The Freedom of the Savior in Hades

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so that from this there might come rest

He was excessively liberated, from the more excellent staying and guarding in Hades—not according to punishments, but regarding the guarding... being hidden there, 'until the wrath passes' (Rom 13:10), as it is being said of God to remember him, in order to say more clearly that he would rather receive the time of his resurrection in Hades than undergo so many pains.

For indeed, he who truly experiences in Hades according to each one, the righteous man lives better during the time before the coming of Christ, since he is about to be liberated from the clamorous and sickly body to enjoy the incorruptible. For the Savior, according to the human, was not subject to being in Hades, even if it happened there through others. For it has been said of himself: 'I became as a helpless man among the dead, yet free' (Acts 2:24). And indeed, angels lead the holy ones, but the wicked ones, the shadows. But the Savior, being free, did not need angels, being master of them and being ministered to and led by them. For he said: 'No one takes my soul from me, but I lay it down myself' (John 10:18).

But also in the Song of Songs, through symbols, he says he is smelling the myrrh of death, showing himself free: 'I will go my own way to the mountain of myrrh' (Song 1:4). And also 'there is no man of the nations with me' (Song 1:5) shows his unattached state according to the human. Instead of this, another interprets 'I alone shall drink the wine-cup.' But also, when Peter says: 'I will lay down my soul for you,' he rebukes him, saying: 'You will lay down your soul for me? Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times' (Matt 26:34).

Because the holy ones are led by light-bringing angels and the wicked ones by dark demons, it has been said: 'O fool, in this night take your soul from you,' implying they are punished. And concerning Lazarus it is said: 'It happened when the poor man died, he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom' (Luke 16:22), clearly by good angels. For if a man dies, he will live having completed the days of his life. Not unsuitably, being persuaded and knowing concerning the resurrection of the dead, he places the more excellent deliverance from the painful life here, that it is more beautiful 'to be dissolved and to be with Christ' (Phil 1:23), saying: 'for if...'

