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conscious of himself, does not wish to come to judgment. But he says these things not with audacity towards God, he who is testified by Him for his righteousness, but so that he might teach, as has been said, his friends that he does not fear refutation. For he had nothing worthy of refutation. David, being a partaker of this boldness, sang: "My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready." Would that there were a mediator for us, both to refute and to judge between 265 both of us. Again, these things are also said in common in the same manner, in which the first things were also said, being a very clear demonstration of the freedom of his soul. He prays, therefore, that there might be some examiner who would show to his friends that he suffers these things not because of sin, but for the sake of a contest. But the holy one wished for these things not out of arrogance, but first, so that his friends might have right conceptions about the matters, then, so that they might not sin against God by despairing when such things often happen either to themselves or to others, not finding or not being conscious of a sin in themselves. But since the name of mediator has been proposed, it is worthwhile to consider how the Savior is called "mediator between God and men". Man, therefore—and why do I say man?—the creature is far removed from the creator. But you find in the nature of things that when things that are far apart are brought together to the same point, they have something in the middle. And as in a ready example, the shell of an egg is hard, and the nourishment watery, the membrane lies between, being thinner than the shell, but drier 266 than the liquid, and thus they are joined; and you would see this also in nuts and pomegranates. Since, therefore, God is far removed from man, the Son, consubstantial with God, took on the human in himself, so that by his affinity with men and his consubstantiality with God he might join both, "and might break down the dividing wall of the enclosure, the hostility, in his flesh", undertaking the office of high priest. And the high priest is in the middle between God and those being sanctified, bringing the things of God to men, and the things of men to God; he offers the prayers and supplications to God as sacrifices, and provides the knowledge of Him to men. At any rate, he sends up a prayer, saying: "As you and I are one, so that they also may be one in us." And this will be then, when God becomes "all in all", so that they may hereafter be joined to God without a mediator, becoming one spirit with him. And that the blessed Job also foresaw this mediator with his divine eye is clear from "the one who is to subdue the great sea-monster" and from "the one walking upon the sea as upon dry land". For with God revealing it to him, it is not possible to doubt that he was fully informed concerning the whole 267 economy of salvation. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear torment me. The painful discipline is signified by the name of the rod, and especially when it is spoken of as a chastisement. At any rate it is said concerning the sons of David: "If his sons forsake my law and do not walk in my judgments, I will visit their sins with a rod, and their iniquities with scourges." But this chastisement, and every one from God, does not harm the one being chastised, but instructs. And that this is so, Paul writes to the Corinthians: "What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love?" that is: Shall I approach as to beloved ones, or as to those in need of correction? For in a way, one who corrects someone through painful means seems for this reason not to love him. And a wise word has also been called a rod: "for he who brings forth wisdom from his lips, strikes a heartless man with a rod," with the Word calling the refutation and the rebuking word a rod. And that this is useful, the divine word shows, stating: "He who spares his 268 staff, hates his own son", although according to men he will be thought to love his son by not striking him. He wishes, therefore, for these things to be removed from him, not out of contempt, but so that those who assign another cause for his pains might be taught that these things are not on account of sin

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συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ εἰς κρίσιν ἐλθεῖν οὐ βούλεται. λέγει δὲ ταῦτα οὐ πρὸς θεὸν ἀπαυθαδιζόμενος, ὁ μαρτυρούμενος π»α»ρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα διδάξῃ, ὡς εἴρηται, τοὺς φίλους, ὅτι οὐ δέδοικεν ἔλεγχον. οὐ γὰρ εἶχέν τι ἄξιον ἐλέγχου. ταύτης τῆς παρρησίας μέτοχος ὑπάρχων ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἔψαλλεν· "ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ὁ θεός, ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου." εἴθε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης ἡμῶν καὶ διελέγχων καὶ διακρίνων ἀνὰ 265 μέσον ἀμφοτέρων. ἀπὸ κοινοῦ πάλιν καὶ ταῦτα λέγεται τῷ τρόπῳ, «ᾧ» καὶ τὰ πρῶτα εἴρηται, τῆς ἐλευθερίας τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ δεῖγμα σαφέστατον ὑπάρχοντα. εὔχεται οὖν ἐξεταστήν τινα ὑπάρξαι τὸν παραδεικνύντα τοῖς φίλοις, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ταῦτα πάσχει, ἀλλὰ ἀγῶνος χάριν. ταῦτα δὲ ἐβούλετο ὁ ἅγιος οὐκ ἀλαζονευόμενος, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μέν, ἵνα ὀρθὰς περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων οἱ φίλοι τὰς διαλήμψεις ἔχωσιν, ἔπειτα, ἵνα μὴ εἰς θεὸν ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἀποδυσπετοῦντες πολλάκις τοιούτων γινομένων ἢ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἢ ἐν ἑτέροις, μὴ εὑρίσκοντες ἢ μὴ συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς ἁμάρτημα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαξ ἡ τοῦ μεσίτου ὀνομασία πρόκειται, ἄξιον ἐπιστῆσηαι, πῶς εἴρηται ὁ ςωτὴρ "μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων". ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοίνυν- καὶ τί λέγω ὁ ἄνθρωπος-τὸ κτίσμα τοῦ κτιστοῦ πολὺ ἀφέστηκεν. εὑρίσκεις δὲ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅταν πολὺ διεστηκότα εἰς ταὐτὸ συνάγηται, μέσον τι ἔχοντα. καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος προχείρου τὸ λέπος τοῦ ᾠοῦ σκληρόν ἐστιν, τὸ δὲ τρόφιμον ὑδατῶδες, ὁ ὑμὴν μεταξὺ κεῖται, ἰσχνότερος ὢν τοῦ λέπους, ξηρότερος δὲ 266 τοῦ ὑγροῦ, καὶ οὕτω συνάπτονται· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν καρύοις καὶ ῥοαῖς κατίδοις. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν πολὺ διέστηκεν θεὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὁ ὁμοούσιος τῷ θεῷ υἱὸς ἐν αὐτῷ ἔσχεν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ἵνα καὶ τῇ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους οἰκειότητι καὶ τῇ πρὸς θεὸν ὁμοουσιότητι συνάψῃ τὰ ἀμφότερα "καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσῃ, τὴν ἔχθραν, ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ", ἀρχιερέως τάξιν ἀναδεχόμενος. μέσος δέ ἐστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἱερωμένων «ὁ» ἀρχιερεύς, τὰ μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ φέρων ἀνθρώποις, τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς θεόν· τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ τὰς ἱκεσίας προσφέρει τῶι θεῷ οἷα θυσίας, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ παρέχει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. εὐχὴν γοῦν ἀναπέμπει λέγων· "ὥσπερ ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, ἵνα καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἡμῖν ἓν ὦσιν." τότε δὲ τοῦτο ἔσται, ὅταν ὁ θεὸς "πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν" γένηται, ἵνα ἀμεσιτεύτως συνάπτονται λοιπὸν τῷ θεῷ ἓν πνεῦμα πρὸς αὐτὸν γινόμενοι. ὅτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν μεσίτην προεώρα τῷ θείῳ ὀφθαλμῷ ὁ μακάριος Ἰώβ, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ "ὁ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρώσασθαι" καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ως "ὁ περιπατῶν ὡς ἐπ' ἐδάφους ἐπὶ θαλάσσης". θεοῦ γὰρ φανεροῦντος αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀμφιβαλεῖν, ὅτι περὶ πά267 σης τῆς οἰκονομίας πεπληροφόρητο. ἀπαλλαξάτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ῥάβδον, ὁ δὲ φόβος αὐτοῦ μή με στροβείτω. ἡ ἐπίπονος ἀγωγὴ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς ῥάβδου σημαίνεται, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ ἐπιτιμίας ὅταν λέγηται. εἴρηται γοῦν περὶ τῶν τοῦ ∆αυὶδ υἱῶν· "ἐὰν ἐνκαταλίπωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον μου καὶ ἐν τοῖς κρίμασίν μου μὴ πορεύωνται, ἐπισκέψομαι ἐν ῥάβδῳ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν μάστιξιν τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν." αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἐπιτιμία καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἐκ θεοῦ οὐ βλάπτει τὸν ἐπιτιμώμενον, ἀλλὰ παιδεύει. καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχει, Παῦλος Κορινθίοις γράφει· "τί θέλετε, ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ;" ὅ ἐστιν· εν ἀγαπητοῖς προσέλθω ἢ ὡς χρῄζουσιν διορθώσεως; τρόπον γάρ τινα ὁ διορθούμενός τιν»α» διὰ ἐπιπόνων δοκεῖ διὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτόν. εἴρηται δὲ καὶ λόγος συνετὸς ῥάβδος· "ὃς προφέρει γὰρ ἐκ χειλέων σοφίαν, ῥάβδῳ τύπ»τ»ειν ἄνδρα ἀκάρδιον," τὸν ἔλεγχον καὶ τὸν ἐπιτιμητικὸν λόγον ῥάβδον καλοῦντος τοῦ λόγου. ὅτι δὲ χρήσιμον τοῦτο, ὁ θεῖος παριστᾷ λόγος φάσκων· "ὃς φείδεται τῆς βακτηρίας 268 αὐτοῦ, μισεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν", καίτοι κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους νομισθήσε ται ἀγαπᾶν μὴ τύπτων τὸν υἱόν. ταῦτα οὖν ἀπαλλαγῆναι ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ βούλεται, οὐκ ἐξ ὀλιγωρίας, ἀλλ' ἵνα παιδευθῶσιν οἱ ἄλλην αἰτίαν τιθέμενοι τῶν πόνων, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ταῦτα