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the virtue present in sinlessness; that the thigh is a symbol of the aforementioned is clear. For Abraham also, when sending his servant to find a bride, says, "Place your hand upon my thigh, and I will make you swear by the God of heaven." Perhaps because of the Savior who was to be from him according to the flesh, he who became flesh can be the Word. Therefore the Word is understood and believed to be a sword, and the flesh a thigh because the flesh has its origin from there. But he to whom the saying refers, having escaped all weakness, is mighty, having the brightness of the Godhead as beauty and comeliness. 457 Ps 44,5 But bending your bow like an excellent archer, prosper, wounding with divine love those who are struck. And 'prosper' should also be read as equivalent to 'grant success'; and in addition to these things, reign over those who have been struck with longing. The reason for your reigning is the perfection of virtue, not in action only but also in knowledge. For "For the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness" signifies this; for it says, reign for the sake of truth being known and meekness and righteousness being established among those under your rule. And your right hand will guide you wonderfully. He who does all things according to God is guided wonderfully by the right hand, which is practical of good things, using it as a guide on the path to the Savior. And so the Savior, skillfully performing wondrous powers, is wonderfully guided by his own right hand. 458 Ps 44,6ab The words of the mighty Christ, like sharpened arrows, strike those who hear, so that they prefer following him above all things. Wounded by these arrows, the apostles, having cast aside everything at hand, judged it good to follow him; but also the peoples who formerly had a corrupt stance by being established in evils, being struck by these arrows, fell beneath him, that is, they were subjected to him and have come under him. 459 Ps 44,6c 459 The enemies of the king Christ are all who sin. Therefore when the aforementioned arrows are in their heart, they fall from their enmity, kneeling before the king. Or perhaps the peoples who stand "In the heart of the king's enemies," being confirmed according to the will of their enmity, being struck by the arrows, fell under Christ, having fallen in the heart of his enemies. 460 Ps 44,8 But if these things should be said to the only-begotten Son of God, the Son of God, having hated the lawlessness that was practiced before his coming, and having loved the righteousness that springs from faith from his presence, has given himself by the Father's good pleasure to become man and to be anointed with the oil of gladness, that is, with the Holy Spirit. 461 Ps 44,9a The garments of Christ, being at once kingly and priestly, breathe of myrrh because of the death he undertook (for this fragrance is applied to the dead who are buried), but also of stacte, which is a blossom of myrrh, because Christ's death has something more, having happened for the salvation of others and the destruction of the devil, and of cassia because his word is fiery; for this ointment is warming. Therefore Christ's garments are the things reasonably theologized about him. Since therefore, along with the other things, he also received being hymned as one who excelled as dead, it is fitting that the aforementioned things breathe from his garments; with this agrees "The fragrance of your ointments is above all spices." 462 Ps 44,9b.10a Here one must speak of kings as those who reign with Christ, of whom he himself is king of kings. The daughters of these have become, according to teaching, the souls whom they instruct, or rather, the churches; which daughters, being in honor of the one who is hymned, have gladdened the king Christ "From ivory palaces." But you will call the lofty theologies "ivory palaces"; for what is ivory, being teeth, is a symbol of the word; for the teeth are also organs of speech; and "palaces" are large houses. Since therefore they so magnified their own word as to become a very great house of contemplations concerning God, the many daughters of the kings from the aforementioned ivory palaces have gladdened

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προσοῦσαν ἐν ἀναμαρτησίᾳ ἀρετήν· οτι δὲ σύμβολον ὁ μηρὸς τῶν προειρημένων δῆλον. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ̓Αβραάμ, ἐπὶ μνηστείαν πέμπων τὸν παῖδα, Θές φησι τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν μου, καὶ ἐξορκιῶ σε τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. τάχα διὰ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ μέλλοντα εσεσθαι σωτῆρα τὸ κατὰ σάρκα δύναται ὁ γενόμενος σὰρξ λόγος ειναι. νοεῖται ουν καὶ πιστεύεται ὁ μὲν λόγος ῥομφαία ειναι, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ μηρὸς τῷ ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ἀρχὴν εχειν τὴν σάρκα. ουτος δὲ πρὸς ον ὁ λόγος πᾶσαν ἀσθένειαν διαφυγὼν δυνατός ἐστι, τὴν φαιδρότητα τῆς θεότητος κάλλος καὶ ὡραιότητα εχων. 457 Ps 44,5 ̓Εντείνας δὲ οια τοξότης αριστος τόξον κατευοδοῦ τιτρώσκων εἰς ερωτα θεῖον τοὺς βαλλομένους. ἀναγνωστέον δὲ καὶ Κατευοδοῦ ισον τῷ Εὐοδίαν πάρεχε· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις βασίλευε τῶν βεβλημένων πόθῳ. ἡ δὲ αἰτία τοῦ βασιλεῦσαί σε τελειότης ἀρετῆς ἐστιν οὐκ ἐν πράξει μόνῃ ἀλλὰ καὶ γνώσει. τὸ γὰρ Ενεκεν ἀληθείας καὶ πραύτητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης τοῦτο σημαίνει· βασίλευε γάρ φησιν ενεκα τοῦ γνωσθῆναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ πραότητα καὶ δικαιοσύνην κατορθωθῆναι τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν ἀρχήν. Καὶ ὁδηγήσει σε θαυμαστῶς ἡ δεξιά σου. ὁ κατὰ θεὸν πάντα πράττων ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν καλῶν πρακτικῆς δεξιᾶς ουσης θαυμαστῶς ὁδηγεῖται ἡγεμόνι αὐτῇ χρώμενος τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ὁδοῦ. καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ουν ἐπιτελῶν δεξιῶς παραδόξους δυνάμεις ὑπὸ δεξιᾶς ἑαυτοῦ θαυμαστῶς ὁδηγεῖται. 458 Ps 44,6ab Οἱ τοῦ δυνατοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγοι βελῶν ἠκονισμένων δίκην βάλλουσιν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ωστε πάντων προκρῖναι τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀκολούθησιν. τούτοις τοῖς βέλεσι τρωθέντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι, τὰ ἐν ποσὶ πάντα ἀποπεμψάμενοι, επεσθαι αὐτῷ καλῶς εχειν εκριναν· ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ λαοὶ οἱ πρότερον φαύλην στάσιν εχοντες τῷ ἐν κακοῖς ἱδρύσθαι πληγέντες τούτοις τοῖς βέλεσιν ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ επεσον, τουτέστιν ὑπετάγησαν αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπ' αὐτὸν γεγόνασιν. 459 Ps 44,6c 459 Οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοῦ πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες. οταν ουν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τούτων τὰ προειρημένα βέλη γένηται, πίπτουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς εχθρας τὸν βασιλέα γονυπετοῦντες. η τάχα οἱ λαοὶ οἱ ἑστηκότες ̓Εν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως, κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τῆς εχθρας αὐτῶν βεβαιούμενοι, βληθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν βελῶν επεσαν ὑπὸ Χριστόν, τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ καταπεσόντες. 460 Ps 44,8 Εἰ δὲ ειη πρὸς τὸν μονογενῆ υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ταῦτα, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ μισήσας τὴν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ πολιτευομένην ἀνομίαν, ἀγαπήσας δὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ φυομένην ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνην ἐπιδέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν εὐδοκίᾳ πατρικῇ ανθρωπος γενέσθαι καὶ χρισθῆναι ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως τουτέστιν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. 461 Ps 44,9a Τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ Χριστοῦ βασιλείως αμα καὶ ἱεραρχίως οντα πνεῖ σμύρνης δι' ον ἀνέλαβεν θάνατον (τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ αρωμα τοῖς θαπτομένοις νεκροῖς ἐπιβάλλεται), ἀλλὰ καὶ στακτῆς ουσης ἀπανθίσματος σμύρνης διὰ τὸ εχειν τι πλεῖον τὸν Χριστοῦ θάνατον ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας αλλων καὶ καταλύσεως διαβόλου γεγονέναι, καὶ κασσίας διὰ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ οντα διάπυρον· θερμαντικὸν γὰρ τὸ μῦρον τοῦτο. Χριστοῦ ουν ἱμάτια τὰ εὐλόγως περὶ αὐτοῦ θεολογούμενά ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ ουν προσελάβετο σὺν τοῖς αλλοις καὶ τὸ ὡς νεκρὸς ἀριστεύσας ὑμνεῖσθαι, εἰκότως ἐκ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ τὰ προειρημένα πνεῖ· τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ ̓Οσμὴ μύρων σου ὑπὲρ πάντα ἀρώματα. 462 Ps 44,9b.10a Βασιλεῖς ἐνταῦθα ῥητέον τοὺς Χριστῷ συμβασιλεύοντας ων αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς βασιλευόντων. τούτων θυγατέρες γεγόνασιν κατὰ διδασκαλίαν ας παιδεύουσι ψυχάς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκκλησίας· αιπερ θυγατέρες ἐν τιμῇ τοῦ ὑμνουμένου ουσαι ηυφραναν τὸν βασιλέα Χριστὸν ̓Απὸ βαρέων ἐλεφαντίνων. βαρεῖς δὲ ἐλεφαντίνας ἐρεῖς τὰς ὑψηλὰς θεολογίας· τὸ γὰρ ἐλεφάντινον, ὀδοὺς τυγχάνον, λόγου σύμβολόν ἐστιν· φωνητικὰ γὰρ οργανα καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες· βαρεῖς δ' εἰσὶν αἱ μεγάλαι οἰκίαι. ἐπεὶ ουν τὸν ἑαυτῶν λόγον ουτως ἐμεγάλυναν ὡς οικον μέγιστον θεωριῶν τῶν περὶ θεοῦ γενέσθαι, αἱ πολλαὶ τῶν βασιλέων θυγατέρες ἀπὸ τῶν προειρημένων βαρέων ἐλεφαντίνων ηυφραναν