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of those being proud in the strength of its construction, foreseeing by the divine Spirit its final desolation, and the Church about to be built by the Lord throughout the whole world, contrasting it with his construction of the temple, he both prefers and highly esteems that one, refuting its then-presence as temporary and not holding together even for a short time without God's protection; which things he now sang at the time of those returning from Babylon, who were zealous for the rebuilding of the temple, and indeed thinking great things of this. For if he says, "Unless the Lord guards," but when the guard has departed, it will be desolate, the zeal from men being in vain; regarding the temple, he introduces the Lord as the builder; but regarding the city, men as builders, but God as the guard; The saying is useful against the thoughts of pride. Those who eat the bread of sorrow. Theodotion and the fifth edition rendered it "bread of idols," for good reason; for the Hebrew has "to be impious," which in other places is also interpreted as "idol;" Solomon foresaw in the spirit that those who were going to inhabit the house being built by him would be devoted to idols, worshiping demons in it; he says, therefore, after the departure to come to it again, and to do this continually at intervals. For what is the benefit of honoring the place, for those who distance themselves from God through idolatry? Wherefore Symmachus said: It is vain for you to rise from early morn to dwell, or to sing praises.

PSALM 127.

Following the song before this one, the calling of the gentiles is preached through this one;

those therefore who fear the Lord are said to be different from Israel, and from the greater order in Israel, I mean the priestly one; The word that says this makes it clear: The house of Israel hoped in the Lord; and after this: Those who fear the Lord hoped in the Lord; and again: The Lord, remembering us, blessed us; he blessed the house of Israel; he blessed the house of Aaron; and after this: He blessed 24.21 those who fear the Lord. Therefore, in accordance with these things, you will understand those who are called blessed in the present song; and these were all those who fear the Lord; But greater is, and has ascended beyond those who fear the Lord, the one who has been made perfect in love; For perfect love casts out fear; and those who fear will walk in many ways; but perhaps he who loves in one, according to the one who said, "I am the way," to which the many also arrive as to a harbor; and he said well: Blessed are all; whether a slave, or a master, or crippled in body, or whatever, none of these things hinders this blessedness, which he himself speaks of; but the blessedness from men is both precarious and reversible, and fashioned in word alone, but drenched by myriad circumstances; but the one who fears God is not like this, but having been set free from these waves, he sits in calm and in a harbor, reaping the true blessedness. You shall eat the labors of your fruits. The others rendered it "labor of hands;" as they say of a farmer who enjoys the fruit of what he farmed; and of the one who strives in the way of piety, treasuring up for himself food for the life to come, proportionate to the labors he undertook; and virtue and labor according to God are nourishment and joy for the soul; such is the one who fears the Lord; but the one who loves, as already perfect, will eat the heavenly bread; according to the saying, Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of heaven. Your wife as a fruitful vine. And according to the saying, these things are given to the one who fears the Lord, as to one who is imperfect, but not to the one who

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μεγαλοφρονούντων ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς κατασκευῆς ὀχυρῷ, θείῳ Πνεύματι συνορῶν τὴν ἐσχάτην ἐρημίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου μέλλουσαν Ἐκκλησίαν καθ' ὅλης οἰκοδομεῖσθαι τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἀντιπαρατιθεὶς τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευῇ τοῦ ναοῦ, ἐκείνην τε προκρίνει καὶ ὑπεράγαται, τὴν τότε παρουσίαν ἐλέγχων ὡς πρόσκαιρον καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς βραχὺ συνισταμένην ἄνευ Θεοῦ φυλακῆς· ἅπερ νῦν εἰς καιρὸν ᾖσε τῶν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανιόντων, ἐσπουδακότων περὶ τὴν ἀνάκτισιν τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ φρονούντων ἐπὶ τούτῳ μεγάλα μέν. Εἰ γάρ φησιν, Ἔστ' ἂν ὁ Κύριος φυλάττῃ, τοῦ δὲ φύλακος ἀναχωρήσαντος, ἔρημος ἔσται, ματαίας ἐσομένης τῆς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων σπουδῆς· ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ ναοῦ, οἰκοδόμον εἰσάγει τὸν Κύριον· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς πόλεως, ἀνθρώπους μὲν οἰκοδόμους, φύλακα δὲ τὸν Θεόν· χρήσιμον τὸ ῥητὸν πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ὑπερηφανίας λογισμούς. Οἱ ἐσθίοντες ἄρτον ὀδύνης. Θεοδοτίων, καὶ ἡ εʹ ἄρτον εἰδώλων ἐξέδωκαν εἰκότως· τὸ γὰρ Ἑβραϊκὸν τὸ ἀσεβεῖν ἔχει, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις εἴδωλον ἑρμηνεύεται· προορᾷ δὲ τῷ πνεύματι Σολομῶν, ὡς οἱ μέλλοντες οἰκεῖν τὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γινόμενον οἶκον, εἰδώλοις προσκείσονται, δαίμοσι λατρεύοντες ἐν αὐτῷ· λέγει τοίνυν, μετὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν αὖθις ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἐλθεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐκ διαλειμμάτων ποιεῖν τί γὰρ ὄφελος τὸν τόπον τιμᾷν, τοῖς διὰ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας μακρύνουσιν ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ὅθεν ὁ Σύμμαχος ἔφη· Μάταιον ὑμῖν ἐξ ὄρθρου ἀνίστασθαι εἰς τὸ οἰκῆσαι, ἢ εἰς τὸ ὑμνῆσαι.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚΖʹ.

