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165 Ps 20,2-3 The king established upon Mount Zion is properly and truly a king, rejoicing with a divine joy from the power of God present to him. And let the whole psalm be interpreted concerning Christ the king and of the one who reigns with him, so that we may not be forced to signify this at every word. He who does not fulfill the desire of the flesh walks by the spirit. This one, having been mingled with the spirit, receives the desire of his heart from God. For he who has abstained from the appetites of the flesh, what his heart desires, that is his mind, he receives from God who satisfies his desire with good things. But also one who has obtained what he needs has not been deprived by the Lord of the request of his lips. 166 Ps 20,4-5 From "Because you have anticipated him with blessings of goodness," using the causal conjunction "Because," he showed that he rejoices and exults in having been anticipated with blessings of goodness. But for the distinction of blessings that are not of goodness, "of goodness" is added here; for Jacob, blessing his sons, in the manner of a blessing said certain painful things would befall his sons, such as "Cursed be their anger." And if any such lesser thing is set forth, God anticipates the king and his imitator with blessings of goodness, leading them up to the super-cosmic promises, of which it is possible to partake from here as a pledge. One is crowned from his own works and practices. Indeed, he who has justly pursued what is just will receive the crown of righteousness, and he who has rightly glorified the Trinity will receive the unfading crown of glory. And one who has delighted in the Lord is defended by a crown of delight, and he who has been saved by grace receives a crown of graces upon his own head. But also he who has treasured up precious stones with gold and silver, will be crowned by the precious stones with which he worked, God binding the head of his soul with the crown made of precious stones; and to a divine power adorned with every virtue it is said, "You have put on every goodly stone." God, therefore, who crowns with mercy and compassion, will crown with a crown made of precious stones, just as also with hope those who wait for him; For the Lord Sabaoth is the crown of hope woven with glory. And since the apostle writes to his own disciples, "My joy and my crown," perhaps also the acquaintances of Christ, being precious stones on account of their intense virtue, woven into a crown, will rather be placed upon Christ's head, as Paul says to his disciples "My joy and my crown." He asked life of you and you gave it to him. If indeed the imitator of Christ should be the one about whom the discourse is, to him asking for it God has given eternal life; For the gift of God is eternal life. but if it speaks about Christ, to him who asked for life, the Father gave it, so that he might give life to the dead. Length of days for ever and ever; in addition to having asked for life he also asked for length of days, so that he might have it immortally and endlessly. He also receives length of days who has illumined for himself the light of knowledge, so as to have each dogma of the truth illumined; for each definition of a concept is a certain day. 167 Ps 20,6-8a The salvation of God brings great glory to the king risen from the dead and to everyone risen with him. You will lay glory and majesty upon him, this glory being that of the resurrection. And "You will lay" signifies that even before this glory he had another, according to "I have glorified and will glorify again." And majesty is what is fitting in great things. Therefore, what is fitting concerning the savior has occurred in great things. for what is greater than raising the dead and walking on the sea or his similar wonders? but also when he rose from the dead, what was fitting for him existed in great things; for he was taken up into the heavens and sat at the right hand of the Father, Because you will give him a blessing for ever and ever. all these things have come to pass for him, because a blessing is given to him for ever and ever from the

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165 Ps 20,2-3 ̔Ο κατασταθεὶς βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ Σιὼν ορος κυρίως καὶ ἀληθῶς βασιλεύς ἐστιν, εὐφραινόμενος θείαν εὐφροσύνην ἀπὸ τῆς παρούσης αὐτῷ δυνάμεως θεοῦ. πᾶς δὲ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἑρμηνευθείη περὶ Χριστοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ συμβασιλεύοντος αὐτῷ, ινα μὴ ἐφ' ἑκάστης λέξεως τοῦτο σημαίνειν ἀναγκαζώμεθα. ̔Ο ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς μὴ τελῶν τῷ πνεύματι περιπατεῖ. ουτος ἀνακραθεὶς τῷ πνεύματι ἐπιθυμίαν καρδίας λαμβάνει ἀπὸ θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς ὀρεκτῶν ἀπεσχημένος, α ὀρέγεται ἡ καρδία τουτέστιν ὁ νοῦς, λαμβάνει παρὰ θεοῦ ἐμπιμπλῶντος ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ τυχών τις ων δεῖται οὐκ ἐστερήθη ὑπὸ κυρίου τῆς δεήσεως τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ. 166 Ps 20,4-5 ̓Απὸ τοῦ Οτι προέφθασας αὐτὸν ἐν εὐλογίαις χρηστότητος αἰτιολογικῷ συνδέσμῳ τῷ Οτι χρησάμενος εδειξεν οτι εὐφραίνεται καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷ ἐπὶ τῷ προευφθάσθαι ἐν εὐλογίαις χρηστότητος. τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν εὐλογιῶν, μὴ χρηστότητος, πρόσκειται ἐνταῦθα τῆς χρηστότητος· εὐλογῶν γὰρ ̓Ιακὼβ τοὺς υἱοὺς εὐλογίας τρόπῳ ἀπαντήσεσθαι τοῖς υἱοῖς ἐπίπονά τινα ειπεν, ὡς τὸ ̓Επικατάρατος ὁ θυμὸς αὐτῶν. καὶ ει τι τοιοῦτον ελαττον προκείμενον, βασιλέα καὶ τὸν μιμητὴν αὐτοῦ προφθάνει ὁ θεὸς ἐν εὐλογίαις χρηστότητος, ἀναβιβάζων εἰς τὰς ὑπερκοσμίους ἐπαγγελίας ων ἐν ἀρραβῶνι ἀπεντεῦθέν ἐστιν γενέσθαι. ̓Εκ τῶν εργων καὶ ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἑαυτοῦ τις στεφανοῦται. ἀμέλει ὁ δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον διώξας ἀπολήψεται τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανον, καὶ ὁ ὀρθῶς περὶ τῆς τριάδος δοξάσας κομιεῖται τὸν ἀμαράντινον στέφανον τῆς δόξης. κατατρυφήσας δέ τις τοῦ κυρίου στεφάνῳ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίζεται, καὶ ὁ χάριτι σωθεὶς στέφανον χαρίτων δέχεται εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κορυφήν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ θησαυρίσας μετὰ χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου τιμίους λίθους, ὑφ' ων εἰργάσατο λίθων τιμίων, στεφθήσεται, θεοῦ ἀναδοῦντος αὐτοῦ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς κεφαλὴν τῷ στεφάνῳ τῷ ἐκ λίθων τιμίων· καὶ πρὸς δύναμιν δὲ θείαν κεκοσμημένην πάσῃ ἀρετῇ λέγεται Πάντα λίθον χρηστὸν ἐνδέδεσαι. ̔Ο ουν στεφανῶν θεὸς ἐν ἐλέει καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς στεφανώσει ἐκ λίθων τιμίων πεποιημένον στέφανον, ωσπερ καὶ ἐλπίδι τοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῷ καραδοκοῦντας· Εστι γὰρ κύριος Σαβαὼθ ὁ στέφανος τῆς ἐλπίδος ὁ πλακεὶς τῇ δόξῃ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς Χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, μήποτε καὶ οἱ Χριστοῦ γνώριμοι, λίθοι τίμιοι διὰ τὴν ευτονον ἀρετὴν οντες, στέφανος πλακέντες ἐπιτεθήσονται τῇ Χριστοῦ κεφαλῇ μᾶλλον, Παύλου λέγοντος τοῖς μαθηταῖς Χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου. Ζωὴν ᾐτήσατό σε καὶ εδωκας αὐτῷ. εἰ μὲν ὁ μιμητὴς Χριστοῦ ειη ὁ περὶ ου ὁ λόγος, ζωὴν αἰτησαμένῳ αὐτὸν τὴν αἰώνιον δέδωκεν ὁ θεός· Τὸ χάρισμα γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιός ἐστιν. εἰ δὲ περὶ Χριστοῦ λέγει τὸ ζωὴν αἰτησαμένῳ αὐτῷ, εδωκεν ὁ πατήρ, ινα ζωοποιήσῃ τοὺς νεκρούς. Μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος· πρὸς τῷ ζωὴν ᾐτηκέναι καὶ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν ᾐτήσατο, ιν' εχῃ αὐτὴν ἀθανάτως καὶ ἀπεράντως. μακρότητα ἡμερῶν δέχεται καὶ ὁ φωτίσας ἑαυτῷ φῶς γνώσεως, ὡς εκαστον δόγμα τῆς ἀληθείας πεφωτισμένον εχειν· ἑκάστη γὰρ περιγραφὴ νοήσεως ἡμέρα τίς ἐστιν. 167 Ps 20,6-8a Τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ δόξαν περιποιεῖ μεγάλην τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντι βασιλεῖ καὶ παντὶ τῷ συναναστάντι αὐτῷ. ∆οξὰν καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐπιθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτόν, δόξαν ταύτην τὴν κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν. τὸ δ' ̓Επιθήσεις σημαίνει οτι καὶ πρὸ ταύτης τῆς δόξης ἑτέραν ειχεν κατὰ τὸ ̓Εδόξασα καὶ πάλιν δοξάσω. εστιν δὲ μεγαλοπρέπεια τὸ ἐν μεγάλοις πρέπον. τὸ πρέπον ουν περὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἐν μεγάλοις γεγένηται. τί γὰρ μεῖζον τοῦ νεκροὺς ἐγείρειν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης βαδίσαι η τῶν παραπλησίων τεραστίων αὐτοῦ; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναστάντος, ἐν μεγάλοις τὸ πρέπον αὐτῷ ὑπῆρκται· εἰς οὐρανοὺς γὰρ ἀνελήφθη καὶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκάθισεν, Οτι δώσεις αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος. ταῦτα πάντα περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπῆρκται, οτι εὐλογία αὐτῷ εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος δίδοται παρὰ τοῦ