The Depth of Christ's Suffering and Mercy
Against those who maligned him. For it is said against him that Jesus and the disciples were always eating and drinking, even if they did so when called to a feast for the sake of benefit and to perform signs. They were not called to a feast to eat and drink, but they were called to a feast. For indeed he fasted for forty days.
Since fasting is not a preventative against the lifting up of the soul from irrational passions, 'I said, I will veil my soul with fasting,' he says. But the worthless are accustomed to reproach the good because of their virtues; for piety is an abomination to a sinner. Since the Savior confesses and is reviled on our behalf, he is alluded to through the sackcloth regarding the harsh and miserable lifestyle. For it was not sensorially said that Jesus was clothed in a sackcloth. Some say that from this garment it is shown that the body is that which Christ did not take up.
Therefore hear my voice in a multitude of your mercy, providing the salvation in truth for those for whom I am worthy Ps 68:14. And this will be, that you will save him who died through his resurrection. For not such life and salvation will be for them as I receive. Salvation in truth is that which is according to God, not in truth but in type and image of that which happens to the weary by physicians and generals. Even if you once demonstrated to them, you say, Father, 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased' Matt 3:17, raise him crucified on their behalf. For that is the time, that is, the end of the good pleasure of your will for the sake of salvation.
Therefore also hear me, so that those dead through sin may be made alive with me as I am being made alive. The apostle is initiating this mystery: that God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love, loved us being dead through trespasses and sins, and made us alive together with Christ. And he presents this prayer for us, so that we may not be entangled in the body through the mud called passion Ps 68:15. But if even these sins he took into his own body, so that he might take them up having ascended the cross, the mud is, visit them. The elements indeed are trials which he did not accept on our behalf, so that his only salvation might exist for us; for in which he himself suffered.
Having been tested, he is able to help those being tested. And the depth of the interpreted waters is this: that those who do not bear the trials bravely cannot be saved from God alone, as it is said, 'Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord' (Ps 68:15), and the following things exist for him, as he cries out, 'how can I be saved?' For nothing from those who harm him will terrify or frighten him.
Therefore, having outrun him through death, he begins to be terrified and to be distressed; first, indeed, he cries out for us, and since he has truly become both a worm and a man, he endures these sufferings. He is hated by the demons and by the men who hate him, such as those saying, 'Aron, Aron, crucify him' (Ps 68:15b).
The misfortunes do not close in like a cistern; oh, how for me these have become completely inescapable (Ps 68:16). For he sets these things tropically, clinging to the original hypothesis. For there also, 'Because water has entered,' he said, 'as to my soul,' and how, having said, 'And a storm has overwhelmed me,' now he says, 'Not so.' Since, having been submerged, he is to rise up again, he prays to the one who tested him, that he might not receive a second trial.
Since out of much goodness your mercy will be useful, I entreat that it become upon those for whom I am worthy (for you will loose their sins), hear me; as you will look upon me interceding for all, not according to the second judgment but according to the abundance of your mercies, and they will receive much benefit (Ps 68:17-19). For desiring to manage these things for me, you sent me; for I was sent not to judge but to save the world by your mercies toward those being benefited and by your good mercy.
The addition that presents the good mercy is that not all mercy is such; for God says concerning the criminals, 'Your eye shall not spare him, nor will you have mercy on him.' But it is not probable that these things are said from the face of the Only-begotten being stripped of humanity, as sometimes the child-like address signifies some son; but rather, he said these things clearly, having emptied himself and having taken the form of a slave and having become like us in all things, apart from sin, and having inhabited our daily sufferings—the natural and blameless ones, I say. Pay attention to...
Greek
παρὰ τοῖς κακοηθεστέροις. λεχθείη γοῦν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐ πάντως τὸν ̓Ιησοῦν καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς ἀεὶ ἐν τῷ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν ει ναι, εἰ καὶ ἐποίουν αὐτὸ εἰς ἑστίας καλούμενοι τοῦ ὠφελῆσαι χάριν καὶ σημεῖα ποιῆσαι. πρὸς τὰς ἑστίας ου ν ἀφορῶντες φάγον καὶ οἰνοπότην ἐκάλουν. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἐνήστευσεν. ̓Επεὶ ου ν ἡ νηστεία κωλυτική ἐστι τῆς ἐξ ἀλόγων παθῶν ἐπάρσεως τῆς ψυχῆς, Συνεκάλυψα, ε φη, ἐν νηστείᾳ τὴν ψυχήν μου. Σύνηθες δὲ τοῖς φαῦλοις ὀνειδίζειν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς δι' α ς ε χουσι καλοκἀγαθίας· Βδέλυγμα γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῷ θεοσέβεια. ̓Επείπερ ὁ σωτὴρ περὶ ἡμῶν ἐξομολογεῖται καὶ κακοῦται, αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τοῦ σάκκου τὴν σκληρὰν καὶ κακωτικὴν δίαιταν. οὐ γὰρ αἰσθητῶς που ἐλέχθη σάκκον ἐνδεδύσθαι τὸν ̓Ιησοῦν. τινὲς δέ φασι δηλοῦσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐνδύματος τούτου τὸ σῶμα ο περ ἀνέλαβεν ὁ Χριστός. 712a Ps 68,14 ∆ιὸ ἐπάκουσόν μου ἐν πλήθει ἐλέου τοῦ σοῦ, τὴν ἐν ἀληθεῖ σωτηρίαν παρέχων τοῖς ὑπὲρ ω ν ἀξιῶ. ὑπάρξει δὲ τοῦτο ο ταν αὐτὸν ἀποθανόντα σώσῃς δι' ἀναστάσεως. ου τω γὰρ ζωὴ καὶ σωτηρία ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ε σται η ν ἀναδέχομαι. σωτηρία ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἡ κατὰ θεόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἀλλ' ἐν τύπῳ καὶ εἰκόνι ου σης τῆς ὑπὸ ἰατρῶν καὶ στρατηγῶν γινομένης τοῖς κάμνουσιν. εἰ καί ποτε τοίνυν ἐπιδεικνύς με αὐτοῖς ει ρηκας, πάτερ, Ου τός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ῳ εὐδόκησα, σταυρούμενον ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀνάστησον. ου τω γὰρ ὁ καιρός, τουτέστι τὸ τέλος τῆς εὐδοκίας τῆς θελήσεως τῆς σῆς τῆς ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάκουσόν μου, ι να ἐμοῦ ζωοποιουμένου σὺν ἐμοὶ ζωοποιηθῶσιν οἱ δι' ἁμαρτίας νεκροί. Τοῦτο μυσταγωγῶν ὁ ἀπόστολος ει πεν ̔Ο θεὸς πλούσιος ω ν ἐν ἐλέει διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀγάπην η ν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς ο ντας διὰ παραπτώματα καὶ ἁμαρτίας τῷ Χριστῷ συνεζωοποίησεν. 713a Ps 68,15 Καὶ ταύτην ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσάγει τὴν δέησιν, ι να μὴ ἐμπαγῶμεν τῷ σώματι διὰ παθῶν πηλῷ ὀνομαζομένῳ. εἰ δὲ καὶ αυ ται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι α ς ἀνέλαβεν εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα, ι να 134 ἀνέλῃ αὐτὰς ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρόν, ὁ πηλός ἐστιν, συνεπίσκεψαι. Τὰ υ δατα μὲν πειρασμοί εἰσιν ου ς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνεδέξατο, ι ν' ἡ μόνη αὐτοῦ σωτηρία ἡμῖν ὑπαρχθῇ· ̓Εν ῳ γὰρ πέπονθεν αὐτὸς πειρασθείς, δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι. βάθος δὲ τῶν ἑρμηνευθέντων ὑδάτων ἐστίν, εἰς ο γίνονται οἱ μὴ γενναίως τὰ πειρατήρια φέροντες, ἀφ' ου θεοῦ μόνου ῥύεσθαι αὐτοὺς μὴ δυναμένους εἰπεῖν ̓Εκ βαθέων ἐκέκραξά σε, κύριε† καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ ὑπαρχθῆναι αὐτῷ ἡμῶν ε νεκα αἰτεῖ. οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν θαμβεῖ η φοβεῖ τῶν α λλους βλαπτόντων. κα ν τοίνυν παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ θανάτῳ φθάσας α ρξηται θαμβεῖσθαι καὶ ἀδημονεῖν, προηγουμένως μὲν ἡμῶν ε νεκα, οὐχ η κιστα δὲ ι να καὶ α νθρωπος ἀληθῶς γεγονὼς δειχθῇ, ἀναδέχεται τὰ πάθη ταῦτα. 714a Ps 68,15b Μισοῦντας καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας ὑποληπτέον, καὶ τοὺς αὐτὸν μισοῦντας ἀνθρώπους, οι οι η σαν οἱ λέγοντες Αρον α ρον, σταύρωσον αὐτόν. 715a Ps 68,16 Μὴ ὡς φρέαρ αἱ συμφοραὶ σχῶσιν, ω στε μοι παντελῶς ἀδιεξοδεύτους ταύτας γενέσθαι. τροπικῶς γὰρ ταῦτα τίθησιν, ἐπιμένων τῇ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑποθέσει. κἀκεῖ γὰρ Οτι εἰσῆλθεν υ δατα, ε λεγεν, ε ως ψυχῆς μου, πῶς δὲ εἰπὼν Καὶ καταιγὶς κατεπόντισέ με· νῦν λέγει Μὴ ο τι. ἐπεὶ ε στι βυθισθέντα πάλιν ἀνανήξασθαι, ευ χεται ω ν ἐπειράθη, μὴ πεῖραν πάλιν λαβεῖν δευτέραν. 716a Ps 68,17–19 ̓Επεὶ ἐκ πολλῆς ἀγαθότητος χρηστὸν ε σται τὸ ε λεός σου ο παρακαλῶ γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ ω ν ἀξιῶ (λύσεις γὰρ αὐτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας), εἰσάκουσόν μου· ὡσεὶ ἐπιβλέψεις ἐπ' ἐμὲ πρεσβευόμενον ὑπὲρ πάντων, οὐ καθ' ε να η δεύτερον ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου σωθήσονται καὶ πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν σχήσουσιν. ταῦτα γὰρ οἰκονομῆσαί με βουλόμενος ἀπέστειλας· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ κρῖναι ἀλλὰ σῶσαι τὸν κόσμον ἐπέμφθην ὑπὸ τῶν σῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τῶν εἰς τοὺς εὐεργετουμένους καὶ τῷ χρηστῷ ἐλέῳ σου. ̔Η δὲ προσθήκη ἡ τῷ χρηστῷ παρίστησιν, ὡς μὴ πάντα ε λεον ει ναι τοιοῦτον· λέγει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς περὶ τῶν κόλπων τοῖς δικάζουσιν Οὐ φείσεται ὀφθαλμός σου ἐπ' αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ μὴ ἐλεήσεις αὐτόν. οὐ πιθανὸν δὲ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ μονογενοῦς ταῦτα λέγεσθαι γυμνοῦ ο ντος τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως, κα ν ποτε ἡ παῖς προσηγορία σημαίνει τόν τινος υἱόν· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα δηλονότι κενώσας ἑαυτὸν καὶ μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν καὶ ὁμοιωθεὶς ἡμῖν κατὰ πάντα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα οἰκειωσάμενος πάθη (τὰ φυσικά φημι καὶ ἀδιάβλητα) ε λεγεν. Πρόσχες τῇ
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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.