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Therefore, in agreement with these things, it is said, "For they persecuted the one whom you struck." Therefore, the Father did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. And in effect He was the one who struck, by permitting him to suffer such things. But they not only struck, but also drove him out from themselves and persecuted him afar; when it was right to accept him even after he was struck; knowing that Christ died for us, becoming a curse for us, and that God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And it is right to recall the words of Isaiah, through which it was said: "A man in affliction, and knowing how to bear weakness; and the Lord delivered him for our sins;" and, "For this one bears our sins, and suffers for us;" and that he was wounded for no other reason, but for our sins, and was bruised for our iniquities. But they considered none of these things, but drove him out and persecuted him from themselves, asking for a murderer, but denying the Author of life. For this reason he says here: "For they persecuted the one whom you struck, and they added to the pain of my wounds." For I was receiving wounds on their behalf, becoming their purification, and a ransom for their sins; but they 23.757 added their own evils to me. "They gave," at any rate, "gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink;" not only at the time when I was suffering at their hands, but also in later times, persisting in their blasphemies against me. Therefore, according to Aquila, instead of "they added," it says, they will recount; and according to Symmachus, "they narrated." For it was not enough to have once wounded him, and to have dared such things against him; but, boasting to their children as if of accomplishments, they would recount the things dared against him. Since, therefore, they chose this portion, persecuting the one whom you struck, and heaping up iniquities and impieties upon themselves and upon their children; it is fittingly said of them: "Add iniquity upon their iniquity;" instead of, "you will add;" for there will be for them an addition of evils. For some things come from what is in our power as men, but others from the external consequences of what is in our power. Therefore it is said somewhere to God: "With the holy you will be holy, and with the crooked you will show yourself perverse;" And in the law it is said from his own person: "And if you walk contrary to me, I also will walk contrary to you in wrath." Since, therefore, they dragged their iniquities after them as with a long rope, it is fitting that you, the just judge, will add iniquity upon their iniquity; reckoning a second one for them in addition to the first. But also, "Let them not enter," he says, "into your righteousness." For your righteousness calls the righteous, and receives all into the innermost parts of your kingdom according to the promises; but those who dared such things will not enter with those who will come together in your righteousness; nor will they be inscribed in the book of the living; but they will suffer the opposite of those who are inscribed. For even if, being first deemed worthy of my grace, they were once inscribed in the book of the living on account of their fathers who live with God, so that the promises were also given to them; but since they have dared such things, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living." And clarifying the meaning of the book of the living, he adds next: "And let them not be written with the righteous." For when an election takes place concerning human life, some, worthy of life with God on account of their own righteousness, will be recorded by him; but those who have rejected the Author of life will be cast out of the book. And this is the end of those who dared the aforementioned things against our Savior; but what follows, the discourse changes to something more cheerful, beginning from this point on with the grace of the gospel. "I am poor and in pain, your salvation, O God,

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τοιγαροῦν τούτοις συμφώνως εἴρηται τὸ, «Ὅτι ὃν σὺ ἐπάταξας, κατεδίωξαν.» Ὁ μὲν οὖν Πατὴρ τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν. ∆υνάμει τε αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ πατάξας διὰ τοῦ συγχωρῆσαι τοιαῦτα αὐτὸν παθεῖν. Οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐπάταξαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἤλασαν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν καὶ μακρὰν ἀπεδίωξαν αὐτόν· δέον καὶ παταχθέντα παραδέξασθαι· γνόντας, ὅτι Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανε, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα, καὶ ὅτι μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν, αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν· ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ. Μνημονεῦσαι δὲ χρὴ καὶ τῶν Ἡσαΐου φωνῶν, δι' ὧν ἐλέγετο· «Ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν, καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν· καὶ Κύριος παρέδωκε ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν·» καὶ, «Ὅτι οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται·» ὅτι τε ἐτραυματίσθη οὐ δι' ἄλλο τι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν. Οἱ δὲ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν διενοήθησαν, ἤλασαν δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπεδίωξαν ἑαυτῶν, ἐξαιτησάμενοι μὲν τὸν φονέα, τὸν δὲ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀρνησάμενοι. ∆ιό φησιν ἐνταῦθα· «Ὅτι ὃν σὺ ἐπάταξας, κατεδίωξαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄλγος τῶν τραυμάτων μου προσέθηκαν.» Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀνεδεχόμην τραύματα, καθαρμὸς αὐτῶν γενόμενος, καὶ ἀντίψυχον διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· οἱ 23.757 δὲ προσέθηκαν ἐμοὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακά. «Ἔδωκαν» γοῦν «εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος·» οὐ μόνον καθ' ὃν ἔπασχον ὑπ' αὐτῶν καιρὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις ταῖς κατ' ἐμοῦ βλασφημίαις παραμένοντες. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, «προσέθηκαν,» διηγήσονται, εἴρηται· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «ἐξηγοῦντο.» Οὐ γὰρ ἀπήρκει τὸ ἅπαξ ποτὲ τραυματίσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ τοιαῦτα κατ' αὐτοῦ τολμῆσαι· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ κατορθώμασιν ἐγκαυχώμενοι τοῖς ἑαυτῶν τέκνοις, τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ τολμηθέντα αὐτοῖς διηγοῦντο. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν αὐτοὶ ταύτην εἵλαντο τὴν μερίδα, διώξαντες μὲν ὃν σὺ ἐπάταξας, ἀνομίας δὲ καὶ ἀσεβείας ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν σωρεύσαντες· εἰκότως ἐπιλέγεται τούτοις· «Πρόσθες ἀνομίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν·» ἀντὶ τοῦ, «προσθήσεις·» ἔσται γὰρ αὐτοῖς κακῶν προσθήκη. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀνθρώποις γίγνεται, τὰ δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων ἔξωθεν τῷ ἐφ' ἡμῖν. ∆ιὸ λέλεκταί που πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· «Μετὰ ὁσίου ὁσιωθήσῃ, καὶ μετὰ στρεβλοῦ διαστρέψεις·» Καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ δὲ εἴρηται ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. «Καὶ ἐὰν πορευθῆτε πρὸς μὲ πλάγιοι, πορεύσομαι κἀγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς θυμῷ πλαγίῳ.» Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν αὐτοὶ ὥσπερ μακρῷ σχοινίῳ τὰς ἀνομίας ἑαυτῶν ἐπεσπάσαντο, εἰκότως καὶ σὺ ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς προσθήσεις ἀνομίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν· δευτέραν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τῇ προτέρᾳ λογιζόμενος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ «Μὴ εἰσελθέτωσαν, φησὶν, ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ σου.» Ἡ μὲν γὰρ σὴ δικαιοσύνη δικαίους εἰσκαλεῖται, καὶ πάντας εἰς τὰ ἐνδοτάτω τῆς σῆς βασιλείας κατὰ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ὑποδέχεται· οἱ δὲ τοιαῦτα τολμήσαντες οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται μετὰ τῶν τῇ σῇ δικαιοσύνῃ συνελευσομένων· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐγγραφήσονται ἐν βίβλῳ ζώντων· τοὐναντίον δὲ πείσονται τοῖς ἐγγραφομένοις. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρῶτοι τῆς ἐμῆς χάριτος ἀξιωθέντες ἐνεγράφησάν ποτε ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ζώντων διὰ τοὺς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ζῶντας πατέρας αὐτῶν, ὡς καὶ αὐτοῖς δεδόσθαι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τοιαῦτα τετολμήκασιν, «Ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ βίβλου ζώντων.» ∆ιασαφῶν δὲ τὴν ἔννοιαν τῆς βίβλου τῶν ζώντων, ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· «Καὶ μετὰ δικαίων μὴ γραφήτωσαν.» Ἐκλογῆς γὰρ γιγνομένης τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον, οἱ μὲν ζωῆς ἄξιοι τῆς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν δικαιοσύνην ἀνάγραπτοι γενήσονται παρ' αὐτῷ· οἱ δὲ ἀπόβλητοι τῆς βίβλου ἔσονται οἱ τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς παραιτησάμενοι. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν τὸ τέλος τῶν τὰ προλεχθέντα κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τετολμηκότων· τὰ δ' ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὸ φαιδρότερον μεταβάλλει, ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς χάριτος ἀπαρχόμενος. «Πτωχὸς καὶ ἀλγῶν ἐγώ εἰμι, ἡ σωτηρία σου, ὁ Θεὸς,