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with the oil of gladness; who, once taking Isaiah into his hands, at the time when he had become man, and reading the passage before him, closed the book, and said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled,” for he was truly the one sent from the Father to preach the good news of the kingdom of heaven to the poor in spirit, to whom he also said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;” and to heal the brokenhearted, of whom it is said, “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” In addition to these things, he also came to proclaim release to those long held captive by the spiritual Nebuchadnezzar (release sic); wherefore he also said with confidence to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven you;” but also he came to give sight to those whose eyes of the mind had been harmed, and who had been blinded by the spiritual foreigners and Babylonians, like Samson and Zedekiah; and among those healed by him were also the physically blind, whom he caused to see again when they believed in him, and said with a cry, 230 “Have mercy on us, Son of David;” This is he who proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, which he preached after the imprisonment of John in the prison, and who taught the things concerning the kingdom of God, and concerning our judgment, in which to each will be rendered justice according to his deeds. In addition to these things he came to comfort those who mourn the praiseworthy mourning according to God; to whom he also promised a blessing, saying, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He came, in addition to these things, also that glory might be given to those who mourn for Zion. And who might these be, but those seeking their own homeland, and ever rekindling the memory of the heavenly city; such as he who, knowing himself to be a sojourner and stranger upon the earth, lamented with “Woe is me,” “that my sojourning is prolonged;” and further, those who weep by the rivers of Babylon when they remember Zion; for to these, therefore, the Christ of God, fulfilling the comfort which he promised to those who mourn, will give glory when they are delivered from mourning, and instead of the ashes with which they covered themselves while mourning in this life, he will provide an ointment of gladness, anointing them also with the oil of gladness, so that they may become partakers of his anointing and kingdom, so that they too may say, “for we have become partakers of Christ.” Further, in addition to these things, it is prophesied that Christ will give to those who mourn for Zion a mantle of glory, instead of a spirit of despondency, because they were despondent at the affairs of this life, as if displeased with the deeds of men; 231 and mourning especially for this reason, not only because they behold the promises of God from afar, but also because out of sympathy and love for humanity they suffer with and grieve with their own weak members, and all but cry out with the disposition of the apostle, in the words, “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?” Ps. 32. Let my soul rejoice in the Lord, for he has clothed me with a garment of salvation, and with a tunic of gladness; he has placed on me a miter as on a bridegroom, and as a bride he has adorned me with an ornament. And as the earth brings forth its flower, and as a garden causes its seeds to spring up, so the Lord Lord will cause righteousness to spring up, and gladness before all the nations. The soul of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which he said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful,” and, “Now is my soul troubled,” rejoices and is glad in no created thing, but only in the Father and Lord; for he indeed clothed him with the garment of divinity, and the tunic of true and perfect gladness; but on the one hand he was the bridegroom of the church, the bride without spot or wrinkle, he placed a miter on her as on a bridegroom, and on the other hand the bride of the divinity above reproach, whom he himself adorned as a bride with the fitting spirit to the Lord ou

