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the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” And by saying, for us, he showed that, being without blame and free from all sin, he paid our debt, and us, who were subject to countless debts and on account of this were forced to be slaves, he deemed us worthy of freedom, both by purchasing us and by paying his own blood as the price. Wherefore 83.757 elsewhere the same man cries out, saying: “We were bought with a price.” And again: “The weak brother,” he says, “for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.” For this reason also he accepted death by the cross; since this form of death was accursed according to the law; and our nature was also accursed, as having transgressed the law; “For cursed,” it says, “is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to do them.” For this reason he takes upon himself the common curse, and dissolves it by his unjust slaughter. For not being subject to the curse (for he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth), he endured the death of sinners, and he contends in judgment with the avenger, the common enemy of our nature, having become at once the champion and advocate of our nature, and he says fittingly to our bitter tyrant: You are caught, most wicked one, and you have been snared in your own nets, and your sword has entered your own heart, and your bows have been broken; you have dug a pit, and fallen into it; the snares spread by you have bound your own hands. For tell me, why ever did you nail my body to the cross and deliver it over to death? What kind of sin did you see in me? What transgression of the law did you behold? Search now at least more carefully, beholding this body naked on the tree. Behold also a tongue free from stain; and hearing free from all harm, and eyes that have received no injury from without; and hands that have been far from injustice, but adorned with all righteousness; and feet, not running to evil, to speak prophetically, but having completed the race of virtue. Examine very carefully all the parts of the body; examine the movements of the soul; if even a small offense is found, you hold me well and very justly; for death is the penalty for sinners; but if you find nothing of which the divine law forbids, but rather everything that it prescribes, I do not permit you to hold what it is not lawful to hold. Rather, I also open the prison of death for the others, but I will imprison you alone, as one who has transgressed the divine decree. For the divine decree delivered sinners over to death, but you have delivered even one unacquainted with sin to the bonds of death; and your greed has become for you the cause of utmost cruelty; and having taken one unjustly, you were justly stripped of all your subjects; and having eaten food that was not edible, you will vomit up all that you had already swallowed; and you will teach all to be content with what they have, and to abstain from what is not theirs. Remember for what reason the first man Adam was delivered to death. Though he had received 83.760 authority over all the plants of paradise, he was not content with what was given, nor did the enjoyment of all things in abundance suffice for him; but he dared to partake of the plant of knowledge, the partaking of which the Creator had forbidden. And having been sick with greed, and having desired what was not his, he was deprived of all of paradise. To these penalties I will subject you. For it is unjust for the one who was deceived to endure such a loss, but for the one who deceived not to undergo such a punishment. Since, therefore, you also, having received authority over sinners, have touched a body that has committed no sin, depart from your authority, stand down from your tyranny. I will free all from death; not simply using mercy, but just mercy, nor by the authority of lordship, but by just authority. For I have paid on behalf of the

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κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Γέγραπται γάρ· Ἐπι κατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου.» Εἰπὼν δὲ, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἔδειξεν, ὡς ἀνεύθυνος ὢν καὶ πάσης ἁμαρ τίας ἐλεύθερος, τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀπέδωκε χρέος, καὶ μυρίοις ἡμᾶς ὀφλήμασιν ὑποκειμένους, καὶ τούτου χάριν δου λεύειν ἠναγκασμένους, ἐλευθερίας ἠξίωσεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ πριάμενος, καὶ τιμὴν τὸ οἰκεῖον αἷμα καταβαλών. ∆ιὸ 83.757 καὶ ἑτέρωθι ὁ αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ βοᾷ λέγων· «Τιμῆς ἠγοράσθημεν.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀπόλλυ ται, φησὶν, ὁ ἀσθενὴς ἀδελφὸς ἐν τῇ σῇ γνώσει, δι' ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε.» Τούτου χάριν καὶ τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ κατεδέξατο θάνατον· ἐπειδὴ κατάρατον ἦν κατὰ τὸν νόμον τούτου τοῦ θανάτου τὸ εἶδος· κατάρατος δὲ ἦν καὶ ἡ φύσις, ὡς παραβεβηκυῖα τὸν νόμον· «Ἐπικατάρατος γὰρ, φησὶ, πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμ μένει τοῖς ἐγκειμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά.» Τούτου χάριν τὴν κοινὴν ἀναδέχεται κατάραν, καὶ λύει ταύτην τῇ ἀδίκῳ σφαγῇ. Μὴ ὑποκείμενος γὰρ τῇ κατάρᾳ (ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ δόλος), τὸν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὑπέμεινε θάνατον, καὶ δικάζεται τῷ ἀλάστορι τῷ κοινῷ τῆς φύσεως δυσμενεῖ, πρόμα χος ὁμοῦ καὶ συνήγορος τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως γεγο νὼς, καί φησιν εἰκότως πρὸς τὸν πικρὸν ἡμῶν τύ ραννον· Ἑάλως, παμπόνηρε, καὶ τοῖς σαυτοῦ δικτύοις τεθήρασαι, καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία σου εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς καρ δίαν σου, καὶ τὰ τόξα σου συνετρίβη· ὤρυξας βόθρον, καὶ ἐνέπεσας εἰς αὐτόν· τὰ ὑπὸ σοῦ ἁπλωθέντα θήρατρα τὰς σὰς ἐπέδησε χεῖρας. Εἰπὲ γὰρ, τί δήποτέ μου τὸ σῶμα τῷ σταυρῷ προσήλωσας, καὶ τῷ θανά τῳ παρέπεμψας; Ποῖον εἶδος ἁμαρτίας ἐν ἐμοὶ θεασάμενος; Ποίαν τοῦ νόμου θεωρήσας παράβασιν; Ἐρεύνησον νῦν γοῦν ἀκριβέστερον ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ γυμνὸν τοῦτο θεώμενος. Βλέπε καὶ γλῶτταν κηλῖδος ἀπηλλαγμένην· καὶ ἀκοὴν βλάβης ἁπάσης ἐλευθέραν, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς λύμην οὐδεμίαν ἔξωθεν δεξαμένους· καὶ χεῖρας ἀδικίας μὲν πόῤῥω γεγενημένας, δικαιο σύνῃ δὲ πάσῃ κεκοσμημένας· καὶ πόδας, οὐκ ἐπὶ πο νηρίᾳ, προφητικῶς εἰπεῖν, δραμόντας, ἀλλὰ τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς δίαυλον ἐξανύσαντας. Ἐρεύνησον ἅπαντα λίαν ἀκριβῶς τὰ τοῦ σώματος μόρια· ἐρεύνησον τῆς ψυ χῆς τὰ κινήματα· ἐὰν μικρὸν γοῦν εὑρεθῇ πλημμέλημα, καλῶς κατέχεις καὶ μάλα δικαίως· ἐπιτίμιον γὰρ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ὁ θάνατος· εἰ δὲ μη δὲν εὑρίσκεις, ὧν ὁ θεῖος ἀπαγορεύει νόμος, πάντα δὲ μᾶλλον, ὅσα ἐκεῖνος διαγορεύει, οὐκ ἐῶ σε κατέχειν ὃ μὴ θέμις κατέχειν. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνοίγω τοῦ θανάτου τὸ δεσμωτήριον, σὲ δὲ καθείρξω μόνον, ὡς τὸν ὅρον παραβεβηκότα τὸν θεῖον. Ὁ γὰρ θεῖος ὅρος τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας τῷ θανάτῳ παρ έπεμψε, σὺ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἁμαρτίας ἀμύητον παρέδωκας τοῖς τοῦ θανάτου δεσμοῖς· καὶ γέγονέ σοι ἡ ἀπληστία ἀπηνείας ἐσχάτης αἰτία· καὶ ἕνα λαβὼν ἀδίκως, πάν των ἐγυμνώθης τῶν ὑπηκόων δικαίως· καὶ φαγὼν τροφὴν οὐκ ἐδώδιμον, πᾶσαν ἐμέσεις τὴν ἤδη κατα ποθεῖσαν· καὶ διδάξεις ἅπαντας τοῖς προσοῦσιν ἀρ κεῖσθαι, καὶ τῶν μὴ προσηκόντων ἀπέχεσθαι. Ἀνα μνήσθητι τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ γενεάρχης Ἀδὰμ παρεδόθη θανάτῳ. Πάντων ἐκεῖνος τῶν τοῦ παραδείσου φυτῶν 83.760 τὴν ἐξουσίαν λαβὼν, οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τοῖς δοθεῖσιν, οὐ δὲ ἀπέχρησεν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀφθονίας ἁπάντων ἀπό λαυσις· ἀλλὰ κατετόλμησε τοῦ τῆς γνώσεως φυτοῦ, οὗ τὴν μετάληψιν ὁ Ποιητὴς ἀπηγορεύκει. Καὶ ἀπληστίαν νοσήσας, καὶ τοῦ μὴ προσήκοντος ἐπιθυμήσας, παν τὸς ἀπεστερήθη τοῦ παραδείσου. Τούτοις σε τοῖς ἐπι τιμίοις ὑποβαλῶ. Ἄδικον γὰρ, τὸν μὲν ἐξαπατηθέντα τοιαύτην ὑπομεῖναι ζημίαν, τὸν δὲ ἐξαπατήσαντα μὴ τοιαύτην ὑποστῆναι τιμωρίαν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ σὺ, τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἐξουσίαν λαβὼν, ἥψω σώματος ἁμαρτίαν οὐδεμίαν ἐργασαμένου, ἔκ βηθι τῆς ἐξουσίας, ἔκστηθι τῆς τυραννίδος. Πάντας ἐλευθερώσω τοῦ θανάτου· οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐλέῳ χρώμε νος, ἀλλ' ἐλέῳ δικαίῳ, οὐδὲ τῇ τῆς δεσποτείας ἐξουσίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐξουσίᾳ δικαίᾳ. Ἀποδέδωκα γὰρ ὑπὲρ τοῦ