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Abimelech he instructed concerning the holy wife of Abraham, that he should not approach her. 283 But the 'as' here is not of comparison, but signifies the very thing with intensity. Thus also the one who psalms sings, striking up a divine hymn: how beloved are your tabernacles, Lord of hosts, instead of: very beloved. 33, 1618 In such very forms of fear he terrified, to turn a man from injustice, and he delivered his body from a fall. And he spared his soul from death, that he might not fall in war. So useful, therefore, is this instructive fear that is brought on through such phantoms and images, because it averts even a punishment that is about to be brought on, so that the one who has become better from the fear has a healthy body and soul, and is snatched away also from the hand of enemies. For perhaps, if he had not turned back, he would have paid the penalty for his sins either by a God-sent plague or by an attack of enemies; but the God who is slow to punish and loves mankind calls back to repentance through fears and through the threat holds back the expected punishment. 33, 1922 And again He rebuked him in weakness upon his bed and the multitude of his bones He made numb, and every morsel of food he is unable to accept, and his soul desires food, until his flesh rots and shows his bones empty; and his soul has drawn near to death, and his life to Hades. 284 And another, or even the same man not repenting, he rebukes through a bed-ridden sickness, sending a shuddering into his bones, so that though he wishes to reach for food, he is unable to take in nourishment because of the sickness, with the result that from this his flesh, wasting away, is consumed, and the strength of his bones fails, and his soul is finally near death, releasing its last breaths and imagining the things in Hades. 33, 23 If there are a thousand death-bearing angels, not one of them will wound him, if he understands in his heart to turn to the Lord; and he reports to the man his own fault, and shows his lawlessness. This one, he says, being tested in his last moments, if, having understood the cause of the sickness to be his sin, he turns to God through confession, declaring his own faults and sins, he halts the expected death in its tracks, even if there are many angels around him appointed for the leading out of souls, since repentance blots out the sin and persuades God to recall the sentence. Just as the Ninevites indeed did, having checked the sentence of utter destruction through repentance. 33, 2425 He will support him so that he does not fall into death, and he will renew his body like plaster on a wall, and his bones he will fill with marrow; and he will soften his flesh like an infant's, and he will restore him, having grown to manhood, among men. 285 And God, taking hold of him as he lies, just as those renewing a wall that has collapsed and crumbled by plastering it perhaps with dust or mud, so he renews his corrupted body; and as if granting him a new creation from the beginning, he bestows bones full of marrow, and newly formed flesh like that of infants, and finally, having made him a man and strengthened him, just as he was before the sickness, he restores him to his pursuits among men and his usual occupations. 33, 26 And having prayed to the Lord it will be acceptable to him, and he will enter with a clean face with confession. Then the one who has been saved will offer a song of thanksgiving and an acceptable confession to God, and with a clean face, that of the soul, clearly; for the soul is cleansed through instruction and confession. 33, 26 And he will render to man his righteousness. Either the one who has confessed henceforth honoring what is just and having become better through the instruction, or God henceforth defending the one who has repented according to what is just. 33, 27 Then at that time a man will send forth, saying to himself: what things I did, and He has not tested me in a manner worthy of what I have sinned. And the one saved, having known the benefit of the wise instruction of God, will offer up the thanksgiving hymn, saying he has not suffered things worthy of what he did before the test. 286 33, 28 Save my soul from

