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that is, saying praiseworthy things about them. Therefore, "this one shall receive from the Lord." Something similar is stated in the Proverbs: "The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous." The righteous one does not draw down the blessing upon himself, nor do men bestow it upon him, but the blessing is from the Lord upon his mind, which is allegorically called the head. 5 and mercy from God his Savior. For even if someone has works that bring a blessing, since the blessing is greater than the things done, and God bestows things beyond what we think and do, for this reason he also needs mercy from Him. and mercy from God his Savior. 6 This is the generation of those who seek him. Since the question is in the singular: "Who shall ascend and who shall stand?" and the answer is as if about one person: "The one innocent in hands and pure in heart," but it is not just one alone who is constituted to achieve virtue, he immediately adds: "This is the generation of those who seek him," calling a generation all those who have been engendered in the same achievements and virtues. And from this contemplation an evangelical saying is explained for us; the Savior says: "All the righteous blood shed on the earth will be avenged on this generation." And he says, "from Abel the righteous." If he says "on this generation," referring to the Jews, the vengeance is not just. Cain killed Abel, and others killed others before the call and the temporal giving; but he says from such a generation, from those who are born through such works from the devil, according to this: "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires." And desires make a child of the devil. Again, those who have the same desires are one generation. So it is also with this: "A generation of the upright will be blessed." 6 of those who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Everyone who prays genuinely prays to receive an epiphany of God, and this is to seek the face of God. At any rate, the saints offer up a prayer, saying: "Make your face shine, and we shall be saved." And this is also possible: we have received the inscription of the psalm "for the first of the sabbaths," and we were saying that the resurrection of the Savior, called the Lord's day, is sometimes called the eighth and sometimes the first of the sabbath according to different concepts. "they seek the face" of the one about to come, having heard that "bowing the heavens he will come down," that "a Savior is coming"; for the heralds of the truth who run before the 71 who is coming hear: "Say to the daughter of Zion: behold, your Savior is coming to you," and: "Say to the cities of Judah: behold, our God is coming with strength," of the one who trips up wickedness, that we may learn from him to tread upon the adversaries, those who work wickedness, "the one who is at work in the sons of disobedience." When the economy has received its end—for "while you are still speaking, he will say: I am here"—the ascent of the Savior after his advent is immediately signified; for after a Diapsalma the word says: "Lift up the gates, you rulers." You rulers, lift up the gates. Or thus: your gates, O rulers, lift up, the ones you oversee, the ones you guard. "and be lifted up, you everlasting gates." To represent the greatness of the one who is about to go up and enter through the gates, the word says: "and be lifted up." Remaining here, you do not have room for his elevation. And 'to lift up' and 'to be lifted up' can also mean to take them out of the way; for such a great king does not need an entrance. And again: "and the King of glory shall come in." The angels who run before the Savior as he is taken up say these things to the powers above, to those who have charge of the heavenly gates. Then those others inquire: "Who is this King of glory," whom you announce is about to come, for whom the gates must be lifted up and the everlasting ones—not the temporary ones—the gates of immortality, be lifted up? Near to this and similar is what is stated thus in Isaiah: "Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from

