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By the mighty power the evil spirits were troubled, being driven out of the souls and bodies they had previously possessed. For these mountains, thinking great things of themselves, suddenly seeing the one driving them out with authority, fell into confusion. 474 Ps 45,5a The city of God should be understood to mean either the church or the heavenly Jerusalem. The rushing streams of the river gladden this city of God, which is named in both ways. And the river is the Word of God, proceeding from Eden, the divine delight, and watering the whole spiritual paradise and calling all to himself: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. And its rushing streams are the particular teachings or thoughts which he suggests to the soul. 475 Ps 45,5b The Most High, being holy in essence, is a bestower of holiness; whence he sanctifies all those in whom he dwells, who are called his tabernacle. And he is able to sanctify the body which he took from the virgin, being his tabernacle, having been born in it. In harmony with this: The holy one to be born in you will be called the son of the living God. 476 Ps 45,6a God, established in the midst of the city, will not be shaken, not abandoning it because of the sinlessness present in it. For he is shaken from those who sin; whence also he is found walking away from Adam when he sinned, and in Zechariah he says: The Lord will go forth in the storm of his threat. 477 Ps 45,6b But there is another reading which says: God will help her with his countenance. For he preserves her beauty unwounded and incorruptible, that is, the intelligible beauty, whenever she receives an attack from her adversaries. For as long as the soul has unshakable faith in itself and adorns itself with ornaments from every virtue, it has the intelligible beauty in which Christ himself rejoices. But when carried away from what is fitting, it immediately has a hideous and unpleasant appearance, but the church, he says, will not suffer this; for he preserves her beauty. 478 Ps 45,7a He calls the nations the hosts of demons warring against her. Therefore, whenever these behold the incarnate epiphany of the Savior, they are troubled against his church or are also filled with fear. Then will follow the overthrow of the blameworthy kingdoms over which death and sin had reigned. And if you should call the kingdoms those who are ruled, these too were turned from error to the knowledge of truth and inclined from wickedness to virtue. 479 Ps 45,7b.8 When God is silent, earthly and material things seem to have stability and permanence, but are shaken when God has given his voice; for whenever God shouts to the mind, everything earthly is immediately moved from it. And when God uttered his voice according to the gospel, the earth was shaken, with all its customs, ancestral laws, oracles and whatever else belonged to impious deceit being changed, the nations being troubled and the kingdoms being overthrown; with the earth being shaken, we are confident, having with us the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, as our helper. And just as he who does the works of Abraham is his child, so he who imitates the discipline of Jacob becomes his son, having help from the God of Jacob. 480 Ps 45,9a And the Holy Spirit calls those who see keenly to the understanding of these things, through 'Come' making them draw near, and through 'See' preparing them to gaze upon the truth. 481 Ps 45,9b And the apostles also filled the world with wonders, running everywhere and recounting the things that had happened through him and working miracles in his name. The word is also able to call the nations from the wonders seen in creation to recognize its creator. 482 Ps 45,10 Having come and destroyed the devil who has the power of death and the other evil powers, he has done away with wars to the ends of the earth, that is, of those who have passed on from earthly things; shattering the bow from which the flaming arrows of the evil one were shot, but he will also burn with fire the shield of unbelief that is opposed
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κραταιότητι ἐταράχθη τὰ πονηρὰ πνεύματα, ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων τῶν προκατεσχημένων ἐλαυνόμενα. μέγα γὰρ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς τὰ ορη ταῦτα φρονοῦντα, ἐξαπιναίως ἰδόντα τὸν μετ' ἐξουσίας ἐλαύνοντα ἐνέπεσον εἰς ταραχήν. 474 Ps 45,5a Πόλιν θεοῦ ητοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν η τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐπουράνιον νομιστέον λέγεσθαι. Ταύτην τὴν ἑκατέρως χρηματίζουσαν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ εὐφραίνουσιν τὰ ὁρμήματα τοῦ ποταμοῦ. ποταμὸς δέ ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ὁ ἐξ ̓Εδὲμ τῆς θείας τρυφῆς ἐκπορευόμενος καὶ πάντα τὸν πνευματικὸν παράδεισον ἐπάρδων καὶ πάντας καλῶν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν Ει τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω· ὁρμήματα δ' αὐτοῦ αἱ κατὰ μέρους διδασκαλίαι η εννοιαι ας ὑποβάλλει τῇ ψυχῇ. 475 Ps 45,5b ̔Ο υψιστος κατ' οὐσίαν αγιος ὑπάρχων μεταδοτικὸς ἁγιότητός ἐστιν· οθεν ἁγιάζει πάντας τοὺς ἐν οις κατασκηνοῖ, σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ καλουμένους. δύναται δὲ καὶ ο ἀνέλαβε σῶμα ἐκ τῆς παρθένου σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ τυγχάνον ἁγιάζειν ἐν αὐτῷ γεγενημένου. συνῳδὸν τούτῳ Τὸ γεννώμενον ἐν σοὶ αγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ ζῶντος. 476 Ps 45,6a ̔Ο θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πόλεως ἱδρυμένος οὐ σαλευθήσεται, οὐ καταλιμπάνων αὐτὴν διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῇ ἀναμαρτησίαν. σαλεύεται γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων· οθεν καὶ τῷ ̓Αδὰμ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν περιπατῶν εὑρίσκεται, καὶ ἐν τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ φησὶν Πορεύσεται ἐν σάλῳ ἀπειλῆς ὁ κύριος. 477 Ps 45,6b ̔Ετέρα δ' ἐστὶν γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα Βοηθήσει αὐτῇ ὁ θεὸς τῷ προσώπῳ. σῴζει γὰρ αὐτῆς τὸ κάλλος ατρωτόν τε καὶ ἀπαράφθορον, τὸ νοητὸν δηλονότι οτ' αν ταραχὴν δέξηται τῶν ἀντικειμένων. εως μὲν γὰρ ἀδιάβλητον εχει τὴν πίστιν ἐν ἑαυτῇ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἁπάσης ἀρετῆς ὡραϊσμοὺς ἑαυτῇ περιτίθησιν, κάλλος εχει τὸ νοητὸν ῳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιγάνυται Χριστός. παρενεχθεῖσά γε μὴν τοῦ εἰκότος παραχρῆμα τὸ εἰδεχθὲς καὶ ἀτερπὲς εχει, ἀλλ' οὐ πείσεται τοῦτο, φησίν, ἡ ἐκκλησία· σῴζει γὰρ αὐτῆς τὸ κάλλος. 478 Ps 45,7a Εθνη τὰ στίφη τῶν κατ' αὐτῆς στρατευομένων δαιμόνων ὀνομάζει. οτ' αν ουν ταῦτα θεάσωνται τοῦ σωτῆρος τὴν ενσαρκον ἐπιφάνειαν, ταράττονται κατὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίας η καὶ δέους πληροῦνται. τηνικαῦτα δὲ ἀκολουθήσει καὶ τὸ κλιθῆναι τὰς ψεκτὰς βασιλείας καθ' ας ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία. εἰ δὲ καὶ βασιλείαν λέγοις τοὺς βασιλευομένους, ἐκλίθησαν καὶ ουτοι ἐκ πλάνης εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας καὶ ἐκ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν ῥέψαντες. 479 Ps 45,7b.8 Σιωπῶντος θεοῦ βεβαιότητα καὶ στάσιν εχειν δοκεῖ τὰ γήϊνα καὶ ὑλικὰ πράγματα, κλονούμενα θεοῦ φωνὴν δεδωκότος· οτ' αν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἐμβοήσῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ, εὐθὺς μετακινεῖται ταύτης πᾶν ει τι γεῶδες. Καὶ ἐπὶ θεοῦ τὴν κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον φωνὴν δεδωκότος ἡ γῆ σεσάλευται, μετατιθεμένων ἁπάντων τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐθῶν, νομίμων πατρίων, χρηστηρίων καὶ ει τι ετερον τῆς δυσσεβοῦς ἀπάτης, ταραττομένων τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ κλινουσῶν τῶν βασιλειῶν· τῆς γῆς σαλευομένης, ἡμεῖς θαρροῦμεν μεθ' ἑαυτῶν εχοντες τὸν τῶν δυνάμεων κύριον ἀντιλαμβανόμενον ἡμῶν τὸν θεὸν ̓Ιακώβ. Ωσπερ δὲ ὁ ποιῶν τὰ εργα τοῦ ̓Αβραὰμ τέκνον αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, ουτως ὁ τὴν ασκησιν τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ μιμούμενος τυγχάνει υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀντίληψιν εχων παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ̓Ιακώβ. 480 Ps 45,9a Καλεῖ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ αγιον ἐπὶ τὴν τούτων κατανόησιν τοὺς ὀξὺ καθορῶντας διὰ μὲν τοῦ ∆εῦτε συνεγγίζειν αὐτούς, διὰ δὲ τοῦ Ιδετε ἀτενίζειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ παρασκευάζων. 481 Ps 45,9b ̓Επλήρωσαν δὲ καὶ τεράτων τὴν οἰκουμένην οἱ ἀπόστολοι, πανταχῇ διατρέχοντες καὶ τά τε δι' αὐτοῦ γεγονότα διηγούμενοι καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ θαυματουργοῦντες. δύναται καὶ καλεῖν ὁ λόγος τὰ εθνη ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων περὶ τὴν κτίσιν θαυμάτων τὸν ταύτης ἐπιγνῶναι δημιουργόν. 482 Ps 45,10 ̓Ελθὼν καὶ καταλύσας διάβολον τὸν τὸ κράτος εχοντα τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τὰς αλλας πονηρὰς δυνάμεις, ἀντανεῖλεν πολέμους εως τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς, τουτέστι τῶν περασάντων ἀπὸ γηΐνων· συντρίβων τὸ τόξον ἀφ' ου ἠφίετο τὰ πεπυρωμένα τοῦ πονηροῦ βέλη ἀλλὰ καὶ πυρὶ κατακαύσει τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς ἀπιστίας ἐναντίως