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tribe, but it produced thorns;" they do not wish to understand that the old things have ceased, and the grace of the new covenant has appeared, calling all people to salvation. For this reason, the priests no longer, according to the old law, tread the fruits of men upon one altar; but countless altars, surpassing number, have been established over all the earth and sea. And the eighty-third psalm teaches this more clearly. For it also, having the inscription of the winepresses, made mention of many altars; "For how beloved," it says, "are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts," my soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord; and after a little: "Your altars, O Lord of hosts." And the eighth psalm, inscribed "For the winepresses," prophesies the salvation of the world, and teaches God's care for men, and foretells the incarnation of the Only-Begotten. βʹ. "O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth. For your magnificence is exalted above the heavens." The word "how" here is not used for comparison, but for emphasis. For, he says, your name, O Master, is exceedingly hymned by all, and all name you as creator of heaven and earth. For "Your magnificence 80.916 is exalted above the heavens" signifies this, that all have known that you are Lord of heaven and earth, and of all things; for he himself always possessed magnificence, but this was not always known to men. The blessed Habakkuk also prophesies such things. For having said, "God will come from Teman, and the Holy One from a shady mountain," he added: "His virtue covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise." And he himself, appearing to Jacob, said to him when he asked his name: "Why do you ask my name? for this is wonderful." γʹ. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise, because of your enemies; to destroy the enemy and the avenger." This especially showed your power, that through men who had not learned human wisdom, but who imitated the simplicity of suckling children, you destroyed that all-wicked tyrant; who, always being hostile to you, O God, and deceiving men because of the war against you, again, like an avenger, exacts from them the penalties for their deception. Thus, having prepared Ahithophel to say those things, he delivered him to death by his own hand; thus, having armed Judas for betrayal, he gave him the noose as a reward for his obedience; and according to the historical account, it is indeed possible to know the truth of the prophecy. For in the holy Gospels, the Lord Christ, to the displeased Jews, when the children preceding him with branches were saying, "Hosanna in the highest," and "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," answered: "Have you not read: 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise'?" And so those children condemn the ungrateful people of the Jews, who are likewise an enemy and an avenger like the devil. For this one, always transgressing the divine law, and doing the opposite of what was proclaimed by God, again, as if fighting on behalf of the lawgiver, crucified the Lord Christ, calling him an adversary of God and a lawbreaker. δʹ. "For I will see the heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have established." For the elements are sufficient, he says, O Master, to show your magnificent work—heaven, and earth, and moon, and sun, and the good order and arrangement in them; but the providence that extends even to the lowliest 80.917 of men proclaims your greater, ineffable love for mankind. εʹ. "For what is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you visit him?" He discusses these things not concerning creation, but concerning providence. For he did not say, "that you formed him," but, "that you are mindful of and visit him." And elsewhere he more clearly laments the lowliness of our nature; "For man," he says, "is like a vapor; his days pass away like a shadow." And again: "Man is like grass; his days

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φυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας·" νοεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ὡς ἐπαύσατο μὲν τὰ παλαιὰ, ἐπεφάνη δὲ τῆς νέας διαθήκης ἡ χάρις, πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἰς σωτηρίαν προσκαλουμένη. Οὗ δὴ χάριν οὐκέτι κατὰ τὸν πα λαιὸν νόμον ἐφ' ἑνὸς θυσιαστηρίου τοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώ πων καρποὺς ληνοβατοῦσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς· ἀλλὰ μυρία καὶ ἀριθμὸν νικῶντα κατὰ πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν ἐπάγη θυσιαστήρια. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ ὀγδοηκοστὸς τρίτος διδάσκει ψαλμός. Καὶ αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχων ληνῶν, πολλῶν θυσιαστηρίων ἐποιήσατο μνή μην· "Ὡς ἀγαπητὰ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ σκηνώματά σου, Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων," ἐπιποθεῖ καὶ ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Τὰ θυσιαστήριά σου, Κύριε τῶν δυνά μεων." Καὶ ὁ ὄγδοος δὲ ψαλμὸς, Ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν ἐπιγεγραμμένος, τῆς οἰκουμένης προθεσπίζει τὴν σωτηρίαν, καὶ τὴν περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν διδάσκει, καὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς προλέγει τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν. βʹ. "Κύριε ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. Ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλο πρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν." Τὸ, ὡς, ἐν ταῦθα οὐ παραβολικῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπιτατικῶς. Σφόδρα γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ σὸν, ὦ ∆έσποτα, παρὰ πάντων ὑμνεῖται ὄνομα, καὶ σὲ ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ἅπαντες ὀνομάζουσι. Τὸ γὰρ, "Ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλο 80.916 πρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν," τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅτι Ἔγνωσαν ἅπαντες, ὡς οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων δεσπόζεις· αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ τὸ μεγαλο πρεπὲς εἶχεν ἀεὶ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο γνώ ριμον οὐκ ἦν ἀεί. Τοιαῦτα καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἀβακοὺμ προθεσπίζει. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ, "Ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ Θαιμὰν ἥξει, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ἐξ ὄρους κατα σκίου," ἐπήγαγεν· "Ἐκάλυψεν οὐρανοὺς ἡ ἀρετὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς αἰνέσεως αὐτοῦ πλήρης ἡ γῆ." Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἐπιφανεὶς, τὴν προσηγορίαν πυνθανομένῳ ἔφη· "Τί ζητεῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου; καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι θαυμαστόν." γʹ. "Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατ ηρτίσω αἶνον, ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου· τοῦ κατα λῦσαι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν." Τοῦτο δέ σου μά λιστα τὴν δύναμιν ἔδειξεν, ὅτι δι' ἀνδρῶν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην οὐ μεμαθηκότων σοφίαν, ὑπομαζίων δὲ παιδίων τὴν ἁπλότητα μιμουμένων, τὸν παμπόνη ρον ἐκεῖνον κατέλυσας τύραννον· ὅς σοι τῷ Θεῷ δυσμεναίνων ἀεὶ, καὶ διὰ τὸν κατὰ σοῦ πόλεμον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐξαπατῶν, πάλιν οἷά τις τιμωρὸς δίκας αὐτοὺς εἰσπράττεται τῆς ἀπάτης. Οὕτω τὸν Ἀχιτόφελ ἐκεῖνα εἰπεῖν παρασκευάσας, αὐτοχειρίᾳ θανάτῳ παρέπεμψεν· οὕτω τὸν Ἰούδαν εἰς προδο σίαν ὁπλίσας, μισθὸν τῆς ὑπακοῆς τὴν ἀγχόνην ἀντ έδωκε· καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν δέ γε δυνατὸν γνῶ ναι τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς δυσχε ραίνουσιν Ἰουδαίοις, ἡνίκα τὰ παιδία μετὰ κλά δων ἡγούμενα, "Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις," ἔλεγον, "εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου," ἀπεκρίνατο· "Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε· Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον;" Κἀκεῖνα τοί νυν τὰ παιδία τὸν ἀγνώμονα τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατα κρίνει λαὸν, τὸν ὁμοίως τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος τὸν θεῖον νόμον παρα βαίνων ἀεὶ, καὶ τἀναντία τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διηγο ρευμένοις διαπραττόμενος, πάλιν, ὡς ὑπὲρ τοῦ νομοθέτου δῆθεν ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἐσταύρωσε τὸν ∆ε σπότην Χριστὸν, ἀντίθεον ἀποκαλῶν καὶ παρά νομον. δʹ. "Ὅτι ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, τὰ ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας, ἃ σὺ ἐθεμε λίωσας." Ἱκανὰ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα τὴν σὴν, ὦ ∆έσποτα, δεῖξαι μεγαλουργίαν, καὶ οὐρανὸς, καὶ γῆ, καὶ σελήνη, καὶ ἥλιος, καὶ ἡ ἐν τούτοις εὐταξία τε καὶ εὐκοσμία· ἡ δὲ μέχρι τῶν εὐτελῶν 80.917 ἀνθρώπων διήκουσα πρόνοια μείζονα τὴν ἄφατόν σου κηρύττει φιλανθρωπίαν. εʹ. "Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐ τοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν;" Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ περὶ τῆς δημιουργίας, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς προνοίας διέξεισιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, "ὅτι ἔπλα σας," ἀλλὰ, "ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ καὶ ἐπισκέπτῃ." Ἀλλα χοῦ δὲ σαφέστερον τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως τραγῳδεῖ τὴν εὐτέλειαν· "Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ, φησὶ, ματαιότητι ὡμοιώθη· αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ σκιὰ παράγουσι." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἄνθρωπος ὡσεὶ χόρτος· αἱ ἡμέραι