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lover of souls, abominating nothing that you have made, for neither have you created anything while hating it.” “For you created all things to be, and the generations of the world are wholesome.” 4.64 Having experience of this surpassing goodness of the one who established all things and provides for the universe, those who serve him, offering up intercession for the people, say: “Spare, O Lord, your people and give not your inheritance to reproach, that the nations should rule over them, lest the nations should say: Where is their God?” 4.65 And to such an extent did the cause and guardian of all spare the race of men, as to give over his own son to death on behalf of all, that he might redeem the dead who were ruled by death. 4.66 The Apostle, being an initiator into the mysteries of this surpassing salvation, writes about God: “He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things?” Sparing us, he did not spare the Son; for he is impassible and destructive of all harm, but we are mortal and subject to passions. Therefore if he had spared the Son, not giving him over “to taste death for all,” we would have remained in the prevailing destruction through the transgression of the divine commandment; but that we might be set free, the guardian delivered up his own Son, who would not be harmed by dying, having been shown to be the Savior of all, delivered up on their behalf. 4.67 This being the case, if God says: “I will no longer spare the inhabitants of the earth,” he admonishes with the fear of a threat, so that they might not fall under punishment, but might be outside of the prevailing sin, no longer being subject to punishment. 4.68 He further reveals the manner of not sparing, saying "to deliver men into the hands of their neighbors and into the hands" of the wicked "king" whom they chose, "so that the land is cut down," with those "who die as men" attacking one another. These are they who walk according to the flesh in strife and jealousy. Men who are such are delivered into the hands of the demons whom they held as neighbors because of their love of pleasure and material disposition. For then especially can they be admonished, having been delivered to those whom they considered friends and held as neighbors, having experienced their cruelty and savagery; and they will flee from him who ruled tyrannically, having had experience of his harshness. Indeed, for instance, the Hebrew people at that time longed to be freed from the audacity of the Egyptians, having known their burdensome and harsh oversight. 4.69 When the land is cut down, that is, when those suitable for it are being driven out, God shepherds the sheep of slaughter to the Canaanite woman, the prepared punishment. It has been said before that sheep of slaughter are those ready to suffer and those already slaughtered, when we received what was reported by the afflicted to the benefactor of all: “You have given us as sheep for eating,” and again: “We were accounted as sheep for slaughter.” 4.70 Consider if the shepherding of the sheep of slaughter to the Canaanite woman, interpreted as “prepared,” indicates something praiseworthy, perhaps of those who are managed through affliction being led into a salvation without regret, which is worked out by pains instructively brought on, about which the divine apostle Paul writes, inscribing these things: “For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation without regret, but the sorrow of the world brings death”; therefore one must abstain from the latter, but lay claim to the godly sorrow which brings a salvation without regret according to God. 4.71 Zach. XΙ, 7-9: And I will take for myself two rods—the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Cord,—and I will shepherd the sheep. And I will cut off the three shepherds in one month, and my soul will be grieved for them, for their souls also roared against me. And I said: I will not shepherd you. 4.72 From the person of the Savior the prophet Zechariah

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φιλόψυχε, οὐδὲν βδελυσσόμενος ὧν ἐποίησας, οὐδὲ γὰρ μισῶν τι κατεσκεύασας.» «Ἔκτισας γὰρ εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ π̣α´̣ντα, καὶ σωτήριοι αἱ γενέσεις τοῦ κόσμου.» 4.64 Ταύτης τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης ἀγαθότητος τοῦ τὰ πάντα συστησαμένου καὶ προνοουμένου τῶν ὅλων πεῖραν ἔχοντες οἱ θεραπεύοντες αὐτόν, πρεσβείαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀναφέροντές φασιν· «Φεῖσαι, Κύριε, τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος τοῦ κατάρξαι αὐτῶν ἔθνη, μήποτε εἴπωσιν τὰ ἔθνη· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν;» 4.65 Εἰς τοσοῦτον δὲ ἐφείσατο τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ πάντων αἴτιος καὶ κηδεμών, ὡς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἔκδοτον δοῦναι τὸν υἱὸν ἑαυτοῦ εἰς θάνατον, ἵνα λυτρώσηται τοὺς θανόντας βασιλευθέντας ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου. 4.66 Ταύτης τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης σωτηρίας μυσταγωγὸς ὁ Ἀπόστολος τυγχάνων περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γράφει· «Ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παρέδωκεν αὐτόν, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ πάντα σὺν αὐτῷ χαρίσεται ἡμῖν;» Ἡμῶν φειδόμενος οὐκ ἐφείσατο τοῦ υἱοῦ· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀπαθὴς καὶ πάσης βλάβης ἀφανιστικός, ἡμεῖς δὲ θνητοὶ καὶ πάθεσιν ὑποκείμενοι. ∆ιὸ εἰ φεισάμενος ἦν τοῦ υἱοῦ, μὴ ἐκδοὺς αὐτὸν «ὑπὲρ πάντων γεύσασθαι θανάτου», ἐμένομεν ἐν τῇ κρατησάσῃ ἀπωλείᾳ διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τῆς θείας ἐντολῆς· ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐλευθερωθῶμεν, παρέδωκεν ὁ κηδεμὼν τὸν ἴδιον υἱόν, οὐ βλαβησόμενον ἐκ τοῦ τεθνάναι, Σωτῆρος ἀναδειχθέντος πάντων παραδοθέντος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. 4.67 Τούτων ὧδε ἐχόντων, ἐὰν ὁ Θεὸς λέγῃ· «Οὐ φείσομαι οὐκέτι ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν», φόβῳ ἀπειλῆς νουθετεῖ, ἵνα μὴ κολάσει ὑποπέσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἔξω γένωνται τῆς κρατησάσης ἁμαρτίας, οὐκέτι ὑποκείμενοι κολάσει. 4.68 Τὸν τρόπον τοῦ μὴ φείσασθαι ἔτι φανεροῖ, φάσκων «τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς χεῖρας τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν παραδιδόναι καὶ εἰς χεῖρας» οὗ εἵλαντο πονηροῦ «βασιλέως, ὡς κατακοπῆναι τὴν γῆν», ἀντεπιτιθεμένων ἀλλήλοις τῶν «ὡς ἀνθρώπων ἀποθνῃσκόντων». Οὗτοι δ' εἰσὶν οἱ ἔριδι καὶ ζήλῳ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντες. Οἱ οὕτω τυγχάνοντες ἄνθρωποι εἰς χεῖρας παραδίδονται ὧν ἔσχον πλησίον δαιμόνων διὰ φιληδονίαν καὶ ὑλικὴν διάθεσιν. Τότε γὰρ μάλιστα νουθετηθῆναι δύνανται παραδοθέντες οἷς ἡγοῦντο φίλοις καὶ πλησίον ἔχειν, πειραθέντες τῆς ὠμότητος καὶ ἀγριότητος αὐτῶν· φεύξονται δὲ καὶ τοῦ τυραννικῶς ἄρξαντος, τῆς σκληρότητος αὐτοῦ πεῖραν λαβόντες. Ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ὁ Ἑβραίων λαὸς τὸ τηνικάδε ἐπόθησεν ἐλευθερωθῆναι τῆς Αἰγυπτίων θρασύτητος, γνοὺς αὐτῶν τὸ ἐπίμοχθον καὶ τὸ ἀπηνὲς ἐπιστασίας. 4.69 Κατακοπτομένης τῆς γῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς καταλλήλων ἐξανισταμένων, ποιμαίνει Θεὸς τὰ τῆς σφαγῆς πρόβατα εἰς τὴν Χανανῖτιν, τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην τιμωρίαν. Εἴρηται καὶ πρότερον σφαγῆς εἶναι πρόβατα τὰ ἕτοιμα πρὸς τὸ παθεῖν καὶ τὰ ἤδη σφαγέντα, ὅτε παρελάβομεν τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν θλιβομένων πρὸς τὸν εὐεργέτην τῶν ὅλων ἀπαγγελλόμενον· «Ἔδωκας ἡμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα βρώσεως», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς.» 4.70 Ἐπίστησον εἰ ἐπαινετόν τι δηλοῖ τὸ ποιμαίνεσθαι τὰ πρόβατα τῆς σφαγῆς εἰς τὴν Χανανῖτιν, ἑρμηνευομένην ἡτοιμασμένην, τάχα τῶν διὰ κακώσεως οἰκονομουμένων εἰσαγομένων εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον κατεργαζομένην ὑπὸ πόνων παιδευτικῶς ἐπαγομένων, περὶ ἧς γράφει ὁ θεσπέσιος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος τάδε χαράττων· «Ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν κατεργάζεται εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον, τῆς τοῦ κόσμου λύπης θάνατον ἐπιφερούσης»· διὸ ταύτης μὲν ἀφεκτέον, τῆς δὲ κατὰ Θεὸν ἀντιποιητέον ἀμεταμέλητον σωτηρίαν κατὰ Θεὸν φερούσης. 4.71 Zach. XΙ, 7-9: Καὶ λήμψομαι ἐμαυτῷ δύο ῥάβδους -τὴν μίαν ἐκάλεσα κάλλος, καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν ἐκάλεσα σχοίνισμα, -καὶ ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόβατα. Καὶ ἐξαρῶ τοὺς τρεῖς ποιμένας ἐν μηνὶ ἑνί, καὶ βαρυνθήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπ' αὐτούς, καὶ γὰρ αἱ ψυχαὶ αὐτῶν ἐπωρύοντο ἐπ' ἐμέ. Καὶ εἶπα· Οὐ ποιμανῶ ὑμᾶς. 4.72 Ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ προφήτης Ζαχαρίας