178

having been revealed. And see in what way David appears to act with confidence in the present matters; but in the first part of the Psalms he said: For my iniquities have gone over my head, like a heavy burden they were made heavy upon me. My bruises have become foul and rotten because of my foolishness. These things and things similar to them he confessed in the preceding [psalms]; but in the present one he says: It is neither my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord, without iniquity I ran and directed my course. You will understand the course which David ran, by comparing the apostolic voice through which he said: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. Awake to meet me, and behold, even thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. As a good runner and an excellent competitor fighting the good fight, on which matters he spoke boldly, saying: It is neither my iniquity, nor my sin; without iniquity I ran and directed my course; he rouses the judge of the contest to the sight of his own virtue, and deems him worthy to see how his deeds are in harmony with the words that were spoken. This is also shown from the history, in which he appears to have suffered countless things from Saul, but having himself done nothing harmful against him, and on the contrary, having immediately saved him when he was often captured. And when the evil spirit was choking him, David appeared as a savior to him, playing on the instrument, and by the power of the divine Spirit in him driving out the opposing power in Saul. Therefore, showing his own forbearance and meekness and endurance to God he said: It is neither my iniquity, and so on. Awake to meet me, and behold. Then, having next used such great confidence, he is enlightened by the prophetic spirit, and is taught that there will indeed be a time in which the Christ of God will also be persecuted, and will be plotted against by the nation of the Jews, and he will become savior and bishop of all the nations; at which time the achievements and virtues of David himself also will be sung and proclaimed among all the nations. And having known this by the suggestion of the Holy Spirit, he prays for this time to come at last. Therefore he says next: And thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, attend to visit all the nations. For Israel, who was formerly called your people, having obtained many benefits, and having been deemed worthy of many good things, has shown no fruit worthy of you; but always and at all times has fallen into all kinds of impieties, at one time practicing idolatry, at another killing your prophets; and finally even laying hands on your Christ. But having learned beforehand from your Spirit wonderful things concerning the conversion of the nations, I rightly pray for that time to come, knowing that with you there is no partiality. But governing all things with justice, you know how to save even foreign and alien nations that are turning from error; you also know how to pursue those who are considered to be of your portion, if they should be found unworthy of such a calling. Therefore, concerning the nations I pray, saying: Attend to visit all the nations; but concerning the other part I say: Have no 23.540 mercy on all those who work iniquity. And by saying indefinitely, "all", he includes Israel as well, and those among them who have long been such. For what advantage was it, he says, to Saul, being by race from Israel, and of the tribe of Benjamin, and being established as king of so great a nation, when he attempted so many things rashly and in vain against one who had done no wrong? If, therefore, others should ever come to be, thinking and doing things similar to Saul, it is not necessary for them to be saved on account of this, because they are considered to be of your portion; just as, conversely, among the foreign nations, if some should be found well-disposed toward salvation, nothing would prevent them from obtaining your oversight according to the principle of justice. Therefore I say:

178

δηλωθέντες. Καὶ θέα τίνα τρόπον ἐπὶ μὲν τοῖς προκειμένοις παῤῥησίαν ἄγων ὁ ∆αυῒδ φαίνεται· ἐν δὲ τῷ πρώτῳ μέρει τῶν Ψαλμῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὅτι αἱ ἀνομίαι μου ὑπερῆραν τὴν κεφαλήν μου, ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια ἐξωμολογεῖτο διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος φησίν· Οὔτε ἡ ἀνομία μου, οὔτε ἡ ἁμαρτία μου, Κύριε, ἄνευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατηύθυνα. Νοήσεις δὲ τὸν δρόμον, ὃν ἔτρεχε ∆αυῒδ, παραθεὶς τὴν ἀποστολικὴν φωνὴν δι' ἧς ἔλεγε· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος. Ἐξεγέρθητι εἰς συνάντησίν μου καὶ ἴδε, καὶ σὺ, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ. Ὡς ἀγαθὸς δρομεὺς καὶ ἀγωνιστὴς ἄριστος τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἐφ' οἷς ἐπαῤῥησιάσατο εἰπών· Οὔτε ἡ ἀνομία μου, οὔτε ἡ ἁμαρτία μου· ἄνευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατηύθυνα· διεγείρει τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς, καὶ ἰδεῖν ἀξιοῖ ὅπως τοῖς εἰρημένοις λόγοις σύμφωνα ᾖ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔργα, ∆είκνυται δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας, ἐν ᾗ μυρία μὲν πεπονηκὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ φαίνεται, οὐδὲν δὲ αὐτὸς κατ' αὐτοῦ λυπηρὸν δράσας, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἐναντίου πολλάκις ἁλόντα αὐτὸν διασώσας αὐτίκα. Καὶ ὅτε τὸ πονηρὸν πνεῦμα ἔπνιγεν αὐτὸν, σωτὴρ αὐτῷ παρεφαίνετο ∆αυῒδ, ἀνακρουόμενος μὲν τῷ ὀργάνῳ, δυνάμει δὲ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ θείου Πνεύματος τὴν ἐν τῷ Σαοὺλ ἐναντίαν δύναμιν ἐλαύνων. Τὸ ἀνεξίκακον τοίνυν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸ πρᾶον, καὶ τὸ ὑπομονητικὸν δεικνὺς τῷ Θεῷ ἔλεγεν· Οὔτε ἡ ἀνομία μου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐξεγέρθητι εἰς συνάντησίν μου, καὶ ἴδε. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς τοσαύτῃ χρησάμενος παῤῥησίᾳ, φωτίζεται ὑπὸ τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ διδάσκεται, ὡς ἄρα ἔσται τις καιρὸς ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ διωχθήσεται, καὶ ἐπιβουλευθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, σωτήρ τε καὶ ἐπίσκοπος τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων γενήσεται· ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ τὰ κατορθώματα καὶ αἱ ἀρεταὶ ᾀσθήσονται καὶ βοηθήσονται ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Καὶ τοῦτο γνοὺς καθ' ὑποβολὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἐπιστῆναί ποτε τοῦτον εὔχεται τὸν καιρόν. ∆ιὸ ἑξῆς φησι· Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, πρόσχες ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ σὸς χρηματίσας πρότερος λαὸς, πολλῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τετυχηκὼς, καὶ πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀξιωθεὶς, οὐδένα σου ἄξιον ἐπεδείξατο καρπόν· ἀεὶ δὲ καὶ πάντοτε παντοίαις ὑποπέπτωκεν ἀσεβείαις, τοτὲ μὲν εἰδωλολατρῶν, τοτὲ δὲ τοὺς σοὺς προφήτας ἀναιρῶν· τέλος δὲ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ σου χεῖρας ἐπιβαλών. Θαυμαστὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ Πνεύματος προμαθὼν περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιστροφῆς, εἰκότως ἐπιστῆναι τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον εὔχομαι, εἰδὼς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ σοὶ προσωποληψία. ∆ικαιοσύνῃ δὲ τὰ πάντα διέπων, οἶδας καὶ ἔθνη ἀλλόφυλα καὶ ἀλλογενῆ τῆς πλάνης ἐπιστρέφοντα σώζειν· οἶδας καὶ τοὺς νομιζομένους τῆς σῆς εἶναι μερίδος, εἰ ἀνάξιοι εὑρίσκοιντο, τῆς τοιαύτης κλήσεως μετέρχεσθαι. ∆ιὸ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἐθνῶν εὔχομαι λέγων· Πρόσχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἑτέρου μέρους φημί· Μὴ οἰ 23.540 κτειρήσῃς πάντας τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν. Λέγων δὲ ἀδιορίστως, πάντας, καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ συμπαραλαμβάνει, καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ πάλαι γενομένους τοιούτους. Τί γὰρ καὶ πλέον γέγονε, φησὶ, τῷ Σαοὺλ, τὸ μὲν γένος ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁρμωμένῳ, καὶ φυλῆς Βενιαμὶν, βασιλεῖ δὲ τοῦ τοσούτου ἔθνους καθισταμένῳ, τοσαῦτα δὲ εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην κατὰ τοῦ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότος ἐπιχειροῦντι; Εἰ δὲ οὖν τὰ ἀδελφὰ τῷ Σαοὺλ φρονοῦντές τε καὶ πράττοντες γένοιντό ποτε ἕτεροι, οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο σώζεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἀνάγκη διὰ τὸ νομίζεσθαι τῆς σῆς μερίδος εἶναι· ὡς ἔμπαλιν ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἔθνεσιν, εἰ εὑρίσκοιντό τινες ἐπιτηδείως ἔχοντες πρὸς σωτηρίαν, οὐδὲν ἂν κωλύοι τῆς σῆς ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτοὺς τυχεῖν κατὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον. ∆ιό φημι·