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and in addition to this, having numbered the people against the will of God, but it was so that he did not hold on to the sin. For being such a great and mighty king, when he was rebuked for what he had sinned by a common man, not only was he not indignant, but he also humbled himself, so that the prophet who rebuked him said: And the Lord has put away your sin. For the saying 'And the Lord' showed that David himself had also put away the sin with very strong repentance. We will say, therefore, that other men fall down when they sin, but the saints, running the race of salvation, if ever as men they stumble through inattention, do not fall down but persist in the race, so that with the race remaining unbroken, it did not seem that they had stumbled. And for many other profitable reasons the sins of the saints were recorded, of which this is one: For since they had surpassing virtue, when we are called to imitate them, we would hesitate and make the excuse that the saints had a divine and sinless nature, but being not such ourselves, we were unable to imitate such great saints. Therefore providence allowed an occasion of sin to occur concerning them, so that just as they are teachers of virtue, they may also be teachers of repentance for those under instruction who accomplish it only after they have acted. And perhaps also these great ones, having reached the height of virtue, thought they had arrived at this by their own power and not by the cooperation of God. So that they might not fall into conceit, divine grace overlooked them for a little while, so that having slipped, they might seek the helper of their own weakness, having come to a full consciousness of it. 533 Ps 50,1.2 And this fiftieth psalm has not been inscribed in vain. For the number has a harmony with mercy and remission, since, if the authoring spirit had kept the historical sequence, it would have placed before this the fifty-first and the fiftieth and those that follow. For the fifty-first has an inscription containing the slander of Doeg the Syrian; and this story is from before the reign of David. And that of the fifty-third contains the slander of the Ziphites to Saul concerning David, as being hidden among them; and this narrative also took place before the reign of David, but the union with Bathsheba took place when David was reigning. If, therefore, the historical sequence were preserved, it would not be the fiftieth that was placed after those. But that the number has an analogy to mercy, the Savior, when teaching about forgiveness, took debtors liable for fifty and for five hundred denarii, with forgiveness having been granted to both because they owed fifty and a related number; and this is five hundred. Indeed, at Passover, when the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was slain, and he who made remission had risen from the dead, we the people spend fifty days rejoicing, being deemed worthy on the fiftieth day of the outpouring of the Spirit. And what is called by the Hebrews the Jubilee is a festal year every fifty years in which cancellations of debts and the liberties of the Hebrews and restorations of possessions are confirmed. Whence it is fitting that the psalm of David concerning repentance was also placed as the fiftieth. And it is composed of seven weeks and a unit, so as to be a number of a week of weeks. It was necessary, therefore, for the one casting off the burden and the work of sin to do so in a period of weeks. 534 Ps 50,3a He who repents vehemently and loves the fruits proper to repentance also asks for the great mercy from God to come upon him, since repentance is not sufficient without the mercy of God, nor the mercy of God without the change of mind that is in our power, for salvation. 535 Ps 50,3b Just as dyes that are hard to wash out are not effaced by one washing but by many, so also the great iniquities are blotted out by the many compassions of God. 536 Ps 50,4 He calls the same activity 'iniquity' and 'sin,' differing in concept, in that without law

