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grievous, so that from this they may understand that the magnitude of so many afflictions is not because of sins, but for a contest and the purpose of courage. The "you have kept" here is not instead of “you have observed,” but “you have watched closely.” But if he also speaks of the "sins of youth" of himself and "you have kept all my works," giving emphasis as if he has sinned, one should not be surprised; for all the saints, both for the sake of humility and gratitude, utter such words, just as the men in the furnace and the blessed David saying: "Remember not the sins of my youth and my ignorances." You have come to the roots of my feet. Instead of “you have examined everything 361 concerning me so precisely as to the roots, that is, both the causes and the beginnings of my practical steps, to watch in order to bring punishment upon me.” And this again he says according to their assumption. which grows old like a wineskin or like a moth-eaten garment. “Of those,” he says, “according to these you have remembered the past sins, which have grown old like a wineskin.” A wineskin that has grown old is useless for the need for which it was made; for it does not hold the liquids poured into it. So also the sins of youth have grown old and, like a moth-eaten garment, no longer provide their use. Sins grow old when virtue succeeds them; for when they are active they are always young, and even if he who practices them is old in years, he too is called younger from his youthful character. But a mortal born of woman is of few days and full of wrath. He wishes to present to them the cause of his affliction as they compare the weight of the infliction and human life; for having stated that “'You have surrounded me with the sins of my youth' and 'you have kept 362 all my works' so as to send so many things upon me,” he adds, as if to demonstrate that the matter is not so, "But a mortal born of woman is of few days and full of wrath." For to one of few days and full of wrath because of the hardship of life, He would not have brought such great punishment, unless it were for the sake of a contest. For if they considered the goodness of God and the short life of men, they would no longer reckon that he suffered these things because of sin. But consider, lest it also has such a meaning: he who has not become a god through virtue, but remains in the human condition, this one is in wrath and of few days, in a way "having hope in this life only." But he who believes in the Savior so as to become a god from this, is from this not subject to wrath in terms of punishment, even if he is afflicted, the affliction being otherwise called wrath. He might say, then, that “if I too have lived according to man, consider, so that from this you may declare that I have fallen under wrath.” or as a flower that has blossomed falls off, and has fled like a shadow and will not stand. These things are to be connected 363 with what precedes them. That upon a man who passes away like a flower and a shadow He brought such great affliction, is not at present on account of sins. "For if you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? For with you there is forgiveness." So it was to be understood by his friends that not on account of faults, but as has been said before, because he was put forth as a model of courage, these things befell him. And these things are according to the first interpretation. But according to a second, it might be said thus: like a flower "he who walks according to the flesh" falls away, and like a shadow, resembling a consequence and doing nothing of primary importance. That the shadow is taken as something unsubstantial is shown by "my days pass by like a shadow." Have I not also taken account of this one, and have you made this one enter into judgment before you? In accordance with the first interpretation, one might say that these are these things, connecting them thus: “Even if one born of a woman is of few days and filled with toil, so as to be like a fallen flower and a shadow that flees swiftly, yet still I will also take account of this one, not overlooking him so as even into judgment 364

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ἀνιαρά, ἵνα ἐκ τούτου ἐννοήσωσιν, ὅτι τὸ μέγεθος τῶν τοσούτων ἐπαγωγῶν οὐ διὰ ἁμαρ τίας ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ διὰ ἀγῶνα καὶ σκοπὸν ἀνδρείας. τὸ "ἐφύλαξας" ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἀντὶ τοῦ «ἐτήρησας», ἀλλὰ «παρετηρήσω». εἰ δὲ καὶ "νεότητος ἁμαρτίας" ἑαυτοῦ λέγει καὶ τὸ "ἐφύλαξας δέ μου πάντα τὰ ἔργα" ἔμφασιν παρέχων ὡς ἁμαρτήσας, οὐ ξενιστέον· καὶ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ μετριότητος ἕνεκεν καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνης προφέρονται τοιαύτας φωνάς, καθὰ οἱ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ ἄνδρες καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυὶδ λέγων· "ἁμαρτίας νεότητός μου καὶ τὰς ἀγνοίας μου μὴ μνησθῇς." εἰς δὲ ῥίζας τῶν ποδῶν μου ἀφίκου. ἀντὶ τοῦ «ἠκρίβωσας πάντα 361 τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ οὕτως ὡς τὰς ῥίζας, τουτέστιν καὶ τὰς αἰτίας καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν διαβάσεών μου τῶν πρακτικῶν, ἐπιτηρῆσαι ἵνα μοι κόλασιν ἐπαγάγῃς». τοῦτο δὲ πάλιν κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ὑπόλημψίν φησιν. ὃ παλαιοῦται ἴσα ἀσκῷ ἢ ὥσπερ ἱμάτιον σητόβρωτον. «ἐκείνων,» φησίν, «κατὰ τούτους ἐμνήσθης τῶν φθασάντων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἅπερ πεπαλαίωται ἴσα ἀσκῷ.» ἀσκὸς δὲ παλαιωθεὶς ἀνενέργητός ἐστιν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἣν κατεσκεύασται· οὐ γὰρ κατέχει τὰ ἐμβαλλόμενα ὑγρά. οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς νεότητος πεπαλαίωται ἁμαρτήματα καὶ ὡς ἱμάτιον σητόβρωτον οὐκέτι παρέχον τὴν χρείαν. παλαιοῦται δὲ ἁμαρτήματα, ὅταν αὐτὰ διαδέξηται ἀρετή· ᾗ ἐνεργούμενα γὰρ ἀεὶ νεάζει, κἂν πολυχρόνιος ὑπάρχῃ ὁ ἐνεργῶν αὐτά, νεώ τερος καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ νεωτεροποιοῦ ἤθους καλούμενος. βροτὸς δὲ γεννητὸς γυναικὸς ὀλιγόβιος καὶ πλήρης ὀργῆς. βούλεται αὐτοῖς παραστῆσαι τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κακώσεως ἑαυτοῦ συνκρινόντων αὐτῶν τὸν ὄγκον τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς καὶ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον· διεξελθὼν γὰρ ὅτι «"τὰς τῆς νεότητος ἁμαρτίας μοι περιέθηκας" καὶ "ἐφύλα362 ξάς μου πάντα τὰ ἔργα" οὕτως ὡς τοσαῦτά μοι ἐπιπέμψαι», ἐπάγει ὡσανεὶ παραστατικὸν τοῦ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν τὸ πρᾶγμα τὸ "βροτὸς δὲ γεννητὸς γυναικὸς ὀλιγόβιος καὶ πλήρης ὀργῆς". τῷ δὲ ὀλιγοβίῳ καὶ πλήρης ὀργῆς δ̣ιὰ τὸ μοχθηρὸν τοῦ βίου οὐκ ἂν ἐπήγαγε τοσαύτην κόλασιν, εἰ μὴ ἀγῶνος χάριν ἐτύγχανε. τὴν γὰρ ἀγαθότητα τοῦ θεοῦ εἰ συνέβαλλον καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀλιγόβιον, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι ὡς δι' ἁμαρτίας ταῦτα πεπονθότα ἐλογίζοντο. ἐπίσκεψαι δέ, μήποτε καὶ τοιαύτην ἔχει διάνοιαν· ὁ μὴ γεγενημένος θεὸς δι' α᾿̣ρετήν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἀνθρώπου καταστάσει μένων, οὗτος ἐν ὀργῇ ἐστιν καὶ ὀλιγόβιος τρόπον τινὰ "ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ζωῇ μόνῃ ἠλπικώς". ὁ δὲ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Σωτῆρα ὥστε ἐκ τούτου γενέσθαι θεὸς ο᾿̣ργῇ ἐκ τούτου οὐχ ὑπόκειται τῇ κατὰ κόλασιν, κἂν θλίβηται, ὀργῆς καλουμένης τῆς θλίψεως ἑτέρως. λέγοι οὖν ὅτι «εἰ κἀγὼ κατὰ ἄνθρωπο̣ν ἐπολιτευσάμην, σκοπήσατε̣, ἵν' ἐκ τούτου ἀποφαίνησθε, ὅτι ὀρ̣γῇ ὑπέπ̣εσον». ἢ ὥσπερ ἄνθος ἀνθῆσαν ἐξέπε σεν, ἀπέδρα δὲ ὥσπερ σκιὰ καὶ οὐ μὴ στῇ. ταῦτα συναπτέον 363 τῷ πρὸ αὐτῶν. ὅτι τῷ παρερχομένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ ὡς ἄνθει καὶ σκιᾷ τοσαύτην ἐπήνεγκε κάκω̣σιν, οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα δ̣ι' ἁμαρτήματα. "ἐὰν γὰρ ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃ, κύριε, κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ ὁ ἱλασμός ἐστιν." ὥστε ἐννοητέον τοῖς φίλοις ἦν, ὅτι οὐ διὰ σφάλματα, ἀλλ' ὡς προείρηται διὰ τὸ προβληθῆναι αὐτὸν ἀνδρείας σκοπὸν ταῦτα αὐτῷ συνέπεσεν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ πρώτην διάνοιαν. κατὰ δευτέραν δὲ οὕτως ἂν λεχθείη· ὡς ἄνθος ἐκπίπτει "ὁ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατῶν" καὶ ὡς σκιὰ παρακολουθήματι ἐοικὼς καὶ οὐδὲν πράττων προηγούμενον. ὅτι δὲ ὡς ἀντὶ ἀνυποστάτου η῾̣ σκιὰ παραλαμβάνεται, δηλοῖ τὸ "αἱ ἡμέραι μου ὡσεὶ σκιὰ παράγουσιν". οὐχὶ καὶ τούτου λόγον ἐποιήσω καὶ τοῦτον ἐποίησας εἰσελθεῖν ἐν κρίματι ἐνώπιόν σου; σύμφωνα τῇ προτέρᾳ ἀποδόσει λέγοι τις ἂν εἶναι ταῦτα συνάπτων αὐτὰ οὕτως· «εἰ καὶ ὁ γεννητὸς γυναικὸς ὀλιγόβιός ἐστιν καὶ μόχθου πεπληρωμένος οὕτως ὡς ἄνθει πεπτωκότι ἐοικέναι καὶ σκιᾷ τῇ φευγούσῃ ταχέως, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τούτου λόγον ἐποιήσω οὐχ ὑπεριδὼν αὐτὸν ὥστε καὶ εἰς κρίμα 364