228

we did not reckon him, nor did we pay him any mind, nor did we consider who he was. But he was, in fact, the savior of our souls, himself healing and cleansing from all sin. Therefore he adds: This one bears our sins and is in pain for us, and we accounted him to be in trouble and in affliction and in distress, but according to Symmachus: Truly he himself took up our sicknesses and endured our pains, but we accounted him to be stricken, smitten by God, and humbled, and Aquila: but we accounted him wounded, smitten by God, and humbled. But we, like infants, held this opinion about him, but he suffered all these things for our sake, so that he might free us from all punishment. Therefore it is added: But he was wounded for our sins and was bruised for our iniquities, and Aquila: And he himself, it says, was profaned by our transgressions, crushed by our iniquities; for he was truly profaned, when he “became” “a curse for us,” when, at any rate, he was also crushed and profaned and endured all the worst things, not for any of his own sins but for ours. And the chastisement of our peace was upon him; for what we should have suffered, being chastised for our sins, these things came upon him for the sake of our peace with God. and by his stripe, it says, we were healed, since it was likely that he also bore stripes on his body and wounds, being beaten and “scourged” and “struck” on the face and “his head hit with a reed.” But these stripes were our saviors; for by his stripe we were healed. And who are 'we' but those who long ago went astray and did not reckon him nor understand who he was? Therefore all we like sheep have gone astray, each man has gone astray in his own way; for one traveled one path of error, another another, holding different and contrary opinions about him; but what was happening to him was not, in fact, without God; for the Lord himself delivered him for our sins, so that he might become a ransom and “a price of redemption” for us. For thus he also became the “lamb of God,” “taking away” and cleansing “the sin of the world.” Therefore according to Symmachus it is said: And the Lord caused the iniquity of us all to meet on him. Then instead of: And he, because he was afflicted, does not open his mouth, Symmachus has, he says, he was brought forth and he himself obeyed. And to whom was he brought forth but “to Pilate”? “And since when he was accused” “he was silent” and when false testimony was given “he answered nothing,” for this reason according to Symmachus it is said: And he did not open his mouth. Then, having gone through his sufferings, he sends the thought of his hearers up to the contemplation of his generation, adding: Who shall declare his generation? For then especially one will grasp a greater wonder at his endurance of so many things, when one comes to the thought of who he was and what sort of person, and that as the “begotten of God,” the “only-begotten son,” he endured all these things. Therefore according to Aquila it is said: Who will speak of his generation? For his life is taken from the earth, and Symmachus: For, he says, he was cut off from the land of the living and for the injustice of my people a plague to them, and Theodotion: For he was cut off from the land of the living; from the impiety of my people he reached them; for his death rather reached them and became a very great plague to them; at once, at any rate, after these things they have suffered an incurable wrath that came upon them and the plague that reached them. And the prophet in these things has clearly shown that he was prophesying these things neither about himself nor about the people, as one might suppose, by saying: for the iniquities of my people he was led to death. And instead of: And I will give the wicked for his burial, Symmachus: And he will give, he says, the ungodly for his burial. And who will give but the judge of all? And whom but those who have done the things that were said, whom he delivered immediately and not long after to enemies and foes and

228

ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν οὐδὲ προσεποιησάμεθα οὐδ' ἐνενοήσαμεν τίς ποτε ἦν. ὁ δὲ ἦν ἄρα ὁ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν σωτὴρ ἰατρεύων αὐτὸς καὶ καθαίρων πάσης ἁμαρτίας. διὸ ἐπιλέγει· οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ καὶ ἐν πληγῇ καὶ ἐν κακώσει, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ὄντως τὰς νόσους ἡμῶν αὐτὸς ἀνέλαβε καὶ τοὺς πόνους ὑπέμεινεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν ἐν ἁφῇ ὄντα πεπληγότα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τεταπεινωμένον, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν τετραυματισμένον πεπληγότα ὑπὸ θεοῦ καὶ τεταπεινωμένον. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς μὲν οἷα νήπιοι ταύτην εἴχομεν περὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν, ὁ δὲ πάντα ταῦτ' ἔπασχε δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ πάσης τιμωρίας. διὸ ἐπιφέρεται· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· καὶ αὐτός φησι βεβηλωμένος ἀπὸ ἀθεσμιῶν ἡμῶν, συντετριμμένος ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνομιῶν ἡμῶν· ἦν γὰρ ἀληθῶς βεβηλωμένος, ὅτε «γέγονεν» «ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα», ὅτε γοῦν καὶ συνετρίβη καὶ ἐβεβηλώθη καὶ πάντα τὰ χείριστα ὑπέμεινεν, οὐ διά τινας οἰκείας ἁμαρτίας διὰ δὲ τὰς ἡμετέρας. καὶ γέγονεν ἡ παιδεία τῆς εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἅπερ γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἡμᾶς παθεῖν παιδευομένους διὰ τὰς ἡμετέρας ἁμαρτίας, ταῦτ' ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἦλθεν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εἰρήνης. καὶ τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ φησιν ἰάθημεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ μώλωπας εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτὸν φέρειν κατὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τραύματα τυπτόμενον καὶ «μαστιγούμενον» καὶ τὰς ὄψεις «ῥαπιζόμενον» «τήν τε κεφαλὴν καλάμῳ παιόμενον». πλὴν οἱ μώλωπες οὗτοι σωτῆρες ἦσαν ἡμῶν· τῷ γὰρ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν. τίνες δ' ἡμεῖς ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ πάλαι πλανηθέντες καὶ μὴ λογισάμενοι αὐτὸν μηδὲ συνιέντες, τίς ποτε ἦν; διὸ πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθημεν, ἄνθρωπος τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπλανήθη· ἄλλος γὰρ ἄλλην ὁδὸν ὥδευσε πλάνης διάφορα περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐναντία δοξάσας· τῷ δὲ ἄρα οὐκ ἀθεεὶ ἐγίγνετο τὰ γινόμενα· αὐτὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν παρεδίδου ὁ κύριος ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἀντίψυχον καὶ «ἀντίλυτρον» ἡμῶν. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ «ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ» γέγονεν, «αἴρων» καὶ περικαθαίρων «τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου». διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· κύριος δὲ καταντῆσαι ἐποίησεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὴν ἀνομίαν πάντων ἡμῶν. Εἶτ' ἀντὶ τοῦ· καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τὸ κεκακῶσθαι οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα, ὁ Σύμμαχος προσηνέχθη φησὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπήκουσε. τίνι δὲ προσηνέχθη ἀλλ' ἢ «τῷ Πιλάτῳ»; «καὶ ἐπειδὴ κατηγορούμενος» «ἐσιώπα» καὶ ψευδομαρτυρούμενος «οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο», τούτου χάριν κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· καὶ οὐκ ἤνοιξε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα διελθὼν αὐτοῦ τὰ πάθη ἀναπέμπει τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων διάνοιαν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ φαντασίαν ἐπιλέγων· τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται; τότε γὰρ μάλιστα μεῖζόν τις λήψεται θαῦμα τῆς τῶν τοσούτων ὑπομονῆς, ὅταν εἰς ἔννοιαν ἔλθῃ τίς ὢν καὶ ὁποῖος καὶ «ἐκ θεοῦ γεγεννημένος» «μονογενὴς υἱὸς» ταῦτα πάντα ὑπέστη. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς ἐξομιλήσει; ὅτι αἴρεται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· ἀπετμήθη γάρ φησιν ἐκ γῆς ζώντων καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου πληγὴ αὐτοῖς, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων· ὅτι ἀπετμήθη ἀπὸ γῆς ζώντων ἀπὸ ἀθεσίας τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἥψατο αὐτῶν· μᾶλλον γὰρ αὐτῶν καθήψατο καὶ πληγὴ αὐτοῖς μεγίστη γέγονεν ὁ αὐτοῦ θάνατος· αὐτίκα γοῦν ἀνίατον ἐσχήκασι μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν ἐπελθοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ὀργὴν καὶ τὴν ἁψαμένην αὐτῶν πληγήν. σαφῶς δὲ ὁ προφήτης ἐν τούτοις ὅτι μήτε περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτ' ἐθέσπιζε μήτε περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ὡς ἂν οἰηθείη παρέστησεν εἰπών· ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνομιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἤχθη εἰς θάνατον. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ δώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ, ὁ Σύμμαχος· καὶ δώσει φησὶ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ. τίς δὲ δώσει ἢ ὁ τῶν ὅλων κριτής; καὶ τίνας ἢ τοὺς τὰ εἰρημένα δεδρακότας, οὓς καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτίκα καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἐχθροῖς καὶ πολεμίοις καὶ