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giving of life will be understood according to common life, and the ascent from the abyss; for since afflictions, when prolonged, seem to cause death and bring one down to hades, when their causes come to an end, someone is made alive by God and is brought up from the abysses of the earth. The holy one says these things not from his own person but from that of the human race, which was tried by very many evils and affliction before the advent of the savior; after which trial, the lord returned to us and came and gave life, giving his own soul as a ransom for us, so that everyone who believes in him and accepts his teaching has eternal life, and he brought up from the abysses of the earth, that is, from hades, having been there after the laying aside of the body he had, for no other reason than to bring up those who had been brought down there on account of their own sins. 746 Ps 70,21 With "again" being added to "You brought me up from the abysses of the earth"—if the abyss signifies the submersion in circumstances (as it is interpreted), it follows to understand that one is often brought up from there by God who is always bestowing benefits (a testimony of this is what is said thus: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and the lord will deliver them from them all); but if the abyss is taken for hades, it is a difficult thing to say how someone is brought up from there "again"; for just as there is one entrance into life and one exit from it, it is necessary also for those who are separated from the body they had to be in hades once. Therefore, either "again" is superfluous, or it will obtain a consolation, but indeed nothing in the divine is superfluous or redundant. Therefore, its meaning will be of this sort: having given me life by your benefit, and also having multiplied your righteousness upon me, bestowing benefits again you brought me up from the abysses of the earth, by not only having given me life and having multiplied your righteousness upon me but also by bringing me up from the things below. 747 Ps 70,22.23 The psaltery is an instrument of a psalm, through which he says, "I will confess you," uttering with thanksgiving the truth according to which no one is like God, who gives life after evils and accomplishes every subsequent benefit. in addition to confessing the truth on an instrument of a psalm, he also promises to play the harp to God who is the Holy One of Israel. And he is called the Holy One of Israel as the one who sanctifies him; for just as if we say that there are holy ones of God, we present those who are sanctified by him, so when we call him holy, we signify that which is sanctified by him. And that this is so, pay attention to what is said about Christ: Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; for he became wisdom to the wise, righteousness to the justified, sanctification and redemption to the sanctified and redeemed. Not only here is God called the Holy One of Israel, but also in "You have provoked the Holy One of Israel," clearly by those who sin. The rational soul is redeemed, since Jesus has given his own soul, which is clearly also rational, as a ransom for it. For in the very way that, in redeeming the bodies of men, he himself gave a consubstantial body for them, so in redeeming rational souls he laid down a rational soul for them.

748 Ps 71 arg This psalm would not pertain to Solomon, the father of Rehoboam

but to the spiritual one so-called through the transference of the name; for it is interpreted in the Greek tongue as "peaceful." Who then is this but Jesus who says, "My peace I give to you"? Concerning him the theologian writes, "For he himself is our peace," and, "He preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near," having loosed the enmity that divided Greeks from Hebrews, so that one flock and one people might be formed from Gentiles and Jews. Thus being shown peaceful through the works which he accomplished, he is from David, the one born according to the flesh from a virgin.