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τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως ἐλαίῳ· ὃς καὶ λαβὼν ποτὲ μετὰ χεῖρας τὸν Ἡσαίαν καθ' ὃν καὶ ἐνηνθρωπήκει χρόνον, ἀναγνούς τε τὴν προκειμένην περικοπὴν, πτύξας τὸ βιβλίον, φησὶ, σήμερον πεπλήρωται ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη, αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀποσταλεὶς, εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν τοῖς τῷ πνεύματι πτωχοῖς, πρὸς οὓς καὶ ἔφασκεν, Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ ἰᾶσθαι τοὺς τὴν καρδίαν συντετριμμένους, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται, καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ κηρῦξαι ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐλήλυθεν τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ νοητῶν τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν (sic) πάλαι γεγενημένοις· διὸ καὶ θάρρων ἔλεγε τῷ παραλυτικῷ, τέκνον ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοὺς βεβλαμμένοις, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν νοητῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ Βαβυλωνίων ὁμοίως τῷ Σαμψὼν καὶ τῷ Σεδεκίᾳ ἐκτυφλωθεῖσιν, ἀνάβλεψιν ἐλήλυθε παρέξων· ἐν μέρει δὲ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ θεραπευομένων ἦσαν καὶ οἱ σωματικοὶ τυφλοὶ, οὓς ἀναβλέψαι πεποίηκε πιστεύσαντας εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ μετὰ βοῆς εἰρηκότας, 230 ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, υἱὲ ∆αυίδ· οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ καλέσας τὸν δεκτὸν ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦ Κυρίου, ὃν ἐκήρυξεν μετὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον τοῦ Ἰωάννου κάθειρξιν, καὶ ὁ διδάξας τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας κρίσεως, ἐν ᾗ ἑκάστῳ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἡ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀποδοθήσεται δίκη. Πρὸς τούτοις δ' ἐλήλυθεν παρακαλέσαι τοὺς πενθοῦντας τὸ κατὰ Θεὸν ἐπαινετὸν πένθος· οἷς καὶ μακαρισμὸν ἐπήγγελται εἰπὼν, Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Ἦλθεν δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ δοθῆναι τοῖς πενθοῦσιν Σιὼν δόξαν. Τίνες δ' ἂν εἶεν καὶ οὗτοι, ἢ οἱ τὴν ἑαυτῶν πατρίδα ζητοῦντες, καὶ τῆς ἐπουρανίου πόλεως εἰσαεὶ τὴν μνήμην ἀναζωπυροῦντες· οἷος ἦν ἐκεῖνος, ὃς πάροικον καὶ παρεπίδημον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἑαυτὸν ἐπιστάμενος, καὶ τὸ οἴμοι ἀνοιμώζων, ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη· ἔτι τε οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος κλαίοντες ἐν τῷ μνησθῆναι αὐτοὺς τῆς Σιών· τούτοις γὰρ οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ πληρῶν ἣν τοῖς πενθοῦσι ὑπέσχετο παράκλησιν, δόξαν ἀποδώσει ἀπαλλαγεῖσι τοῦ πένθους, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς σποδοῦ ἧς ἐκονίσαντο κατὰ τὸν ἐνταῦθα βίον πενθήσαντες, ἄλειμμα εὐφροσύνης παρέξει, χρίων καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως, ἵνα γένωνται τῆς αὐτοῦ μέτοχοι χρίσεώς τε καὶ βασιλείας, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν, μέτοχοι γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγόναμεν. Ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις δώσειν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῖς πενθοῦσι Σιὼν προφητεύεται καταστολὴν δόξης, ἀντὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἀκηδίας, ἐπὶ εὶ τοῖς τοῦ βίου πράγμασιν ἠκηδίασαν, ὥσπερ δυσαρεστούμενοι ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράξεσι· 231 καὶ ταύτῃ μάλιστα πενθοῦντες, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ πόρρωθεν θεωρεῖν τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ συμπαθὲς καὶ φιλάνθρωπον συμπάσχοντες καὶ συναλγοῦντες τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν ἑαυτῶν μέλεσι, καὶ μονονουχὶ βοῶντες τῇ τοῦ ἀποστόλου διαθέσει, τῷ, τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; Ψ. ΛΒʹ. Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἐνέδυσε γάρ με ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου, καὶ χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης, περιέθηκέ μοι ὡς νυμφίῳ μίτραν, καὶ ὡς νύμφην κατεκόσμησέ με κόσμῳ. Καὶ ὡς γῆν αὔξουσαν τὸ ἄνθος αὐτῆς, καὶ ὡς κῆπος τὰ σπέρματα αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει, οὕτως ἀνατελεῖ Κύριος Κύριος δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἀγαλλίαμα ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ψυχὴ, περὶ ἧς ἔλεγεν τὸ, περίλυπός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ τὸ, νῦν ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται, ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν γενητῶν ἀγαλλιᾷ καὶ εὐφραίνεται, ἢ ἐπὶ μόνῳ τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ Κυρίῳ· ἐνέδυσε γάρ τοι αὐτὸν τὸ τῆς θεότητος ἱμάτιον, καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀληθοῦς καὶ τελείας εὐφροσύνης χιτῶνα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ὁ μὲν νυμφίος ὑπῆρχεν τῆς μὴ ἐχούσης σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα νύμφης ἐκκλησίας, ὡς νυμφίῳ μίτραν αὐτῇ ῷ περιέθηκεν, ἡ δὲ νύμφη τῆς ἀνωτάτω τοῦ ψόγου θεότητος, ἣν ὡς νύμφην αὐτὴν κατεκόσμησε τῷ πρέποντι πνεύματι Κυρίῳ ου