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Ἀβιμέλεχ ἐπαίδευσε περὶ τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ συνεύνου, ἐφ' ᾧ ταύτῃ μὴ πλησιάσαι. 283 τὸ δὲ ὡς οὐκ ἔστι νῦν ὁμοιωματικόν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ ὂν μετ' ἐπιτάσεως σημαίνει. οὕτω καὶ ὁ ψάλλων ᾄδει ἔνθεον ὕμνον ἀναβαλλόμενος· ὡς ἀγαπητὰ τὰ σκηνώματά σου, κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων, ἀντὶ τοῦ· σφόδρα ἀγαπητά. 33, 1618 ἐν εἴδεσι φόβου τοιούτοις αὐτοῖς ἐξεφόβησεν, ἀποστρέψαι ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἀδικίας, τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πτώματος ἐρρύσατο. ἐφείσατο δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ θανάτου τοῦ μὴ πεσεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν πολέμῳ. οὕτω τοιγαροῦν χρήσιμος ὁ παιδευτικὸς οὗτος φόβος ὁ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων φασμάτων καὶ ἰνδαλμάτων ἐπαγόμενος, ὅτι καὶ μέλλουσαν ἐπάγεσθαι τιμωρίαν δυσωπεῖ, ὡς τὸν ἐκ τοῦ φόβου καλλίονα γενόμενον ὑγιὲς ἔχειν καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν ἀναρπασθῆναί τε καὶ ἐκ πολεμίων χειρός. ἴσως γάρ, εἰ μὴ ἐπέστρεψεν, ἢ θεηλάτῳ πληγῇ ἢ πολεμίων ἐφόδῳ ὧν ἐξήμαρτεν τὴν δίκην ἐδίδου· ἀλλ' ὁ μελλητὴς εἰς τιμωρίας καὶ φιλάνθρωπος θεὸς διὰ τῶν φόβων ἀνακαλεῖται πρὸς μετάνοιαν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς τιμωρίαν ἐπέχει προσδοκωμένην. 33, 1922 πάλιν δὲ ἤλεγξεν αὐτὸν ἐν μαλακίᾳ ἐπὶ κοίτης καὶ πλῆθος ὀστέων αὐτοῦ ἐνάρκησεν, πᾶν δὲ βρωτὸν σίτου οὐ μὴ δύναται προσδέξασθαι καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ βρῶσιν ἐπιθυμεῖ, ἕως ἂν σαπῶσιν αὐτοῦ αἱ σάρκες καὶ ἀποδείξῃ τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ κενά· ἤγγισε δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἕως θανάτου καὶ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἅδῃ. ἕτερον δὲ ἢ καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν μὴ μετανοοῦντα διὰ κλινοπετοῦς ἐλέγχει νόσου φρίκην τοῖς ὀστέοις ἐνιείς, ὡς ἐθέλειν μὲν τροφῆς ὀρέ 284 γεσθαι, μὴ δύνασθαι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου προσίεσθαι βρώματα, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν τὰς μὲν σάρκας ἀποτηκομένας δαπανᾶσθαι, τῶν δὲ ὀστέων τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐκλείπειν, ἐγγὺς δὲ εἶναι λοιπὸν τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψυχὴν τὰς τελευταίας ἀφιεῖσαν ἀναπνοὰς καὶ τὰ ἐν ᾅδου φανταζομένην. 33, 23 ἐὰν ὦσι χίλιοι ἄγγελοι θανατηφόροι, εἷς αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ τρώσῃ αὐτόν, ἐὰν νοήσῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐπιστραφῆναι πρὸς κύριον· ἀναγγείλῃ δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μέμψιν, τὴν δὲ ἀνομίαν αὐτοῦ δείξῃ. οὗτος δέ, φησίν, ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐξεταζόμενος, ἐὰν τὸ αἴτιον τῆς νόσου νοήσας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιστραφῇ πρὸς θεὸν δι' ἐξομολογήσεως τὰς ἰδίας μέμψεις καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐξαγορεύων, ἐπὶ τῶν παρόντων ἵστησι προσδοκηθέντα τὸν θάνατον, κἂν πολλοὶ ὦσιν ἄγγελοι περὶ αὐτὸν οἱ ἐπ' ἐξαγωγῇ τῶν ψυχῶν τεταγμένοι, ἀπαλειφούσης μὲν τῆς μετανοίας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, δυσωπούσης δὲ θεόν, ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀνακαλέσασθαι. οἷον δὴ καὶ Νινευῖται δεδράκασι τῆς πανωλεθρίας τὴν ἀπόφασιν διὰ μετανοίας ἀνακόψαντες. 33, 2425 ἀνθέξεται τοῦ μὴ πεσεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς θάνατον, ἀνανεώσει δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ὥσπερ ἀλοιφὴν ἐπὶ τοίχου, τὰ δὲ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ ἐμπλήσει μυελοῦ· ἁπαλυνεῖ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰς σάρκας ὥσπερ νηπίου, ἀποκαταστήσει δὲ αὐτὸν ἀνδρωθέντα ἐν ἀνθρώποις. ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἀντιλαμβανόμενος αὐτοῦ κειμένου, ὥσπερ οἱ τεῖχος 285 κατερραγότα καὶ ἐκρεύσαντα διὰ τῆς ἐπαλείψεως τῆς κόνεως τυχὸν ἢ τοῦ πηλοῦ ἀνανεούμενοι, οὕτως ἀνανεοῖ τὸ διεφθορὸς αὐτοῦ σῶμα· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὴν ἀνάπλασιν αὐτῷ χαριζόμενος τὰ μὲν ὀστᾶ πλήρης μυελοῦ, νεοπαγεῖς δὲ χαρίζεται σάρκας ὥσπερ τοῖς νηπίοις, καὶ τὸ δὴ τέλος ἀνδρώσας αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπιρρώσας, ὡσπεροῦν ἐτύγχανε πρὸ τοῦ νοσήματος, ταῖς ἐν ἀνθρώποις καὶ συνήθεσι διατριβαῖς ἀποκαθίστησιν. 33, 26 εὐξάμενος δὲ πρὸς κύριον καὶ δεκτὰ αὐτῷ ἔσται, εἰσελεύσεται δὲ προσώπῳ καθαρῷ σὺν ἐξηγορίᾳ. τότε ὁ διασωθεὶς εὐχαριστήριον ᾠδὴν καὶ ἐξομολόγησιν εὐπρόσδεκτον ἀνοίσει θεῷ, προσώπῳ δὲ καθαρῷ, τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς δηλονότι· καθαίρεται γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ διὰ παιδείας καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως. 33, 26 ἀποδώσει δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ. ἢ ὁ ἐξομολογησάμενος τιμῶν λοιπὸν τὸ δίκαιον καὶ καλλίων διὰ τῆς παιδεύσεως γεγονώς, ἢ ὁ θεὸς κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον λοιπὸν ἐπαμύνων τῷ μετανοήσαντι. 33, 27 εἶτα τότε ἀποπέμψεται ἄνθρωπος αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ λέγων· οἷα συνετέλουν καὶ οὐκ ἄξια ἤτασέ με ὧν ἥμαρτον. γνοὺς δ' ὁ σωθεὶς τῆς σοφῆς τοῦ θεοῦ παιδείας τὸ κέρδος τὸν εὐχαριστήριον ἀνοίσει ὕμνον λέγων οὐκ ἄξια πεπονθέναι ὧν πρὸ τῆς ἐτάσεως δέδρακεν. 286 33, 28 σῶσον τὴν ψυχήν μου τοῦ