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PSALM 121. I was glad when they said to me, etc. Walking the way that leads to God

leading, being taught about its end, he is filled with gladness at the very hearing of things to come. Wherefore he confesses that he has found good and virtuous teachers, who said to him: Let us go to the house of the Lord. And he hurries on all the more, making the journey with gladness. -Of those returning from Babylon, the greater part was a young people born in Babylon itself; but there were a few old and very elderly men among them, who had gone down there from Jerusalem and remained for the seventy years, after which they returned together with the new people. When these, then, were asked by the new people where they were making their journey, they answered as if to say: Let us go to the house of the Lord. And at such a report, the new people, having rejoiced, were to inquire a second time from where this knowledge came to those who spoke. And they were to answer them and say: Our feet were standing in the courts of Jerusalem. And these feet, which are now walking here with you, once happened to be standing in the courts of Jerusalem. Therefore, knowing precisely, 24.13 we proclaim this good news to you, and we bear accurately in memory the manner of the building of the city, and its type, so to speak, and its form. For it was like a city not scattered here and there, nor separated and divided into many parts, but it was so built as to seem one house, on account of the connection and harmony of the buildings in it. For this reason it has been said: As a city whose fellowship is together. Such, in mind, are all the souls with God, and the living stones through which the true temple of God is built, perfected with the same mind and the same judgment. For there the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, a testimony to Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there He commanded to sacrifice, to pray, to celebrate feasts. So that, not wandering everywhere, they might have an excuse for going out to idols. For this He called a testimony of God; for this was the greatest proof of his providence. For there the law was read, and narratives of ancient achievements, and they held an assembly that strengthened their love for one another. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. For always, he says, and at all times remembering you, O Jerusalem, we speak of your peace to our brethren and our neighbors, that is, to the new people, leading them to a longing for you through the teaching about you. But also all our prayer was for the sake of the house of our God, seeking good things for you from God.

PSALM 122.

To you I have lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven. Since

heaven is the throne of God, for this reason He is said to dwell in heaven. But no one who treasures things on earth would say to God: To you I have lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eyes of the fool, then, are on the ends of the earth, or on whatever he desires; for he sometimes looks at a woman in order to lust after her. But those of the righteous man are always toward God. Behold, as the eyes of servants are to the hands of their masters. The new people, having received the good news from the elders through the preceding ode, not upon

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ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚΑʹ. Εὐφράνθην ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρηκόσι μοι, κ.τ.λ. Τὴν ὁδὸν βαδίζων τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν

ἄγουσαν, παιδευόμενος περὶ τοῦ τέλους αὐτῆς, εὐφροσύνης ἐπ' αὐτῇ τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἀκοῇ πληροῦται· διὸ καὶ ὁμολογεῖ καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν διδασκάλων τυχὼν τῶν εἰρηκότων αὐτῷ· Εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου πορευσώμεθα· καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπείγεται, τὴν πορείαν μετ' εὐφροσύνης ποιούμενος. -Τῶν ἐπανιόντων ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος, ὁ μὲν πολὺς νέος ἦν λαὸς ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθεὶς Βαβυλῶνι· βραχεῖς δέ τινες ἐν αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρχον παλαιοὶ ἄνδρες καὶ σφόδρα πρεσβύτεροι, οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καταβεβηκότες ἐκεῖ, καὶ παραμείναντες τὸν ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτι χρόνον, μεθ' ὃν ὑπέστρεφον ἅμα τῷ νέῳ λαῷ· τούτων τοίνυν ἐρωτωμένων παρὰ τοῦ νέου λαοῦ ὅπου τὴν πορείαν ποιοῖντο, ἀποκρινομένους οἱονεὶ καὶ λέγοντας· Εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου πορευσώμεθα. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοιαύτῃ ἀκοῇ τὸν νέον λαὸν εὐφρανθέντα, δεύτερον ἐξετάσαι πόθεν τοῖς λέγουσιν ἡ γνῶσις; Τοὺς δὲ ἀποκρίνασθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἰπεῖν· Ἑστῶτες ἦσαν οἱ πόδες ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ οἱ πόδες οὗτοι οἱ νῦν ἐνταῦθα ἅμα ὑμῖν βαδίζοντες, ἑστῶτές ποτε ἐτύγχανον ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς Ἱερουσαλήμ· ὅθεν ἀκριβῶς εἰδότες, 24.13 ταῦτα ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελιζόμεθα, καὶ τὸν τρόπον δὲ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς πόλεως, καὶ τὸν τύπον αὐτὸν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, καὶ τὸ σχῆμα, ἀκριβῶς φέρομεν διὰ μνήμης· ἦν γὰρ ὡς πόλις οὐ διεσπαρμένη ὧδε κἀκεῖσε, οὐδὲ ἀπεσχισμένη καὶ διεστῶσα εἰς μέρη πολλὰ, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἦν ᾠκοδομημένη ὡς δοκεῖν ἕνα εἶναι οἶκον, διὰ τὴν συνάφειαν καὶ ἁρμονίαν τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ οἰκοδομημάτων· διὸ λέλεκται· Ὡς πόλις ἦν ἡ μετοχὴ αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό· τοιαῦται δέ εἰσι κατὰ διάνοιαν πᾶσαι αἱ παρὰ Θεῷ ψυχαὶ, καὶ οἱ ζῶντες λίθοι δι' ὧν ᾠκοδόμηται ὁ ἀληθινὸς νεὼς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ κατηρτισμένος. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἀνέβησαν αἱ φυλαὶ, φυλαὶ Κυρίου, μαρ τύριον τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ ἐξομολογήσασθαι τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ θύειν, εὔχεσθαι, πανηγυρίζειν, ἐκέλευσεν· ὡς ἂν μὴ πανταχοῦ πλανώμενοι, πρόφασιν ἔχωσιν ἐξόδους ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς εἴδωλα· Θεοῦ γὰρ τοῦτο μαρτυρίαν ἐκάλεσεν· τῆς γὰρ αὐτοῦ προνοίας τοῦτο μέγιστον τεκμήριον ἦν· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὁ νόμος ἀνεγινώσκετο, διηγήματά τε κατορθωμάτων ἀρχαίων, καὶ σύνοδον ἐποιοῦντο τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην συσφίγγουσαν. Ἐρωτήσατε δὴ τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ πάντοτε μνημονεύοντές σου, ὦ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὰ περὶ τῆς σῆς εἰρήνης διαλεγόμεθα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς τοῖς ἡμετέροις καὶ τοῖς πλησίον ἡμῶν, τουτέστι τῷ νέῳ λαῷ, εἰς πόθον αὐτοὺς ἄγοντες τὸν περὶ σὲ διὰ τῆς περὶ σοῦ διδασκαλίας· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ πᾶσα ἡμῶν εὐχὴ ἕνεκα τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐγίνετο, ζητούντων ἀγαθά σοι τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚΒʹ.

Πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Ἐπείπερ

οὐρανὸς θρόνος ἐστὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο κατοικεῖν λέγεται ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· οὐδεὶς δὲ θησαυρίζων ἐπὶ γῆς, εἴποι ἂν τῷ Θεῷ· Πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· ὅπου γὰρ ὁ θησαυρός σου, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία σου· οἱ μὲν οὖν ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ ἄφρονος, ἐπ' ἄκρα γῆς, ἢ ἐφ' ὁτιδήποτε οὗ ἐπιθυμεῖ· ἐμβλέπει γάρ ποτε γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς· οἱ δὲ τοῦ δικαίου, διαπαντὸς πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ἰδοὺ ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ δούλων εἰς χεῖρας τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. Εὐαγγελισθεὶς ὁ νέος παρὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λαὸς διὰ τῆς πρὸ ταύτης ᾠδῆς, Οὐκ ἐπ'