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of immortality and eternal life, just as he himself taught, saying: I am the bread of life who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world; and again: If anyone eats of my bread, he will live forever, and so on. Do you see how these things agree with the psalm that says: The poor shall eat and be satisfied; and, their hearts shall live forever and ever? All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the 23.213 nations will worship before him. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he rules over the nations. For when the light of salvation shines on them, they will remember that there was a certain Lord for them, who is truly the master of all; for those they had considered were of the Lord; and coming to the remembrance of their master, they will flee to him; and him whom they formerly turned away from, due to some plot of enemies, they will recognize as their Lord, and will turn to him. But lest anyone might think these things are said concerning the nation of the Jews, the word adds precisely, that these things will be fulfilled upon all the nations throughout the whole world; then having turned, what will all the families of the nations do before him; for which Symmachus and Aquila have said, all the kindreds of the nations, very accurately. For what nation does not have kindreds who have turned to the God of all? What city, or what country, or what house does not have some who are set apart and chosen for God? But how were the kindreds of the nations to put away their own forgetfulness, and make remembrance of the God of all; and how were all the ends of the earth to turn to him, it says next: For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he rules over the nations. For the demons who formerly held power and the devil were overthrown, and the kingdom of the God over all alone has prevailed. Therefore the word uses order and sequence, saying first: They will remember, then second, they will turn, and third, they will worship. And all these things will be, because the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth have eaten and worshipped; all those who go down to the earth will fall down before him. And my soul lives for him, and my seed will serve him. And on each resurrection day of our Savior, the one called the Lord's day, it is possible to see with one's own eyes those partaking of the holy food and of the salvific body, and after eating, worshipping the giver and provider of the life-giving food, and to marvel at the result of the words, and its fulfillment in deeds according to this very text at hand. And instead of: the rich of the earth, Symmachus has interpreted, the fat ones of the earth. And by these are signified those whose souls are well-fed and robust from the heavenly food. But these indeed have eaten and worshipped. But since every knee of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth must bend to him, it fittingly adds next, saying: All those who go down into the earth will fall down before him; for which Aquila has rendered: To his face will bend all those who go down into dust. And clearly through these is represented also the posture of those who bend the knee in the Church of God, in which, having bent their knees, and rested their foreheads on the earth, they are accustomed to worship in this man 23.216 ner. Then it is said next: And my soul lives for him; and my seed will serve him. Which indeed Symmachus has interpreted more clearly, connecting it and saying: Before him will squat all those who go down into the dust; whose soul will live, and whose seed will serve him. For all these, he says, having squatted, and having bent the knee, will worship; whose hope is that the soul will live, and whose seed will serve him. But if anyone should wish to hear from the person of the Savior speaking: And my soul lives for him, according to the interpretation of the Seventy; and, The
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ἀθανασίας καὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου, καθὼς ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸς εἰπών· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ζωῆς ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ διδοὺς ζωὴν τῷ κόσμῳ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἄρτου, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως συνᾴδει ταῦτα τῷ φάσκοντι ψαλμῷ· Φάγονται πένητες καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται· καὶ, ζήσονται αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος; Μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν 23.213 ἐθνῶν. Ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν. Τοῦ γὰρ σωτηρίου φωτὸς αὐτοῖς ἐπιλάμψαντος, ἀναμνησθήσονται, ὡς ἄρα ἦν τις αὐτοῖς Κύριος, ὅ γε ἀληθῶς τῶν ὅλων δεσπότης· οἱ γὰρ νενομισμένοι αὐτοῖς ἦσαν Κυρίου· εἰς ἀνάμνησιν δὲ ἐλθόντες τοῦ σφῶν δεσπότου, ἐπ' αὐτὸν καταφεύξονται· καὶ ὃν πάλαι ἀπεστράφησαν, κατά τινα ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλὴν, τοῦτον Κύριον αὐτῶν ὄντα ἐπιγνώσονται, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μή τις νομίσειε ταῦτα λέγεσθαι περὶ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, ἀκριβῶς ὁ λόγος προστίθησιν, ὡς ἄρα ταῦτα πληρωθήσεται ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔθνη· εἶτ' ἐπιστραφέντες τί ποιήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἀνθ' οὗ Σύμμαχος καὶ Ἀκύλας, πᾶσαι αἱ συγγένειαι τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰρήκασι σφόδρα ἀκριβῶς. Ποῖον γὰρ ἔθνος οὐχὶ συγγενείας ἔχει ἐπιστραφείσας πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν; Ποία δὲ πόλις, ἢ ποία χώρα, ἢ ποῖος οἶκος οὐκ ἔχει τινὰς ἀφωρισμένους καὶ ἐξειλεγμένους τῷ Θεῷ; Πῶς δ' ἔμελλον ἀποτίθεσθαι μὲν τὴν ἑαυτῶν λήθην, ἀνάμνησιν δὲ ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ αἱ συγγένειαι τῶν ἐθνῶν· πῶς δὲ ἐπιστρέφειν πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· Ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν. Οἱ γὰρ πάλαι κρατήσαντες δαίμονες καὶ διάβολος κατελύθησαν, καὶ μόνη ἡ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεοῦ βασιλεία ἐπεκράτησε. Τάξει οὖν ὁ λόγος καὶ ἀκολουθίᾳ κέχρηται, πρῶτον φήσας· Μνησθήσονται, εἶτα δεύτερον, ἐπιστραφήσονται, καὶ τρίτον, προσκυνήσουσι. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἔσται, Ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ἔφαγον καὶ προσεκύνησαν πάντες οἱ πίονες τῆς γῆς· ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προσπεσοῦνται πάντες οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτῷ ζῇ, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα μου δουλεύσει αὐτῷ. Ἔστι δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀναστάσιμον ἡμέραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, τὴν καλουμένην κυριακὴν, ὄψει παραλαβεῖν τοὺς τῆς τροφῆς τῆς ἁγίας καὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ σωτηρίου μεταλαμβάνοντας, καὶ μετὰ τὸ φαγεῖν προσκυνοῦντας τὸν δοτῆρα καὶ χορηγὸν τῆς ζωοποιοῦ τροφῆς, θαυμάσαι τε τῶν λόγων τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα, καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν πρόχειρον λέξιν δι' ἔργων πληρούμενον. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· οἱ πίονες τῆς γῆς, ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος, οἱ λιπαροὶ τῆς γῆς. Σημαίνονται δὲ διὰ τούτων οἱ ἐκ τῆς οὐρανίου τροφῆς τὰς ψυχὰς εὐτραφεῖς καὶ ῥωμαλέοι. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν ἔφαγον καὶ προσεκύνησαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ δεῖ αὐτῷ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψαι ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, εἰκότως ἑξῆς ἐπισυνάπτει λέγων· Ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προσπεσοῦνται πάντες οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς γῆν· ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας· Εἰς πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ κάμψουσι πάντες οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς χοῦν, ἐκδέδωκε. Σαφῶς δὲ διὰ τούτων καὶ τὸ σχῆμα τῶν γόνυ κλινόντων ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ παρίσταται, ἐν ᾗ γόνατα κλίναντες, καὶ τὰ μέτωπα εἰς γῆν ἐρείσαντες, τοῦτον προσκυνεῖν εἰώθασι τὸν τρό 23.216 πον. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς εἴρηται· Καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτῷ ζῇ· καὶ τὸ σπέρμα μου δουλεύσει αὐτῷ. Ὃ δὴ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος συνάψας καὶ εἰπών· Ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ὀκλάσουσιν ἅπαντες οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς κόνιν· οὗ ἡ ψυχὴ ζήσει, σπέρμα δὲ λατρεύσει αὐτῷ. Πάντες γὰρ αὐτοὶ, φησὶν, ὀκλάσαντες, καὶ γόνυ κλίναντες προσκυνήσουσιν· ὧν ἐλπὶς ζήσεσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ ὧν τὸ σπέρμα λατρεύσει αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λέγοντος Σωτῆρος βούλοιτό τις ἀκοῦσαι τό· Καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτῷ ζῇ, κατὰ τὴν τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑρμηνείαν· καὶ, Τὸ