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he has heard me," clearly showing his revival after death, which happened according to "the help in the morning," which the psalm going forward presented, saying, "But you, O Lord, do not remove your help far from me; give heed to my help." What help, then, but that which the title of the psalm also hinted at? 10.8.27 But let these things have been said by us concerning the title of the psalm. But concerning "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani," spoken by our Savior in Hebrew words themselves at the time of the passion, but also lying in the psalm, see whether there is not some deeper contemplation among the Hebrews. For God is named Eloim. 10.8.28 And you would find this through almost all of scripture, since it is even properly so named by the Seventy and still now in the Hebrew tongue. But indeed certain other pronunciations are used by them for the divine appellation, such as Shaddai and Iao and El and others similar to these. 10.8.29 The psalm at hand therefore contains "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani" from El, which our Lord also used, but not from Eloim. 10.8.30 Aquila, at any rate, knowing the difference of the appellation for God among the Hebrews signified by Eloim, did not see fit to translate what is now indicated in "Eli, Eli," like the others, as "O God, my God," but "my strong one, my strong one," but the precise meaning is "my strength, my strength," so that according to his understanding, the lamb of God, our Savior, saying "Eli, Eli," says to the Father, "my strong one, my strong one, why have you forsaken me?" 10.8.31 And perhaps because his strong one forsook him, for this reason he was crucified, as the apostle says, "for he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God," as he would not have been crucified, if his strong one had not forsaken him. 10.8.32 And see if it was not fitting for the lamb of God, who was "led as a sheep to the slaughter" and "as a lamb before its shearer is silent," to attribute his own powers to God, and to consider that he had nothing of his own except only the Father; wherefore he also calls his Father strong, as also in the seventeenth psalm he names the Father his own strength and stronghold and refuge, saying: "I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my refuge, and my deliverer; 10.8.33 my God, my helper, and I will hope in him; my protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper." His strong one therefore forsook him, willing for him to descend "unto death," even "the death of the cross," and to be shown as a ransom and substitute for the whole world and to become a purification for the life of those who believed in him. 10.8.34 But he, immediately perceiving the divine and fatherly will, and discerning if anyone else did the reasons for his being forsaken by the Father, humbled himself much more still, and with great eagerness embraced death on our behalf, and the all-holy and blessed one became "a curse for us," and he who knew no sin became sin, "that we might become the righteousness of God in him." 10.8.35 And in addition to this, having taken upon himself our sins, he was crucified, which we, who were formerly ungodly, ought to have suffered, having become a substitute and ransom for us, so that we might reasonably say the prophetic word: "He bears our sins and is pained for us," and "He was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities," so that "by his stripes we" might be healed. For "the Lord delivered him up for our sins." 10.8.36 Therefore, as one delivered up by the Father and bruised and having taken up "our iniquities," "he was led as a sheep to the slaughter." The apostle also agrees with these things, saying: "He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." 10.8.37 But moving us to seek the reason for which the Father forsook him, he says, "Why have you forsaken me?" And this was the reason: the redemption of the whole human race, being purchased by the "precious blood" from the
