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virtuous deeds that someone limps and is sick concerning bribery and usury, and he treats this disease. For he who for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, and for love itself and philanthropy towards his neighbor does this, 23.153 gives, but not in order to receive recompense from men; but storing it up for himself as in a treasury, and keeping it for himself for the future recompense from God; And he did not take gifts against the innocent. For perhaps he might accept an honor that is painless and harmless to those who honor him; but if there is an underlying charge to the harm of another, if he should ever accept gifts, he has completely overturned what was said before. AN INSCRIPTION OF DAVID. 15. The psalm is inscribed to David; or, of David, according to the other interpreters. But I said 'psalm' using the common term; for according to what is precise, one would not call it a psalm, because the title does not wish to indicate this; but it is an inscription containing a wonderful prophecy, and worthy of eternal writing, as if engraved on a pillar. Preserve me, O Lord, for in you I have hoped. I said to the Lord: You are my God; for you have no need of my goods. That therefore the things contained in the prophecy were uttered through David, would be clear to everyone. But when we seek to whom these words must refer, the apostle Peter would be a worthy teacher for us, having recalled in the Acts of the Apostles the things contained in it. For after going through the contents of the psalm to the people, and teaching that these words were spoken of the Savior, he adds next and says: Brethren, I may say to you with confidence of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would raise up the Christ from the fruit of his loins according to the flesh to sit on his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Since these things have been said in this way, it would be superfluous to seek further to whom the prophecy should refer, once we have been taught by so great a witness. According to the Seventy, then, the prophecy is called an inscription, because it contains the Savior's victory over death, accomplished through His resurrection from the dead. For just as the greatest and most extraordinary contests of those who compete in stadiums are deemed worthy of a pillar, and trophies against enemies in wars are inscribed on a pillar for long remembrance; so also the great trophy of the Savior, which he raised up when he cast down him who had the power of death, was inscribed from above from the prophetic times in their own writings; wherefore it is called an inscription. For you have no need of my goods. Not that he might bestow worthy things in return for what we brought to him. But others say that the psalm is spoken from the person of the Savior; 23.156 and it is spoken according to his human nature, just as we ourselves find many such things in the holy Gospels; such is the one: Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will; and, I am going to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God. Thus we find him praying continuously, and bending his knees. So then, in this psalm also he asks to be preserved, and is preserved by himself. For he asks as a man, but grants the request as God; with his own Father clearly approving and cooperating. For you have no need of my goods. Symmachus interpreted this differently: I have no good apart from you. All, he says, of the

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κατορθώματα σκάζειν τινὰ καὶ νοσεῖν περὶ δωροδοκίας καὶ τόκους, καὶ ταύτην προσθεραπεύει τὴν νόσον. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἕνεκεν, καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπης καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τοῦτο πράτ 23.153 των, δίδωσι μὲν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων λαβεῖν· ἑαυτῷ δὲ ταμιευόμενος ὥσπερ ἐν θησαυρῷ, καὶ αὑτῷ φυλάττων εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνταπόδοσιν· Καὶ δῶρα ἐπ' ἀθώοις οὐκ ἔλαβε. Τιμὴν μὲν γὰρ τάχα προσοῖτο προσοίσοιτο τὴν ἄλυπον καὶ ἀβλαβῆ τοῖς τιμῶσιν· ὑποκειμένης δὲ αἰτίας ἐφ' ἑτέρου βλάβῃ, εἴ ποτε δέξαιτο δῶρα, παντάπασιν ἀνέτρεψε τὰ προλεχθέντα. ΣΤΗΛΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΙΕʹ. Τῷ μὲν ∆αυῒδ ἐπιγέγραπται ὁ ψαλμός· ἢ, τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς. Ψαλμὸν δὲ εἶπον καταχρησάμενος τῇ συνηθείᾳ· κατὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀκριβὲς οὐκ ἄν τις αὐτὸν εἴποι ψαλμὸν, ὅτι μὴ τοῦτο δηλοῦν βούλεται ἡ προγραφή· ἀλλ' ἔστι στηλογραφία προφητείαν περιέχουσα θαυμαστὴν, καὶ γραφῆς αἰωνίου, ὥσπερ ἐν στήλῃ τετυπωμένης, ἀξίαν. Φύλαξόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα. Εἶπα τῷ Κυρίῳ· Θεός μου εἶ σύ· ὅτι τῶν ἀγαθῶν μου οὐ χρείαν ἔχεις. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν διὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἀναπεφώνηται τὰ ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ περιεχόμενα, παντὶ ἂν εἴη σαφές. Ζητουμένου δὲ εἰς τίνα ἄρα χρὴ ἀναφέρειν τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀξιόχρεως ἡμῖν διδάσκαλος γένοιτ' ἂν Πέτρος ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων μνημονεύσας τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ φερομένων. ∆ιελθὼν γὰρ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τὰ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, ταῦτά τε ἐπὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα τὰ εἰρημένα ἀναδιδάξας, ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει καί φησιν· Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ, ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν μετὰ παῤῥησίας πρὸς ὑμᾶς περὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου ∆αυῒδ, ὅτι καὶ ἐτελεύτησε καὶ ἐτάφη· καὶ τὸ μνῆμα αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἐν ἡμῖν ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης. Προφήτης οὖν ὑπάρχων, καὶ εἰδὼς, ὅτι ὅρκῳ ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα ἀναστήσειν τὸν Χριστὸν, καθίσαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ, προϊδὼν ἐλάλησε περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι οὔτε ἐγκατελείφθη εἰς ᾅδην, οὔτε ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ εἶδε διαφθοράν. Τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀνέστησεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὗ πάντες ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν μάρτυρες. Ὧν οὕτως εἰρημένων, περιττὸν ἂν εἴη τοῦ λοιποῦ ζητεῖν, ἐπὶ τίνα χρὴ φέρειν τὴν προφητείαν, ἅπαξ ὑπὸ τηλικούτου μάρτυρος δεδιδαγμένοι. Κατὰ μὲν οὖν τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα στηλογραφία λέλεκται ἡ προφητεία, τὸ περιέχειν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου νίκην τοῦ Σωτῆρος διὰ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ κατωρθωμένην. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων ἐν σταδίοις οἱ μέγιστοι καὶ παράδοξοι ἆθλοι στήλης ἀξιοῦνται, καὶ τῶν ἐν πολέμοις κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τρόπαια εἰς μακρὰν μνήμην στηλιτεύεται· οὕτω καὶ τὸ μέγα τρόπαιον τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὅπερ ἤγειρε καθελὼν τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῶν προφητικῶν χρόνων ἐστηλιτεύετο ταῖς ἑαυτῶν γραφαῖς· διὸ στηλογραφία λέλεκται. Ὅτι τῶν ἀγαθῶν μου οὐ χρείαν ἔχεις. Οὐχ ἵνα τὰ ἐπάξια χαρίσηται ἀνθ' ὧν αὐτῷ προσηγάγομεν. Ἄλλοι δέ φασιν, ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος 23.156 εἴρηται ὁ ψαλμός· εἴρηται δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπειον, ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ αὐτὰ πολλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις εὑρίσκομεν· τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τό· Πάτερ, εἰ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ· καὶ, Πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου καὶ Πατέρα ὑμῶν, καὶ Θεόν μου καὶ Θεὸν ὑμῶν. Οὕτως εὑρίσκομεν αὐτὸν εὐχόμενον συνεχῶς, καὶ τὰ γόνατα κάμπτοντα. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ψαλμῷ αἰτεῖ φυλαχθῆναι, καὶ ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ φυλάττεται. Αἰτεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἄνθρωπος, δίδωσι δὲ τὴν αἴτησιν ὡς Θεός· εὐδοκοῦντος δηλονότι καὶ συνεργοῦντος τοῦ οἰκείου Πατρός. Ὅτι τῶν ἀγαθῶν μου οὐ χρείαν ἔχεις. Τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος ἑτέρως ἡρμήνευσεν· Ἀγαθόν μοι οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνευ σοῦ. Πᾶσα, φησὶ, τῶν