Greek

ἵνα ἡσυχάσῃ" καὶ τὰ εἰς αὐτὸ εἰρημένα τοῦτο ἁρμόζει οὕτως· εἰ γὰρ δι' ἁμαρτίας οἱ φίλοι ἔφασκον αὐτὸν ἀνιᾶσθαι, εἰκότως 372 τὸ "ἀπόστα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ" ἔλεγεν α᾿̣ντὶ τοῦ «ἔνδοσιν πονη̣ρῶν χ̣α´̣ρισαι, ἵν' ἐκ το̣ύτου γέν̣ηται̣ τὸ ἡσυχάσαι̣, τουτέστιν τὸ ἐν γαλήνῃ ἐνάρετον γε̣νέσθαι τὴν ψυχήν». εἶτα ἑξ̣ῆς ω῾̣ς ἀ`̣ν εἰ ἀντίθεσις ἠκολο̣ύθε̣ι ὅτ̣ι «διὰ τ̣ί μὴ πάλαι, ἀλλὰ νυ῀̣ν μεταγιγνώσκεις πάλ̣αι ἁμαρτίᾳ̣ ἐνεχόμενος;» ἐπι̣φέρ̣ει το`̣ "ἔστιν γὰρ δένδρῳ ἐλπὶς" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, οἷς̣ ε῾̣π̣όμενον ἔθηκεν· "ἀνὴρ δὲ τελευτήσας ᾤχετο" καὶ τὸ μετ' αὐτὸ δη̣λῶν̣, ὅτι̣ ἑ´̣ως ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ δι̣αμέν̣ε̣ι, κ̣ατὰ τὸν ῥάδαμνον κ̣αὶ τὸ δ̣ένδρον ἔχει τὴν προσδο̣κ̣ίαν τῆς μετανοίας̣· ἐπὰν δ̣ε`̣ τ̣ε̣λευτήσῃ, ἀκούει· "νῦν μετανοεῖς, ὅτε οὐκ ἔστιν καιρὸς μετανοίας," ἵν' ᾖ ὅμοιον τῷ "μὴ ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν μου". οὐ γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς "ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἠλπικότας μόνον" καὶ ἄχρι τῶν ἐνταῦθα οἴεται εἶναι τὴν διαμονὴν ὁ ἅγιος ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς λέγων· "ὑπομενῶ, ἕως πάλιν γένωμαι." χρόνῳ δὲ σπανίζεται θάλασσα, ποταμὸς δὲ ἐρημωθεὶς ἐξηράνθη. πρόσσχες, εἰ καὶ ταῦτα τῇ φθασάσῃ διανοίᾳ ἁρμό373 ζει τ̣ρόπ̣ον α᾿̣λέξοντα ἀναύδως ει᾿̣π̣όντω̣ν· «ἕνεκα ἁμαρ τημάτων τίν̣ων δίκας, τί δὴ λέγε̣ι̣ς ὅτ̣ι "ἔστιν γὰρ δένδρῳ ἐλπίς";» οὐ γὰρ οἰ´̣ονται τὴν τοσαύτη̣ν τῆς κακίας ἀναστῆναι φοράν, πρὸς ὃ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἐν πολλοῖς κ̣ακοῖς ἐνεχόμενοι δυνατοί εἰσιν εἰς μετάνοιαν ἐλθεῖν, ἐπήγαγεν· "χρόνῳ δὲ σπανίζεται θάλασσα." ὁ γὰρ τρόπος κα̣ὶ τὸ ἦθ̣ος τὸ θαλάσσῃ καὶ τῷ α᾿̣στάτῳ τοῦ κλύδωνος ἐοικὸς ·····τ̣····τ̣ε κατάστασιν ····ι̣ου···νον λόγῳ, ὡσαύτω̣ς κ̣αὶ ποταμός, ὃς δηλοῖ τὰ ῥευσ̣τὰ τοῦ βίου πράγματα, ἐρημωθεὶς̣ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος ξηραίνεται τοῦτο ποιοῦντος τοῦ διδασκαλικοῦ λόγου. ἄνθρωπος δὲ κοιμηθεὶς οὐ μὴ ἀναστῇ, ἕως ἂν ὁ οὐρανὸς οὐ μὴ συνραφῇ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξυπνισθήσονται ἐξ ὕπνου αὐτῶν. εἰ γὰρ ὄφελον ἐν ᾅδῃ με ἐφύλαξας, ἔκρυψας δέ με, ἕως ἂν παύσηταί σου ἡ ὀργὴ καὶ τάξῃ μοι χρόνον, ἐν ὧι #6μνείαν μου ποιήσῃ. ἔμφασίς ἐστιν δηλουμένη ἐκ τῶν προκειμένων τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν ἀνιαρῶν, ἐξ οὗ παρίστη374 σιν τοῖς φίλοις ἐπ̣ίνο̣ιαν τῆς αι᾿̣τίας τῶν ἐπαγομένων οἰομένοις, ὅτι το̣σαύτη ἐπ̣ιτιμία οὐκ ἐγίγνετο μὴ ἁμαρτ̣όντι. δείκνυσιν δέ, ὅτι ὑπερβολικῶς ἠνιάθη, ἐκ τοῦ αἱρε̣τωτ̣έραν τὴν ἐν ᾅδῃ διατρ̣ιβὴν καὶ φυλακήν, οὐ τὴν κατὰ κόλασιν, ἀλ̣λ' ἐπὶ τῶν φυλ̣······α······αι κρυφθησόμενον ε᾿̣ντα̣υ῀̣θα̣, "ἕως ἂν παρε´̣λθῃ ἡ ὀργή", ἐπ̣αγ̣ γελλομένου̣ θεοῦ μνημον̣εύειν αὐτοῦ, ἵν' ᾐ῀̣ σαφ̣έστερο̣ν λέγων, ὅτι το`̣ν τῆς ἀν̣αστάσε̣ως καιρὸν ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ μᾶλλον ἐκδέξασθαι ·οιη̣··· αὐτὸν ἢ τοσαύτας ὑπ̣ομεῖναι ἀλγηδόνας. κα̣ὶ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι̣ ἐν ᾅδῃ τυγχάνων καθ' ἕκαστα δίκαιος κατὰ τὸν π̣ρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ χρόνον βέλτιον διάγει ἅτε τοῦ ἐπ̣ικήρου καὶ νοσώδους ἀπηλλαγμένος σώματος μέλλων αὐτὸ ἄφθαρτον ἀπολαβεῖν. μόνος γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐχ ὑπέκειτο τῶι ἐν ᾅδῃ εἶναι, εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖ γέγονε δι' ἄλλους. εἴρηται γὰρ ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ· "ἐγενήθην ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος." καὶ γὰρ 375 τοὺς μὲν ἁγίους φωταγωγοὶ ἀπάγουσιν ἄγγελοι, τοὺς δὲ φαύλους σκότι̣οι. ὁ δὲ Σωτὴρ οὔτ̣ι ἀγγέλων ἐδεήθη ἐλεύθερος ὢν καὶ δεσπότης αὐτῶν καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν διακονούμενος καὶ χειραγωγούμενος. εἶπεν γοῦν· "οὐδεὶς αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ." ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων διὰ συμβόλων τὸν θάνατον σμύρναν καλῶν φησιν δεικνὺς ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ἐλεύθερον· "πορεύσομαι ἐμαυτῷ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τῆς σμύρνης." ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ "τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐδείς ἐστιν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ" δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸ ἀπροσδεές. φέρεται ἀντὶ τούτου ἑτέρου ἑρμηνευ τοῦ "ἐγὼ μόνος ἐξέπιον τὸ κεραμύλλιον". ἀλλὰ καὶ Πέτρου λέγοντος· "ὑπὲρ σοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν θήσω" ἐπιτιμῶν εἶπεν· "ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν θήσεις; πρὶν ἀλέκτορα 94 φωνῆσαι τρίς με ἀπαρνήσει." ὅτι ἀπ' ἀγγέλων φωταγωγοῦνται οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ πρὸς τῶν σκοτίων δαιμόνων οἱ φαῦλοι, εἴρηται· "ἄφρων, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἀφαιροῦ376 σιν τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπὸ σοῦ," δηλονότι κολασταί. περὶ δὲ Λαζάρου εἴρηται· "ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχὸν καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἰς κόλπον Ἀβραάμ," δῆλον #6δὲ ἀπὸ ἀγγέλων ἀγαθῶν. ἐὰν γὰρ ἀποθάνῃ ἄνθρωπος, ζήσεται συντελέσας τὰς ἡμέρας #6τοῦ βίου αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἀπεικότως αἱρετωτέραν τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς ἐπωδύνου ζωῆς τίθεται πεπεισμένος περὶ τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως καὶ εἰδώς, ὅτι κάλλιόν ἐστιν τὸ "ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι", λέγων· "ἐὰν γὰρ

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Didymus the Blind on Job.

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