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For one to have his own will confessedly blended in agreement with the law of the Lord, and to meditate on it not only all day but also through the night, gazing upon it with the watchful eyes of the mind, and to act according to it not only in daytime deeds and words but also in thoughts and imaginations during sleep, one will know the greatness of having accomplished these things, as testified by the divine Spirit; but even if what has been said confessedly surpasses all human nature, it would then apply to one man alone, who was born from the seed of David according to the flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, to whom alone it has been witnessed by the divine Spirit in Isaiah, that he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. The accepted interpretation is presented by the Hebrew reading, which carefully has it thus 69: blessed is the man, with the addition of the article; and it was fitting that David, who was called the father of our Savior according to the flesh, having received the promise that the Christ would be born from his seed, should dedicate to him the first fruits of his own prophecy. Whoever wishes to discern the accuracy of the reference to the Savior in the things said in the psalm, will know by reading those who have written commentaries on it. Ps. Second Psalm. 2. Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth stood by, and the rulers gathered together against the Lord, and against his anointed. In the Acts of the Apostles, those who heard Peter and John recounting the strange things that had happened to them testified that this prophecy too was fulfilled. For after giving thanks for the wonders they heard about, they added to the aforementioned words, saying, For they were truly gathered together in this city against your holy child whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel. Not only, then, did those who at that time plotted against our Savior gather against him, but also in succession from that time to this, kings and rulers, and whole nations and peoples, by blaspheming him and plotting against his teaching. But one must be persuaded that not only the visible kings and rulers among men have plotted against him, but much more the intelligible 70 and invisible rulers of this age, who both were at work then and are still at work now, both the nations and the peoples of the circumcision who meditated on the law of God vainly and to no purpose, having plotted not only against the Christ of God, but through him also against the Father who sent him; concerning all of whom it is added in the psalm, He who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them, and the Lord will mock them. Then he will speak to them in his anger, and in his wrath he will trouble them. To which things Christ himself, teaching us about the economy concerning him after the passion, says in succession, But I was established as king by him on Zion his holy mountain, declaring the decree of the Lord. One must not, however, according to the groveling assumptions of the Jews, think that the kingdom of Christ is like those of men, to be established bodily on Mount Zion; for to the one who asked him if he was a king, he answered, saying, My kingdom is not of this world; whence indeed he also promised the kingdom of heaven to those who believed in him, and not only the apostle, but also many other prophecies taught that Mount Zion is heavenly. For Micah, having foretold that on account of the impieties of the former people Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will be like a fruit-keeper's hut, and the mountain of the house like a grove of the forest, next adds similarly concerning another Zion and Jerusalem, saying, And it shall be in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and 71 they will come to it

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ἀνακεκράσθαι τινὰ ὁμοδοξοῦν ἔχοντα τὸ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ θέλημα τῷ τοῦ Κυρίου νόμῳ, τό τε μελετᾶν ἐν αὐτῷ μὴ μόνον δι' ὅλης ἡμέρας ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐγρηγορόσι τοῖς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ἐνορῶντα, καὶ κατ' αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον τοῖς μεθ' ἡμέραν ἔργοις τε καὶ λόγοις ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς κατὰ τὸν ὕπνον ἐνθυμήσεσι καὶ φαντασίαις ἐνεργοῦντα, εἴσεται τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ταῦτα κατωρθωκέναι πρὸς τοῦ θείου πνεύματος μαρτυρουμένου· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πᾶσαν ὁμολογουμένως τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ὑπερακοντίζει φύσιν τὰ λελεγμένα, ἑνὶ δ' οὖν ἀνδρὶ μόνῳ ἐφαρμόζοι ἂν τῷ γενομένῳ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, ᾧ μόνῳ πρὸς τοῦ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ θείου πνεύματος μεμαρτύρηται, ὅτι μὴ ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν, μὴ δὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Τὸ δ' ἐπιδεδεγμένον τῆς ἐκδοχῆς παρίστησιν ἡ κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν ἐντεῦξις ἐπιτετηρημένως οὕτως 69 ἔχουσα, μακάριος ὁ ἀνὴρ, μετὰ τῆς ἄρθρου προσθήκης· καὶ ἔπρεπέν γε τὸν κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν χρηματίσαντα πατέρα ∆αυὶδ, ἐπαγγελίαν εἰληφότα περὶ τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ τεχθήσεσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν, τούτῳ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προφητείας ἀναθεῖναι. Ὅτῳ δὲ φίλον διαγνῶναι τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Σωτῆρα τῶν ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ λεγομένων ἀναφορᾶς, τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ὑπομνηματισαμένοις ἐντυχὼν εἴσεται. Ψ. Ψαλμοῦ δευτέρου. Βʹ. Ἵνατι ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά; Παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων Πράξεσι καὶ ταύτην πεπληρῶσθαι τὴν προφητείαν οἱ τοῦ Πέτρου καὶ Ἰωάννου τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς παράδοξα διηγουμένων ἀκούσαντες ἐμαρτύρησαν. Εὐχαριστήσαντες γὰρ τοῖς ἐφ' οἷς ἤκουον θαυμασίοις τοῖς προεκτεθεῖσι ῥητοῖς ἐπήγαγον λέγοντες, Συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπ' ἀληθείας ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου ὃν ἔχρισας Ἡρώδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλάτος, σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ. Οὐ μόνοι δὲ ἄρα οἱ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν συνήχθησαν κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ καθεξῆς ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ δεῦρο βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντες ὅλα τε ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ διὰ τοῦ βλασφημεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπιβουλεύειν αὐτοῦ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ. Πεπεῖσθαι δὲ χρὴ μὴ μόνον τοὺς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὁρατοὺς βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντας ἐπιβεβουλευκέναι αὐτῷ, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον τοὺς νοητοὺς 70 καὶ ἀοράτους ἄρχοντας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οἳ καὶ τότε ἐνήργησαν καὶ εἰς ἔτι νῦν ἐνεργοῦσιν, τά τε ἔθνη καὶ τοὺς κενὰ καὶ εἰς μάτην τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον μελετήσαντας λαοὺς τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλευσαμένους, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν Πατρός· περὶ ὧν ἁπάντων ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ἐπιφέρεται τὸ, Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτούς. Τότε λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτοῦ ταράξει αὐτούς. Οἷς ἑξῆς αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν μετὰ τὸ πάθος γεγενημένην περὶ αὐτὸν οἰκονομίαν παιδεύων ἡμᾶς φησὶν, Ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ, διαγγέλλων τὸ πρόσταγμα Κυρίου. Οὐ χρὴ μέντοι γε κατὰ τὰς Ἰουδαίων χαμαιπετεῖς ὑπολήψεις τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ βασιλείαν ὁμοίαν ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡγεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ Σιὼν ὄρος σωματικὸν συστησομένην· πρὸς γ' οὖν τὸν ἐρωτήσαντα αὐτὸν εἰ βασιλεὺς τυγχάνει, ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων, ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· ὅθεν δὴ καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν ἐπήγγελτο τοῖς πεπιστευκόσιν εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ Σιὼν δὲ ὄρος ἐπουράνιον ὑπάρχειν ἐδίδαξεν οὐ μόνος ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεῖσται ἄλλαι προφητεῖαι. Ὁ γ' οὖν Μιχαίας προειπὼν ὡς ἄρα διὰ τὰς ἀσεβείας τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ Σιὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου εἰς ἄλσος δρυμοῦ, ἑξῆς περὶ ἑτέρας Σιὼν καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁμοίως ἐπιφέρει, λέγων, Καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ 71 ἥξουσιν ἐπ' αὐτῷ