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those who have come, that not only did the Lord Christ rise, having destroyed the power of death, but he also ascended into the heavens. For since the twenty-first psalm contained the ordinances of the salvific passions and the prophecy of the salvation of the nations, it is fitting that here again, having mentioned the nations and having prophesied their full knowledge, it also 80.1033 describes beforehand the Lord's ascension, and shows us choirs of angels, some leading the Lord Christ, others inquiring from above, and desiring to learn what this paradoxical sight is. ζʹ-ιʹ. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory." And let no one be surprised at hearing of the ignorance of the invisible powers; for they neither foreknew nor know all things; only the divine nature has this knowledge. But angels and archangels, and the other companies of the invisible powers, know as much as they are taught; for which reason the divine Apostle, discoursing about them, said, that now to the Principalities and Powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the Church the manifold wisdom of God. And if through the things of the Church they learned the divine wisdom more accurately, it is not at all unlikely for the powers above to be ignorant [and of the mystery of Christ's ascension] seeing a human nature, and not contemplating the divinity hidden in it. But if one does not grant this, let him take the proposed solution from the interpretations in this psalm. For above, he framed the introduction concerning moral virtue by question and answer, saying; "Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place?" Having asked thus, he brought forth the answer: "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart," and the rest. Let him suppose that the form of the argument here is of such a kind, and let him think that those asking do not ask out of ignorance, but to teach all men the lordship of the one ascending by this proclamation. Therefore the responding powers say that he is the King of glory, as one receiving glory from all, and having the true and permanent kingdom. And they also call him "Lord, strong and mighty in battle." For he destroyed the bitter tyranny of the devil, and dissolved the deceit of the demons who were under him. And they exhort the everlasting gates to be opened, as never having been opened 80.1036 to the nature of men. For no man has ever passed through them, but the incarnate God the Word, having taken up our first-fruits, both brought it up into the heavens, and sat on the right hand of the Majesty on high, above all principality, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. But the great Elijah was taken up, yet not into heaven, but as into heaven; so, when the former question and answer had taken place, again some inquire, and others answer and learn that the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory, that is, he is the maker and creator of angels and archangels, and of all invisible and created nature.

INTERPRETATION. OF THE 24TH PSALM. 1. "For the end, a psalm of David." This psalm has the form of a prayer.

For this reason, as is fitting, the inscription does not even call it a psalm. But some of the writers have said that it is prophetic of the captivity, and they have interpreted it as spoken from their perspective, having paid attention only to the end; "For redeem, it says, O

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προσεληλυθότας, ὡς οὐ μόνον ἀνέστη τοῦ θανάτου καταλύσας τὸ κράτος ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελήλυθεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πρῶτος καὶ εἰκοστὸς ψαλμὸς τὰ τῶν σωτηρίων παθημάτων εἶχε θεσπίσματα, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίας τὴν προφητείαν, εἰκότως πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τῶν ἐθνῶν μνημονεύσας, καὶ τὴν τούτων ἐπίγνωσιν χρησμῳδήσας, καὶ τὴν ∆εσποτικὴν ἀνάληψιν προ 80.1033 διαγράφει, καὶ δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν ἀγγέλων χοροὺς, τοὺς μὲν ἡγουμένους τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ, τοὺς δὲ ἄνωθεν πυνθανομένους, καὶ μαθεῖν ἐφιεμένους τί τὸ παράδοξον θέαμα. ζʹ-ιʹ. Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι· καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασι λεὺς τῆς δόξης. Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς, Κύριος δυνα τὸς ἐν πολέμῳ. Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι· καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασι λεὺς τῆς δόξης." Καί μοι θαυμαζέτω μηδεὶς ἄγνοιαν ἀκούων τῶν ἀοράτων δυνάμεων· οὔτε γὰρ προΐσασιν, οὔτε ἴσασιν ἄπαντα· μόνη δὲ ἡ θεία φύ σις ταύτην ἔχει τὴν γνῶσιν. Ἄγγελοι δὲ καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι, καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι τῶν ἀοράτων δυνάμεων συμμορίαι, τοσαῦτα ἴσασιν, ὅσα διδάσκονται· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος περὶ αὐτῶν διαλεγό μενος ἔφη, ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς Ἀρχαῖς, καὶ ταῖς Ἐξουσίαις, ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τὴν θείαν σοφίαν κατέμαθον ἀκριβέστερον, οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ἀγνοεῖν τὰς ἄνω δυνά μεις [καὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ μυστή ριον] φύσιν ἀνθρωπίνην ὁρώσας, καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κεκρυμμένην οὐ θεωμένας θεότητα. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ δοίη τις, ἐκ τῶν ἡρμηνευμένων ἐν τῷδε τῷ ψαλμῷ λαβέτω τὴν προκειμένην λύσιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἄνω ἐξ ἐρωτήσεως καὶ ἀποκρίσεως τὴν περὶ τῆς ἠθικῆς ἀρετῆς εἰσήγησιν ἐσχημάτισεν. εἰπών· "Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ;" Οὕτως ἐρωτήσας, ἐπήγαγε τὴν ἀπόκρισιν· "Ἀθῶος χερσὶ, καὶ κα θαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοιοῦτον κἀνταῦθα ἡγείσθω εἶναι τοῦ λόγου τὸ σχῆμα, καὶ τοὺς ἐρομέ νους μὴ ἀγνοοῦντας ἔρεσθαι νομιζέτω, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους τῷδε τῷ κηρύγματι τοῦ ἀνιόντος διδά σκειν τὴν δεσποτείαν. ∆ιό φασιν αἱ ἀποκρινόμεναι δυνάμεις, δόξης αὐτὸν εἶναι βασιλέα, ὡς τὴν παρὰ πάντων κομιζόμενον δόξαν, καὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ μό νιμον ἔχοντα βασιλείαν. Καλοῦσι δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ "Κύριον κραταιὸν, καὶ δυνατὸν ἐν πολέμῳ." Κατ έλυσε γὰρ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν πικρὰν τυραννίδα, καὶ τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ τελούντων δαιμόνων τὴν ἀπάτην διέλυσεν. Αἰωνίους δὲ πύλας ἀνοιγῆναι παρακε λεύονται, ὡς μηδέποτε τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων 80.1036 ὑπανοιγείσας. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐκείνας τῶν ἀνθρώπων διεπέρασε πώποτε, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐνανθρωπήσας Θεὸς Λό γος, τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀναλαβὼν ἀπαρχὴν, ἀνήγαγέ τε εἰς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλοσύ νης ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, ἐπάνω πάσης ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐξου σίας, καὶ κυριότητος, καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομα ζομένου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ὁ δὲ μέγας Ἠλίας ἀνελήφθη μὲν, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν· οὕτω τῆς προτέρας πεύσεως καὶ ἀποκρίσεως γενομένης, αὖθις αἱ μὲν πυνθάνονται, αἱ δὲ ἀποκρίνονται καὶ μανθάνουσιν ὡς ὁ τῶν δυνάμεων Κύριος αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης, τουτέστιν ὁ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων, καὶ πάσης τῆς ἀοράτου καὶ γενητῆς φύσεως, ποιητής ἐστι καὶ δημιουργός.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Κ∆ʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Ὁ ψαλ μὸς οὗτος προσευχῆς ἔχει σχῆμα.

∆ιά τοι τοῦτο, ὡς εἰκὸς, οὐδὲ ψαλμὸν ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ προσαγορεύει. Τινὲς δὲ τῶν συγγραφέων τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας προαγο ρευτικὸν ἔφασαν εἶναι, καὶ ὡς ἐξ ἐκείνων εἰρη μένον ἡρμήνευσαν, τῷ τέλει μόνῳ προσεσχηκότες· "Λύτρωσαι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