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the blemishes of sin, shamelessly and very unjustly delivered him to death; but he endured the injustice, contriving to undo the common death. 23. "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." And from this it is clear that he spoke these things in a human manner, since indeed he also endured in a human manner the things he spoke of. For he calls those who have believed in him brothers. And they are brothers, as of a man. For as God, he is master and Lord; but as man, he is also called brother. For he is only-begotten and firstborn. And the one befits him as God and Lord; [the other as man.] For inasmuch as he is God, he alone has been begotten, and is called only-begotten; but inasmuch as he is man, he is also called firstborn. And the Apostle is a witness, saying: "that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Therefore he says these things, having declared to my brothers, through them I will praise you, preparing them to weave this hymn; then he fulfills the promise. 24, 25. "You who fear the Lord, praise him; all you seed of Jacob, glorify him. Let all the seed of Israel fear him." For since the Church is composed of both Gentiles and Jews, he rouses both the one and the other to the hymn, naming some from their forefather, both Jacob and Israel, and others from virtue, as being sufficient to adorn them instead of lineage. So also it was the custom to name as Jews those from the Gentiles who approached the law; and the history of the Acts teaches us this. For the divine Apostle, speaking publicly, said thus: "Men of Israel, and you who fear God." -"For he has not despised nor abhorred the prayer of the poor, nor turned his face away from me, and when I cried to him, he heard me." Praise, he says, the one who became for you the cause of this salvation, who did not endure to overlook your most humble nature, but listened, and through my resurrection worked out salvation for you. After these things, he reveals the equality which, as God, he has with the Father. For he added: 20. "My praise is from you; in the great congregation I will confess you." For just as I 80.1021 make you known to men, so also you teach all men to offer the same honor to me, now saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him;" and now, "I have both glorified you, and will glorify you again." Thus he revealed the knowledge concerning him to Peter, thus to Paul, thus through them again to men. For he called "great congregation," that which extends to the ends of the earth. "I will pay my vows before those who fear him." Here by "vows" he does not mean prayers, but promises. For the law also knows this distinction: "You shall vow a vow to the Lord," instead of, if you promise something to God. Since, therefore, he promised above to weave a hymn through those who believe in him, he teaches more clearly here that he will bring the promises to their fulfillment, so that through the events themselves those who study the divine oracles may learn the truth of the words. And since he mentioned the congregation, he necessarily makes ordinances concerning it, and foretells the calling of all the nations. For he calls them poor, as those who formerly did not possess the wealth of piety, but had been enslaved to the poverty of ignorance. 27. "The poor will eat, and be satisfied, and they who seek him will praise the Lord." Not all, for not all obeyed the Gospel, but those who received the divine longing; these, since they are hungry and thirsty, he said will be satisfied, having partaken of the immortal food; and we know the divine food to be both the spiritual teaching, and the mystical and immortal feast, which the initiated know. "Their hearts will live forever and ever." For while still clothed in a corruptible body, being refreshed by the hope of the resurrection, they await eternal life. 28. "They will remember and turn to the Lord, all the ends of the earth." He has well placed "they will remember"; since from God they have their being
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ἁμαρτίας τοὺς μώ μους, ἀναιδῶς καὶ λίαν ἀδίκως τῷ θανάτῳ παρέδω κεν· αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς ἀδικίας ἠνέσχετο, λῦσαι τὸν κοινὸν μηχανώμενος θάνατον. κγʹ. "∆ιηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου· ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε." Κἀντεῦ θεν δῆλον, ὡς ἀνθρωπίνως ταῦτα ἐφθέγγετο, ἅτε δὴ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως ὑπομένων ἅπερ ἐφθέγ γετο. Ἀδελφοὺς γὰρ καλεῖ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπι στευκότας. Ἀδελφοὶ δέ εἰσιν, ὡς ἀνθρώπου. Ὡς γὰρ Θεὸς, δεσπότης καὶ Κύριος· ὡς δὲ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἀδελφὸς ὀνομάζεται. Μονογενὴς