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you have not made me innocent of iniquity," at once showing an example of moderation and pointing out the sin of Adam through succession, which is common to men. But we do not say this, that the saints are subject to the transgression by choice, but by succession, as was said. For just as one born of an idolater, being an infant, does not have sin, but has this very thing as a sort of pollution, to have been born among such people whose upbringing is blameworthy, so too concerning the saints one must understand a transgression that is not voluntary. Thus it has also been said: "for all have sinned." And we say that the sins of the saints 283 are a path to virtue. And just as, if someone learning to write, since he cannot write well all at once, makes mistakes while learning, his mistake not being so blameworthy as if someone were to write poorly with evil intent, so too he who strives for virtue, if at first he errs through ignorance, is not to be punished. For whether I be ungodly, woe is me. Or whether I be righteous, I cannot lift up my head. He might say that if I sin by choice, woe is me, or if, as we have previously explained, I have only that which is from Adam's succession, again not even so will I be able to lift my head up as one delivered from all filth. For of sins, some come into being wickedly from our own choice, and others as was said before; and for those from choice punishment follows, but for those from ignorance purification is owed. And he is able to say that even if I am righteous, yet I am not proud, knowing what is uncertain. For many who boasted have in fact fallen. And consider indeed the Pharisee speaking before God, did he perhaps not speak truly? But because the words were boastful, he did not receive approval. Assuredly, it is said concerning the humble one, 284 that "this man went down justified rather than that one." But I am full of dishonor. It signifies the frailty of human weakness, for man is full of dishonor by being clothed in such a body, concerning which Paul says: "it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory." But I am hunted like a lion for the slaughter. Thinking to cast me down, full of dishonor according to the aforementioned meaning, the enemy tries to surround me through those standing by as if with dogs and nets. But the lion is a great animal. It is said: "A lion is mightier than beasts." "For the righteous man is confident as a lion." Nevertheless, he who is arrayed against an adversary knows that someone is trying to hunt him; and this is the adversary, the devil. And he now calls slaughter the fall into sin; for slaughter is also often spoken of in terms of punishment. He indicates the magnitude of the excessive plot against himself by saying that thus "I am hunted like a lion," with the enemy bringing the snares as against a lion and omitting nothing for temptation. And this is said not out of arrogance, but for the revealing of the plot. For again 285 turning you destroy me terribly. He shows that even if I am hunted like a lion and so many stand around me, yet they themselves are not the authors of the attack; for the permission is yours. For if God had not permitted, the one hunting would not have had authority. And "turning" must be understood actively, as the change concerning Job occurred from wealth to poverty and from being healthy to being sick, of which great ... has been added. Renewing my trial against me. It signifies the successive intensification of hardships. For just as an enemy, being repulsed by his opponents, again prepares himself to fight, in the same way, as against a brave man, the one who received authority, always devising new pains, raised the affliction to a great degree. This is shown from: "While he was still speaking, another messenger came;" for the troubles were frequent and successive. And you have used great wrath against me; and you have brought temptations upon me. And here again he indicates the magnitude of the afflictions, not growing weary, but presenting it to his friends to know, that this exceeding wrath was not, as they 286 supposed, on account of

