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having shone for long periods of time with moderation and purity, at a later time were dragged down, living more laxly and slipping, or falling away completely from their goal, and suffering shipwreck, as it were, of the good deeds long gathered by them. For you would not be wrong to say of these that the feet of their soul were shaken; and not only that, but that they had fallen completely, and that their steps and their journeys according to God, their progress over a long time, had flowed away and been poured out. But these things, he says, I nearly suffered, yet I have not suffered them because of the mercy of God. Nevertheless, I was about to suffer these things because of the zeal I felt towards the lawless when I saw their peace and prosperity in wealth and luxury, in offices and dignities. For looking at these things, I was sawn asunder, so that I was in danger of nearly falling into godless reasonings; into which I have not fallen, being healed by right doctrines, which remind me that God is good and forbearing and long-suffering. Wherefore, being astonished at Him and marveling at the excess of His goodness, I said at the beginning of the discourse: How good is God to Israel, to the upright in heart. But instead of: How good is, Symmachus says: Truly, indeed, God is good to Israel, to the pure in heart. For he showed who Israel is, by adding and saying, to the pure in heart. For these are the true Israel; wherefore it was also said by the Savior: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; and Israel is interpreted as one who sees God. For there is no turning back in their death, and their scourge is firm. They are not in the troubles of men, and with men they will not be scourged. Therefore pride has seized them completely. As in a narrative, he recounts the things that troubled his soul, so that we may know that it was not for small reasons his feet were nearly shaken, nor were his steps about to be poured out for trivial matters. And what were these things? The impious and those who do not know God, he says, lived thus in stability of life and in delights, and until their very end they enjoyed such luxury that anyone would pray to obtain the same things as they, and to envy not only their life but also their death, which it was not possible either to refuse or to consider abominable. Thus there was no turning back in their death. But even if it ever happened that one of them fell into a scourge and a blow, that is, into a difficult circumstance and misfortune, or was tested in diseases and losses, there was no firmness in their scourge. For the blow against them was not firm and persistent, but brief and superficial, passing by. Nor were they tried in the troubles of men, toiling the earth and procuring their food by their hands, and worn out by poverty; but on the contrary, flowing with wealth, they lived luxuriously in pleasure, and suffered nothing similar to other men who are scourged each day through a laborious and toilsome life. Wherefore they are not in the trouble of men, 23.840 and with men they will not be scourged. But Symmachus interpreted it thus: Because they did not think about death; for their gates were strong; and what follows: In the misery of man, he says, they were not, nor were they struck with men. Since, therefore, they were in such circumstances, for this reason pride seized them. For it was necessary that, being impious, as far as human reasonings go, they suffer the penalties for their impieties; but they reveled in life, fighting against God. On account of which, being worn down, they became worse than themselves, and they clothed themselves with their own injustice and impiety; for which Symmachus says: They have clothed themselves with pride, having storehouses from injustice. And moreover, in addition to these things: Their iniquity shall come forth as from fat; of which Symmachus indeed gave a clearer sense, saying: Their eyes bulged from fatness; and Aquila similarly interpreted, saying: They came forth from fat

