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of adhesion. 186 Ps 21,16c "The dust of death" should perhaps be said of what is called by Paul the "body of death"; for this is truly dust, formed from the earth. And it is called "dust of death" because one who is born will certainly also die. For if to be born is to be entwined with a body, it is necessary that there also be a dissolution, which is death. Therefore, having entered into this body from the virgin, the Savior said, "You have brought me down to the dust of death." Perhaps also the state of death and Hades into which he descended for our sakes is "the dust of death"; for he was in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 187 Ps 21,17c-19 The saying "They have pierced my hands and my feet" signifies death by a cross for those who come to this, their hands and feet being pierced through by the boring of the nails. "They have numbered all my bones." All the bones of the body can be numbered when it is stripped of its connected flesh; and of Christ’s body, the bones are shown beforehand to be the apostles, while his flesh might be said to be those who have believed more superficially and carnally. Therefore when the body is together, the bones hold the flesh, and the flesh is around the bones, covering them. So when some fear disturbs, with the more superficially believing fleeing, only the firm and vigorous zealous are left, so that they are numbered, having been stripped bare with the multitude having fled. "They themselves have understood and stared at me"; and yet it was not they who overcame me (for I willingly took these things upon myself), "They divided my garments among themselves and for my clothing they cast a lot." In addition to the history, more allegorically, the "garments" and "clothing" of Jesus can be the plain words of the Scriptures; for with these the God Logos clothes and wraps himself, subsisting according to spiritual thoughts. Therefore, the heterodox executioners and deicidal spirits divide the Savior's garments, the words of the Scriptures. For each of them accepts some parts of the Scriptures, but not others, even though Jesus' tunic happens to be seamless because it is without a seam; for it does not have a forced union but a natural one. And it is woven from above through its being God-inspired throughout; for through all its power the Scripture is from above. But the church does not divide the garments nor cast a lot for them; for she has them all and is clothed in them, standing at the right hand of Jesus as a Queen in gilded clothing, robed and adorned. And having ascended beyond these garments, she will put on Jesus himself, who is the wisdom and power of the Father, becoming wise and powerful. 188 Ps 21,20 And while they were doing these things, "Do not remove your help far from me"; for with you helping and attending to my aid, rising from the dead on the third day I will show their plot against me to be in vain. 189 Ps 21,21a Since the enemies who surround me, raging murderously against me, have a sword able to wound not the body but the soul, "Rescue my soul from their sword," keeping it unharmed from disturbance and cowardice. For even if our soul is adequately prepared, yet when it sees the devil with the whole phalanx of demons and the throng of opposing energies and wicked men, being disturbed by them (for it is of a changeable nature), it calls upon him who is able to rescue it from the sword of the enemies to be its ally. Perhaps also the devil himself might be allegorically called a sword, since he dares against every soul, intending to wound it; and so from this sword too he begs to be rescued. 190 Ps 21,21b Those whom he previously said in the plural were dogs surrounding him, he now calls in the singular according to their kind. And he called his soul "only-begotten" because it was unique and set apart from other souls. For all those souls knew sin, but this one did not. And to those souls the God Logos visits and is with them intermittently, but with this one he will remain inseparably and indivisibly, unparted until the end. These things therefore

