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they will declare. But it is possible to recognize how all these things, I mean the wonders of God and His mercy, and His truth, and His righteousness reached those long dead, and in tombs, and in destruction, and in darkness, and in a forgotten land, if we understand of how many good things our Savior and Lord became the cause for those who had long been in death, for whose sake He also had descended to those places, that He might be Lord not only of the living, but also of the dead. For He has clearly set forth the causes of His descent even unto death through the preceding words; which were fulfilled according to the evangelists, when many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and with the Savior Himself they entered into the holy city of God, that is, the heavenly one. And I have cried to You, and in the morning my prayer shall come before You. Just as in the 21st psalm, clearly spoken from the person of our Savior according to the inscription, it was said, *For the help of the morning*, the phrase hinting at the resurrection of our Savior having occurred in the morning hour; so also now I think the same thing is signified through this, *In the morning my prayer shall come before you*, the word indicating that at no other time did the matters of the Savior's prayer come to pass than at dawn and in the morning, when it is also testified that the matters of the resurrection from the dead occurred. Wherefore not in the evening, nor at midday, nor at any other time, but *in the morning*, he says, *my prayer shall come before you*. Why, Lord, do you cast off my soul, do you turn your face from me? And in the 21st he said, *O God, my God, attend to me, why have you forsaken me?* but he says in these things, "why," inquiring interrogatively for what reason He has been forsaken by the Father, and why He has cast off His soul; so that we too, if we should ever be perplexed for what reason God did not spare His own Son, but willed to deliver Him up to be in the hands of men; for this was to forsake Him and to cast Him off; we might learn that this was done for our sake, as the Apostle taught, saying: But for us all, 23.1065 that He might become the Lamb of God and a sheep sacrificed for the salvation of the world. Therefore the prophet also said: And the Lord delivered him for our sins. And He bears our sins, and suffers for us. And He was wounded for our sins, and bruised for our iniquities; by His stripe we are healed. And he adds, saying in the 21st: O God, I will cry by day, and you will not hear, and by night, and not for foolishness on my part; and in the preceding words: You turn your face from me. And I consider these things to be similar to what was accomplished in deed in the Gospel, where, having withdrawn from the disciples, He fell on His face praying and saying: Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you; and again: Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. I am poor and in labors from my youth; and having been exalted, I was humbled and perplexed. Your wrath has passed over me, your terrors have disturbed me. They surrounded me like water all the day, they encompassed me together. You have put friend and neighbor far from me, and my acquaintances because of misery. And these things Symmachus rendered somewhat more clearly, saying: Being poor and failing from youth, I took up your fear. In addition to these, your wraths passed by me, your amazements silenced me. They went about me like waters, all the day they surrounded me. And Aquila, *Upon me*, he says, *your wraths have passed*. And how He was poor and in labors from youth, He Himself teaches in the Gospels, saying about Himself: Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And the Apostle says: Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but Himself

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διηγήσονται. Ἔστι δὲ ἐπιγνῶναι ὅπως πάντα ταῦτα, λέγω δὲ τὰ θαυμάσια τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ ἔφθασεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πάλαι νεκροὺς, καὶ ἐν τάφοις, καὶ ἐν ἀπωλείᾳ, καὶ ἐν σκότῳ, καὶ ἐν γῇ ἐπιλελησμένῃ, εἰ νοήσομεν ὅσων ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος γέγονεν ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν τοῖς πάλαι ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ γεγενημένοις, δι' οὓς καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις κατεληλύθει τοῖς τόποις, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ζώντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ νεκρῶν κυριεύσῃ. Τὰ γὰρ αἴτια τῆς μέχρι τοῦ θανάτου καθόδου αὐτοῦ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων τηλαυγῶς παρέστησεν· ἅπερ ἐπληροῦτο κατὰ τοὺς εὐαγγελιστὰς, ὅτε πολλὰ σώματα κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τῷ Σωτῆρι εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, δηλαδὴ τὴν ἐπουράνιον. Καὶ ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ κέκραξα, καὶ τὸ πρωῒ ἡ προσευχή μου προφθάσει σε. Ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ καʹ ψαλμῷ σαφῶς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰρημένῳ κατὰ τὴν προγραφὴν λέλεκτο, Ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀντιλήψεως τῆς ἑωθινῆς, τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν αἰνιττομένου κατὰ τὴν ἑωθινὴν ὥραν γεγενημένην· οὕτω καὶ νῦν ταὐτὸν σημαίνεσθαι ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τούτου, Πρωῒ ἡ προσευχή μου προφθάσει σε, δηλοῦντος τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι μὴ ἄλλῳ καιρῷ τὰ τῆς προσευχῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰς ἔργα ἐχώρει ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἕω καὶ τὸ πρωῒ, ὅτε καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως γεγενῆσθαι μεμαρτύρηται. ∆ι' ὃ οὔτε ἑσπέρας, οὔτε μεσημβρίας, οὔτε ἄλλῳ τινὶ καιρῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ πρωῒ, φησὶν, ἡ προσευχή μου προφθάσει σε. Ἱνατί, Κύριε, ἀπωθεῖς τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἀποστρέφεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; Καὶ ἐν τῷ καʹ ἔλεγε τὸ, Ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι, ἱνατί ἐγκατέλιπές με; λέγει δὲ ἐν τούτοις, ἵνα τί, ἐρωτηματικῶς πυνθανόμενος δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ἐγκαταλέλειπται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ἱνατί ἀπώσατο αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχήν· ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἴ ποτε διαποροῖμεν δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλὰ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν θελήσας ὑποχείριον ἀνθρώποις γενέσθαι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ καταλιπεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπώσασθαι· μανθάνοιμεν, ὅτι τοῦτο ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γέγονεν, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἰπών· Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων, 23.1065 ἵνα γένηται ἀμνὸς Θεοῦ καὶ πρόβατον ἱερουργούμενον ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου σωτηρίας. ∆ιόπερ ἔλεγε καὶ ὁ προφήτης· Καὶ Κύριος παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν. Καὶ οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν· τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν. Ἐπιφέρει δὲ λέγων ἐν καʹ· Ὁ Θεὸς, κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ, καὶ νυκτὸς, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί· καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις· Ἀποστρέφεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Ὅμοια δὲ ἡγοῦμαι εἶναι ταῦτα τοῖς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ἔργῳ τετελειωμένοις, ἔνθα διαστὰς τῶν μαθητῶν, ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ προσευχόμενος καὶ λέγων· Πάτερ, εἰ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ· καὶ πάλιν· Πάτερ, εἰ οὐ δύναται τοῦτο παρελθεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ αὐτὸ πίω, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου Πτωχός εἰμι ἐγὼ καὶ ἐν κόποις ἐκ νεότητός μου· ὑψωθεὶς δὲ ἐταπεινώθην καὶ ἐξηπορήθην. Ἐπ' ἐμὲ διῆλθον αἱ ὀργαί σου, οἱ φοβερισμοί σου ἐξετάραξάν με. Ἐκύκλωσάν με ὡς ὕδωρ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, περιέσχον με ἅμα. Ἐμάκρυνας ἀπ' ἐμοῦ φίλον καὶ πλησίον, καὶ τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπὸ ταλαιπωρίας. Καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Σύμμαχος σαφέστερόν πως ἐξέδωκεν εἰπών· Πτωχὸς ὢν καὶ ἐκλείπων ἀπὸ νεότητος, ἀνέλαβον τὸν φόβον σου. Πρὸς τούτοις δι' ἐμοῦ παρώδευσαν αἱ ὀργαί σου, αἱ ἐκπλήξεις σου κατεσιώπησάν με. Περιῆλθόν με ὡς ὕδατα, πᾶσαν τὴν ἡμέραν περιεκύκλωσάν με. Καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας, Ἐπ' ἐμὲ, φησὶ, παρῆλθον αἱ ὀργαίσου. Ὅπως δὲ πτωχὸς ἦν καὶ ἐν κόποις ἐκ νεότητος, διδάσκει αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγων· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησιν· Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν