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15

to the one who worked but to the owner of the land that was harvested. 59 Ps 9,13 And let another meaning be stated; not in every case are the same people from the nations, whose blood was mentioned, the poor whose voice the benefactor did not forget. For these can be those who prophetically proclaimed concerning the nations, of whom one said "To you nations will come from the end of the earth," and the other "All the nations you have made will come and worship before you." And in these they are called poor, those who fall far short of the wealth of the divinity or also of divine knowledge; for for a time they prophesied in part. 60 Ps 9,14 When that death is somewhere below, about which it is written "Death has swallowed up mightily," the enemies cause those who are humbled by them to be in it, either through affliction, or through sinning. It is possible to be outside of this death and of the humiliation in it by the mercy of God. For one who is still concerned with things here and attached to the world, being in humiliation, if he should receive a perception of his own evils and knowledge of the goodness of God, in the manner of a prayer will say "Have mercy on me and see my humiliation which has come from my enemies;" for they humbled me, having dragged me down; but you alone are able, through goodness essentially present, to lift me up from the gates of death. Ps 9,15b One must understand "daughters of Zion" as those who partake of it, analogously to some being called sons of light and of peace and of wisdom; and the gates of the daughter of Zion, being opposite to the gates of death, are praiseworthy actions and contemplations accomplished according to the virtue and wisdom of God. 61 Ps 9,16-17 Since virtue is called incorruption in the phrase "Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption," the vice which is opposite to it will consequently be called corruption and decay. That vice is called corruption is shown from the phrase "If anyone destroys the temple of God," and from what is said in the prophet to the wicked, "For the sake of incorruption you have been utterly corrupted." In agreement with these is also the phrase "To your corruption, O Israel, who will help?" The so-called corruption, which has its being in being done, is declared to have been made by those who possess it. The word says the nations have been caught fast in the corruption which they have made. For another person is not held liable for another's impiety and sin; for each one will die for his own sin. Then since the wicked, having first harmed themselves, also try to lead others into the same harm through deceit, they prepare hidden snares in their deceitful thoughts and words in order to catch the one who is unwary. But by the very snare which they hid they are punished. For they pay the penalty also for those whom they deceived. And this suffering happens thus by the judgment of the provident God; for how is it not his judgment for the sinner to be caught in his own works, having the reason for being condemned from the evil things he has done? In harmony with this is what was said a little before, which goes thus: "He who digs a pit for his neighbor will fall into it." Having already spoken about the diapsalma, now we must speak about the ode of the diapsalma. When the present psalm began with "I will give thanks to you, Lord," the recitation extended to "The sinner has been caught"; after which phrase, with the ode beginning from "Let them be turned back," it is consistent to connect the name of the ode with the diapsalma. For if the whole psalm were called an ode, in manner and force the designation "ode" would surely have been placed before it, as is shown in the case of many psalms. But since this is not the case, and the song begins after the diapsalma, "Ode of diapsalma" is reasonably placed in between. It will be shown that it has the sense of an ode from the following words themselves which are set forth: "Let them be turned back," etc. 62 Ps 9,18-19 Let the sinners be turned back, those who attack in the manner of enemies, to hades. And explaining who the sinners are, he added that they are the nations that forget God. And "sinners" and "nations" one must understand not only as human beings, but also as incorporeal powers. For if

