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having been made distant by his own son, who is also his hand from which he thrust them away according to the saying They were thrust away from your hand. Wherefore also, announcing the reason for their having been made distant from him, he says They made me an abomination to themselves. For having become sinners, the Jews considered piety an abomination; For piety is an abomination to a sinner. Therefore they also made the initiator of this an abomination to themselves, though he was not such. I was delivered up and I did not go forth. For the savior, having been delivered up by them to death, did not immediately go forth, leaving them, but still remained with them in providing a way of repentance. For he knew them to be discerning, so as even to be called his eyes who also grew weak so as no longer to see him. For this reason he says My eyes have grown weak from poverty. For the cause of their weakness became spiritual poverty, which they desired to have, also taking everything that was written literally. But how the discerning of Israel can be his eyes, will be clear to you if you pay attention to the words 'But you are the body of Christ and members in part.' For just as those who have believed according to the gospel complete the body of Christ, so that the discerning are eyes, and the understanding hearers are ears, and furthermore the active are called hands, so also before the advent, those who attended to the scriptures were the body of the word of God according to the aforementioned analogy. 875 Ps 87,11-13 It can be read as a question thus: will you work wonders for the dead, who are senseless and have lost the ability to perceive? For these things are done for those who perceive and are able to wonder likewise, not for the giants who fight against God, who are impious toward God and for this reason are unrepentant. For no one will pray for them. A resurrection will be for confessing to you. For they are not of a nature to confess, since they are fighters against God. But here he does not mean the resurrection commonly understood (for all will partake of this), but the one which occurs according to repentance, of which it is said 'Does not he who falls rise again?' It is possible for 'Will you work wonders for the dead' to be a declaration. as if to say 'You will not work wonders for those who have been made dead by attending to other gods, since not even the giants, being fighters against God, will be raised up to confess.' For no one, he says, will declare your mercy, which is announced to the living who long to be shown mercy, to those who are in despair and already hidden in tombs, nor would anyone speak your truth to those who do the works of destruction and for this reason are called destruction. For the word declares mercy to those who are by nature to be shown mercy (and these are they who show mercy to their neighbors; for 'Blessed,' he says, 'are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy'), but also the truth not in destruction but among those who have passed from it and reached salvation. 'Will your wonders be known in the darkness.' Those who are held by excessive evil and ignorance are darkness. For 'you were darkness' has been said to some but also a forgotten and unremembered land is the heart filled with thorns, which are pleasures and worldly cares. Therefore the wonders of truth will not be known in these, who are darkness, nor indeed practical justice and ethical virtue in those who have become a forgotten land because of the thorns. 876 Ps 87,15 It is fitting for the boldness of Jesus to say 'Why, Lord, do you reject my prayer?' For there is no reason why you reject my prayer and turn your face from me, since I have in no way sinned; therefore, having received my prayer, lead everyone to salvation, for whom I intercede, shining your face upon them. 877 Ps 87,16 When for our sake he became poor, though he was rich, and he toiled for us, laboring for our salvation, he will say the preceding, not saying he is poor once for all but from his youth. For being rich and in the form of God, having emptied himself in the present age he became poor, from when he was born and began to have age; and having been lifted up on the cross and

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μακρὰν πεποιηκότος αὐτοὺς τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ, ος καὶ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχει ἀφ' ης ἀπώσατο αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸ Αὐτοὶ ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου ἀπώσθησαν. οθεν καὶ τὴν πρόφασιν τοῦ μεμακρῦνθαι αὐτοὺς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγέλλων φησὶν Εθεντό με βδέλυγμα ἑαυτοῖς. ἁμαρτωλοὶ γὰρ γενόμενοι οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι βδελυκτὴν τὴν θεοσέβειαν ἡγοῦντο· Βδέλυγμα γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῷ θεοσέβεια. διὸ καὶ τὸν ταύτης μυσταγωγὸν βδέλυγμα ἑαυτοῖς εθεντο οὐκ οντα τοιοῦτον. Παρεδόθην καὶ οὐκ ἐξεπορευόμην. οὐ γὰρ εὐθὺς παραδοθεὶς ὑπ' αὐτῶν εἰς θάνατον ὁ σωτὴρ ἐξεπορεύθη, καταλιμπάνων αὐτοὺς ετι παραμένων αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ παρέχειν μετανοίας τρόπον. ῃδει γὰρ αὐτοὺς διορατικοὺς ειναι, ὡς καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ λέγεσθαι οι καὶ ἠσθένησαν ὡς μηκέθ' ὁρᾶν αὐτόν. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἠσθένησαν ἀπὸ πτωχείας. αἰτία γὰρ τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτοῖς ἡ πνευματικὴ πτωχεία γεγένηται, ην εχειν ἐπεπόθησαν καὶ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα πάντα τὰ γεγραμμένα ἐκλαμβάνοντες. πῶς δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ διορατικοὶ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ειναι δύνανται, εσται σοι σαφῶς ἐπιστήσαντι τῷ ̔Υμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους. ὡς γὰρ οἱ πιστεύσαντες κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον συμπληροῦσι τὸ Χριστοῦ σῶμα, ὡς τοὺς μὲν διορατικοὺς ειναι ὀφθαλμούς, τοὺς δὲ συνετοὺς ἀκροατὰς ωτα, ετι μὴν τοὺς πρακτικοὺς χεῖρας καλεῖσθαι, ουτω καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας οἱ ταῖς γραφαῖς ἐπανέχοντες σῶμα τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ὑπῆρχον κατὰ τὴν εἰρημένην ἀναλογίαν. 875 Ps 87,11-13 ∆ύναται πεῦσις ἀναγινώσκεσθαι ουτως· μὴ τοῖς ἀναισθητοῦσι καὶ τὸ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι ἀπολέλασι νεκροῖς ουσι ποιήσεις θαυμάσια; ταῦτα γὰρ τοῖς αἰσθανομένοις καὶ θαυμάσαι δυναμένοις γίνεται ὁμοίως, μὴ τοῖς θεομάχοις γίγασιν εἰς θεὸν ἀσεβοῦσι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀμετανοήτως εχουσιν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτῶν. ̓Ανάστασις εσται ἐπὶ τῷ ἐξομολογήσασθαί σοι. οὐ γὰρ πεφύκασι ῃ θεομάχοι τυγχάνουσιν ἐξομολογεῖσθαι. ἀνάστασιν δ' ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν κοινοτέραν νοουμένην λέγει (πάντες γὰρ μεθέξουσι ταύτης), ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ μετάνοιαν γινομένην καθ' ην λέγεται Μήτι ὁ πεσὼν οὐκ ἀνίσταται; ∆υνατὸν ἀπόφασιν ειναι Μὴ τοῖς νεκροῖς ποιήσεις θαυμάσια· μόνον οὐχὶ λέγων Μὴ τοῖς νεκρωθεῖσι τῷ αλλοις θεοῖς προσέχειν ποιήσεις θαυμάσια, ἐπείπερ οὐδὲ γίγαντες διὰ τοῦ θεομαχεῖν οντες ἀναστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ἐξομολογήσασθαι. οὐδεὶς γάρ φησι τοῖς ἀπελπισθεῖσι καὶ ηδη ἐν τάφοις συγκεκρυμμένοις διηγήσεται τὸ ελεός σου ἀπαγγελλόμενον τοῖς ζῶσι καὶ ἐλεηθῆναι ποθοῦσιν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ειποιεν αν τις τοῖς ἀπωλείας εργα ποιοῦσι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπώλειαν ὀνομαζομένοις. διηγεῖται γὰρ ὁ λόγος τὸ ελεος τοῖς πεφυκόσιν ἐλεεῖσθαι (ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ ἐλεοῦντες τοὺς πέλας· Μακάριοι γάρ φησιν οἱ ἐλεήμονες, οτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται), ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς μεταστᾶσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ σωτηρίαν ἐφθακόσιν. Μὴ γνωσθήσεται ἐν τῷ σκότει τὰ θαυμάσια. οἱ ὑπὸ περιττῆς κακίας καὶ ἀγνοίας κεκρατημένοι σκότος εἰσίν. ητε γὰρ σκότος πρός τινας ειρηται ἀλλὰ καὶ γῆ ἐπιλελησμένη καὶ ἀμνημόνευτος ἡ καρδία ἡ ἀκανθῶν πεπληρωμένη οὐσῶν ἡδονῶν καὶ μεριμνῶν βιωτικῶν. οὐ γνωσθήσεται ουν ἐν τούτοις σκότος ουσι τὰ θαυμάσια τῆς ἀληθείας ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ πρακτικὴ καὶ ἠθικὴ ἀρετὴ ἐν τοῖς διὰ τὰς ἀκάνθας γενομένοις ἐπιλελησμένη γῆ. 876 Ps 87,15 ̔Αρμόζει τῇ ̓Ιησοῦ παρρησίᾳ τὸ εἰπεῖν Ινα τί, κύριε, ἀπωθεῖς τὴν προσευχήν μου; οὐ γάρ ἐστιν αιτιόν τι δι' ο ἀπωθεῖς τὴν προσευχήν μου καὶ ἀποστρέφεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οὐδαμῶς μου ἡμαρτηκότος· διὸ προσδεξάμενός μου τὴν εὐχὴν πάντας εἰς σωτηρίαν αγαγε, ὑπὲρ ων πρεσβεύομαι, ἐπιλάμπων αὐτοῖς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου. 877 Ps 87,16 Οτε δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ων ἐπόνησέ τε ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κάμνων ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας, ἐρεῖ τὸ προκείμενον, οὐ καθάπαξ λέγων πτωχὸς ειναι ἀλλ' ἐκ νεότητος. πλούσιος γὰρ καὶ ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων ἑαυτὸν κενώσας ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι πτωχὸς γέγονεν, ἐξότε ἐτέχθη καὶ ἡλικίαν εχειν ηρξατο· ὑψωθεὶς δ' ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