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speaking on its behalf; To you nations will come from the end of the earth, and All the nations that you have made will come and worship before you. For the Savior who says this does not cast out this coming generation; The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. And it is well said "the one who is coming" and not "the one who has come"; for he does not cast out the one who is always working to come to him by practicing the things of virtue. And so the generation of which the word speaks has not come but is coming to him, embracing the things of faith. And these same ones who announce to the Lord the coming generation and the righteousness of God which is at work through faith in Jesus for all who believe, will announce to the people to be born, a divine offspring, whom the Lord has made, having acquired him for himself through his own blood, calling the one who was not a people, a people for himself.

201 Ps 22,1b-3a He who, because he has achieved the gentle and steadfast character of Christ

has been called a sheep, will say concerning the good shepherd The Lord shepherds me, and I shall not want. For he leads me to the saving pasture, where there are divine herbs, concerning which the shepherd himself says of his own sheep He will go in and out and find pasture. Perhaps the place of green grass can be divine instruction, where spiritual grass is found, being moral teaching. In this place, then, He has made me to lie down, not to dwell; for he wishes me, as far as I advance, to make use of such pasture completely. for as one not of a shepherd but of an instructor and teacher, having become a man from a sheep, I will be tested. He has nurtured me beside the water of rest. For moral learning is not only a cure for thirst, but also provides a release from sins. He has restored my soul; for though, being a sheep, I have gone astray, having come to be outside the pasture through sinning, yet the shepherd who restores the one who has strayed has restored my soul. It should be noted that no one is evil by nature, since he is capable of restoration. But one is restored to where he was in the beginning. Therefore sin is an accident for those who have turned away from God; for which reason it may also be taken away. 202 Ps 22,3bc Concerning the shepherd he says, He has led me, going before and making a way that we might walk in the paths he has worn, following in his footsteps. For when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and his own sheep follow him. And he calls righteousness the state by which we are practitioners of just things, and its paths the things accomplished according to it. Or perhaps righteousness is virtue as a whole and in general, and its paths are the virtues in particular. Therefore, for the sake of his name which was called upon me, he has led me into the aforementioned paths of righteousness. 203 Ps 22,4ab When God is with someone, none of the harmful things can harm or injure, as the prophet says; Behold the Lord will help me; who will harm me? If, then, I should even walk in afflictions and hardships which are called the shadow of death, I will not fear the things that cause harm, having God with me. And here "evils" does not mean those things properly so called, but the painful things, poverty, sickness, distress and the like, about which Job says; Shall we not endure evils? For one who has God with him is not where there are evils which are opposed to things properly good; for sin is far from everyone who is with God. 204 Ps 22,4c He says the rod is to rebuke and to chasten according to the saying What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod? But the staff is to support through counsel, exhortation, and admonition. 205 Ps 22,5a 205 In the beginning we were saying that the one who is advancing lies down in a place of green grass. Since, therefore, the one who is advancing would also reach the end, no longer remaining a sheep but having been shown to be rational, he has a table of rational foods prepared by the Lord. For to the Lord, who is also Wisdom who has prepared her own table, on which she has set her own sacrifices, giving thanks he says, You have prepared

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ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς λεγόντων· Πρὸς σὲ εθνη ηξουσιν ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, καὶ Πάντα τὰ εθνη οσα ἐποίησας ηξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου. ταύτην γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐρχομένην τὴν γενεὰν οὐκ ἐκβάλλει ὁ λέγων σωτήρ· Τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός με οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω εξω. ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν ἐρχόμενον καὶ οὐ τὸν ἐλθόντα· τὸν γὰρ ἀεὶ ἐνεργοῦντα τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν ηκειν τῷ πράττειν τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐκ ἐκβάλλει εξω. καὶ γενεὰ ουν περὶ ης ὁ λόγος οὐκ ηλθεν ἀλλ' ερχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ τῆς πίστεως περιέπουσα. αὐτοὶ δὲ ουτοι οἱ ἀναγγέλλοντες τῷ κυρίῳ τὴν ἐρχομένην γενεὰν καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην τὴν διὰ πίστεως ̓Ιησοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐνεργουμένην ἀναγγελοῦσιν τῷ τεχθησομένῳ θεῖον τόκον λαῷ, ῳ ὁ κύριος ἐποίησεν, περιποιησάμενος αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αιματος, καλέσας τὸν οὐ λαὸν λαὸν ἑαυτοῦ.

