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saying: Behold, now is the acceptable time. For your servants have taken pleasure in her stones, and they will have pity on her dust. Holy stones are rolled upon the earth, it is said somewhere in the prophets. But Peter also says, You all, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. He calls in this manner those who are received into the building of the Church of God. For through their organic unity and harmony with one another, and by thinking the same things and saying the same things, and by adhering to the same mind and the same judgment, they make one house for God. Therefore, your servants took pleasure in these stones, that is, the prophets. For they, foreseeing by the divine Spirit the stones from all nations that would be gathered for the building of the new Zion, which was to be built throughout the whole world, took pleasure, being pleased with them. You might say that the dust of the Zion understood by us is those who live a more earthy life, but are numbered with the stones of the building; whence he also deems worthy of pity those of the Jewish nation who even now pretend to worship God in a more earthy manner, and for this reason are called dust.

He says they are worthy of pity and mercy. Therefore it is prophesied that the servants of God will pity these, but will approve the stones of the new building. Or he speaks of the stones as those who believed in Christ after the resurrection, and the servants as the holy apostles, through whom those who believed in our Lord Jesus Christ were saved. And the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory. The reason for these things is the preaching that went forth from Zion into the whole world. And well did he say, They will fear; for at that time the nations did not possess the fear of him; but from the time when he commanded the apostles, Go and make disciples of all nations. But indeed also The kings of the earth, not some, but All; wherefore the righteous are also called the supports of kings; for these are self-appointed; or rather, 55.639 they are kings appointed by God, because they rule over pleasures and preserve the royal image. Because the Lord will build Zion, and will be seen in his glory. For since those who are ignorant of the divine economies supposed the servitude of the Jews and the desolation of Jerusalem to be a weakness of God, he rightly called the rebuilding of the city the glory of God; that is, when Zion is built again, all will see the God of all in his former glory. When he stood in the midst of the choir of the apostles, then he appeared in his glory, that is, in the signs of his passion; for he says to Thomas: Bring your finger here, and see my hands, and so forth. He calls his sufferings glory, because through them he subjected the world. You will also understand in another way the saying, The Lord will build Zion. For the Word of God, having become flesh and having dwelt among us, built the Church, which is spiritually called Zion. He will be seen in his glory, when, he having dwelt among us, we behold His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. He regarded the prayer of the humble, and did not despise their supplication.

3. He did not despise them, he says, as captives and slaves, but he received their supplication and gave them freedom. He calls the humble those who are humble in spirit, concerning whom the Lord said: On whom shall I look, but on him who is meek and quiet and trembles at my words? He alludes to the apostles. Or he also speaks of the prayer of the prophets who humble themselves, concerning whom it was said, A prayer for the poor man; and concerning the supplication he said: And he pours out his supplication before the Lord, for which reason he will rebuild

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λέγων· Ἰδοὺ νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος. Ὅτι εὐδόκησαν οἱ δοῦλοί σου τοὺς λίθους αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸν χοῦν αὐτῆς οἰκτειρήσουσιν. Λίθοι ἅγιοι κυλίονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἴρηταί που ἐν προφήταις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Πέτρος, Ὑμεῖς δὲ πάντες λίθοι ζῶντες, φησὶν, οἰκοδομεῖσθε οἶκος πνευματικὸς εἰς ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον. Τοῦτον δὲ καλεῖ τὸν τρόπον τοὺς εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ παραλαμβανομένους. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς συμφυΐας καὶ ἁρμονίας τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους, διά τε τοῦ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονεῖν καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ λέγειν, τῷ τε αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ στοιχεῖν, ἕνα οἶκον ἀπεργάζονται τῷ Θεῷ. Τούτους δὲ οὖν τοὺς λίθους ηὐδόκησαν οἱ δοῦλοί σου, δηλαδὴ οἱ προφῆται. Οὗτοι γὰρ θείῳ Πνεύματι προ ορῶντες τῆς μελλούσης οἰκοδομεῖσθαι καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης νέας Σιὼν τοὺς ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν συν αχθησομένους εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν λίθους ηὐδόκησαν, ἀρε σθέντες ἐν αὐτοῖς. Εἴποις δ' ἂν χοῦν εἶναι τῆς νενοημέ νης ἡμῖν Σιὼν ἤτοι τοὺς χοϊκώτερον μὲν βιοῦντας, τοῖς δὲ λίθοις τῆς οἰκοδομῆς συναριθμουμένους· ὅθεν καὶ οἴκτου τυγχάνειν ἀξιοῖ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν χοϊκώτερον θεοσεβεῖν προσποιουμένους, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χοῦν ὀνομαζομένους.

Οἴκτου καὶ ἐλέους ἀξίους εἶναί φησι. ∆ιὸ οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τούτους μὲν οἰκτειρήσειν προφητεύονται, τοὺς δὲ λίθους τῆς νέας οἰκοδομῆς εὐδοκιμήσειν. Ἢ λίθους τοὺς πιστεύσαντας τῷ Χριστῷ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασίν φησι, δούλους δὲ, τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους, δι' ὧν ἐσώθησαν οἱ πιστεύσαντες εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Καὶ φοβηθήσονται τὰ ἔθνη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, καὶ πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς τὴν δόξαν σου. Αἴτιον τούτων τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Σιὼν εἰς πᾶσαν γενόμενον τὴν οἰκουμένην κήρυγμα. Καλῶς δὲ εἶπε, Φοβηθήσονται· τότε γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν φόβον τὰ ἔθνη οὐκ ἐκέκτηντο· ἀφ' οὗ δὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις προσ έταξε, Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, οὐ τινὲς, ἀλλὰ Πάντες· διόπερ ἐρείσματα τῶν βασιλέων καὶ τοὺς δι καίους λέγεσθαι· αὐτοχειροτόνητοι γὰρ οὗτοι· μᾶλλον 55.639 δὲ τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ χειροτονηθέντες βασιλεῖς, διὰ τὸ δεσπό ζειν τῶν ἡδονῶν, καὶ φυλάξαι τὴν βασιλικὴν εἰκόνα, τυγ χάνουσιν. Ὅτι οἰκοδομήσει Κύριος τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ τὰς θείας ἀγνοοῦντες οἰκονομίας, ἀσθένειαν ὑπελάμβανον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν Ἰουδαίων δουλείαν καὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐρημίαν, εἰκότως ἐκάλεσε δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν τῆς πόλεως νεουρ γίαν· ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάλιν τῆς Σιὼν οἰκοδομηθείσης, ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ δόξῃ πάντες ὄψονται τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν. Ἡνίκα πάντως μέσος τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἵστατο, τότε ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ δηλαδὴ τοῖς σημείοις τῶν παθημάτων ἐφαίνετο· φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν Θωμᾶν· Φέρε τὸν δάκτυλόν σου ὧδε, καὶ ἴδε τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ∆όξαν δὲ τὰ πάθη καλεῖ, ἐπειδὴ δι' αὐτῶν τὴν οἰ κουμένην ὑπέταξε. Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως τὸ, Οἰκοδο μήσει Κύριος τὴν Σιών. Γενόμενος γὰρ σὰρξ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, καὶ σκηνώσας ἐν ἡμῖν, ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, πνευματικῶς Σιὼν ὀνομαζομένην. Ὀφθήσεται ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ, ὅταν σκηνώσαντος ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῦ θεα σώμεθα Τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς Μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρὸς, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. Ἐπ έβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν τῶν ταπεινῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐξουδένωσε τὴν δέησιν αὐτῶν.

γʹ. Οὐ κατεφρόνησε, φησὶν, ὡς αἰχμαλώτων καὶ δούλων, ἀλλ' ἐδέξατο τὴν ἱκετείαν καὶ δέδωκε τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. Ταπεινοὺς δὲ τοὺς ταπεινόφρονάς φησι, περὶ ὧν ὁ Κύ ριος ἔλεγεν· Ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω, ἀλλ' [ἢ] ἐπὶ τὸν πρᾶον καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους; Αἰ νίττεται δὲ τοὺς ἀποστόλους. Ἢ καὶ προσευχὴν λέγει τῶν ταπεινούντων ἑαυτοὺς προφητῶν, περὶ οὓς εἴ ρητο τὸ, Προσευχὴ τῷ πτωχῷ· καὶ περὶ τῆς δεήσεως ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἐκχέῃ τὴν δέησιν αὐ τοῦ, δι' ἣν ἀνοικοδομήσει