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it should fall away, nor, In the morning it should be hardened and withered, but It should flourish, says the word, in the morning and pass away; but the falling away and being hardened and being withered, he says will be in the evening, saying, In the evening it should fall away, be hardened and be withered; and this: For we have fainted in Your wrath, is said to be in the evening; for in this, he says, we have fainted; since in the morning, when the flower has come to be, and the grass and some temporary beauty, in the evening the grass being hardened and the flower being withered away has failed. And so the letter of the present prayer has this manner; but the sense does not permit us to apply what has been said to the times of Moses and the generation under him. For it was not evening then, nor the last days of the people of the circumcision; but it was their beginnings, and then for the first time the light from God had dawned on them. Therefore, both the state of this time and God's visitation upon them was called morning. But evening came to them then, at the consummation of the age, when the Word who had then risen for them, set. But then He had risen and was making it morning for them, when also their affairs were flourishing. But it did not remain in the truth; for having flourished it passed away, and ran by like a shadow; wherefore it is said: In the morning it should pass away like grass. And after the death of Moses, again in the times after these, having advanced to growth and a greater stature, not even so did they remain, but passed away; wherefore it is said a second time: In the morning it should flourish and pass away. But their last state after this is signified by this: In the evening it should fall away, and be hardened and be withered; for 23.1132 that which is becoming old and growing aged is near to disappearing. Which indeed also happened concerning them when the Sun of righteousness set for them, according to the prophecy that said: And the sun will set upon the prophets who lead my people astray. For just as it was said concerning the righteous, The Sun of righteousness will rise for those who fear him, so also concerning the impious it is said, The sun will set on these; and again elsewhere: And the sun will set at midday, and the moon will not give her light. At the consummation of the age, therefore, after the coming of our Savior, when evening came upon them, when the light of truth had truly set for them, their fall and rejection came to their end, and the present oracle was fulfilled, which said: In the evening it should fall away, be hardened and be withered. For we have fainted in Your wrath, and in Your anger we have been troubled. And it seems to me that through these words Moses composed a prayer fitting for the state of the people, that after the coming of our Savior. Being a prophet, therefore, and foreseeing by divine foreknowledge the end of their rejection and their final fall, he proposed to them a saving and healing remedy, the present prayer in secret, as is likely, handing it down outside of his other writing to those able to keep secrets to themselves; among whom it is likely that it was preserved specially and secretly for a long time; but later it was necessarily included in the book of Psalms, so that it might not, over a long time, fall away, being hidden from the many and neglected. Therefore, that it might be saved, and remain known by all, it was inserted into the book of Psalms, though not being a psalm. For it contains nothing of a psalm; for a psalm is of gladness; but the present prayer makes mention of the wrath and anger of God and other gloomy things, and propitiates the Divinity on behalf of those who have fallen away; Moses teaching this propitiation through the prayer to be said by the people fallen away from God after the coming of our Savior. And it seems to me not without purpose that after the 88th psalm and the things prophesied through it concerning the seed of David and the throne promised to him, the present prayer of Moses is joined; but with some deeper contemplation the word hinting at a falling away

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ἀποπέσοι, οὐδὲ, Κατὰ τὸ πρωῒ σκληρυνθείη καὶ ξηρανθείη, ἀλλ' Ἀνθήσαι, φησὶν ὁ λόγος, κατὰ τὸ πρωῒ καὶ παρέλθοι· τὸ δὲ ἀποπεσεῖν καὶ σκληρυνθῆναι καὶ ξηρανθῆναι ἑσπέρας ἔσεσθαί φησι, λέγων τὸ, Ἑσπέρας ἀποπέσοι, σκληρυνθείη καὶ ξηρανθείη· καὶ τό· Ὅτι ἐξελίπομεν ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ σου, κατὰ τὸ ἑσπέρας ἔσεσθαι εἴρηται· ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξελίπομεν· ἐπειδήπερ τὸ πρωῒ ἄνθης γενομένης, καὶ χλόης καὶ προσκαίρου τινὸς ὡραϊσμοῦ, κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν σκληρυνθεῖσα ἡ χλόη καὶ ἀποξηρανθεῖσα ἡ ἄνθη ἐξέλιπε. Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς λέξεως τῆς παρούσης προσευχῆς τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· τὰ δὲ τῆς διανοίας οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει ἐπὶ τοὺς Μωϋσέως χρόνους καὶ τὴν κατ' αὐτὸν γενεὰν συνάγειν τὰ εἰρημένα. Οὐ γὰρ ἑσπέρα ἦν τότε, οὐδὲ τὰ ὕστατα τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ· ἀρχαὶ δὲ ἦσαν αὐτῶν, καὶ τότε πρῶτον αὐτοῖς ἀνατετάλκει τὸ ἐκ Θεοῦ φέγγος. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ πρωῒ ὠνομάσθη ἡ τούτου τε καιροῦ κατάστασις, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπισκοπή. Ἑσπέρα δὲ τότε αὐτοῖς γέγονεν, ἡ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καθ' ἣν ἔδυ αὐτοῖς ὁ τότε ἀνατείλας Λόγος. Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν ἀνατέταλκε καὶ πρωΐαν αὐτοῖς εἰργάζετο, ὅτε καὶ ἤνθει τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς πράγματα. Οὐ παρέμεινε δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀνθήσαντα παρῆλθε, καὶ σκιᾶς δίκην παρέδραμε· διὸ λέλεκται· Τὸ πρωῒ ὡς ἡ χλόη παρέλθοι. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν Μωϋσέως τελευτὴν πάλιν ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις ἐπιδόντες εἰς αὔξησιν καὶ μείζονα φυὴν, οὐδὲ οὕτω διέμειναν, ἀλλὰ παρῆλθον· διὸ καὶ δεύτερον λέλεκται· Τὸ πρωῒ ἀνθήσαι καὶ παρέλθοι. Τὰ δέ γε τελευταῖα αὐτῶν μετὰ ταῦτα σημαίνεται διὰ τοῦτο· Ἑσπέρας ἀποπέσοι, καὶ σκληρυνθείη καὶ ξηρανθείη· τὸ γὰρ 23.1132 παλαιούμενον καὶ γηράσκον ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ. Ὃ δὴ καὶ περὶ αὐτοῖς γέγονεν ἐπιδύντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἡλίου, κατὰ τὴν φήσασαν προφητείαν· Καὶ δύσεται ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πλανῶντας τὸν λαόν μου. Ὥσπερ γὰρ περὶ τῶν δικαίων ἐλέχθη τὸ, Ἀνατελεῖ τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτὸν Ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης, οὕτω καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν εἴρηται τὸ, ∆ύσεται ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοῖσδε· καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Καὶ δύσεται ὁ ἥλιος μεσημβρίας, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς. Ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοίνυν τοῦ αἰῶνος μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίαν, ὅτε αὐτοῖς ἡ ἑσπέρα ἐπῆλθε, δύντος αὐτοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας φωτὸς, ἡ ἔκπτωσις αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ ἀποβολὴ τέλους ἔτυχε, καὶ τὸ παρὸν ἐπληρώθη λόγιον φῆσαν· Τὸ ἑσπέρας ἀποπέσοι, σκληρυνθείη καὶ ξηρανθείη. Ὅτι ἐξελίπομεν ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ σου, καὶ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐταράχθημεν. Καί μοι δοκεῖ διὰ τούτων ὁ Μωϋσῆς προσευχὴν συντάξαι ἁρμόζουσαν τῇ καταστάσει τοῦ λαοῦ, τῇ μετὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Προφήτης οὖν ὢν, προγνώσει τε θείᾳ τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν τῆς ἀποβολῆς καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀπόπτωσιν συνορῶν, φάρμακον αὐτοῖς σωτήριον καὶ θεραπευτικὸν ὑπετίθετο, τὴν παροῦσαν προσευχὴν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις, ὡς εἰκὸς, παραδοὺς αὐτὴν ἔξωθεν τῆς ἄλλης αὐτοῦ γραφῆς τοῖς δυναμένοις τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα παρ' ἑαυτοῖς κατέχειν· παρ' οἷς καὶ εἰκὸς φυλάττεσθαι αὐτὴν ἰδιαζόντως καὶ λεληθότως μέχρι πολλοῦ· ὕστερόν γε μὴν ἐγκαταλεχθῆναι ἀναγκαίως τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν Ψαλμῶν, ὡς ἂν μὴ τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ διαπέσοι λαθοῦσα τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ ἀμεληθεῖσα. Ἵν' οὖν σώζοιτο, καὶ παραμένοι γινωσκομένη ὑπὸ πάντων, τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν Ψαλμῶν παρενεβλήθη, μὴ οὖσα ψαλμός. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ψαλμοῦ τι περιέχει· θυμηδίας γὰρ ὁ ψαλμός· ἡ δὲ παροῦσα προσευχὴ ὀργῆς μνημονεύει καὶ θυμοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἑτέρων σκυθρωπῶν, ἱλάσκεταί τε τὸ Θεῖον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποπεπτωκότων· τὸν ἱλασμὸν τοῦτον Μωϋσέως διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς διδάσκοντος λέγειν τὸν ἀποπεσόντα τοῦ Θεοῦ λαὸν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίαν. Καί μοι δοκεῖ οὐκ ἀσκόπως μετὰ τὸν πηʹ ψαλμὸν καὶ τὰ δι' αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ καὶ τοῦ ἐπηγγελμένου αὐτῷ θρόνου θεσπισθέντος ἡ παροῦσα προσευχὴ Μωϋσέως συνῆφθαι· μετά τινος δὲ βαθυτέρας θεωρίας αἰνιττομένου τοῦ λόγου ἀπόπτωσιν