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to enter into your presence.” A proof of this would be what is said by God: "My people, what have I done to you?" and again "behold, I am judged with you." Therefore, a God who shows such concern for men would not demand punishment from man so inflexibly and inexorably, as his friends suspected him of inflicting. He adds these things to demonstrate that he suffers for no other reason than to be shown righteous, according to the verse, "Do you think that I have dealt with you in any other way than that you might be shown righteous?" For who is clean from stain? Not one, even if his life on earth is but one day, and his months are numbered by you. And he connected these things so that they might understand that he does not suffer on account of sins. For if this were so, no one would be outside of affliction, even if he lived for a short time. And these things, so that the friends might be taught the cause; for as if an objection would be raised against what he had said, he said this, as if someone objecting were saying that "even if you are short-lived and pass away like a shadow and fall like a flower, still nothing prevents you from suffering on account of sins." To which he replied most aptly: "For who is clean from stain? But no one," so that it would be necessary for 365 all, as has already been said, to suffer. Someone might say that 'stain' and 'sin' mean the same thing, while another might say that a stain is less than a sin. You have this concerning stain and sin in Isaiah: "the Lord will wash away the stain of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst," the blood here signifying sin, the impurity, but the stain signifying involuntary acts, which the Savior cleansed by his coming among us. That blood often signifies sin is said to the primevally evil devil: "Just as a garment stained with blood will not be clean, so you too will not be clean." For he did not happen to be stained with blood, but it is clear that the blood signifies to him the "sin that leads to death." Therefore, one who has a fault that can be washed away has a stain, but one who is, as it were, unrepentant, like the one who "has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit" and similar things, is not under a stain, but sin, as is one who transgresses the commandments with knowledge. The phrase "not even if his life is one day 366 on the earth" might be attempted in two ways: there is the one who is now born, who by succession has the sin of Adam, there is the one who begins to judge things by reason, at which time he also fulfills the reason of man. Not even such a one will be pure for a day, since ignorance accompanies one who has even now begun to distinguish the avoidable from the good, even if he lives for a day, or for numbered months. The wicked man, therefore, "being blotted out from the book of the living," is not numbered with God, but the virtuous man is numbered by him. "Even if you suppose such a one," he says, "not even he is free from stain." Similar to this is "I am conscious of nothing in myself, but I am not justified by this" and "cleanse me from my hidden faults." For you have set a time, and he shall not pass it. He clarifies here the providence concerning man, not as one remaining in life randomly and by chance, but by the judgment of God not overstepping the time ordained by him. These things must be said not as if 367 fate prevails, but as if it is the will of God "who has arranged each thing by limits and measures." But if he also says allegorically that the one guided virtuously by God does not overstep his duties because virtue is measured, consider it as well. Depart from him, that he may be quiet and take pleasure in his life, like a hired hand. Since God is present to him through labors, he said "depart" instead of "cease your anger." For the nearness of God is of different kinds, both by participation and by wrath. For since his friends supposed that he was suffering on account of sins, and having spoken so harshly the preceding things, that man is "short-lived" and "falls like a flower" and "like a shadow" and that "God takes account of him," showing them that he is not distressed because of sins, he says, "depart from him." For if he assails him with such a multitude of evils,

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ἐνώπιόν σου αὐτὸν εἰσέρχεσθαι.» τούτου ἀποδεικτικὸν ἂν εἴη τὸ πρὸς θεοῦ λεγόμενον· "λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι;" καὶ πάλιν "ἰδού, κρίνομαι πρὸς σέ". οὐκ ἂν οὖν ὁ τοιαύτην περὶ ἀνθρώπων κηδεμονίαν εἰσάγων θεὸς οὕτως ἀτέγκτως καὶ ἀπα ραιτήτως ἀπῄτει δίκας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς οἱ φίλοι αὐτὸν ὑπενόουν τιννύναι. ταῦτα δ' ἐπάγει πρὸς παράστασιν τοῦ μὴ ἑτέρως πάσχειν ἢ διὰ τὸ φανῆναι δίκαιον κατὰ τὸ "οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος;" τίς γὰρ καθαρός ἐστιν ἀπὸ ῥύπου; οὐδὲ εἷς, ἐὰν καὶ μία ἡμέρα ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀριθμητοὶ δὲ μῆνες αὐτοῦ παρὰ σοί. καὶ ταῦτα, ἵνα ἐννοήσωσιν, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχει, συνῆψεν. εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὕτως εἶχεν, οὐδεὶς ἂν ἔξω περιστάσεως ἦν, εἰ καὶ πρὸς βραχὺ ἐβίωσεν. ταῦτα δέ, ὅπως οἱ φίλοι παιδευθῶσιν τὴν αἰτίαν· ὡς γὰρ ἐνστάσεως ἂν λεχθησομένης πρὸς τὰ πρὸς αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα τοῦτο εἶπεν λέγοντός τινος ἐνισταμένου ὅτι «κἂν γὰρ ὀλιγόβιος ᾖς καὶ ὡς σκιὰ παρερχόμενος καὶ ὡς ἄνθος ἐκπίπτων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν κωλύει δι' ἁμαρτίας σε πάσχειν». πρὸς ὃ εὐθυβολώτατα εἶπεν· "τίς γὰρ καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου; ἀλλ' οὐδείς", ὥστε ἔδει 365 πάντας, ὡς ἤδη εἴρηται, πάσχειν. ῥύπον δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτίαν ἄλλος τις ἂν εἴποι ταὐτὸ δηλοῦν, ἑτέρου ἐλάττω τὸν ῥύπον τῆς ἁμαρτίας λέγοντος. ἔχεις περὶ ῥύπου καὶ ἁμαρτίας παρὰ τῷ [̓Ησαίᾳ οὕτως· "ἐκπλυνεῖ κύριος τὸν ῥύπον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων Σειὼν καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐκκαθαριεῖ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν", τοῦ μὲν αἵματος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνταῦθα δηλοῦντος, τὸ ἀκάθαρτον, τοῦ δὲ ῥύπου τὰ ἀκούσια, ἃ καθ' αὑτὰ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐπιδημήσας ἐκάθηρεν. ὅτι δὲ τὸ αἷμα πολλάκις τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δηλοῖ, εἴρηται πρὸς τὸν ἀρχέκακον διάβολον· "ὃν τρόπον ἱμάτιον ἐν αἵματι πεφυρμένον οὐκ ἔσται καθαρόν, οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ ἔσει καθαρός." οὐ γὰρ αἵματι πεφυρμένος ἐτύγχανεν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον, ὡς τὴν "πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτίαν" δηλοῖ αὐτῷ τὸ αἷμα. ὁ οὖν ἔχων σφάλμα δυνάμενον πλυθῆναι ῥύπον ἔχει, ὁ δὲ ὡσανεὶ ἀμετανόητον ὡς ὁ "εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα βλασφημήσας" καὶ τὰ ὅμοια οὐχ ὑπὸ ῥύπον ἐστίν, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ὁ ἐντολὰς παραβαίνων μετὰ τοῦ εἰδέναι. τὸ δὲ "οὐδ' εἰ μία ἡμέρα ὁ βίος αὐ366 τοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς" διττῶς ἂν ἐπιχειρηθείη· ἔστιν ὁ νῦν ἂν γεννώμενος ὁ κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἔχων τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ἔστιν ὁ ἐναρχόμενος λόγῳ κρίνειν τὰ πράγματα, ὅτε καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου λόγον συμπλη̣ρο̣ῖ. οὐδ' ὁ τοιοῦτος ἡμέραν καθαρεύσει ἀγνοίας παρεπομένης τῷ καὶ νῦν ἀρξαμένῳ διακρίνειν τὸ φευκτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, κἂν ἡμέραν, κἂν ἀριθμητοὺς μῆνας βιώσῃ. ὁ μὲν οὖν φαῦλος "ἐκ βίβλου ἐξαλειφόμενος ζώντων" οὐκ ἔστιν ἐναρίθμιος παρὰ θεῷ, ὁ δὲ σπουδαῖος ἀριθμεῖται παρ' αὐτῷ. «κἂν τοιοῦτον οὖν,» φησίν, «ὑποθῇ, οὐδὲ οὗτος ἀπήλλακται ῥύπου.» τούτῳ ὅμοιον τὸ "οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι" καὶ τὸ "ἀ πὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με". εἰς χρόνον γὰρ ἔθου καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπερβῇ. τὴν περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον πρόνοιαν ἐνταῦθα σαφηνίζει οὐχ ὡς εἰκαίως καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐν τῷ βίῳ παραμένοντος, ἀλλ' ἐκ κρίσεως θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπερβαίνοντος τὸν παρ' αὐτοῦ τεταγμένον χρόνον. ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ὡς 367 εἱμαρμένης κρατούσης λεκτέον, ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦ θελήματος τοῦ θεοῦ "ὅροις καὶ μέτροις ἕκαστα διαταξαμένου." εἰ δὲ καὶ κατὰ ἀλληγορίαν λέγε̣ι τὸν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐναρέτως χειραγωγούμενον μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν τὰ καθήκοντα διὰ τὸ μεμετρημένην εἶναι τὴν ἀρετήν, συνεπίσκεψαι. ἀπόστα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἡσυχάσῃ καὶ εὐδοκήσῃ τὸν βίον ὥσπερ ὁ μισθωτός. ἐπεὶ δι' ἐπιπόνων πάρεστιν αὐτῷ θεός, τὸ "ἀπόστα" εἴρηκεν ἀντὶ τοῦ «παῦσον τὴν ὀργήν». τὸ γὰρ ἐγγίζειν θεὸν διάφορον, καὶ τὸ κατὰ μετουσίαν καὶ τὸ κατ' ὀργήν. τῶν γὰρ φίλων δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχειν αὐτὸν τιθεμένων καὶ οὕτω γε σκληρῶς εἰπὼν τὰ φθάσαντα, ὅτι "ὀλιγόβιός ἐστιν" ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ "ὡς ἄνθος ἐκπῖπτον" καὶ "ὡς σκιὰ" καὶ ὡς ὅτι "λόγον αὐτοῦ ποιεῖται θεός", παριστὰς αὐτοῖς, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ἀνιᾶται, λέγει ὅτι "ἀπόστα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ". εἰ γὰρ τοσούτῳ πλήθει κακώσεων αὐτὸν ἐπιβάλλει,