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to him who took captive those oppressed by Satan and freed them from his tyrannical cruelty, having given his soul as a ransom for many. In this way he ransomed all. For since not all come to him willingly and of their own accord, he still takes even the disobedient to dwell with him. For many, disobeying the call of the gospel, drawn by sickness and other circumstance. But sometimes also through visions they came to dwell with Jesus. 696a Ps 67,19d.20 With so many benefactions having been done by the Lord, how could they not bless the one of such great things and the cause of so many goods, and bless him, not sometimes yes and sometimes no? but every day, mixing prayer with blessing, they ask to be made to prosper by God who offers salvations. But he is blessed not by receiving blessings but by giving them. For as he is good, not by becoming good but by making others good, and holy, making others holy, not being made holy; so also he is blessed, being the source of every blessing. 697a Ps 67,21.22 If the preceding things are said concerning common death, there are countless ways known to all leading to common death; but if it is also signified here concerning living according to God and the death opposed to this, our God being the Savior is a God of saving. For he becomes the cause of eternal salvation. For he says about himself, "There is no savior besides me." Just as therefore God is of saving, so also the ways out of death belong to him as Lord, who always provides ways out through which one exits, through repentance, from the death that follows sin. For the devil also is thus named in the phrase, "Death having prevailed swallowed up." And he provides the ways out of death to the one who has been lifted up from the gates of death. And the heads of enemies are either the rulers or the ruling faculties, as in the phrase, "From the head of the rulers of the nations"; and the ruling faculty in the phrase, "Their ways I have given upon their heads," and in the phrase, "Your hands are upon your head." And perhaps the phrase "You have cast death upon the heads of the lawless" signifies both, with God doing good so that they may no longer live wickedly, the life according to sin having been circumscribed. And these, being enemies from sinning, proceed in their transgressions. 698a Ps 67,25 And it should be noted that holy scripture also, in the case of Moses, uses the name of "contemplation." For the ways of God are not comprehended by sight but by a pious and right mind. 699a Ps 67,26 As singers must be called those who achieve the practical life, and consistently, as young women playing timbrels must be taken the souls that have put to death the members that are upon the earth and carry about in their own body the dying of Jesus. These singers were preceded by the rulers according to teaching, because they themselves also began from practical virtue. but they are also in the midst of the young women, who because they are at the beginning of playing the timbrel, that is, of putting to death the members that are upon the earth, are called young women. The rulers preceding the singers are the apostles. 700a Ps 67,27 The springs of Israel are the legal and prophetic writings. For from these springs the Lord is blessed by those who are able to draw water with gladness from them, being springs of salvation. And this is what Jesus spoke of, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, will have in himself a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And through this must be refuted those who separate the old writing from the new, as they are not able in the churches to bless God, not having the springs of Israel nor their Lord, since they dare to divide even the Godhead itself. 701a Ps 67,29.30 Command your power over all things, O Creator, so that having come among us it may loose the weakness of men. And it will loose it, coming to us from your temple, the one fashioned for our sake having been strengthened. and this is the birth of Emmanuel by your Word becoming flesh. by this power which is God the Word

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αἰχμαλωτεύσαντι τοὺς καταδυναστευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ καὶ ἐλευθεροῦντι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ὠμότητος αὐτοῦ τῆς τυραννικῆς, λυτρὸν δεδωκότι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ πολλῶν. τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ἐλυτρώσατο πάντας. ἐπεὶ γὰρ μὴ πάντες ἑκουσίως καὶ αὐθαιρέτως ερχονται πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας ετι λαμβάνει ἐπὶ τῷ κατασκηνῶσαι παρ' αὐτῷ. πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀπειθοῦντες τῇ κλήσει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, ἑλκυσθέντες ὑπὸ νόσου καὶ αλλου περιστάσεως. εστι δ' οτε καὶ δι' ὁραμάτων ηλθον εἰς τὸ κατασκηνῶσαι παρὰ τῷ ̓Ιησοῦ. 696a Ps 67,19δ.20 Τοσούτων εὐεργεσιῶν γενομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, πῶς οὐκ εμελλον τὸν τῶν τηλικούτων εὐλογεῖν καὶ τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν αιτιον, καὶ εὐλογεῖν μήποτε μὲν ου, ποτὲ δὲ ου; ἀλλὰ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν τῇ εὐλογίᾳ καταμίξαντες εὐχήν, αἰτοῦνται κατευοδωθήσεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ τὰς σωτηρίας ὀρέγοντος. εὐλόγητος δέ ἐστιν οὐ τῷ δέχεσθαι εὐλογίας ἀλλὰ τῷ διδόναι ταύτας. ὡς γὰρ ἀγαθός ἐστιν, οὐ γινόμενος ἀλλὰ ποιῶν ἀγαθούς, καὶ αγιος ἁγιάζων, οὐχ ἁγιαζόμενος· ουτω καὶ εὐλόγητός ἐστι, πηγὴ πάσης εὐλογίας ων. 697a Ps 67,21.22 Εἰ μὲν περὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ θανάτου λέγεται τὰ προκείμενα, μυρίαι εἰσὶν ὁδοὶ γνώριμοι πᾶσιν εἰς τὸν κοινὸν αγουσαι θάνατον· εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ κατὰ θεὸν ζῆν καὶ τοῦ ἐναντιουμένου τούτῳ θανάτου καὶ ἐνταῦθα σημαίνεται, θεὸς ἡμῶν ων ὁ σωτὴρ θεὸς τοῦ σῴζειν ἐστίν. γίνεται γὰρ αιτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου. λέγει γοῦν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ Σῴζων οὐκ εστι πάρεξ ἐμοῦ. Ωσπερ ουν τοῦ σῴζειν ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, ουτω καὶ αἱ διέξοδοι τοῦ θανάτου τυγχάνουσιν αὐτοῦ κυρίου οντος, παρέχοντος ἀεὶ διεξόδους δι' ων τις ἐξέρχεται διὰ μετανοίας τοῦ ἑπομένου τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ θανάτου. Καὶ ὁ διάβολος γὰρ ουτως ὠνόμασται ἐν τῷ Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας. παρέχει δὲ τὰς διεξόδους τοῦ θανάτου τῷ ὑψωθέντι ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου. κεφαλαὶ δὲ ἐχθρῶν η οἱ αρχοντες η τὰ ἡγεμονικά, ὡς ἐν τῷ ̓Απὸ κεφαλῆς ἀρχόντων ἐθνῶν· τὸ δὲ ἡγεμονικὸν ἐν τῷ Τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν εδωκα εἰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ τῷ Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς σου. ἀμφότερα δὲ ισως δηλοῖ τὸ Εβαλες εἰς κεφαλὰς ἀνόμων θάνατον, εὐεργετοῦντος θεοῦ οπως μὴ ζῶσιν ετι πονηρῶς περιγραφείσης τῆς καθ' ἁμαρτίαν ζωῆς. ἐχθροὶ δὲ ουτοι οντες ἐκ τοῦ πλημμελεῖν διαπορεύονται ἐν πλημμελείαις αὐτῶν. 698a Ps 67,25 Σημειωτέον δὲ οτι καὶ ἡ θεία γραφὴ ἐπὶ τῆς Μωσέως τὸ τῆς θεωρίας ονομα τάττει. οὐ γὰρ οψει αἱ πορεῖαι τοῦ θεοῦ καταλαμβάνονται ἀλλ' εὐσεβεῖ καὶ ὀρθῇ νοήσει. 699a Ps 67,26 Ψάλλοντας τοὺς τὸν πρακτικὸν κατορθοῦντας βίον λεκτέον, καὶ νεανίδας τυμπανιστρίας ἑπομένως ἐκληπτέον τὰς νεκρωσάσας τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἑαυτῶν περιφερούσας ψυχάς. τούτους τοὺς ψάλλοντας προέφθασαν οἱ κατὰ διδασκαλίαν αρχοντες τῷ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς ηρχθαι. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν μέσῳ νεανίδων εἰσὶν τῶν διὰ τὸ ἀρχὴν εχειν τοῦ τυμπανίζειν, τουτέστι νεκροῦν τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς νεανίδων εἰρημένων. αρχοντες προφθάνοντες τοὺς ψάλλοντάς εἰσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι. 700a Ps 67,27 Πηγαὶ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ αἱ νομικαὶ καὶ προφητικαὶ γραφαί. ἐκ τούτων γὰρ τῶν πηγῶν ὁ κύριος εὐλογεῖται πρὸς τῶν δυναμένων ἀντλεῖν ἐξ αὐτῶν σωτηρίου πηγῶν οὐσῶν μετ' εὐφροσύνης υδωρ. τοῦτο δ' ἐστὶ περὶ ου ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς ειπεν Ος δ' αν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ υδατος ου ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, εξει ἐν ἑαυτῷ πηγὴν υδατος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. ̓Ελεγκτέον δὲ διὰ τούτου τοὺς διακόπτοντας τὴν παλαιὰν γραφὴν ἀπὸ τῆς καινῆς, ὡς οὐ δύνανται ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖν τὸν θεόν, οὐκ εχοντες τὰς τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ πηγὰς οὐδὲ τὸν κύριον αὐτῶν ατε καὶ τὴν θεότητα αὐτὴν διαιρεῖν τολμῶντες. 701a Ps 67,29.30 Εντειλαι τῇ δυνάμει σου ἐπὶ πάντων, δημιουργέ, ιν' ἐπιδημήσασα λύσῃ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. λύσει δὲ αὐτὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐλθοῦσα ἀπὸ τοῦ ναοῦ σου, ἐνδυναμωθέντος τοῦ ἡμῶν ενεκα κατεργασθέντος. τοῦτο δ' ἐστὶ τὸ τεχθῆναι τὸν ̓Εμμανουὴλ τῷ γενέσθαι σάρκα τὸν λόγον σου. ταύτῃ τῇ δυνάμει θεῷ λόγῳ ουσῃ