327

having become partakers of the great works of God, to dedicate their whole selves to him; but they, like irrational cattle, attended to the vanity of their bodies, making accusations in irrationality and foolishness, and gaining nothing more from the things supplied to them for the knowledge of God and the salvation of the soul. Thus, therefore, their days failed in vanity; not only that, but their years also failed with haste; for "failed" must be understood as common to both; instead of which Aquila has rendered: And he consumed their days like a vapor, and he hurried their years. For of the one who consumes his days in vanity, the years also run by hastily; but of the one who completes his days in light and in good works, the days do not fail, but become full, and his years happen to be complete and long. Therefore, also for those who, after such wonders, grew old in unbelief, time was vain and ran by hastily. Immediately, therefore, through the wonders and the 23.924 benefits toward them, they gained nothing more for their profit, but through the wrath that came upon them, they became better. Therefore, he says next: When he slew them, they sought him, and they returned and rose early to God. For being scourged and punished, like irrational beasts they regained a sense of the one who was striking them, though not being corrected by right reason; to whom the word would have said: Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding. With bit and bridle you must bind their jaws, of those who do not draw near to you. Many are the scourges of sinners; but mercy will surround those who hope in the Lord. And they loved him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to him. But their heart was not right with him, nor were they faithful in his covenant. While enjoying the wonders, they did not believe; but being scourged and slain, they returned to God. But they did not do this genuinely, but with pretense and dissimulation they seemed to praise him with their lips, but they did not do this with a pure mind; so that the saying fits them: This people honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me. And while they went to such a degree of wickedness, he, like a good father taking greater pity on them, was merciful to their sins, and did not deliver them to utter destruction; but he even turned away from them the destroying demon and the avenging angel, the minister of wrath, called his anger, propitiating his own Father on their behalf. Therefore it is said: But he is merciful and will be propitious to their sins, and will not destroy. And he will multiply turning away his anger, and will not kindle all his wrath. For he still bore them with longsuffering then, not yet casting them off completely. But according to Symmachus: He, it says, is merciful, atoning for sins, and not destroying. And for a long time he turned away his wrath, and did not stir up all his anger. In addition to these things, he at another time accuses them, saying: And he remembered that they are flesh, a spirit that goes forth and does not return. For since he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, and he who is joined to the flesh becomes one body, he rightly says that they had become somehow fleshy and carnal because of their love of pleasure and love of the body, and thus they became flesh. Therefore he says: He remembered that they are flesh. And how they were flesh he clarifies by saying next: A spirit that goes forth and does not return. For the spirit of the flesh is of such a kind, earthly and mortal and perishing. And some of those at the time of the flood had become of such a kind, concerning whom it was said: My spirit shall not remain among men, because they are flesh; as the divine spirit breathed into men in the beginning is one thing, and the spirit of the flesh is another

