112

impulse. But 'of a drug/poison' must be read in apposition, that is, conjunctively and not verbally as 'he is poisoned'. 605a Ps 57,7.8a And this God does for them as a benefactor, so that by devouring the people deceived by them they might not become liable to an excessive punishment, and at least he has shattered their molars so that they may not bite nor devour. It should be noted that according to scripture, molars differ from teeth; for the incisors that cut and divide the food are teeth, but the ones that chew and grind are molars. And just as water passing through some channel, not remaining but being scattered, is brought to nothing and becomes contemptible, so also these will be despised, having nothing firm and lasting, but having temporarily embraced a watery and fluid life. 606a Ps 57,8b-10 And before we said that his arrows signify the punishments, and the bow is that from which the arrows are shot; this is the judicial power of God. Therefore he will bend this bow, not letting it go until those who are struck grow weak; but it is for their good to become weak, as the strength they had for wickedness is taken away. And just as melting wax is destroyed, insofar as it is meltable and has the thickness of the first substance that has been changed into fire, so the wicked, having experienced punishment, melting, cast off the thickness from their evil disposition. Before punishment is the true light, which is the sun of righteousness; for after punishment it is not possible to approach the radiance of the intelligible sun. Hence it is said here: that when the punishing fire had fallen, those who fell into punishment did not see the sun. But those who understand their own passions, more allegorically called thorns, will not experience punishing wrath, but before they understand the spiritually spoken thorns and buckthorn, as if living they will be swallowed up by wrath; for not being alive but being like living beings they will be seized by wrath. For according to scripture, "to swallow" means to overcome and to conquer, the one swallowed being already overcome and conquered. At any rate, what is mortal is also swallowed up by life, with life overcoming and conquering death. 607a Ps 57,11a He rejoices not gloating, but because he himself is not subject to punishment and purifies his own deeds, becoming more secure.

608 Ps 58,2.3 While one man, Saul, was persecuting, to be delivered from many enemies

he prays. Perhaps, then, having called Saul's conspiring bodyguards or the wicked demons working in him 'enemies' in the plural against himself, he prays to be delivered from them; and he asks to be redeemed from these who rise up against him, praying that perhaps there might be an appearance of the one who will come to give his own soul as a ransom for many. And workers of iniquity are those who do what the law forbids, and since murder is among the things forbidden, those who set out to kill people, on account of their inherent cruelty, are men of blood. But he who is not harmed by them is delivered from those who work iniquity, as God protects him, and he is also saved from murderous men who is not handed over into the hands of those wishing to shed his blood. And in another way: one is delivered from these; for he who does not work iniquity but is disposed contrary to those who do it has been delivered from a disposition for practicing lawless deeds, just as he who is without a murderous mind has been saved, not being counted among murderous men. The verses must also be interpreted thus: since when the devil and his angels are working the doing of iniquity in men, men act lawlessly, he prays to be delivered from the devil and those with him who are the originators of the working of iniquity. A testimony of this thought is: "from the beginning the devil sins." For with him as the originator, these follow in sinning in whom he works. For when he had put into the heart of Judas treachery