γάρ ἐστι καὶ πρωτότοκος. Καὶ τὸ μὲν ἁρμόττει ὡς Θεῷ καὶ Κυ ρίῳ· [τὸ δὲ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ.] Ἧ γὰρ Θεὸς, μόνος γεγέννηται, καὶ μονογενὴς ὀνομάζεται· ᾗ δὲ ἄνθρω πος, καὶ πρωτότοκος κέκληται. Καὶ μάρτυς ὁ Ἀπό στολος λέγων· "Εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρωτότοκον ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς." Ταῦτα τοίνυν φησὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς διηγησάμενος ἀδελφοῖς, δι' αὐτῶν σε ὑμνήσω, παρα σκευάζων ἐκείνους τοῦτον ὑφαίνειν τὸν ὕμνον· εἶτα πληροῖ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. κδʹ, κεʹ. "Οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, αἰνέσατε αὐτόν· ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα Ἰακὼβ, δοξάσατε αὐτόν. Φοβηθήτω δὴ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα Ἰσραήλ." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων συνέστηκε, καὶ τούτους κἀκείνους εἰς τὸν ὕμνον ἐγείρει τοὺς μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ προπάτορος ὀνο μάζων, Ἰακώβ τε καὶ Ἰσραὴλ, τοὺς δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὡς ἀρκούσης ἀντὶ γένους κοσμῆσαι. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαίους τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῷ νόμῳ προσιόν τας ἔθος ἦν ὀνομάζειν· καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἡ τῶν Πράξεων ἱστορία διδάσκει. ∆ημηγορῶν γὰρ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος οὕτως ἔφη· "Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, καὶοἱ ἐν ὑμῖν φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεόν." -"Ὅτι οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν, οὐδὲ προσώχθισε τῇ δεήσει τοῦ πτω χοῦ, οὐδὲ ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσήκουσέ μου." Ὑμνήσατε, φησὶ, τὸν αἴτιον τῆς σωτηρίας ταύτης ὑμῖν γενόμενον, τὸν τὴν εὐτελεστάτην ὑμῶν φύσιν οὐκ ἀνασχόμενον παριδεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰσακού σαντα, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀναστάσεως ὑμῖν τὴν σωτηρίαν πραγματευσάμενον μετὰ ταῦτα παραδηλοῖ ἣν ὡς Θεὸς ἔχει πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἰσότητα. Ἐπήγαγε γάρ· κʹ. "Παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ με γάλῃ ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι." Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐγὼ 80.1021 δῆλόν σε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ποιῶ, οὕτω καὶ σὺ πάν τας ἀνθρώπους διδάσκεις τὴν αὐτήν μοι προσφέ ρειν τιμὴν, νῦν μὲν λέγων, "Οὗτός μού ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε·" νῦν δὲ, "Καὶ ἐδόξασά σε, καὶ πάλιν δοξάσω." Οὕτω τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ γνῶσιν ἀπεκάλυψε τῷ Πέτρῳ, οὕτω τῷ Παύλῳ, οὕτω διὰ τούτων πάλιν ἀνθρώ ποις. Ἐκκλησίαν γὰρ μεγάλην, τὴν μέχρι τῶν τερμάτων τῆς γῆς διήκουσαν προσηγόρευσε. "Τὰς εὐχάς μου ἀποδώσω ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν." Εὐχὰς ἐνταῦθα οὐ προσευχὰς λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις. Ταύτην γὰρ καὶ ὁ νόμος τὴν διαί ρεσιν οἶδεν· "Εὔξῃ εὐχὴν Κυρίῳ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐὰν ὑπόσχῃ τι τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὑπέσχετο ἄνω διὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων ὕμνον ὑφαί νειν, σαφέστερον ἐνταῦθα διδάσκει, ὅτι ταῖς ἐπαγ γελίαις ἐπιθήσει τὸ πέρας, ἵνα δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων οἱ τὰ θεῖα λόγια μελετῶντες μάθωσι τὴν τῶν λόγων ἀλήθειαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκκλησίας ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀναγκαίως τὰ περὶ ταύτης ποιεῖ ται θεσπίσματα, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων προαγο ρεύει τὴν κλῆσιν. Αὐτοὺς γὰρ πένητας ὀνομάζει, ὡς πάλαι τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐκ ἐσχηκότας τὸν πλοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς ἀγνοίας δεδουλευκότας πενίᾳ. κζʹ. "Φάγονται πένητες, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται, καὶ αἰνέσουσιν Κύριον, οἱ ἐκζητοῦντες αὐτόν." Οὐ πάντες, οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, ἀλλ' οἱ τὸν θεῖον εἰσδεξάμενοι πόθον· τούτους ἅτε δὴ πεινῶντας καὶ διψῶντας, κορεσθήσεσθαι ἔφη τῆς ἀθανάτου τροφῆς ἀπολαύσαντας· τὴν δὲ θείαν τροφὴν, καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἴσμεν διδασκαλίαν, καὶ τὴν μυστικὴν καὶ ἀθάνατον εὐωχίαν, ἣν οἱ με μυημένοι γινώσκουσι. "Ζήσονται αἱ καρδίαι αὐ τῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος." Καὶ γὰρ ἔτι φθαρτὸν περι κείμενοι σῶμα, τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς ἀναστάσεως ψυχαγω γούμενοι, προσμένουσι τὴν ζωὴν αἰώνιον. κηʹ. "Μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς." Καλῶς τὸ μνησθήσονται τέθεικε· ἐπειδὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ εἶναι