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being stretched, in order to be delivered from all these things. But especially the aforesaid try to shoot down the simple and guileless; wherefore it has been said: "They have bent their bow, a bitter thing, to shoot in secret at the blameless." And he calls the innocent man blameless, describing the slander against those who have done no wrong. But instead of, "blameless," Aquila has interpreted it "simple." For such men especially try to shoot down the simple and innocent of evil; wherefore he adds: "Suddenly they shall shoot at him, and shall not be afraid." For these, watching for their opportunity, come upon the blameless, or the simple and sincere, all at once and unexpectedly. Wherefore the Apostle, writing somewhere to such people, says: "I fear lest, as the serpent deceived Eve, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." For they could never overthrow one whose soul is fortified, those aforesaid, "who have whetted their tongues like a sword, and have bent their bow, a bitter thing, to shoot in secret at the blameless;" or, "to shoot in secret at the simple. Suddenly they shall shoot at him, and shall not be afraid." And see how he says they will shoot at him, but not at me who say these things; but the simple, that is, the guileless and sincere, and even a little one, as one might say, being one of those about whom the Savior taught, saying: "Do not despise one of the little ones in my Church;" and, "Whoever shall cause one of the little ones to stumble, it is better for him to be cast into the sea." For there too the Savior introduces not a great one being scandalized, but the little one in the Church, just as here the simple one. Therefore the enemies do not even dare to approach the great, nor those who are wise with God; but they especially hunt the simple and sincere. Wherefore David, having mentioned the enemies, has also shown about whom these are especially accustomed to be occupied. "They strengthened for themselves an evil word; they spoke of hiding snares." Having said before, figuratively, that the enemies of the soul whet their sword and bend their bows, he shows more clearly through the present words what the sword was, and what the bow is, saying: "They strengthened for themselves an evil word." For not having received a word from God, but having fabricated and composed it for themselves, they strengthened it. Such are the slanderers, and those who try to strengthen and confirm the false opinions which they have painted and fabricated for themselves. Then, seeing that the evil word which they strengthened for themselves is 23.621 unsound, they do not put it forward naked, but they sur23.621 round it on the outside with snares, hiding the plot against those they scheme against through certain sophistries and fallacies; for thus they suppose they will be uncatchable and unhunted. Wherefore "they said" in themselves: "Who shall see them?" and, "they have searched out iniquities." For having sought, they found nothing useful from the divine law; but they devised iniquities for themselves. But according to Symmachus, "all have searched out iniquities;" and on these things, having sought much and devised countless things among themselves, but in the end finding nothing true, they failed, having gained nothing more from their great searching. Wherefore it has been said: "They have failed in their searching of searches." David described such men as these as enemies and adversaries, from whom he prayed that his soul might be delivered, certain searchers, and seekers of iniquity. For such men would truly be murderers of the soul; wherefore indeed he especially called upon God as a helper against such men, holding of no account the visible enemies and those who array themselves against bodies. "A man shall come with a deep heart, and God shall be exalted. An arrow of infants," and so on. For the enemies of the soul, having fenced themselves in with evil words, and having hidden their snares, and searching out iniquities, and through

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συντεταμένης, πρὸς τὸ ῥυσθῆναι τούτων ἁπάντων. Μάλιστα δὲ οἱ προλεχθέντες τὸν ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀφελῆ κατατοξεύειν πειρῶνται· διὸ λέλεκται· «Ἐνέτειναν τόξον, πρᾶγμα πικρὸν, τοῦ κατατοξεῦσαι ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἄμωμον.» Καὶ τὸν ἀναίτιον δὲ ἄμωμον καλεῖ, τὴν κατὰ τῶν μηδὲν ἠδικηκότων ὑπογράφων συκοφαντίαν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, «ἄμωμον, ἁπλοῦν,» ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Ἀκύλας. Τὸν γὰρ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀπειρόκακον μάλιστα κατατοξεύειν οἱ τοιοῦτοι πειρῶνται· διὸ ἐπιλέγει· «Ἐξάπινα κατατοξεύσουσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσονται.» Καιροφυλακοῦντες γὰρ οὗτοι, ἀθρόως καὶ ἀπροσδοκήτως ἐπέρχονται τῷ ἀμώμῳ, ἢ τῷ ἀπλῷ καὶ ἀκεραίῳ. ∆ιὸ γράφων που ὁ Ἀπόστολος πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους φησί· «Φοβοῦμαι μή πως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν, φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ.» Τὸν γὰρ πεφραγμένον τὴν ψυχὴν οὐκ ἄν ποτε δύναιντο καταβαλεῖν οἱ προλεχθέντες, «οἵτινες ἠκόνησαν ὡς ῥομφαίαν τὰς γλώσσας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐνέτειναν τόξον, πρᾶγμα πικρὸν, τοῦ κατατοξεῦσαι ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἄμωμον·» ἢ, «τοῦ κατατοξεῦσαι ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἁπλοῦν. Ἐξάπινα κατατοξεύσουσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσονται.» Καὶ ὅρα τίνα τρόπον κατατοξεύσουσιν αὐτόν φησιν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμὲ τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα· τὸν δὲ ἁπλοῦν, τουτέστι τὸν ἀφελῆ καὶ ἀκέραιον, καὶ ἔτι μικρὸν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐξ ἐκείνων ὄντα περὶ ὧν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐδίδασκε λέγων· «Μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ μου·» καὶ, «Ὅστις ἐὰν σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν, συμφέρει αὐτῷ βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.» Σκανδαλιζόμενον γὰρ κἀκεῖ ὁ Σωτὴρ οὐ μέγαν εἰσάγει, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ μικρὸν, ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἁπλοῦν. Οἱ τοίνυν ἐχθροὶ οὐδὲ τολμῶσι προσιέναι τοῖς μεγάλοις, οὐδὲ τοῖς παρὰ Θεῷ σοφοῖς· τοὺς δὲ ἁπλοῦς καὶ ἀκεραίους μάλιστα θηρεύουσι. ∆ιόπερ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, μνημονεύσας τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ περὶ τίνας μάλιστα εἱλεῖσθαι εἰώθασιν οὗτοι παρέστησεν. «Ἐκραταίωσαν ἑαυτοῖς λόγον πονηρόν· διηγήσαντο τοῦ κρύψαι παγίδας.» Τροπικῶς διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐχθροὺς τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτῶν ἀκονῆσαι καὶ τὰ τόξα ἐντεῖναι προειπὼν, σαφέστερον διὰ τῶν προκειμένων τίς ἦν ἡ ῥομφαία, καὶ τί τὸ τόξον παρίστησιν εἰπών· «Ἐκραταίωσαν ἑαυτοῖς λόγον πονηρόν.» Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λαβόντες λόγον, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοῖς πλασάμενοι καὶ συνθέντες, τοῦτον ἐκράτυναν. Τοιοῦτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ συκοφάνται, καὶ οἱ κρατύνειν καὶ βεβαιοῦν πειρώμενοι ἃς ἑαυτοῖς ἀνεζωγράφησαν καὶ ἀνεπλάσαντο ψευδοδοξίας. Εἶτα δὲ τὸν πονηρὸν λόγον ὃν ἑαυτοῖς ἐκράτυναν ὁρῶντας 23.621 σαθρὸν, οὐ γυμνὸν αὐτὸν προβάλλονται, ἀλλὰ περι23.621 βάλλουσιν ἔξωθεν παγίσι, κρύπτοντες διά τινων σοφισμάτων καὶ παραλογισμῶν τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐπιβουλευομένων συσκευήν· οὕτω γὰρ ἄληπτοι καὶ ἀθήρατοι ἔσεσθαι ὑπολαμβάνουσι. ∆ιὸ «εἶπαν» ἐν ἑαυτοῖς· «Τίς ὄψεται αὐτούς;» καὶ, «ἐξερεύνησαν ἀνομίας.» Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὠφέλιμον ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου νόμου ζητήσαντες εὗρον· ἀλλ' ἀνομίας ἑαυτοῖς ἐπενόησαν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «ἐξερεύνησαν ἀνομίας σύμπαντες·» καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις πολλὰ ζητήσαντες καὶ μυρία παρ' ἑαυτοῖς ἐπινοήσαντες, μηδὲν δὲ ἀληθὲς ἐπὶ τέλει εὑρόντες, ἐξέλιπον, πλέον οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς ἐρεύνης κτησάμενοι. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· «Ἐξέλιπον ἐξερευνῶντες ἐξερευνήσεις.» Τοσούτους τινὰς διέγραψεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους, ἐξ ὧν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ῥυσθῆναι ηὔχετο, ἐξερευνητικούς τινας, καὶ ζητητικοὺς ἀνομίας. Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι ψυχῆς ἀληθῶς ἂν εἶεν φονευταί· διὸ δὴ μάλιστα Θεὸν βοηθὸν ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνεκαλεῖτο, τοὺς αἰσθητοὺς πολεμίους καὶ τοὺς τοῖς σώμασι παραταττομένους ἐπ' οὐδενὶ λόγῳ τιθέμενος. «Προσελεύσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐν καρδίᾳ βαθείᾳ, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὁ Θεός. Βέλος νηπίων,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Οἱ μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς πολέμιοι, λόγοις πονηροῖς ἑαυτοὺς περιφράξαντες, καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐγκρύψαντες παγίδας, ἀνομίας τε ἐξερευνῶντες, καὶ διὰ