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before the harsh slavery by which they were enslaved to unseen masters, unclean demons and wicked rulers and spirits. 10.8.38 And otherwise the Father forsook him so that Christ's own disposition on behalf of men might be demonstrated. Therefore, since no one had power over his soul, he willingly laid it down himself for men, just as he teaches, saying: “No one takes my soul from me”; “I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” 10.8.39 Next to these things he says: “Far from my salvation are the words of my trespasses,” for which Aquila has rendered: “Far from my salvation are the words of my roaring,” and Symmachus: “The words of my lamentations have stood far from my salvation,” and according to another version, the fifth, it is said: “Far from my salvation are the words of my supplications.” 10.8.40 See, then, that in neither of these is “of my trespasses” said, so that it happens that sometimes such variations are brought about by a scribal error. But it must be understood from the majority of interpretations, unless someone should say that here too he said these things, making our “trespasses” his own. 10.8.41 Next to these he adds: “My God, I will cry by day and you will not hear, and by night, and not for foolishness to me,” for which again Symmachus says: “My God, I will cry by day, and you will not hear, and by night, and there is no silence.” Therefore in these things he marvels at the Father for not hearing him, seeing this as something strange and contrary to custom, but he was keeping his hearing for him for the appropriate time to be heard. 10.8.42 And this was that “of the morning help” and that of the resurrection from the dead, at which time it could rightly have been said, if to any other also to him: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation.” 10.8.43 These things might also be said differently by our savior, as one who was accustomed always and at all times to be heard by the Father but who now believes he will be heard, as if he said more clearly: Is it not possible, O Father, that I, your only-begotten and beloved son, should not be heard when crying and shouting to you, my own Father? For he teaches this very thing in the Gospel according to John concerning Lazarus, when, having said “Take away the stone” from the tomb, he lifted up his “eyes” to heaven “and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me, but I knew that you always hear me.” 10.8.44 If, then, he always hears him, not doubting but knowing precisely that he will hear him now also, since it is impossible for him not to be heard, he speaks interrogatively: “My God, shall I cry by day, and will you not hear?” we should punctuate “will you not hear” and understand the opposite by the question. 10.8.45 For he teaches this a little later, proceeding next in the psalm, saying: “He has not despised nor abhorred the prayer of the poor, nor has he turned his face away from me, and when I cried to him he heard me.” How then could he say negatively “My God, I will cry by day and you will not hear,” except according to the interpretation given by us? Which I think he himself also alludes to when he says, “My God, I will cry by day, and will you not hear? and by night, and not for foolishness to me.” 10.8.46 For “for foolishness,” he says, is “will you hear” spoken by me; for I myself know how I say this, being persuaded that it is your nature not only to help and hear me, but also all of your saints. For always and through all things “in” your “saints” you “dwell,” and you are the “praise” of every God-loving man, who is called “Israel.” 10.8.47 For because of you, no ordinary “praise” accrues to everyone who attends to you, and “in you our fathers hoped,” and having hoped, they were delivered from those who rose up and from their evils, and “to you they cried and were saved,

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πρὶν χαλεπῆς δουλείας, ἣν τοῖς ἀοράτοις δεσπόταις, δαίμοσιν ἀκαθάρτοις καὶ πονηροῖς ἄρχουσί τε καὶ πνεύμασιν, καταδεδούλωντο. 10.8.38 καὶ ἄλλως δὲ καταλέλοιπεν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ εἰς τὸ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων διάθεσιν ἀποδειχθῆναι. διὸ μηδενὸς ἔχοντος ἐξουσίαν τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς, ἑκὼν αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων αὐτὴν τέθεικεν, ὥσπερ οὖν διδάσκει λέγων· «οὐδεὶς αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ»· «ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι αὐτήν, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν». 10.8.39 Ἑξῆς τούτοις φησίν· «μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου», ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας· «μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου ῥήματα βρυχήματός μου» ἐξέδωκεν, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· «ἀφεστήκασιν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν ὀδυρμῶν μου», καὶ καθ' ἑτέραν δὲ φερομένην ἑρμηνείαν πέμπτην εἴρηται· «μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν δεήσεών μου». 10.8.40 ὅρα δὴ οὖν ὅτι κατ' οὐδετέραν τούτων τὸ «τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου» εἴρηται, ὡς συμβαίνειν ποτὲ σφάλματι γραφικῷ τοιαύτας τινὰς ἐναλλαγὰς φέρεσθαι. ἐκ δὲ τῆς τῶν πλειόνων ἑρμηνείας καταληπτέον, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τις κἀνταῦθα τὰ ἡμέτερα «παραπτώματα» ἐξοικειούμενον ταῦτα αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι φήσειεν. 10.8.41 Τούτοις ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «ὁ θεός μου, κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ, καὶ νυκτός, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί», ἀνθ' οὗ πάλιν ὁ Σύμμαχος «ὁ θεός μου», φησίν, «βοήσω ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ, καὶ νυκτός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν σιγή». θαυμάζει δὴ οὖν ἐν τούτοις τὸν πατέρα ὡς μὴ εἰσακούοντα αὐτοῦ, παράξενόν τι τούτου καὶ παρὰ τὸ σύνηθες θεωρῶν, ὁ δὲ ἐφύλαττεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀκοὴν εἰς τὸν ἐπιτήδειον τοῦ εἰσακουσθῆναι καιρόν. 10.8.42 οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὁ «τῆς ἀντιλήψεως τῆς ἑωθινῆς» καὶ ὁ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως, καθ' ὃν εἰ καί τινι ἄλλῳ καὶ αὐτῷ δικαίως ἂν ἐλέχθη· «καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι, ἰδοὺ νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἰδοὺ νῦν ἡμέρα σωτηρίας». 10.8.43 λέγοιτο δ' ἂν ταῦτα καὶ ἑτέρως ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ὡς εἰωθότος μὲν ἀεὶ καὶ πάντοτε εἰσακούεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς νῦν δὲ πιστεύοντος εἰσακουσθήσεσθαι, ὡς εἰ σαφέστερον ἔλεγεν· μὴ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν, ὦ πάτερ, ἐμὲ τὸν σὸν μονογενῆ καὶ ἀγαπητὸν υἱὸν μὴ εἰσακούεσθαι βοῶντα καὶ κεκραγότα πρὸς σὲ τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ πατέρα; διδάσκει γοῦν αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου, ὁπηνίκα εἰπὼν «ἄρατε τὸν λίθον» ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου, ἐπῆρεν «τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς» ἑαυτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν «καὶ εἶπεν, πάτερ εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου, ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις». 10.8.44 εἰ τοίνυν πάντοτε αὐτοῦ ἀκούει, οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλων ἀλλ' ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάμενος ὅτι καὶ νῦν αὐτοῦ εἰσακούσεται, ὡς ἀδυνάτου ὄντος τοῦ μὴ εἰσακούεσθαι αὐτόν, ἐρωτηματικῶς φησιν· «ὁ θεός μου κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ;» ὑποστιζόντων ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ «οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ» καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον ὑπονοούντων τῷ πύσματι. 10.8.45 Τοῦτο γοῦν διδάσκει μικρὸν ὕστερον, προϊὼν ἑξῆς ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ, λέγων· «οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν οὐδὲ προσώχθισεν τῇ δεήσει τοῦ πτωχοῦ, οὐδὲ ἀπέστρεψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσήκουσέν μου». πῶς οὖν ἀποφατικῶς λέγοι ἂν «ὁ θεός μου κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ», εἰ μὴ κατὰ τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν θεωρίαν; ἣν οἶμαι καὶ αὐτὸν αἰνίττεσθαι λέγοντα «ὁ θεός μου κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ; καὶ νυκτὸς καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί». 10.8.46 οὐ γὰρ «εἰς ἄνοιαν», φησίν, ἐμοὶ λέγεται τὸ «εἰσακούσῃ»· οἶδα γὰρ αὐτὸς ὅπως τοῦτό φημι, πεπεισμένος ὅτι πέφυκας οὐχ ὅτι γε ἐμοῦ μόνον ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ εἰσακούειν ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων σου. ἀεὶ γὰρ καὶ διὰ παντὸς «ἐν» τοῖς «ἁγίοις» σου «κατοικεῖς», καὶ σὺ εἶ ὁ παντὸς ἀνδρὸς θεοφιλοῦς, «Ἰσραὴλ» προσαγορευομένου, «ἔπαινος». 10.8.47 διὰ σὲ γὰρ παντὶ τῷ σε περιέποντι οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν προσγίνεται «ἔπαινος», καὶ «ἐπὶ σοὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἤλπισαν», καὶ ἐλπίσαντες τῶν ἐπαναστάντων καὶ αὐτοῖς κακῶν ἐρύσθησαν καὶ «πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξαν καὶ ἐσώθησαν,