136

dear. 9 he will rejoice in his salvation. Here salvation means salvation; for in many places salvation signifies salvation. But there are times when even the agent of salvation is so called, as when it says: "the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God," instead of "3the savior"3. The soul, therefore, "rejoices in salvation." It seeks salvation from nowhere else but from God himself, from him who saves with an eternal salvation; for "Israel is saved by the Lord with an eternal salvation." 10 All my bones shall say, Lord, lord, who is like you? The first theology is to know what is the holiness of God and who can or cannot be likened to him. He therefore applies this theology and this knowledge of God to his own bones, from which it is presented that he is not speaking about his own bones that hold together the other members of the body and the flesh and the sinews, but of the vigorous powers, which we have often said are the bones of his inner man. "All" therefore "my bones shall say"; the vigorous doctrines, my vigorous movements, according to which I know and understand, confess God that none of the created beings happens to be like him. Because; the "3who"3 how? -it is on the basis of impossibility, like: "O God, who shall be likened to you"? Concerning the son, we do not take this; for he does not have the likeness in the future, but being the "express image of his person," he is eternally like him. Both, therefore, can be understood; if it is concerning the essential likeness, no one is likened to him. But if it is concerning likeness in virtue and holiness, rare is the one who is likened to him. 10 delivering the poor from the hand of those stronger than he. If the likeness is taken on the basis of this action, it signifies rarity. God delivers the poor and the needy from the hand of those stronger than he. And in the case of men, such as rulers, rich 212 powers and the devil himself. God alone, therefore, delivers from these. But if, as I said, one delivers from practical matters, even the rare one can do this; for to deliver from those who are lesser is not a great thing. Those who raged against Susanna seemed to be stronger than her; for they were rulers and judges, but she was a woman living in seclusion and a private person. And God delivered her from those who were stronger. And this must be known: everyone who is weaker than another is in this respect poor, the one who is not able to help himself, the one who is not able to assist himself and get himself out of the surrounding circumstance. 10 and the poor and the needy from those who plunder him. And it especially happens that the same subject is both poor and needy. If one is without wealth, he is poor; if by laboring he provides for himself, he is needy; for "the rich have become poor." If, then, you interpret these things allegorically, you take the man from the Jews who believed as the poor one, and as the needy one the one who has no hope, but is also godless. 11 Unjust witnesses rose up; they asked me things I did not know. The unjust witnesses question someone about things he does not know, against whom they wish to testify. But here "what I did not know," "3what I had not experienced"3. The term "not to know" sometimes signifies ignorance; "but at that time, not knowing God," denotes ignorance. But it also signifies not to have experienced, as when I say: "him who knew no sin," him who was not tempted by sin. In some way, therefore, he knows it; he understands its nature. But he does not know it by not having practiced it. Thus, at any rate, it is also said of wives and simply of women that: "3he knew her not"3, "3he knew her"3. Here it signifies the experience. "And Adam knew Eve his wife." This was said at the time when they had come together; for it added: "and having conceived, she gave birth." Unjust witnesses, therefore, are those who say things against someone which do not belong to him. Such is also this: "When the wicked one turned away from me, I did not know." 12 They repaid me evil for good, and childlessness to my soul. They ought to have known that for their own good I was not persuaded, nor did I know what they ask; for they were about to be punished, and for this reason for

136

φίλον. 9 τερφθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ σωτηρίῳ αὐτοῦ. σωτήριον ἐνταῦθα τὴν σωτηρίαν λέγει· πολλαχοῦ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριον τὴν σωτηρίαν σημαίνει. ἔστιν δὲ ὅτε καὶ τὸ ποιητικὸν τῆς σωτηρίας οὕτω καλεῖται, ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ· "εἴδοσαν τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν", ἀντὶ τοῦ "3τὸν σωτῆρα"3. "τέρπεται" οὖν ἡ ψυχὴ "ἐπὶ τῷ σωτηρίῳ". οὐ ζητεῖ ἄλλοθεν σωτηρίαν ἢ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ σῴζοντος σωτηρίαν αἰώνιον· "Ἰσραὴλ" γὰρ "σῴζεται ὑπὸ κυρίου σωτηρίαν αἰώνιον". 10 πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσιν Κύριε, κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; πρώτη θε̣ολογι´̣α ε᾿̣σ̣τὶν τὸ γνῶναι, τίς ἐστιν ἡ θεοῦ ἁγιότης καὶ τίς δύναται ἢ ὁμοιωθῆναι ἢ οὐ δύναται. προσάπτει οὖν ταύτην τη`̣ν θεολογίαν καὶ τὴν θεογνωσίαν τοῖς ὀστοῖς ἑαυτοῦ, ἐξ οὗ παρίσταται ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῶν ὀστέων ἑαυτοῦ λε´̣γει τούτων τῶν διακρατούντων τὰ μέλη τὰ ἄλλα τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὰς σάρκας καὶ τὰ νεῦρα, ἀλλὰ τῶν εὐτόνων δυν̣άμεων, ὧν πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν ὅτι αὐτοῦ ὀστᾶ τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου εἰσίν. "πάντα" οὖν "τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσιν"· τὰ εὔτονα δόγματα, αἱ εὔτονοί μου κινήσεις, καθ' ὃ γιγνώσκω καὶ ἐπίσταμαι, ὁμολογοῦσιν τὸν θεὸν ὅτι οὐδεὶς τῶν γενητῶν ὅμοιος αὐτῷ τυγχάνει. ἐπερ · τὸ "3τίς"3 πῶς; -ἐπὶ ἀδυνάτου, ω῾̣ς τό· "ὁ θεός, τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι"; ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ οὐ λαμβάνομεν τοῦτο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπὶ μέλλοντι ἔχει τὴν ὁμοίωσιν, ἀλλὰ "χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως" ὢν ἀιδίως ὅμοιός ἐστιν. ἑκάτερα οὖν δύναται λημφθῆναι· ἐὰν περὶ τῆς ὁμοιώσεως τῆς οὐσιώδους, οὐδεὶς ὁμοιοῦται αὐτῷ. ἐὰν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ ἀρετὴν καὶ ἁγιότητα, σπάνιος ὁ ὁμοιούμενος αὐτῷ. 10 ῥυόμενος πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς στερεωτέρων αὐτοῦ. ἐὰν ἐπὶ ταύτης λαμβάνηται τῆς πράξεως ἡ ὁμοιότης, τ̣ὸ σπάνιον σημαίνει. θεὸς ῥύεται πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα ἐκ χειρὸς στερεωτέρων αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἷον ἀρχόντων, πλουσι 212 δυνάμεων καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ διαβόλου. μόνος οὖν θεὸς ῥύεται ἐκ τούτων. ἐὰν δέ, ὡς εἶπον, ἀπὸ πρακτικῶν ῥύηται, καὶ ὁ σπάνιος δύναται τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἐξ ἐλαττόνων γὰρ ῥύσασθαι οὐ μέγα ἐστίν. οἱ κατὰ Σωσάννης μανέντες ἐδόκουν εἶναι στερεώτεροι αὐτῆς· ἄρχοντες γὰρ ἦσαν καὶ κριταί, ἐκείνη δὲ γυνὴ θαλαμευομένη καὶ ἰδιῶτις. καὶ ἐρύσατο ἐκ τῶν στερεωτέρων ὁ θεός. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἰστέον· πᾶς ὁ ἀσθενέστερός τινος κατὰ τοῦτο πτωχός ἐστιν, ὁ μὴ δυνάμενος ἑαυτῷ ἀρήγειν, ὁ μὴ οἷός τε ἑαυτῷ βοηθεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν ἑαυτὸν ἔξω τῆς περιεστώσης περιστάσεως. 10 καὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα ἀπὸ τῶν διαρπαζόντων αὐτόν. συμβαίνει δὲ μάλιστα κατ' ὑποκείμενον τὸν αυ᾿̣τὸν καὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα εἶναι. εἰ μὲν ἔξω πλούτου ἐστίν, πτωχός, εἰ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πονεῖν ἐπαρκεῖ ἑαυτῷ, πένης· "πλούσιοι" γὰρ "ἐπτώχευσαν". ἐὰν οὖν ἀνάγῃς ταῦτα, λαμβάνεις τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πιστεύσαντα τὸν πτωχόν, πένητα δὲ τὸν ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄθεον ὄντα. 11 ἀναστάντες μάρτυρες ἄδικοι ἃ οὐκ ἐγίγνωσκον ἠρώτων με. οἱ ἄδικοι μάρτυρες ἃ οὐ γιγνώσκει ὁ ᾧ θέλουσιν μαρτυρῆσαι ἐπερωτῶσιν αὐτόν. ὧδε δὲ "ἃ οὐκ ἐγίγνωσκον", "3ἃ οὐκ ἐπειράθην"3. τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μὴ γιγνώσκειν σημαίνει ποτὲ τὴν ἄγνοιαν· "ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες θεόν", τὴν ἄγνοιαν δηλοῖ. σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ πεπειρᾶσθαι, ὡς ἐὰν λέγω· "τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν", τὸν μὴ πειραθέντα ἁμαρτίας. κατά τι οὖν γιγνώσκει αὐτήν· τὴν φύσιν αὐτῆς ἐπίσταται. οὐ γιγνώςκει δὲ αὐτὴν μὴ χρησάμενος αὐτῇ. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ γαμετῶν καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς γυναικῶν λέγεται ὅτι· "3οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν"3, "3ἔγνω αὐτήν"3. τὴν πεῖραν ὧδε σημαίνει. "ἔγνω δὲ Ἀδὰμ Εὕαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ". τότε ἐλέχθη τοῦτο ὅτε συνελήλυθεν· ἐπήγαγεν γάρ· "καὶ συνλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν". ἄδικοι οὖν μάρτυρές εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες κατά τινος ἃ μὴ πρόσεστιν ἐκείνῳ. τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν καὶ τό· "ἐκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ οὐκ ἐγίγνωσκον". 12 ἀνταπέδοσάν μοι πονηρὰ ἀντὶ καλῶν καὶ ἀτεκνίαν τῇ ψυχῇ μου. ἔδει αὐτοὺς γνῶναι ὅτι πρὸς καλοῦ αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐπείσθην οὐδὲ ἔγνων ἃ ἐρωτῶσιν· ἔμελλον γὰρ κολάζεσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπ'