361

therefore what true height is, and what produces humility. For nothing makes one so lofty as to despise these things. Now therefore the prophet speaks of the humiliation that comes from calamities: He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead. He speaks of a twofold calamity, both that it is in dark places, and that it is as those who have been long dead, hinting through both at the captivity of that time. For since it is possible for one who is in dark places to do something, by lighting a lamp, wishing to show with emphasis the excess of evils, he magnified the tragedy by the name of the dead. Such also are those who live in sin. For as the dead are in darkness, so are they; and though they carry about ten thousand torches, and though they look at the sun, and though they are made radiant by their garments and other attendance, they are in no better state than those who are once dead and in darkness, but indeed much worse, inasmuch as the one is a matter of nature, the other an accusation of choice. There is also the darkness to come, of which he says, Take him, and cast him into the outer darkness. There is also the darkness of wickedness. Sitting in darkness, he says, and in the shadow of death. And Paul, We are not sons of darkness. And again, They became futile in their thinking, and their senseless heart was darkened. For this reason, just as those in darkness do not know the nature of things, so also those living in sins are maimed, and do not discern what is apparent, but run to shadows as to the truth, pursuing wealth and luxuries and powers, and are ignorant of enemies, and are ignorant of friends, trusting enemies as friends, while clashing with friends as with enemies. Do you not see every day the poor crying out, in pain, and no one listening? Why then do they not listen? Because the devil has set them in dark places, as those who have been long dead. For what darkness and death are to others, inhumanity is to these. It is characteristic of those sitting in darkness not to see the coming evils. This is also what these suffer, not seeing the calamities that are almost at hand, and being carried down into pits and over cliffs. It is characteristic of those sitting in darkness to dare shameful things with all impunity. This is what those living in wickedness also do, as if sitting in darkness, and with no man seeing what is done, so with impunity they dare all things, breaking the law in the midst of cities as if in a desert. 4. Those who sit in darkness are in continual fear; so are these. For no covetous or rapacious person is without dread, even if he boasts ten thousand things, and appears cheerful on the outside. For such is the nature of the conscience. And so before, they were deprived of all pardon, but much more so now, because when the sun of righteousness has shone, they still sit in darkness. And how, when the sun has shone, do they still sit in darkness? Because of the weakness of their own eyes. For burying themselves in the recesses or lairs or even the clefts 55.452 of wickedness, they are unable to look upon the ray, because of the weakness of their eyes. And my spirit was overwhelmed within me; my heart within me was troubled. Another version, And my soul was wrapped up within me. He shows the great excess of affliction through the disturbance of his mind. But what does 'within me' mean? I could not even bring it forth to others, he says, and receive some consolation. Such are the souls of wicked men; there is no time when they are not troubled, not only when evils are present, but also when they are expected. There is never any calm among them, there is no security of soul, but they are more greatly agitated than any sea; neither night nor day gives them a reprieve from the storm, but they are driven from all sides, even if there is no one troubling them, having war as a housemate, and they do not enjoy what they have already taken, being worn down and cut to pieces by anxieties for things not yet acquired, worrying about everyone's affairs, the

361

τοίνυν ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὕψος ἀληθὲς, καὶ τί εὐτέλειαν ἐργάζεται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ὑψηλὸν, ὡς τὸ τούτων ὑπερορᾷν, ποιεῖ. Νῦν οὖν ὁ προφήτης τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν συμφορῶν λέγει ταπείνωσιν· Ἐκάθισέ με ἐν σκοτεινοῖς ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶνος. ∆ιπλῆν λέγει τὴν συμφορὰν, καὶ ὅτι ἐν σκοτεινοῖς, καὶ ὅτι ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶνος, δι' ἑκατέρων αἰνιττόμενος τὴν τότε αἰχμαλωσίαν. Ἐπεὶ γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἐν σκοτεινοῖς ὄντα πράττειν τι, λύχνον ἅψαντα, μετ' ἐπιτάσεως βουλόμενος δεῖξαι τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῶν κακῶν, τῷ ὀνόματι τῶν νεκρῶν ὤγκωσε τὴν τραγῳδίαν. Τοιοῦτοί εἰσι καὶ οἱ ἐν ἁμαρτήμασι ζῶντες. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν σκότῳ νεκροὶ, οὕτως εἰσί· κἂν μυρίας οὖν περιφέρωσι λαμπηδόνας, κἂν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον βλέπωσι, κἂν φαιδροὶ γίνωνται ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσθημάτων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης θεραπείας, τῶν νεκρωθέντων ἅπαξ καὶ ἐν σκότῳ ὄντων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διάκεινται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον, ὅσῳ τὸ μὲν φύσεως πρᾶγμα, τὸ δὲ προαιρέσεως κατηγορία. Ἔστι σκότος καὶ τὸ μέλλον περὶ οὗ φησιν, Ἄρατε αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον. Ἔστι καὶ σκότος τὸ τῆς κακίας. Καθημένους ἐν σκότει, φησὶ, καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, Οὐκ ἐσμὲν υἱοὶ σκότους. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν σκότῳ οὐκ ἴσασι τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζῶντες πεπήρωνται, καὶ οὐ διαγινώσκουσι τὰ φαινόμενα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς σκιὰς ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τρέχουσι, πλοῦτον καὶ τρυφὰς καὶ δυναστείας διώκοντες, καὶ ἀγνοοῦσιν ἐχθροὺς, καὶ ἀγνοοῦσι φίλους, τοῖς μὲν ἐχθροῖς ὡς φίλοις θαῤῥοῦντες, τοῖς δὲ φίλοις ὡς πολεμίοις συῤῥηγνύμενοι. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν πένητας βοῶντας, ὀδυνωμένους, καὶ οὐδένα ἀκούοντα; ∆ιὰ τί οὖν οὐκ ἀκούουσιν; Ὅτι ἐκάθισεν αὐτοὺς ὁ διάβολος ἐν σκοτεινοῖς, ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶνος. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἑτέροις τὸ σκότος καὶ ἡ νεκρότης, τοῦτο τούτοις ἡ ἀπανθρωπία. Τῶν ἐν σκότῳ καθημένων ἐστὶ τὸ μὴ ὁρᾷν τὰ ἐπιόντα κακά. Τοῦτο καὶ οὗτοι πάσχουσι, παρακειμένας σχεδὸν τὰς συμφορὰς οὐ βλέποντες, καὶ εἰς βάραθρα καὶ εἰς κρημνοὺς καταφερόμενοι. Τῶν ἐν σκότῳ καθημένων ἐστὶ τὰ αἰσχρὰ μετὰ πάσης ἀδείας τολμᾷν. Τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶντες πράττουσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν σκότῳ καθήμενοι, καὶ μηδενὸς ὄντος ἀνθρώπων τοῦ βλέποντος τὰ πραττόμενα, οὕτω μετὰ ἀδείας ἅπαντα τολμῶσιν ἐν μέσαις πόλεσιν ὡς ἐν ἐρημίᾳ παρανομοῦντες. δʹ. Οἱ ἐν σκότῳ καθήμενοι ἐν φόβῳ εἰσὶ διηνεκεῖ· τοῦτο καὶ οὗτοι. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ πλεονέκτης καὶ ἅρπαξ ἐκτὸς δέους ἐστὶ, κἂν μυρία κομπάζῃ, καὶ φαιδρὸς ἔξωθεν φαίνηται. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τοῦ συνειδότος ἡ φύσις. Καὶ ἔμπροσθεν μὲν οὖν ἦσαν ἀπεστερημένοι συγγνώμης ἁπάσης οὗτοι, πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον νῦν, διότι τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης λάμψαντος, ἔτι ἐν σκότῳ κάθηνται. Καὶ πῶς ἡλίου λάμψαντος, ἔτι ἐν σκότῳ κάθηνται; Παρὰ τὴν τῶν οἰκείων ὀφθαλμῶν ἀσθένειαν. Πρὸς γὰρ καταδύσεις ἢ φωλεοὺς ἢ καὶ χηραμοὺς 55.452 ἑαυτοὺς κατορύττοντες τῆς πονηρίας, διαβλέψαι οὐ δύνανται πρὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα, διὰ τὴν τῶν ὀμμάτων ἀσθένειαν. Καὶ ἠκηδίασεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ πνεῦμά μου· ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου. Ἕτερος, Καὶ περιειλεῖτο ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ ψυχή μου. Πολλὴν τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς θλίψεως διὰ τοῦ θορύβου τῆς διανοίας ἐμφαίνει. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐν ἐμοί; Οὐδὲ εἰς ἄλλους ἐξενεγκεῖν εἶχον, φησὶ, καὶ λαβεῖν τινα παραμυθίαν. Τοιαῦται αἱ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχαί· οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτε οὐ ταράττονται, οὐ μόνον παρόντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσδοκωμένων τῶν δεινῶν. Οὐκ ἔστι παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐδέποτε γαλήνη, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄδεια τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ παντὸς πελάγους διακόπτονται μειζόνως· οὐ νὺξ, οὐχ ἡμέρα ἀτέλειαν δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς τοῦ χειμῶνος, ἀλλ' ἐλαύνονται πανταχόθεν, κἂν μηδεὶς ὁ ἐνοχλῶν ᾖ, τὸν πόλεμον σύνοικον ἔχοντες, καὶ τῶν ἤδη ληφθέντων οὐκ ἀπολαύουσι, ταῖς φροντίσι τῶν μηδέπω προσγενομένων τρυχόμενοι, κοπτόμενοι, τὰ πάντων μεριμνῶντες πράγματα, τὰς