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ἀνομίας οὐκ ἀθῷόν με πεποίηκας", ἅμα καὶ μετριότητος δ»ε»ῖγμα ἐκφέρων καὶ τὴν κατὰ διαδοχὴν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὑποδ»ε»ικνὺς ἁμαρτίαν κοινὴν οὖσαν ἀνθρώπων. οὐ τοῦτο δέ φαμεν, ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι ὑπόκεινται τῇ παραβάσει κατὰ προαίρεσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ διαδοχήν, ὡς ἐλέχθη. ὡς γὰρ ὁ γεγεννημένος παρ' εἰδωλολάτρῃ βρέφος ὢν οὐκ ἔχει ἁμαρτίαν, τοῦτ' αὐτὸ δὲ ὥσπερ μολυσμὸν ἔχει παρὰ τοιούτοις γεννηθῆναι τῆς ἀνατροφῆς μεμπτῆς οὔσης, οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἁγίους δεῖ νοεῖν παράπτωμα οὐχ ἑκούσιον. οὕτω καὶ εἴρηται· "πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον". λέγομεν δὲ τῶν ἁγίων τὰ ἁμαρτήμα283 τα ὁδὸν ἐπ' ἀρετὴν εἶναι. καὶ ὥσπερ, εἴ τις γράφειν μανθάνων, ἐπεὶ οὐ δύναται ἁθρόως καλῶς γράψαι, διαπταίει ἐν τῷ μανθάνειν τοῦ πταίσματος αὐτοῦ οὐχ οὕτω τυγχάνοντος μεμπτοῦ, ὡς εἰ ἐθελοκάκως τις γράφοι κακόν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁρμώμενος, εἰ πρῶτον ἀγνοίαι σ̣φάλλεται, οὐ κολαστ̣έος. ἐάν τε γὰρ ἀσεβὴς ὦ, οἴμμοι. ἐάν τε ὦ δίκαιος, οὐ δύναμαι ἀνακύψαι. λέγοι ἄν, ὅτι εἴ τε προαιρετικῶς ἁμάρτω, οἴμμοι, εἴ τε, ὡς προαποδεδώκαμεν, τὸ ἐκ διαδοχῆς μόνον ἔχω τοῦ Ἀδάμ, πάλιν οὐδ' οὕτω ἀνακύψαι δυνήσομαι ὡς παντὸς ἀπηλλαγμένος ῥύπου. τῶν γὰρ ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας προαιρέσεως φαύλως ὑφίσταται, τὰ δὲ ὡς προείρηται· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐκ προαιρέσεως κόλασις ἕπεται, τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἀγνοίας κάθαρσις χρεωστεῖται. δύναται δὲ λέγειν, ὅτι εἰ καὶ δίκαιός εἰμι, ἀλλ' οὐ μεγαφρονῶ τὸ ἀ´̣δ̣η̣λον ἐπιστάμενος. πολλοὶ γὰρ περιαυτολογήσαντες πράγματι ἐπέπεσαν. καὶ πρόσσχες γε δὴ ὁ Φαρισαῖος ἐπὶ θεοῦ λέγων μὴ ἄρα ἀληθῶς ἔλεγεν; τῷ δὲ περίαυτα εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα οὐκ ἔσχεν ἀποδοχήν. ἀμέλει εἴρηται περὶ τοῦ ταπ»ε»ινοῦ, 284 ὅτι "κατέβη οὗτος δεδικαιωμένος παρ' ε ἐκεῖνον." πλήρης δὲ ἀτιμίας εἰμί. τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθεν»ε»ίας σαθρὸν σημαίνει πλήρης γὰρ ἀτιμίας ἐστὶν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῷ περικεῖσθαι σῶμα τοιοῦτο, περὶ οὗ Παῦλός φησιν· "σπείρεται ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ, ἐγείρεται ἐν δόξῃ." ἀγρεύομαι δὲ ὥσπερ λέων εἰς σφαγήν. πλήρης με ἀτιμίας ὄντα κατὰ τὴν̣ προαποδοθεῖσαν ἔνν̣οιαν οἰόμενος καταβάλλειν ὁ ἐχθρὸς διὰ τῶν περιεστηκότων ὡσπερεὶ κυσὶν καὶ δικτύοις περιβάλλειν πειρᾶται. ὁ λέων δὲ μέγα ζῷον ὑπάρχει. εἴρηται· "λέων ἰσχυρότερος κτηνῶν." "δίκαιος γὰρ ὥσπερ λέων πέποιθεν." ὅμως ὁ παρατεταγμένος πρὸς ἀντίπαλον οἶδεν, ὅτι ἀγραεῦσαί τις αὐτὸν πειρᾶται· οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀντίδικος διάβολος. σφαγὴν δὲ λέγει νῦν τὴν ὑπόπτωσιν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν· λέγεται γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ κολάσεως ἡ σφαγὴ πολλάκις. ἐμφαίνει τὸ μέγεθος τῆς καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης διὰ τοῦ λέγειν, ὅτι οὕτως "ἀγρεύομαι ὥσπερ λέων" τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καθάπερ λέοντι ἐπάγοντος τὰς πάγας καὶ μη δὲν παραλιπόντος εἰς πειρασμόν. τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ὑπεροψίᾳ, ἀλλὰ φανερώσει τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς εἴρηται. πάλιν γὰρ μεταβα285 λὼν δεινῶς με ὀλέκεις. παρίστησιν, ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἀγρεύομαι ὥσπερ λέων αλλα τοσούτων μοι περιεστηκότων, ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐθεντοῦσιν αὐτοὶ τῆς ἐπιφορᾶς· σὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ συνχώρηςεις. εἰ μὴ γὰρ θεὸς συνεχώρησεν, ὁ ἀγρεύων οὐκ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν. τὸ δὲ "μεταβαλὼν" ἐνεργητικῶς α᾿̣κ̣ούειν δεῖ ὡς τῆς μεταβολῆς περὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ γεγενημένης ε᾿̣κ̣ πλούτου εἰς πενίαν κα̣ὶ ἐξ ὑγιαίνον̣τος εἰς νοσοῦντα, ··ω̣ν πολλὴ ····· της προσγέγονεν. ἐπανακαινίζων ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν ἔτασίν μου. τὴν ἀλλεπάλληλον τῶν ἐπιπόνων ἐπίτασιν σημαίνει. καθάπερ γὰρ πολέμιος ἀποκρουόμενος ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων πάλιν ἑαυτὸν παρασκευάζει πρὸς τὸ καταπολεμεῖν, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὡς πρὸς ἀνδρ»ε»ῖον ἀεὶ καινὰς ὁ λαβὼν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐπινοῶν ἀλγηδόνας εἰς μέγεθος ἐξῆρεν τὴν θλῖψιν. τοῦτο δ»ε»ίκνυται ἐκ τοῦ· "ἔτι τούτου λαλοῦντος ἦλθεν ἕτερος ἄγγελος·" πυκναὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀλλεπάλληλοι αἱ ἀνίαι ἐγίγνοντο. ὀργῇ δὲ μεγάλῃ μοι ἐχρήσω· ἐπήγαγες δὲ ἐπ' ἐμὲ πειρατήρια. καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν τὸ μέγεθος τῶν θλιβηρῶν ἐμφαίνει, οὐκ ἀποκάμνων, ἀλλὰ παριστῶν τοῖς φίλοις γνῶναι, ὅτι ἡ ὑπερβάλλουσα αὕτη ὀργὴ οὐχ, ὡς ὑπε286 νόουν, δι'