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the lawlessnesses which he saw among them. Wherefore also to Jerusalem he said, weeping for her: If you, even you, had known the things that make for your peace; but now they are hidden from your eyes. But he put him to death, having been the cause of his being delivered to death. And he loved cursing, and it will come to him; and he did not desire blessing, and it will be far from him. And he clothed himself with cursing as with a garment, and it entered like water into his inward parts, and like oil into his bones. May it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a belt with which he is always girded. This is the work of those who slander me before the Lord, and of those who speak evil against my soul. The prophecy speaking in the person of the Savior: Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed, how those throughout the whole world, having come to know God through him and having believed in him, are deemed worthy of blessing from God, so as to multiply and increase, and the Church of Christ to fill all things, is manifest to all; but how the Jews, cursing him and blaspheming him every day, draw upon themselves the curse from God, this too is clear from their not raising their heads, nor recovering themselves from the times of the plot against our Savior. And you, O Lord, deal with me for your name's sake, for your mercy is good. Deliver 23.1340 me, for I am poor and needy, and my heart is troubled within me. Like a shadow when it lengthens I am removed, I am shaken off like locusts. My knees have grown weak from fasting, and my flesh is changed for lack of oil. Being concerned for the perdition of their souls, both of that traitor himself and of those who had contrived the plot against him, and for the rejection and fall of the entire Jewish nation, he confesses as a lover of mankind to be troubled on their behalf; Wherefore he says: And my heart is troubled within me. And I became a reproach to them; they saw me, and they shook their heads. Help me, O Lord my God, and save me according to your mercy. And let them know that this is your hand, and you, O Lord, have done it. In the resurrection from the dead the hand of God became known, that is, his only-begotten Word, and he who was formerly hidden from the many was manifested, how he willingly endured the cross, despising the shame, and he himself raised his own body, being the right hand and power of the Father. Let them know therefore, he says, that this is your hand, which they reproach and mock, and you, O Lord, have made it, by being pleased that it should take a body. For the hand of God is his power that creates all things, being no other than the Word of God through whom all things were made. They will curse, and you will bless. Let those who rise up against me be ashamed; but your servant will rejoice. To this very day the Jews have persisted in using blasphemies against the Savior; but while they blaspheme, the preaching becomes more manifest daily. Let those who slander me be clothed with confusion, and let them be covered with their shame as with a double cloak. For the Jews after the plot against Christ, being made desolate of the visitation of God, were clothed with shame; but our Savior and Lord is still even now filled with gladness, on account of the Church established in his name throughout the whole world. But your servant will rejoice. Nor will this saying compel us to take it in another sense; for we also hear the divine Paul saying that, He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant; and he himself cries out through Isaiah: Thus says the Lord who formed me from the womb to be his servant. Let those who slander me be clothed with confusion, and let them be covered with their shame as with a double cloak. And this you might learn by considering what sort of thoughts the children of the Jews possess, seeing their own venerable and holy things vanished from their foundations, but by their dishonor
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ἃς ἑώρα ἐν αὐτοῖς παρανομίας. Ὅθεν καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔλεγε κλαίων αὐτήν· Εἰ ἔγνως καὶ σὺ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην σοι· νῦν δὲ ἐκρύβη ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. Ἐθανάτωσε δὲ αὐτὸν, αἴτιος γενόμενος τοῦ εἰς θάνατον παραδοθῆναι. Καὶ ἠγάπησε κατάραν, καὶ ἥξει αὐτῷ· καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εὐλογίαν, καὶ μακρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐνεδύσατο κατάραν ὡς ἱμάτιον, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὡς ὕδωρ εἰς τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἔλαιον ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις αὐτοῦ. Γενηθήτω αὐτῷ ὡς ἱμάτιον ὃ περιβάλλεται, καὶ ὡσεὶ ζώνη ἣν διαπαντὸς περιζώννυται. Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τῶν διαβαλλόντων με παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ τῶν λαλούντων πονηρὰ κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς μου. Τῆς προφητείας λεγούσης εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ Σωτῆρος· Οἱ εὐλογοῦντές σε εὐλόγηνται, καὶ οἱ καταρώμενοί σε κεκατήρανται, ὅπως μὲν οἱ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸν Θεὸν δι' αὐτοῦ ἐπιγνόντες, καὶ πιστεύσαντες εἰς αὐτὸν, τῆς ἐκ Θεοῦ καταξιοῦνται εὐλογίας, ὡς πληθύνειν καὶ αὔξειν, καὶ τὰ σύμπαντα πληροῦν τὴν Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, τοῖς πᾶσι τυγχάνει πρόδηλον· ὅπως δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀρώμενοι αὐτὸν καὶ βλασφημοῦντες ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας, τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ κατάραν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπισπῶνται, καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ἆραι κεφαλὴν, μηδὲ ἀνανεῦσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων τῆς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλῆς. Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ποίησον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, ὅτι χρηστὸν τὸ ἔλεός σου. Ῥῦσαί 23.1340 με, ὅτι πτωχὸς καὶ πένης εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου τετάρακται ἐντός μου. Ὡσεὶ σκιὰ ἐν τῷ ἐκκλῖναι αὐτὴν ἀντανῃρέθην, ἐξετινάχθην ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδες. Τὰ γόνατά μου ἠσθένησαν ἀπὸ νηστείας, καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου ἠλλοιώθη δι' ἔλαιον. Φροντίζων περὶ τῆς ἀπωλείας τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, αὐτοῦ τε ἐκείνου τοῦ προδότου καὶ τῶν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτῷ συνεσκευασμένων, περί τε τῆς ἀποβολῆς καὶ ἀποπτώσεως τοῦ παντὸς Ἰουδαϊκοῦ ἔθνους, ταράττεσθαι ὡς φιλάνθρωπος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ὁμολογεῖ· ∆ιό φησι· Καὶ ἡ καρδία μου τετάρακται ἐντός μου. Κἀγὼ ἐγενήθην ὄνειδος αὐτοῖς· εἴδοσάν με, καὶ ἐσάλευσαν κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν. Βοήθησόν μοι, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ σῶσόν με κατὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου. Καὶ γνώτωσαν, ὅτι ἡ χείρ σου αὕτη, καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ἐποίησας αὐτήν. Ἐν τῇ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσει γνωστὴ γέγονεν ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τουτέστιν ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ τέως τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθάνων, ἐφανερώθη, ὡς αὐτὸς ἑκὼν ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνέστησε σῶμα, δεξιὰ καὶ δύναμις ὢν τοῦ Πατρός. Γνώτωσαν τοίνυν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἡ χείρ σου αὕτη, ἣν ὀνειδίζουσι καὶ χλευάζουσι, καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ἐποίησας αὐτὴν, τῷ εὐδοκῆσαι σῶμα αὐτὴν ἀναλαβεῖν. Χεὶρ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ποιητικὴ ἁπάντων δύναμις αὐτοῦ, οὐχ ἑτέρα οὖσα τοῦ δι' οὗ γέγονε τὰ πάντα τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου. Καταράσονται αὐτοὶ, καὶ σὺ εὐλογήσεις. Οἱ ἐπανιστάμενοί μοι αἰσχυνθήτωσαν· ὁ δὲ δοῦλός σου εὐφρανθήσεται. Μέχρι καὶ σήμερον διέμειναν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ταῖς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος χρώμενοι βλασφημίαις· ἀλλ' ἐκείνων βλασφημούντων, περιφανέστερον ὁσημέραι τὸ κήρυγμα γίνεται. Ἐνδυσάσθωσαν οἱ ἐνδιαβάλλοντές με ἐντροπὴν, καὶ περιβαλέσθωσαν ὡσεὶ διπλοΐδα τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῶν. Οἱ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι μετὰ τὴν κατὰ Χριστοῦ ἐπιβουλὴν, ἔρημοι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπισκοπῆς γενόμενοι, αἰσχύνην περιεβάλοντο· ὁ δὲ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν εὐφροσύνης εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν πληροῦται, διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης καθεστώσης Ἐκκλησίας. Ὁ δὲ δοῦλός σου εὐφρανθήσεται. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς τὸ ῥῆμα λαβεῖν εἰς ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν ἀναγκάσει· ἀκούομεν γὰρ καὶ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ Ἡσαΐου βοᾷ· Οὕτω λέγει Κύριος ὁ πλάσας με ἐκ κοιλίας δοῦλον ἑαυτῷ. Ἐνδυσάσθωσαν οἱ ἐνδιαβάλλοντές με ἐντροπὴν, καὶ περιβαλέσθωσαν ὡς διπλοΐδα τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο μάθοις ἂν ἐπιστήσας ποίας ἄρα Ἰουδαίων παῖδες κέκτηνται διανοίας ὁρῶντες τὰ μὲν ἑαυτῶν σεμνὰ καὶ ἅγια ἐκ βάθρων ἠφανισμένα, τοῦ δὲ πρὸς αὐτῶν ἀτιμίᾳ