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to the besiegers? And he says that he will deliver up the formerly rich, in those advantages in which they abounded, in exchange for his death. which indeed itself also happened immediately so that "the memory of them perished from among men," of those who were formerly very powerful among the Jews, of Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees; and in addition to these, of priests and high priests and those among them honored with royal dignity. For these were the ones here called the rich, upon whom "the wrath of God came not long after," because they subjected the sinless Christ of God to such punishment. Therefore he adds: Because he had done no sin, neither was any deceit found in his mouth. And this was the strange thing of the more divine virtue of our Savior, I mean, being sinless and blameless in word and deed throughout his whole life's existence; "For no one has become clean from filth, not even if his life was a single day, except he alone"; Therefore he "died for all," in order that he might cleanse and "take away" "the sin of the world." Therefore also his God and Father judged to cleanse him of the plague, that is, of the suffering brought upon him, or according to Aquila: and the Lord willed to crush his sickness, and according to Symmachus: the Lord wished to thresh him in his wounding. After these things it is said: If you give an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. What he says has such a meaning: After all the things that were said before, if anyone of those who acted impiously against him should wish to offer a sacrifice for his sin, that is, to show confession and repentance for the things sinned, he will not fail of the good hope in him. For even though it has especially been said: that I will give the wicked for his burial and the rich for his death, yet nevertheless if you who have dared such things give the gift for sin, you will obtain forgiveness and your soul will be saved, and not simply will it be saved, but it will also see the long-lived seed. This was that which was sown by him among men, concerning which he taught "in parables," saying: "A sower went out to sow," and again: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his own field." If therefore you give an offering for sin, your soul will see this rational and heavenly seed. And instead of: and the Lord is willing to take away from the toil of his soul, Symmachus: and the will of the Lord, he says, will prosper in his hand, and according to Aquila: and the will of the Lord in his hand. And it is fitting for this to be said of our Savior alone; for the will of the Father was always prospered in his hand. And he gave him also light for the enlightening of those who are justified through him, and he granted him understanding; for "there rested upon him" "a spirit of wisdom and understanding" to make understanding and to justify those worthy of being justified. And who are these, he adds: and he himself shall bear their sins, or according to Symmachus: and he himself shall bear their impieties; for by taking upon himself the impieties of the former sinners and impious ones and stripping from them the tunic of sin, he made them righteous. Therefore it is added: For this reason he himself shall inherit many; for this reason, because he took upon himself the sins of the many, for this cause he has also been able to make all of them an inheritance for himself. For if he were not able to forgive sins, they would have remained in their own transgressions and would not have obtained salvation. But now, since he himself took up their sins, for this reason he has also received them as an inheritance from the Father. Which indeed he himself teaches, saying: "The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.'" and he divided the spoil of the strong, that is, of the opposing powers, of the

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πολιορκηταῖς; καὶ τοὺς πάλαι δὲ πλουσίους, ἐν οἷς ἐπλεονέκτουν προτερήμασι, παραδώσειν φησὶν ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ παραχρῆμα συνέβη ὡς «ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι τὸ μνημόσυνον» τῶν πάλαι παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις πολλὰ δεδυνημένων, Φαρισαίων καὶ γραμματέων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων· καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις, ἱερέων τε καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς βασιλικῇ ἀξίᾳ τετιμημένων. οὗτοι γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενοι πλούσιοι, οὓς «μετῆλθεν οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ», διότι ἀναμάρτητον ὄντα τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοιαύτῃ κολάσει ὑποβεβλήκασι. διὸ ἐπιλέγει· ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. καὶ τοῦτ' ἦν τὸ ξένον τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θειοτέρας ἀρετῆς, λέγω δὲ τὸ δι' ὅλης τῆς τοῦ βίου ζωῆς ἀναμάρτητον καὶ ἀνεπίληπτον ἐν λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ· «οὐδεὶς γοῦν καθαρὸς γέγονεν ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδ' εἰ μία ἡμέρα ἦν ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ἢ μόνος αὐτός»· «ὑπὲρ πάντων» οὖν αὐτὸς «ἀπέθανεν», ἵνα καθάρῃ καὶ «περιέλῃ» «τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου». διὸ καὶ ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καθαρίσαι αὐτὸν τῆς πληγῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστι τοῦ ἐπενεχθέντος αὐτῷ πάθους, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· καὶ κύριος ἐβουλήθη ἐπιτρῖψαι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀρρώστημα, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· κύριος ἠθέλησεν ἀλοῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ τραυματισμῷ. τούτοις ἑξῆς εἴρηται· ἐὰν δῶτε περὶ ἁμαρτίας, ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ὄψεται σπέρμα μακρόβιον. ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτον ἔχει τὸν νοῦν· μετὰ τὰ προλεχθέντα πάντα, εἴ τις τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἠσεβηκότων βουληθείη θυσίαν ἀνενεγκεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτίας, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ μετάνοιαν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ἐνδείξασθαι, οὐκ ἀποτεύξεται τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα εἴρηται· ὅτι δώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐὰν δῶτε ὑμεῖς οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμήσαντες τὸ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας δῶρον, τεύξεσθε ἀφέσεως καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν σωθήσεται, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς σωθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄψεται τὸ μακρόβιον σπέρμα. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καταβληθὲν εἰς ἀνθρώπους, περὶ οὗ «ἐν παραβολαῖς» διδάσκων ἔλεγεν· «ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι», καὶ πάλιν· «ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀγρῷ». ἐὰν οὖν δῶ τε περὶ ἁμαρτίας, τοῦτο τὸ λογικὸν καὶ οὐράνιον σπέρμα ὄψεται ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ κύριος βούλεται ἀφελεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ πόνου τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ὁ Σύμμαχος· καὶ θέλημά φησι κυρίου ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ εὐοδωθήσεται, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· καὶ βούλημα κυρίου ἐν χειρί. τοῦτο δὲ ἐπὶ μόνου τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λέγεσθαι ἁρμόζει· διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ θέλημα ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ κατευωδοῦτο. Ἔδωκε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ φῶς εἰς τὸ φωτίζεσθαι τοὺς δι' αὐτοῦ δικαιουμένους, καὶ σύνεσιν δὲ αὐτῷ ἐδωρήσατο· «ἐπανεπαύσατο γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὸν» «πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως» εἰς τὸ συνετοὺς ἀπεργάζεσθαι καὶ δικαιοῦν τοὺς ἀξίους τοῦ δικαιοῦσθαι. τίνες δέ εἰσιν οὗτοι, ἐπιλέγει· καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν αὐτὸς ἀνοίσει, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ τὰς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν αὐτὸς ὑπενέγκει· ἀναλαμβάνων γὰρ τῶν πάλαι ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ ἀσεβῶν εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὰς ἀσεβείας καὶ ἀποδιδύσκων αὐτοὺς τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας χιτῶνα δικαίους αὐτοὺς ἀπειργάζετο. διὸ ἐπιφέρεται· διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸς κληρονομήσει πολλούς· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπειδὴ εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ἀνέλαβεν ἁμαρτίας, τούτου χάριν καὶ δεδύνηται κλῆρον ἑαυτῷ ποιήσασθαι τοὺς πάντας. εἰ γὰρ μὴ οἷός τε ἦν ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, διέμειναν ἂν ἐν τοῖς αὐτῶν πλημμελήμασι καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔτυχον σωτηρίας. νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν αὐτὸς ἀνέλαβε, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ κληρονομίαν αὐτοὺς εἴληφε παρὰ τοῦ πατρός. ὃ δὴ καὶ διδάσκει αὐτὸς λέγων· «κύριος εἶπε πρός με Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς». καὶ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν δὲ ἐμέρισε σκῦλα, τῶν ἀντικειμένων δηλαδὴ δυνάμεων, τῶν