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in his seed he would bless all the nations. Therefore these, and their rulers, having abandoned their ancestral gods, are gathered together with the God of Abraham, and call him their own God. And the ministers of their calling are the divine apostles, who confirmed the height of theology by their wonder-working. For the Seventy called them mighty, Aquila shields, and Theodotion and Symmachus defenders. Through all these is shown not only their unruled and invincible nature, but also their protection of others. For having become like certain shields and champions of those who have believed, they did not allow the phalanx to be broken in the assault of terrible things; but having turned back the enemies, they exhort their fellow believers to sing a paean, saying, "All you nations, clap your hands; shout to God with a voice of exultation; because the Lord is most high, terrible, a great king over all the earth."

INTERPRETATION OF THE 47TH PSALM. 1. "A psalm of a song, for the sons of Korah. On the second day of the Sabbath." And this psalm

likewise foretells the same victory, and the strength of the city of God. 2. "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain." And we have already said that holy Scripture often calls the polity, not the building, a city; wherefore now too it says that the Lord of all has been shown to be great, through the things done by him concerning his city; which the height of its doctrines has rendered illustrious, as lying upon a high and great mountain. "For a city set on a hill," says the Master, "cannot be hidden." 3. "Well-rooted with the joy of all the earth." This, he says, for the gladness of all the earth, he built well and beautifully and firmly. For the divine Apostle says that he built it "upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone." And the Lord himself said to the blessed Peter, "And upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it." Therefore, "well-rooted" means "firmly founded," so that it remains steadfast and unshaken. "The mountains of Zion, the sides of the north, the city of the great king." And indeed he also surrounded it with mountains, so that it might escape the harm of the north. "For from the north," he says, "evils shall be kindled upon all the earth;" and again, "I will drive out the north from you." And the divine Apostle took the name Zion for the spiritual city. "For you have come," he says, "to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." And one might reasonably say that the mountains driving out the north and keeping the city unharmed are the apostles and prophets, and their manifold teachings, and in addition to these the angels set over those who have believed. "For the angel of the Lord," he says, "encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." 4. "God is known in her towers, when he helps her." There is one Church throughout all the land and sea; wherefore in prayer 80.1213 we say, "For the holy and only catholic and apostolic Church from one end of the world to the other." And again, this is divided by cities, and villages, and fields; which the prophetic word has called towers. Just as each city has many separate houses within, but is nevertheless called one city; so there are countless churches, more than can be numbered, both on islands and on continents; but all come together into one, united by the harmony of true doctrines. In these he said that the God of all appears, extending his own help; "For God is known in her towers, when he helps her." Then he foretells the uprisings to come, and the change of the enemies. 5, 6. "For behold, the kings of the earth were gathered, they passed

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σπέρματι αὐτοῦ εὐλο γήσειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ταῦτα, καὶ οἱ τούτων ἄρχοντες, τοὺς πατρῴους καταλιπόντες Θεοὺς, μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἀβραὰμ συναθροίζονται, καὶ τοῦτον οἰκεῖον Θεὸν ὀνομάζουσιν. Ὑπουργοὶ δὲ τῆς τούτων κλήσεως οἱ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι, τῇ θαυματουργίᾳ τὸ τῆς θεολογίας βεβαιώσαντες ὕψος. Τούτους γὰρ οἱ μὲν Ἑβδομήκοντα κραταιοὺς, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας θυρεοὺς, ὁ Θεοδοτίων καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ὑπερασπι σμοὺς προσηγόρευσαν. ∆ιὰ πάντων δὲ οὐ μόνον αὐτῶν τὸ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀήττητον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῶν ἄλλων δηλοῦται φυλακτικόν. Οἷον γάρ τινες θυρεοὶ καὶ πρόμαχοι τῶν πεπιστευκότων γενόμενοι, οὐκ εἴασαν ἐν τῇ τῶν δεινῶν προσβολῇ ῥαγῆναι τὴν φάλαγγα· ἀλλὰ τοὺς πολεμίους τρεψάμενοι, παιανίζειν τοῖς ὁμοπίστοις παρεγγυῶσι φάσκοντες, "Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας· ἀλαλάξατε τῷ Θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως· ὅτι Κύριος ὕψιστος, φοβερὸς, βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν."

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΜΖʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς, τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορέ. ∆ευτέρᾳ Σαββάτου." Καὶ οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς

ὡσαύτως τὴν αὐ τὴν νίκην προαγορεύει, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ πόλεως τὴν ἰσχύν. βʹ. "Μέγας Κύριος, καὶ αἰνετὸς σφόδρα, ἐν πόλει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ αὑτοῦ." Καὶ ἤδη προειρήκαμεν, ὡς πόλιν πολλάκις ἡ θεία Γραφὴ οὐ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν πολιτείαν καλεῖ· τοιγάρ τοι καὶ νῦν μέγαν ἀποδεδεῖχθαι λέγει τῶν ὅλων τὸν Κύριον, διὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ περὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πόλιν γεγενημένων· ἣν ἐπίσημον ἀπέφηνε τῶν δογμάτων τὸ ὕψος, ὡς ἐπ' ὄρους ὑψηλοῦ καὶ μεγίστου κειμένην. "Οὐ δύναται γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ ∆εσπότης, κρυβῆναι πόλις ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη." γʹ. "Εὐριζῶν ἀγαλλιάματι πάσης τῆς γῆς." Ταύτην δὲ, φησὶν, ἐπ' εὐφροσύνῃ πάσης τῆς γῆς, εὖ καὶ καλῶς καὶ παγίως ἐδείματο. Ὠκοδόμησε γὰρ αὐτὴν, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος ἀκρογω νιαίου αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν μακάριον ἔφη Πέτρον· "Καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς." Τὸ οὖν εὐριζῶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ παγίως θεμελιῶν· ὥστε αὐ τὴν ἀτρεμῆ καὶ ἀσάλευτον διαμεῖναι. "Ὄρη Σιὼν τὰ πλευρὰ τοῦ βοῤῥᾶ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ βασι λέως τοῦ μεγάλου." Καὶ μέντοι καὶ ὄρεσιν αὐτὴν περιέβαλεν, ὥστε τοῦ βοῤῥᾶ τὴν βλάβην διαφυ γεῖν. "Ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκκαυθήσεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν·" καὶ πάλιν, τὸν βοῤῥὰν ἐκδιώξω ἀφ' ὑμῶν· καὶ τὸ Σιὼν δὲ ὄνομα ἐπὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἐδέξατο πόλεως. "Προσεληλύθατε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὄρει Σιὼν, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ." Ὄρη δὲ τὰτὸν βοῤῥὰν ἐξελαύνοντα, καὶ φυλάττοντα τὴν πόλιν ἀλώβητον, εἴποι ἄν τις εἰκότως ἀποστόλους καὶ προ φήτας, καὶ τὰς παντοδαπὰς ἐκείνων διδασκαλίας, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας τοῖς πεπιστευκό σιν ἀγγέλους. "Παρεμβαλεῖ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄγγελος Κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν, καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς." δʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς βάρεσιν αὐτῆς γινώσκεται, ὅταν ἀντιλαμβάνηται αὐτῆς." Μία μέν ἐστι κατὰ πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν Ἐκκλησία· διὸ προσευ 80.1213 χόμενοι λέγομεν, Ὑπὲρ ἁγίας καὶ μόνης καθολικῆς καὶ ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἀπὸ περάτων ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης. ∆ιῄρηται δὲ πάλιν αὕτη κατὰ πόλεις, καὶ κώμας, καὶ ἀγρούς· ἃς βάρεις ὁ προφητικὸς προσηγόρευσε λόγος. Ὥσπερ ἑκάστη πόλις πολλὰς ἔνδοθεν οἰκίας ἔχει διῃρημένας, μία δὲ ὅμως ὀνομάζεται πόλις· οὕτω μυρίαι καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρείττους εἰσὶν ἐκκλησίαι, καὶ ἐν νήσοις, καὶ ἐν ἠπεί ροις· εἰς μίαν δὲ κοινῇ πᾶσαι τελοῦσι τῇ συμφωνίᾳ τῶν ἀληθῶν ἡνωμέναι δογμάτων. Ἐν ταύταις ἔφη τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν ἐπιφαίνεσθαι, τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπικου ρίαν ὀρέγοντα· "Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς βάρεσιν αὐτῆς γινώσκεται, ὅταν ἀντιλαμβάνηται αὐτῆς." Εἶτα τὰς ἐσομένας ἐπαναστάσεις προλέγει, καὶ τὴν τῶν πολεμίων μεταβολήν. εʹ, ʹ. "Ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς συνήχθη σαν, διήλθοσαν