31

divine power working with them, throughout all the inhabited world they preached the faith in the Christ of God; concerning whom, after the prediction of the preaching of his apostles, the word next teaches, that he has set his 82 tabernacle in the sun; the sun being understood as the divinity, in which he set his own abode and, as it were, encampment, or also that body which he received from the virgin, which was like a tabernacle for the divine power abiding in him; and he, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, rejoiced like a giant to run his course; for like some bridegroom for his bride the church, having arisen from his father's bosom, and like some brave and strong giant, having competed in the contest set before him, and having conquered and defeated his opponents, he rejoiced to receive his spouse and bride; and his going out is from the end of heaven; and again, his circuit is to the end of it; since no one else has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the son of man; and again, he who descended, he is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, according to the holy apostle; and there is no one who will be hidden from his heat; concerning which he himself said, I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and what do I wish if it is already kindled? One might easily work out for oneself the things concerning this passage in accordance with these things. Ps. Psalm 19. -11. What is said in the nineteenth psalm, Now I know that the Lord has saved his anointed, shows how the salvation from death of our Savior Jesus Christ; for to him it was also said, Let us rejoice in your salvation; and all things concerning the 83 passage might be applied to him, having received the proper explanation. Ps. Psalm 20. -12. The verse, O Lord, in your strength the king will rejoice, and the rest, one might say could be referred to David; but certainly, he asked life of you, and you gave him length of days for ever and for ever and ever, no longer fits David because both his death is shown and the time of his life, which was limited to not many years. It would therefore be Christ the king, appointed by the Father to reign over Sion, the heavenly mountain; who also asked the Father for life, not for himself, for he himself was the life, but for all those who would believe in him; and he gave it to him, so that all those who have believed in him are able to pass from death to eternal life, and to length of days with God, which are for ever and for ever and ever; and the rest of the things in the psalm, being said concerning the glory of the king, not being small things, would fit Christ rather than David, having obtained a worthy clarification. Ps. Psalm 21. -13. It has been clearly confessed by all those who have rightly believed in Christ, that the beginning of the psalm at hand, having this form, My God, my God, attend to me, why have you forsaken me? was spoken by him 84 at the time of his passion; for this also the voice on the cross indicated, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani. But before we begin to take up the prophecy in the psalm as applying to him, let us ask those who boast in the circumcision, who it might be that says the things in the psalm; for it appears not to be just anyone saying both other things and these: that you are he who drew me out of the womb; my hope from my mother’s breasts; on you I was cast from the womb; from my mother’s belly you are my God; and adding, I will declare your name to my brethren, in the midst of the church I will praise you; and again; he did not turn his face from me, and when I cried to him he heard me; from you is my praise, in a great church I will confess to you; I will pay my vows before those who fear him. In addition to these, let them also say the other things in the Psalm, if they could apply them to any of the holy men; for who, having become such as the word has pre-described, all who see me

31

συνεργούσης αὐτοῖς δυνάμεως θείας ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκήρυσσον τὴν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ πίστιν· περὶ οὗ μετὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν τοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ κηρύγματος ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος διδάσκει, ὡς ἄρα ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ 82 σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ· ἡλίου νοουμένου τῆς θεότητος, εἰς ἣν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μονὴν καὶ τὴν οἱονεὶ κατασκήνωσιν ἔθετο, ἢ καὶ ὅπερ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου ἔλαβεν σῶμα, ὅπερ ἦν ὡσπερεὶ σκήνωμα τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ καταμενούσης θείας δυνάμεως· οὗτος δὲ καὶ ὥσπερ νύμφιος ἐκπορευόμενος ἐκ παστοῦ αὐτοῦ ἡγαλλιάσατο ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδόν· οἷα γάρ τις νύμφιος διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ νύμφην τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκ τῶν πατρικῶν διαναστὰς κόλπων, καὶ ὁποῖά τις γίγας ἀνδρεῖος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν προκείμενον αὐτῷ διαθλήσας, νικήσας τε καὶ καταγωνισάμενος τοὺς ἀντιπάλους, ἠγαλλιάσατο τὴν αὐτοῦ σύζυγόν τε καὶ νύμφην ἀπολαβών· γεγένηται δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἔξοδος ἀπ' ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ πάλιν, τὸ κατάντημα αὐτοῦ ἕως ἄκρου αὐτοῦ· ἐπεὶ μὴ δ' εἷς ἄλλος ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· καὶ πάλιν, ὁ καταβὰς, αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν ἀπόστολον· ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τὴν θέρμην αὐτοῦ· περὶ ἧς καὶ αὐτὸς εἶπεν τὸ, πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τί θέλω εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη; Εὐχερῶς δ' ἄν τις ἑαυτῷ τούτοις ἀναλόγως ἐξεργάσεται τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον. Ψ. Ψαλμοῦ ιθʹ. -ΙΑʹ. Τὸ ἐν τῷ ἐννεακαιδεκάτῳ ψαλμῷ λεγόμενον, Νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι ἔσωσε Κύριος τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐμφαίνει πῶς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου σωτηρίαν· αὐτῷ γὰρ εἴρηται καὶ τὸ, Ἀγαλλιασώμεθα ἐν τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου· καὶ ὅλα δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸν 83 τόπον ἐφαρμοσθείη ἂν αὐτῷ τῆς προσηκούσης τυχόντα ἐξηγήσεως. Ψ. Ψαλμοῦ κʹ. -ΙΒʹ. Τὸ μὲν Κύριε ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, εἴποι ἄν τις ἐπὶ τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἀναφέρεσθαι δύνασθαι· τό γε μὴν ζωὴν ᾐτήσατό σε, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, οὐκέτι τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἁρμόζει διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτοῦ ἐμφαίνεσθαι καὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, ἧς οὐ πολὺν χρόνον ἐτῶν περιωρίσθαι. Εἴη ἂν οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἐπουράνιον καταστάς· ὃς καὶ ζωὴν ᾐτήσατο τὸν Πατέρα οὐχὶ ἑαυτῷ, αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ἡ ζωὴ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύσουσιν· καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὡς πάντας δύνασθαι τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύσαντας μεταβαίνειν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ εἰς μακρότητα τῶν παρὰ Θεῷ ἡμερῶν, αἳ εἰσὶν εἰς αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ὡς περὶ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως δόξης λεγόμενα, οὐ μικρὰ ὄντα, ἁρμόττοι ἂν τῷ Χριστῷ μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ ∆αυὶδ τῆς ἀξίας τυχόντα σαφηνείας. Ψ. Ψαλμοῦ καʹ. -ΙΓʹ. Σαφῶς ἀνωμολόγηται παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑγιῶς εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκόσιν, ὡς ἡ καταρχὴ τοῦ μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμοῦ τοῦτον ἔχουσα τὸν τρόπον, Ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ Θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι, ἵνατι ἐγκατέλιπές με; ὑπ' 84 αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους εἴρηται· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλου καὶ ἡ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ φωνὴ ἡ, ἐλωεὶ ἐλωεὶ λαμὰ σαβαχθανεῖ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ πρὶν ἀρξώμεθα ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ προφητείαν ὡς ἐπ' αὐτὸν μεταλαμβάνειν, πευσόμεθα τῶν τὴν περιτομὴν αὐχούντων, τίς ἂν εἴη ὁ φάσκων τὰ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ· οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν γάρ τις εἶναι φαίνεται τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ταῦτα λέγων, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρός· ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου· ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας· ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου Θεός μου εἶ σύ· καὶ ἐπιφέρων διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε· καὶ πάλιν· οὐκ ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσήκουσέ μου· παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ ἐξομολογήσομαι σοι· τὰς εὐχάς μου ἀποδώσω ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ἐν τῷ Ψαλμῷ λεγέτωσαν, εἰ ἔχοιεν τινὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν ἐφαρμόζειν· τίνα γὰρ τοιοῦτον γενόμενον οἷον προδιέγραψεν ὁ λόγος, πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντές με