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is cast down through good deeds to others, or even through teaching does not bear fruit. So indeed, while David was producing many good things for Saul, Saul brought childlessness upon him, not bringing forth fruits worthy of what had been sown in him. But I, when they were troubling me, put on sackcloth, and I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer will return to my own bosom. In addition to what has been rendered, consider whether the things set forth can be applied to the person of our Savior, prophetically decreed from him. See, then, if the meaning is not also smoothed out in this way, being hindered in no way. For let it be our Savior speaking in his human capacity to his own Father the beginning of the psalm, up to, And shut them in from the presence of my persecutors; and in the twenty-first psalm, clearly spoken by him, it is said: Attend to my help; but also in the Gospels he is recorded as devoting himself to prayer. Yes indeed, and through his works he fulfilled what was written after the audacity of the Jews against him. For a military sword and a Roman war came upon them not long after, not without the judgment of God. For it was God who made war on them through the army of the enemy. The Savior himself also presents this through a parable to those who refused the invitation to the wedding, and murdered the messengers; saying that the king sent his troops and burned their city. Thus, therefore, the things at hand were also fulfilled. For since they wronged the Son of God, they were judged, his blood being avenged. And since they made themselves enemies of Christ, war was made on them by God, who came after them with weapon and shield and sword. For the divine justice did not come upon them obscurely, but through the enemies among men. One may marvel how it is said: "Unsheathe the sword"; for no longer did the war come upon them partially as in the old days; but a war sword was poured out upon them; for which reason it has been said: "But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost"; and elsewhere: "Pour out your wrath upon them." And who, having gone through the Histories of Flavius Josephus, and having learned from them how, having been taken and shut up, they were destroyed by famine and sedition, will not marvel at the voice here saying: "And shut them in from the presence of those who persecute me"? And following these things, it would be fitting for the Savior alone to say to his own Father in his human capacity: Say to my soul, "I am your salvation," and what follows, up to, "And may the angel of the Lord afflict them." And these things were fulfilled, when they were driven from their own metropolis, and were scattered among all the nations. Then it is said: "Let their way be darkness and a slippery place." And their way, which they formerly traveled, was the bodily worship, which has become for them darkness and a slippery place; but also, "May the angel of the Lord pursue them." These, then, are the rewards of what they have dared against him. But you shall hear of the things said, not as of the Savior praying against his own enemies, he who commanded his own disciples, "Pray for those who mistreat and wrong them"; but rather hear these things as spoken prophetically, and proclaiming beforehand the things that are about to happen to them. And for what reason he decrees these things will befall them, he teaches next, saying: "Because without cause they hid for me the destruction of their snare, in vain they reproached my soul." And these things are concerning the multitude of those who came together against him; but the things that follow, no longer spoken concerning many, but concerning one, can be addressed concerning Judas, who, hiding the plot against him, and feigning friendship, delivered up the Teacher with a kiss. Therefore, concerning him one might say, "Let a snare come upon him which he does not know, and let the trap which he hid catch him, and in the snare he will fall into it." And these things are concerning these matters. But well

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καταβάλλεται δι' εὐποιιῶν εἰς ἑτέρους, ἢ καὶ διὰ διδασκαλίας μὴ φέρει καρπόν. Οὕτω γοῦν, πολλὰ γεννῶντος ἀγαθὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰς τὸν Σαοὺλ, ἀτεκνίαν αὐτῷ ὁ Σαοὺλ εἰργάζετο, μὴ ἀξίους προφέρων καρποὺς τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐσπαρμένων. Ἐγὼ δὲ, ἐν τῷ αὐτοὺς παρενοχλεῖν μοι, ἐνεδυόμην σάκκον, καὶ ἐταπείνουν ἐν νηστείᾳ τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς κόλπον μου ἀποστραφήσεται. Πρὸς τοῖς ἀποδοθεῖσιν ἐπίσκεψαι, μήποτε τὰ προκείμενα ἐφαρμόζειν δύναται τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, προφητικῶς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τεθεσπισμένα. Ὅρα δ' οὖν εἰ μὴ καὶ οὕτως ἐξομαλίζεται ἡ διάνοια κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον ἐμποδιζομένη. Ἔστω γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν λέγων κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἕως, Καὶ σύγκλεισον ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν διωκόντων με· καὶ ἐν εἰκοστῷ δὲ καὶ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ, σαφῶς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένῳ, εἴρηται· Εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου πρόσχες· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τῇ προσευχῇ σχολάζων ἱστορεῖται. Ναὶ μὴν καὶ δι' ἔργων ἐπλήρου τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα μετὰ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τόλμαν. Ῥομφαία γὰρ στρατιωτικὴ καὶ πόλεμος Ῥωμαϊκὸς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν μετῆλθεν αὐτοὺς, οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσεως. Θεὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ πολεμῶν αὐτοὺς διὰ τοῦ τῶν πολεμίων στρατοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ διὰ παραβολῆς παρίστησι τοῖς παρῃτημένοις τὴν κλῆσιν τοῦ γάμου, καὶ τοὺς κλήτορας φονεύσασι· πέμψαι φήσας τὸν βασιλέα τὰ στρατιωτικὰ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν ἐμπρῆσαι. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ τὰ μετὰ χεῖρας ἐπληροῦτο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἠδίκουν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐδικάσθησαν, ἐκδικουμένου τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολεμίους αὐτοὺς κατέστησαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπολεμήθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετελθόντος ὅπλῳ καὶ θυρεῷ καὶ ῥομφαίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀφανῶς αὐτοὺς ἡ θεία μετῄει δίκη, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις πολεμίων. Θαυμάσαι δ' ἔστιν ὅπως εἴρηται τό· Ἔκχεον ῥομφαίαν· οὐκέτι γὰρ κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν μερικῶς αὐτοὺς ὁ πόλεμος μετῄει· ἀλλ' ἐξεχύθη κατ' αὐτῶν πολεμικὴ ῥομφαία· διὸ λέλεκται· Ἔφθασε δ' ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἔκχεον ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν ὀργήν σου. Τίς δὲ, διελθὼν τὰς Φλαυΐου Ἰωσήππου Ἱστορίας, μαθών τε ἐξ αὐτῶν ὅπως, ἐν συγκλεισμῷ ἀποληφθέντες, λιμῷ καὶ στάσει διεφθάρησαν, οὐ θαυμάσει τὴν ἐνταῦθα λέγουσαν φωνήν· Καὶ σύγκλεισον ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν καταδιωκόντων με; Ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις μόνῳ τῷ Σωτῆρι πρέπει ἂν λέγειν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρὶ κατὰ τὸ 23.305 ἀνθρώπινον· Εἶπον τῇ ψυχῇ μου· Σωτηρία σου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἕως τοῦ, Καὶ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐκθλίβων αὐτούς. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἐπληροῦτο, ὅτε τῆς μὲν ἑαυτῶν μητροπόλεως ἠλαύνοντο, διεσκορπίζοντο δὲ εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Εἶτα λέλεκται· Γενηθήτω ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν σκότος καὶ ὀλίσθημα. Ὁδὸς δὲ αὐτῶν ἣν ὥδευον πάλαι ἡ σωματικὴ ἐτύγχανε λατρεία, ἥτις αὐτοῖς γέγονε σκότος καὶ ὀλίσθημα· ἀλλὰ καὶ, Ἄγγελος Κυρίου καταδιώκων αὐτούς. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τἀπίχειρα ὧν κατ' αὐτοῦ τετολμήκασιν. Ἀκούσῃ δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ Σωτῆρος κατευχομένου τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἐχθρῶν τοῦ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς παρηγγελκότος, Προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων καὶ ἀδικούντων αὐτούς· ἀλλὰ γὰρ τούτων ἄκουε ὡς προφητικῶς εἰρημένων, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα αὐτοῖς συμβήσεσθαι προαναφωνούντων. Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι θεσπίζει διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν, ἑξῆς διδάσκει λέγων· Ὅτι δωρεὰν ἔκρυψάν μοι διαφθορὰν παγίδος αὐτῶν, μάτην ὠνείδισαν τὴν ψυχήν μου. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ συνελθόντων· τὰ δὲ ἑξῆς οὐκέτι περὶ πολλῶν, περὶ δ' ἑνὸς λελεγμένα, δύναται προσαγορεύεσθαι περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, ὃς, κρύπτων τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ συσκευὴν, φιλίαν τε καθυποκρινόμενος, φιλήματι παρεδίδου τὸν ∆ιδάσκαλον. ∆ιὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοι ἂν τὸ, Ἐλθέτω αὐτῷ παγὶς ἣν οὐ γινώσκει, καὶ ἡ θήρα ἣν ἔκρυψε συλλαβέτω αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐν τῇ παγίδι πεσεῖται ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τούτων. Εὖ δὲ