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a people? Therefore he adds next, and the scorn of the people. For these, mocking him and deriding him, said: “Aha, you who would destroy the temple and build it in three days.” “He saved others, let him save himself.” “If he is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” Concerning the same things he adds the following, saying: “All who see me mock me; they speak with their lips, they shake their heads.” “He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him; let him save him, because he delights in him.” And these things were fulfilled at the time of the saving passion, about which Matthew relates, saying: “And those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying:” “Aha, you who would destroy the temple and build it in three days; save yourself.” “If you are the Son of God, come down now from the cross.” “Likewise also the chief priests, mocking with the Pharisees and the scribes, said:” “He saved others, himself he cannot save.” “If he is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” “He trusts in God, let him deliver him, if he wants him; for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'” “For you are the one who drew me out of the womb, my hope from my mother's breasts.” “Upon you I was cast from the womb, from my mother's belly you are my God, do not depart from me.” He shows that not according to nature, nor similarly to all other men, nor likewise to other animals, being composed of male and female, were the things of his birth accomplished; but he had something more than common nature. “For trouble is near, for there is no one to help.” “Many calves have surrounded me, fat bulls have encompassed me.” You would not be wrong in saying that by these are signified the rulers of the Jewish nation, fat bulls, chief priests and scribes and elders. The word remembers them in the sixty-seventh psalm, saying: "Rebuke the beasts of the reed; the congregation of the bulls among the heifers of the peoples." But here he called the peoples heifers, and the leaders of the peoples bulls. And in the present psalm, instead of “Many calves have surrounded me,” Aquila: “Stall-fed fat bulls of heifers have encompassed me,” he says, “and surrounded me;” but according to Aquila: “The mighty ones of Bashan made a spectacle of me,” it is said, the word hinting at Pilate's military cohort, which he called Bashan, who, having woven a crown of thorns, placed it on him instead of a diadem. “They opened their mouth against him, like a lion tearing and roaring,” crying: “Away, away, crucify him.” “His 23.209 blood be upon us and upon our children.” But Aquila: “Like a lion,” he says, “seizing and roaring;” but according to Symmachus: “Like a lion hunting, roaring.” For those who thirsted for blood, and drew upon their own children the blood of the Savior, were no different from a roaring lion. “For many dogs have surrounded me, a congregation of evildoers has encompassed me.” After the Jews he mentions the soldiers from the gentiles. For to these the others handed him over. Therefore the prophecy also preserved the order of events. And fittingly he called the former bulls, and the latter dogs; for the ones were under the yoke of the law, even if they openly transgressed the law; but the others were unclean according to the law. Thus also the Lord called the Canaanite woman. “For it is not right,” he says, “to take the children's bread and give it to the little dogs.” But nevertheless after the passion those who were formerly dogs have passed over to the rank of sons through faith; while those who formerly had the care of sons received the name of dogs, since they raged like dogs against the Master. Concerning these the blessed Paul cries: “Beware of dogs; beware of evil workers; beware of the concision.” The prophetic word, however, having addressed them as dogs, said: “A congregation of evildoers has encompassed me; they have pierced my hands and

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λαός; ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς, καὶ ἐξουδένωμα λαοῦ. ∆ιαπαίζοντες γὰρ αὐτὸν οὗτοι καὶ χλευάζοντες, ἔλεγον· Οὐά, ὁ καταλύων τὸν ναὸν, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις οἰκοδομῶν αὐτόν. Ἄλλους ἔσωσε, σωσάτω ἑαυτόν. Εἰ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστιν, καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ πιστεύσομεν αὐτῷ. Περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει λέγων· Πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντές με ἐξεμυκτήρισάν με· ἐλάλησαν ἐν χείλεσιν, ἐκίνησαν κεφαλήν. Ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κυρίῳ, ῥυσάσθω αὐτόν· σωσάτω αὐτὸν, ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν. Καὶ ταῦτα ἐπληροῦτο κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους, καθ' ὃν ἱστορεῖ λέγων ὁ Ματθαῖος· Οἱ δὲ παραπορευόμενοι ἐβλασφήμουν αὐτὸν κινοῦντες τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν καὶ λέγοντες· Οὐὰ, ὁ καταλύων τὸν ναὸν, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις οἰκοδομῶν αὐτόν· σῶσον ἑαυτόν. Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατάβηθι νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς παίζοντες μετὰ τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ τῶν γραμματέων ἔλεγον· Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται σῶσαι. Εἰ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ πιστεύσομεν αὐτῷ. Πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ, ῥυσάσθω αὐτὸν, εἰ θέλει αὐτόν· εἶπε γὰρ, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰμι ὁ Υἱός. Ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρὸς, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου. Ἐπὶ σὲ ἐῤῥίφην ἐκ μήτρας, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου Θεός μου εἶ σὺ, μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Παρίστησιν, ὅτι οὐ κατὰ φύσιν, οὐδὲ ὁμοίως τοῖς λοιποῖς ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις, οὐδὲ τοῖς λοιποῖς ζώοις παραπλησίως, τοῖς ἐξ ἄῤῥενος καὶ θηλείας, συνιστάμενος, καὶ τὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ γενέσεως συνετελεῖτο· εἶχε δέ τι πλείω παρὰ τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν. Ὅτι θλίψις ἐγγὺς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν. Περιεκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοὶ, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με. Οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ταύρους πίονας, ἀρχιερέας καὶ γραμματεῖς καὶ πρεσβυτέρους, διὰ τούτων δηλοῦσθαι φήσας. Μέμνηται δὲ αὐτῶν ὁ λόγος ἐν ἑξηκοστῷ ἑβδόμῳ ψαλμῷ λέγων· Ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλάμου· ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν ταύρων ἐν ταῖς δαμάλεσι τῶν λαῶν. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα τοὺς μὲν λαοὺς δαμάλεις ὠνόμασε, τοὺς δὲ τῶν λαῶν ἡγουμένους ταύρους. Καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι δὲ ψαλμῷ, ἀντὶ τοῦ· Περιεκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοὶ, ὁ Ἀκύλας· ∆αμάλαιοι ταῦροι πίονες οἱ σιτιστοὶ περιέσχον με, φησὶ, καὶ περιεστοιχίσαντό με· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· ∆υνάσται Βασὰν διεδειγματίσαντό με, εἴρηται, τοῦ λόγου αἰνιττομένου τὴν τοῦ Πιλάτου στρατιωτικὴν τάξιν, ἣν Βασὰν ὠνόμασεν, οἳ στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν πλέξαντες, ἀντὶ διαδήματος ἐπέθηκαν αὐτῷ. Ἠνοίξαντ' ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, ὡς λέων ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος, βοῶντες· Αἶρε, αἶρε, σταύρωσον αὐτόν. Τὸ 23.209 αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν. Ἀκύλας δέ· Ὡς λέων, φησὶν, ἁλίσκων καὶ βρυχώμενος· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ὡς λέων θηρεύων βρυχώμενος. Οἱ γὰρ αἵματος διψῶντες, καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν τέκνοις ἐπισπώμενοι τὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος αἷμα, βρυχωμένου λέοντος οὐδὲν διέφερον. Ὅτι ἐκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοὶ, συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχον με. Μετὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν μνημονεύει στρατιωτῶν. Τούτοις γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι παρέδοσαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἡ προφητεία τῶν πραγμάτων ἐφύλαξεν. Εἰκότως δὲ ταύρους μὲν ἐκείνους, κύνας δὲ τούτους ὠνόμασεν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τὸν τοῦ νόμου ἦσαν ζυγὸν, εἰ καὶ προφανῶς τὸν νόμον παρέβαινον· οἱ δὲ κατὰ νόμον ἦσαν ἀκάθαρτοι. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὴν Χαναναίαν ὠνόμασεν. Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶ, λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων, καὶ δοῦναι τοῖς κυναρίοις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τὸ πάθος οἱ πάλαι· κύνες διὰ τῆς πίστεως εἰς τὴν υἱῶν μεταβεβήκασι τάξιν· οἱ δὲ πάλαι τὴν τῶν υἱῶν ἐσχηκότες κηδεμονίαν, τὴν κυνῶν προσηγορίαν ἐδέξαντο, ἅτε δὴ κυνῶν δίκην κατὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου λυττήσαντες. Περὶ τούτων ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος βοᾷ· Βλέπε τοὺς κύνας· βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας· βλέπετε τὴν κατατομήν. Ὁ μέντοι προφητικὸς λόγος κύνας προσαγορεύσας ἔφη· Συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχον με· ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