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should use them wrongly, he eats the flesh of the serpent. And the flesh of the serpent is godless doctrines, it is great sins; for just as the body of Jesus is completed by doctrines, as he says: "puffed up in vain" by "the mind of his flesh and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, being joined and knit together, grows with a growth that is from God." This he says: the one having a carnal mind, that is, the one who approaches carnally and sensually, has his mind, being flesh, puffed up in vain, and does not hold fast to the head of the doctrines, he does not hold fast to the Savior himself, who is the head of the doctrines. And the great theological matters are the head of such a body, "from whom the body, being joined and knit together through every joint and ligament, grows with a growth that is from God." Thus, then, we too, when more arguments and many chapters have their reference to one thing, say that the word has been embodied. If we take it that the soul’s masticatory powers, we are saying something true, but not to the present purpose. And if you take this also, that some people sometimes use these masticatory powers conspiratorially according to: "But if you bite and devour one another," and; "those who devour Israel with open mouth," these also refer to punishment, and it can also be understood thus, that: "they gnashed their teeth at me"; they gnashed these teeth, and for this reason they will suffer their shattering; for "you have broken the teeth of the wicked." 17 O Lord, how long will you look on? When will you take heed so as to hinder them, and put me outside of harm's way? For we have often said that "3you will look on"3 and "3you will see"3 signifies long-suffering by being silent. "O Lord, how long will you look upon"? For if you would look upon, you will both do good to me by looking upon me and having mercy on me, and you will put them outside of their zeal for evil, so that I may neither be harmed by them nor they remain any longer in the beastly wickedness they still practice. 17 Restore my soul from their wrongdoing. He spoke of many enemies pressing upon him and treating him very badly. And from the beginning of the psalm this is presented: "Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me," and what follows: "And how long have you seen it, O Lord"? "They gnashed their teeth at me." "Scourges were gathered against me, and I did not know." He says, therefore, that: Put my soul outside of them; for it was outside of them; for this the name of restoration commemorates. No one going to a place where he has never been is said to be restored, but one who has come from some homeland to another homeland or from a place to another place. He says therefore that: They wished to ensnare my soul, it being holy, to subject it to corruption. Then it is restored from the wrongdoing of the wicked, when it suffers nothing from them, when it is not made like them. Susanna was brought up in chastity and was very chaste, having been instructed according to the law of Moses. Insofar as it concerned the elders who attacked her, she was caught in adultery. She too pleaded, saying: "3Restore my soul"3, lead it back to the same chastity from the wrongdoing of these men. And anyone who is plotted against will say these things. And the soul of the martyrs was restored, having been tempted in nothing. That "to be restored" signifies this, he says in one of the psalms: "You are the one who restores my inheritance to me." According to this meaning we say that man was restored 221 to paradise, because entrance there became available to him, when the one who repented heard: "Today you will be with me in paradise." "Restore," therefore, "my soul." To such a degree have they done wrong as to have become like wild beasts against me. 17 from lions my only one. "Restore from lions my only one." He calls his own soul his only one. He had it as his only one, he had it alone. It is not possible for more
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κακῶς αὐταῖς χρήσοιτο, ἐσθίει τὰς σάρκας τοῦ δράκοντος. αἱ σάρκες δὲ τοῦ δράκοντος δόγματα ἄθεά εἰσιν, ἁμαρτίαι μεγάλαι εἰσίν· ὡς γὰρ συνπληροῦται Ἰησοῦ σῶμα ἐκ τῶν δογμάτων, ὡς λέγει ὅτι· "εἰκῆ φυσιούμενος" σπουδῇ "νοὸς σαρκὸς καὶ μὴ κρατῶν τὴν κεφαλήν, ἐξ οὗ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα συναρμολογούμενον αὔξει τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ θεοῦ". τοῦτο λέγει· ὁ σάρκινον ἔχων νοῦν, τουτέστιν ὁ σαρκίνως καὶ αἰσθητῶς προσιέμενος, εἰκῆ φυσιούμενον ἔχει τὸν νοῦν σάρκα ὄντα, καὶ οὐ κρατεῖ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν δογμάτων, οὐ κρατεῖ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος, ὅς ἐστιν τῶν δογμάτων κεφαλή. καὶ τὰ μεγάλα δὲ τῶν θεολογουμένων κεφαλὴ τοῦ τοιούτου σώματός ἐστιν, "ἐξ οὗ συναρμολογούμενον τὸ σῶμα διὰ πάσης ἁφῆς καὶ συνδέσμων αὔξει τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ θεοῦ". οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν πλείονες λόγοι καὶ κεφάλαια πολλὰ εἰς ἓν ἔχωσιν τὴν ἀναφοράν, λέγομεν σεσωματοποιῆσθαι τὸν λόγον. ἐὰν λάβωμεν ὅτι αἱ μασητικαὶ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις, ἀληθὲς μέν τι λέγομεν, οὐ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον δέ. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο λάβῃς, ὅτι χρῶνταί ποτε ταῖς μασητικαῖς ταύταις δυνάμεσίν τινες ἐπιβουλευτικῶς κατὰ τό· "εἰ δὲ ἀλλήλους δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε", καί· "τοὺς κατεσθίοντας τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ὅλῳ τῷ στόματι", καὶ αὗται ἀναφέρουσιν κόλασιν, καὶ δύναται καὶ οὕτω νοηθῆναι ὅτι· "ἔβρυξαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τοὺς ὀδόντας"· τούτους τοὺς ὀδόντας ἔβρυξαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συντριβὴν αὐτῶν ὑποστήσονται· "ὀδόντας" γὰρ "ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας". 17 κύριε, πότε ἐφόψῃ; πότε ἐπισκέψῃ ὥστε ἐκείνους μὲν κωλῦσαι, ἐμὲ δὲ ἔξω ποιῆσαι τῶν βλαβῶν; τὸ γὰρ "3ἐφόψῃ"3 καὶ "3ὄψῃ"3 πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν ὅτι τὴν μακροθυμίαν σημαίνει τὸ παρασιωπῆσαι. "κύριε, πότε ἐφίδοις"; ἐὰν γὰρ ἐφίδοις, καὶ ἐμὲ εὐεργετήσεις ἐπιβλέψας ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐλεήσας με, κἀκείνους ἐκτὸς ποιήσεις τῆς σπουδῆς τῆς εἰς τὸ κακόν, ὥστε μηδὲ ἐμὲ βλαβῆναι ὑπ' αὐτῶν μηδὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνμεῖναι ἔτι τῇ κακίᾳ τῇ θηριώδει ἣν ἐπιτηδεύουσιν ἔτι. 17 ἀποκατάστησον τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ τῆς κακουργίας αὐτῶν. εἶπεν ἐπικειμένους πολεμίους πολλοὺς καὶ πολλὰ αὐτὸν κακωτικῶς διαθέντας. καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τοῦτο παρίσταται· "δίκασον, κύριε, τοὺς ἀδικοῦντάς με, πολέμησον τοὺς πολεμοῦντάς με", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· "καὶ ἕως οὗ εἶδες, κύριε"; "ἔβρυξαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῶν". "συνήχθησαν κ̣ατ' ἐμοῦ μάστιγες, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνων". λέγει οὖν ὅτι· ἔξω αὐτῶν ποίησόν μου τὴν ψυχήν· καὶ γὰρ ἔξω ἦν αὐτῶν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως ὄνομα μνημονεύει. οὐδεὶς ὑπάγων εἰς τόπον, ἔνθα οὐδέποτε γέγονεν, λέγεται ἀποκαθίστασθαι, ἀλλὰ ὁ ἐλθὼν ἔκ τινος πατρίδος ἐπ' ἄλλην πατρίδα ἢ ἐκ τόπου εἰς ἕτερον τόπον. λέγει οὖν ὅτι· τὴν ψυχήν μου ἁγίαν οὖσαν ἠθέλησαν παγιδεῦσαι, διαφθορᾷ αὐτὴν ὑποβαλεῖν. τότε δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς κακουργίας τῶν πονηρῶν ἀποκαθίσταται, ὅταν μηδὲν ὑπ' αὐτῶν πάθῃ, ὅταν μὴ ποιωθῇ κατ' αὐτούς. ἡ Σωσάννα ἐπὶ σωφροσύνῃ ἀνετράφη καὶ ἄγαν ἦν σώφρων παιδευθεῖσα κατὰ τὸν νόμον Μωσέως. τὸ ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τοὺς ἐπιθεμένους αὐτῇ πρεσβυτέρους ἑάλω μοιχείᾳ. παρεκάλεσεν κἀκείνη λέγουσα· "3ἀποκατάστησον τὴν ψυχήν μου"3, εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν σωφροσύνην ἄγαγε ἀπὸ τῆς τούτων κακουργίας. ταῦτα ἐρεῖ καὶ πᾶς τις ἐπιβουλευόμενος. καὶ ἡ τῶν μαρτύρων δὲ ψυχὴ ἀπεκατέστη ἐν μηδενὶ πειρασθεῖσα. ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἀποκαταστῆναι τοῦτο σημαίνει, ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν ψαλμῶν λέγει· "σὺ εἶ ὁ ἀποκαθιστῶν τὴν κληρονομίαν μου ἐμοί". κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον λέγομεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποκατεστάσθαι 221 εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ὅτι γέγονεν αὐτῷ εἴσοδος ἐκεῖ, ὅτε ἤκουσεν ὁ μετανοήσας· "σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ". "ἀποκατάστησον" οὖν "τὴν ψυχήν μου". εἰς τοσοῦτόν εἰσιν κακουργήσαντες ὡς θῆρες ἄγριοι κατ' ἐμοῦ γεγενῆσθαι. 17 ἀπὸ λεόντων τὴν μονογενῆν μου. "ἀποκατάστησον ἀπὸ λεόντων τὴν μονογενῆν μου". τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ μονογενῆ λέγει. μονογενῆν αὐτὴν ἔσχεν, μόνην αὐτὴν ἔσχεν. οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν πλειόνων