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For these things also remain. Therefore he blesses those who have traveled the royal road steadfastly, and have turned aside neither to the right nor to the left according to the precepts of the law. And who are these, he teaches: They that walk in the law of the Lord, for those who live according to these things have what is blameless. For, as I said before, he calls life a road. For we all journey on this from birth pangs until the tomb. Blessed are they that search out his testimonies, with their whole heart shall they seek him. And in interpreting the eighteenth psalm we have said how law, and testimonies, and justifications, and judgments, and commandments differ; but we will nevertheless recall in summary what was said. He calls law that which was given by the God of all through the divine Moses; and again, commandments and ordinances, the same, as having been royally commanded and ordained; justifications, as being able to justify the one who does right; and judgments, as indicating the divine decrees and the worthy rewards of those who live both lawfully and unlawfully; and testimonies, as testifying and showing what punishments the transgressors will undergo. Therefore, here also he blesses those who continually search the testimonies of God, and who seek God with their whole heart. But this is not for everyone, but for the one who has reached the very summit of virtue. For such a one does not divide his thought between God and worldly cares, but dedicates his whole self to God. For both through the reading and through the hearing of the divine Scriptures our life is made right. The prophet therefore blesses those who search out his testimonies. For this the Lord also said: Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. But he who advances in this life by the searching of the divine Scriptures, and does not divide his life into pleasures and passions of sins, but lives in the Spirit, and walks in the Spirit, searching the Scriptures, then, being perfect, seeks God with his whole heart, 55.677 And since this psalm speaks densely of law and commandments and justifications and judgments and testimonies, it is useful to discuss these from the beginning. Law, therefore, was given by God, because he is King of kings and Lord of lords. And law is a common command for all men: for rulers, for the ruled; for slaves, for masters; for the rich, for the poor. And it is called so from distributing (νέμειν). For it has been legislated for all men: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet your neighbor's field, honor your father and your mother. The same thing is also called a commandment, because God commands you to do good, and to abstain from evil. And justifications and judgments, by which the righteous who keep the commandments are justified by God, but the transgressing sinners are condemned. And it is called testimonies, because God testifies through his divine Scriptures, to keep all his commandments. For the workers of iniquity have not walked in his ways. He made this division also in the first psalm. For there too, having blessed the one who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night, and having shown the fruit of meditation, he added: Not so the wicked, not so. And here therefore, having blessed the blameless, he teaches that the workers of iniquity have constructed another road for themselves, and have abandoned the one established by God. Therefore, having blessed those who seek God with their whole heart, the prophet adds, saying: For the workers of iniquity have not walked in his ways. You have commanded your commandments to be kept diligently. 2. This both through the law and the prophets and through the holy Gospels the

