεύου καὶ ἐξάγαγε τὸν λαόν μου." ἄξιος γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῦ λαὸς εἶναι. ὅτε ἀπέστη τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰλικρινοῦς θεραπείας, οὐκέτι θεοῦ ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν. φησὶν γάρ· "ὁ λαός σου ἥμαρτεν", καὶ οὐ τούτῳ φιλανθρωπευόμενος. ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ ἀνάξιον τὸν λαὸν θεασάμενος οὐ παντελῶς ἀπέρριψεν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Μωσέα ἀφίησιν, ἀνάγων αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ κηδεμονίαν διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· "ὁ λαός σου", ἵν' οὕτω πρεσβεύσηται ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καὶ πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἐπιστρέψῃ ἐκ τῆς πλάνης, ὃ καὶ γέ182 γονεν. εἶπεν γοῦν εὐχόμενος· "εἰ μὲν ἀφεῖς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν, ἄφες. εἰ δὲ μή, ἐξαλεῖψον κἀμὲ ἐκ τῆς βίβλου σου ἧς ἔγραψας." ὅμοιον τούτῳ Παῦλος λέγει· "ηὐχόμην γὰρ ἐγὼ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα." καὶ ὅτι προθέσει ἀγαθῇ οἱ ἅγιοι ὑπέρ τινων εὔχονται, κἂν φαῦλοι ὦσιν,