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σωφροσύνῃ τε καὶ ἁγνείᾳ διαλάμψαντες μακροῖς χρόνοις, ὕστερόν ποτε ὑπεσύρησαν χαυνότερον βιώσαντες καὶ ὀλισθήσαντες, ἢ παντελῶς ἐκπεσόντες τοῦ σκοποῦ, καὶ ὥσπερ ναυάγιον παθόντες τῶν πάλαι συνηγμένων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν πράξεων. Τούτων γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις εἰπὼν τοὺς πόδας τῆς ψυχῆς σεσαλεῦσθαι· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅλους πεπτωκέναι, τά τε διαβήματα αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς κατὰ Θεὸν πορείας τὴν ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ προκοπὴν ἀποῤῥεῦσαι καὶ ἐκκεχῦσθαι. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν παρὰ μικρὸν, φησὶν, ἔπαθον, οὐ μὴν πέπονθα διὰ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔλεος. Πλὴν ἤμελλόν γε ταῦτα πάσχειν διὰ ζῆλον ὃν ἐζήλουν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὁρῶν τὴν εἰρήνην αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ τρυφῇ, ἔν τε ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἀξιώμασιν εὐημερίαν. Εἰς ταῦτα γὰρ ἀφορῶν διεπριόμην, ὡς μικροῦ δεῖν κινδυνεῦσαι περιπεσεῖν ἀθέοις λογισμοῖς· οἷς οὐ περιπέπτωκα δόγμασιν ὀρθοῖς θεραπευόμενος, τοῖς ὑπομιμνήσκουσιν ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ἀνεξίκακον καὶ μακρόθυμον. ∆ιόπερ ἐκπληττόμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποθαυμάζων τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀγαθότητος, εἶπον ἀρχόμενος τοῦ λόγου· Ὡς ἀγαθὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεὸς, τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· Ὡς ἀγαθὸς, ὁ Σύμμαχος· Πλὴν ὄντως, φησὶν, ἀγαθὸς ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῖς καθαροῖς τὴν καρδίαν. Παρέστησε γάρ τίς εἴη ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐπισυνάψας καὶ εἰπὼν, τοῖς καθαροῖς τὴν καρδίαν. Οὗτοι γάρ εἰσιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Ἰσραήλ· διὸ ἐλέγετο καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται· καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ δὲ ὁρῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἑρμηνεύεται. Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνάνευσις ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ στερέωμα ἐν τῇ μάστιγι αὐτῶν. Ἐν κόποις ἀνθρώπων οὐκ εἰσὶ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ μαστιγωθήσονται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία εἰς τέλος. Ὡς ἐν ἱστορίᾳ διεξέρχεται τὰ ταράξαντα αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, ἵνα γνῶμεν, ὅτι μὴ ἐπὶ μικροῖς ἐσαλεύθησαν αὐτοῦ οἱ πόδες παρ' ὀλίγον· μηδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἤμελλον ἑαυτοῦ ἐκχεῖσθαι τὰ διαβήματα. Τίνα δὲ ἦν ταῦτα; Οἱ ἀσεβεῖς καὶ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ εἰδότες, οὕτω, φησὶν, ἐν εὐσταθείᾳ βίου καὶ θυμηδίαις διῆγον, καὶ μέχρις ἐσχάτης τελευτῆς τοσαύτης ἀπήλαυον τρυφῆς, ὡς καὶ πάνθ' ὁντινοῦν εὔξασθαι τῶν ἴσων αὐτοῖς τυχεῖν, ζηλῶσαί τε αὐτῶν οὐ μόνον τὴν ζωὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν θάνατον, ὃν οὐδὲ παραιτήσασθαι ἐξῆν οὐδὲ ἀπευκτὸν ἡγήσασθαι. Οὕτως οὐκ ἦν ἀνάνευσις ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτῶν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ συνέβη ποτὲ μάστιγι καὶ πληγῇ, τουτέστι περιστάσει καὶ συμφορᾷ περιπεσεῖν αὐτῶν τινα, ἢ ἐν νόσοις ἐξετασθῆναι καὶ ζημίαις, οὐκ ἦν στερέωμα ἐν τῇ μάστιγι αὐτῶν. Οὐ γὰρ στερεά τις ἦν καὶ ἐπίμονος ἡ κατ' αὐτῶν πληγή· βραχεῖα δέ τις καὶ ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς παρατρέχουσα. Οὐδὲ ἐν κόποις δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἐξητάζοντο, γεωπονοῦντες καὶ τὴν τροφὴν ἀπὸ χειρῶν ποριζόμενοι, πενίᾳ τε κατατρυχόμενοι· τοὐναντίον δὲ πλούτῳ περιῤῥεόμενοι καθηδυπάθουν ἐντρυφῶντες, καὶ μηδὲν ὅμοιον πάσχοντες τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῖς μαστιζομένοις ἑκάστης ἡμέρας δι' ἐπιπόνου καὶ μοχθηροῦ βίου. ∆ιὸ ἐν κόπῳ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ εἰσὶ, 23.840 καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ μαστιγωθήσονται. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· Ὅτι οὐκ ἐνεθυμοῦντο, περὶ θανάτου· στερεὰ γὰρ ἦν τὰ πρόπυλα αὐτῶν· καὶ ἑξῆς· Ἐν ταλαιπωρίᾳ, φησὶν, ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἐγένοντο, οὐδὲ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐπλήσσοντο. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τοιούτοις ἦσαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία. ∆έον γὰρ ἀσεβεῖς ὄντας, ὅσον ἐν ἀνθρωπίνοις λογισμοῖς, τἀπίχειρα πάσχειν τοῖς ἀσεβήμασιν· οἱ δὲ κατενετρύφων τοῦ βίου θεομαχοῦντες. ∆ι' ὃ ἐπιτριβόμενοι χείρους ἑαυτῶν ἐγίγνοντο, καὶ περιεβάλοντο ἀδικίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν ἑαυτῶν· ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος· Ὑπερηφανίαν, φησὶν, ἠμφιώσαντο, ἀποθήκας ἐξ ἀδικίας ἔχοντες. Ἔτι μὴν πρὸς τούτοις· Ἐξελεύσεται ὡς ἐκ στέατος ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν· οὗ δὴ σαφεστέραν ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀπέδωκε τὴν διάνοιαν εἰπών· Προέπιπτον ἀπὸ λιπαρότητος οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν· καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας δὲ ὁμοίως ἡρμήνευσε φήσας· Ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ στέατος