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in his standing to God to remember the word which says: He who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall, and to confess thanks to God for his standing. But he, not reasoning correctly, thought that he stood in the most beautiful things by his own virtue; and he declared himself both unchangeable and immutable. Lord, in your will you have granted strength to my beauty. Since he did not reason these aforementioned things correctly, he knew that his standing, and prosperity and the beauty he then had were not from himself, nor did he possess them by his own doing. Therefore, confessing, he says these things, having learned by experience of his own weakness: But you turned away your face, and I was troubled. For you did nothing more, neither pushed, nor cast down; but this very thing, on account of my boasting, you left me alone, and destitute of your help. You turned away your face; but I was immediately refuted, and I became troubled, falling prey to my sins and to my enemies. To you, O Lord, I will cry; and to my God I will make supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to corruption? But according to Symmachus: When I was in evils I said: To you, O Lord, I will cry, and I will supplicate you my master; what gain is there in my blood, when I am brought down to corruption? Shall the dust confess to you, or declare your truth? These and similar things I ask, sending up cries from below from the deepest pit, having inquired so as to learn from you, my God, as from a teacher. What profit is there either for me or for others from my blood? Or what more will there be for men from my coming to corruption? For in the blood of another there will be a certain great and significant benefit for the whole world; when your lamb who takes away the sin of the world, comes as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent. For by his blood redemption and freedom from evils will come to all who will be saved through him. But also his descent to those who were corrupted and were in death will be a cause of salvation for many. For much earth and much dust of the ancient and carnal and earthy men will confess to you; who also, having been changed to the better, will declare your truth. Will there then be any such good for the world in my blood? or will anyone be helped by my being dragged down by death? or will dust and the man taken from the dust and become man, having been changed from the earthly and become spiritual, declare your truth? But there will be nothing of the sort from me; therefore I beseech you not to be likened to those who go down into the pit. 23.264 The Lord heard, and had mercy on me; the Lord became my helper. You have turned my mourning into joy for me; you have torn off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. These things, he says, when I prayed, the Lord, who is not far from those who call upon him purely and faithfully, heard, about whom it is said: The Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth; and having heard, he had mercy on me, and he showed the work of his pity toward me; for he became my helper. Having spoken these things to us, and having taught us what happened to him, he turns his thanksgiving back to God himself, recounting the benefactions toward him. For you had mercy on me, he says, and you became my helper; and so you changed my old tears, and the laments and mourning into laughter and joy, and exultation, fulfilling the beatitude later spoken about those who weep and mourn, according to: Blessed are those who weep, for they shall laugh; and blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. So you stripped from me the symbols of mourning, the sackcloth, in which suffering I was punishing myself, and you girded me with a girdle of gladness. And all these things you have granted me, so that I might not remain dust and earth that does not

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τῷ Θεῷ στάσει μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ φάσκοντος λόγου· Ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ, ὁμολογεῖν τε τῷ Θεῷ χάριν ὑπὲρ τῆς στάσεως. Ὁ δὲ, οὐκ ὀρθῶς λογισάμενος, παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀρετὴν ἐν τοῖς καλλίστοις ἑστάναι ἐνόμιζεν· ἀπέφαινέ τε ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἄτρεπτον καὶ ἀμετάβλητον. Κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν. Ἐπεὶ ταῦτα τὰ προειρημένα οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἐλογίζετο, ἔγνω, ὅτι ἡ στάσις αὐτοῦ ἐκείνη, καὶ ἡ εὐθηνία καὶ τὸ προσὸν αὐτῷ τότε κάλλος οὐκ ἦν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ αἰτίαν ὑπῆρχεν αὐτῷ. ∆ιὸ ἐξομολογούμενος ταῦτά φησιν ἔργῳ τὴν πεῖραν παραλαβὼν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθενείας· Ἀπέστρεψας δέ σου τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐγενήθην τεταραγμένος. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν πλέον ἔπραξας, οὔτε ὦσας, οὔτε κατέβαλες· αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν μεγαλαυχίαν μεμονωμένον με εἴασας, καὶ τῆς παρὰ σοῦ βοηθείας ἔρημον. Ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπόν σου· ἐγὼ δὲ παραχρῆμα ἠλεγχόμην, καὶ ἐγινόμην τεταραγμένος, ὑποπίπτων τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι, καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐχθροῖς. Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου δεηθήσομαι. Τίς ὠφέλεια ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, ἐν τῷ καταβῆναί με εἰς διαφθοράν; Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς γενόμενος ἔλεγον· Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, βοήσω, καί σε τὸν δεσπότην μου ἱκετεύσω· τί κέρδος ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, κατενεχθέντος μου εἰς διαφθοράν; Μὴ ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι κόνις, ἢ ἀπαγγελεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου; Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια ἱκετεύω, κάτωθεν κραυγὰς ἀφιεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ βαθυτάτου λάκκου, πυθόμενος ὡς παρὰ διδασκάλου μαθεῖν παρὰ σοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίς ὠφέλεια γίνεται ἢ ἐμοὶ ἢ ἑτέροις ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ αἵματος; Ἢ τί πλέον ἀνθρώποις ὑπάρξει ἐκ τοῦ ἐμὲ ἐλθεῖν εἰς διαφθοράν; Ἑτέρου μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ αἵματι ὑπάρξει πολλή τις καὶ μεγάλη ὠφέλεια τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ· ἐπειδὰν ὁ σὸς ἀμνὸς ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἔλθοι, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος ἄφωνος. Τούτου γὰρ τῷ αἵματι ἀπολύτρωσις καὶ κακῶν ἐλευθερία πᾶσι τοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ σωθησομένοις γενήσεται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ κατάβασις ἐκείνου ἡ μέχρι τῶν διαφθαρέντων, καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ γενομένων, πολλοῖς αἰτία σωτηρίας ἔσται. Πολλὸς γὰρ χοῦς καὶ πολλὴ κόνις τῶν πάλαι καὶ σαρκίνων καὶ χοϊκῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι· οἳ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβληθέντες, ἀπαγγελοῦσι τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου. Μήτι οὖν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ αἵματι ἔσται τι τοιοῦτον ἀγαθὸν τῷ κόσμῳ; ἢ ὠφεληθήσεταί τις ἐμοῦ κατασυρέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου; ἢ χοῦς καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ χοῦ ληφθεὶς καὶ γεγονὼς ἄνθρωπος, μεταβληθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ χοϊκοῦ καὶ γενόμενος πνευματικὸς, ἀπαγγελεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔσται ἐξ ἐμοῦ τοιοῦτον· διὸ ἱκετεύω μὴ ὁμοιωθῆναι τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον. 23.264 Ἤκουσε Κύριος, καὶ ἠλέησέ με· Κύριος ἐγενήθη βοηθός μου. Ἔστρεψας τὸν κοπετόν μου εἰς χαρὰν ἐμοὶ, διέῤῥηξας τὸν σάκκον μου, καὶ περιέζωσάς με εὐφροσύνην. Ταῦτα, φησὶ, δεηθέντος μου, ὁ μὴ μακρὰν ἀφεστὼς τῶν καθαρῶς καὶ πιστῶς ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτὸν Κύριος ἤκουσε, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Ἐγγὺς Κύριος πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ· καὶ ἀκούσας ἠλέησέ με, καὶ ἔργον ἐπεδείξατο τοῦ εἰς ἐμὲ οἴκτου· ἐγενήθη γὰρ βοηθός μου. Ταῦτα ὡς πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαλεχθεὶς, καὶ τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐτῷ διδάξας ἡμᾶς, ἀποστρέφει πάλιν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἐπ' αὐτὸν Θεὸν, τὰς εἰς αὑτὸν εὐεργεσίας διεξιών. Ἠλέησας γάρ με σὺ, φησὶ, καὶ γέγονας βοηθός μου· οὕτω τε μετέβαλες τὰ παλαιά μου δάκρυα, καὶ τοὺς θρήνους καὶ τὸν κοπετὸν εἰς γέλωτα καὶ χαρὰν, καὶ ἀγαλλίασιν, ἐπαληθεύσας τὸν ὕστερόν ποτε λεχθέντα μακαρισμὸν περὶ τῶν κλαιόντων καὶ πενθούντων, κατὰ τό· Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες, ὅτι γελάσονται· καὶ μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι παρακληθήσονται. Τὰ σύμβολα γοῦν τοῦ πένθους ἀπέδυσάς με, τὸν σάκκον, ἐν ᾧ κακοπαθὼν ἐμαυτὸν ἐτιμωρούμην, καὶ ζώσματι εὐφροσύνης περιέζωσάς με. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα μοι παρέσχου, ἵνα μὴ ἀπομείνω κόνις καὶ χοῦς ὁ μὴ