15

τῷ ἐργασαμένῳ ἀλλὰ τῷ κτήτορι τῆς χώρας τῆς ἀμηθείσης. 59 Ps 9,13 ̔Ρηθείη δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα διάνοια· οὐ πάντως οἱ αὐτοὶ τῶν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν, ων ἐμνήσθη τὰ αιματα, οἱ πένητές εἰσιν ων τῆς φωνῆς οὐκ ἐπελάθετο ὁ εὐεργέτης. δύνανται γὰρ ουτοι ειναι οἱ περὶ ἐθνῶν προφητικῶς προαναφωνήσαντες, ων ὁ μὲν ειπεν Πρὸς σὲ εθνη ηξουσιν ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, ὁ δὲ Πάντα τὰ εθνη οσα ἐποίησας ηξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου. πένητες δὲ καὶ ἐν τούτοις ειρηνται οἱ πολὺ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς θεότητος ἀπολειπόμενοι η καὶ τῆς θείας γνώσεως· τέως γὰρ ἐκ μέρους προεφήτευον. 60 Ps 9,14 Κάτω που τυγχάνοντος τοῦ θανάτου ἐκείνου περὶ ου γέγραπται Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, οἱ ἐχθροὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ταπεινουμένους, ητοι διὰ κακώσεως, η τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν. τούτου τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῷ ταπεινώσεως δυνατὸν ἐκτὸς γενέσθαι ἐλέῳ θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ ετι περὶ τὰ τῇδε εχων καὶ προσπάσχων τῷ κόσμῳ ἐν ταπεινώσει τυγχάνων, εἰ λάβοι αισθησιν τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν καὶ γνῶσιν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαθότητος, εὐχῆς τρόπῳ ἐρεῖ ̓Ελέησόν με καὶ ἰδὲ τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου γεγενημένην· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἐταπείνωσαν καθελκύσαντές με· σὺ δὲ μόνος δύνασαι δι' ἀγαθότητα οὐσιωδῶς προσοῦσαν ὑψῶσαί με ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου. Ps 9,15b Θυγατέρας τῆς Σιὼν ἀκούειν δεῖ τοὺς μετέχοντας ταύτης καταλλήλως τῷ λέγεσθαί τινας υἱοὺς φωτὸς καὶ εἰρήνης καὶ σοφίας· πύλαι δὲ τῆς θυγατρὸς τῆς Σιών, ἀπεναντίως ταῖς πύλαις τοῦ θανάτου εχουσαι, πράξεις εἰσὶν ἐπαινεταὶ καὶ αἱ ἐπιτελεσθεῖσαι κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ σοφίαν θεοῦ θεωρίαι. 61 Ps 9,16-17 Τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀφθαρσίας λεγομένης ἐν τῷ ̔Η χάρις μετὰ τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ, ἡ ἀπεναντίως εχουσα κακία διαφθορὰ καὶ φθορὰ ἀκολούθως κληθήσεται. παρίσταται τὸ φθορὰν τὴν κακίαν λέγεσθαι ἐκ τοῦ Ει τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ λεγομένου πρὸς τοὺς φαύλους Ενεκεν ἀφθαρσίας διεφθάρητε φθορᾷ· σύμφωνον τούτοις καὶ τὸ Τῇ διαφθορᾷ σου, ̓Ισραήλ, τίς βοηθήσει; ̔Η ουτω λεγομένη διαφθορὰ ἐν τῷ πράττεσθαι τὸ ειναι εχουσα πεποιῆσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχόντων αὐτὴν ἐπαγγέλλεται. φησὶν ὁ λόγος ἐμπεπῆχθαι τὰ εθνη ἐν ῃ ἐποίησαν διαφθορᾷ. οὐ γὰρ αλλος τῇ αλλου ἀσεβείᾳ καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἐνέχεται· εκαστος γὰρ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀποθανεῖται. ειτ' ἐπεὶ οἱ κακοὶ πρότερον ἑαυτοὺς βλάψαντες καὶ ἑτέρους εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν βλάβην δι' ἀπάτης αγειν πειρῶνται, σκευάζουσιν κεκρυμμένως παγίδας ἐν τοῖς δολεροῖς φρονήμασιν καὶ λόγοις αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀγρεῦσαι τὸν ἀπροοράτως εχοντα. αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ παγίδι ῃ εκρυψαν τιμωροῦνται. δίκας γὰρ διδόασιν καὶ δι' ους ἠπάτησαν. γίνεται δὲ τὸ παθεῖν ουτως διακρίσει τοῦ προνοουμένου θεοῦ· πῶς γὰρ οὐ κρίμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐν τοῖς εργοις αὐτοῦ συλλαμβάνεσθαι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν εχοντα τὴν πρόφασιν τοῦ καταδικάζεσθαι ἐξ ων εδρασεν πονηρῶς; τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ ὀλίγῳ πρότερον λεχθὲν εχον ωδε· ̔Ο ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν. Περὶ τοῦ διαψάλματος εἰρηκότες ηδη, περὶ τῆς τοῦ διαψάλματος ᾠδῆς νυνὶ λεκτέον. ἀρξαμένου τοῦ προκειμένου ψαλμοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ̓Εξομολογήσομαί σοι, κύριε, παρέτεινεν ἡ ἀπαγγελία εως τοῦ Συνελήφθη ὁ ἁμαρτωλός· μεθ' ην λέξιν ᾠδῆς ἀρχομένης ἀπὸ τοῦ ̓Αποστραφήτωσαν, ἀκόλουθον τῷ διαψάλματι συμπλέξαι τῆς ᾠδῆς τὸ ονομα. εἰ γὰρ ολος ὁ ψαλμὸς ᾠδὴ ειρηται, τρόπῳ καὶ δυνάμει καν πρὸ αὐτοῦ πάντως ἐτάττετο ἡ ᾠδῆς προσηγορία, ὡς ἐπὶ πλειόνων ψαλμῶν ἀποδείκνυται. τῷ δὲ μὴ ουτως εχειν, ἀρχὴν δὲ λαμβάνειν μετὰ τὸ διάψαλμα τὸ ᾳσμα, εἰκότως ̓Ωιδὴ διαψάλματος μεταξὺ τέθειται. δειχθήσεται ὡς ᾠδῆς διάνοιαν εχει τὰ ἑξῆς τῶν λέξεων αὐτῶν ἐκτεθεισῶν ̓Αποστραφήτωσαν κτλ. 62 Ps 9,18-19 ̓Αποστραφήτωσαν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί, οἱ πολεμίων δίκην ἐπιτιθέμενοι, εἰς τὸν ᾳδην. ἑρμηνεύων δὲ τίνες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἐπήγαγεν ὡς τὰ ἐπιλανθανόμενα εθνη τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσιν. ἁμαρτωλοὺς δὲ καὶ εθνη οὐκ ἀνθρώπους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσάρκους δυνάμεις ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ. εἰ γὰρ