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of every[one] who finds me killing me. That many, when [they recog]nize in themselves an immoderation of errors, hav[ing] some notion that God himself will pursue them, [co]nsider it preferable not to be, preferring insensibility to sufferings over exist<ence>, would be clear from what was sa[id] by the prophet about the betrayers of Jesus: "They will wis[h] they had been consumed by fire." And otherwise it might apply to his say[ing]: "If you cast me out", "today" asking for a place of repentance so that the now, the "today" that was said, might be postponed. And he wished to meet the end called "his own" from God, so that he would not be subject to destruction by everyone who found him. One might ask whom Cain feared would find him and kill him, since no one at all existed except him and his parents; t[o] whom one might say that, first, having a notion that there would be a succession of men, he was afraid lest, having committed so great a pollution, he would be killed by those to come as an abominable thing, with so great a curse 133 passing on also to those who would be born, and then, even if not this, he conjectured that divine powers would be avengers of his unholy deed, which it is likely he had also seen when wickedness had not yet been poured out. And the things for anagogy #561 ιῃ, 15. And the Lord God said to him: Not so; whoever kills Cain will release seven punishments. And the Lord God set a sign for Cain, that no one who found him should kill him. Reserving for a greater punishment than Cain's suspicion that everyone who finds him will kill him, him who had become the murderer of his own brother, God says: "Not so"; this is not the fitting justice for yo[ur] transgression, to be killed by anyone. For this one would release seven punishments, which indicates the perfect penalty. For often the number seven is taken in Scripture for perfection; this is indicated by what is [sa]id: "Seven eyes are looking upon a[ll] the earth"; for God is not a body, so that his eyes should be of the number seven, but it is clear that it teaches that his ov[er]seeing power is most complete and gre[at]. And others said that, just as the man of the [S]avior had seven spirits that would rest upon him, "[th]e spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of God", so each man, being a perfect man before sin, to which state the apostle also teaches us to attain, saying: "until we all attain to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ", having these 134 to re<st u>pon him, if he should sin, he will release them, for which the most complete and fitt- ing vengeance was owed to take place. And it should be noted that "whoever kills Cain" is said either instead of a vocative, instead of "O Cain, whoever kills", or to others about him, so that it is "whoever kills Cain", whom one saying they are certain powers would not be in error. And to these same he has given a "sign" "not to kill him", which would be the command of God himself; for none of such judgments happens without permission. *** -ηυιτ λιγνες εν βλανξ- He set as a sign the incl[ination to] repentance after the sins, according to which he will not be easily overcome fo[r des]truction. For it is a great good not to sin; but to be in remorse af[te]r sins would be a second har[bor], which God, arranging <through> teaching, stirs up so as not to fall subject to the deceiver. Such a meaning is suggested by what is said in the Psalms: "The light of your face has been signed upon us, O Lord", which face of light, you will appropriately say means the Son or the divine thoughts. For thus also will come to pass the fleeing from the face of the bow, 135 the face of God being in us, as has been said; and what is added next confirms it: "That your beloved ones may be delivered". By philanthropy

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παν[τ]ο`̣ς τοῦ εὑρίσκοντός με ἀποκτενο<ῦ>ντος. Ὅτι δὲ οἱ πολλοί, ἐ[πειδὰ]ν γιγνώσκωσιν ἑαυτοῖς ἀμετρίαν σφαλμάτων, ἔχον[τές] πως ἔννοιαν ὡς μετελεύσεται αὐτὸς ὁ Θεός, αἱρετὸν [ἡγ]οῦνται τὸ μὴ εἶναι, ἀναισθησίαν παθῶν τοῦ ὑπάρχειν προτιμῶντε<ς>, εἴη ἂν σαφὲς ἐκ τοῦ εἰρημ[ένου] ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου περὶ τῶν προδότων Ἰησοῦ· "6Θελήσουσ[ιν ε]ἰ ἐγενήθησαν πυρίκαυστοι."6 Καὶ ἑτέρως δ' ἂν ἐπιβάλοι λέγον[τ]ος αὐτοῦ· "6Εἰ ἐκβάλλεις με"6, "6σήμερον"6 δ' αἰτοῦντος τόπον μετανοίας ἵν' ὑπερτεθῇ τὸ νῦν, "6σήμερον"6 εἰρημένον. Ἐβούλετο δὲ καὶ τέλει τῷ καλουμένῳ "6ἰδίῳ"6 πρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ περιπεσεῖν, ἵνα μὴ παντὶ τῷ εὑρίσκοντι εἰς ἀναίρεσιν ὑποκείμενος ᾖ. Ἐρωτήσειεν ἂν τίνα δήποτε ἐδεδίει ὁ Κάιν εὑρήσοντα αὐτὸν καὶ ἀποκτενοῦντα, μηδενὸς ὅλως πλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοκέων ὑπάρχοντος· π[ρὸ]ς ὃν εἴποι τις ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν ἔννοιαν ἔχων ὡς διαδοχῆς ἐσομένης ἀνθρώπων, ἐφοβεῖτο μὴ ὡς τοσοῦτον μίασμα ἐργασάμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐσομένων ἀναιρεθῇ ὡς βδελυκτὸς, τοῦ τοσούτου ἄγους 133 ε᾿̣πὶ καὶ τῶν γεννησομένων διαβαίνοντος, ἔπειτα δέ, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῦτο, θείας δυνάμεις ἐτόπαζεν ἐκδίκους ἔσεσθαι τῆς ἀνοσιουργίας, ἃς εἰκὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἑορακέναι μήπω τῆς κακίας κεχυμένης. Τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἀναγωγήν #561 ιῃ, 15. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Κύριος ὁ Θεός· Οὐχ οὕτως· πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Κάιν ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει. Καὶ ἔθετο Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς σημεῖον τῷ Κάιν τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν παντὰ τὸν εὑρίσκοντα αὐτόν. Ἐπὶ μείζονα κόλασιν ἢ κατὰ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν τοῦ Κάιν τὴν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκων αὐτὸν ἀποκτενεῖ αὐτὸν φυλάττων, τὸν τοῦ ἰδίου ἀδελφοῦ φονέα γεγενημένον, φησὶν ὁ Θεός· "6Οὐχ οὕτως"6· ἔστιν οὐχ αὕτη σο[υ] ἁρμόνιος ἡ δίκη τοῦ πλημμελήματος τὸ ὑπὸ ὁτουοῦν ἀναιρεθῆναι. Οὗτος γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσειε, ὅπερ δηλοῖ τὴν τελείαν τιμωρίαν. Πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸς ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ἀντὶ τελειότητος παρείλημπται· τοῦτο δηλοῦται ὑπὸ τοῦ [λε]γομένου· "6Ἑπτὰ ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν ἐπιβλέποντες ἐπὶ π[ᾶ]σαν τὴν γῆν"6· οὐ γὰρ δὴ σῶμά ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, ἵνα καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ τυγχά- νωσιν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς τὴ[ν ἐ]ποπτικὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν πληρεστάτην καὶ μεγ[άλη]ν εἶναι διδάσκει. Ἄλλοι δὲ εἶπον ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ τοῦ [Σ]ωτῆρος ἄνθρωπος ἔσχεν ἑπτὰ πνεύματα ἐπαναπαυσόμενα, "6[π]νεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος, πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας, πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ"6, οὕτως ἕκαστος ἄνθρωπος, πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνὴρ τέλειος ὤν, εἰς ὃν καὶ καταντῆσαι ἡμᾶς ὁ ἀπόστολος διδάσκων φησίν· "6ἄχρι καταντήσωμεν πάντες εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ"6, ἔχων ταῦτα 134 ἐπανα<πα>υσόμενα, εἰ ἁμαρτήσοι, παραλύσει αὐτά, περὶ ὧν ἐκδίκησις γενέσθαι ὤφειλεν πληρεστάτη καὶ κατάλ- ληλος. Σημειωτέον δὲ ὅτι τὸ "6πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Κάιν"6 ἢ ἀντὶ κλητικῆς εἴρηται, ἀντὶ τοῦ "3ὦ Κάιν, πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας"3, ἢ ἄλλοις περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἵν' ᾖ "3πᾶς ὁ τὸν Κάιν ἀποκτείνας"3, οὓς δυνάμεις τινάς τις ὁ λέγων οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι. Ταῖς δ' αὐταῖς ταύταις "6σημεῖον"6 δέδωκεν "6τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν"6, ὅπερ ἂν εἴη αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πρόσταγμα· οὐ γάρ τι τῶν τοιούτων κριμάτων χωρὶς συγχωρήσεως γίνεται. *** -ηυιτ λιγνες εν βλανξ- Σημεῖον ἔθετο τὴν μετὰ τὰ πταίσματα ῥο[πὴν τ]ῆς μετανοίας, καθ' ἣν οὐκ εὐχείρωτος ἔσται πρ[ὸς ἀν]αίρεσιν. Μέγα μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ πταῖσαι· τὸ δὲ μ[ε]τὰ τὰ πταίσματα ἐν μεταγνώσει γενέσθαι δεύτερος ἂ[ν] εἴη λιμήν, ὅπερ οἰκονομῶν ὁ Θεὸς <διὰ> διδασκαλίας διεγείρει πρὸς τὸ μὴ ὑποπεσεῖν τῷ ἀπατεῶνι. Τοιαύτην τὴν διάνοιαν ὑποβάλλει τὸ ἐν ψαλμοῖς λεγόμενον· "6Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε"6, ὅπερ προσώπου φῶς τὸν Υἱὸν ἢ τὰς θείας ἔννοιας λέγων οἰκείως ἐρεῖς. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν καὶ τὸ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου τόξου 135 γενήσεται, τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, ὡς εἴρηται, ὑπάρχοντος· καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς δὲ ἐπιφερόμενον βεβαιοῖ· "6Ὅπως ἂν ῥυσθῶσιν οἱ ἀγαπητοί σου"6. Φιλανθρωπίᾳ