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for having become new, he is promised to the altar. But this is not so for the Hebrew. For he does not accept being renewed by the mystery of salvation through the birth from above. But in the seventieth of the ecclesiastical edition, which has the inscription, *For the sons of Jonadab and the first to be taken captive*, this is passed over in silence among the Hebrews. And the reason is clear: because the prophecy concerning the Lord is more manifest in these things, the unbelief of the Jews is accused, as they were unable to accept the manifest teaching of the mystery. For just as those whose eyes are diseased or those who have fallen into the affliction of hydrophobia can bear neither the striking of the ray with their eyes nor the sight of water, but with eyelids shut, the afflicted separate their eyes from the ray, 5.96 and those who fear water from the sight of water. In the same way, the wickedness of the Jews, because of their unwillingness to confess the glory of the divine preaching, makes the truth unacceptable through silence. But it is possible also through the psalmody itself to recognize the riddles of the prophecy. For it says in the seventieth, in which the inscription is *Concerning the first to be taken captive*, the word is as from the person of the captive, saying both some other things befitting the voice of a suppliant and that *Deliver me from the hand of the sinner, from the hand of the transgressor and the unrighteous*, indicating by these names the one who took our life captive. And in the remaining parts, after those many voices of supplication, it signifies through the word the return that has occurred from captivity; in which it says that *How many and evil afflictions you have shown me, and turning, you have made me live, and from the abysses of the earth you have brought me up again, you have multiplied upon me your greatness, and turning, you have comforted me.* But let us understand this more clearly from the teaching of the great Paul, how he who was dragged down to the abyss by the weight of sin is brought up from the abysses through the one who descended for us into the abyss. concerning whom he says: *Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'* (that is, to bring Christ down) *'or who will descend into the abyss?'* (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). For from where death entered into the world, from there it was also banished; through a man it entered, and through a man it is banished. The first man opened the entrance to death; through the second, life is brought in instead, whose entrance works the destruction of death. For this reason, when the captive was held in the abyss of death 5.97 by death, he descended through his passion into this abyss, in order to gather up again to himself to the things above the one in the deep. For the great voice of the apostle clarified these things with precision, saying many other things concerning these matters and also this: *As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.* For this reason, since the inscription *For the first to be taken captive* proclaims that the economy of the Lord through the flesh was taking place, the Hebrews stop their ears and do not accept the inscription. Thus in the ninetieth you will find the same reason for the Hebrews not accepting the inscription which declares the theophany of Christ. For to us the aforementioned psalm is *A praise of a song.* For all praise has its reference to God. But the Hebrews are silent about the praise and command those who praise the Lord to be silent. At any rate, they attempt to prevent the children in the temple from praising the Lord for his good works, as the gospel denounces their ingratitude. But it would be superfluous to demonstrate through contemplation that the very words of the praise of this song look to the Lord, since the text of what is written itself shows such a meaning more plainly. And the one after the ninety-first again has something more manifest in its inscription, on account of which the Judaizer flees from assenting to the inscription. For the text says thus: *A praise of a song of David, for the day of the Sabbath, when* 5.98