327

γενομένους τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλουργημάτων, ὅλους αὐτοὺς ἀναθεῖναι αὐτῷ· οἱ δὲ θρεμμάτων ἀλόγων δίκην τῇ τῶν σωμάτων προσεῖχον ματαιότητι, ἐν ἀλογίᾳ καὶ ἀνοίᾳ κατηγοροῦντες, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ἐκ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς χορηγουμένων εἰς γνῶσιν Θεοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν ποριζόμενοι. Οὕτως οὖν ἐξέλιπον ἐν ματαιότητι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν· οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτῶν μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐξέλιπον· κατὰ κοινοῦ γὰρ ἀκουστέον τοῦ, ἐξέλιπον· ἀνθ' οὗ πεποίηκεν ὁ Ἀκύλας· Καὶ συνετέλεσεν ὡς ἀτμὸν τὰς ἡμέρας αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτῶν κατέσπευσε. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ματαιότητι τὰς ἡμέρας καταναλίσκοντος καὶ τὰ ἔτη παρατρέχει κατεσπευσμένως· τοῦ δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐν φωτὶ καὶ ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς ἐκτελοῦντος αἱ ἡμέραι οὐκ ἐκλείπουσιν, ἀλλὰ πλήρεις γίνονται, καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ ἐντελῆ τυγχάνει καὶ μεμακρυμμένα. ∆ιὸ κἀκείνοις τοῖς μετὰ τοιαύτας παραδοξοποιίας ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ καταγηράσασιν μάταιος καὶ ἐσπευσμένως παρατρέχων ὁ χρόνος. Αὐτίκα δ' οὖν διὰ μὲν τῶν θαυμάτων καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς εὐερ 23.924 γεσιῶν οὐδὲν πλέον ἐκτῶντο πρὸς ὠφέλειαν, διὰ δὲ τῆς μετερχομένης αὐτοὺς ὀργῆς κρείττους ἐγίγνοντο. ∆ιὸ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· Ὅταν ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς, ἐξεζήτουν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπέστρεφον καὶ ὤρθριζον πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Μαστιζόμενοι γὰρ καὶ κολαζόμενοι, κτηνῶν ἀλόγων δίκην αἴσθησιν ἀνελάμβανον τοῦ τύπτοντος, λόγῳ μὲν ὀρθῷ μὴ σωφρονιζόμενοι· πρὸς οὓς εἶπεν ἂν ὁ λόγος· Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις. Ἐν κημῷ καὶ χαλινῷ τὰς σιαγόνας αὐτῶν ἄγξαι τῶν μὴ ἐγγιζόντων πρὸς σέ. Πολλαὶ αἱ μάστιγες τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν· τοὺς δὲ ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ Κύριον ἔλεος κυκλώσει. Καὶ ἠγάπησαν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ αὐτῶν ἐψεύσαντο αὐτῷ. Ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν οὐκ εὐθεῖα μετ' αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ ἐπιστώθησαν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ αὐτοῦ. Τῶν μὲν παραδόξων ἀπολαύοντες οὐκ ἐπίστευον· μαστιζόμενοι δὲ καὶ ἀποκτεινόμενοι, ἐπέστρεφον πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο γνησίως ἐποίουν, προσποιήσει δὲ καὶ εἰρωνείᾳ μέχρι χειλέων εὐφημεῖν ἐδόκουν, οὐ μὴν καθαρῷ λογισμῷ τοῦτ' ἔπραττον· ὡς καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἁρμόττειν τὸ φῆσαν λόγιον· Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ· ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόῤῥω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με. Καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἤλαυνον μοχθηρίας· ὁ δὲ, πατρὸς ἀγαθοῦ δίκην οἶκτον αὐτῶν πλείονα λαμβάνων, ἱλάσκετο ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ παρεδίδου αὐτοὺς εἰς ἐσχάτην διαφθοράν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν φθοροποιὸν δαίμονα καὶ τὸν τῆς ὀργῆς ὑπηρέτην ἄγγελον τιμωρὸν, θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ὀνομαζόμενον, ἀπέστρεφεν ἐξ αὐτῶν, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἱλασκόμενος. ∆ιὸ εἴρηται· Αὐτὸς δέ ἐστιν οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἱλάσεται ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ διαφθερεῖ. Καὶ πληθυνεῖ τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐκκαύσει πᾶσαν τὴν ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ. Ἔτι γὰρ τότε μακροθύμως αὐτοὺς ἔφερεν οὔπω εἰς τέλος αὐτοὺς ἀπωθούμενος. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Αὐτὸς, φησὶν, ἐλεήμων, ἐξιλάσκων ἁμαρτίας, καὶ μὴ διαφθείρων. Καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀπέστρεψεν τὴν ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ διήγειρεν ὅλον τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἄλλοτι αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖ λέγων· Καὶ ἐμνήσθη, ὅτι σάρξ εἰσι, πνεῦμα πορευόμενον καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστρέφον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστι, καὶ ὁ κολλώμενος τῇ σαρκὶ ἓν σῶμα γίνεται, εἰκότως κρεώδεις τινὰς καὶ σαρκώδεις φησὶν αὐτοὺς γεγονέναι διὰ τὸ φιλήδονον καὶ φιλοσώματον, καὶ οὕτως αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι σάρκας. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἐμνήσθη ὅτι σάρξ εἰσι. Πῶς δὲ σάρκες ἦσαν διασαφεῖ λέγων ἑξῆς· Πνεῦμα πορευόμενον καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστρέφον. Τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τῆς σαρκὸς τοιοῦτον, γεῶδες καὶ θνητὸν καὶ ἀπολλύμενον. Τοιοῦτοι δέ τινες γεγόνεισαν καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, περὶ ὧν εἴρητο· Οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας· ὡς ἑτέρου μὲν ὄντος τοῦ θείου πνεύματος τοῦ κατ' ἀρχὰς ἀνθρώποις ἐμπνευσθέντος, ἑτέρου δὲ τοῦ τῆς σαρκὸς