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I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he." Since the Lord, therefore, says, "That the scripture might be fulfilled," and shows that the present psalm is applicable to him and to no one else, I think it rash and audacious to fabricate another, unsuitable hypothesis for it. βʹ. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy." The phrase "and needy" I have found in some copies; but it is not in the Hebrew, nor in the Syriac, nor in the other interpreters. He calls the Lord of all, however, "poor." "for though he was rich," as the divine Apostle says, "yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." And "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant." And ruling over things visible and invisible, he had not where to lay his head, and being born of a Virgin, for lack of a bed he was laid in a manger. The prophetic word, therefore, blesses him who is able to understand this poverty, and is eager to hymn with all his power the one who undertook it; then it shows the fruits of the blessing. 80.1164 "The Lord will deliver him in the evil day." But Symmachus has called the evil day, a day of affliction. It hints, as I think, at the day of judgment, which is fearful, and afflicting to the lawless; and it promises that the sincere knowledge of that poverty will deliver him from the evils of that fearful day. γʹ. "The Lord preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies." Not only will he enjoy the good things to come, but also in the present life he will obtain divine providence, becoming illustrious and admired, and escaping the plots of his enemies. And since it is likely for one who has a corruptible body to fall into sickness, it also promises deliverance from it. δʹ. "The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness." He will deliver him, it says, from all sickness, and will change the disease into health. For, "thou wilt make the bed in his sickness," he has put in place of "you changed." Thus, having gone through the rewards for the one who understands that admirable poverty, he shows us who it was who had it, and how he went through it, introducing him as teaching and relating what concerned himself. εʹ. "I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee." And I, he says, am the poor one, who undertook voluntary poverty, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who makes the sufferings of men his own, who did no sin, but offered supplication on behalf of human nature, as the firstfruits of nature. But it is fitting to note that Symmachus did not say, "for I have sinned against thee," but, "even if I have sinned against thee." ʹ. "Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?" He calls the Jews enemies, envying and plotting his death. This the history of the holy Gospels also teaches; "For they took counsel," it says, "how they might destroy him." From here he transfers the prophecy to Judas. ζʹ. "And if he came to see me, he spake vanity: 80.1165 his heart gathered iniquity to itself; he went abroad, and told it." Thus also the divine evangelists teach us that he said to the Jews, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" and he sought opportunity to betray him. These things the prophecy also says, "And if he came to see me, he spake vanity; he went abroad, and told it." For coming in and going out he contrived his death with them; then he foretells their evil conspiracy. ηʹ, θʹ. All my enemies whispered together against me, against me they devised evils for me. They laid down a lawless word against me." The outcome of events testifies to these things. For conversing quietly with one another, of the

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πάντων ὑμῶν λέγω, οἶδα οὓς ἐξελεξάμην· ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡ Γραφὴ πληρωθῇ· Ὁ τρώγων μετ' ἐμοῦ τὸν ἄρτον, ἐπῆρεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν πτέρναν αὑτοῦ· ἀπ' ἄρτι λέγω ὑμῖν πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι, ἵνα ὅταν γένηται πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι." Τοῦ Κυρίου τοίνυν λέγοντος, "Ἵνα ἡ Γραφὴ πληρωθῇ," καὶ δεικνύντος τὸν παρόντα ψαλμὸν αὐτῷ καὶ οὐκ ἄλλῳ τῳ προσήκοντα, θρασὺ νομίζω καὶ τολμηρὸν, ἄλλην αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ προσ ήκουσαν ὑπόθεσιν διαπλάσαι. βʹ. "Μακάριος ὁ συνιὼν ἐπὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα." Τὸ καὶ πένητα ἐν ἐνίοις εὗρον ἀντιγράφοις· οὔτε δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ, οὔτε παρὰ τῷ Σύρῳ, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑρμηνευταῖς. Πτωχὸν μέν τοι καλεῖ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Κύριον. "ἐπειδὴ πλούσιος" ὢν, ὥς φησιν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, "δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώ χευσεν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσω μεν." Καὶ "Ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπα γμὸν ἡγήσατο εἶναι ἶσα Θεῷ· ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών." Καὶ ὁρατῶν καὶ ἀοράτων δεσπόζων, οὐκ εἶχε ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλῖναι, καὶ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ Παρθένου, διὰ σπάνιν κλίνης ἐπὶ φάτνης ἐτέθη. Μακαρίζει τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λό γος τὸν ταύτην συνιέναι τὴν πτωχείαν δυνάμενον, καὶ εἰς δύναμιν ἀνυμνῆσαι προθυμούμενον τὸν ταύτην ἀναδεξάμενον· εἶτα δείκνυσι τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ τοὺς καρ 80.1164 πούς. "Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος." Τὴν δὲ πονηρὰν ἡμέραν, κακώσεως ἡμέραν ὁ Σύμ μαχος εἴρηκεν. Αἰνίττεται δὲ, ὡς οἶμαι, τὴν τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέραν, φοβερὰν οὖσαν, καὶ τῶν παρανοή μων κακωτικήν· καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν εἱλικρινῆ γνῶσιν τῆς πτωχείας ἐκείνης τῶν τῆς φοβερᾶς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας ἀπαλλάξαι κακῶν. γʹ. "Κύριος διαφυλάξαι αὐτὸν καὶ ζήσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ μακαρίσαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ γῇ, καὶ μὴ πα ραδῷ αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ." Οὐ μόνον δὲ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τῆς θείας τεύξεται προμηθείας, περιφανής τε γενόμενος καὶ περίβλε πτος, καὶ τὰς τῶν δυσμενῶν διαφεύγων ἐπιβουλάς. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸν φθαρτὸν ἔχοντα σῶμα εἰκὸς καὶ νόσῳ περιπεσεῖν, ὑπισχνεῖται καὶ τὴν ταύτης ἀπαλλαγήν. δʹ. "Κύριος βοηθήσει αὐτῷ ἐπὶ κλίνης ὀδύνης αὐτοῦ· ὅλην τὴν κοίτην αὐτοῦ ἔστρεψας ἐν τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ αὐτοῦ." Πάσης αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἀπαλλά ξει τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ εἰς ὑγίειαν τὴν νόσον μεταβαλεῖ. Τὸ γὰρ, "ἔστρεψας ἐν τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ τὴν κοίτην," ἀντὶ τοῦ μετέβαλες τέθεικεν Οὕτω τοῦ συνιέντος τὴν ἀξιάγαστον ἐκείνην πτωχείαν τὰς ἀντιδόσεις διεξελθὼν, ὑποδείκνυσιν ἡμῖν, τίς ὁ ταύτην ἐσχηκὼς, καὶ πῶς αὐτὴν μετελήλυθεν, αὐτὸν εἰσάγων διδάσκοντα, καὶ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν διηγούμενον. εʹ. "Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Κύριε, ἐλέησόν με, ἴασαι τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι ἥμαρτόν σοι." Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι, φησὶν, ὁ πτωχὸς, ὁ τὴν ἑκούσιον πτωχείαν ἀναδεξά μενος, ὁ Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, ὁ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκειούμενος πάθη, ὁ ἁμαρτίαν μὲν μὴ πεποιηκὼς, τὴν δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως, ὡς ἀπαρχὴ τῆς φύσεως, εἰσφέ ρων παράκλησιν. Ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὡς ὁ Σύμμαχος οὐκ εἶπεν, "ὅτι ἥμαρτόν σοι," ἀλλὰ, καὶ εἰ ἥμαρτόν σοι. ʹ. "Οἱ ἐχθροί μου εἶπον κακά μοι, πότε ἀποθα νεῖται, καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὄνομα αὐτοῦ;" Ἐχθροὺς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους καλεῖ, βασκαίνοντας καὶ τὸν θάνα τον καττύοντας. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγ γελίων ἱστορία διδάσκει· "Καὶ συμβούλιον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔλαβον, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν." Ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν μεταφέρει τὴν πρόῤῥησιν. ζʹ. "Καὶ εἰσεπορεύετο τοῦ ἰδεῖν· μάτην ἐλάλει 80.1165 ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ· συνήγαγεν ἀνομίαν ἑαυτῷ· ἐξεπορεύετο ἔξω, καὶ ἐλάλει." Οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ θεῖοι ἡμᾶς διδάσκουσιν εὐαγγελισταὶ, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν Ἰουδαίοις εἶπε· "Τί μοι δίδοτε, κἀγὼ ὑμῖν αὐτὸν παραδώσω;" ἐζήτει δὲ καιρὸν, ὥστε παραδοῦναι αὐτόν. Ταῦτα καὶ ἡ πρόῤῥησις λέγει, "Καὶ εἰσ επορεύετο τοῦ ἰδεῖν μάτην· ἐξεπορεύετο ἔξω καὶ ἐλάλει." Εἰσιὼν γὰρ καὶ ἐξιὼν συνετύρευεν ἐκείνοις τὸν θάνατον· εἶτα τὴν κακὴν αὐτῶν συμφωνίαν προλέγει. ηʹ, θʹ. Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατ' ἐμοῦ ἐψιθύριζον πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου, κατ' ἐμοῦ, ἐλογίζοντο κακά μοι. Λόγον παράνομον κατέθεντο κατ' ἐμοῦ." Τούτοις δὲ μαρτυρεῖ τῶν πραγμάτων τὸ τέλος. Ἡσυχῆ γὰρ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλεγόμενοι, τῆς