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are appointed for the pangs of childbirth, when the womb, being roused to a great size, pushes the embryo outwards; then the reproductive parts, being pressed and stretched by the child being born with spasms and contractions of the muscles, produce the sharpest aches and piercing pangs for the women giving birth. But he transferred the pangs also to death, those which surround the living being in the separation of the soul and the body. Therefore, he says that he has suffered nothing moderate, but has been tried even by the very pangs of death, and has come into the danger of the descent into Hades. Has he then suffered only these things in which he glories, or are these things often also involuntary? But nothing that is forced is praiseworthy. But see the greatness of the athlete. For since The pangs of death encompassed me, and the dangers of Hades found me, I was so far from yielding to these temptations, that I even set myself before many more temptations than these, according to my own will. I found tribulation and sorrow as if willingly for myself; I was not overcome by them involuntarily. For in what came before, The dangers of Hades found me; but here, I found tribulation and sorrow. For since there I was found unyielding towards the things brought on by the tempter, in order to show the abundance of my love for God, I added tribulation upon tribulation, and sorrow upon sorrow; not rising up against the painful things by my own power, but because I called upon the name of the Lord. Such also is that of the Apostle, who says: In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For he conquers who does not give in to the things brought on by necessity; but he is more than a conqueror who also voluntarily draws sorrows upon himself as a demonstration of his endurance. Let the one who has committed some sin unto death say: The pangs of death encompassed me. For, he says, everyone who commits sin has been born of the devil. When, therefore, he says, I was a worker of sin, and was being carried in the womb by death, then I was also found by the dangers of Hades. How then did I heal myself? Because I found the tribulation and sorrow that comes through repentance. For I devised for myself an affliction from repentance proportionate to the magnitude of the 29.489 sin, and so I dared to call upon the name of the Lord. And what were the things I said? O Lord, deliver my soul. I am held in this captivity; You give the ransom for me, and deliver my soul. The Lord is merciful and just. Everywhere Scripture joins justice to the compassions of God, teaching us that neither is the mercy of God without judgment, nor is his judgment without mercy. But both in showing mercy, he measures out his compassions with judgment to the worthy; and in judging, he brings on the judgment with consideration for our weakness, defending us with loving-kindness rather than with the requital of what is equal. And our God is merciful. Mercy is a feeling for those who are humbled beyond their deserts, which comes from those who are sympathetically disposed. We pity one who has fallen from great wealth to extreme poverty, one cast down from the height of bodily health to extreme weakness, one who rejoiced in the beauty and bloom of body, and has been corrupted by the most shameful passions. Since, therefore, we too were once glorious in the life of paradise, but became inglorious and lowly through the fall, Our God is merciful, seeing us, what we have become from what we were. For this reason also he called Adam back with the voice of mercy, saying, Adam, where are you? For he who knows all things did not seek to be taught, but he wished him to understand what he had become from what he was. Where are you? instead of, Into what a fall have you come from such a height? The Lord preserves the infants; I was humbled, and he saved me. And according to the law of nature, human nature would not exist, if the very young and still infants were not protected by the Lord. For how could those being carried in the womb be nourished or move in such narrow places, having no room to turn, but having their life in dark and moist places, and neither

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κατὰ τὰς κυήσεις ὀδυνῶν εἰσι τεταγμέναι, ὅταν, πρὸς ὄγκον ἡ γαστὴρ διεγειρομένη, ὠθῇ τὸ ἔμβρυον πρὸς τὸ ἔξω· εἶτα θλιβόμενα τὰ γεννητικὰ μέρη, καὶ περιτεινόμενα τῷ κυήματι σπασμοῖς καὶ συνολκαῖς τῶν ἰνῶν, ὀξυτάτας ἀλγηδόνας καὶ δριμείας ὀδύνας ἐμποιεῖ ταῖς τικτούσαις. Μετήνεγκε δὲ τὰς ὠδῖνας καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θανάτου, τὰς περιϊσταμένας τὸ ζῶον ἐν τῷ μερισμῷ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος. Οὐδὲν οὖν φησι μέτριον πεπονθέναι, ἀλλὰ μέχρι καὶ αὐτῶν πε πειρᾶσθαι τῶν ὠδίνων τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ εἰς κίνδυνον τῆς καταβάσεως τοῦ ᾅδου ἀφῖχθαι. Ἆρ' οὖν καὶ μόνα ταῦτα πέπονθεν ἐφ' οἷς σεμνύνεται, ἢ ταῦτα μὲν πολλάκις καὶ ἀκούσια; Οὐδὲν δὲ τῶν ἠναγκασμένων ἐπαινετόν. Ἀλλὰ βλέπε τὸ μεγαλοφυὲς τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Περιέσχον με ὠδῖνες θανάτου, καὶ κίνδυνοι ᾅδου εὕροσάν με, τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχον τοῖς πειρασμοῖς τούτοις ὑποπεσεῖν, ὅτι καὶ πολλῷ τούτων πλείοσι κατὰ τὸ ἑκούσιον πειρασμοῖς ἐμαυτὸν προ εθέμην. Θλίψιν καὶ ὀδύνην ὥσπερ ἑκὼν ἐμαυτῷ ἐπεξεῦρον, οὐκ ἀκουσίως ὑπ' αὐτῶν κατελήφθην. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς κατόπιν Κίνδυνοι ᾅδου εὕροσάν με· ἐνταῦθα δὲ Θλίψιν καὶ ὀδύνην εὗρον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἀνενδότως ἔχων εὑρέθην πρὸς τὰ παρὰ τοῦ πειράζοντος ἐπαχθέντα, ἵνα δείξω τὴν περιουσίαν τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπης, προσέθηκα θλίψιν ἐπὶ τῇ θλί ψει, καὶ ὀδύνην ἐπὶ τῇ ὀδύνῃ· οὐ τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ δυνά μει τῶν ἀλγεινῶν κατεπανιστάμενος, ἀλλὰ διότι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐπεκαλεσάμην. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς. Νικᾷ μὲν γὰρ ὁ μὴ ἐνδιδοὺς τοῖς πρὸς ἀνάγκην ἐπαγομέ νοις· ὑπερνικᾷ δὲ ὁ καὶ αὐθαιρέτως ὀδύνας εἰς ἐπί δειξιν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἐπισπώμενος. Ὁ γενόμενος ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ τινὶ τῇ πρὸς θάνατον λεγέτω· Περιέσχον με ὠδῖνες θανάτου. Πᾶς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγέννηται. Ὅτε οὖν ἤμην, φησὶν, ἐργάτης τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἐκυοφο ρούμην ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου, τότε καὶ εὑρέθην ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ ᾅδου κινδύνων. Πῶς οὖν ἐξιασάμην ἐμαυτόν; Ἐπειδὴ θλίψιν καὶ ὀδύνην εὗρον τὴν διὰ τῆς μετανοίας. Ἀναλογοῦσαν γὰρ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἁμαρ 29.489 τίας τὴν ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας κάκωσιν ἐμαυτῷ ἑπ ενόησα, καὶ οὕτως ἐτόλμησα τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐπικα λέσασθαι. Τίνα δὲ ἦν ἃ εἶπον; Ὦ Κύριε, ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου. Κατέχομαι ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ταύτῃ, σὺ δὸς τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ λύτρον, καὶ ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου. Ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος καὶ δίκαιος. Πανταχοῦ συνάπτει ἡ Γραφὴ τοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δι καιοσύνην, διδάσκουσα ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὔτε ὁ ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄκριτος, οὔτε ἡ κρίσις ἀνελεήμων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλεῶν, κεκριμένως τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐπιμετρεῖ τοὺς οἰ κτιρμούς· καὶ κρίνων, ἐστοχασμένως τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἐπάγει τὴν κρίσιν, φιλανθρωπίᾳ μᾶλλον ἢ τῇ τοῦ ἴσου ἀντιμετρήσει ἀμυνόμενος ἡμᾶς. Καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐλεεῖ. Ἔλεός ἐστι πάθος ἐπὶ τοὺς παρ' ἀξίαν τεταπεινωμένους, παρὰ τῶν συμπαθῶς διατιθεμένων γινόμενον. Ἐλεοῦμεν τὸν ἐκ μεγάλου πλούτου πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην πενίαν μεταπεσόντα, τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας εὐεξίας τοῦ σώματος εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀσθένειαν κα ταβληθέντα, τὸν ἐπὶ κάλλει καὶ ὥρᾳ σώματος ἀγαλ λόμενον, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσχίστων παθῶν διαφθαρέντα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἦμέν ποτε ἔνδοξοι ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ παραδείσου διαγωγῆς, ἐγενόμεθα δὲ ἄδοξοι καὶ ταπει νοὶ διὰ τὴν ἔκπτωσιν, Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐλεεῖ, ὁρῶν ἡμᾶς οἷοι ἀνθ' οἵων γεγόναμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀνεκαλεῖτο τῇ τοῦ ἐλέου φωνῇ, λέγων· Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; Οὐ γὰρ διδαχθῆναι ἐζήτει ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς, ἀλλὰ νοῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο οἷος ἀνθ' οἵου γέγονε. Ποῦ εἶ; ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἰς οἷον πτῶμα κατελήλυ θας ἀπὸ τηλικούτου ὕψους; Φυλάσσων τὰ νήπια ὁ Κύριος· ἐταπεινώθην, καὶ ἔσωσέ με. Εἴτε κατὰ τὸν φυσικὸν λόγον, οὐκ ἂν συνέστη ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις, μὴ τῶν κομιδῆ νηπίων καὶ ἔτι βρεφῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου φυλασσομένων. Πῶς γὰρ ἢ τὰ ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ κυοφορούμενα ἠδύ νατο τρέφεσθαι ἢ κινεῖσθαι ἐν οὕτω στενοῖς χωρίοις, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἔχουσιν ἀναστροφὴν, ἀλλ' ἐν σκοτει νοῖς τόποις καὶ ἐνύγροις τὴν ζωὴν ἔχοντα, καὶ οὔτε