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κολλήσεως. 186 Ps 21,16c Χοῦν θανάτου τάχα λεκτέον τὸ παρὰ Παύλῳ σῶμα θανάτου ὀνομασθέν· χοῦς γὰρ ἀληθῶς τοῦτο πεπλασμένον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. χοῦς δὲ θανάτου ειρηται τὸ πάντως τὸν γεννώμενον καὶ τεθνήξεσθαι. εἰ γὰρ τὸ τεχθήσεσθαι συμπλέκεσθαί ἐστι σώματι, ἀνάγκη καὶ διάλυσιν γενέσθαι ητις ἐστὶν θάνατος. εἰς τοῦτο ουν τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου ἐμβὰς ὁ σωτὴρ Εἰς χοῦν, εφη, θανάτου κατήγαγές με. τάχα καὶ εἰς ην κατῆλθεν νεκρότητα καὶ τὸν ᾳδην δι' ἡμᾶς χοῦς ἐστιν θανάτου· γέγονε γὰρ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας. 187 Ps 21,17c-19 ̔Η Ωρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας λέξις τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ σημαίνει θάνατον τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐρχομένων, ἐξορυττομένων τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας διὰ τῆς τρυπήσεως τῶν ηλων. ̓Εξηρίθμησαν πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. ἐξαριθμεῖσθαι πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ τοῦ σώματος δύναται, οτ' αν γυμνωθῇ τῶν συμπεπαρμένων σαρκῶν· καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σώματος μὲν ὀστᾶ προαποδέδονται οἱ ἀποστόλοι, σάρκες δὲ αὐτοῦ ῥηθεῖεν οἱ ἐπιπολαιότερον καὶ σωματικώτερον πεπιστευκότες. οτε ουν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα, τὰ μὲν ὀστᾶ διακρατεῖ τὰς σάρκας, αἱ δὲ σάρκες περὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ τυγχάνουσιν καλύπτουσαι αὐτά. οτ' αν ουν φόβος τις ἐκταράξῃ φευγόντων τῶν ἐπιπολαιότερον πεπιστευκότων, καταλείπονται μόνοι οἱ στερροὶ καὶ ευτονοι ζηλωταὶ ὡς ἐξαριθμεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς γυμνωθέντας πεφευγότος τοῦ πλήθους. Αὐτοὶ δὲ κατενόησαν καὶ ἐπεῖδόν με· καίτοι οὐκ αὐτῶν περιγεναμένων μου (ἐγὼ γὰρ ἑκουσίως αὐτὰ ἀνειλόμην), ∆ιεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου εβαλον κλῆρον. Πρὸς τῇ ἱστορίᾳ ἀλληγορικώτερον ̔Ιμάτια καὶ ̔Ιματισμὸς ̓Ιησοῦ ειναιδύνανται αἱ πρόχειροι τῶν γραφῶν λέξεις· ταύτας γὰρ ἀμφίσκεται καὶ περιβάλλεται ὁ θεὸς λόγος ὑφεστὼς κατὰ τὰ πνευματικὰ νοήματα. οἱ ουν ἑτερόδοξοι δήμιοι καὶ πνεύματα κυριοκτόνα τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ σωτῆρος μερίζονται τὰς τῶν γραφῶν λέξεις. εκαστος γὰρ αὐτῶν τὰς μὲν δέχεται τῶν γραφῶν, τὰς δὲ ου, καίτοι τοῦ χιτῶνος ̓Ιησοῦ ἀσχίστου τυγχάνοντος διὰ τὸ ειναι αρραφον· οὐ γὰρ βεβιασμένην ενωσιν ἀλλὰ συμφυῆ εχει. εστιν δὲ καὶ ανωθεν διὰ τὸ θεόπνευστος ειναι ὑφαντὸς δι' ολου· διὰ πάσης γὰρ δυνάμεως ἡ γραφὴ ανωθέν ἐστιν. ̔Η δὲ ἐκκλησία οὐ μερίζεται τὰ ἱμάτια οὐδὲ κλῆρον βάλλει ἐπ' αὐτοῖς· ολα γὰρ εχει καὶ ἐνδέδυται παραστᾶσα ἐκ δεξιῶν ̓Ιησοῦ οια Βασιλὶς ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένη πεποικιλμένη. ὑπεραναβᾶσα δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ αὐτὸν ̓Ιησοῦν ἐνδύσεται οντα σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν πατρός, σοφὴ καὶ δυνατὴ γινομένη. 188 Ps 21,20 Ταῦτα δὲ ποιούντων ἐκείνων, Μὴ μακρύνῃς τὴν βοήθειάν μου· σοῦ γὰρ βοηθοῦντος καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀντίληψίν μου προσέχοντος, τριταῖος ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν ματαίαν τὴν κατ' ἐμοῦ ἐπιβουλὴν ἀναδείξω. 189 Ps 21,21a ̓Επεὶ οἱ περικυκλώσαντές με ἐχθροὶ κατ' ἐμοῦ φονῶντες μάχαιραν εχουσιν οὐ σῶμα ἀλλὰ ψυχὴν τρῶσαι δυνατήν, ̔Ρῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς τούτων ῥομφαίας τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἀβλαβῆ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ ταράχου καὶ δειλίας φυλάττων. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἱκανῶς παρεσκεύασται ἡ ἡμετέρα ψυχή, ἀλλά γε θεωροῦσα τὸν διάβολον μετὰ πάσης τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων φάλαγγος καὶ τοῦ στίφους τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἐνεργειῶν καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐνεργουμένων ταραχθεῖσα (τρεπτῆς γάρ ἐστι φύσεως) σύμμαχον εχειν παρακαλεῖ τὸν δυνάμενον ῥύσασθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ῥομφαίας τῶν πολεμίων. Τάχα δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος ἀλληγορικῶς ῥομφαία λέγοιτο, ἐπεὶ τολμᾷ κατὰ πάσης ψυχῆς τρῶσαι αὐτὴν προαιρούμενος· καὶ ἐκ ταύτης τοίνυν τῆς ῥομφαίας ῥυσθῆναι παρακαλεῖ. 190 Ps 21,21b Ους πρότερον πληθυντικῶς περικυκλώσαντας αὐτὸν κύνας ειπεν, νῦν ἑνικῶς διὰ τὸ γένος καλεῖ. μονογενῆ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ειπεν διὰ τὸ μεμονῶσθαι καὶ κεχωρίσθαι τῶν αλλων ψυχῶν. πᾶσαι μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖναι εγνωσαν ἁμαρτίαν, αυτη δὲ ου. κἀκείναις μὲν ἐκ διαλειμμάτων ἐπιφοιτᾷ καὶ σύνεστιν ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ταύτῃ δὲ ἀχωρίστως καὶ ἀδιαστάτως μέχρι τέλους ἀδιάζευκτος διαμενεῖ. ταῦτ' ουν τὰ