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with the voice of Tharseis for the spying out of joy. For then the bodies, being buffeted and mortified, are laudably broken, when those who surround them spy out the divine joy. 498 Ps 47,9a While we are in this life, we hear many things about the heavenly city of God and the spiritual good things in it from prophetic words and the rest of divinely inspired scripture. If therefore, having been transported from earth, we are in the Jerusalem above, comparing the things seen in it with what we had long ago heard, we will say: As we have heard, so we have also seen. 499 Ps 47,9cδ And it is the city of our God, since he himself founded it forever. And the savior is the one about whom these things are said; for the Father, pointing to him, said: This one will build my city, he being the artisan and maker, as God, of the city that has foundations, which all the just also await. 500 Ps 47,11ab Just as your name is wonderful in all the earth, so also is your praise, according to that which says: The earth is full of his praise. The ends of the earth must be considered the boundaries and the extremities, or those who have passed over from earth to heaven, upon whom the name of God and his praise have reached. 501 Ps 47,12a Since the church is called Zion, its mountain is the Lord, to whom those who trust in the Lord are likened. 502 Ps 47,12bc Judah is interpreted as confession, and the souls that partake of the confessional state are the daughters of Judah. And perhaps also all of divinely inspired scripture is homonymous with the place in which it was given, Judea, in which God is known. The daughters, therefore, of Judea, understood in either way, approaching as far as is possible the judgments of the Lord, which are true and justified, will rejoice together. And since the judgments of the Lord are unsearchable, for the present they do not rejoice, but they will rejoice, approaching the truth then face to face. 503 Ps 47, 13-15 Since the ecclesiastical mind is a lookout for the truth and for this reason is called Zion, it is fitting to embrace it with prudence, so that having comprehended the dogmas of the truth, we may circumscribe them in a circle, as it were, with our own mind. And since the city of God is fortified on all sides against approaching enemies, it has towers built in it from which it is possible to spy on the approaching enemies. And since the enemies of the city are now at war, it is necessary for those in its towers to recount them. In harmony with this is also: Upon your walls I have set watchmen day and night, who will never be silent, remembering the Lord; in this way also, Wisdom is proclaimed on the top of the walls. Set your heart, therefore, that is, your mind, giving attention with knowledge to the power of Zion (and this is the ecclesiastical teaching), and divide it by way of distinction, giving attention to each part. For just as it is possible to divide beings logically into substance and accident, and genera into species, so also it is possible to divide the power of Zion into its strongholds; and its strongholds are the particular contemplations in which the dogmas of piety dwell. And do this, so that you may declare to another generation that he is our God. Since the former generation that received the city and its power was convicted of being wicked and adulterous and crooked and perverse by its own choice, by giving attention to the power of the city and dividing its strongholds, you will know the things concerning the calling of the gentiles, which is another generation besides the former, to which also you will declare that this is the God who did the aforementioned wondrous things, having rejected the former generation and having called another and others. And this is the God, about whom the present theology speaks, who is always the same and in the same state forever and for the age of the age; and He himself will shepherd us for the ages according to that which was said: And the Lord will stand and see and shepherd his flock in strength.

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φωνῇ τῆς Θαρσεῖς εἰς τὸ κατασκοπὴ χαρᾶς. τότε γὰρ ἐπαινετῶς συντρίβεται τὰ σώματα ὑποπιαζόμενα καὶ νεκρούμενα, οτ' αν κατασκοπῶσιν οἱ περικείμενοι αὐτὰ τὴν θείαν χαράν. 498 Ps 47,9a ̓Εν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τυγχάνοντες, πολλὰ περὶ τῆς ἐπουρανίου πόλεως τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ πνευματικῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀκούομεν ὑπὸ λόγων προφητικῶν καὶ τῆς αλλης θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς. ἐὰν ουν μετοικισθέντες ἀπὸ γῆς ἐν τῇ ανω ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ γενώμεθα, συμβάλλοντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ θεωρούμενα οις πάλαι ἀκηκόειμεν ἐροῦμεν Καθάπερ ἠκούσαμεν, ουτως καὶ ειδομεν. 499 Ps 47,9cδ Εστι δὲ καὶ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἐπείπερ αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ὁ σωτὴρ δέ ἐστιν περὶ ου λέγεται ταῦτα· δεικνὺς γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ Ουτος εφη οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου, αὐτὸς ων τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς οια θεὸς τῆς τοὺς θεμελίους ἐχούσης πόλεως ην καὶ ἐκδέχονται πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι. 500 Ps 47,11ab Ωσπερ τὸ ονομά σου θαυμαστὸν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, ουτω καὶ ἡ αινεσίς σου κατὰ τὸ Τῆς αἰνέσεως αὐτοῦ πλήρης ἡ γῆ. πέρατα τῆς γῆς τὰ τέρματα καὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς ειναι ἡγητέον, η τοὺς περάσαντας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐφ' ους τὸ ονομα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ αινεσις εφθασεν. 501 Ps 47,12a Τῆς ἐκκλησίας Σιὼν ὀνομαζομένης, ορος αὐτῆς ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ῳ ὁμοιοῦνται οἱ ἐπὶ κύριον πεποιθότες. 502 Ps 47,12bc ̓Ιουδαία ἐξομολόγησις ἑρμηνεύεται, αἱ δὲ μετέχουσαι τῆς εξεως τῆς ἐξομολογητικῆς ψυχαὶ αἱ θυγατέρες εἰσὶν τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας. τάχα δὲ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ θεόπνευστος γραφὴ ὁμωνύμως τῷ τόπῳ ἐν ῳ δέδοται ̓Ιουδαία ἐν ῃ γνωστὸς ὁ θεός ἐστιν. αἱ θυγατέρες ουν τῆς ἑκατέρως ἀποδοθείσης ̓Ιουδαίας, προσβαλοῦσαι κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτὸν τοῖς κρίμασιν τοῦ κυρίου ουσιν ἀληθινοῖς καὶ δεδικαιωμένοις, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀγαλλιάσονται. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀνεξερεύνητά ἐστιν τὰ κρίματα τοῦ κυρίου, ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος οὐκ ἀγαλλιῶνται, ἀλλὰ ἀγαλλιάσονται πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον προσβαλοῦσαι τότε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. 503 Ps 47, 13-15 Τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς γνώμης σκοπευτικῆς τῆς ἀληθείας τυγχανούσης καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Σιὼν καλουμένης, τῇ φρονήσει περιλαβεῖν αὐτὴν προσήκει, ινα περινοήσαντες τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας δόγματα ὡς ἐν κύκλῳ περιγράψωμεν αὐτὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν νοήσει. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ πόλις πάντοθεν ὠχύρωται διὰ τοὺς ἐπερχομένους πολεμίους, καὶ πύργους ἐγκατεσκευασμένους εχει ἀφ' ων εστιν κατασκοπῆσαι τοὺς ἐπερχομένους ἐχθρούς. καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς πόλεως πολεμοῦσιν λοιπόν, ἀνάγκη καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς πύργοις οντας αὐτῆς διηγεῖσθαι. συνᾴδει καὶ τὸ ̓Επὶ τῶν τειχέων σου κατέστησα φύλακας ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς οι διὰ τέλους οὐ σιωπήσονται μιμνησκόμενοι κυρίου· ταύτῃ καὶ ̔Η σοφία ἐπ' ακρων τειχέων κηρύττεται. Θέσθε τοίνυν τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν, τουτέστιν τὸν νοῦν, ἐπιστημονικῶς ἐπιστάνοντες εἰς τὴν δύναμιν τῆς Σιών (αυτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκκλησιαστικὴ διδασκαλία), καὶ καταδιέλεσθε διαιρετικῶς ἑκάστοις ἐπιστάνοντες. ὡς γὰρ εστιν λογικῶς διελεῖν τὰ οντα εἰς οὐσίαν καὶ συμβεβηκὸς καὶ τὰ γένη εἰς ειδη, ουτω καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς Σιὼν καταδιελεῖν εἰς τὰς βάρεις αὐτῆς δυνατόν· βάρεις δὲ αὐτῆς αἱ καθ' εκαστον θεωρίαι ἐν αις οἰκεῖ τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας δόγματα. Τοῦτο δὲ πράξατε, Οπως διηγήσησθε εἰς γενεὰν ἑτέραν οτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν. ἐπεὶ ἡ προτέρα γενεὰ ἡ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς παραλαβοῦσα πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς καὶ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη ἐξ ἰδίας αἱρέσεως ἠλέγχθη, ἐπιστήσαντες τῇ δυνάμει τῆς πόλεως καὶ καταδιελόντες τὰς βάρεις αὐτῆς γνώσεσθε τὰ περὶ τῆς κλήσεως τῶν ἐθνῶν, ητις ἐστὶν ἑτέρα γενεὰ παρὰ τὴν προτέραν, ῃπερ καὶ διηγήσησθε Οτι ουτος ὁ θεός ἐστιν ὁ τὰ προειρημένα παράδοξα ποιήσας ἀποβαλὼν τὴν προτέραν γενεὰν καὶ αλλην καὶ αλλους καλέσας. ουτος δὲ ὁ θεὸς περὶ ου ἡ προκειμένη θεολογία ἀεὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως εχει Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· καὶ Αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον Καὶ στήσεται καὶ οψεται καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ κύριος.