of the psalter” and “in psalms,” and “to the victor,” and “of victory” is inscribed. And in the same way you will observe also for the others, as many as have been deemed worthy of a similar inscription. Admittedly, most of the psalms after the fiftieth psalm were spoken long before the fiftieth. And the fiftieth itself was spoken before the time of the third, which was said by David when he was fleeing from the face of Absalom his son. But this was a time after the confession of the fiftieth. What sort of order, then, does it contain? Someone might say that each of the 12.1076 numbers has a certain power, considered according to arithmetical principles; for instance, as an example, that the number seven has been honored in the divine Scripture for certain reasons; for in seven days the Sabbath was deemed worthy of privilege; and in seven weeks, Pentecost; and among months, the seventh month; and among years, the seventh year, and in the multiplication of the seven among the years, the Jubilee, being completed from seven weeks of years. On the contrary to these, the number two has been taken as an unclean number. For it was said to Noah: “You shall bring into the ark of the clean animals seven by seven, and of the unclean, two by two.” And the unit, long before, both the first itself, and that in tens, and that in hundreds, according to certain reasons not by chance; so again in turn the three, and the five, and the seven, and the rest of the numbers similarly; according to this principle, therefore, the psalms have been appropriately fitted to each number, so that to the fiftieth number the confession of David has become suitable, because of the law concerning the fiftieth year, in which it is legislated that remissions of debts are to be made; so that for these reasons the order of the psalms has not followed the times, but the power of the numbers. But another might say that the book contains nothing so elaborate, but is a simple collection, in the same place, of odes and psalms together, and of the others recorded sporadically; either with Ezra having recorded these things along with the other Scriptures, or even the ancient wise men among the Hebrews having collected what came to each one's memory, as it happened, having made their exposition with a simpler and purified mind. FROM THE VOLUME ON THE FIRST PSALM. The divine oracles say that the divine Scriptures are locked and sealed, with the key of David, and perhaps also with a seal, concerning which it is said: "An impression of a seal, a holy thing to the Lord;" that is, by the power 12.1077 of God who gave them, which is signified by the seal. Concerning, then, the being locked and sealed, John teaches in the Apocalypse, saying: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David; he who opens, and no one will shut, and who shuts, and no one will open; I know your works; behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.” And a little after: “And I saw on the right hand of him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose its seals? And no one was able in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth to open the book, nor to look at it. And I wept, because no one was found worthy to open the book, nor to look at it. And one of the elders says to me: Do not weep; behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, to open the book and its seven seals.” And concerning the being sealed only, Isaiah says thus: “And all these words will be to you as the words of this sealed book, which if they give it to a man who knows letters, saying: Read these, and he will say: I cannot read it, for it is sealed. And this book will be given into the hands of a man who does not know letters; and he will say, I do not know letters.” For these things not only concerning the Apocalypse

ψαλτηρίου» καὶ «ἐν ψαλμοῖς,» καὶ «τῷ νικοποιῷ,» καὶ «ἐπινίκιος» ἐπιγέγραπται. Τὸν ὅμοιον δὲ τρόπον ἐπι στήσεις καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς, ὅσοι τῆς ὁμοίας ἠξίωνται προγραφῆς. Ὁμολογουμένως οἱ πλείους τῶν μετὰ τὸν πεντηκοστὸν ψαλμὸν, μακρῷ πρόσθεν εἴρηνται τοῦ πεντηκοστοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ πεντηκοστὸς εἴρη ται πρὸ τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ κατὰ τὸν τρίτον, ὃς ἐλέχθη τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἡνίκα ἀπεδίδρασκεν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἦν δ' οὗτος χρόνος ὁ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πεντηκοστοῦ ἐξομολόγησιν. Τίνα οὖν ἄρα τοιαύ την περιέχει τάξιν; Ὁ μέν τις εἴποι ἔχειν τινὰ τῶν 12.1076 ἀριθμῶν ἕκαστον δύναμιν, κατὰ λόγους ἀριθμητι κοὺς θεωρουμένην· οἷον, ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος, τετιμῆσθαι μὲν τὴν ἑβδομάδα ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ διά τινας λόγους· ἐν γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἡμέραις τὸ σάββατον ἠξίωται προνομίας· καὶ ἐν ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάσιν ἡ Πεν τηκοστή· ἔν τε μησὶν ὁ ἕβδομος μήν· ἕν τε ἐνιαυ τοῖς τὸ ἕβδομον ἔτος, καὶ ἐν πολυπλασιασμῷ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐνιαυτοῖς ἑβδομάδος ὁ Ἰωβηλαῖος ἐξ ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδων ἐτῶν συμπληρούμενος. Ἔμπαλιν δὲ τού τοις εἰς ἀκάθαρτον ἀριθμὸν ἡ δυὰς παρείληπται. Εἴρηται γοῦν τῷ Νῶε· «Εἰσάξεις εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν τῶν μὲν καθαρῶν ζώων ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ, τῶν δὲ ἀκαθάρτων δύο δύο.» Καὶ τὴν μονάδα δὲ πολὺ πρότερον τήν τε πρώτην αὐτὴν, καὶ τὴν ἐν δεκάσιν, καὶ τὴν ἐν ἑκα τοντάσιν κατά τινας οὐ τοὺς τυχόντας λόγους· ὡς αὖ πάλιν τὴν τριάδα, καὶ τὴν πεντάδα, καὶ τὴν ἑβδομά δα, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς τῶν ἀριθμῶν παραπλησίως· κατὰ τοῦτον τοιγαροῦν τὸν λόγον, ἑκάστῳ ἀριθμῷ οἰκείως ἐφηρμόσθαι τοὺς ψαλμοὺς, ὥστε τῷ πεντη κοστῷ ἀριθμῷ κατάλληλον γεγονέναι τὴν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἐξομολόγησιν, διὰ τὸν περὶ τῆς πεντηκονταετηρίδος νόμον, ἐν ᾧ νενομοθέτηται χρεῶν ἀφέσεις ποιεῖσθαι· ὡς διὰ ταῦτα μὴ τοῖς χρόνοις ἐξηκολουθηκέναι τὴν τῶν ψαλμῶν τάξιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν ἀριθμῶν δυνάμει. Ἕτερος δ' ἂν εἴποι μηδὲν μὲν τοιοῦτο περίεργον περιέχειν τὴν βίβλον, ἁπλῆν δὲ συναγωγὴν κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ, ᾠδῶν ὁμοῦ καὶ ψαλμῶν, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν σποράδην ἀναγεγραμμένων· ἤτοι Ἔσδρα καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων Γραφῶν ἀπομνημονεύσαντος, ἢ καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις παλαιῶν σοφῶν κατὰ τὸ προσ πεσὸν ἑκάστου τῇ μνήμῃ συλλεξαμένων τοὺς ἐμφερομένους, ὡς ἔτυχε, τὴν ἔκθεσιν αὐτῶν ἁπλουστέρᾳ διανοίᾳ πεποιημένων κεκαθαρμένην. ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ Αʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ ΤΟΜΟΥ. Κεκλεῖσθαι καὶ ἐσφραγίσθαι τὰς θείας Γρα φὰς οἱ θεῖοί φασι λόγοι, τῇ κλειδὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, τάχα δὲ καὶ σφραγῖδι, περὶ ἧς εἴρηται τό· «Ἐκτύπωμα σφραγῖδος ἁγίασμα Κυρίῳ·» τουτέστι τῇ δυνάμει 12.1077 τοῦ δεδωκότος αὐτὰς Θεοῦ, τῇ ὑπὸ τῆς σφραγῖδος δηλουμένῃ. Περὶ μὲν οὖν τοῦ κεκλεῖσθαι καὶ ἐσφρα γίσθαι ὁ Ἰωάννης ἀναδιδάσκει ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει λέγων· «Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Φιλαδελφείᾳ Ἐκκλη σίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἅγιος, ὁ ἀληθινὸς, ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖδα τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· ὁ ἀνοίγων, καὶ οὐδεὶς κλείσει, καὶ κλείων, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνοίξει· Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα· ἰδοὺ δέδωκα θύραν ἐνώπιόν σου ἀνεῳγμένην, ἣν οὐ δεὶς δύναται κλεῖσαι αὐτήν.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Καὶ εἶδον ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τὸν θρό νον βιβλίον γεγραμμένον ἔσωθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν, κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγῖσιν ἑπτά. Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν κηρύσσοντα φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Τίς ἄξιος ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ λῦσαι σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ; Καὶ οὐδεὶς ἠδύνατο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, οὔτε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὔτε ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον, οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό. Καὶ ἔκλαιον, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄξιος εὑρέθη ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον, οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό. Καὶ εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυ τέρων λέγει μοι· Μὴ κλαῖε, ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα ∆αυῒδ, ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ.» Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐσφραγίσθαι μόνον ὁ Ἡσαΐας οὕτως· «Καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα πάντα, ὡς οἱ λόγοι τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου τοῦ ἐσφραγισμένου, ὃ ἐὰν δῶσιν αὐτὸ ἀνθρώ πῳ ἐπισταμένῳ γράμματα, λέγοντες· Ἀνάγνωθι ταῦτα, καὶ ἐρεῖ· Οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι· ἐσφράγισται γάρ. Καὶ δοθήσεται τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο εἰς χεῖρας ἀν θρώπου μὴ ἐπισταμένου γράμματα· καὶ ἐρεῖ, Οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι γράμματα.» Ταῦτα γὰρ οὐ μόνον περὶ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως