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James says, "let him sing psalms." The present day is of the Resurrection, not of insolence; no one dancing ascends to heaven, no one who is drunk stands before the king. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. The prophet David, understanding this feast from long ago, also says in another psalm: All you nations, clap your hands, shout to God with a voice of joy. Why? Because Judaism was cast aside and Christianity was added. All you nations, clap your hands, because we who were far off have become near. All you nations, clap your hands, because you were bought with the Lord's blood, because you trampled the power of death, because being men by nature, we are called gods by grace. It is fitting for the church to celebrate, the one planted in the image of the paradise in Eden; here the wood of life is rooted in the altar, here one Christ-gushing spring of four evangelical rivers, here the unfading rose of virginity, here the ever-living violet of good works, here the grape-bearing branch of lawful marriage, here the white-shining lily of the newly-enlightened, according to the saying that speaks: Let the desert rejoice and blossom as the lily. The church of the gentiles was once a desert before the Lord's resurrection, but the resurrection of the Lord's flesh showed the desert to be fruitful with many children, it changed the barren one into an ever-green tree of good fruit, it made the impassable passable.

And the prophet Isaiah, foreseeing these things in the spirit, said: Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear, break forth and cry, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are more than of her who has a husband. The circuit of the newly-enlightened shines everywhere and we all celebrate. We rejoice, we proclaim the Lord's Passover, obeying Paul who cries out: For even Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. The shadow has passed away, the truth has shined; the law has ceased, grace has been exalted; the wound of circumcision has been buried, the seal of baptism has been made alive. No longer does the brine of the Red Sea shine, but the sweetness of the holy font; no longer does the sister of Moses shake the timbrel, but the church displays the Gospel; no longer the night of ignorance, but the light of the knowledge of God, as the divine Paul says: The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. What day? The day of Christ's appearance, the one that showed the dawn of the resurrection, the one raising the sun of righteousness from the tombs, the one that brought forth the twelve-hour light of the apostles, about which David said: This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. I rejoice in the gathering of the Christ-loving multitude, I rejoice in the feasting of all concerning the spiritual festivals, I rejoice seeing you all playing the spiritual lyres of David and with all eagerness melodiously singing the psalter's saying. And just as on a melodious lyre the high notes joined with the low, and again the middle notes with the others, produce one rhythmic sound when struck by the plectrum, in the same way I see also among you; for the commingled voices of men and women, children and old men, render one harmonious and melodious sound and that of the blessed David is proclaimed with a great voice, which has received its fulfillment in the present time.

Let them say, he says, those redeemed by the Lord whom He redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered them from the lands, from the east and from the west and from the north and from the sea. The words of the prophet have stood true, for from every nation and tribe and country, the dragnet of the font has caught these rational fish through the fishermen apostles. For such is the art of the fishermen of Christ; they do not set up nets, but they catch alive by faith. Let them say, those redeemed by the Lord whom He redeemed from the hand of the enemy, of the one who sowed the tares, of the one the curse

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φησὶν ὁ Ἰάκωβος, ψαλλέτω. Ἀναστάσεως ἡ παροῦσα ἡμέρα, οὐχὶ ὕβρεως· οὐδεὶς ὀρχούμενος εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναβαίνει, οὐδεὶς μεθύων βασιλεῖ παρίσταται. Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Ταύτην τὴν εὐωχίαν ἐκ πολλῶν χρόνων ὁ προφήτης ∆αβὶδ κατανοήσας καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ἀλαλάξατε τῷ θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ὁ ἰουδαϊσμὸς ἀπώσθη καὶ χριστιανισμὸς προσετέθη. Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ὅτι οἱ μακρὰν ἐγγὺς ἐγενήθημεν. Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ὅτι δεσποτικῷ αἵματι ἠγοράσθητε, ὅτι κατεπατήσατε τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι τῇ φύσει ὄντες θεοὶ τῇ χάριτι κληρούμεθα. Τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρέπει ἑορτάζειν, τῇ κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐν Ἐδὲμ παραδείσου φυτουργηθείσῃ· ὧδε τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ ἐρρίζωται, ὧδε τεσσάρων εὐαγγελικῶν ποταμῶν χριστόβρυτος μία πηγή, ὧδε τὸ τῆς παρθενίας ἀμάραντον ῥόδον, ὧδε τὸ τῆς εὐποιΐας ἀείζωον ἴον, ὧδε τὸ τῆς συζυγίας τῆς νομικῆς βοτρυοφόρον κλῆμα, ὧδε τὸ τῶν νεοφωτίστων λευκοφανὲς κρίνον κατὰ τὸ φάσκον ῥητόν· Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ ἔρημος καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον. Ἔρημος ἦν ποτε ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησία πρὸ τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἀνάστασις τὴν ἔρημον πολύτεκνον ἀνέδειξεν, τὴν ἄκαρπον εἰς ἀφυλλορρόητον τῆς εὐκαρπίας δένδρον μετέβαλεν, τὴν ἄβατον βάσιμον εἰργάσατο.

