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perhaps possible. 14, 15. "But you, a man like myself, my guide and my acquaintance. Who together with me sweetened 80.1276 my food. In the house of God we walked in harmony." It seems to me most grievous of all things, for a familiar man, and of one mind, and a table companion to me, and one who has been my messmate, and who has shared with me in divine and human affairs, to do the things of enemies and foes; and clearly through these words the prophetic grace has depicted for us the traitor Judas, ordained as a leader by Christ the King ("For you shall make them princes over all the earth,") yet having partaken of His table and mystical words, he became an instrument of those who plotted against Him. Instead of "my guide," however, Symmachus has translated "my familiar friend." But these things in no way fit the blessed David; for no one of his most loyal friends betrayed him when he was being pursued by Saul. For neither Doeg, nor the Ziphites, were among his genuine friends. But the prophecy corresponds with the history of the Gospels: "He who eats my bread," it says, "has lifted up his heel against me." Thus having foretold the betrayal, he also prophesies his sudden death. [And even now it is possible to see the same deceit and murder abounding among some, as the outcome of events persuades us. For not only do those who share salt betray those who provide it, but also having become partakers of the divine and secret mysteries, they not only betray one another, but also contrive deaths, and this with oaths mediating. And Paul does not cease to testify throughout the whole world to those who, by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible to lie: I speak of the oath and faith; but some, I know not how, attempt to alter both; or rather, they have altered them, keeping a right aim neither toward their benefactors, nor concerning the faith, nor toward the Lord of all Himself. Therefore, the prophetic Spirit, pronouncing against them, spoke thus:] 16. "Let death come upon them; and let them go down alive into Hades." [He threatens them with such a sentence, wishing to check their wicked purpose.] And such an end of his life he received; for having tied his neck with a noose, he underwent a quick death; and the Jews also fell into such calamities after the cross, being delivered to the Roman war. For they did not depart this life by the law of nature, but being struck down with the weapons of war. [But if any of the wicked 80.1277 should seem to end his life by a common death, after the resurrection from there he will receive a double punishment against him. "For the sins of some men," it says, "are manifest, going before to judgment; but some they also follow after."] Then he shows the justice of the punishment. "Because wickedness is in their dwellings, in their midst. [Instead of "in the midst," wickedness, having sprung up in their very heart, brings upon them the deadly sentence of punishment.] And he calls this present life a sojourning, in which we sojourn, we do not dwell. [And blessed are those who consider the present life a sojourning and not a dwelling. Then, having spoken of the things from the lawless, the Prophet transfers his discourse to those who are wronged and not abandoned by the impulse from above.] 17. "I cried to God, and the Lord heard me." [For not only have I learned to call upon the Father, he says, but also his only-begotten Son, who, through great love for mankind, was about to receive a little later from me the economy according to the flesh. For this reason] 18. "At evening and morning and noon I will declare and proclaim, and he will hear my voice." [And this having been received from the lover of mankind,] 19. "He will redeem my soul in peace from those who draw near to me, for in many they were with me." Beholding my constant prayer, says David, offered by me night and day, he will deliver me from those who make war, and will grant peace.

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τυχὸν δυνατόν. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "Σὺ δὲ, ἄνθρωπε ἰσόψυχε, ἡγεμών μου καὶ γνωστέ μου. Ὃς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐγλύκανάς μοι 80.1276 ἐδέσματα. Ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπορεύθημεν ἐν ὁμο νοίᾳ." Πάντων ἀνιαρώτατον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ, τὸν ἄνδρα συνήθη, καὶ ὁμογνώμονα, καὶ ὁμοτράπεζόν μοι, καὶ σύσσιτόν μοι γεγενημένον, καὶ θείων μοι καὶ ἀνθρωπείων κεκοινωνηκότα πραγμάτων, τὰ δυσμενῶν δρᾶσαι καὶ πολεμίων· σαφῶς δὲ διὰ τού των ἡμῖν τῶν λόγων ἡ προφητικὴ χάρις τὸν προδό την Ἰούδαν διέγραψεν, ἡγεμόνα μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ βα σιλέως χειροτονηθέντα Χριστοῦ ("Καταστήσεις γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν,") τραπέζης δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ μυστικῶν κεκοινωνηκότα λόγων, ὄργανον δὲ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων γεγενημένον. Ἀντὶ μέν τοι τοῦ ἡγεμών μου, ὁ Σύμμαχος, συνήθης μου ἡρμή νευσεν. Ταῦτα δὲ τῷ μακαρίῳ οὐδαμῶς ἁρμόττει ∆αβίδ· οὐδεὶς γὰρ αὐτὸν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκόμε νον, τῶν εὐνουστάτων προδέδωκεν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ ∆ωὴκ, οὔτε οἱ Ζιφαῖοι, τῶν γνησίων αὐτοῦ φίλων ἐτύγχα νον. Τῇ δὲ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἱστορίᾳ ἡ προφητικὴ συμβαίνει· "Ὁ ἐσθίων, φησὶ, μετ' ἐμοῦ τὸν ἄρ τον, ἐπῆρεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν πτέρναν αὑτοῦ." Οὕτω τὴν προδοσίαν προαγορεύσας, καὶ τὸν αἰφνίδιον αὐτοῦ θάνατον προθεσπίζει. [Καὶ μέχρι νῦν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸν αὐτὸν δόλον καὶ φόνον παρά τισι πλεονάζοντα, ὡς ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡμᾶς ἔκβασις πείθει. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ τῶν ἁλῶν κοινωνοῦντες προδιδόασι τοὺς παρέχοντας τούτους, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῶν θείων καὶ ἀποῤῥήτων μυ στηρίων μέτοχοι γενόμενοι ἀλλήλους οὐ μόνον προ διδόασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θανάτους κατασκευάζουσι, καὶ τοῦτο ὅρκων μεσιτευόντων. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Παῦλος οὐ παύεται διαμαρτυρόμενος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ τοῖς διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι· τὸν ὅρκον λέγω καὶ τὴν πίστιν· τινὲς δὲ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως μετατιθέναι πειρῶνται τὰ ἀμφότερα· μᾶλλον δὲ μετατεθείκασι, μήτε πρὸς τοὺς εὐεργέτας, μήτε περὶ τὴν πίστιν, μήτε εἰς αὐτὸν τῶν πάντων ∆εσπότην ὀρθὸν σκοπὸν φυλάττοντες. ∆ιὸ δὴ τὸ προ φητικὸν Πνεῦμα ἀποφαινόμενον κατ' αὐτῶν οὕτως ἔφη·] ιʹ. "Ἐλθέτω δὴ θάνατος ἐπ' αὐτούς· καὶ κατα βήτωσαν εἰς ᾅδου ζῶντες." [Τοιαύτην αὐτοῖς ἀπειλεῖ τὴν ψῆφον βουλόμενος ἀναστεῖλαι τὴν πονη ρὰν αὐτῶν γνώμην.] Τοιοῦτο δὲ τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο· τῇ γὰρ ἀγχόνῃ τὴν δέρην προσδήσας, σύν τομον ὑπέμεινε θάνατον· τοιαύταις καὶ οἱ Ἰου δαῖοι μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν περιέπεσον συμφοραῖς, τῷ Ῥωμαϊκῷ παραδοθέντες πολέμῳ. Οὐ γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ τῆς φύσεως ὑπεξῆλθον τὸν βίον, ἀλλ' ὅπλοις πολε μικοῖς κατακοντιζόμενοι. [Εἰ δὲ καί τις τῶν φαύ 80.1277 λων δόξαιεν κοινῷ θανάτῳ καταλύειν τὸν βίον, μετὰ τὴν ἔνθεν ἀνάστασιν διπλῆν τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ δέξεται τιμωρίαν. "Τινῶν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπων αἱ ἁμαρτίαι πρόδηλοι, προάγουσιν εἰς κρίσιν· τισὶ δὲ καὶ ἐπ ακολουθοῦσιν."] Εἶτα δείκνυσι τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον. "Ὅτι πονηρία ἐν ταῖς παροικίαις αὐτῶν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. [Ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰς τὸ μέσον, εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν καρδίαν πονηρία βλαστήσασα τὴν θανατικὴν τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτοῖς ἐπάγει ψῆφον.] Παροικίαν δὲ καλεῖ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν, ἐν ᾗ παροικοῦμεν οὐ κατοικοῦ μεν. [Καὶ μακάριοι οἱ παροικίαν ἡγούμενοι τὸν παρόντα βίον καὶ μὴ κατοικίαν. Εἶτα εἰρηκὼς τὰ παρὰ τῶν παρανόμων, εἰς τοὺς ἀδικουμένους καὶ μὴ ἐγκαταλιμπανομένους παρὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς μετατίθησι τὸν λόγον ὁ Προφήτης.] ιζʹ. "Ἐγὼ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσέ μου." [Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸν Πατέρα, φησὶ, παρακαλεῖν μεμάθηκα, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν, τὸν διὰ πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐξ ἐμοῦ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα οἰκονομίαν μέλλοντα καταδέχεσθαι. ∆ιὸ δὴ] ιηʹ. "Ἑσπέρας καὶ πρωῒ καὶ μεσημβρίας δι ηγήσομαι, καὶ ἀπαγγελῶ καὶ εἰσακούσεται τῆς φωνῆς μου." [Ταύτης δὲ δεχθείσης παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου,] ιθʹ. "Λυτρώσεται ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ ἐγγιζόντων μοι, ὅτι ἐν πολλοῖς ἦσαν σὺν ἐμοί." Τὴν ἐνδελεχῆ μου, φησὶν ὁ ∆αβὶδ, θεώμε νος προσευχὴν, τὴν νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν παρ' ἐμοῦ προσφερομένην, ἀπαλλάξει με τῶν πολεμούν των, καὶ χαριεῖται εἰρήνην.