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How can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first 24.73 binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. Apostolic prayers, therefore, and their words and teachings and a life suitable to these, and the deeds that worked against demons, created bonds for the opposing powers; and especially for the greater and ruling ones among them; whose workings against the nations the apostles of the Savior, having bound them with their own words and their own prayers, brought all the nations, subduing them, to their own king by their power, by which they ran here and there, a power greater than all manacles made of iron. To execute upon them the judgment written. And having received the nations for discipleship, they delivered to them the word concerning the judgment, leaving the doctrine in writing, so that they might have it always for reading, and might keep in memory the things written therein. After this he very consistently added: This honor have all his saints; for to each of the saints who have been given to us through ... their glory is accomplished, as for example Paul dr ... to say: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the authority and the world-rulers of this darkness; and the glory of h... and the peoples, whom, having freed from demonic error, he brought to the word of Christ, from Jerusalem and around as far as Illyricum establishing a Church. And his glory was also his written readings handed down even now in the Churches; in which the judgment of God concerning the casting down of the demonic and concerning the freedom of human souls has been set down in writing; and thus also that of Peter and John and the other apostles.

PSALM 150.

But apply your mind to observe, how the first psalm of the whole book foretold the destruction of the ungodly, and blessed a certain one as rare who was able to escape the life of the ungodly. But the very last of all brings every breath to the hymnology of God. However, even if the present word 24.76 calls every breath to hymnology, yet since there is not one manner for all, nor one disposition, it assigns proportionally to each some instrument suitable for the hymn; for one who has ascended in virtue more excellently than all, gives praise with the sound of a trumpet, since the trumpet is louder-voiced than all instruments, and those who use it need greater and stronger power; such were the holy apostles of the Savior, whose sound went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world, using the loud voice of the evangelical preaching ... of men to be filled with their voice. Since not all are able like the apostles to hymn God with the voice of a trumpet, the word condescends and exhorts some with a psaltery, others with a lyre, and ... others with timbrels ... some through works, and through the actions of the body, others through the soul itself ... of movement rhythmically and harmoniously ... of the Spirit dwelling ... upon which he might say: I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the mind; and there being three things in us ... the word. Praise God in His saints. However, Aquila says, in his hallowed one; and Symmachus, in his holy place. Praise him in the firmament of his power. And perhaps of the heavens and of the highest things above them; there is another holy one of God, whom

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Πῶς δύναταί τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διαρπάσαι, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον 24.73 δησῇ τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει; Εὐχαὶ τοίνυν ἀποστολικαὶ καὶ λόγοι τε αὐτῶν καὶ διδασκαλίαι καὶ βίος ὁ τούτοις κατάλληλος, αἵ τε κατὰ δαιμόνων ἐνεργοῦσαι πράξεις, δεσμοὺς ἐνεποίουν ταῖς ἀντικειμέναις δυνάμεσιν· καὶ τούτων μάλιστα ταῖς μείζοσι καὶ ἀρχοντικαῖς· ὧν τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐνεργείας τοῖς ἑαυτῶν λόγοις, καὶ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν εὐχαῖς καταδήσαντες οἱ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀπόστολοι, ὑπὲρ πάσας τὰς ἐκ σιδήρου πεποιημένας χειροπέδας τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν, δι' ἧς περιέτρεχον ὧδε κἀκεῖσε, τὰ ἔθνη πάντα χειρούμενοι, τῷ ἑαυτῶν ἐπηγάγοντο βασιλεῖ. Τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς κρῖμα ἔγγραπτον. Παραλαβόντες δὲ τὰ ἔθνη εἰς μαθητείαν, τὸν περὶ τῆς κρίσεως αὐτοῖς παρεδίδοσαν λόγον, ἔγγραφον καταλιπόντες τὸ δόγμα, ὥστε ἔχειν διὰ παντὸς εἰς ἀνάγνωσιν, τὴν μνήμην τῶν ἐγγεγραμμένων ποιεῖσθαι. Μετὰ ταῦτα σφόδρα ἀκολούθως ἐπήγαγεν· ∆όξα αὕτη ἐστὶν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ· ἑκάστῳ γὰρ τῶν ὁσίων τῶν ἀποδεδομένων ἡμῖν δι' ... αὐτῶν κατορθοῦται ἡ δόξα, οἷον ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος Παύλου δρ ... λέγειν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου· δόξα δὲ η ... ου καὶ λαοὶ, οὓς ἐλευθερώσας ἀπὸ τῆς δαιμονικῆς πλάνης, τῷ Χριστοῦ λόγῳ προσηγάγετο, ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ κύκλῳ μέχρι τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν συστησάμενος. ∆όξα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἦν καὶ τὰ εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν παραδεδομένα ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἔγγραφα αὐτοῦ ἀναγνώσματα· ἐν οἷς τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ περὶ τῆς δαιμονικῆς καθαιρέσεως περί τε τῆς ἐλευθερίας τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν ἐγγράφως καταβέβληται· οὕτω δὲ καὶ Πέτρου καὶ Ἰωάννου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποστόλων.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΝʹ.

Πρόσαπτε δὲ τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστῆσαι, ὡς ὁ μὲν πρῶτος τῆς ὅλης βίβλου ψαλμὸς

ὄλεθρον ἀσεβῶν ἐθέσπιζεν, ἐμακάριζέν τε ἕνα τινὰ καὶ ὡς ἂν σπάνιον τὸν δυνάμενον τῶν ἀσεβῶν βίον διαφυγεῖν. Ὁ δέ γε πάντων τελευταῖος πᾶσαν πνοὴν προσάγει τῇ ὑμνολογίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πλὴν εἰ καὶ πᾶσαν πνοὴν ὁ παρὼν λόγος 24.76 ἐπὶ τὴν ὑμνολογίαν ἀνακαλεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ τρόπος εἷς τῶν πάντων, μηδὲ μία διάθεσις, κατ' ἀναλογίαν ἑκάστῳ ὄργανόν τι πρὸς τὸν ὕμνον ἐπιτήδειον ἀφορίζει· ὁ μὲν γάρ τις ἐπαναβεβηκὼς τῇ ἀρετῇ κρειττόνως ὑπὲρ πάντας, τὸν αἶνον ἀποδίδωσιν ἐν ἤχῳ σάλπιγγος, ἐπειδὴ πάντων ὀργάνων μεγαλοφωνοτέρα ἡ σάλπιγξ, καὶ μείζονος καὶ κραταιοτέρας δυνάμεως δεῖ τοῖς αὐτῇ χρωμένοις· τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν οἱ ἱεροὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀπόστολοι, ὧν δὴ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν, τῷ μεγαλοφώνῳ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος χρησαμένων ... ἀνθρώπων πληρωθῆναι τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ μὴ πάντες οἷοί τέ εἰσι κατὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, συγκαταβαίνει ὁ λόγος καὶ παρακελεύεται ἑτέροις μὲν ψαλτηρίῳ, ἑτέροις δὲ κιθάρᾳ, καὶ ... ἄλλοις ἐν τυμπάνοις ... τοῖς μὲν δι' ἔργων, καὶ διὰ τῶν τοῦ σώματος πράξεων, τοῖς δὲ δι' αὐτῆς ψυχῆς ... κινήσεως εὐρύθμως καὶ ἐναρμονίως ... τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ κατοικοῦντος ... ἐπ' ἂν λέγῃ· Προσεύξομαι τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ· τριῶν δὲ ὄντων τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ... η ὁ λόγος. Αἰνεῖτε Θεὸν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μέν τοι Ἀκύλας ἐν ἡγιασμένῳ αὐτοῦ φησι· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ. Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν στερεώματι δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. Καὶ μή ποτε τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ τούτους ὑψίστων· ἕτερός ἐστιν ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃν