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are brought down to the place of death, which is now compared to a pit; and they go down there because of their own sins, having been judged worthy of the place there. And I was reckoned among these, not being worthy, but having become obedient to the Father unto death. Here, therefore, my life, he says, has drawn near to Hades; and, I was reckoned, he says, with those who go down into the pit; but in another psalm, mentioning these very things, he signifies the ascent from there, saying: O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Hades, you have saved me from those who go down into the pit; And again elsewhere: Patiently I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me; and he heard my supplication, and brought me up from the pit of misery. And he set my feet upon a rock; and in the 15th psalm it is said: You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. I became as a man without help, free among the dead; as the wounded sleeping in the tomb, whom you remembered no more, and they were cast off from your hand. Those who are truly without help, being mastered by death, are brought down and led away by it. But our Savior and Lord alone emptied himself and humbled himself unto death; and just as he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, so he became as one of the helpless men. But since he was not truly one of the many, he alone was free among the dead, remaining unenslaved by death. Instead of, Free among the dead, Aquila rendered it, Free among those who have died; and Symmachus, Sent free within the dead. But you will also read it with a sub-distinction, separating for itself, I became as a man without help among the dead; then, placing a stop after, among the dead, you will negatively add, free; the meaning indicating this, that I who am free and alone am truly Lord of all have become as a man without help among the dead; but not truly without help, but as one without help. But that it is fitting for no one else to say these things than for him who tasted death, and went down to Hades, but was not enslaved 23.1057 by it, I think is manifest to everyone; so that it is not possible to apply the things said in the psalm to another man than to our Savior alone. And just as he became as a man without help, so also as the wounded sleeping in the tomb, whom you remembered no more. And through these things his burial is also signified, which the divine Apostle also mentions when writing to the Corinthians, saying: For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried. And Isaiah also makes mention of his burial, saying: In peace his burial is taken from the midst. Instead of, As the wounded, Aquila says, Like the slain; and Symmachus, As those pierced; and in a certain clear way this too was fulfilled, when the soldier wounded his side with a spear. But that he became wounded and was in the tomb, is clearly presented; except that he says he became as one wounded, and like those who sleep in the tomb, but it does not stop at this; but having joined the whole, you will see the meaning of the saying. For I became, he says, as the wounded, whom you remembered no more. For the rest, after death having been in the tombs, were left behind, and remained earth and dust, God no longer remembering them after death; but I became as one of these, not being like them; for of me, after the wounding and after the death and after the placing in the tomb you were mindful, having deemed me worthy after these things of life and salvation which are from you Therefore, at the beginning, he also sent up a hymn of thanksgiving, saying: O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before you. And such were the things concerning me. Nevertheless, I became like the many who were in the tomb, and no longer deemed worthy of your