201 Ps 22,1b-3a ̔Ο διὰ τὸ κατορθῶσαι τὸ πρᾶον καὶ εὐσταθὲς Χριστοῦ

πρόβατον χρηματίσας περὶ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος ἐρεῖ Κύριος ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει. ἀπάγει γάρ με ἐπὶ τὴν σωτήριον νομήν, ενθα θεῖαι βοτάναι, περὶ ης αὐτὸς ὁ ποιμὴν περὶ τοῦ ἰδίου προβάτου φησὶν Εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ νομὴν εὑρήσει. Τάχα δὲ τόπος χλόης ἡ θεία παίδευσις ειναι δύναται, ενθα πνευματικὴ πόα εὑρίσκεται ἠθικὴ ουσα διδασκαλία. ἐν τούτῳ ουν τῷ τόπῳ Κατεσκήνωσέν με, οὐ κατῴκισεν· βούλεται γάρ με, ἐς οσον προκόπτω, χρᾶσθαί με τῇ τοιαύτῃ νομῇ τελείως. εις γὰρ οὐ ποιμένος ἀλλὰ παιδευτοῦ καὶ διδασκάλου, ἐκ προβάτου ανθρωπος γεγονώς, πειραθήσομαι. ̓Επὶ υδατος ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέθρεψέν με. τὸ γὰρ ἠθικὸν μάθημα οὐ μόνον ακος ἐστὶ δίψης, ἀλλὰ καὶ λύσιν ἁμαρτημάτων παρέχει. Τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐπέστρεψέν με· εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρόβατον ον πεπλάνημαι ἐκτὸς τῆς νομῆς διὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν γεγονός, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐπιστρέφων τὸ πεπλανημένον ποιμὴν τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐπέστρεψεν. σημειωτέον οτι οὐδεὶς κακὸς φύσει τῷ δεκτικὸς ειναι ἐπιστροφῆς. ἐπιστρέφεται δέ τις ἐκεῖ ενθα τὴν ἀρχὴν διῆγεν. συμβεβηκυῖα αρα ἡ ἁμαρτία τοῖς ἀποστραφεῖσι θεόν· διὸ καὶ ἀναιρεθείη. 202 Ps 22,3bc Περὶ τοῦ ποιμένος φησὶν τὸ ̔Ωδήγησέν με, προάγοντος καὶ ὁδοποιοῦντος ιν' ἐπιβαίνωμεν αις αὐτὸς ετριψε τρίβοις ἐπακολουθοῦντες τοῖς ιχνεσιν αὐτοῦ. οτ' αν γὰρ τὰ ιδια πρόβατα ἐκβάλῃ, εμπροσθεν αὐτῶν πορεύεται, καὶ τὰ ιδια πρόβατα αὐτῷ ἀκολουθεῖ. δικαιοσύνην δὲ λέγει τὴν εξιν καθ' ην πρακτικοὶ τῶν δικαίων ἐσμέν, τρίβους δὲ αὐτῆς τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἐπιτελούμενα. η τάχα δικαιοσύνη ἐστὶν ἡ καθ' ολου καὶ γενικὴ ἀρετή, τρίβοι δὲ αὐτῆς αἱ κατ' ειδος ἀρεταί. ενεκεν ουν τῆς ἐπικληθείσης αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ἐμὲ προσηγορίας ὡδήγησέν με ἐπὶ τὰς προειρημένας τρίβους τῆς δικαιοσύνης. 203 Ps 22,4ab Οτ' αν συνῇ θεός, οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιβλαβῶν βλάψαι η ζημιῶσαι δύναται, ως φησιν ὁ προφήτης· ̓Ιδοὺ κύριος βοηθήσει μοι· τίς κακώσει με; ειποτ' ουν καὶ πορευθείην ἐν θλιβεροῖς καὶ ἐπιπόνοις α λέγεται σκιὰ θανάτου, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τὰ κακωτικά, θεὸν εχων μετ' ἐμαυτοῦ. κακὰ δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὰ κυρίως λέγει ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐπίπονα, πενίαν, νόσον, δυσφορίαν καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια, περὶ ων ὁ ̓Ιώβ· Τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν. οὐ γὰρ θεόν τις εχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται ενθα κακὰ τὰ ἀντικείμενα τοῖς κυρίως ἀγαθοῖς· μακρὰν γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία παντὸς συνόντος θεῷ. 204 Ps 22,4c Τὴν μὲν ῥάβδον ἐπιτιμᾶν φησιν καὶ παιδεύειν κατὰ τὸ Τί θέλετε; ἐν ῥάβδῳ ελθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς; τὴν δὲ βακτηρίαν ὑποστηρίζειν διὰ συμβουλῆς προτροπῆς τε καὶ παραινέσεως. 205 Ps 22,5a 205 ̓Εν ἀρχαῖς ἐφάσκομεν τὸν ἐν ταῖς προκοπαῖς οντα κατασκηνοῦν εἰς τόπον χλόης. ἐπεὶ ουν ὁ προκόπτων καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος φθάσειεν, οὐκ ετι μείνας πρόβατον ἀλλὰ λογικὸς ἀναδειχθείς, τράπεζαν εχει λογικῶν τροφῶν ηὐτρεπισμένην ὑπὸ κυρίου. τῷ γὰρ κυρίῳ τυγχάνοντι καὶ σοφίᾳ ἑτοιμασάσῃ τὴν ἑαυτῆς τράπεζαν, ἐφ' ῃ τὰ ιδια θύματα παρέθηκεν, εὐχαριστῶν φησιν ̔Ητοίμασας