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For it is written about him, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David. 749a Ps 71,2 To judge your people with righteousness (that is, those of the circumcision) and your poor with judgment; and these are those from the nations coming to the gospel, named poor on account of the poverty from unbelief and wickedness. But if the poor of God can be the humble in spirit according to 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' consider. 750 Ps 71,3 He commands the more magnificent, called mountains and hills because of the height of virtue, to receive peace for the people. And if the mountains and hills happen to be archangels and angels, the whole race of men is the people towards whom they are called to make peace, since Jesus through the blood of the cross made peace between the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, when those on the earth were formerly at variance through wickedness with those in the heavens. Since, therefore, the crucified one, the lamb of God, has been sacrificed, that he might take away the sin of the world, the sin of those on earth having been loosed, peace is made between the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, joy arising in the heavens before the angels over those who repent from sin. But if Moses and the prophets are signified by the mountains and hills, let them receive peace for the people from the nations who had been unbelieving, knowing that they themselves proclaimed this calling beforehand. Then, since even of those who have virtue some have it more, and others less, those who have it more, as having been exalted further in practice and knowledge of the truth, must be called mountains, with the inferior ones being named hills. 751 Ps 71,4 And the work of the one who received the judgment and the righteousness from God is to judge the poor of the people. These are those who hold to the letter and the shadow of the law, always named poor for not having the keenly-seeing wealth according to the spiritual law, which those from the Jews who believed have, of whom are also the apostles. In addition to this he also brings salvation to the sons of the needy; and these are those who have come from idolatry to the faith of Jesus, since those who begot them were needy in superstition. Therefore he will save not them who remained in the polytheistic error but their sons who repented. When these have been delivered and saved by the judge who came to save, he who oppresses all with slander is humbled, so as to be crushed under the feet of the saints. For to the just man it is said, 'And you will tread upon the lion and the dragon,' and to a man (every slanderer), if it should be said, 'He will turn away slanders'. 752 Ps 71,5 The same as 'He will endure with the sun' is what was said to him, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,' and 'Before the moon, for generations of generations' is the same as 'Before the age he founded me'. 'He will endure with the sun' is said also concerning the flesh which he united to himself, animated with a rational and intellectual soul; for it endures with the sun of righteousness on account of the indivisible union. But also before the moon, which has an analogy to the intelligible sun, there exists a generation of generations because through him and in him is established the church, composed of all men who have a generation. For these have their existence from generation to generation by succession. From the Song of Songs the church is presented as the moon; it is called thus: 'Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice?' 753a Ps 71,6 Just as the rain coming upon the earth is a cause of fruitfulness, so the advent of the savior to men has happened for the sake of the fruits of righteousness. And it must be said that the fleece signifies Israel, and the earth indicates the nations. Since first it came down upon the fleece, then from there upon the earth. For when Israel disobeyed, so as not to receive the one who had come, a transfer of the rain to the earth occurred, so that all the men on it are moistened, or rather, watered by the drops, in order to bring forth spiritual fruits. 754 Ps 71,7 In the days of the

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γέγραπται γοῦν περὶ αὐτοῦ Βίβλος γενέσεως ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ. 749a Ps 71,2 Κρίνειν δὲ τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ (τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς δηλονότι) καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς σου ἐν κρίσει· ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ προσερχόμενοι πτωχοὶ ὠνομασμένοι διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀπιστίας καὶ κακίας πενίαν. εἰ δὲ δύνανται πτωχοὶ ειναι θεοῦ οἱ μέτριοι τὴν γνώμην κατὰ τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, συνεπίσκεψαι. 750 Ps 71,3 Προστάττει τοῖς μεγαλοφυεστέροις δι' ἀρετῆς υψος ορεσι καὶ βουνοῖς καλουμένοις πρὸς τὸν λαὸν εἰρήνην ἀναλαβεῖν. καὶ εἰ μὲν ορη καὶ βουνοὶ ἀρχάγγελοι καὶ αγγελοι τυγχάνουσι, πᾶν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος λαός ἐστι πρὸς ους εἰρηνεῦσαι καλοῦνται, ἐπείπερ ̓Ιησοῦς διὰ τοῦ αιματος τοῦ σταυροῦ εἰρηνοποίησε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πρότερον διαστασιαζόντων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ κακίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ σταυρωθεὶς ῃ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τέθυται, ιν' αιρῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου λυθείσης τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, εἰρηνοποιεῖται τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, γινομένης χαρᾶς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς εμπροσθεν ἀγγέλων ἐπὶ τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας. εἰ δὲ Μωυσῆς καὶ οἱ προφῆται σημαίνονται διὰ τῶν ὀρῶν καὶ βουνῶν, πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν ἀπιστεύσαντα εἰρήνην ἀναλαβέτωσαν εἰδότες οτι αὐτοὶ περὶ τῆς κλήσεως ταύτης προανεφώνησαν. Ειτ' ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἀρετὴν ἐχόντων οἱ μὲν μᾶλλον, οἱ δ' ηττον αὐτὴν εχουσιν, τοὺς μᾶλλον εχοντας ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖον διαρθέντας πράξει καὶ γνώσει τῆς ἀληθείας ορη λεκτέον τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων χρηματιζόντων βουνῶν. 751 Ps 71,4 Εργον δὲ τοῦ λαβόντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ κρίμα καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὸ κρίνειν τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ. Ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ τῷ γράμματι καὶ τῇ σκιᾷ τοῦ νόμου ἐπανέχοντες, ἀεὶ πτωχοὶ ὠνομασμένοι τῷ μὴ ἐσχηκέναι τὸν κατὰ πνευματικὸν νόμον ὀξὺ βλέποντα πλοῦτον, ἐχόντων αὐτὸν τῶν ἀπὸ ̓Ιουδαίων πιστευσάντων ων εἰσι καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι. πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ σωτηρίαν φέρει ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων· ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ ἐξ εἰδωλολατρίας ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ ἐληλυθότες, τῶν γεννησάντων αὐτοὺς κατὰ δεισιδαιμονίαν πενήτων οντων. διὸ οὐκ αὐτοὺς καταμείναντας ἐν τῇ πολυθέῳ πλάνῃ ἀλλὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν μεταγνόντας σώσει. τούτων ῥυσθέντων καὶ σωθέντων πρὸς τοῦ κριτοῦ καὶ σῶσαι ἐληλυθότος ταπεινοῦται ὁ πάντας καταδυναστεύων ἐν συκοφαντίᾳ ὡς ὑπὸ πόδας τῶν ἁγίων συντριβῆναι. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν δίκαιον ειρηται Καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα, καὶ πρὸς ανδρα δὲ (πάντα δὲ συκοφάντην), εἰ λέγοιτο, ̓Αποστρέψει συκοφαντίας. 752 Ps 71,5 Ταὐτὸν τῷ Παραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ ο πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρημένον Σὺ ει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ, καὶ τὸ Πρὸ τῆς σελήνης γενεὰς γενεῶν ταὐτὸν τῷ Πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέ με. λέγεται τὸ Συμπαραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ης ηνωσεν ἑαυτῷ τῆς ἐμψυχωμένης ψυχῇ λογικῇ τε καὶ νοερᾷ· συμπαραμένει γὰρ τῷ ἡλίῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης διὰ τὴν ἀδιαίρετον ενωσιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης τῆς ἀναλογίαν ἐχούσης πρὸς τὸν νοητὸν ηλιον ὑπάρχει γενεὰ γενεῶν τῷ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἱδρῦσθαι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συγκειμένην ἐκ πάντων τῶν γενεὰν ἐχόντων ἀνθρώπων. ουτοι γὰρ ἐκ γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς κατὰ διαδοχὴν υπαρξιν εχουσιν. παρίσταται ἐκ τοῦ Αισματος τῶν ᾀσμάτων ὡς σελήνη ἡ ἐκκλησία· χρηματίζει ουτως· Τίς αυτη ἐκκύπτουσα ὡσεὶ ορθρος, καλὴ ὡς σελήνη ἐκλεκτή; 753a Ps 71,6 Ωσπερ ὁ ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐρχόμενος εὐκαρπίας αιτιος, ουτως ἡ ἐπιδημία τοῦ σωτῆρος πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους γενημάτων δικαιοσύνης ενεκα γεγένηται. ῥητέον δὲ ὡς ὁ μὲν πόκος τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ σημαίνει, ἡ δὲ γῆ τὰ εθνη δηλοῖ. ἐπεὶ πρότερον ἐπὶ πόκον κατῆλθεν, ειτ' ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. ἀπειθήσαντος γὰρ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ὡς μὴ δέξασθαι τὸν ἐληλυθότα, μετάβασις ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ ὑετοῦ γέγονεν ὡς πάντας τοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἀνθρώπους ὑγραίνεσθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ ποτίζεσθαι ἐκ τῶν σταγόνων ἐπὶ τῷ ἀγαγεῖν καρποὺς πνευματικούς. 754 Ps 71,7 ̓Εν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