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ζωοποίησις κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν ζωὴν ἐκληφθήσεται καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου ανοδος· ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὰ κακωτικὰ ἐκταθέντα θανατοῦν δοκεῖ καὶ καταβιβάζειν εἰς ᾳδην, οταν τέλος λάβῃ τὰ αιτια, ζωοποιεῖταί τις ὑπὸ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς ἀναβιβάζεται. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ ἰδίου προσώπου ὁ αγιος λέγει ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους πειραθέντος πλείστων οσων κακῶν καὶ θλίψεως πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας· μεθ' ην πεῖραν ἐπιστρέψας ὁ κύριος πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐλήλυθεν καὶ ἐζωοποίησεν δοὺς ἀνθ' ἡμῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν λύτρον ωστε πάντα τὸν πιστεύοντα εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ δεχόμενον τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ εχειν ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἀνήγαγεν δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς τουτέστι τοῦ ᾳδου γενόμενος ἐκεῖ μετὰ ἀπόθεσιν ου ειχεν σώματος οὐκ αλλου ενεκα η τοῦ ἀναγαγεῖν τοὺς ἐκεῖ καταχθέντας δι' ἁμαρτίας ἰδίας. 746 Ps 70,21 Προσκειμένου τῷ ̓Εκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς ἀνήγαγές με τοῦ πάλιν-εἰ μὲν ἡ αβυσσος σημαίνοι τὸν ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς βυθισμόν (ὡς ἑρμηνεύεται), ἀκόλουθον ἐκλαβεῖν ὡς πολλάκις εστιν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐκεῖθεν ἀναχθῆναι ἀεὶ εὐεργετοῦντος (μαρτύριον τούτου τὸ φερόμενον ουτως· Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ κύριος)· εἰ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ᾳδου ἡ αβυσσος παραληφθῇ, εργον εἰπεῖν πῶς πάλιν ἐκεῖθέν τις ἀνάγεται· ὡς γὰρ μία εισοδος εἰς τὸν βίον καὶ εξοδος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μία, ἀνάγκη καὶ τοὺς χωριζομένους τοῦ σώματος ου εσχον ἐν τῷ ᾳδῃ απαξ γίνεσθαι. Ητοι ουν παρέλκει τὸ πάλιν η παραμυθίας τεύξεται, ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲν τοῖς θείοις παρέλκον καὶ περιττόν. εσται αὐτοῦ αρα νόησις τοιαύτη· ζωοποιήσας με εὐεργεσίᾳ τῇ σῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου πλεονάσας ἐπ' ἐμέ, πάλιν εὐεργετῶν ἀνήγαγές με ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς τῷ μὴ μόνον ἐζωοποιηκέναι με καὶ πεπλεονακέναι σου τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἀναγαγεῖν με. 747 Ps 70,22.23 Σκεῦος ψαλμοῦ τὸ ψαλτήριον, δι' ου λέγει ̓Εξομολογήσομαί σοι, εὐχαριστικῶς προφέρων τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ καθ' ην οὐδεὶς ομοιος θεοῦ μετὰ τὰ κακὰ ζωοποιοῦντος καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἑπομένην εὐεργεσίαν τελοῦντος. πρὸς τὸ ἐξομολογήσασθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν σκεύει ψαλμοῦ καὶ ἐν κιθάρᾳ ψάλαι ὑπισχνεῖται τῷ θεῷ ὑπάρχοντι ἁγίῳ τοῦ ̓Ισραήλ. αγιος δὲ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ λέγεται ὡς ἁγιάζων αὐτόν· ωσπερ γὰρ ἐὰν λέγωμεν θεοῦ ἁγίους ειναι παριστῶμεν τοὺς πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἁγιαζομένους, ουτως αγιον αὐτὸν λέγοντες τίνος τὸ ἁγιαζόμενον σημαίνομεν. καὶ οτι τοῦθ' ουτως εχει, ἐπίστησον τῷ περὶ Χριστοῦ λεγομένῳ Ος ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις· γέγονε γὰρ σοφία τοῖς σοφοῖς, δικαιοσύνη τοῖς δικαιουμένοις, ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις τοῖς ἁγιαζομένοις καὶ ἀπολυτρουμένοις. οὐκ ἐνταῦθα μόνον αγιος τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ὁ θεὸς ειρηται ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ Παρωξύνατε τὸν αγιον τοῦ ̓Ισραήλ, δῆλον οτι οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες. Λυτροῦται ἡ λογικὴ ψυχή, λύτρον δεδωκότος τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καὶ αὐτὴν δηλονότι λογικὴν ουσαν. ονπερ γὰρ τρόπον λυτρούμενος τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων σῶμα ὁμοούσιον αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δέδωκεν, ουτως λυτρούμενος λογικὰς ψυχὰς λογικὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εθηκεν.

748 Ps 71 αργ Ουτος ὁ ψαλμὸς οὐ διενέγκοι τῷ πατρὶ τοῦ ̔Ροβοὰμ Σολομῶνι

ἀλλὰ τῷ πνευματικῷ ουτω καλουμένῳ διὰ τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος μετάληψιν· ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ ̔Ελλήνων φωνῇ εἰρηνικός. τίς δὲ ουτος ὑπάρχει η ὁ λέγων ̓Ιησοῦς Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν; περὶ τούτου ὁ θεολόγος γράφει Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, καὶ τὸ Εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην ὑμῖν τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς, λύσας τὴν εχθραν τὴν διαιροῦσαν Ελληνας ἀπὸ τῶν ̔Εβραίων ωστε μίαν ποίμνην καὶ ενα λαὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ̓Ιουδαίων συστῆναι. ουτως εἰρηνικὸς δεικνύμενος διὰ τῶν εργων ων ἐτέλεσεν ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυίδ ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ σάρκα γεννηθεὶς ἐκ παρθένου.