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Because of the excellent things connected with her, she is said to be his only-begotten. And perhaps also the glorious church, which stands beside him, having no spot or wrinkle, being filled with the blamelessly perfect, happens to be his only-begotten, who, as they advance, are divided into many orders because of the difference that comes from their progress; for though there are sixty queens and eighty concubines and maidens without number, this one above all is a perfect dove, being only-begotten to her mother, the Jerusalem above. 191 Ps 21,22 He now asks to be saved from the lion, the devil, mentioned a little before, but also his humiliation by which 'He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the Father unto death, even death on a cross.' and he wishes to be saved also from the horns of unicorns, another kind of opposing power that proclaims a kingdom; for the horn is a symbol of a kingdom. But there are those who think that the cross is signified by the preceding word, as it bears the shape of a horn. 192 Ps 21,23 And the Epistle to the Hebrews says that this word was spoken from the person of Christ, crying out to the Father: O Father, your name, that is, your particular nature and affinity, your mind, I will declare, making it manifest to those who have become my brothers to whom you sent down my spirit; to whom it might be said that 'You are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.' And these are they who have received the spirit of adoption from God, so that they might be sons of God, and brothers of the Only-begotten. And indeed, having risen from the dead, appearing to the women, he said, 'Go, tell my brothers that I have been raised.' And in the midst of the church gathered from these, he will hymn the Father, sending up theological praises and paeans. 193 Ps 21,24 Since 'Jacob' is named in several ways (for this appellation sometimes signifies the divine man, the son of Isaac and father of the twelve patriarchs; and sometimes the twelve-tribed people who came from him; and sometimes the ten tribes alone who were separated from the house of David and followed Jeroboam; and sometimes the Savior himself according to 'Jacob my servant, I will help him; Israel my chosen one, my soul has accepted him'; for Matthew wrote that this prophecy was spoken concerning the Savior), it must be investigated in which of these senses is said 'All the seed of Jacob, glorify him.' And the common person will say: the twelve-tribed seed of the patriarch Jacob, nurtured in the reading of the law and the prophets, wishes to glorify God through thoughts and words and good works. But perhaps, since this would be a falsehood, as many born of Jacob were unbelievers and betrayers of Jesus, someone will say that all the seed of the Jacob who supplanted and wrestled down death and the opposing power (and this is Jesus), the seed which came into being from his teaching, will be able to glorify God. But since he is also the Israel whom the soul of God accepted, being his chosen seed, inasmuch as it is Israel, it will fear God. And each of the imitators of Jesus, if he has the struggle against principalities and powers and the world-rulers of this darkness, is a Jacob, supplanting his adversaries; but if he has a pure heart and a clear mind, he will see God, being in this respect an Israel. Therefore, the seed of every such person will fear God. 194 Ps 21,25 Since 'He has not despised the supplication of me, the poor one, nor has he been vexed, scorning it,' for this reason, becoming thankful that the supplication made on our behalf was heard by the Lord, praise and glorify and fear him. For even if I prayed to him as one poor, yet you ought to know that I, being rich, being a treasure of the fullness of good things, for your sakes became poor so that by my poverty I might make you rich; for you, being clothed in flesh, were not able to receive my wealth, for the time being knowing in part and prophesying in part. having therefore become poor for your sakes,
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ἐξαίρετα αὐτῇ συνόντα μονογενὴς ειναι αὐτοῦ λέγεται. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἡ παραστᾶσα αὐτῷ ενδοξος ἐκκλησία, οὐκ εχουσα σπῖλον η ῥυτίδα, συμπληρουμένη ἐκ τῶν ἀμώμως τελείων, μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει, ων προκοπτόντων εἰς τάγματα πολλὰ διῃρημένων διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς προκοπῆς διαφοράν· ἑξήκοντα γοῦν οὐσῶν βασιλίδων καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα παλλακῶν καὶ νεανίδων ων οὐκ εστιν ἀριθμός, μία αυτη ὑπὲρ πάσας ἐστὶν περιστερὰ τελεία μονογενὴς ουσα τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς τῇ ανω ̔Ιερουσαλήμ. 191 Ps 21,22 ̓Απὸ τοῦ μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἰρημένου λέοντος διαβόλου νῦν σωθῆναι παρακαλεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν ἑαυτοῦ καθ' ην ̓Εταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπήκοος γενόμενος τῷ πατρὶ μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. σωθῆναι δὲ βούλεται καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων, αλλου ειδους ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως βασιλείαν ἐπαγγελλομένης· βασιλείας γὰρ σύμβολον τὸ κέρας. εἰσὶν δὲ οἱ νομίζοντες τὸν σταυρὸν σημαίνεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς προκειμένης λέξεως κέρατος σχῆμα φέροντα. 192 Ps 21,23 Καὶ ταύτην τὴν λέξιν ἐκ προσώπου Χριστοῦ εἰρῆσθαι ἡ πρὸς ̔Εβραίους ̓Επιστολή φησιν, ἀναφθεγγομένου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· Ω πάτερ, τὸ σὸν ονομα, τουτέστιν τὴν σὴν ἰδιότητα καὶ οἰκειότητα, τὴν εννοιάν σου διηγήσομαι, φανερὰν αὐτὴν ποιῶν τοῖς γεναμένοις μου ἀδελφοῖς οις τὸ ἐμὸν πνεῦμα κατέπεμψας· πρὸς ους ῥηθείη αν οτι ̓Εστὲ υἱοί, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἐκ θεοῦ λαβόντες, ινα τοῦ θεοῦ μὲν υἱοί, ἀδελφοὶ δὲ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ωσιν. καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν γοῦν ἀναστάς, ἐπιφανεὶς ταῖς γυναιξίν, Πορευθεῖσαι, εφη, ειπατε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου οτι ἠγέρθην. ἐν μέσῳ δὲ τῆς ἐκ τούτων συναγομένης ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσει τὸν πατέρα, αινους καὶ παιᾶνας θεολογικοὺς ἀναπέμπων. 193 Ps 21,24 Κατὰ πλείονας τρόπους τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ ὀνομαζομένου (σημαίνει γὰρ ἡ προσηγορία αυτη ὁτὲ μὲν τὸν θεῖον ανδρα, υἱὸν μὲν ̓Ισαάκ, πατέρα δὲ τῶν δώδεκα πατριαρχῶν, ὁτὲ δὲ τὸν ἐκ τούτου προελθόντα δωδεκάφυλον λαόν, ὁτὲ δὲ τὰς δέκα φυλὰς μόνας ἀποσχισθείσας τοῦ οικου ∆αυὶδ καὶ ἀκολουθησάσας τῷ ̔Ιεροβοάμ, ὁτὲ δὲ τὸν σωτῆρα αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ ̓Ιακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου, ἀντιλήψομαι αὐτοῦ· ̓Ισραὴλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου, προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου· ταύτην γὰρ τὴν προφητείαν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὁ Ματθαῖος εἰρημένην εγραψεν) ζητητέον κατὰ τί τῶν σημαινομένων ειρηται τὸ Απαν τὸ σπέρμα ̓Ιακώβ, δοξάσατε αὐτόν. καὶ ὁ μὲν πολὺς ἐρεῖ· τοῦ πατριάρχου ̓Ιακὼβ τὸ σπέρμα τὸ δωδεκάφυλον ἐντραφὲν τῇ ἀναγνώσει τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν δοξάσαι βούλεται τὸν θεὸν καὶ διὰ νοημάτων καὶ λόγων καὶ εργων ἀγαθῶν. τάχα δέ, ἐπεὶ ψεῦδος ειη τοῦτο πολλῶν ἐκ τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ γεγενημένων ἀπίστων καὶ προδοτῶν ̓Ιησοῦ, λέξει τις οτι τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ τοῦ πτερνιστοῦ καὶ καταπαλαίσαντος τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν ἀντικειμένην δύναμιν ( ̓Ιησοῦς δέ ἐστιν ουτος) τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ τὸ γενόμενον ἐκ διδασκαλίας δοξάσαι τὸν θεὸν απαν δυνήσεται. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ̓Ισραήλ ἐστιν ον προσεδέξατο ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκλεκτὸν οντα σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, ῃ ̓Ισραήλ ἐστιν φοβηθήσεται τὸν θεόν. καὶ εκαστος δὲ τῶν μιμητῶν ̓Ιησοῦ, εἰ μὲν εχει τὴν πάλην πρὸς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, ̓Ιακώβ ἐστιν πτερνίζων τοὺς ἀντιπάλους· εἰ δὲ καρδίαν εχει καθαρὰν καὶ νοῦν διαυγῆ, οψεται τὸν θεόν, ̓Ισραὴλ κατὰ τοῦτο τυγχάνων. παντὸς ουν τοῦ τοιούτου τὸ σπέρμα θεὸν φοβηθήσεται. 194 Ps 21,25 ̓Επεὶ οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν ἐμοῦ τοῦ πτωχοῦ τὴν δέησιν οὐδὲ προσώχθισεν μυχθίζων αὐτήν, τούτου χάριν εὐχάριστοι γινόμενοι ἐπὶ τῷ ἐπηκοῦσθαι ὑπὸ κυρίου τὴν δέησιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γινομένην αἰνέσατε καὶ δοξάσατε καὶ φοβήθητε αὐτόν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὡς πτωχὸς πρὸς αὐτὸν προσηυξάμην, ἀλλ' εἰδέναι ὀφείλετε οτι ἐγὼ πλούσιος ων, θησαυρὸς ων τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν ἀγαθῶν, δι' ὑμᾶς ἐπτώχευσα ινα διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς πτωχείας πλουσίους ὑμᾶς ποιήσω· οὐ γὰρ οιοί τε ητε σάρκα περικείμενοι δέξασθέ μου τὸν πλοῦτον τέως ἐκ μέρους γινώσκοντες καὶ προφητεύοντες. πτωχεύσας ουν δι' ὑμᾶς,