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to offer quiet, and to listen with trembling? For we have become fellow-dancers with the powers above. For the choirs above, both the Cherubim and the Seraphim, have this as their work: to praise God unceasingly. From these choirs they appeared also on earth, singing with the shepherds who kept watch in the fields. Let us listen, therefore, to this song as well. Those who praise an earthly king, then, speak to him about his rule, about his trophies, about his victory, 55.107 and they speak of the defeated nations, calling them destroyers, and conquerors of barbarians, and such things. This blessed one also sings such a song. For he recounts a victory and a trophy, and a cessation of wars, not of such a kind, but of ones much more difficult. And see how he begins: O Lord, our Lord. For of the others who do not believe in him, he is Lord in one way, but of us, in a double way: both by having made us from non-being, and by being known by us. And see how from the very beginning he sets forth the sum of the benefaction. For if you learn how he became your Lord, that he made his own those who were alienated and dead and had been put to death, and gave them life, you will see clearly that this is the sum of the benefaction. The Prophet, therefore, being astonished at this, says: How wonderful is thy name! that is, exceedingly wonderful. But how wonderful, he did not say; for he was not able to measure it, but he set forth its intensity and its transcendence. Where are those who meddle with the substance of God? For if, having said His name, he was so amazed as to be astonished, what pardon could they have, who say they know His substance, when the Prophet could not even learn how wonderful His name is? How wonderful is thy name! For in this name death was destroyed, demons were bound, heaven was opened, the gates of paradise were thrown open, the Spirit was sent down, slaves became free, enemies, sons, aliens, heirs, men, angels. What am I saying, angels? God became man, and man God; heaven received the nature from the earth; the earth received him who sits upon the Cherubim with the angelic host. The middle wall was taken away, the barrier was destroyed, the things divided were united, the darkness was extinguished, the light shone, death was swallowed up. Considering all these things and more, the Prophet cried out, saying: How wonderful is thy name in all the earth! Where now are the children of the Jews, who are shameless toward the truth? For I would gladly ask them, concerning whom are these things said. Concerning the Almighty, they will say. But his name was not wonderful in all the earth. And Isaiah testifies, saying: For your sake my name is blasphemed among the Gentiles. And if those who served him became the cause of his being blasphemed, where was it wonderful? For that it is wonderful by nature is clear; but among most men then it was not wonderful, but even contemptible. But not so now; but when the only-begotten Son came, his name everywhere was wonderful with that of Christ. From the rising of the sun, he says, 55.108 to its setting my name has been glorified among the Gentiles. And again: In every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering. But you profane it. And another: The whole earth was filled with the knowledge of the Lord. And again: They will come saying: Our fathers have inherited false idols. 2. Do you see that all the things that have been said are about the Son? For his name became wonderful in all the earth. Because your magnificence is exalted above the heavens. Another, Who hast set thy praise above the heavens. For since he has mentioned the earth, he shifts the discourse also to heaven; which he is always accustomed to do, showing the whole world praising its own Master. This indeed also here

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παρέχειν τὴν ἡσυχίαν, καὶ μετὰ φρίκης ἀκούειν; Καὶ γὰρ συγχορευταὶ γεγόναμεν τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἄνω χοροὶ, καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὰ Σεραφὶμ τοῦτο ἔργον ἔχουσι, τὸ διηνεκῶς ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεόν. Ἐκ τούτων τῶν χορῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφάνησαν μετὰ τῶν ἀγραυλούντων ποιμένων ᾄδοντες. Ἀκούσωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ταύτης τῆς ᾠδῆς. Οἱ μὲν οὖν βασιλέα ὑμνοῦντες τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς, περὶ ἀρχῆς αὐτῷ διαλέγονται, περὶ τῶν τροπαίων, περὶ τῆς νίκης, 55.107 καὶ τὰ ἔθνη λέγουσι τὰ ἡττηθέντα, πορθητὰς καλοῦντες αὐτοὺς, καὶ βαρβάρων νικητὰς, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Τοιαύτην τινὰ ᾠδὴν καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ᾄδει. Νίκην γὰρ διηγεῖται καὶ τρόπαιον, καὶ πολέμων κατάλυσιν, οὐχὶ τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ χαλεπωτέρων. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἄρχεται· Κύριε, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων τῶν οὐ πιστευόντων εἰς αὐτὸν, ἑνὶ τρόπῳ Κύριός ἐστιν, ἡμῶν δὲ διπλῷ· τῷ τε ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ποιῆσαι, τῷ τε γνωσθῆναι παρ' ἡμῶν. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἐκ προοιμίων τίθησι τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς εὐεργεσίας. Ἂν γὰρ μάθῃς πῶς σου Κύριος γέγονεν, ὅτι ἀπηλλοτριωμένους καὶ νεκρούς τινας καὶ νεκρωθέντας ᾠκειώσατο καὶ ἐζωοποίησεν, ὄψει καλῶς ὅτι τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς εὐεργεσίας τοῦτο. Τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐκπληττόμενος ὁ Προφήτης, φησίν· Ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου! τουτέστι, σφόδρα θαυμαστόν. Πόσον δὲ θαυμαστὸν, οὐκ εἶπεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ μετρῆσαι ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπίτασιν παρέστησε καὶ τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ποῦ οἱ τὴν οὐσίαν περιεργαζόμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ εἰπὼν, οὕτως ἐθαύμασεν, ὡς ἐκπλαγῆναι· τίνα ἂν σχοῖεν ἐκεῖνοι συγγνώμην, οἱ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ λέγοντες εἰδέναι, τοῦ Προφήτου μηδὲ πόσον ἐστὶ θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομα δυναμένου μαθεῖν; Ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου! Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ θάνατος ἐλύθη, δαίμονες ἐδέθησαν, οὐρανὸς ἀνεῴχθη, παραδείσου θύραι ἀνεπετάσθησαν, Πνεῦμα κατεπέμφθη, οἱ δοῦλοι γεγόνασιν ἐλεύθεροι, οἱ ἐχθροὶ, υἱοὶ, οἱ ἀλλότριοι, κληρονόμοι, οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἄγγελοι. Τί λέγω, ἄγγελοι; Θεὸς ἄνθρωπος γέγονε, καὶ ἄνθρωπος Θεός· ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐδέξατο τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς· ἡ γῆ ἐδέξατο τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβεὶμ καθήμενον μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἀγγελικῆς. Τὸ μεσότοιχον ἀνῃρέθη, ὁ φραγμὸς ἐλύθη, τὰ διεστῶτα ἡνώθη, τὸ σκότος ἐσβέσθη, τὸ φῶς ἔλαμψεν, ὁ θάνατος κατεπόθη. Ταῦτα πάντα ἐννοῶν καὶ τὰ τούτων πλείονα ὁ Προφήτης ἀνεβόα, λέγων· Ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ! Ποῦ νῦν οἱ Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, οἱ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀναισχυντοῦντες; Ἡδέως γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἂν ἐροίμην, περὶ τίνος ταῦτα λέγονται. Περὶ τοῦ παντοκράτορος, φήσουσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῦ θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομα ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ Ἡσαΐας λέγων· ∆ι' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Εἰ δὲ οἱ θεραπεύοντες αὐτὸν αἴτιοι τοῦ βλασφημεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐγίνοντο, ποῦ ἦν θαυμαστόν; Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ τῇ φύσει θαυμαστὸν, δῆλον· παρὰ δὲ ἀνθρώποις τότε οὐ θαυμαστὸν τοῖς πλείοσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ νῦν οὕτως· ἀλλ' ὅτε ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς παρεγένετο, πανταχοῦ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ θαυμαστὸν μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου, φησὶ, 55.108 μέχρι δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσάγεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ θυσία καθαρά. Ὑμεῖς δὲ βεβηλοῦτε αὐτό. Καὶ ἄλλος· Ἐπληρώθη ἡ σύμπασα γῆ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἥξουσι λέγοντες· Ψευδῆ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐκτήσαντο εἴδωλα. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὰ εἰρημένα πάντα ἐστίν; Αὐτοῦ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομα ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ἐγένετο. Ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἄλλος, Ὃς ἔταξας τὸν ἔπαινόν σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς γῆς ἐμνημόνευσε, μετάγει τὸν λόγον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανόν· ὅπερ εἴωθεν ἀεὶ ποιεῖν, πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην δεικνὺς εὐφημοῦσαν τὸν ἑαυτῆς ∆εσπότην. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα