62

are foolish, simple. But the perfect man, having turned, has become such that it is a matter of choice to be childlike in this way, to be guileless in this way. But in the case of infants this is not apparent; it is not a matter of choice, but of their age not permitting them to have perfect reason. The "I have walked" here does not speak of an interruption or a pause, but that from long ago I began thus, or from my mother's womb I began thus; for he says that: "Upon you I have been cast from the womb, from my mother's belly you have been my protector." And the saints, too, concerning whom it is said: "whom he foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son," possess this confidence. 1 And hoping in God, I shall not be weak. He no longer says "having hoped," as he did "I have walked." But hope in God makes one strong and indeed very powerful. Since therefore I hope in you, "I am not weak." Concerning this weakness, it is mentioned in many places in the divine instructions: "He brought them forth," it says—that is, the Hebrews—"with silver and gold, and there was none among their tribes who was weak"; for when God leads someone forth in gold, that is, in a pure mind, and in silver—in tested speech—he has no weakness. Those who are thus led forth are not weak, but are strong "in him who strengthens" them. And as the Apostle says: "I can do all things," and he who can do all things is not weak, so also each of the wise, being strong, is not weak; for how could he be weak who says to God: "I will love you, O Lord, my strength"? He who hopes in wealth will one day be weak. But if the word "weakness" also signifies sickness—for it does—he says this: Hoping in the Lord, I shall not be sick in soul; I am always healthy; for "he who keeps a commandment, he is healthy." This is not said about perceptible health; for many who keep a commandment are sick, and many who transgress commandments are healthy. 2 Prove me, Lord, and test me. Observe the confidence: "Refine my kidneys" and see if there is iniquity in me. No one summons such a judge to examine his affairs, one who knows secret things, who knows the marrow, unless he has great confidence. Indeed, some, on account of the exceeding purity of the one speaking confidently, interpret the psalm as referring to the man of the Savior. But it has already been said to us many times that the achievements of the Savior as a man pertain also to all perfect men. "Prove me, Lord, and test me." Bring me into a contest. As if some capable athlete were to say to the judge of the games: "Prove me and test me, if I am such as I profess to be." For God to prove someone means this: that he is worthy to receive proof from him. "But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel," "we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel, but also our own souls." One imparts his own soul to someone when he makes him of such a quality as he himself possesses. Not only, therefore, he says, are we eager to impart the gospel to you, but also our own souls. If someone becomes an imitator of the apostle and has all his disposition and practice, he has partaken of the apostle's soul. And this can be readily understood as: We are also ready to face danger for you; for "because he laid down his life for us, we also ought to lay down our lives for one another." If we, in laying down our lives for those we love, do not lay down some intelligible and allegorical soul, but the one we have, and this is done in imitation of Jesus, he too truly laid down a human and not an allegorical soul. 2-3 "Refine my kidneys and my heart. For your mercy is before my eyes, and I have been well-pleasing in your truth. Observe that through it all he is confident in his own purity. Then, since these things seem to be beyond human power, he immediately says: "for your mercy is before me." But I know that, even if I set forth good things, even if I hasten to run to them,

62

εἰσιν ἀφραίνοντα, εὐήθη. ὁ δὲ τέλειος στραφεὶς γέγονεν τοιοῦτος, ὥστε προαιρετικόν ἐστιν τὸ οὕτω νηπιάζειν, τὸ οὕτω ἄκακον εἶναι. ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν βρεφῶν οὐ τοῦτο φαίνεται, οὐ προαιρετικόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡλικίας μὴ ἐπιτρεπούσης τέλειον ἔχειν λογισμόν. τὸ "ἐπορεύθην" ὧδε οὐκ ἀνακοπὴν λέγει καὶ παῦλαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκ πολλοῦ οὕτως ἠρξάμην ἢ μητρόθεν οὕτως ἠρξάμην· λέγει γὰρ ὅτι· "ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐπεστηρίχθην ἐκ μήτρας, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου σύ μου εἶ σκεπαστής". καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι δέ, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "οὓς προέγνω καὶ προώρισεν συνμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ", ταύτης εἰσὶν τῆς παρρησίας. 1 καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ἐλπίζων οὐ μὴ ἀσθενήσω. οὐκέτι λέγει "ἐλπίσας", ὡς τὸ "ἐπορεύθην". ἡ πρὸς θεὸν δὲ ἐλπὶς ἰσχυρὸν καὶ πάνυ γε δυνατὸν ποιεῖ. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐλπίζω, "οὐκ ἀσθενῶ". περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἀσθενείας πολλαχοῦ τῶν θείων παιδευμάτων φέρεται· "ἀνήγαγεν", φησίν, "αὐτούς" -τοὺς Ἑβραίους δηλονότι-"ἐν χρυσίῳ καὶ ἀργυρίῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς αὐτῶν ἀσθενῶν"· ὅταν γὰρ ἀνάξῃ θεός τινα ἐν χρυσίῳ, τουτέστιν νῷ καθαρῷ, καὶ ἀργυρίῳ- λόγῳ δοκίμῳ-, οὐκ ἔχει ἀςθένειαν. οἱ οὕτως ἀναγόμενοι οὐκ ἀσθενοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἰσχύουσιν "ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι" αὐτούς. καὶ ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει· "πάντα ἰσχύω", ὁ δὲ πάντα ἰσχύων οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν σοφῶν ἰσχύων οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ· πῶς γὰρ ἀσθενήσειεν ὁ λέγων πρὸς 92 τὸν θεόν· "ἀγαπήσω σε, κύριε, ἡ ἰσχύς μου"; ὁ ἐλπίζων ἐπὶ πλούτῳ ἀσθενήσει ποτέ. εἰ δὲ καὶ νόσον σημαίνει τὸ ὄνομα τῆς ἀσθενείας-σημαίνει γάρ-, τοῦτο λέγει· ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ ἐλπίζων οὐ νοσήσω κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν, ἀεὶ ὑγιαίνων εἰμί· "ὁ" γὰρ "φυλάττων ἐντολήν, οὗτος ὑγιαίνει". οὐ περὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς ὑγείας τοῦτο λέγεται· πολλοὶ γὰρ φυλάττοντες ἐντολὴν νοσοῦσιν, καὶ πολλοὶ παραβαίνοντες ἐντολὰς ὑγιαίνουσιν. 2 δοκίμασόν με, κύριε, καὶ πείρασόν με. θεώρει τὴν παρρησίαν· "πύρωσον τοὺς νεφρούς μου" καὶ ἴδε, εἰ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀδικία. οὐδεὶς ἐκκαλεῖται κριτὴν ἐξετάσαι τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν τοιοῦτον τὰ κρυπτὰ ἐπιστάμενον, μυελοὺς εἰδότα, εἰ μὴ πολλὴν ἔχει παρρησίαν. ἀμέλει γοῦν τινες διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς καθαρότητος τοῦ παρρησιαζομένου εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐκλαμβάνουσιν τὸν ψαλμόν. ἐλέχθη δὲ ἡμῖν ἤδη πολλάκις, ὅτι τὰ κατορθώματα τοῦ σωτῆρος κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἅπτεται καὶ πάντων τῶν τελείων ἀνδρῶν. "δοκίμασόν με, κύριε, καὶ πείρασόν με". εἰσάγαγέ με εἰς ἀγῶνα. ὡς εἰ καὶ ἀθλητής τις ἱκανὸς ἔλεγεν τῷ ἀθλοθέτῃ· "δοκίμασόν με καὶ πείρασόν με, εἰ τοιοῦτός εἰμι, οἷος ἐπαγγέλλομαι". τὸ δοκιμάσαι δὲ τὸν θεόν τινα τοῦτο σημαίνει ὅτι ἄξιός ἐστιν τοῦ παρ' αὐτοῦ δοκιμῆς τυχεῖν. "ἀλλὰ καθὼς δεδοκιμάσμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πιστευθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον", "εὐδοκήσαμεν μεταδοῦναι ὑμῖν οὐ μόνον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς". μεταδίδωσίν τις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν τινι, ὅταν ποιὸν αὐτὸν κατασκευάσῃ κατὰ τὴν ἔχει ποιότητα. οὐ μόνον οὖν, φησίν, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὑμῖν μεταδοῦναι προθύμως ἔχομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς. ἐάν τις μιμητὴς τοῦ ἀποστόλου γένηται καὶ πᾶσαν διάθεσιν τὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ πρᾶξιν ἔχῃ, μετείληφεν τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀποστόλου. δύναται δὲ προχείρως τοῦτο ὅτι· καὶ προκινδυνεῦσαι ὑμῶν ἑτοίμως ἔχομεν· "ὅτι" γὰρ "ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἔθηκεν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων τὰς ψυχὰς θεῖναι". εἰ ἡμεῖς γε θέμενοι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀγαπωμένων τὰς ψυχὰς οὐ νοητήν τινα καὶ ἀλληγορουμένην ψυχὴν τίθεμεν, ἀλλ' ἣν ἔχομεν, κατὰ μίμησιν δὲ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦτο γίνεται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀληθῶς ψυχὴν ἔθηκεν ἀνθρωπίνην καὶ οὐκ ἀλληγορουμένην. 2-3 "πύρωσον τοὺς νεφρούς μου καὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου. ὅτι τὸ ἔλεός σου κατέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μού ἐστιν, καὶ εὐηρέστησα ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου. θεώρει ὅτι διὰ πάντων θαρρεῖ τῇ καθαρότητι ἑαυτοῦ. εἶτ' ἐπεὶ δοκεῖ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀνθρώπων εἶναι, εὐθέως λέγει· "ὅτι τὸ ἔλεός σου κατεναντίον μου". οἶδα δὲ ὅτι, κἂν προθῶμαι τὰ καλά, κἂν δραμεῖν ἐπ' αὐτὰ σπεύσω,