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ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ μένουσι. Μακαρίζει τοίνυν τοὺς τὴν βασιλικὴν ὁδὸν ὁδεύσαντας ἀκλινῶς, καὶ μήτε δεξιᾷ μήτε ἀριστερᾷ κατὰ τὰς ὑποθήκας τοῦ νόμου παρατραπέντας. Τίνες δὲ οὗτοι, διδάσκει· Οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου, Οἱ γὰρ κατὰ τούτους πολιτευόμενοι τὸ ἄμωμον ἔχουσιν. Ὁδὸν γὰρ, ὡς προέφην, τὸν βίον καλεῖ. Τοῦτον γὰρ ἐξ ὠδίνων μέχρι τάφου διοδεύομεν ἅπαντες. Μακάριοι οἱ ἐξερευνῶντες τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ, ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ἐκζητήσουσιν αὐτόν. Καὶ τὸν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον ψαλμὸν ἑρμηνεύοντες εἰρήκαμεν, τίνι διαφέρει νόμος, καὶ μαρ τύρια, καὶ δικαιώματα, καὶ κρίματα, καὶ ἐντολαί· ἀναμνήσομεν δὲ ὅμως ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τῶν εἰρημένων. Νό μον καλεῖ τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων διὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Μωϋσέως δεδομένον· ἐντολὰς δὲ καὶ προστάγματα πάλιν τὸν αὐτὸν, ὡς βασιλικῶς ἐνταλθέντα καὶ προσταχθέντα· δι καιώματα, ὡς δικαιοῦν τὸν κατορθοῦντα δυνάμενον· κρίμα τα δὲ, ὡς τὰς θείας ψήφους ὑποδεικνύντα καὶ τὰς ἀξίας ἀντι δόσεις τῶν τε ἐννόμως καὶ παρανόμως βιούντων· μαρτύρια δὲ, ὡς διαμαρτυρόμενον καὶ δεικνύντα, οἵαις ὑποστήσον ται τιμωρίαις οἱ παραβαίνοντες. Μακαρίζει τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς τὰ μαρτύρια τοῦ Θεοῦ διηνεκῶς ἐρευνῶν τας, καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκζητοῦντας. Οὐ παν τὸς δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τὴν κορυφὴν κατειληφότος αὐ τῆς τῆς ἀρετῆς. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος οὐ μερίζει τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς Θεὸν καὶ φροντίδας βιωτικὰς, ἀλλ' ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ἀνα τίθησι τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀκροάσεως τῶν θείων Γραφῶν κατορθοῦται ὁ βίος ἡμῶν. Ὁ οὖν προφήτης μακαρίζει τοὺς ἐξερευνῶντας τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφὰς, ὅτι δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν. Ὁ δὲ προκόπτων ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ τῇ ἐρεύνῃ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, καὶ μὴ μερίζων τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡδονὰς καὶ πάθη ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ Πνεύματι ζῶν, καὶ Πνεύματι στοιχῶν, ἐρευνῶν τὰς Γραφὰς, τότε τέλειος ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ἐκζητεῖ τὸν Θεόν, 55.677 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ὁ ψαλμὸς οὗτος νόμον καὶ ἐντολὰς καὶ δι καιώματα καὶ κρίματα καὶ μαρτύρια πεπυκνωμένος διαγορεύει, χρήσιμόν ἐστι περὶ τούτων διαλαβεῖν ἄνω θεν. Νόμος οὖν ἐδόθη παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστι βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόν των. Ἔστι δὲ νόμος κοινὸν παράγγελμα ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀν θρώποις· ἄρχουσιν, ἀρχομένοις· δούλοις, δεσπόταις· πλουσίοις, πένησιν. Εἴρηται δὲ παρὰ τὸ νέμειν. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι γὰρ ἀνθρώποις νενομοθέτηται, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις, οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ πλησίον σου, τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ μητέρα σου. Τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ ἐν τολὴ εἴρηται, ὅτι ἐντέλλεται ὑμῖν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖν, καὶ τοῦ φαύλου ἀπέχεσθαι. ∆ικαιώματα δὲ καὶ κρίματα, καθ' ὃ καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι φυλάττοντες τὰς ἐντολὰς δικαιοῦνται παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, οἱ δὲ παραβαίνοντες ἁμαρ τωλοὶ κατακρίνονται. Μαρτύρια δὲ εἴρηται, ἐπειδὴ δια μαρτύρεται ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῶν θείων αὐτοῦ Γραφῶν, φυλάτ τειν πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπορεύθησαν. Τὴν διαίρεσιν ταύτην πεποίηκε καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ μακαρίσας τὸν ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου μελετῶντα ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, καὶ τὸν τῆς μελέτης ἐπιδείξας καρ πὸν ἐπήγαγεν· Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν μακαρίσας τοὺς ἀμώμους, διδάσκει ὡς οἱ τῆς ἀνομίας ἐργάται ἑτέραν ἑαυτοῖς ὁδὸν κατεσ κεύασαν, καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ παγεῖσαν κατέλιπον. Μακα ρίσας οὖν ὁ προφήτης τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντας τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ, ἐπιφέρει λέγων· Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπορεύθησαν. Σὺ ἐνετείλω τὰς ἐντολάς σου φυλάξασθαι σφόδρα. βʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων ὁ