118

supplicating to be delivered from an unholy nation; let him point to those of the circumcision, and from an unjust and deceitful man, so that he himself might never become unjust and deceitful. And let him beseech God, saying: You are God my strength; why have you cast me off, leaving me in the midst of such a people? The foregoing was also fitting for the prophet Elijah, who said, interceding against the people: Lord, they have killed your prophets, and they have torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life, to take it. And Jeremiah clearly teaches that every righteous person had vanished from the people, saying: Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and in its public squares, and see if there is one who understands, and I will be merciful to them. Then, since the multitude of evil men caused affliction to the righteous man, he said that he was downcast on this account: Why do I go about downcast, while the enemy afflicts? And otherwise, while the enemies and foes were afflicting and becoming stronger than the nation, the one devoted to God was vexed in his soul, being filled with zeal at the prosperity of godless and impious men. For this reason he also sent up a supplication, that God, having judged and given him justice, and having brought forth the fitting sentence concerning him, might grant the reward owed to him for his achievements to the whole multitude, and through him deliver everyone from the hand of the enemies; so that, just as he himself became a sharer in the people's misfortune, so too the people might partake of his righteousness. And just as the righteous in the courts supplicate the judges to hear 23.381 their pleas, and to try and judge them rightly; in the same way also the God-loving one, through the preceding words, says to God: Judge for me, O God, not, judge me; and according to Symmachus, judge for me. For you yourself be my judge, and judge this judgment of mine, and vindicate my cause, so that, having obtained vindication, I may contribute my own achievements to the salvation of the whole multitude. Send out your light, and your truth; they have guided me and led me to your holy mountain, and to your tabernacles. You will also understand it thus: Having obtained the light that is with you and the truth that is with you, I shall be guided, being enlightened by the light, and being led by the hand by your truth to your holy heavenly mountain and to your tabernacles there, concerning which I also said in the one before this: For I shall pass into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God, with the voice of exultation and praise of a festal sound; and as one consecrated to you, O God, I will come to the innermost parts and up to the altar, and I will come to you, the God who gives joy to my spiritual youth. I will give praise to you on the harp, O God. And by harp he means the body, through which the mind is naturally struck, and is accustomed to send up through the senses, as through strings, the melody fitting for God. And clearly through these words the prophetic choir beseeches that the light of God and His truth be sent, as it was not yet shining upon the earth, nor was the truth somehow existing with men, when he uttered these words. And a light that is sent would be other than the one sending, concerning which it is said: It was the light that enlightens every man coming into the world. And the Savior Himself also teaches in His own person, saying: I am the light and the truth and the life. Why are you very sorrowful, O my soul, and why do you trouble me? Hope in God, for I will give praise to him, the salvation of my countenance and my God. But Symmachus says: Why do you sink down, my soul, and why do you make a tumult within me? Wait for God; for I will forever give praise to Him, to the salvation of my countenance and to my God. Wait, he says, so that you too may one day be able to say: Patiently I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me. But also hope in God; for hope does not put to shame. For what should

118

ἱκετεύων ῥυσθῆναι ἐξ ἀνοσίου ἔθνους· δηλούτω δὲ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἀδίκου καὶ δολίου, ὡς ἂν μήποτε καὶ αὐτὸς γένοιτο ἄδικος καὶ δόλιος. Παρακαλείτω δὲ τὸν Θεὸν λέγων· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς κραταίωμά μου· ἵνα τί με ἀπώσω, καταλιπών με ἐν μέσῳ τοιούτου λαοῦ; Ἥρμοζε δὲ τὰ προκείμενα καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἡλίᾳ, ὃς ἔλεγεν κατεντυγχάνων τοῦ λαοῦ· Κύριε, τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήριά σου κατέσκαψαν, κἀγὼ ὑπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ ζητοῦσι τὴν ψυχὴν λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Σαφῶς δὲ διδάσκει Ἱερεμίας ἐκλελοιπέναι πάντα δίκαιον ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ, λέγων· Περιδράμετε ἐν ταῖς ἀμφόδοις Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις αὐτῆς, καὶ ἴδετε εἰ ἔστι συνιὼν, καὶ ἵλεως ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς. Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν κακῶν ἀνδρῶν θλίψιν παρεῖχε τῷ δικαίῳ, σκυθρωπάζειν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔλεγεν· Ἵνα τί σκυθρωπάζων πορεύομαι ἐν τῷ ἐκθλίψαι ἐχθρόν; Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων θλιβόντων καὶ ἐπικρατεστέρων γενομένων τοῦ ἔθνους, ὁ τῷ Θεῷ ἀνακείμενος ἐδάκνετο τὴν ψυχὴν, ζήλου πληρούμενος ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν εὐπραγίᾳ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἱκετηρίαν ἀνέπεμπεν, ὡς ἂν, κρίνας ὁ Θεὸς καὶ δικάσας αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν πρέπουσαν περὶ αὐτοῦ δίκην ἐξενεγκάμενος, τὴν αὐτοῦ προσοφειλομένην ἀμοιβὴν τῶν αὐτοῦ κατορθωμάτων τῷ παντὶ πλήθει χαρίσοιτο, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ῥύσαιτο τοὺς πάντας ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν πολεμίων· ἵν', ὥσπερ κοινωνὸς αὐτὸς γέγονε τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ κακοπραγίας, οὕτω καὶ ὁ λαὸς μετάσχοι τῆς αὐτοῦ δικαιοπραγίας. Ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ δίκαιοι ἔχοντες ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις, τοὺς δικαστὰς ἱκετεύουσιν ἐπακοῦσαι 23.381 τῶν δικαίων αὐτῶν, δικάσαι τε καὶ κρίνειν αὐτοὺς ὀρθῶς· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ θεοφιλὴς διὰ τῶν προκειμένων τῷ Θεῷ φησι· Κρῖνόν μοι, ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχὶ, κρῖνόν με· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, κρῖνόν μοι. Σὺ γὰρ αὐτὸς γενοῦ μοι κριτὴς, καὶ τὴν κρίσιν μου ταύτην κρῖνον, καὶ ὑπερδίκησον τῆς δίκης μου, ἵνα, τυχὼν ἐκδικίας, συμβάλωμαι τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ παντὸς πλήθους τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ κατορθώματα. Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸ φῶς σου, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου· αὐτά με ὡδήγησαν καὶ ἤγαγόν με εἰς ὄρος ἅγιόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὰ σκηνώματά σου. Νοήσεις καὶ οὕτως· Τοῦ παρὰ σοὶ φωτὸς καὶ τῆς παρὰ σοὶ ἀληθείας τυχὼν ὁδηγηθήσομαι, ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ φωτὸς φωτιζόμενος, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἀληθείας χειραγωγούμενος ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν σου τὸ ἐπουράνιον καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτόθι σκηνώματά σου, περὶ ὧν καὶ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ἔλεγον· Ὅτι διελεύσομαι ἐν τόπῳ σκηνῆς θαυμαστῆς ἕως τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως ἤχου ἑορτάζοντος· ὡς ἂν δέ σοι τῷ Θεῷ ἱερωμένος, ἐπὶ τὰ ἐνδοτάτω καὶ μέχρι τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἥξω, καὶ πρὸς σὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἐλεύσομαι τὸν εὐφραίνοντα τὴν νεότητά μου τὴν πνευματικήν. Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ὁ Θεός. Κιθάραν δὲ τὸ σῶμά φησι, δι' οὗ ἀνακρούεσθαι πέφυκεν ὁ νοῦς, καὶ διὰ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ὥσπερ διὰ χορδῶν τὴν τῷ Θεῷ πρέπουσαν μελῳδίαν ἀναπέμπειν εἴωθε. Σαφῶς δὲ διὰ τούτων ὁ χορὸς ὁ προφητικὸς παρακαλεῖ τὸ φῶς ἀποσταλῆναι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ, ὡς μηδέπω τότε φαῖνον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, μηδὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ὑπαρχούσης πως σὺν ἀνθρώποις, ὅτε ταύτας ἠφίει τὰς φωνάς. Φῶς δὲ ἀποστελλόμενον ἕτερον ἂν εἴη τοῦ ἀποστέλλοντος, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ φωτίζον πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ αὐτοπροσώπως λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή. Ἵνα τί περίλυπος εἶ, ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἵνα τί συνταράσσεις με; Ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ, σωτήριον τοῦ προσώπου μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου. Σύμμαχος δέ· Τί καταῤῥέεις, ψυχή μου, καὶ τί θορυβεῖς ἐπ' ἐμέ; Ἀνάμεινον τὸν Θεόν· εἰσαεὶ γὰρ ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ, τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ προσώπου μου καὶ τῷ Θεῷ μου. Ἀνάμεινον, φησὶν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὴ δυνηθῇς ποτε εἰπεῖν· Ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ προσέσχε μοι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν· ἡ γὰρ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. Τί γὰρ ἂν χρὴ