The Pit and the Helplessness of Christ
In the places of Scripture, Hades is named the 'pit'. For see what it says: 'Lord, you brought my soul up from Hades, you saved me from those descending into the pit' (Psalm 130:7). And the Savior, having become man and having accepted death on behalf of men, says: 'I was numbered among those descending into the pit, since I became a helpless man'. He was crucified and his hands and his feet were as 'helpless'; 'he was heard like a sheep toward slaughter' (Isaiah 53:7), as 'helpless'. And he led himself into the 'helplessness'. And he brings forward: 'free among the dead', and 'I was numbered among those descending into the pit', and 'helpless man' it seemed to be, but 'free among the dead' I am. And one is able to understand 'free among the dead', that is, without sin.
Greek
τόποις τῆς γραφῆς ὁ ᾅδης "λάκ-κος" ὀνομάζεται. ἴδε γὰρ τί λέγει· "κύριε ἀνήγαγες ἐξ 63 ᾅδου τ̣ὴν ψυχήν μου, ἔσωσάς με ἀπὸ τῶν κατα-βαινόντων εἰς λάκκον". καὶ ὁ ςωτὴρ ἐνανθρωπήσας καὶ θάνατον ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ἀναδεξάμενος λέγει· "προσ-ελογίσθην μετὰ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον, ἐπεὶ ἐγενόμην ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος". ἐσταυρώθη καὶ ἦσαν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ πόδες ὡς "ἀβοηθήτου"· "ἤχθη ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγήν", ὡς "ἀβοήθητος". ἑαυτὸν δὲ εἰς τὸ "ἀβοήθητον" περιήγαγεν. καὶ ἐπιφέ-ρει· “"ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος", καὶ "προσελογίσθην μετὰ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον", κ̣αὶ "ἄνθρω-πος ἀβοήθητος" ἔδοξα εἶναι, ἀλλ' "ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύ-θερός" εἰμι”. ······ος δὲ δύναται νοεῖσθαι τὸ "ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος", τουτέστιν ἄνευ ἁμαρτίας. ‖ 64
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Ecclesiastes.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.