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has become such that his life is a symbol of the athletic way of life, the one who is afflicted, training to persevere in afflictions and to struggle against them, is defended by the appellation of God, which is that of Jacob, so that, having become a supplanter like him, he may supplant and wrestle down the afflictions and the evil spirits that work them. And from a holy place he sends help, or from the heavenly temple (for among the Hebrews the temple is called holy), or from the Holy One, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, about whom it is said: God shall come from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran, a thickly shaded forest. And this interpretation will be confirmed by the following verse. For "from Zion may he help you," because from there the Savior shines upon the human race according to "From Zion is the splendor of his beauty." And the first version may also be attested, with God helping from the heavenly Zion. "May he remember all your sacrifice," he prays, signifying this to the one afflicted: your deliverance from affliction will come so that you may offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, so that God may remember all your sacrifice thus offered, it being spiritual. But also "may he accept your whole burnt offering and make it fat;" it should be noted that a sacrifice differs from a whole burnt offering. For perhaps the name "sacrifice" applies to inanimate things offered on the altar, whereas the whole burnt offering is an animate victim. 161 Ps 19,5 God gives according to the heart of the one who prays, whenever he asks for such things as are fitting for God to give and are beneficial for the one receiving. For the request for these things, being rightly made, will have God as the provider. "And fulfill all your counsel;" "counsel," that is, to fulfill the will when it is rightly formed. And a will is fulfilled whenever one does not go astray in one's deliberations, but attains those things about which one has previously deliberated. 162 Ps 19,6 This is about what was said: "Behold, to us is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." "Salvation" is said to mean the salvation by which he is saved, to whom God listens on the day of affliction, over which salvation there will be exultation. "And in the name of the Lord our God we will be magnified." While others are magnified in worldly matters, we "in the name of the Lord our God we will be magnified." "We are magnified" signifies progress in that which is truly good. For he did not say, "we are great." In this way also Isaac, advancing, became greater, until he became very great. And one is magnified in the name of the Lord by accomplishing the works of a genuine and perfect servant. It is a great encomium for him of whom the word is spoken that all his requests will be fulfilled by the Lord, as he asks for nothing that God does not provide. The fulfillment of requests is for those things to come to pass and come into existence for which one has asked. 163 Ps 19,7 Of the voice of Christ, sometimes concerning the priest, sometimes concerning the king, and sometimes concerning the economy of the Word of God according to the flesh; one might say it was spoken of David, another of Hezekiah, about whom he also took the hypothesis of the psalm, and another that it was spoken humanly of the economy. And perhaps also Christ is said to be saved when all the believers, who complete the body of Christ according to "So also is Christ one body, but many members," have salvation, they who have become his body and members. And it is well to say "Now I know." For "now," that is, in the present age, we know Christ is being saved by receiving from here the pledge of salvation. He hears Christ according to every interpretation mentioned before. And the right hand of God, that is, his Word, brings about salvation, not in a random way but in mighty deeds like an excellent general or king. 164 Ps 19,8 Understanding "horses" as the skittish passions which the opposing powers mount, and "chariots" as the combination of impetuous passions in which they prepare themselves against us; but even if they are in these things, yet our invincible defense is the invocation of God.

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γεγένηται ὡς τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ σύμβολον τῆς ἀθλητικῆς πολιτείας ειναι, ὁ θλιβόμενος ἀσκούμενος ἐγκαρτερεῖν ταῖς θλίψεσιν καὶ ἀγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὰς ὑπερασπίζεται ὑπὸ τῆς θεοῦ προσηγορίας, η τοῦ ̓Ιακώβ ἐστιν, ινα πτερνιστὴς κατ' ἐκεῖνον γεγενημένος πτερνίσῃ καὶ καταπαλαίσῃ τὰ θλιβερὰ καὶ τὰ ἐνεργοῦντα αὐτὰ πνεύματα πονηρά. ̓Εξ ἁγίου δὲ καταπέμπει βοήθειαν η τοῦ οὐρανίου ναοῦ (ὁ γὰρ ναὸς παρ' ̔Εβραίοις αγιον ὀνομάζεται) η ἐξ ἁγίου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ ου λέγεται· ̔Ο θεὸς ἐκ Θεμᾶν ηξει καὶ ὁ αγιος ἐξ ορους Φαρᾶν κατασκίου δασέος. αυτη δὲ ἡ ἐξήγησις κυριωθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιφερομένου στίχου. ̓Εκ Σιὼν γὰρ ἀντιλάβοιτό σου, τῷ ἐκεῖθεν τὸν σωτῆρα τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιλάμπειν κατὰ τὸ ̓Εκ Σιὼν ἡ εὐπρέπεια τῆς ὡραιότητος αὐτοῦ. μαρτυρηθείη δὲ καὶ ἡ πρώτη ἐκδοχή, ἐκ Σιὼν τῆς ἐπουρανίου ἀντιλαμβανομένου θεοῦ. Μνησθείη πάσης θυσίας σου, ἐπεύχεται, τῷ θλιβομένῳ τοῦτο σημαίνων· εσται τὸ ῥυσθῆναί σε ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως ωστε εὐχαριστητικῶς θυσίαν προσενεγκεῖν, ινα πάσης τῆς ουτως προσαγομένης θυσίας σου μνησθείη ὁ θεὸς ουσης πνευματικῆς. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμά σου ἀποδεχόμενος πιανάτω· σημειωτέον διαφέρειν θυσίαν ὁλοκαυτώματος. τάχα γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀψύχων προσαγομένων ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν κεῖται τὸ θυσίας ονομα, τοῦ ὁλοκαυτώματος ἐμψύχου θύματος οντος. 161 Ps 19,5 ∆ίδωσι θεὸς κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ εὐχομένου, οτ' αν τοιαῦτα αἰτῆται, α καὶ θεῷ πρέπει διδόναι καὶ τῷ λαμβάνοντι συμφέρει. ἡ γὰρ περὶ τούτων αιτησις ὀρθῶς γινομένη εξει τὸν θεὸν παρέχοντα. Καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βουλήν σου πληρώσαι· βουλὴν τουτέστιν τὴν βούλησιν ὀρθῶς γινομένην πληρώσαι. πληροῦται δὲ βούλησις, οτ' αν μὴ διαμάρτῃ ἐν ταῖς σκέψεσιν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα ἀπαντήσῃ περὶ ων προεβουλεύσατο. 162 Ps 19,6 Εστιν δὲ τοῦτο περὶ ου ειρηται· ̓Ιδοὺ ἐτέχθη ἡμῖν σήμερον σωτήρ, ος ἐστιν Χριστὸς κύριος. λέγεται σωτήριον λέγειν τὴν σωτηρίαν ην σῴζεται, ῳ ἐπακούει θεὸς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως, ἐφ' ῃ σωτηρίᾳ ἀγαλλίασις εσται. Καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν μεγαλυνθησόμεθα. αλλων ἐπὶ κοσμικοῖς πράγμασιν μεγαλυνομένων, ἡμεῖς ̓Εν ὀνόματι κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν μεγαλυνθησόμεθα. σημαίνει δὲ τὴν ἐν τῷ οντως ἀγαθῷ προκοπὴν τὸ Μεγαλυνόμεθα. οὐ γὰρ ειπεν· μεγάλοι ἐσμέν. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ ὁ Ἰσαὰκ προβαίνων μείζων ἐγίνετο, εως μέγας ἐγένετο σφόδρα. μεγαλύνεται δέ τις ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τὰ γνησίου καὶ τελείου δούλου ἐπιτελῶν. ̓Εγκώμιον μέγα τοῦ περὶ ου ὁ λόγος τὸ πληρωθήσεσθαι ὑπὸ κυρίου πάντα τὰ αἰτήματα αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν αἰτουμένου, ων μὴ παρέχει ὁ θεός. πλήρωσις δὲ αἰτήσεων τὸ ἐκβῆναι καὶ εἰς υπαρξιν ἐλθεῖν ἐκεῖνα, ὑπὲρ ων τις ἠξίωσεν. 163 Ps 19,7 Τῆς χριστοῦ φωνῆς ὁτὲ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱερέως, ὁτὲ δ' ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὁτὲ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου οἰκονομίας· ὁ μέν τις φήσει ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ εἰρῆσθαι, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ ̓Εζεκίου περὶ ου καὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ειληφεν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, ὁ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀνθρωπίνως εἰρημένον. Τάχα δὲ καὶ τῶν πιστευόντων ἁπάντων συμπληρούντων τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὸ Ουτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς εν σῶμα, πολλὰ δὲ μέλη, σῴζεσθαι λέγεται ὁ Χριστός, οτ' αν οἱ γενόμενοι αὐτοῦ σῶμα καὶ μέλη σωτηρίαν εχωσιν. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν Νῦν εγνων. νῦν γὰρ τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι γινώσκομεν τὸν Χριστὸν σῳζόμενον τῷ ἀπεντεῦθεν ἀρραβῶνα σωτηρίας δέχεσθαι. ̓Επακούει τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀπόδοσιν προειρημένην. τὰ δεξιὰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ, τουτέστιν ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ, σωτηρίαν ποιεῖ, οὐχ ὡς ετυχεν ἀλλ' ἐν δυναστείαις οια στρατηγὸς η βασιλεὺς αριστος. 164 Ps 19,8 Ιππους μὲν νοῶν τὰ σκιρτητικὰ τῶν παθῶν οις ἐπιβαίνουσιν αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, αρματα δὲ τὴν σύμπνοιαν τῶν ὁρμητικῶν παθῶν ἐν οις παρασκευάζονται καθ' ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ουτοι ἐν τούτοις, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν ἀμυντήριον ἀκαταμάχητον ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ προσηγορία.