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of man in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” And by heart of the earth he here names the depths of the sea, alluding to the regions of Hades. Wherefore also in Job the same Lord, giving an oracle, presented similar things, saying: “Have you come to the spring of the sea, and walked in the tracks of the abyss? Do the gates of death open to you in fear, and did the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing you, cower?” For you see how also in these things, having named the spring of the sea, and having added, “And you have walked in the tracks of the abyss,” he clarifies what the abyss and the sea are by adding: “Do the gates of death open to you in fear, and did the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing you, cower?” Therefore, also in the preceding verses, the depths of the sea allude to the regions of death, where our Savior and Lord, having descended alone, passed through. Wherefore in the psalm before this it was said: “And of the Lord, the Lord, are the passages of death;” and again: “The Lord said: I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea.” And instead of, “And a storm overwhelmed me,” Aquila translated, “And a stream flooded me;” and Symmachus, “And a current flooded me.” For it is likely that the opposing powers came upon him, when, having stepped on the sea, he crushed the heads of the dragons on the water. Wherefore also in the psalm before this it was said: “And of the Lord, the Lord, are the passages of death. But God will crush the heads of his enemies.” For he would not otherwise have passed through the passages of death than by crushing the heads of his enemies there. But if anyone thinks David says these things because he had fallen into many temptations, let him consider how it was possible for it to be fitting for David to say: “They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink;” or, “Let their table before them become a snare and a retribution and a stumbling block. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their back forever.” And if one gathers for himself the rest of the similar things, he would find them in no way fitting for the person of David. But the interpretation concerning our Savior will be confirmed with indisputable seals by the testimony of the holy Gospels, both from the cited example of Jonah, and from what is said in the preceding verses, “For the zeal of your house has consumed me;” which is testified verbatim at 23.729 as fulfilled in him in the Gospel according to John, in which it is written: “And Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those who sold sheep and oxen and doves.” Then, as he drove them out, saying: “Take these things hence; do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise,” the evangelist adds: “His disciples remembered that it is written: The zeal of your house has consumed me.” But also, “They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink,” which is found in the following verses, is testified to have been spoken from the person of our Savior, according to John, who said: “After this, Jesus, seeing that all was now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. A bowl was set there full of vinegar; so they filled a sponge with vinegar with gall, and putting it on a hyssop, brought it to his mouth. When Jesus had therefore received the vinegar with gall, he said: This Scripture too is finished,” and the rest also referring to the person of our Savior, would keep the interpretation undeniable. “I have grown weary with crying; my throat has become hoarse; my eyes have failed from hoping in my God.” And these things were fulfilled in the Gospel according to John, in which Jesus stood and cried, saying: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink;” and again it is said: “And Jesus cried out and said: He who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever

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τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας.» Καρδίαν δὲ γῆς τὰ ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενα βάθη θαλάσσης ὀνομάζει, τὰ τοῦ ᾅδου χωρία αἰνιττόμενος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ χρηματίζων ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος τὰ ὅμοια παρίστη λέγων· «Ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ πηγὴν θαλάσσης, ἐν δὲ ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιεπάτησας. Ἀνοίγονται δέ σοι φόβῳ πύλαι θανάτου, πυλωροὶ ᾅδου ἰδόντες σε ἔπτηξαν.» Ὁρᾷς γὰρ ὅπως καὶ ἐν τούτοις πηγὴν θαλάσσης ὀνομάσας, καὶ προσθεὶς τὸ, «Ἐν δὲ ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιεπάτησας,» τὴν ἄβυσσον καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τίνα ἐστὶ διασαφεῖ ἐπιλέγων· «Ἀνοίγονται δέ σοι φόβῳ πύλαι θανάτου, πυλωροὶ δὲ ᾅδου ἰδόντες σε ἔπτηξαν.» Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης τὰ τοῦ θανάτου χωρία αἰνίττεται, ἔνθα μόνος καταβὰς ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν διεξῆλθεν. ∆ιὸ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ ἐλέγετο· «Καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Κυρίου αἱ διέξοδοι τοῦ θανάτου·» καὶ πάλιν· «Εἶπε Κύριος· Ἐκ Βασὰν ἐπιστρέψω, ἐπιστρέψω ἐκ βυθῶν θαλάσσης.» Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· «Καὶ καταιγὶς κατεπόντισέ με,» ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, «Καὶ ῥοῦς ἐπέκλυσέ με·» ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, «Καὶ ῥεῖθρον ἐπέκλυσέ με,» ἡρμήνευσεν. Εἰκὸς γὰρ περὶ αὐτὸν γεγονέναι τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις, ὅτε, ἐπιβὰς τῇ θαλάσσῃ, συνέτριβε τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν δρακόντων ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ἐλέγετο ψαλμῷ· «Καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Κυρίου αἱ διέξοδοι τοῦ θανάτου. Πλὴν ὁ Θεὸς συνθλάσει κεφαλὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ.» Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἄλλως διεξεληλύθει τὰς διεξόδους τοῦ θανάτου ἢ συνθλάσας τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν αὐτόθι ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἐὰν δέ τις ταῦτα νομίζῃ λέγειν τὸν ∆αυῒδ διὰ τὸ πολλοῖς περιπεπτωκέναι πειρασμοῖς, ἐπιστησάτω πῶς οἷόν τε ἦν τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἁρμόζειν τὸ λέγειν· «Ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος·» ἢ τὸ, «Γενηθήτω ἡ τράπεζα αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν εἰς παγίδα καὶ εἰς ἀνταποδόσεις καὶ εἰς σκάνδαλον, Σκοτισθήτωσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν, καὶ τὸν νῶτον αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς σύγκαμψον.» Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ τούτοις παραπλήσια συναγαγών τις ἑαυτῷ, εὕροι ἂν οὐδαμῶς ἁρμόζοντα τῷ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ προσώπῳ. Τὴν δέ γε ἐπὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον Σωτῆρα ἑρμηνείαν πιστώσεται σφραγῖσιν ἀναμφιλέκτοις ἡ τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων μαρτυρία, ἀπό τε τοῦ παρατεθέντος τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ παραδείγματος, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ λέγεσθαι ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις, «Ὅτι ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου κατέφαγέ με·» ὅπερ αὐτολεξεὶ μεμαρτύρηται εἰς 23.729 αὐτὸν πεπληρωμένον ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην Εὐαγγελίῳ, ἐν ᾧ γέγραπται· «Καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ εὗρεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ πρόβατα πωλοῦντας καὶ βόας καὶ περιστεράς.» Εἶθ' ὡς ἤλασε τούτους εἰπών· «Ἄρατε ταῦτα ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ ποιεῖτε τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Πατρός μου οἶκον ἐμπορίου,» ἐπιλέγει ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· «Ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι γεγραμμένον ἐστίν· Ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου κατέφαγέ με.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ, «Ἔδωκαν εἰς βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος,» ἐν τοῖς μετὰ χεῖρας κείμενον, ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μεμαρτύρηται λελεγμένον, κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην, φήσαντα· «Μετὰ ταῦτα ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι πάντα τετέλεσται ἤδη, ἵνα πληρωθῇ ἡ Γραφὴ, λέγει· ∆ιψῶ. Λεκάνη ἔκειτο ὄξους μεστή· σπόγγον οὖν μεστὸν ποιήσαντες ὄξους μετὰ χολῆς, ὑσσώπῳ περιθέντες, προσήνεγκαν αὐτοῦ τῷ στόματι. Ὅτε οὖν ἔλαβεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸ ὄξος μετὰ χολῆς, εἶπε· Τετέλεσται καὶ αὕτη ἡ Γραφὴ,» καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀναφερόμενα, σώζοι ἀναβίαστον τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. «Ἐκοπίασα κράζων, ἐβραγχίασεν ὁ λάρυγξ μου, ἐξέλιπον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλπίζειν με εἰς τὸν Θεόν μου.» Καὶ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην ἐπληροῦτο Εὐαγγελίῳ· ἐν ᾧ εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔκραζε λέγων· «Ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρὸς μὲ καὶ πινέτω·» αὖθις δὲ εἴρηται· «Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἔκραζε καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ πιστεύει εἰς ἐμὲ, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν πέμψαντά με. Καὶ ὁ θεωρῶν ἐμὲ θεωρεῖ τὸν πέμψαντά με. Ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