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of his heralds, for all nations to make symbols of gladness, by clapping their hands as at the consummated wedding of a bridegroom and a bride; and by shouting to God, as when a king is acclaimed for victory over his enemies. And reasonably, after the Savior's victory over his enemies, having taken for himself a bride, that is, the Church, the Holy Spirit exhorts all to hasten to the festival. Therefore it cries out to all the nations throughout the world, saying: All you nations, clap your hands, shout to God with a voice of exultation. And the reason for the exhortation it teaches next, stating: For the Lord is most high, terrible, a great king over all the earth. For formerly the Lord himself, the Most High, reigned only over those in heaven; but he was unknown to those on earth, when demons held sway over men on earth; but now through the Beloved he has shone his grace upon those on earth, and the Most High himself has become terrible to those enemies who work the polytheistic error; for he has driven them all out, and has made them far from the flock of men. And when there was leisure, he was proclaimed great king of the nations over all the earth. Therefore the Word exhorts those who are ruled to clap their hands, that is, in works and deeds; as if to send forth voices worthy of the kingdom of the Most High, and it commands them to shout to him with a voice of exultation 23.416, so that they might praise him not only in works and life, but also in right doctrines and theologies. He has subjected the peoples to us, and the nations under our feet. He has chosen for us his inheritance, the beauty of Jacob, which he loved. That to the sons of Korah neither peoples were subjected, nor have nations been under their feet, is clear to everyone. Therefore these things are said as from the person of the apostles. For they, having been commanded by the Savior himself to make disciples of all nations, inspired by his power, undertaking the journey to all nations, went through even the barbarian tribes, and traversed the entire world. Reasonably, then, from their person these things are said to those who have received the preaching: For though the Lord proclaimed by us is not apprehended by body and eyes of flesh; yet by his work learn who and how great he is. Do you not see us, the heralds, who we are and what sort of lowly and unlearned men? Yet still the word through us is so powerful as to fill the entire world. From whence, then, is so great a power, which has subjected to us peoples, and nations under our feet, the former being the peoples who became obedient to our teaching; and the nations being those who still remain in unbelief; whom, having often risen up, and wishing to make war on us and the word proclaimed by us, the great King has subjected under our feet, so that we might come and tread upon them? Immediately, then, even though they were unwilling, we established Churches to our God in the midst of their cities and lands. And he chose for us his own inheritance, which he promised to his own Beloved, saying: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. This Church, therefore, from the nations, having chosen, he distributed to us, his apostles. For she is elect, having come into being by election from all the nations, and not by succession of race. But instead of, his inheritance, the others have rendered it, our inheritance, or, our allotment. For just as in the case of the former people, those with Jesus the son of Nun distributed the land of promise by lot, casting out the previous inhabitants, in the same way also the heralds of the kingdom of God, having gone through the entire world, took possession by lot of the aforesaid peoples, having driven out the unseen and invisible enemies. This inheritance the

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τῶν τούτου κηρύκων, πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐφροσύνης σύμβολα πράττειν, διὰ τοῦ κροτεῖν μὲν τὰς χεῖρας ὡς ἐπὶ γάμοις συντελουμένοις νυμφίου καὶ νύμφης· ἀλαλάζειν δὲ τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς ἐπὶ βασιλέως εὐφημουμένου ἐπὶ τῇ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων νίκῃ. Καὶ εἰκότως μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων νίκην τοῦ Σωτῆρος, νύμφην ἑαυτοῦ δηλαδὴ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἀπειληφότος, πάντας παρακαλεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑορτήν. ∆ιὸ βοᾷ πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔθνεσι λέγον· Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ἀλαλάξατε τῷ Θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. Τὸ δ' αἴτιον τῆς παρακελεύσεως διδάσκει ἑξῆς φάσκον· Ὅτι Κύριος ὕψιστος, φοβερὸς, βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. Πρότερον μὲν γὰρ Κύριος αὐτὸς ὁ ὕψιστος μόνων τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν ἐβασίλευεν· ἠγνοεῖτο δὲ τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτε δαίμονες ἐκράτουν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπων· νυνὶ δὲ διὰ τοῦ Ἀγαπητοῦ ἐπέλαμψε τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς τὴν αὐτοῦ χάριν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ὕψιστος, φοβερὸς γέγονεν ἐκείνοις τοῖς πολεμίοις τοῖς τὴν πολύθεον ἐνεργοῦσι πλάνην· πάντας γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἤλασε, καὶ μακρὰν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐποίησεν ἀγέλης. Σχολῆς δὲ γενομένης, βασιλεὺς μέγας τῶν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐθνῶν ἀνεκηρύττετο. ∆ιὸ τοῖς βασιλευομένοις κροτεῖν ταῖς χερσὶν ὁ λόγος παρακελεύεται, τουτέστιν ἔργοις καὶ πράξεσι· ὥσπερ εἰ φωνὰς ἀφιέναι ἀξίας τῆς τοῦ Ὑψίστου βασιλείας, καὶ ἀλαλάζειν δὲ αὐτῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως 23.416 προστάττει, ὡς ἂν μὴ μόνον ἔργοις καὶ βίῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δόγμασιν ὀρθοῖς καὶ θεολογίαις ἀνυμνεῖν αὐτόν. Ὑπέταξε τοὺς λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν. Ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ, τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ, ἣν ἠγάπησεν. Ὅτι τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ οὔτε λαοὶ ὑπετάγησαν, οὔτε ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν γεγένηνται, παντί τῳ δῆλον. Οὐκοῦν ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἀποστόλων ταῦτα εἴρηται. Οὗτοι γὰρ προσταχθέντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος μαθητεῦσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐμπνευσθέντες, τὴν εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη πορείαν στειλάμενοι, διῆλθον καὶ τὰ βάρβαρα φῦλα, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην διέδραμον σύμπασαν. Εἰκότως οὖν ἐξ αὐτῶν προσώπου τοῖς τὸ κήρυγμα παραδεξαμένοις λέγεται ταῦτα· Ὅτι εἰ καὶ μὴ σώματι καταλαμβάνεται καὶ σαρκὸς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁ ὑφ' ἡμῶν κηρυττόμενος Κύριος· ἀλλ' αὐτῷ ἔργῳ μάθετε τίς ποτέ ἐστι καὶ πηλίκος οὗτος. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοὺς κήρυκας ἡμᾶς τίνες ἐσμὲν καὶ ὁποῖοι ἄνδρες εὐτελεῖς καὶ ἰδιῶται; ὅμως γοῦν τοσοῦτον ὁ δι' ἡμῶν ἰσχύει λόγος, ὡς τὴν σύμπασαν οἰκουμένην πληρῶσαι. Πόθεν οὖν ἡ τοσαύτη δύναμις, ἡ ὑποτάξασα ἡμῖν λαοὺς καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν, τοὺς μὲν προτέρους λαοὺς τοὺς πειθηνίους γενομένους τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ διδασκαλίᾳ· τὰ δὲ ἔθνη τοὺς ἔτι ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ μείναντας· οὓς ἐπαναστάντας πολλάκις, καὶ πολεμῆσαι βεβουλημένους ἡμᾶς τε καὶ τὸν ὑφ' ἡμῶν κηρυττόμενον λόγον, ὁ μέγας Βασιλεὺς ὑπέταξε τοῖς ἡμετέροις ποσὶν, ὡς ἐπελθεῖν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπιβῆναι αὐτοῖς; Αὐτίκα δ' οὖν καὶ μὴ βουλομένων αὐτῶν ἡμεῖς ἐν μέσαις ταῖς αὐτῶν πόλεσί τε καὶ χώραις τῷ ἡμετέρῳ Θεῷ συνεστησάμεθα Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐξελέξατο δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτοῦ, ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Ἀγαπητῷ εἰπών· Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς. Ταύτην οὖν δηλαδὴ τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ ἐκλεξάμενος διένειμεν. Ἐκλεκτὴ γάρ ἐστιν αὕτη, κατ' ἐκλογὴν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ὑποστᾶσα, καὶ οὐ κατὰ διαδοχὴν γένους. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, κληρονομίαν ἑαυτοῦ, οἱ λοιποὶ, τὴν κληρονομίαν ἡμῶν, ἢ, τὴν κληρουχίαν ἡμῶν, ἐκδεδώκασιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ τὴν γῆν ἐπαγγελίας κλήρῳ διενείμαντο οἱ μετὰ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ, τοὺς πρὶν οἰκήτορας ἐκβάλλοντες, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας κήρυκες, τὴν σύμπασαν οἰκουμένην διελθόντες, κατεκληρώσαντο τοὺς προλεχθέντας λαοὺς, τοὺς ἀφανεῖς καὶ ἀοράτους πολεμίους ἐλάσαντες. Ταύτην τὴν κληρονομίαν τὴν