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τουτέστιν ἐπαινετὰ περὶ αὐτῶν λέγοντες. "οὗτος" οὖν "παρὰ κυρίου λήμψεται". παραπλήσιον ἐν ταῖς παροιμίαις φέρεται· "εὐλογία κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου". οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τὴν εὐλογίαν ὁ δίκαιος ἐπισπᾶται, οὐκ ἄνθρωποι αὐτὴν αὐτῷ νέμουσιν, ἀλλὰ κυρίου ἐστὶν ἡ εὐλογία ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ καλούμενον ἀλληγορικῶς κεφαλήν. 5 καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ. κἂν γὰρ ἔχῃ τις ἔργα τὰ φέροντα τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἐπεὶ μείζω ἐστὶν τῶν πραχθέντων ἡ εὐλογία, ὑπὲρ ἃ φρονοῦμεν δὲ καὶ ποιοῦμεν ὁ θεὸς χαρίζεται, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ χρῄζει. καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ 6 αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτόν. ἐπεὶ ἑνικῶς τὸ πύσμα γίνεται· "τίς ἀναβήσεται καὶ τίς στήσεται"; καὶ ἡ ἀπόκρισις ὡς περὶ ἑνός· "ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ", οὐχ εἷς δέ ἐστιν μόνος ὁ πεφυκὼς τὴν ἀρετὴν κατορθοῖν, εὐθέως ἐπιφέρει· "αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτόν", γενεὰν λέγων πάντας τοὺς τῶν αὐτῶν κατορθωμάτων καὶ ἀρετῶν ἐνγεγενημένους. καὶ λύεται ἡμῖν εὐανγελικὸν ῥητὸν ἐκ τῆς θεωρίας ταύτης· ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· "πᾶν αἷμα δίκαιον ἐκκεχυμένον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκδικηθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης". καὶ λέγει ὅτι "ἀπὸ Ἅβελ τοῦ δικαίου". ἐὰν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους δεικνὺς λέγῃ "ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης", οὐ δικαία ἡ ἐκδίκησις. ὁ Κάιν ἀπέκτεινεν τὸν Ἅβελ καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλους πρὸ τῆς κλήσεως καὶ τῆς δόσεως τῆς χρονικῆς· ἀλλὰ λέγει ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς τοιαύτης, ἀπὸ τῶν γεννωμένων διὰ τοιούτων ἔργων ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου κατὰ τό· "ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν". αἱ δὲ ἐπιθυμίαι ποιοῦσιν τέκνον διαβόλου. πάλιν οἱ τὰς αὐτὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἔχοντες μία γενεά. ἐστὶν οὕτω καὶ τό· "γενεὰ εὐθείων εὐλογηθήσεται". 6 ζητούντων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ. πᾶς ὁ εὐχόμενος γνησίως ἐπιφάνειαν θεοῦ εὔχεται λαβεῖν, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ζητεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ. εὐχὴν γοῦν ἀναπέμπουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι λέγοντες· "ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ σωθησόμεθα". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὅτι· ἐλάβομεν τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ "εἰς τὴν μίαν τῶν σαββάτων", ἐλέγομεν δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ σωτῆρος τὴν κυριακὴν καλουμένην ὁτὲ μὲν ὀγδοάδα ὁτὲ δὲ μίαν σαββάτου κατὰ διαφόρους ἐπινοίας. "ζητοῦσιν τὸ πρόσωπον" τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐπιδημῆσαι ἀκούσαντες ὅτι "κλίνας οὐρανὸν καταβήσεται", ὅτι "σωτὴρ παραγίνεται"· οἱ κήρυκες γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ προτρέχοντες τοῦ 71 ἐπιδημοῦντος ἀκούουσιν· "εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών· ἰδοὺ παραγίνεταί σοι σωτήρ", καί· "εἰπὸν ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα· ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται", τοῦ πτερνίζοντος τὴν κακίαν, ἵνα μάθωμεν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πατεῖν τοὺς ἀντιπάλους, τοὺς ἐνεργοῦντας τὴν κακίαν, "τὸν ἐνεργοῦντα ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας". τέλος ἀπολαβούσης τῆς οἰκονομίας-"ἔτι" γὰρ "λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ· πάρειμι"- εὐθέως ἡ ἄνοδος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν σημαίνεται· διαψάλας γὰρ ὁ λόγος λέγει· "ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν". οἱ ὑμῶν ἄρχοντες, ἄρατε τὰς πύλας. ἢ οὕτως· τὰς ὑμῶν πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ἄρατε, ὧν ἐπιστατεῖτε, ἃς φυλάττετε. "καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι". τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀνιέναι καὶ εἰσιέναι διὰ τῶν πυλῶν παριστὰς ὁ λόγος λέγει· "καὶ ἐπάρθητε". ὧδε μένουσαι οὐ χωρεῖτε αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔπαρσιν. δύναται καὶ τὸ ἆραι καὶ ἐπᾶραι σημαίνειν καὶ τὸ ἐκ μέσου αὐτὰς ποιῆσαι· οὐ γὰρ εἰσόδου χρῄζει ὁ τηλικοῦτός που βασιλεὺς ὤν. καὶ πάλιν· "καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης". οἱ προτρέχοντες ἄγγελοι τὸν σωτῆρα ἀναλαμβανόμενον ταῦτα λέγουσιν πρὸς τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις, πρὸς τὰς διαιρούσας τὰς πύλας τὰς οὐρανίους. εἶτα πυνθάνονται ἐκεῖνοι· "τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης", ὃν προαγγέλλετε ἐπελεύσεσθαι, ᾧ δεῖ ἆραι τὰς πύλας καὶ ἐπᾶραι τὰς αἰωνίους-οὐ τὰς προσκαίρους-, τὰς ἀθανασίας; ἐγγὺς τούτῳ ὅμοιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἐν Ἰσαίᾳ οὕτω φερόμενον· "τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδέμ, ἐρύθρημα ἱματίων ἐκ