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γὰρ εἰς τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐπαγγέλλεται νέος γενόμενος. ἀλλὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν. οὐ γὰρ δέχεται τῷ μυστηρίῳ τῆς σωτηρίας διὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν γεννήσεως ἀνανεάσαι. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ἑβδομηκοστῷ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἐκδόσεως ἐπιγραφὴν ἐχούσης, Ὑπὲρ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰωναδὰβ καὶ τῶν πρώτων αἰχμαλωτισθέντων, παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τοῦτο σεσίγηται. ἡ δὲ αἰτία σαφὴς ὅτι φανερωτέρας τῆς εἰς τὸν κύριον προφητείας ἐν τούτοις οὔσης ἡ ἀπιστία τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατηγορεῖται, ὡς δέξασθαι τὴν φανερὰν τοῦ μυστηρίου διδασκαλίαν μὴ δυνηθέντων. ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς νοσοῦντες ἢ οἱ τῷ πάθει τῆς ὑδροφόβης περιπεσόντες, οὔτε τῆς ἀκτῖνος οὗτοι τὴν προσβολὴν οὔτε τοῦ ὕδατος ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ὄψιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑποφέρουσιν, ἀλλὰ μεμυκόσι τοῖς βλεφάροις οἱ μὲν ἐμπαθεῖς τὰ ὄμματα τῆς ἀκτῖνος 5.96 χωρίζονται, οἱ δὲ ὑδροφοβοῦντες τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος ὄψεως. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κακία διὰ τὸ μὴ θέλειν ὁμολογεῖν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος ἀπαράδεκ τον ποιεῖ διὰ τῆς σιωπῆς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἔξεστι δὲ καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἐπιγνῶναι τὰ τῆς προφητείας αἰνίγματα. λέγει γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἑβδομηκοστῷ, ἐν ᾧ Περὶ τῶν πρώτων αἰχμαλωτισθέντων ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπιγραφή, ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ αἰχμαλώτου ὁ λόγος, ἄλλα τέ τινα πρέποντα τῇ τοῦ ἱκέτου φωνῇ καὶ ὅτι Ῥῦσαί με ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐκ χειρὸς παρανομοῦντος καὶ ἀδικοῦντος, τούτοις τοῖς ὀνόμασι τὸν αἰχμαλωτίσαντα ἡμῶν τὴν ζωὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος. καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπολοίποις μετὰ πολλὰς τὰς παρακλητικὰς ἐκείνας φωνὰς τὴν ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας γενομένην ἐπάνοδον διαση μαίνει τῷ λόγῳ· ἐν οἷς φησιν, ὅτι Ὅσας ἔδειξάς μοι θλίψεις πολλὰς καὶ κακὰς καὶ ἐπιστρέψας ἐζωοποίησάς με, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς πάλιν ἀνήγαγές με, ἐπλεόνασας ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην σου, καὶ ἐπιστρέψας παρεκάλεσάς με. τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ἐκ τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου διδασκαλίας νοήσωμεν, πῶς ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων ἀνάγεται ὁ τῷ βάρει τῆς ἁμαρτίας καθελκυσθεὶς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον διὰ τοῦ κατελθόντος δι' ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον. περὶ οὗ φησιν· Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστι Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν. ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τουτέστι Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. ὅθεν γὰρ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ὁ θάνατος, ἐκεῖθεν πάλιν καὶ ἐξῳκίσθη· δι' ἀνθρώπου εἰσῆλθε, δι' ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἐξοικίζεται. ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος ἤνοιξε τῷ θανάτῳ τὴν εἴσοδον· διὰ τοῦ δευτέρου ἡ ζωὴ ἀντεισάγεται, ἧς ἡ εἴσοδος ἀφανισμὸν τοῦ θανάτου ἐργάζεται. διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ ἀβύσσῳ τοῦ θανάτου 5.97 κατεχομένου τοῦ αἰχμαλώτου ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου, κατέβη διὰ τοῦ πάθους εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ταύτην, ἐφ' ᾧ τε συναγαγεῖν ἑαυτῷ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω τὸν βύθιον. ταῦτα γὰρ δι' ἀκριβείας ἡ μεγάλη τοῦ ἀποστόλου φωνὴ διεσάφησεν, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ περὶ τούτων εἰπών φησι καὶ τοῦτο· Ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνήσκομεν, οὕτως ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζωοποιη θησόμεθα. διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς Ὑπὲρ τῶν πρώτων αἰχμαλωτισθέντων γίνεσθαι τὴν διὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ κυρίου βοώσης, βύουσι τὴν ἀκοὴν Ἑβραῖοι καὶ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν οὐ προσίενται. Οὕτως ἐν τῷ ἐνενηκοστῷ τὴν αὐτὴν εὑρήσεις αἰτίαν τοῦ μὴ παραδέχεσθαι τοὺς Ἑβραίους τὴν δηλωτικὴν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεοφανείας ἐπιγραφήν. ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ ὁ μνημονευθεὶς ψαλμὸς Αἶνός ἐστιν ᾠδῆς. πᾶς γὰρ αἶνος εἰς θεὸν τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει. οἱ δὲ Ἑβραῖοι σιγῶσι τὸν αἶνον καὶ τοῖς αἰνοῦσι τὸν κύριον σιγᾶν ἐγκελεύονται. κωλύειν γοῦν ἐπι χειροῦσιν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοὺς παῖδας αἰνεῖν ἐπὶ ταῖς εὐποιΐαις τὸν κύριον, καθὼς στηλιτεύει αὐτῶν τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. αὐτὰ δὲ τοῦ αἴνου τῆς ᾠδῆς ταύτης τὰ ῥήματα περιττὸν ἂν εἴη διὰ τῆς θεωρίας ἀποδεικνύειν πρὸς τὸν κύριον βλέποντα, γυμνότερον αὐτῆς τῆς λέξεως τῶν γεγραμ μένων τὴν τοιαύτην ἐμφαινούσης διάνοιαν. Ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὸν πρῶτον καὶ ἐνενηκοστὸν ἔχει τι πάλιν ἐν τῇ ἐπιγραφῇ φανερώτερον, οὗ χάριν φεύγει ὁ Ἰουδαΐζων τὴν τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς συγκατάθεσιν. φησὶν γὰρ ἡ λέξις οὕτως· Αἶνος ᾠδῆς τῷ ∆αβὶδ εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ Σαββάτου, ὅτε 5.98