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pre-eternal, the same one who in the last days became the Son of Man unchangeably, as we say, for the salvation of men. 80.1376

INTERPRETATION OF THE 67TH PSALM 1. "To the end, a psalm for David." The divine David seeing the way of life

the impiety practiced among men, and the dominion of the devil, and having been taught by the all-holy Spirit the manifestation of our God and Savior, offers a supplication, asking that this happen as quickly as possible. And he immediately receives the revelation of things to come; and is taught at the same time, and teaches both the salvation of human nature, and the destruction of the enemies, and in short, the wondrous change of things. 2. "Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let those who hate Him flee from His face." It is time, he says, for you to arise, Master, and to accomplish the salvation of men; for immediately the entire throng of enemies will be turned to flight, being scattered by the splendor of your manifestation. But by "resurrection," as we have often said, he means not only the cessation of longsuffering, but also the rising of the Savior of the world after three days, when He accepted voluntary death on our behalf; Thus we also are often accustomed to stir up judges who exercise clemency to the aid of the wronged, asking them to rise up, and to put a stop to the audacity of the wrongdoers; 3. "As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; as wax melts before the face of fire, so let the sinners perish from the face of God." For just as the blast of the winds scatters smoke, and wax melts when it approaches the fire, so, Master, at your presence the enemies of men will utterly vanish. For those whom the Seventy have called sinners, all the other translators have named impious; and so also the Hebrew and the Syrian call them. 4. "And let the righteous be glad." When this happens, he says, the entire chorus of the righteous will be filled with delight. "Let them exult before God; let them be delighted with gladness." Through these words he showed that he did not offer that supplication against men, but against the demons who war against men. When these are scattered and vanish, the nations rejoice, and praise God who has saved them. 80.1377 5. "For sing, he says, to God; sing praises to His name; prepare the way for Him who rides upon the west. The Lord is His name, and exult before Him." Here the prophetic word instructs the holy apostles to run to the nations with dancing and hymnody, and to prepare the way for the king of all. These things are similar to what was said to them by the "Lord: "Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit." Through such discipleship, and the regeneration of baptism, the rough way was made smooth, and was prepared for God who willed to dwell in them, and walk among them according to the Prophet. And it says that he has ridden upon the west, indicating at that time the darkness that was poured over human souls. However, Symmachus interpreted this as, Prepare a way for him who rides in an uninhabited land. And the uninhabited is the desert, and the divine Scripture often called the nations a desert; "For rejoice, it says, thirsty desert." And again; that "Many are the children of the desolate, more than of her who has a husband." Of this desert, and uninhabited place, and one deprived of light, and for this reason called the west, the Sun of righteousness has mounted, and drove out the gloom, and made the uninhabited place His own temple. "Let them be troubled from His face. [6.] Of the father of orphans, and judge of widows." For they cannot bear His

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προαιώνιον, τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ἡμερῶν Υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου γενόμενον ἀτρέπτως, ὥς φαμεν, διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν. 80.1376

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΞΖʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, τῷ ∆αβὶδ ψαλμός." Ὁρῶν ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ τὴν πολιτευομένην

παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις ἀσέβειαν, καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν ἐπικράτειαν, δι δαχθεὶς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, ἱκετείαν προσφέρει, ταύτην ὡς τάχιστα γενέσθαι παρακαλῶν. Καὶ δέχεται παραυτίκα τῶν γενησομένων τὴν ἀπο κάλυψιν· καὶ διδάσκεται κατὰ ταυτὸν, καὶ διδάσκει τῆς τε ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως τὴν σωτηρίαν, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὸν ὄλεθρον, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς, τὴν παρά δοξον τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολήν. βʹ. "Ἀναστήτω ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ διασκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ φυγέτωσαν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐ τοῦ οἱ μισοῦντες αὐτόν." Καιρὸς, φησὶν, ἀναστῆ ναί σε, ∆έσποτα, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πραγμα τεύσασθαι σωτηρίαν· παραυτίκα γὰρ ἅπαν εἰς φυ γὴν τραπήσεται τῶν πολεμίων τὸ στίφος, τῇ τῆς σῆς ἐπιφανείας σκεδαννύμενον αἴγλῃ. Ἀνάστασιν δὲ, ὡς πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, οὐ μόνον τὴν τῆς μακρο θυμίας παῦλαν καλεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀναστῆναι τὸν Σωτῆρα τοῦ κόσμου διὰ τριῶν ἡμερῶν, ὅτε τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἑκούσιον κατεδέξατο θάνατον· Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς πολλάκις τοὺς ἐπιεικείᾳ χρωμένους δικαστὰς εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἐπικουρίαν διεγείρειν εἰώ θαμεν, διαναστῆναι παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ τῶν ἀδικούν των καταπαῦσαι τὸ θράσος· γʹ. "Ὡς ἐκλείπει καπνὸς, ἐκλειπέτωσαν· ὡς τή κεται κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς, οὕτως ἀπολοῦν ται οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ." Κα θάπερ γὰρ τὸν μὲν καπνὸν σκεδάννυσι τῶν ἀνέμων ἡ προσβολὴ, ὁ δὲ κηρὸς λύεται τῷ πυρὶ προσπε λάζων, οὕτω, ∆έσποτα, τῇ σῇ παρουσίᾳ φροῦδοι γενήσονται παντελῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ δυσμενεῖς. Οὓς γὰρ ἁμαρτωλοὺς οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα εἰρήκασιν, ἀσεβεῖς ὠνόμασαν οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ἑρμηνευταί· οὕτω δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος, καὶ ὁ Σύρος κα λεῖ. δʹ. "Καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι εὐφρανθήτωσαν." Τούτου δὲ, φησὶ, γινομένου, θυμηδίας ἐμφορηθήσεται ἅπας ὁ τῶν δικαίων χορός. "Ἀγαλλιάσθωσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ· τερφθήτωσαν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ." Ἔδειξε διὰ τούτων, ὡς οὐ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐκείνην τὴν ἱκετείαν προσήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πο λεμούντων δαιμόνων. Ὧν σκεδαννυμένων καὶ φρού δων γενομένων, ἀγάλλεται τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τὸν σεσω κότα Θεὸν ἀνυμνεῖ. 80.1377 εʹ. "Ἄσατε γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Θεῷ· ψάλατε τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ· ὁδοποιήσατε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυ σμῶν. Κύριος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ." Ἐνταῦθα ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τοῖς ἱε ροῖς ἀποστόλοις παρεγγυᾷ μετὰ χορείας καὶ ὑμν ωδίας εἰς τὰ ἔθνη δραμεῖν, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν εὐτρεπίσαι τῷ τῶν ὅλων παμβασιλεῖ. Ἔοικε δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ "Κυρίου πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰρημένοις· "Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος." ∆ιὰ δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης μαθητείας, καὶ τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος παλιγγενεσίας, λεῖα ἐγένετο ἡ τραχεῖα ὁδὸς, καὶ εὐτρεπίζετο τῷ ἐνοικῆσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐμπεριπατῆσαι κατὰ τὸν Προφήτην, βου λομένῳ Θεῷ. Ἐπὶ δυσμῶν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπιβεβηκέναι φησὶ, τὸ κατακεχυμένον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν σκότος τηνικαῦτα παραδηλῶν. Τοῦτο μέντοι ὁ Σύμ μαχος ἡρμήνευσε, Καταστρώσατε ὁδὸν τῷ ἐπ οχουμένῳ ἐν γῇ ἀοικήτῳ. Ἀοίκητος δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἔρη μος, ἔρημον δὲ τὰ ἔθνη πολλάκις ἡ θεία Γραφὴ προσ ηγόρευσεν· "Εὐφράνθητι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔρημος διψῶσα." Καὶ πάλιν· ὅτι "Πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον, ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα." Ταύτης τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ ἀοικήτου, καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐστερη μένης, καὶ τούτου χάριν δύσεως ὠνομασμένης, ἐπ έβη τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁ Ἥλιος, καὶ τὸν ζόφον ἐξήλασε, καὶ ναὸν οἰκεῖον εἰργάσατο τὴν ἀοίκητον. "Ταραχθήτωσαν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. [ʹ.] Τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὀρφανῶν, καὶ κριτοῦ τῶν χηρῶν." Οὐ φέρουσι γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν