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He remembers both the depths and the pit; but in the 21st psalm, signifying these same things, he has used other names, saying: “Rescue my soul from the sword, and my only-begotten from the hand of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion, and my humility from the horns of unicorns.” For these things were said concerning the opposing powers in what is called Hades, as we have shown in describing the places. “Hear me, O Lord, for your mercy is good; according to the multitude of your compassions, look upon me.” And here, through the unutterable name among the Hebrews, the Savior calls upon his Father, saying: Since I have asked these things, that I might not sink into the mire, and that I might be rescued from the deep waters, and the things that follow, for this reason grant my prayer, O Lord, “for your mercy is good, and according to the multitude of your compassions, look upon me. Do not turn your face away from your servant.” In which he entreats him to look upon him, and not to turn his face away from him; so that, like a great contest-presider, he might approve the contest which he underwent and the endurance and the humility, glorying in which he asks the Father not to turn his face away from him, but to look upon him. Then he adds: “For I am afflicted, hear me quickly;” or according to Aquila, “For it is narrow for me, hear me quickly.” You will also understand the meaning of this by paying attention to how it is said, “Narrow and afflicted is the way that leads to life, and few there are who enter through it.” For he himself, having first traveled that narrow and afflicted way, said: “For it is narrow for me,” and, “for I am afflicted, hear me quickly;” And he showed his affliction and his 23.748 narrowness through the preceding words, saying: “And I covered my soul with fasting, and it became a reproach to me. And I made my garment sackcloth.” On account of these things, therefore, he also called upon the Father to look upon and behold the labors which he endured for us; wherefore he said: “Attend to my soul, and redeem it.” Then, showing his accomplishments, upon which he called him to look, he adds: “Because of my enemies, deliver me. You know my reproach and my shame, and my disgrace.” For as he said above: “You knew my folly, and my trespasses were not hidden from you;” so also now, he says, my reproaches are worthy of your knowledge. And he made these things clear in the preceding words, saying: “And the reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen upon me.” Since, therefore, by your judgment and your spirit I endured the reproaches, and the passion full of shame, for this reason I say: “You know my reproach and my shame, and my disgrace.” You know my shame, which is not unworthy of your knowledge. And my disgrace, which I endured, “giving my back to scourges and my cheeks to blows,” you know. But you do not know those who afflict me in the same way as you know me; for they are not worthy of your knowledge. Therefore concerning them I say, “All those who afflict me are before you.” They are before you in this way, as having chosen things contrary to you; and they afflict me, benefiting nothing from my service, and they afflict me through their own destruction. Then he adds: “My heart expected reproach and misery;” which Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying: “Reproach has broken my heart, and I was grieved;” and Aquila, “Reproach, he says, has crushed my heart, and I have despaired.” “And I waited for someone to grieve with me, and there was none, and for comforters, and I found none. And they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” And according to Symmachus: “And I waited for one to sympathize, and there was none, and for one to comfort, and I found none; And they put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” That his disciples, having forsaken him,

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μέμνηται καὶ βυθῶν καὶ φρέατος· ἐν δὲ τῷ καʹ ψαλμῷ τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα σημαίνων, ἑτέροις ὀνόμασι κέχρηται λέγων· «Ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς κυνὸς τὴν μονογενῆ μου. Σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος, καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου.» Καὶ ταῦτα γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ καλουμένῳ ᾅδῃ δυνάμεων ἀντικειμένων λέλεκται, ὡς τοὺς τόπους διηγούμενοι παρεστήσαμεν. «Εἰσάκουσόν μου, Κύριε, ὅτι χρηστὸν τὸ ἔλεός σου κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ' ἐμέ.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα διὰ τοῦ παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἀνεκφωνήτου τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐπικαλεῖται λέγων· Ἐπειδὴ τάδε καὶ τάδε ᾔτησα, ἵνα μὴ ἐμπάγω εἰς τὸν πηλὸν, καὶ ὅπως ῥυσθείην ἐκ τῶν βαθέων τῶν ὑδάτων, τά τε τούτοις ἑξῆς, τούτου χάριν ἐπίνευσόν μου τῇ δεήσει, ὦ Κύριε, «ὅτι χρηστὸν τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ' ἐμέ. Μὴ ἀπόστρεψον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδός σου.» Ἐν οἷς παρακαλεῖ ἐπιβλέψαι, καὶ μὴ ἀποστρέψαι τὸ πρόσωπον ἐξ αὐτοῦ· ἵν' ὥσπερ μέγας ἀγωνοθέτης δοκιμάσῃ τὸν ἀγῶνα ὃν ὑπέστη καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν, ἐφ' ᾗ σεμνυνόμενος ἀξιοῖ τὸν Πατέρα μὴ ἀποστρέψαι τὸ πρόσωπον ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐπιβλέψαι εἰς αὐτόν. Εἶτα ἐπιλέγει· «Ὅτι θλίβομαι, ταχὺ ἐπάκουσόν μου·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Ὅτι στενόν μοι, ταχὺ ἐπάκουσόν μου.» Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ τούτου τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπιστήσας ὅπως εἴρηται τὸ, «Στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εἰσερχόμενοι δι' αὐτῆς.» Πρῶτος γοῦν αὐτὸς τὴν στενὴν αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν τεθλιμμένην ὁδεύσας ἔλεγεν· «Ὅτι στενή μοι,» καὶ, «ὅτι θλίβομαι, ταχὺ ἐπάκουσόν μου·» Ἐδήλου δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν τὴν θλίψιν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν 23.748 στένωσιν λέγων· «Καὶ συνεκάλυψα ἐν νηστείᾳ τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐγενήθη εἰς ὀνειδισμοὺς ἐμοί. Καὶ ἐθέμην τὸ ἔνδυμά μου σάκκον.» Ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν καὶ παρεκάλει τὸν Πατέρα ἐμβλέψαι καὶ θεάσασθαι τοὺς ἄθλους οὓς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὑπέμεινε· διὸ ἔλεγε· «Πρόσχες τῇ ψυχῇ μου, καὶ λύτρωσαι αὐτήν.» Εἶτα δεικνὺς αὐτοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα οἷς ἐμβλέψαι παρεκάλει, ἐπιλέγει· «Ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου ῥῦσαί με. Σὺ γιγνώσκεις τὸν ὀνειδισμόν μου καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην μου, καὶ τὴν ἐντροπήν μου.» Ὡς γὰρ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγε· «Σὺ ἔγνως τὴν ἀφροσύνην μου, καὶ αἱ πλημμέλειαί μου ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐκ ἀπεκρύβησαν·» οὕτω καὶ νῦν τῆς σῆς, φησὶ, γνώσεως τυγχάνουσιν ἄξιοι οἱ ὀνειδισμοί μου. Ἐδήλου δὲ περὶ τούτων καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λέγων· «Καὶ οἱ ὀνειδισμοὶ τῶν ὀνειδιζόντων σε ἐπέπεσαν ἐπ' ἐμέ.» Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν σῇ κρίσει καὶ σῷ πνεύματι τοὺς ὀνειδισμοὺς ὑπέμεινα, καὶ τὸ μεστὸν αἰσχύνης τὸ πάθος, διὰ τοῦτό φημι· «Σὺ γινώσκεις τὸν ὀνειδισμόν μου καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην μου, καὶ τὴν ἐντροπήν μου.» Τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν οἶδας αἰσχύνην οὐκ οὖσαν ἀναξίαν τῆς σῆς γνώσεως. Καὶ τὴν ἐντροπήν μου, ἣν ὑπέμεινα, «τὸν νῶτόν μου δοὺς εἰς μάστιγας καὶ τὰς σιαγόνας μου εἰς ῥαπίσματα,» γινώσκεις. Οὐκέτι δὲ ὁμοίως ἐμοὶ τοὺς θλίβοντάς με γινώσκεις· οὐ γὰρ τῆς σῆς τυγχάνουσι γνώσεως ἄξιοι. ∆ιὸ περὶ αὐτῶν φημι, «Ἐναντίον σοῦ πάντες οἱ θλίβοντές με.» Οὕτω δέ εἰσιν ἐναντίον σοῦ, ὡς τὰ ἐναντία σοὶ προῃρημένοι· θλίβουσι δέ με μηδὲν ὠφελούμενοι ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς θεραπείας, καὶ θλίβουσι διὰ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπωλείας. Εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· «Ὀνειδισμὸν προσεδόκησεν ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν·» ὃ δὴ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· «Ὀνειδισμὸς κατέαξε τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ἠνιώμην·» ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, «Ὀνειδισμὸς, φησὶ, συνέτριψε τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ἀπεγνώσθην.» «Καὶ ὑπέμεινα συλλυπούμενον, καὶ οὐχ ὑπῆρξεν, καὶ παρακαλοῦντα, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον. Καὶ ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος.» Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Καὶ ἀνέμενον συλλυπούμενον, καὶ οὐχ ὑπῆρξε, καὶ παρηγοροῦντα, καὶ οὐχ εὕρισκον· Καὶ ἐνέβαλλον εἰς τὴν τροφήν μου χολὴν, καὶ ἐν τῇ δίψει μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος.» Ὅτι μὲν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καταλιπόντες αὐτὸν,