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of the kingdoms of the earth he calls to salvation. And he decrees very consistently that all these things will be brought about for men through Christ. For it was necessary for us, having first learned about 23.81 the two ways, to be instructed next also about the things concerning the Savior; through whom all men fled the way of the impious, and obtained the way of salvation through faith in him; which indeed the word shows, saying: Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Christ. The Christ of God has come to men as a Savior; a Savior and luminary of all the nations, a teacher of piety, a guide of moderation, a founder of righteousness, the cause of all virtue and true knowledge of God. Why then, it says, are the nations in an uproar at the presence of so many good things? And if indeed he has come as the fulfiller of the law of Moses, as he himself therefore teaches, saying: I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill, and the oracles of the prophets through him reached their fulfillment; why then did the peoples of the Jewish nation, who study these things and are eager to have them on their lips, make a vain study concerning him? But also the rulers of the nations throughout the whole world, and the kings of the earth in their times, what terrible thing did they suffer, or what accusation worthy of slander did they have to say, that together and at the same time they arranged this evil agreement, so as to prepare one plot and to devise one impious plan against the Lord and King of all, God, and against his Christ? Therefore, the kings and rulers of the earth who war against the Savior sent to men by the Lord and God of all, and who drive out his teaching and from time to time persecute his Church, are unaware that they are extending their acts of impiety not only against Christ, but also against him who sent him. The word, therefore, clearly decrees in these things that Christ by name is being plotted against by men. And proceeding, it also names him Son of God; but it also teaches that all the nations and the ends of the earth will be given to him by the Father as an inheritance; which indeed are shown to have been fulfilled in our Savior alone. But since there have been other Christs among the Jews, namely priests and kings of the nation, you will examine concerning which of these the things prophesied have come to pass; if any other is plotted against, if any is called Son of God, if any has ruled over all the nations; if any has been known as Christ throughout the whole world. But one could not say so; for our Savior Jesus Christ alone has filled the whole world with his own name, filling the whole inhabited world with Christians from him, and in him alone each of the things spoken has reached its fulfillment. Diapsalma. The diapsalma is found in the Septuagint, but no longer in Theodotion and Symmachus. And yet they are accustomed to often use this word similarly to the Septuagint. Therefore it is likely that, even if the person 23.84 has changed, the musical rhythm is preserved, and for this reason Theodotion and Symmachus did not add the diapsalma. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their yoke from us. He that dwells in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn, and the Lord shall hold them in derision. We think that these are a response to the first verses before the diapsalma. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their yoke from us. The nations, being bound by the chains of their own sins and not being free, are bound by their own evils; and Christ says, either to the angels ministering to him, or to the Father and the Holy Spirit, or thirdly to the apostles and servants of the Gospel, exhorting them to their breaking and tearing asunder, the words: Let us break their bands asunder. But the peoples, under the yoke

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βασιλείας τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν καλεῖ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προξενηθήσεσθαι ἀνθρώποις θεσπίζει σφόδρα ἀκολούθως. Ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς προμεμαθηκότας περὶ 23.81 τῶν δύο ὁδῶν, ἑξῆς καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος παιδευθῆναι· δι' οὗ πάντες ἄνθρωποι τὴν μὲν τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὁδὸν ἐξέφυγον, ἔτυχον δὲ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς σωτηρίου διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως· ὃ δὴ παρίστησιν φάσκων ὁ λόγος· Μακάριοι πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες εἰς αὐτόν. Παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Σωτὴρ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιδεδήμηκεν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· Σωτὴρ καὶ φωστὴρ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων, διδάσκαλος εὐσεβείας, σωφροσύνης καθηγεμὼν, δικαιοσύνης ἀρχηγὸς, ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης καὶ θεογνωσίας ἀληθοῦς αἴτιος. Τί δὲ οὖν, φησὶ, ταράττεται τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν παρουσίᾳ; Εἰ δὲ καὶ πληρωτὴς ἐλήλυθε τοῦ Μωϋσέως νόμου, ὥσπερ οὖν αὐτὸς διδάσκει λέγων· Οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι, καὶ τὰ τῶν προφητῶν λόγια δι' αὐτοῦ τέλους ἐτύγχανε· τί δὲ οἱ ταῦτα μελετῶντες, καὶ διὰ στόματος αὐτὰ φέρειν σπουδάζοντες, οἱ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους λαοὶ ματαίαν ἐποιήσαντο περὶ αὐτοῦ μελέτην; Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντες, οἵ τε κατὰ χρόνους βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, τί δὴ παθόντες δεινὸν, ἢ τί λέγειν ἔχοντες διαβολῆς ἄξιον, ὁμοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ κακὴν ταύτην συνετάξαντο συμφωνίαν, ὡς μίαν ἐπιβουλὴν ἀρτῦσαι καὶ μίαν ἀσεβῆ γνώμην βουλεύσασθαι κατὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων δεσπότου τε καὶ βασιλέως Θεοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ; Οἱ γοῦν τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πάντων Κυρίου τε καὶ Θεοῦ ἀπεσταλμένον ἀνθρώποις Σωτῆρα πολεμοῦντες, ἐλαύνοντές τε αὐτοῦ τὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ κατὰ χρόνους διώκοντες βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντες τῆς γῆς λελήθασιν οὐ μόνον εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀπεσταλκότα αὐτὸν ἐκτείνοντες τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας. Χριστὸν μὲν οὖν ὀνομαστὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλευόμενον σαφῶς ἐν τούτοις ὁ λόγος θεσπίζει. Προϊὼν δὲ καὶ Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀνομάζει· ἀλλὰ καὶ κλῆρον αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς δοθήσεσθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς διδάσκει· ἃ δὴ ἐπὶ μόνῳ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ Σωτῆρι πεπληρωμένα δείκνυται. Ἐπεὶ δὲ γεγόνασι παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ ἕτεροι Χριστοὶ, ἱερεῖς δηλαδὴ καὶ βασιλεῖς τοῦ ἔθνους, σκοπήσεις ἐπὶ τίνος τούτων τὰ θεσπιζόμενα συμβέβηκεν· εἴ τις καὶ ἄλλος ἐπιβουλεύεται, εἴ τις Υἱὸς Θεοῦ κέκληται, εἴ τις τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων κεκράτηκεν· εἴ τις καθ' ὅλης Χριστὸς ἐγνώσθη τῆς οἰκουμένης. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τις εἰπεῖν· μόνος γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τῆς οἰκείας προσηγορίας τὸν σύμπαντα κατέπλησε κόσμον, Χριστιανῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην πληρώσας, καὶ ἐπὶ μόνῳ αὐτῷ ἕκαστος τῶν εἰρημένων τέλους ἔτυχεν. ∆ιάψαλμα. Τὸ διάψαλμα παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα κεῖται, οὐκέτι δὲ παρὰ Θεοδοτίωνι καὶ Συμμάχῳ. Καίτοι γε εἰώθασι πολλάκις χρῆσθαι τῇ λέξει ταύτῃ ὁμοίως τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα. ∆ιὸ εἰκὸς, εἰ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον 23.84 μεταβέβληκε, τὸν μουσικὸν ῥυθμὸν τετηρεῖσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ προστεθεικέναι τὸ διάψαλμα τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα καὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον. ∆ιαῤῥήξωμεν τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀποῤῥίψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν. Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτούς. Πρὸς τοὺς πρώτους στίχους τοὺς πρὸ τοῦ διαψάλματος ἡγούμεθα τούτους ἀποδίδοσθαι. ∆ιαῤῥήξωμεν τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀποῤῥίψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν. Τὰ ἔθνη, σειραῖς τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτιῶν σφιγγόμενα καὶ οὐκ ὄντα ἐλεύθερα, δέδεται τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτῶν κακοῖς· καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησιν, ἤτοι πρὸς τοὺς διακονοῦντας αὐτῷ ἀγγέλους, ἢ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἢ τρίτον τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ ὑπηρέτας τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, παρακαλῶν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν διασπασμὸν καὶ τὴν διάῤῥηξιν αὐτῶν, τό· ∆ιαῤῥήξωμεν τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν. Οἱ δὲ λαοὶ, ὑπὸ τὸν ζυγὸν