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being baptized in it and in mind, would differ in nothing from a worm. But he who says to God, “On you I have been cast 23.777 from the womb,” shows not only that he possesses knowledge of God, but also the greatest virtue of a God-loving power, through which he was supported upon God himself. And such he was when being conceived and when being taken in his mother's womb. But the phrase, “From my mother's womb you are my protector,” can also apply to all men. For if the power of God did not guard and watch over what was being conceived in the womb, it would not have been formed, nor would it have partaken of life, being able neither to breathe, nor to use the other senses. Again, also in this, by saying, “You are my protector,” he was showing that he had something exceptional beyond the rest who were conceived in a mother's womb. For perhaps in the case of the birth of other men, certain other angels are appointed, ministering to each one's entry into life; but in the case of the birth of the Savior, the Father himself was his protector; wherefore also he was cast upon him. Thus he always had the Father as his “praise.” Wherefore he adds, “In you is my praise continually.” For he never ceased at any time praising the Father, or also being praised by him for so great an obedience. But, My praise, he says, or also hymn, has been in you continually. But the multitude of men, knowing none of these things, regarded me as a portent. Indeed I became a monstrous thing to the multitude, so that they held different opinions about me; and some believed me to be God without flesh and without body, having appeared on earth only in appearance, but others a mere man, as having nothing more than other men; and some subjected me to curses and blasphemies, but others to reverence and worship. But my death truly became a portent to all. For to endure the cross being God, and for him who had graciously given life to others to suffer such things, was truly a portent. Wherefore he says, “I have become as a portent to many.” But in all these things you, he says, have become my “mighty helper;” for I acquired no other helper. For all things were secondary and subordinate to my power; but you alone, whom I set down as my hope, have become my “mighty helper.” And according to Symmachus it is likewise said: “On you I was cast from the womb, from the inward parts of my mother you looked upon me. In you is my expectation continually, as I became a portent to many; but you are my strong confidence.” “Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may hymn your glory, all the day long your magnificence.” Indeed, he says, in the time that has past my praise has been in you continually; but I also ask concerning the future, that until the last hour of my life my mouth might be filled with your praise, and filled so that it has no vacant space to utter anything else, nor to converse with men; and I ask that this be mine every day, and that in all the time of my life I not be deprived and cast off from this grace, even if I should reach the threshold of old age, and that even until my final end I do nothing else than that my mouth be filled with your praise and your 23.780 magnificence. But instead of “all the day long,” Symmachus rendered it “every day”: “May your mouth be filled with your praises every day, in your comeliness do not cast me off in the time of old age.” For if I must extend my life even to old age, this is not to be refused, but I beseech that I may never be deprived of my mouth being filled with your praise and your magnificence. But if at any time because of old age my strength should fail, not even then may you forsake me. These things, then, would be fitting for David and for every God-loving man to say in his supplications to God. But in the case of the Savior, notice how it is said by the Apostle, “For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.” For if also

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αὐτὸ καὶ τὸν νοῦν βεβαπτισμένοι, οὐδὲν σκώληκος διενέγκαιεν ἄν. Ὁ δὲ λέγων τῷ Θεῷ, «Ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπεστηρίχθην 23.777 ἀπὸ γαστρὸς,» οὐ μόνον γνῶσιν ἐμφαίνει κεκτῆσθαι Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγίστην ἀρετὴν φιλοθέου δυνάμεως, δι' ἧς ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἐστηρίζετο. Καὶ τοιοῦτος ἦν κυϊσκόμενος καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ τῆς μητρὸς συλλαμβανόμενος. Τὸ δὲ, «Ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου εἶ σκεπαστής,» δύναται καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ἁρμόζειν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ Θεοῦ δύναμις ἐφρούρει καὶ ἐφύλαττε τὸ κατὰ γαστρὸς κυϊσκόμενον, οὐδ' ἂν συνέστη, οὐδ' ἂν μετέσχε ζωῆς, μήτε πνεῖν δυνάμενον, μήτε τοῖς λοιποῖς κεχρῆσθαι αἰσθητηρίοις. Πάλιν δὲ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ λέγων, «Σύ μου εἶ σκεπαστὴς,» ἐνέφαινεν ἐξαίρετόν τι ἐσχηκέναι παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς τοὺς ἐν κοιλίᾳ μητρὸς συλληφθέντας. Τάχα γὰρ ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων γενέσεως ἄλλοι τινὲς ἐφεστήκασιν ἄγγελοι διακονούμενοι τῇ ἑκάστου εἰς τὸν βίον παρόδῳ· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς γενέσεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος, αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ Πατὴρ σκεπαστὴς αὐτοῦ γιγνόμενος· διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ αὐτὸν ἐπεστηρίζετο. Οὕτως διαπαντὸς «ὕμνησιν» ἑαυτοῦ εἶχε τὸν Πατέρα. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· «Ἐν σοὶ ἡ ὕμνησίς μου διαπαντός.» Οὐ γὰρ διέλιπέ τινα καιρὸν ὑμνῶν τὸν Πατέρα, ἢ καὶ ὑμνούμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ ὑπακοῇ. Ἀλλ', Ἡ μὲν ἐμὴ, φησὶν, αἴνεσις, ἢ καὶ ὕμνησις ἐν σοὶ γέγονε διαπαντός. Οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μηδὲν τούτων ἐπιστάμενοι, ὥσπερ τέρας ἐκτήσαντό με. Τεράστιον γοῦν τι πρᾶγμα τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐγενόμην, ὡς διάφορα περὶ ἐμοῦ δοξάζειν αὐτούς· καί τινας μὲν Θεὸν εἶναι ἄσαρκον καὶ ἀσώματον, δοκήσει μόνον ὀφθέντα ἐπὶ γῆς, ἡγεῖσθαι, τινὰς δὲ ψιλὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐσχηκότα· καὶ ἄλλους μὲν ἀραῖς καὶ δυσφημίαις ὑποβάλλειν, ἑτέρους δὲ σέβειν καὶ προσκυνεῖν. Τέρας δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀληθῶς γέγονεν ὁ ἐμὸς θάνατος. Τὸ γὰρ σταυρὸν ὑπομεῖναι Θεὸν ὄντα, καὶ τοιαῦτα παθεῖν τὸν ἑτέροις ζωὴν κεχαρισμένον, τέρας ἦν ἀληθῶς. ∆ιό φησιν· «Ὡσεὶ τέρας ἐγενήθην τοῖς πολλοῖς.» Ἀλλ' ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις σὺ, φησὶ, «βοηθός» μου γέγονας «κραταιός·» οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλον ἐκτησάμην βοηθόν. Πάντα γὰρ ἦν δεύτερα καὶ ὑποβεβηκότα τὴν ἐμὴν δύναμιν· σὺ δὲ μόνος, ὃν ἐλπίδα ἐμαυτὸν ὑπεγραψάμην, «βοηθός» μου γέγονας «κραταιός.» Καὶ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον δὲ ὁμοίως εἴρηται· «Σοὶ ἐπεστηρίχθην ἀπὸ γαστρὸς, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνδοσθίων τῆς μητρός μου σὺ ἐπεῖδές με. Εἰς σὲ ἡ ἀναμονή μου ἐνδελεχῶς, ὡσεὶ τέρας ἐγενόμην τοῖς πολλοῖς· σὺ δὲ πεποίθησίς μου ἰσχυρά.» «Πληρωθήτω τὸ στόμα μου αἰνέσεως, ὅπως ὑμνήσω τὴν δόξαν σου, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειάν σου.» Ἤδη μὲν κατὰ τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον ὕμνησίς μου, φησὶν, ἐν σοὶ γέγονε διαπαντός· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος δέομαι, ὡς ἂν μέχρις ἐσχάτης ὥρας τοῦ βίου τὸ στόμα μου τῆς σῆς αἰνέσεως πληρῷτο, καὶ οὕτως γε πληρῷτο, ὡς μηδένα χώραν σχολάζουσαν ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ ἄλλο τι φθέγγεσθαι, μηδὲ ἀνθρώποις ὁμιλεῖν· καὶ τοῦτό μοι ὑπάρξαι ἀξιῶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν, καὶ ἐν τῷ παντὶ χρόνῳ τῆς ἐμῆς ζωῆς μὴ ἀποστερηθῆναι καὶ ἀποῤῥιφῆναι ταύτης τῆς χάριτος, κἂν ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ δέοι φθάσαι, μηδὲ μέχρις ἐσχάτης τελευτῆς ἄλλο τί με πράττειν ἢ πληροῦσθαι τὸ στόμα μου τῆς σῆς αἰνέσεως καὶ τῆς σῆς μεγαλο 23.780 πρεπείας. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, «ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν,» ὁ Σύμμαχος, «κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν» ἐξέδωκε· «Πλησθείη τὸ στόμα σου αἴνους σου κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν, ἐν τῇ εὐπρεπείᾳ σου μὴ ἀποβάλῃς με καιρῷ γήρως.» Εἰ γὰρ δέοι καὶ μέχρι γήρως παρατεῖναι τὴν ἡλικίαν, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ παραιτητέον, ἱκετεύω δὲ μὴ ἀποστερηθῆναί ποτε τοῦ πεπληρῶσθαι τὸ στόμα μου τῆς σῆς αἰνέσεως καὶ τῆς σῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας. Εἰ δὲ καιρῷ τινι διὰ γῆρας ἐκλίποι ἡ ἰσχύς μου, μηδὲ τότε με σὺ ἐγκαταλίποις. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἁρμόζοι ἂν λέγειν καὶ τῷ ∆αυῒδ καὶ παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ θεοφιλεῖ ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετηρίαις. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπίστησον ὅπως εἴρηται τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ τὸ, «Ἐσταυρώθη δὲ ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ.» Εἰ γὰρ καὶ