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his laws. 152 Ps 17:51bc He shows mercy to his Christ, showing mercy to those under Christ for whom he acts as priest and over whom he reigns; for the word Christ signifies a priest and a king. If the saying were about David, that is, about every man skilled in hand, it would indicate that God shows mercy to men of action, being capable in their activities, and to any who happen to be their seed through instruction and imitation of their life; and the mercy he shows them is not temporary and for a short time but is forever. But if the word is about God who is truly David (For I will raise up for you one shepherd, my servant David), he shows eternal mercy to him and to his seed, so that his anointing and his priesthood are indissoluble; for while the old priesthood is set aside, the priesthood of Christ is unchangeable.

153 Ps 18:2 The heavens, therefore, declare the glory of God; and the glory of God is either the only-begotten, according to "the radiance of his glory," or the order and the excellence of his kingdom according to "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed." This glory, then, the powers proper to the heavens declare, hymning and theologizing, being named homonymously with the heavens they inhabit, by way of metonymy. But the firmament proclaims the work of the active powers of God, which are called his hands, not so much by words but by the works themselves.

154 Ps 18:3-5b Those who embrace the contemplative life lay up treasure in heaven, and have their heart there; they are heavens, declaring the aforesaid glory of God through contemplation of intelligible realities. But those who have accepted the practical life, through the works they accomplish, become a firmament, that is, steadfast and unmovable; they proclaim the work of God's hands, working the works of God and through them crying out, being themselves also works of God. But also the day, that is, luminous thought, being in harmony with another luminous thought, pours forth a word, just as the old scripture, because it is luminous, is day; "For God called the light day." This, being filled with the nourishment of the spirit, pouring forth from its fullness, brings forth a word to the new covenant; which is also allegorically called day. And the night, the deepest understanding of things, proclaims knowledge to another such night. For whenever someone, having the spirit that searches all things, even the depths of God, investigates one of the deeper mysteries of God, having known it, from this he moves on to similarly obscure things, and will have knowledge of them. And there are utterances which prepare and pave the way for the words, and let the words be those which set forth spiritual narratives and perfectly bring their proofs demonstratively. Therefore there are no utterances nor words for the obedience of God, Whose voices are not heard. For on this account they have been spoken by the Lord, that they might be heard by those to whom they are spoken; whence no word of excuse is left for those who do not do nor think what the voices of the aforesaid utterances and words suggest. Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and so on. As many as happen to be earth suitably disposed for seed, these receive the sound of the utterances and words, that is, the text according to the sensible meaning of scripture; but those who have gone beyond this state so as to be named the ends of the world will receive the sayings of the utterances and of the words, being clearly instructed about all things. Indeed, the leader of the apostles, hearing not the sound of Jesus but his sayings, said, "You have the sayings of eternal life"; and the Savior himself: "The sayings that I have spoken to you are spirit." For the apostles to whom he said these things were no longer earth but also the ends of the world.

155 Ps 18:5c-7 And according to the law of anagogy, the church can be the tabernacle of God, placed in the sun, that is, as far as and wherever the sun shines; for he who is into all the earth runs with the sun's rays

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τοὺς νόμους αὐτοῦ. 152 Ps 17,51bc Ελεος ποιεῖ τῷ Χριστῷ, ἐλεῶν τοὺς ὑπὸ Χριστὸν ὑπὲρ ων ἱερᾶται καὶ ων βασιλεύει· ἱερέα καὶ βασιλέα σημαίνει ἡ Χριστὸς φωνή. Εἰ μὲν περὶ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ τουτέστι παντὸς τοῦ ἱκανοῦ τῇ χειρὶ ειη ἡ λέξις, δηλοῖ ἐλεοῦντα τὸν θεὸν τοὺς πρακτικοὺς ανδρας, ἱκανοὺς οντας ἐν ταῖς ἐνεργείαις, καὶ ει τινες σπέρμα αὐτῶν τυγχάνουσιν ἐκ διδασκαλίας καὶ μιμήσεως τοῦ σφῶν βίου· ον δὲ ποιεῖ τούτοις ελεον οὐ πρόσκαιρος καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ἀλλ' εως αἰῶνος. εἰ δὲ περὶ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀληθῶς ∆αυὶδ ὁ λόγος ( ̓Αναστήσω γὰρ ὑμῖν ποιμένα ενα τὸν δοῦλόν μου ∆αυίδ), αἰώνιον ελεος αὐτῷ ποιεῖ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ τῷ τὸ χρῖσμα καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην αὐτοῦ ἀκατάλυτον ειναι· τῆς γὰρ παλαιᾶς ἱερωσύνης μετατιθεμένης ἀπαράβατος ἡ Χριστοῦ ἱερωσύνη.

153 Ps 18,2 Οἱ οὐρανοὶ ουν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διηγοῦνται δόξαν· δόξα δὲ θεοῦ

ητοι ὁ μονογενὴς κατὰ τὸ Τῆς δόξης ἀπαύγασμα, η ἡ διάταξις καὶ ἡ ὑπεροχὴ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸ Καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα κυρίου. ταύτην ουν διηγοῦνται ὑμνοῦσαι καὶ θεολογοῦσαι αἱ οἰκεῖαι τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δυνάμεις, ὁμωνύμως οις οἰκοῦσιν οὐρανοῖς ὀνομαζόμεναι κατὰ τὸν τῆς μετωνυμίας τρόπον. τὴν δὲ ποίησιν τῶν δραστηρίων θεοῦ δυνάμεων, χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ὀνομαζομένων, ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα, οὐ τοσοῦτον λόγοις ἀλλ' εργοις αὐτοῖς. 154 Ps 18,3-5b Οἱ τὸν θεωρητικὸν ἀσπαζόμενοι βίον θησαυρίζουσιν ἐν οὐρανῷ, κἀκεῖ τὴν καρδίαν εχοντες· οὐρανοί εἰσιν διηγούμενοι τὴν προειρημένην θεοῦ δόξαν διὰ θεωρίας τῆς περὶ τῶν νοητῶν πραγμάτων. οἱ δὲ τὸν πρακτικὸν ἀποδεξάμενοι δι' ων ἐπιτελοῦσιν εργων στερέωμα τυγχάνουσιν, τουτέστιν ἑδραῖοι καὶ ἀμετακίνητοι· ἀπαγγέλλουσιν τὴν ποίησιν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ χειρῶν, ἐργαζόμενοι τὰ θεοῦ εργα καὶ δι' αὐτῶν βοῶντες εργα τε τυγχάνοντες θεοῦ. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα, τουτέστιν ἡ φωτεινὴ νόησις, ἑτέρᾳ φωτεινῇ νοήσει σύμφωνος ουσα ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, οιον ἡ παλαιὰ γραφὴ διὰ τὸ φωτεινὴν ειναι ἡμέρα ἐστίν· ̓Εκάλεσεν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὸ φῶς ἡμέραν. αυτη πληρωθεῖσα τῶν τοῦ πνεύματος τροφῶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ πληρώματος ἐρευγομένη, προφέρεται ῥῆμα τῇ καινῇ διαθήκῃ· ἀλληγορικῶς καὶ αυτη ἡμέρα ὀνομαζομένη. ̔Η δὲ νύξ, ἡ βαθυτάτη τῶν πραγμάτων διάληψις, γνῶσιν ἀπαγγέλλει ἑτέρᾳ τοιαύτῃ νυκτί. οτ' αν γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πάντα ἐρευνῶν καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ εχων τις ἐρευνᾷ τι τῶν βαθυτέρων τοῦ θεοῦ μυστηρίων, γνοὺς αὐτὸ ἐκ τούτου ἐπὶ τὰ ὁμοίως ἀσαφῆ μετέρχεται, κἀκείνων ἐπιστήμην εξει. Λαλιαὶ δέ εἰσιν αἱ προκατασκευάζουσαι καὶ προοδοποιοῦσαι τοῖς λόγοις, λόγοι δὲ εστωσαν οἱ τιθέμενοι τὰ πνευματικὰ διηγήματα καὶ τελείως τὰς πίστεις αὐτῶν ἀποδεικτικῶς ἐπιφέροντες. οὐκ εἰσὶν ουν λαλιαὶ οὐδὲ λόγοι πρὸς ὑπακοὴν θεοῦ, Ων οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ειρηνται ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, ινα ἀκουσθῶσιν οις ειρηνται· οθεν οὐδεὶς καταλείπεται λόγος ἀπολογίας τοῖς μὴ ποιοῦσιν μηδὲ φρονοῦσιν α ὑφηγοῦνται αἱ φωναὶ τῶν προειρημένων λαλιῶν καὶ λόγων. Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. οσοι τυγχάνουσιν γῆ ἐπιτηδείως πρὸς σπόρον εχοντες, ουτοι χωροῦσι τὸν φθόγγον τῶν λαλιῶν καὶ λόγων, τουτέστιν τὴν λέξιν τὴν κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν τῆς γραφῆς· οἱ δὲ ὑπερβεβηκότες τὴν τούτων κατάστασιν ὡς χρηματίσαι πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης δέξονται τῶν λαλιῶν καὶ τῶν λόγων τὰ ῥήματα, σαφῶς περὶ πάντων παιδευόμενοι. ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρόκριτος οὐ φθόγγου ̓Ιησοῦ ἀλλὰ ῥημάτων ἀκούων ̔Ρήματα, εφη, ζωῆς αἰωνίου εχεις· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ σωτήρ· Τὰ ῥήματα α λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμά ἐστιν. οις γὰρ ταῦτ' ελεγεν ἀποστόλοις, οὐκέτι γῆ ἀλλὰ καὶ πέρατα οἰκουμένης ησαν. 155 Ps 18,5c-7 Κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῆς ἀναγωγῆς νόμον σκήνωμα θεοῦ ἡ ἐκκλησία ειναι δύναται, τεθεῖσα ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ τουτέστιν οσον καὶ οπου ηλιος φαίνει· συντρέχει γὰρ ταῖς ἡλιακαῖς αὐγαῖς ὁ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν