falsehood, "in the day of wrath they shall not exist." For when they are no more, "They shall know," he says, "that God rules over Jacob and the ends of the earth." For when wickedness is in no way left behind, the Lord shall certainly be the ruler of the ends, the sin which now lords it over many having been removed from the feet. B Then he repeats the same argument again about those who "shall return at evening, and shall be hungry like dogs, and shall go round about the city," indicating, I think, by the repetition of the discourse, that in both respects, both in wickedness and in what is better, men will continue in the same state after this life in which they now are. For he who now wanders in a circle through impiety, not living in the city, nor keeping the human character in his own life, but acting like a beast through his choice, and becoming a dog, he, too, having fallen from the city above, shall be punished with a famine of good things. But the one who is victorious over opposites, and advances, as the Psalmist says elsewhere, "from virtue to virtue," and exchanges one victory for another, he says, "I will sing of Thy strength; I will rejoice in the morning in Thy mercy, because Thou hast become my helper and my refuge"; and to Thee be glory forever and ever. Amen.
THE SAME, ON THE SIXTH PSALM, CONCERNING THE EIGHTH
Those who, according to the prophetic blessing, go from strength to strength, and set in their hearts beautiful ascents, whenever they grasp some good thought, are led by it as if by the hand to a more sublime thought, through which the ascent to the heights is accomplished for the soul. And thus he who is always stretching forward to those things which are before, will never cease from the good ascent, being always led by sublime thoughts to the contemplation and observation of the things that are above. I have said these things, brothers, applying my mind to the sixth of the psalms, and seeing the necessary sequence of the order, how, after that which follows the inheritance, the discourse concerning the Eighth was added for us. But you are by no means ignorant of the mystery of the Eighth. For it is not fitting that the mind of some should succumb and be carried away to Jewish opinions, who, dragging down the greatness of the mystery of the Eighth D to the unsightly parts of our body, the law of circumcision, and
A the post-partum purification, say that such things are signified by the number of the Eighth. But we, having learned from the great Paul that the law is spiritual, even if this number is contained in the aforementioned laws, prescribing circumcision for the male and, for the woman, sacrifice and oblation in the name of purification, do not reject the law, nor do we interpret it in a lowly and abject manner, knowing that the true circumcision undoubtedly takes place on the eighth day, being performed by the stone knife. And you surely understand by the stone that cuts away what is unclean, that very Stone which is Christ, that is to say, the Word of truth; and that then the nature of the affairs of this life, which brings defilement, ceases, since human life has been transformed toward a more divine and august form. But in order that what is meant by such things may be made evident to all, I shall set forth the argument more clearly, as far as I am able. B The time of this life was completed in the first creation of the world by a single week of days; for the creation of existent things began from the first, and concluded at the seventh with the end of creation. For "there was," he says, "one day," in which the first things were made; and so in the second, the second things, and consequently up to the sixth, everything. And the seventh, having become the end of creation, enclosed within itself the time that was extended alongside the construction of the world, during which the world was being created. C As, therefore, neither heaven came into being from that time, nor was any other part of the world added to those things that had come to be from the beginning; but the creation stood by itself, remaining in its own measures, needing nothing more and lacking nothing; so no other time came into existence beyond that which was manifested together with the preparation of the world, but the nature of time was limited by the week of days. And for this reason, whenever we measure time by days, beginning from the one and concluding the number at the seventh, we return again to the one, always measuring the whole span of time through the cycle of weeks, until, when the things that are moved have passed by, and the flowing motion has at some point ceased, as the Apostle says, those things come which are no longer shaken, which change and alteration no longer reach, D that creation remaining always in the same state in the ages to follow, in which the true circumcision of human nature takes place through the removal of bodily life, and the true purification of the true defilement. For the sin which is born together with human nature is a type of man (since *"in sins did my mother conceive me"*), which He who accomplished the purification of our sins then cleanses entirely, consuming and taking away from the nature of things everything that is bloody and filthy and uncircumcised. And thus we receive the law concerning the Eighth, which both purifies and circumcises; because, when the hebdomadal time has ceased, the eighth day will be established after the seventh; which is called eighth, indeed, because after the seventh
A it arises, and no longer admits the vicissitude of number within itself. For one day remains in perpetuity, never divided by nocturnal darkness. For another sun makes it, which shines forth the true light; which, once it has appeared to us, as the Apostle says, no longer hides in the sunset, but, embracing all things with its illuminating power, generates a perpetual light, void of vicissitude, in the worthy, making those who have participated in that light other suns, as the Word says in the Gospel: "Then shall the righteous shine as the sun."
Since, therefore, he discourse regarding the one who receives the inheritance in the previous Psalm, and the inheritance is laid up and hidden for the worthy in the Eighth, and in this the just judgment of God is also exercised, granting to each according to his deserts: the Prophet rightly introduced the discourse on repentance along with the mention of the Eighth. For who, having remembered the terrible judgment of Christ, is not immediately shaken in his own conscience, and constrained by terror and anguish? Even if one is conscious of having lived a life better rather than worse, yet, looking toward the B exactness and rigor of the judgment, in which even the slightest oversights are brought to examination, he is utterly terrified by the expectation of those fearful things, not knowing what the end and outcome of the judgment will be for him. Therefore, as if having the terrible punishments, that Gehenna and the dark fire and the never-dying worm of conscience, before his eyes—which always stings the soul with shame and renews and integrates the tortures by the memory of a life ill-spent—he now becomes a supplicant to God, entreating not to be delivered over to that fury for examination, nor that the chastisement for what he has transgressed be brought upon him through that wrath. For to those condemned to the bitter discipline of that terrible punishment, that judgment is considered the work of fury and wrath. And because of this, as if already being in the pains and tortures, he imitates the voices of those C suffering, to whom that which is applied for the punishment of the impious seems to be fury and wrath. He says, therefore, that I do not wait until the examination of my hidden sins be brought upon me from that fury through terrible scourges; but I anticipate the necessity that would be laid upon me from that wrath by spontaneous confession. What torture does in those who are being scourged—making the hidden crimes manifest against their will—this the free will does of itself, scourging and punishing itself through repentance, and making public and revealing the sin that was hidden in the secret places. Having said, therefore, "Neither rebuke me in thy fury, nor chastise me in thy wrath," consistently he thereafter flees to mercy, attributing the cause of the evil not so much to free choice as to the weakness of nature: "Because I have been in evils, heal me with mercy; for I came into the passion out of weakness." What, then, is the weakness? "My bones have been dislocated, and dissolved D from their mutual harmony." But he says, "the bones"...
A to signify the sound and constant thoughts and reasonings that strengthen the soul. "Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled." And he interprets the enigma of the statement by what he added to what was said, namely, "My soul is troubled exceedingly." Why then, he says, do you delay the healing, O Lord? How long before you bring your mercy? Do you not see the fleeting nature of human life? Anticipate the necessity of our life by the conversion of my soul, lest when death finally overtakes us, every thought devised for healing be of no further use. For in death there will no longer be anyone able to heal the sickness contracted by vice and wickedness through the memory of God, since on earth confession has power, but in Hades this is not so. Then, as if someone had asked, "How do you implore mercy for the healing of offenses? By what manner have you propitiated the Divine?" he speaks thus: "I have labored in my groaning, and I shall wash away the bed spread with sin B with the stream of my tears." Why these things? "Because," he says, "in fury my eye is troubled, and for this reason I have become a certain ancient and wrinkled one, since the fury produced by enemies in me caused putrefaction in the soul." For if fury alone causes such terror to the one who has sinned through it, how much more likely is it that those who are conscious not only of the passions derived from fury in their own lives, but also of all that desire, greed, pride, ambition, envy, and the rest of the swarm of human evils perpetrates, will be in despair of the saving hope? For this reason, turning the discourse toward his enemies of every kind, he says, "Depart from me, all you who work iniquity." But C in the following verse he demonstrates the good hope of the success that comes to us from repentance. For immediately, as soon as he brought both the words for repentance to God and came to a realization of God's benevolence toward him, he makes known the grace and exults in the gift, saying, "The Lord has heard the voice of my prayer; the Lord has accepted my petition." Therefore, in order that the good thing that came to him from repentance might remain with him perpetually, and his life might not again have need of a second repentance, he prays that his enemies be turned away, being scourged by shame. For the one who, having been ashamed at the attempt to do evil, uses shame as a pedagogue to ensure he is no longer involved in the same things, will abstain from the trial of similar things for the time to come. This is the sequence of the good ascent. The fourth psalm separated the immaterial good from the bodily and more fleshly; D the fifth besought the inheritance of such a good; the sixth, by making mention of the "Eighth," showed the time of the inheritance; the "Eighth" revealed the fear of judgment; the judgment advised us sinners to anticipate the terrible things through repentance. Then, the repentance, having been brought to God according to reason, that which from