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ἐπήκουσέν μου», σαφῶς τὴν μετὰ θάνατον ἀναβίωσιν αὐτοῦ δηλῶν, ἥτις γέγονεν κατὰ «τὴν ἑωθινὴν ἀντίληψιν», ἣν ἑξῆς προϊὼν ὁ ψαλμὸς παρέστησεν εἰπών· «σὺ δέ, κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τὴν βοήθειάν μου, εἰς τὴν ἀντίληψίν μου πρόσχες». ποίαν δὴ ἀντίληψιν ἀλλ' ἢ ἣν καὶ ἡ προγραφὴ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ᾐνίττετο; 10.8.27 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω εἰς τὴν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ προγραφήν. εἰς δὲ τὸ «ἠλὶ ἠλὶ λεμᾶ σαβαχθανί», εἰρημένον μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν αὐτοῖς ἑβραϊκοῖς ὀνόμασι περὶ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρόν, κείμενον δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ, ὅρα μή τις ἔγκειται βαθυτέρα θεωρία παρ' Ἑβραίοις· ἐλωεὶμ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὀνομάζεται. 10.8.28 καὶ τοῦτο διὰ πάσης σχεδὸν εὕροις ἂν τῆς γραφῆς, ἐπεὶ καὶ κυρίως οὕτως παρὰ τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῇ Ἑβραίων ὀνομάζεται φωνῇ. φέρονταί γε μὴν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς θείας προσηγορίας καὶ ἕτεραί τινες ἐκφωνήσεις, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὸ Σαδδαὶ καὶ τὸ Ἰαὼ καὶ τὸ Ἢλ καὶ ἄλλα τούτοις παραπλήσια. 10.8.29 ὁ δὴ οὖν μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἢλ «ἠλὶ ἠλὶ λεμᾶ σαβαχθανὶ» περιέχει, ᾧ κέχρηται καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, οὐ μὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλωείμ. 10.8.30 ὁ γοῦν Ἀκύλας διαφορὰν εἰδὼς τῆς παρ' Ἑβραίοις θεοῦ προσηγορίας ἐκ τοῦ ἐλωεὶμ σημαινομένης, τὸ νῦν δηλούμενον ἐν τῷ «ἠλὶ ἠλὶ» οὐκ ἠξίωσεν, ὁμοίως τοῖς λοιποῖς, «ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός μου» μεταβαλὼν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ «ἰσχυρέ μου ἰσχυρέ μου» τὸ δ' ἀκριβές ἐστιν «ἰσχύς μου ἰσχύς μου», ὥστε κατὰ τὴν τούτου διάνοιαν τὸν ἀμνὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸν ἡμέτερον σωτῆρα, φάσκοντα τὸ «ἠλὶ ἠλὶ» πρὸς τὸν πατέρα λέγειν «ἰσχυρέ μου ἰσχυρέ μου, ἵνα τί ἐγκατέλιπές με». 10.8.31 καὶ τάχα ἐπεὶ ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτὸν ὁ ἰσχυρὸς αὐτοῦ, τούτου χάριν ἐσταυρώθη, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος «καὶ γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, καὶ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως θεοῦ», ὡς μὴ σταυρωθεὶς εἴη ἄν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς αὐτοῦ καταλελοίπει αὐτόν. 10.8.32 καὶ ὅρα εἰ μὴ ἔπρεπεν τὸν ἀμνὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸν «ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν» ἀχθέντα «καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸν ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος ἄφωνον», τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις ἀνατιθέναι τῷ θεῷ, καὶ μηδὲν ἴδιον ἔχειν ἡγεῖσθαι ἢ μόνον τὸν πατέρα· διὸ καὶ ἰσχυρὸν τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἀποκαλεῖ, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ ψαλμῷ ἰσχὺν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κραταίωμα καὶ καταφυγὴν τὸν πατέρα ὀνομάζει, λέγων· «ἀγαπήσω σε, κύριε ἡ ἰσχύς μου· κύριος στερέωμά μου, καὶ καταφυγή μου, καὶ ῥύστης μου· 10.8.33 ὁ θεός μου, βοηθός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν· ὑπερασπιστής μου, καὶ κέρας σωτηρίας μου, καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου». καταλέλοιπεν οὖν αὐτὸν ὁ ἰσχυρὸς αὐτοῦ, θελήσας αὐτὸν «μέχρι θανάτου» καὶ «θανάτου σταυροῦ» κατελθεῖν, καὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς λύτρον καὶ ἀντίψυχον ἀποδειχθῆναι καὶ καθάρσιον γενέσθαι τῆς τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευσάντων ζωῆς. 10.8.34 ὁ δὲ αὐτίκα μάλα συναισθόμενος τῆς ἐνθέου καὶ πατρικῆς βουλῆς, διαγνούς τε εἰ καί τις ἄλλος τὰ αἴτια τοῦ καταλελεῖφθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός, ἔτι πολὺ πλέον ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θάνατον πολλῇ τῇ προθυμίᾳ περιεβάλετο, ἐγένετό τε ὁ πανάγιος καὶ εὐλογητὸς «ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα», καὶ ὁ μὴ γνοὺς ἁμαρτίαν ἁμαρτία, «ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ». 10.8.35 καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις τὰς ἡμετέρας ἁμαρτίας ἀναμαξάμενος ἐσταυρώθη, ὃ ἐχρῆν ἡμᾶς τοὺς πρὶν ἀσεβεῖς παθεῖν, ἀντίψυχον ἡμῶν καὶ ἀντίλυτρον γεγενημένος, ὥστ' ἂν εὐλόγως εἰπεῖν ἡμᾶς τὸ προφητικόν· «αὐτὸς τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται» καὶ «αὐτὸς ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν, ἵνα «τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς» ἰαθῶμεν. «κύριος» γὰρ «παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν». 10.8.36 διόπερ ὡς παραδοθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μαλακισθεὶς καὶ «τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν» ἀνειληφώς, «ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη». συνᾴδει τούτοις καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων· «ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν». 10.8.37 κινῶν δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ ζήτησιν τῆς αἰτίας δι' ἣν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ κατέλιπεν, φάσκει, «ἵνα τί με ἐγκατέλιπες;» τὸ δ' αἴτιον τοῦτο ἦν ἡ τοῦ παντὸς ἀνθρώπων γένους ἀπολύτρωσις, τῷ «τιμίῳ αἵματι» ἐξαγοραζομένη ἀπὸ τῆς