282

of her mistress; so our eyes are toward the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us. See the intensity of piety here again; for they hope not only for a short time, but are perpetually fixed and gaping. For this very reason they also brought the example into the middle, hinting at this very thing, that from nowhere else for them is there hope of assistance, nor of alliance, nor do they look toward anything else, since both the maidservant and the manservant have this one resource for nourishment and clothing, and for their other livelihood, to look to their masters; and she does not depart, but remains until she receives, and when she receives, she is grateful; and this is their task perpetually. Wishing to declare this, then, that they look to him, and do this perpetually, and have no other hope, and that they are fixed on the expectation from that alliance, and that all their things are his, he mentioned the maidservant and the slaves. See how those who were previously exhorted to run to God, and were seasick and falling back, these have now become so much better through misfortune, as not to wish to depart from him, but to remain and to serve, and to seek the things from him, Until he has mercy on us. He did not say, until he should pay the wage, nor, until he should give the reward, but, Until he should have mercy. You, therefore, remain perpetually, O man, whether you receive, or do not receive; even if you do not receive, do not depart, and you will surely receive. For if the persistence of a widow bent that cruel ruler, what excuse could you have, 55.352 leaping away so quickly, and being despondent, and growing numb? Do you not see how the maidservants hang on their masters, not allowing their thought, nor their eye to wander outside? So you also do; follow God alone, and leaving all other things, become his, and you will surely receive whatever you ask for profitably. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have been greatly filled with contempt. Our soul has been filled exceedingly. Have you seen a contrite mind? They think it right to be saved by mercy; and not even by mercy, according to what is worthy; but because they have paid a great penalty, just as Daniel also says, that We have been made small beyond all the nations upon the earth; this indeed they also say through what they supplicate; We have endured the ultimate tragedy; we have fallen from our fatherland, from freedom; we have become slaves to barbarians, we have continued being reproached, we have been worn out by famine and hardship and thirst, being spat upon, being trampled underfoot we have spent all our time; for these things, therefore, release us and have mercy. But what is, Our soul has been filled exceedingly? Our very soul, he says, has been undone, it has been withered by the magnitude of the evils. For it is possible for many to suffer terrible things, but to bear them nobly. But we, he says, have lost even this, we are distraught in our suffering, we are being beaten down. For since they did not use their honors as they ought, God corrects them by the opposites, and it is possible to see him doing this everywhere. So also Adam, since he did not use his dwelling in paradise for his benefit, he corrected him by the expulsion; and the woman who became worse through equal honor, he made better through servitude and submission. And these Jews themselves, having become worse through freedom and security in their own land, and having kicked up their heels, and lived extravagantly, he corrects by the opposites. These, supplicating also to receive mercy, say to God: Our soul has been filled exceedingly. The reproach to those who prosper, and the contempt to the proud. Another: Our soul has had its fill of many things, from the talk of those who prosper, from the belittling of the proud. Another: Of the mockery of the arrogant. Another: Of the contempt of those who prosper. These, then, hold to the same meaning; for they make a tragedy of their hardship by saying, that Our soul has had its fill of those who belittle; but the Seventy say another thing, that

282

τῆς κυρίας αὐτῆς· οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, ἕως οὗ οἰκτειρήσαι ἡμᾶς. Ὅρα ἐπίτασιν εὐλαβείας ἐνταῦθα πάλιν· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς βραχὺ μόνον ἐλπίζουσιν, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς προσηλωμένοι καὶ κεχηνότες. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα εἰς μέσον ἤγαγον, τοῦτό τε αὐτὸ αἰνιττόμενοι, ὅτι οὐδαμόθεν αὐτοῖς ἄλλοθεν ἐλπὶς βοηθείας, οὐδὲ συμμαχίας, οὐδὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἕτερον βλέπουσιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ παιδίσκη καὶ ὁ οἰκέτης μίαν ταύτην ἀφορμὴν ἔχουσι καὶ διατροφῆς καὶ ἐνδυμάτων, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης διαγωγῆς, τὸ πρὸς τοὺς κυρίους βλέπειν· καὶ οὐκ ἀφίσταται, ἀλλ' ἕως ἂν λάβῃ παραμένει, κἂν λάβῃ, χάριν οἶδε· καὶ διηνεκῶς τοῦτο ἔργον αὐτοῖς. Τοῦτο τοίνυν θέλων δηλῶσαι, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁρῶσι, καὶ διηνεκῶς τοῦτο ποιοῦσι, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσιν ἑτέραν ἐλπίδα, καὶ ὅτι προσήλωνται τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῇ ἀπὸ τῆς συμμαχίας ἐκείνης, καὶ ὅτι τὰ αὐτῶν πάντα αὐτοῦ, τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ τῶν δούλων ἐμνημόνευσεν. Ὅρα πῶς οἱ πρότερον παρακαλούμενοι πρὸς Θεὸν τρέχειν, καὶ ναυτιῶντες καὶ ἀναπίπτοντες, οὗτοι νῦν οὕτως ἐγένοντο τῇ συμφορᾷ βελτίους, ὡς μὴ βούλεσθαι ἀποστῆναι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παραμένειν καὶ δουλεύειν, καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ ζητεῖν, Ἕως οἰκτειρήσαι ἡμᾶς. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷ τὸν μισθὸν, οὐδὲ, ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, ἀλλ', Ἕως ἂν ἐλεήσῃ. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν παράμενε διηνεκῶς, ἄνθρωπε, ἄν τε λάβῃς, ἄν τε μὴ λάβῃς· κἂν μὴ λάβῃς, μὴ ἀποστῇς, καὶ πάντως λήψῃ. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἄρχοντα ἐκεῖνον τὸν ὠμὸν προσεδρεία χήρας ἐπέκαμψε, τίνα ἂν ἔχῃς 55.352 συγγνώμην σὺ οὕτω ταχέως ἀποπηδῶν, καὶ ἀκηδιῶν. καὶ ναρκῶν; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πῶς αἱ παιδίσκαι τῶν κυρίων ἐκκρέμανται, οὐ διάνοιαν, οὐκ ὄμμα ἀφιεῖσαι ἔξω πλανᾶσθαι; Οὕτω καὶ σὺ ποίει· ἕπου τῷ Θεῷ μόνον, καὶ πάντα ἀφεὶς τὰ ἄλλα, τῶν ἐκείνου γίνου, καὶ λήψῃ πάντως ἅπερ ἂν αἰτῇς συμφερόντως. Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἐπιπολὺ ἐπλήσθημεν ἐξουδενώσεως. Ἐπιπλεῖον ἐπλήσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν. Εἶδες συντετριμμένην διάνοιαν; Ἀπὸ ἐλέους σωθῆναι ἀξιοῦσι· καὶ οὐδὲ ἀπὸ ἐλέους, κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν· ἀλλ' ὅτι πολλὴν ἔδοσαν δίκην, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ ∆ανιήλ φησιν, ὅτι Ἐσμικρύνθημεν παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· τοῦτο δὴ καὶ οὗτοι λέγοντες δι' ὧν ἱκετεύουσι· Τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑπεμείναμεν τραγῳδίαν· πατρίδος ἐξεπέσομεν, ἐλευθερίας· βαρβάρων ἐγενόμεθα δοῦλοι, ὀνειδιζόμενοι διετελέσαμεν, λιμῷ καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ καὶ δίψῃ κατειργάσθημεν, διαπτυόμενοι, καταπατούμενοι πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἀνηλώσαμεν· διὰ δὴ ταῦτα ἄνες ἡμῖν καὶ ἐλέησον. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐπιπλεῖον ἐπλήσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν; Καὶ αὐτὴ, φησὶν, ἐξελύθη ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχὴ, ἐταριχεύθη τῷ μεγέθει τῶν κακῶν. Ἔστι γὰρ πολλοὺς πάσχειν μὲν δεινὰ, φέρειν δὲ γενναίως. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπωλέσαμεν, ἀλύομεν ταλαιπωρούμενοι, κοπτόμεθα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δεόντως ταῖς τιμαῖς οὐκ ἐχρήσαντο, τοῖς ἐναντίοις αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς διορθοῦται, καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸν πανταχοῦ ἔστι ποιοῦντα ἰδεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἐπειδὴ τῇ οἰκήσει τοῦ παραδείσου οὐκ ἐχρήσατο πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον, τῇ ἐκβολῇ αὐτὸν διώρθωσε· καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τῇ ὁμοτιμίᾳ γενομένην φαυλοτέραν, τῇ δουλείᾳ καὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇ βελτίω κατέστησε. Καὶ τούτους δὲ αὐτοὺς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀδείᾳ χείρους γεγενημένους, καὶ ἀποσκιρτήσαντας, καὶ ἐκδιαιτηθέντας, τοῖς ἐναντίοις διορθοῦται. Οὗτοι καὶ ἐλέους τυχεῖν ἱκετεύοντες, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν λέγουσιν· Ἐπιπλεῖον ἐπλήσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν. Τὸ ὄνειδος τοῖς εὐθηνοῦσι, καὶ ἡ ἐξουδένωσις τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις. Ἕτερος, Πολλῶν ἐχορτάσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν, ἐπιλαλούντων τῶν εὐθηνούντων, ἐξευτελιζόντων τῶν ὑπερηφάνων. Ἄλλος, Τοῦ μυκτηρισμοῦ τῶν ὑπερφερῶν. Ἄλλος, Ἐξουδενώσεως αὐτῶν εὐθηνούντων. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔχονται νοήματος· τραγῳδοῦσι γὰρ τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν διὰ τοῦ λέγειν, ὅτι Ἐχορτάσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τῶν ἐξευτελιζόντων· οἱ δὲ Ἑβδομήκοντα ἕτερόν φασιν, ὅτι