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forever. Similar things to these are also said in the eighty-eighth psalm; and it would be worthwhile for the Jews to be at a loss about these passages, for what reason they will say that God [spoke], or David, or Solomon who reigned from him; concerning whom, as is likely, they will suppose the prophecy speaks, promising to make a firstborn son, as it is said in the psalm, He shall call upon me, You are my Father, my God and the helper of my salvation. And I will make him my firstborn, high above the kings of the earth; and in the chapter at hand, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And yet one would say that David differed in no way from the other prophets, who also prayed to make confession 57 on account of Uriah, saying, Against you only have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight; or Solomon, whom the simple history of Scripture teaches also turned away from God and was moved to idols through desire for women; how then did the kingdom of David or Solomon stand before God forever, and the throne established forever according to the prophecy spoken here, and according to what is contained in the Psalm thus, I have sworn to David my servant. I will establish your seed forever, and build up your throne to all generations; and after other things stating, Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. And again; And I will make his seed to endure forever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. And you would find similar things also in Jeremiah, where it is said that thus says the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer whole burnt offerings, and to kindle a meat offering, and to do sacrifice continually. For if one were to examine these things together with the present state of the Jews and with their histories from the reign of Hezekiah and Jechoniah, during whose time the kingdom of the Jews from David was circumscribed at the time of the Babylonian captivity, after which they were in no way ruled or reigned over still by those who traced their lineage from David, that the things which have been said are in no way suited either 58 to David or to Solomon, so that of necessity it follows that the prophecy of God, made with oaths, is convicted of falsehood, which is not lawful; but if indeed we refer the so-called seed of David to Christ, who was born of him according to the flesh, it is clear how this seed, that is, Christ, will remain forever, and how his throne and spiritual kingdom exists forever before the Father, being established by him and built up from generation to generation in the souls of those who believe in him. And the throne of this seed of David given to us will remain, as the sun of righteousness before the Father, and as the days of heaven; wherefore it has been said to him by the Holy Spirit in another Psalm: Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. And Christ also built a house, the church, for the Father from living and intellectual stones, from holy and virtuous souls, raising a temple much better and different from the temporary and no longer existing structure of Solomon. And to him also the apostle witnesses that the saying, I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son, is fitting, having taken it from here in his composition to the Hebrews, where he says: For to which of the angels did he ever say, You are my Son, today I have begotten you; and again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me 59 a son. But the things from, and if his iniquity should come, and I will reprove him with the rod of men, concerning the people who have believed in Christ

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εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τούτοις τὰ παραπλήσια καὶ ἐν ὀγδοηκοστῷ ὀγδόῳ εἴρηται ψαλμῷ· ἦν δ' ἂν Ἰουδαίοις ἄξιον ἀπορῆσαι κατὰ τοὺς τόπους, διὰ τίνα ἆρα αἰτίαν φήσουσιν τὸν Θεὸν, ἤτοι τὸν ∆αυὶδ, ἢ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ βασιλεύσαντα Σολομῶνα· περὶ οὗ, ὡς εἰκὸς, ὑπολήψονται λέγειν τὴν προφητείαν υἱὸν πρωτότοκον θήσειν ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, ἐν μὲν τῷ ψαλμῷ εἰρηκότα, Αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεταί με, Πατήρ μου εἶ σὺ, Θεός μου καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ τῆς σωτηρίας μου. Κἀγὼ πρωτότοκον θήσομαι αὐτὸν, ὑψηλὸν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς· ἐν δὲ τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας κεφαλαίῳ, ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν. Καὶ μὴν κατ' οὐδὲν διενηνοχέναι τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν φήσειέ τις τὸν ∆αυὶδ, ὃς καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι 57 διὰ τὴν τοῦ Οὐρίου ἐδεῖτο λέγων, σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα· ἢ τὸν Σολομῶνα, ὃν καὶ ἐκκλῖναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ εἰδώλοις διὰ γυναικῶν ἐπιθυμίας προσκεκινηκέναι ἡ ψιλὴ διδάσκει τῆς γραφῆς ἱστορία· πῶς δὲ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἢ τοῦ Σολομῶνος ἡ βασιλεία ἕως αἰῶνος ἐνώπιον ἔστη τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ θρόνος ἀνωρθωμένος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν φάσκουσαν ἐνταῦθα προφητείαν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ Ψαλμῷ ὧδέ πως περιέχουσαν, ὤμοσα ∆αυὶδ τῷ δούλῳ μου. Ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, καὶ οἰκοδομήσω εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν τὸν θρόνον σου· καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα φάσκουσαν, Ἅπαξ ὤμοσα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ μου, εἰ τῷ ∆αυὶδ ψεύσομαι. Τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μενεῖ, καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐναντίον μου. Καὶ πάλιν· Καὶ θήσομαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ὡς τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Τὰ παραπλήσια δ' ἂν εὕροις καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ, ἔνθα εἴρηται, ὅτι τάδε λέγει Κύριος· οὐκ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἀνὴρ καθήμενος ἐπὶ θρόνου οἴκου Ἰσραήλ· καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς Λευίταις οὐκ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἀνὴρ ἐκ προσώπου μου, ἀναφέρων ὁλοκαυτώματα, καὶ θύων θυσίαν καὶ ποιῶν θυμίαμα πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας. Ταῦτα γὰρ εἰ συνεξετάζοι τίς τῇ τε παρούσῃ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καταστάσει καὶ ταῖς κατ' αὐτοὺς ἱστορίαις ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐζεκίου καὶ Ἰεχονίου βασιλείας, καθ' οὓς ἡ ἐκ ∆αυὶδ περιεγράφη τῶν Ἰουδαίων βασιλεία ἐν τῷ τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμαλωσίας καιρῷ, μεθ' ὃν οὐδαμῶς ἤρχθησαν ἢ ἐβασιλεύθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ ∆αυὶδ καταγόντων τὸ γένος εἰς ἔτι, ὅτι μηδαμῶς ἁρμόζει ἤτοι 58 τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἢ καὶ τῷ Σολομῶνι τὰ λελεγμένα, ὡς ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἃ μὴ θέμις ψευδῆ διελέγχεσθαι συμβαίνειν τὴν μεθ' ὅρκων τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόρρησιν· εἴ γε μὴν ἀναφέροιμεν τὸ λεγόμενον τοῦ ∆αυὶδ σπέρμα ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα γενόμενον Χριστὸν, σαφὲς πῶς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτο τὸ σπέρμα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, διαμενεῖ, καὶ πῶς ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ πνευματικὴ βασιλεία ἕως αἰῶνος ἐνώπιον ὑπάρχει τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀνορθούμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνοικοδομούμενος κατὰ γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἐν ταῖς τῶν πιστευόντων ἐπ' αὐτὸν ψυχαῖς. Τούτου δὲ τοῦ ἀποδεδομένου ἡμῖν σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ διαμενεῖ ὁ θρόνος, ὡς ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος ἐναντίον τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ὡς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· διὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐν ἑτέρῳ Ψαλμῷ λέλεκται· Ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου. Ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ καὶ οἶκον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδόμησε τῷ Πατρὶ ἐκ λίθων ζώντων καὶ νοερῶν, ἁγίων καὶ ἐναρέτων ψυχῶν, ναὸν ἐγείρας πολὺ κρείττονα καὶ διαφέροντα τῆς ὑπὸ Σολομῶνος προσκαίρου καὶ μηκέθ' ὑπαρχούσης οἰκοδομῆς. Τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος μαρτυρεῖ προσήκειν τὴν, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱὸν, φωνὴν, ἐντεῦθεν αὐτὴν εἰληφὼς ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους συντάξει, ἔνθα φησίν· τίνι γὰρ εἶπεν ποτὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων, Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι 59 εἰς υἱόν. Τὰ δ' ἀπὸ τοῦ, καὶ ἂν ἔλθῃ ἀδικία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλέγξω αὐτὸν ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἀνδρῶν, περὶ τοῦ εἰς Χριστὸν πιστεύσαντος λαοῦ