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καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μεμετρηκέναι τὸν λαὸν παρὰ τὸ βούλημα θεοῦ ἀλλ' ωστε οὐδ' ἐπίμονον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εσχεν. βασιλεὺς γὰρ ων τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἐλεγχθεὶς ἐφ' ῳ ημαρτεν παρὰ ἀνδρὸς ἰδιώτου οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠγανάκτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκάκισεν ἑαυτόν, ὡς τὸν ἐλέγχοντα προφήτην εἰπεῖν· Καὶ κύριος παρήγαγεν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν σου. τὸ γὰρ φάναι Καὶ κύριος εδειξεν οτι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυὶδ σφοδροτάτῃ μετανοίᾳ παραγαγὼν ην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. ἐροῦμεν ουν οτι οἱ αλλοι ανθρωποι καταπίπτουσιν ἁμαρτάνοντες, οἱ δὲ αγιοι τρέχοντες τὸν τῆς σωτηρίας δρόμον, ει ποτε ὡς ανθρωποι ἀπροσεκτήσαντες προσκόψοιεν, οὐ καταπίπτουσιν ἀλλ' ἐπιμένουσι τῷ δρόμῳ, ὡς ἀδιαστάτου μείναντος τοῦ δρόμου μὴ δεδόκειν αὐτοὺς προσκεκοφέναι· καὶ δι' αλλα δὲ πολλὰ λυσιτελῆ ἀνεγράφησαν τὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἁμαρτήματα ων εν τοῦτο· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀρετὴν ειχον ἐπὶ μίμησιν τούτων καλούμενοι, ὀκνοῦντες ἐπροφασίσαντο αν θείαν μοῖραν ειναι καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀνεπίδεκτον τοὺς ἁγίους, αὐτοὺς δὲ μὴ οντας τοιούτους, ἀδυνάτως ειχον μιμήσασθαι τοὺς τηλικούτους ἁγίους· οθεν ἐνδέδωκεν ἡ πρόνοια πρόφασιν ἁμαρτίας περὶ αὐτοὺς γεγενῆσθαι, ιν' ωσπερ ἀρετῆς ουτως καὶ μετανοίας διδάσκαλοι ωσιν τῶν παιδευόντων τότε ἀνυόντων, οτ' αν πράξαντες ωσιν. τάχα δὲ καὶ ουτοι οἱ τηλικοῦτοι εἰς ακρον ἀρετῆς φθάσαντες εδοξαν ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἀλλὰ μὴ θεοῦ συνεργείᾳ ἐπὶ τοῦτ' ἐληλυθέναι· ιν' ουν μὴ εἰς οιησιν πέσωσιν, παρεῖδεν ὀλίγον ἡ θεία χάρις, ιν' ὀλισθήσαντες ζητήσωσιν τὸν ἀρωγὸν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀσθενείας ἐν συναισθήσει γεγενημένοι. 533 Ps 50,1.2 Πεντηκοστὸς δὲ ουτος ψαλμὸς ἀναγέγραπται οὐ ματαίως. εχει γὰρ ἁρμονίαν πρὸς ελεον καὶ αφεσιν ὁ ἀριθμός, ἐπεὶ, εἰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῆς ἱστορίας ἐτήρει τὸ συγγραφικὸν πνεῦμα, προέτασσεν τούτου τὸν πεντηκοστὸν πρῶτον καὶ πεντηκοστὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐφ' ἑξῆς. ὁ γὰρ πεντηκοστὸς πρῶτος ἐπιγραφὴν εχει περιέχουσαν τὴν διαβολὴν ∆ωὴκ τοῦ Σύρου· αυτη δὲ ἡ ἱστορία πρὸ βασιλείας ἐστὶν τοῦ ∆αυίδ. καὶ ἡ τοῦ πεντηκοστοῦ τρίτου τῶν Ζιφαίων διαβολὴ πρὸς τὸν Σαοὺλ περὶ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ὡς κεκρυμμένου παρ' αὐτοῖς περιέχει· καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ διήγημα πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γέγονεν, ἡ δὲ πρὸς τὴν Βηθσαβεὲ σύνοδος βασιλεύοντος τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γέγονεν. ειπερ ουν τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῆς ἱστορίας ἐσῴζετο, οὐκ αν ουτε πεντηκοστὸς ην μετ' ἐκείνους ταττόμενος. οτι δὲ ἀναλογίαν εχει πρὸς ελεον ὁ ἀριθμός, ὁ σωτὴρ περὶ ἀφέσεως διδάσκων χρεώστας παρέλαβεν ὑπευθύνους πεντήκοντα καὶ πεντακοσίοις δηναρίοις ἀφέσεως καὶ ἑκατέροις γεγενημένης διὰ τὸ πεντήκοντα καὶ τὸν συγγενῆ ἀριθμὸν χρεωστεῖν· ουτος δὲ ὁ πεντακοσιοστός ἐστιν. ἀμέλει τὸ πάσχα σφαγέντος τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου αιροντος, ἀναστάντος ἐκ νεκρῶν τοῦ τὴν αφεσιν πεποιηκότος, ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ πεντήκοντα ἡμέρας διάγομεν εὐφραινόμενοι τὴν πεντηκοστὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἐκχύσεως τοῦ πνεύματος ἀξιούμενοι. Καλούμενος δὲ παρ' ̔Εβραίοις ̓Ιωβηλαῖος ὁ διὰ πεντήκοντα ἐτῶν ἐνιαυτός ἐστιν ἑορτάσιμος ἐν ῳ χρεῶν ἀποκοπαὶ καὶ τῶν ̔Εβραίων ἐλευθερίαι κτήσεων ἀποκαταστάσεις βεβαιοῦνται· οθεν ἀκόλουθον καὶ τὸν περὶ μετανοίας τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ψαλμὸν πεντηκοστὸν τετάχθαι. εστιν δὲ συγκείμενος καὶ ἐξ ἑβδομάδων ἑπτὰ καὶ μονάδος, ὡς ειναι ἑβδομάδα ἑβδομάδων ἀριθμόν. εδει ουν ἐν ἑβδομάδων γενέσθαι τὸν ἀποβάλλοντα τὸ αχθος καὶ τὸ εργον τῆς ἁμαρτίας. 534 Ps 50,3a ̔Ο σφοδρῶς μετανοῶν καὶ τοὺς προσήκοντας τῇ μετανοίᾳ καρποὺς ἀγαπῶν αἰτεῖ καὶ τὸν παρὰ θεοῦ μέγαν ελεον εἰς αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, οὐκ ἐπαρκούσης τῆς μετανοίας ανευ ἐλέου θεοῦ οὐδὲ τοῦ ἐλέου τοῦ θεοῦ ανευ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν μεταγνώσεως πρὸς σωτηρίαν. 535 Ps 50,3b Ωσπερ αἱ δυσέκπλυτοι βαφαὶ οὐ μιᾷ πλύσει ἀλλὰ πολλαῖς ἐξίτηλοι γίνονται, ουτω καὶ τὰ μεγάλα τῶν ἀνομημάτων πολλοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς θεοῦ ἀπαλείφεται. 536 Ps 50,4 Τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνέργειαν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἁμαρτίαν καλεῖ τῷ κατὰ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν διαφέρειν, τῷ ανευ μὲν νόμου