129

The blessed David, therefore, seeing the plots against him, and foreseeing that the God of Israel, the creator and Master of all, who is from him according to the flesh, will suffer harsher things from the Jews, foretells both the calling of the nations and the dispersion of the Jews. 2. "Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and from those who rise up against me, rescue me." The prophet's request is just; for he supplicated to be rid of those who war against him unjustly. Then he relates their purpose. 3. "Rescue me from those who work iniquity, and save me from men of blood." The enemies are bloodthirsty, he 80.1305 says, and lawless, to whom I have brought no harm whatsoever. 4. "For behold, they have hunted my soul; the mighty have set upon me." Using all sorts of devices they try to kill me, trusting in their own power; but it is likely that, having been wronged beforehand, they seek retribution. 5. "Neither is my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord." Nothing grievous, he says, has been done by us to them; nor, having anything to accuse me of, do they contrive my death. "Without iniquity I ran and directed my course." These things more truly fit not David, but the one from David, and the Lord of David. For he alone committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. [For no one is without sin, except the one God; this very one from David who for his great love for mankind was incarnate.] But the blessed David says these things as in a type; not testifying to his own complete sinlessness, but teaching that having wronged Saul in nothing, but having benefited him many times and in many ways, he endures all sorts of plots. And though there is no sin, they run against him, that they might destroy the one who has been innocent toward them. And thus also Symmachus interpreted: Though there is no sin, thus they run, that they might strike. ʹ. "Arise to meet me, and see." But I beseech you, he says, to be the judge of this, you who know all things clearly. "And you, Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, attend to visit all the nations." Having beheld sinlessness only in the one from him according to the flesh, and having foreseen in the spirit the madness of his kinsmen the Jews against him, he beseeches the Lord of hosts, and the God of Israel, to leave the Jews neglected, and to transfer all providence to the nations, and to illuminate them with the light of the knowledge of God. And having announced these things to the nations, he also foretells the punishments of the Jews. "Have no mercy on all those who work iniquity." For since with prophetic eyes he saw the cross, and seemed to hear the 80.1308 Lord [of glory] saying: "Father, forgive them their sin; for they know not what they do"; abhorring the excess of their impiety, he pleads that they enjoy no pardon; then he prophesies their future lack of spiritual nourishment. 7. "They shall return at evening, and shall be hungry as a dog, and shall go round about the city." For just as, he says, dogs are accustomed at night to roam the marketplaces of cities, being compelled by the emptiness of their stomachs to do this; so these men will be stripped of all spiritual provision; and having neither enjoyed prophetic grace, they will also become utterly destitute of priestly care; and they continue to go about like dogs, not being deemed worthy to partake even of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table, according to the gospel voice. [Then he teaches more clearly the reason for the punishment.] 8. "Behold, they shall speak with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips; for who has heard?" With their tongue, he says, they work murder, bringing forth their words like a spear point and a sword; and the deeds bear witness to the words. For with their tongue they crucified the Master, crying out, "Away, away, crucify him; his blood be upon us, and upon our children." And to their words they added the deed by means of Pilate's guard, and they nailed the Savior to the cross. This the prophetic word also said: "They shall speak with their

129

Τὰς οἰκείας τοί νυν ἐπιβουλὰς βλέπων ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ, καὶ προ θεώμενος ὡς ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ δημιουργὸς καὶ πάντων ∆εσπότης, ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα, χαλε πώτερα παρὰ Ἰουδαίων πείσεται, προλέγει καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν κλῆσιν, καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων διασποράν. βʹ. "Ἐξελοῦ με ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπανισταμένων ἐπ' ἐμὲ λύτρωσαί με." ∆ικαία τοῦ προφήτου ἡ αἴτησις· ἀπαλλαγῆναι γὰρ τῶν ἀδίκως πολεμούντων ἱκέτευσεν. Εἶτα τὸν τού των διηγεῖται σκοπόν. γʹ. "Ῥῦσαί με ἐκ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ ἐξ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων σῶσόν με." Μιαιφόνοι, φη 80.1305 σὶν, οἱ πολέμιοι καὶ παράνομοι, οἷς οὐδ' ἥν τινα οὖν προσενήνοχα βλάβην. δʹ. "Ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἐθήρευσαν τὴν ψυχήν μου· ἐπ έθεντο ἐπ' ἐμὲ κραταιοί." Παντοδαποῖς χρώμενοι μηχανήμασιν ἀνελεῖν με πειρῶνται, τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνά μει θαῤῥοῦντες· ἀλλ' εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς προηδικημέ νους τὴν τιμωρίαν ζητεῖν. εʹ. "Οὔτε ἡ ἀνομία μου, οὔτε ἡ ἁμαρτία μου, Κύ ριε." Οὐδὲν, φησὶ, παρ' ἡμῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς γεγένη ται λυπηρόν· οὐδέ τι ἐγκαλεῖν ἔχοντες, τὸν ἐμὸν κατ τύουσι θάνατον. "Ἄνευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατ εύθυνα." Ταῦτα ἀληθέστερον οὐ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἁρμότ τει, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ, καὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ ∆αβίδ. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ μόνος ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑ ρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. [Οὐδεὶς γὰρ δί χα ἁμαρτίας, εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός· αὐτός γε οὗτος ὁ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ διὰ πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν σαρκωθείς.] Ὡς ἐν τύπῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ταῦτα λέγει ∆αβίδ· οὐ τὸ παντελῶς ἀναμάρτητον ἑαυτῷ μαρτυρῶν, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων ὡς οὐδὲν τὸν Σαοὺλ ἀδικήσας, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ καὶ πολλάκις εὐεργετήσας, τὰς παντοδαπὰς ἐπιβου λὰς ὑπομένει. Καὶ μὴ οὔσης ἁμαρτίας, κατ' αὐ τοῦ ἐπιτρέχουσιν, ἵνα διαρπάξωσι τὸν περὶ αὐτοὺς γενόμενον ἀθῶον. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμή νευσε· Μὴ οὔσης ἁμαρτίας, οὕτω τρέχουσιν, ἵνα πατάξωσιν. ʹ. "Ἐξεγέρθητι εἰς συνάντησίν μου, καὶ ἴδε." Σὲ δὲ τούτου, φησὶν, ἱκετεύω γενέσθαι κριτὴν, τὸν ἅπαντα σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενον. "Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, πρό σχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη." Τὸ ἀν αμάρτητον ἐν μόνῳ θεωρήσας τῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα, καὶ τὴν τῶν ὁμοφύλων Ἰουδαίων κατ' αὐτοῦ μανίαν προθεωρήσας τῷ πνεύματι, τὸν τῶν δυνά μεων Κύριον, καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἱκετεύει Θεὸν, κατα λιπεῖν μὲν Ἰουδαίους ἀτημελήτους, πᾶσαν δὲ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη μεταθεῖναι τὴν πρόνοιαν, καὶ τῷ τῆς θεο γνωσίας καταυγᾶσαι φωτί. Ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγείλας, καὶ τὰς Ἰουδαίων τιμωρίας προλέ γει. "Μὴ οἰκτειρήσῃς πάντας τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῖς προφητικοῖς ὀφ θαλμοῖς τὸν σταυρὸν ἑώρα, καὶ ἐπαΐειν ἐδόκει τοῦ 80.1308 Κυρίου [τῆς δόξης] λέγοντος· "Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐ τοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι· βδε λυττόμενος τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν, μηδεμιᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπολαῦσαι συγγνώμης ἀντιβολεῖ· εἶτα τῆς πνευματικῆς τροφῆς τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτοῖς ἔνδειαν προθεσπίζει. ζʹ. "Ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ λιμώξου σιν ὡς κύων, καὶ κυκλώσουσι πόλιν." Καθάπερ γὰρ, φησὶ, κύνες νύκτωρ εἰώθασι τὰς τῶν πόλεων περινοστεῖν ἀγορὰς, γαστρὸς ὑπ' ἐνδείας τοῦτο ποιεῖν βιαζόμενοι· οὕτως οὗτοι πάσης πνευματικῆς γυμνοὶ γενήσονται προμηθείας· καὶ οὔτε προφητι κῆς ἀπολαύσαντες χάριτος, καὶ τῆς ἀρχιερατικῆς ἐπιμελείας ἔρημοι πάμπαν γενήσονται· καὶ δίκην κυνὸς περιιόντες διατελοῦσιν, οὐδὲ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν, κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνὴν, μεταλαχεῖν ἀξιούμε νοι. [Εἶτα σαφέστερον τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν αἰτίον διδάσκει.] ηʹ. "Ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ ἀποφθέγξονται ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ ῥομφαία ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν· ὅτι τίς ἤκουσεν;" Τῇ γλώττῃ, φησὶ, τὸν φόνον ἐργά ζονται, οἷόν τινα αἰχμὴν καὶ ῥομφαίαν, τοὺς λόγους προφέροντες· μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ πράγματα Τῇ γὰρ γλώττῃ τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐσταύρωσαν, βοήσαν τες, "Αἶρε, αἶρε, σταύρωσον αὐτόν· τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν." Τῇ δὲ τοῦ Πιλάτου δορυφορίᾳ τοῖς λόγοις τὸ ἔργον ἐπ έθεσαν, καὶ τῷ ἰκρίῳ τὸν Σωτῆρα προσήλωσαν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ἔφη λόγος· "Αὐτοὶ ἀπο φθέγξονται ἐν τῷ