Καὶ ταῦτα ὁ προφήτης Ἠσαΐας προθεωρήσας τῷ πνεύματι ἔλεγεν· Εὐφράνθητι στείρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. Λάμπει πανταχοῦ ἡ τῶν νεοφωτίστων περιδρομὴ καὶ πάντες ἑορτάζομεν. Ἡμεῖς εὐφραινόμεθα, ἡμεῖς τὸ κυριακὸν πάσχα σαλπίζομεν πειθόμενοι Παύλῳ βοῶντι· Καὶ γὰρ τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός. Ἡ σκιὰ παρῆλθεν, ἡ ἀλήθεια ἔλαμψεν· ὁ νόμος ἐπαύθη, ἡ χάρις ὑψώθη· ἡ πληγὴ τῆς περιτομῆς ἐτάφη, ἡ σφραγὶς τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐζωοποιήθη. Οὐκέτι ἡ ἅλμη τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης, ἀλλ' ἡ γλυκύτης τῆς ἱερᾶς κολυμβήθρας διαυγάζει· οὐκέτι ἡ ἀδελφὴ Μωϋσέως τὸ τύμπανον τινάσσει, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκκλησία τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὑποδεικνύει· οὐκέτι ἡ νὺξ τῆς ἀγνωσίας, ἀλλὰ τὸ φῶς τῆς θεογνωσίας, καθὼς ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος φησίν· Ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν. Ποία ἡμέρα; Ἡ χριστοφανὴς ἡμέρα, ἡ τὸν ὄρθρον τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὑποδείξασα, ἡ τὸν ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐκ τῶν ταφῶν ἀνίσχουσα, ἡ τὸ δωδεκάωρον τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀποκυήσασα φέγγος, περὶ ἧς ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἔλεγεν· Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Χαίρω τῇ συνδρομῇ τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ φιλοχρίστου, χαίρω τῇ πάντων περὶ τὰς πνευματικὰς ἑορτὰς ἑστιάσει, χαίρω πάντας ὑμᾶς ὁρῶν πνευματικὰς λύρας τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀνακρουομένους καὶ μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας εὐφώνως τὸ ψαλμικὸν ἀναμέλποντας λόγιον. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ λύρας εὐήχου οἱ ὀξεῖς φθόγγοι τοῖς βαρέσι συναπτόμενοι καὶ πάλιν οἱ μέσοι τοῖς ἄλλοις μίαν εὔρυθμον ἀποτελοῦσι φθογγὴν τῷ πλήκτρῳ κρουόμενοι, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐφ' ὑμῶν ὁρῶ· οἱ γὰρ ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν, παίδων καὶ γερόντων ἀναμίγμενοι φθόγγοι μίαν σύμφωνον καὶ εὔηχον φωνὴν ἀποδιδόασι καὶ τὸ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ μεγαλοφώνως βοᾶται, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ τέλος ἐδέξατο.

Εἰπάτωσαν, φησίν, οἱ λελυτρωμένοι ὑπὸ κυρίου οὓς ἐλυτρώσατο ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν χωρῶν συνήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βορρᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης. Ἀψευδῆ καθέστηκε τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ προφήτου, ἀπὸ παντὸς γὰρ ἔθνους καὶ φυλῆς καὶ χώρας τούτους τοὺς λογικοὺς ἰχθύας διὰ τῶν ἁλιέων ἀποστόλων ἡ σαγήνη τῆς κολυμβήθρας ἐθήρασεν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τέχνη τῶν ἁλιέων Χριστοῦ· οὐ λίνα ἱστῶσιν, ἀλλὰ πίστει ζωγροῦσιν. Εἰπάτωσαν οἱ λελυτρωμένοι ὑπὸ κυρίου οὓς ἐλυτρώσατο ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθροῦ, τοῦ τὰ ζιζάνια σπείραντος, τοῦ τὴν κατάραν