Ἀκολούθως τῇ πρὸ ταύτης ᾠδῇ ἡ κλησις τῶν ἐθνῶν διὰ ταύτης κηρύσσεται·

οἱ γοῦν φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, ἕτεροι λέγονται εἶναι παρὰ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ παρὰ τὸ κρεῖττον ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τάγμα, λέγω δὲ τὸ ἱερατικόν· δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο ὁ φάσκων λόγος· Οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· Οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον ἤλπισαν ἐπὶ Κύριον· καὶ πάλιν· Κύριος μνησθεὶς ἡμῶν εὐλόγησεν ἡμᾶς· εὐλόγησε τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραήλ· εὐλόγησε τὸν οἶκον Ἀαρών· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· Εὐλόγησε 24.21 τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον. Ἀκολούθως οὖν τούτοις νοήσεις τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς παρούσης ᾠδῆς μακαριζομένους· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον· κρείττων δέ ἐστιν, καὶ ἐπαναβεβηκὼς τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον, ὁ ἐν τελείᾳ γεγενημένος ἀγάπῃ· Ἔξω γὰρ ἐκβάλλει ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη τὸν φόβον· καὶ οἱ μὲν φοβούμενοι, ἐν πολλαῖς ὁδοῖς πορεύσονται· τάχα δὲ ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐν μιᾷ, τῷ εἰρηκότι, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς, ἐφ' ἣν καὶ αἱ πολλαὶ ὥσπερ εἰς λιμένα καταντῶσιν· καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν· Μακάριοι πάντες· κἂν δοῦλος, κἂν δεσπότης, κἂν τὸ σῶμα ἀνάπηρος, κἂν ὁτιοῦν, οὐδὲν τούτων κωλύει τὸν μακαρισμὸν τοῦτον, ὃν αὐτός φησιν· ὁ δὲ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις μακαρισμὸς, ἐπισφαλής τε καὶ περίτρεπτος, καὶ λόγῳ μόνῳ πλαττόμενος, μυρίαις δὲ περιστάσεσι περιαντλούμενος· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ τὸν Θεὸν φοβούμενος τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ τῶν κυμάτων τούτων ἀπηλλαγμένος ἐν γαλήνῃ κάθηται καὶ λιμένι, τὴν ὄντως δρεπόμενος μακαριότητα. Τοὺς πόνους τῶν καρπῶν σου φάγεσαι. Οἱ λοιποὶ κόπον χειρῶν ἐξέδωκαν· ὡς ἐπὶ γεωργοῦ δέ φασιν ἅπερ ἐγεώργησε καρπουμένου· καὶ τὸν ἐναθλοῦντα τῇ τῆς θεοσεβείας ὁδῷ, τροφὴν ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζοντα πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν ἀναλογοῦσαν οἷς κατεβάλετο πόνοις· καὶ ἀρετὴ δὲ καὶ πόνος ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν, ἔστι τροφὴ καὶ χαρὰ τῇ ψυχῇ· τοιοῦτος μὲν ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον· ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν, ὡς ἤδη τέλειος φάγεται τὸν οὐράνιον ἄρτον· κατὰ τὸ, Μακάριος ὃς φάγεται ἄρτον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ οὐρανῶν. Ἡ γυνή σου ὡς ἄμπελος εὐθηνοῦσα. Καὶ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν, ὡς ἀτελεῖ δίδοται ταῦτα φοβουμένῳ τὸν Κύριον, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τῷ