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which was said: "The earth will mourn because of those who dwell in it." For it has been given to it for the purpose of bearing fruits for those who keep their reasoning undistorted, but by the philanthropy of God it also 130 provides the necessities for those who err, by His command again its fruits failing, so that a turning back may occur. And it might be for anagogical interpretation, as we follow the first things, that God accuses the hypocrite, because he perverts the life-giving power of the soul, which is a brother to the outer man, as has been said. Therefore it will also be accursed, no longer providing fruits, but destroying its readiness for a useful purpose, so that from this <into> the beginning of virtue it might be cast down; for it is also useful for wickedness to be perverted, its ends not being achieved, so that toil, having come into being, may produce a love for virtue according to what has been said: "Egypt has toiled, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you". And "groaning" and "trembling on the earth" he will be, being judged thus, always convicted by his conscience. ιῃ, 13-14. And Cain said to the Lord God: My guilt is greater than to be forgiven me; if you cast me out today from the face of the earth and from your face I shall be hidden; and I shall be groaning and trembling on the earth, and it will be, everyone who finds me will kill me; There is inherent also in those who alienate themselves from God a principle, according to which they conceive of God himself as philanthropic and good; and it is not possible for this good concept to be cut out, even if through depth of wickedness they are often displeased. At once, at any rate, when they fall into necessity, those who are completely unmindful of God resort to prayers and supplications, which is also observed in the case of Cain. For as one forgetful of God, having rushed to the murder of his brother 131 and with boldness having dissembled to Him when He asked, "Where is Abel your brother?", but since there was not yet much perversion among men, having learned from the words of God, which he learned through the reproof of the things that had happened in his conscience, that the eye of God is inescapable, he begs Him not to bring him to a complete alienation from Him, from which it will result that he will groan and tremble and expect to be killed by everyone who finds him. For he who is persuaded that the protective power of God has departed from him considers all other things fearful and has no confidence in anything done by himself. And these things have been said by us concerning the whole thought of Cain's reply; but let us also see his somewhat confused reply, as from one who is base and not partaking of divine grace. "Greater," he says, "is my guilt than to be forgiven me," which might mean, according to a first interpretation, that my evil will be greater if you, O God, do not pursue the injustice against me; for to not be given up is still to be under care. This very thing is said by God in the prophet concerning those worthy of contempt and given over to a reprobate mind: "I will not punish their daughters when they commit fornication, nor their daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For when He wishes to discipline sinners who are able to turn back, he says: "I will visit with a rod 132 their transgressions and with scourges their sins, but my mercy I will not take away from them." What he now says is this, that my blame will be greater, if you, Lord, do not pursue it, as has been said; but as one who has erred and suffered perversion, he thinks that being cast out from the earth he will also be cast out from the face of God. But according to another interpretation, he might be saying these things, that it will be a greater evil for me if I remain on the earth, if you, O God, do not destroy me into non-existence; for if you were to cast me out from the earth, I would also be hidden from your face, no longer existing, which was desirable for him, but since you do not cast me out from the earth—for this must be understood—I will be groaning and trembling in it,

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εἰρημένον· "6[Π]ενθήσει ἡ γῆ διὰ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν̣ αὐτῇ."6 ∆έδο[τ]αι γὰρ αὐτῂ ἐπὶ τῷ ἐκφέρειν καρποὺς τοῖς ἀδιάστρο[φ]ον μὲν τηροῦσι τὸν λογισμόν, φιλανθρωπίᾳ δὲ Θεοῦ κ[αὶ] τοῖς σφαλλομένοις 130 παρέχει τὰ ἀναγκαῖα, προστάγματι πάλιν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἐκλειπόν[των] καρπῶν, ἵν' ἐπιστροφὴ γένηται. Εἴη δὲ πρὸς ἀναγωγήν, ἑπομένων ἡμῶν τοῖς πρώτοις, αἰτιώμενος τὸν ὑποκριτὴν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι τὴν ζωτικὴν δύναμιν τῆς ψυχῆς διαστρέφει, ἀδελφὸν οὖσαν τοῦ ἔξω ἀνθρώπου, ὡς εἴρηται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπικατάρατος ἔσται, μηκέτι παρέχουσα καρπούς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐντρέχειαν ἐπὶ χρησίμῳ παραπολλύουσα, ἵν' ἐκ τούτου <εἰς> τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀρχὴν καταβάληται· [χρ]ήσιμον γὰρ καὶ τὸ διαστραφῆναι πονηρίαν, τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆ[ς ··]τελῶν μὴ ἐπιτυγχανομένων, ἵνα κόπος ἐγγενόμε[νος] ἔρωτα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐμποιήσῃ κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· "6Ἐκοπίασεν Αἴγυπτος, καὶ ἐμπορία Αἰθιόπων καὶ οἱ Σαβαεὶμ ἄνδρες ὑψηλοὶ ἐπὶ σὲ διαβήσονται"6. "6Στένων"6 δὲ "6κα[ὶ] τρ[έ]μων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς"6 ἔσται, οὕτω κρινόμενος, ἀεὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος ἐλεγχόμενος. ιῃ, 13-14. [Καὶ] εἶπεν Κάιν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν· Μείζων ἡ α[ἰ]τία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με· εἰ ἐκβάλλεις με σήμερον ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι· καὶ ἔ[σομαι σ]τένων καὶ τρέμων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔσται, πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκ[ων] με ἀποκτενεῖ με· Ἔγκειται καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτριοῦσιν ἑ[α]υτοὺς το[ῦ] Θεοῦ λόγος, καθ' ὃν περὶ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ ὡς φιλανθρώπου καὶ ἀγαθοῦ [ἀν]αλαμβάνουσιν· καὶ οὐχ οἷόν τε ἐκκεκόφθαι ταύτην ἀγ̣αθ̣[ὴ]ν τὴν ἔννοιαν, κἂν διὰ βάθος κακίας δυσαρεστῶνται π[ο]λλάκις. Αὐτίκα γοῦν εἰς ἀνάγκην περιστάντες οἱ πάν[τως] Θεοῦ ἀμνήμονες ἐπὶ λιτὰς καὶ ἱκεσίας καταφεύγ[ου]σιν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κάιν θεωρεῖται. Ὡς γὰρ ἐπιλήσμων [Θεοῦ] ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ φόνον 131 ὁρμήσας καὶ μετὰ θράσους [ὑ]ποκρινάμενος αὐτῷ ἐρωτή- σαντι· "6Ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;"6, ἅτε δὲ μήπω πλείστης ἐν ἀνθρώποις διαστροφῆς ὑπαρχούσης, γνοὺς ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων, ὧν διὰ τοῦ ἐλέγχου ἔμαθεν τῶν ἐν τῷ συνειδότι γεγενημένων, ὡς ἀναπόδραστός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀφθαλμός, δέεται αὐτοῦ μὴ εἰς παντὴ ἀλλοτρίω- σιν αὐτοῦ τοῦτον περιστῆσαι, ἐξ οὗ στένειν τε καὶ τρέμειν συμβήσεται καὶ ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ εὑρίσκοντος αὐτὸν προσ- δοκᾶν ἀναίρεσιν. Ὁ γὰρ πεπεισμένος ὡς ἡ σκεπαστικὴ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀπέστη πάντα τὰ ἄλλα φοβερὰ λογίζεται κ̣αὶ ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ πραττο- μένων θαρρεῖ. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἡμῖν εἴρηται εἰς τὴν ὅλην περίνοιαν τῆς τοῦ Κάιν ἀποκρίσεως· ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὴν ὑποσυγκεχυ- μένην αὐτοῦ ἀπόκρισιν, ἅτε φαύλου καὶ οὐ μετέχοντος θεία[ς] χάριτος. "6Μείζων"6 φησίν "6ἐστιν ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με"6, ὅπερ εἴη δηλοῦν κατὰ πρώτην διάνοιαν ὅτι μεῖζον ἔσται μου τὸ κ[ακό]ν, μὴ ἐπεξερχομένου σου, ὠ῀̣ Θεέ, τῇ κατ' ἐμο[ῦ ἀ]δικίᾳ· ἔτι γὰρ ὑπὸ κηδεμονίαν ὑπάρχοντός ἐστ[ι τ]ὸ μὴ ἀπ̣αγορεύεσθαι. Τοῦτ' αὐτὸ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίων καταφρονήσεως καὶ εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν παραδοθέντων λέγεται πρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· "6Οὐ μὴ ἐπισκήψομαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν, ὅταν πορνεύωσιν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμφας αὐτῶν, ὅταν μοιχεύωσιν. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐπιστρέψαι οἵους τε ὄντας πα̣ιδευ῀̣σαι βούλεται, φησίν· "6Ἐπισκέψομαι ε᾿̣ν ῥάβδῳ 132 τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν μάστιξιν τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν, τὸ δὲ ἔλεός μου οὐ μὴ ἀποστήσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν."6 Ὅ τι δε`̣ νῦν φησιν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὅτι μείζων μου ἡ μέμψις ἔσται, σοῦ, Κύριε, μὴ ἐπεξίοντος, ὡς εἴρηται· ὡς δὲ ἐσφαλμένος καὶ διαστροφὴν παθὼν οἴεται ὅτι τῆς γῆς ἐκβεβλημένος καὶ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκβληθήσεται. Κατὰ δὲ ἑτέραν διάνοιαν εἴη ἂν λέγων ταῦτα, ὅτι μεῖζόν μοι ἔσται κακόν, εἰ παραμένοιμι ἐν τῇ γῇ, σοῦ, ὦ Θεέ, μὴ ἀπολλύοντός με εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν· εἰ γὰρ ἐκβάλλοις με ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι μηκέτι ὑπάρχων, ὅπερ εὐκτὸν αὐτῷ ὑπῆρχεν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἐκβάλλεις με ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς-τοῦτο γὰρ προσυ- πακούειν δεῖ-, ἔσομαι στένων ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ τρέμων,