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κατάγονται εἰς τὸ χωρίον τοῦ θανάτου, τὸ νῦν λάκκῳ παραβαλλόμενον· καὶ καταβαίνουσιν ἐκεῖ διὰ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίας, τῆς αὐτόθι χώρας ἄξιοι εἶναι κριθέντες. Κἀγὼ δὲ ἐν τούτοις ἐλογίσθην, οὐκ ὢν ἄξιος, ἀλλ' ὑπήκοος γενόμενος τῷ Πατρὶ μέχρι θανάτου. Ἐνθάδε μὲν οὖν ἡ ζωή μου, φησὶ, τῷ ᾅδῃ ἤγγικε· καὶ, Προσελογίσθην, φησὶ, μετὰ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον· ἐν ἑτέρῳ δὲ ψαλμῷ, τούτων αὐτῶν μνημονεύων, τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἄνοδον σημαίνει φάσκων· Κύριε, ἀνήγαγες ἐξ ᾅδου τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἔσωσάς με ἀπὸ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον· Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ προσέσχε μοι· καὶ εἰσήκουσε τῆς δεήσεώς μου, καὶ ἀνήγαγέ με ἐκ λάκκου ταλαιπωρίας. Καὶ ἔστησε ἐπὶ πέτραν τοὺς πόδας μου· καὶ ἐν τῷ ιεʹ ψαλμῷ εἴρηται· Οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. Ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος· ὡσεὶ τραυματίαι καθεύδοντες ἐν τάφῳ, ὧν οὐκ ἐμνήσθης ἔτι, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου ἀπεώσθησαν. Οἱ ἀληθῶς ἀβοήθητοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου κυριευόμενοι, κατάγονται καὶ ἀπάγονται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Μόνος δὲ ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνωσε μέχρι θανάτου· καὶ ὥσπερ γέγονεν ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας, οὕτως ἐγενήθη ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀβοηθήτων ἀνθρώπων. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀληθῶς εἷς ἦν τῶν πολλῶν, μόνος ἐν νεκροῖς ἦν ἐλεύθερος, ἀδούλωτος τῷ θανάτῳ μείνας. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος, ὁ Ἀκύλας, Ἐν τεθνηκόσινἐλεύθερος, ἐξέδωκεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ἐντὸς νεκρῶν ἀφεὶς ἐλεύθερος. Ἀναγνώσῃ δὲ καὶ μετὰ ὑποδιαστολῆς, ἰδίως μὲν ἀφορίσας τὸ, Ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος ἐν νεκροῖς· εἶτα ὑποστίξας εἰς τὸ, ἐν νεκροῖς, ἀποφατικῶς ἐπάξεις τὸ, ἐλεύθερος· τῆς διανοίας τοῦτο δηλούσης, ὅτι Ἐγὼ ὁ ἐλεύθερος καὶ μόνος ἀληθῶς ἁπάντων Κύριος γέγονα ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος ἐν νεκροῖς· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθῶς ἀβοήθητος, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀβοήθητος. Ταῦτα δὲ ὅτι μηδενὶ ἑτέρῳ λέγειν ἁρμόζει ἢ τῷ ἁψαμένῳ μὲν τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ εἰς ᾅδην καταβεβηκότι, μὴ καταδουλωθέντι δὲ 23.1057 αὐτῷ, παντί τῳ οἶμαι φανερὸν τυγχάνειν· ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι ἐφ' ἕτερον ἄνθρωπον ἐφαρμόζειν τὰ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ λεγόμενα ἢ ἐπὶ μόνον τὸν ἡμέτερον Σωτῆρα. Ὥσπερ δὲ γέγονεν ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος, οὕτω καὶ ὡσεὶ τραυματίαι καθεύδοντες ἐν τάφῳ, ὧν οὐκ ἐμνήσθης ἔτι. ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ σημαίνεται, ἧς καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος μνημονεύει γράφων Κορινθίοις, λέγων· Παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις, ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον· ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη. Καὶ Ἡσαΐας δὲ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ μέμνηται λέγων· Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ ἦρται ἐκ μέσου. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ὡσεὶ τραυματίαι, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησίν, Ὅμοιος ἀνῃρημένοις· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ὡσεὶ τετρωμένοι· καὶ σαφές τινα τρόπον καὶ τοῦτο ἐπληροῦτο, ὁπηνίκα ὁ στρατιώτης λόγχῃ ἔτρωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευράν. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν τραυματίας γέγονε καὶ ἐν τάφῳ, σαφῶς παρίσταται· πλὴν εἰ λέγοι γεγονέναι ὡσεὶ τραυματίας, καὶ ὅμοιος τοῖς καθεύδουσιν ἐν τάφῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ μέχρι τούτου ἵσταται· ὅλον δὲ συνάψας, ὄψει τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ λόγου. Γέγονα γάρ φησιν, ὡσεὶ τραυματίαι, ὧν οὐκ ἐμνήσθης ἔτι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ λοιποὶ, μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἐν τοῖς τάφοις γενόμενοι, ἀπελείφθησαν, καὶ ἀπέμειναν γῆ καὶ κόνις, μηκέτι μετὰ τὸν θάνατον μνημονεύσαντος αὐτῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐγὼ δὲ ἐγενήθην ὡς εἷς τῶν τοιούτων, μὴ ὢν ὅμοιος αὐτοῖς· ἐμοῦ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν τρῶσιν καὶ μετὰ τὸν θάνατον καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ τάφῳ κατάθεσιν ἐμνήσθης, ζωῆς μετὰ ταῦτά με καὶ σωτηρίας τῆς παρὰ σοὶ καταξιώσας ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀρχόμενος καὶ εὐχαριστήριον ἀνέπεμπεν ὕμνον, λέγων· Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῆς σωτηρίας μου, ἡμέρας ἐκέκραξα καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ ἐναντίον σου. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατ' ἐμὲ τοιαῦτα ἦν. Ὅμως δ' οὖν γέγονα ὅμοιος τοῖς πολλοῖς τοῖς ἐν τάφῳ γενομένοις, καὶ μηκέτι τῆς σῆς κατηξιωμένοις