112

ὁρμήν. Φαρμάκου δὲ ἀναγνωστέον ἐν παραθέσει οντος, τουτέστι συνοδῶς καὶ οὐ ῥηματικῶς φαρμακοῦται. 605a Ps 57,7.8a Τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς ποιεῖ εὐεργετῶν ινα μὴ κατεσθίοντες τοὺς ὑπὸ σφῶν ἀπατωμένους ἀνθρώπους ὑπερβαλλούσῃ τιμωρίᾳ ὑπεύθυνοι γένωνται, καὶ τὰς μύλας γοῦν αὐτῶν συνέθλασεν οπως μὴ δάκνωσι μηδὲ κατεσθιῶσιν. σημειωτέον δὲ οτι κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν διαφέρουσι μύλαι ὀδόντων· οἱ γὰρ τομεῖς καὶ διαιροῦντες τὴν τροφὴν ὀδόντες, αἱ δὲ μασώμεναι καὶ λεαίνουσαι μύλαι. Ωσπερ δὲ τὸ διαπορευόμενον διά τινος πόρου υδωρ οὐ παραμένον ἀλλὰ διασκεδαννύμενον ἐξουδενεῖται καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον γίνεται, ουτω καὶ ουτοι ἐξευτελισθήσονται οὐδὲν βέβαιον καὶ παράμονον εχοντες ἀλλ' ὑδαρῆ καὶ ὑγρὸν βίον προσκαίρως ὑποδεξάμενοι. 606a Ps 57,8b-10 Καὶ πρότερον ειπομεν τὰ βέλη σημαίνειν αὐτοῦ τὰς κολάσεις, τόξον δ' ἐστὶν ἀφ' ου ἀφίεται τὰ βέλη· ταῦτα ἡ κριτικὴ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις. τοῦτο ουν τὸ τόξον ἐντενεῖ, οὐκ ἀνιεὶς αὐτὸ εως ου ἀσθενήσωσιν οἱ βαλλόμενοι· πρὸς ἀγαθὸν δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀσθενῆσαι, καθαιρουμένης ης ειχον ἰσχύος περὶ τὴν κακίαν. Ωσπερ δὲ ὁ τηκόμενος κηρὸς ἀναιρεῖται καθὸ τηκτὸς καὶ παχύτητα εχων τοῦ πρώτου ὑποκειμένου εἰς πῦρ μεταβαλόντος, ουτως οἱ φαῦλοι κολάσεως πεπειραμένοι τὴν ἐκ μοχθηρᾶς εξεως παχύτητα τηκόμενοι ἀποβάλλουσι. πρὸ κολάσεως δ' ἐστὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν τυγχάνον δικαιοσύνης ηλιος· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν κόλασιν οὐχ οιόν τε προσβάλλειν τῇ λαμπηδόνι τοῦ νοητοῦ ἡλίου. οθεν ἐνταῦθα ειρηται· ὡς αρα ἐπιπεσόντος τοῦ κολαστικοῦ φωτὸς οὐκ ειδον τὸν ηλιον οἱ τῇ κολάσει περιπεσόντες. οἱ δὲ συνέντες τὰ ιδια πάθη ἀλληγορικώτερον ἀκάνθας ὀνομαζόμενα οὐ πειρασθήσονται κολαζούσης ὀργῆς, πρὸ τοῦ δὲ συνιέναι τὰς πνευματικῶς λεγομένας ἀκάνθας καὶ ῥάμνον ὡσεὶ ζῶντες ὑπ' ὀργῆς καταποθήσονται· οὐ γὰρ ζῶντες ἀλλὰ ζῶσιν ομοιοι τυγχάνοντες ὑπ' ὀργῆς συλληφθήσονται. τὸ γὰρ καταπιεῖν κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν τὸ κρατῆσαι καὶ νικῆσαι σημαίνει, τοῦ καταποθέντος ηδη κεκρατημένου καὶ νενικημένου. καταπίνεται γοῦν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς, κρατούσης καὶ νικώσης τῆς ζωῆς τὸν θάνατον. 607a Ps 57,11a Οὐκ ἐπιχαίρων εὐφραίνεται ἀλλ' οτι μὴ αὐτὸς ὑπόκειται τιμωρίᾳ καὶ καθαίρει τὰς ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις γινόμενος ἀσφαλέστερος.

608 Ps 58,2.3 ̔Ενὸς τοῦ Σαοὺλ διώκοντος, ἐκ πλειόνων ἐχθρῶν ἐξαιρεθῆναι

ευχεται. μήποτ' ουν τοὺς συμπνέοντας τῷ Σαοὺλ δορυφόρους η τοὺς ἐνεργοῦντας εἰς αὐτὸν ἀλιτηρίους δαίμονας καθ' ἑαυτοῦ πληθυντικῶς ἐχθροὺς εἰπών, ῥυσθῆναι ἐξ αὐτῶν ευχεται· καὶ λυτρωθῆναι ἐκ τούτων ἐπανισταμένων ἐπ' αὐτὸν παρακαλεῖ, εὐχόμενος τάχα γενέσθαι ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ ἐλευσομένου λύτρον δοῦναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀντὶ πολλῶν. ̓Εργάται δὲ ἀνομίας οἱ πράττοντες α ἀπαγορεύει ὁ νόμος, καὶ ἐπεὶ τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων ὁ φόνος ἐστίν, οἱ ἀναιρεῖν ἀνθρώπους προτιθέμενοι διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν ὠμότητα ανδρες αἱμάτων εἰσίν. ῥύεται δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ὁ μὴ ἐπηρεαζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν, σκέποντος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σῴζεται ἀπὸ φονικῶν ἀνδρῶν ὁ μὴ παραδιδόμενος εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐκχέαι τὸ αιμα αὐτοῦ ἐθελόντων. καὶ ἑτέρως δέ· ῥύεταί τις ἐκ τούτων· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐνεργῶν τὴν ἀνομίαν ἀλλ' ἐναντίως διακείμενος τῶν ποιούντων αὐτὴν ερρυσται ἀπὸ διαθέσεως ἀνομημάτων πρακτικῆς, ὡς αυ ὁ ἐκτὸς φονικῆς γνώμης ὑπάρχων σέσωται οὐ συγκαταλεγόμενος ἀνδράσι φονικοῖς. ̔Ερμηνευτέον τοὺς στίχους καὶ ουτως· ἐπεὶ ἐνεργούντων διαβόλου καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν τῆς ἀνομίας ποίησιν ἀνομοῦσιν οἱ ανθρωποι, ευχεται ῥυσθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ προκατερχομένων τῆς ἐργασίας τῆς ἀνομίας. μαρτυρία τῆς νοήσεως ταύτης· ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. προκατερχομένου γὰρ ἐκείνου ἐφέπονται ουτοι τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν οις ἐνεργεῖ. βαλόντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα προδοσίας