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we have sinned, saying; for to sin still is contrary to the one who is repenting. 820 Ps 78,8b-9a We have become exceedingly poor, having fallen from the wealth of virtue and knowledge, O Master; therefore we beseech you to deem us worthy of your pity, not in the future but already and quickly. For you are the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, and your mercies are sufficient to show us as rich again. And this will come to pass for us most easily, with you helping and saving; for already many times we have experienced you helping and as a savior. 821 Ps 78,9b-10 Even if we are not worthy to be treated well because sins are about us, yet since your name has been called upon us (for we are your inheritance and your people), be merciful to our sins, so that your name may be glorified. For we cannot bear the reproach of the nations who say, "Where is their God?" For they rule over us wherein we have sinned, and they also reproach your name, thinking you have been defeated by their having us in subjection. 822 Ps 78,11 And for a figurative interpretation: those bound by the chains of their own sins are fettered, but becoming conscious of the weight of the fetters which they wear, by which they are hindered both from running to salvation and from performing things that contribute to happiness, they groan, lamenting themselves. Therefore they also pray that their groaning, having been made known to God, may enter into his presence. For thus he will be moved to assent by his own goodness to break their bonds; for the Lord releases the fettered. And he will preserve them for a blessed life, acting according to the greatness of God the Word who is his arm, so that, even if they appeared to men as sons of those who have been put to death, they may yet be shown to be children of the living. For their fathers, who were put to death by the enemies, are living with the Lord, being his holy ones and servants. 823 Ps 78,12 Since the number seven has the symbol of rest, they wish the retribution to be brought on for the circumscribing of their impiety, by which they reproached God and behaved cruelly toward his servants. For those who know God to be good do not wish punishments to be brought on for the destruction of the punished, but for the cessation of those works which are necessarily followed by penalty. And the sabbatical number is a symbol of inactivity. 824 Ps 78,13 Since we are called your people and sheep feeding in your pasture, concerning which it is said "He will come in and go out and find pasture" (clearly, the sheep of Christ), the benefits we have asked, do according to your greatness, for which, as if already present, we will give thanks to you throughout our life; for this is what "forever" signifies in the present context. But if the usual meaning of "age" is also taken, you will say that one must give thanks to God not only in the present but also in the future life. And "to generation and generation" can be said more simply instead of "And for more years and successions of men." But more mystically you will say, in the present and in the future life, or in both generations, both that from circumcision and that from the calling of the nations, so that these too may learn to hymn God.

825 Ps 79,2-4 The shepherd of Israel is none other than the one who said, "I am the

good shepherd," shepherding those who have a mind that sees God. And he also leads those from the nations who are added like sheep, that is, like his own sheep, the Israelites; for Joseph, being interpreted "addition of the Lord," signifies those from the nations who are added to those from the circumcision. And it was a custom for the ancients to assign the term "shepherd" only to the gentle, instead of the title of kings. Indeed, for the most part, they even came from being shepherds to be kings, having been accustomed beforehand to rule and to lead among the flocks of the more humble animals, so that having advanced they might cross over to leading peoples as well. But he who sits upon the cherubim is the Lord, as in the

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ἠνομήσαμεν λέγοντες· ἐναντίον γὰρ τῷ μετανοοῦντι τὸ ετι ἁμαρτάνειν. 820 Ps 78,8b-9a ̓Επτωχεύσαμεν σφόδρα πεσόντες ἀπὸ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώσεως, δέσποτα· οθεν παρακαλοῦμεν καταξιῶσαι οἰκτειρῆσαι ἡμᾶς, μὴ εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἀλλ' ηδη καὶ ταχέως. πατὴρ γὰρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν ει καὶ θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως, καὶ ἱκανοὶ οἱ οἰκτιρμοί σου πάλιν πλουσίους ἡμᾶς ἀποδεῖξαι. ὑπάρξεται δὲ ἡμῖν ῥᾷστα τοῦτο, βοηθοῦντος σοῦ καὶ σῴζοντος· ηδη γὰρ πολλάκις βοηθοῦντος σοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος πεῖραν ἀνέσχομεν. 821 Ps 78,9b-10 Εἰ καὶ μὴ αξιοι ἡμεῖς τοῦ ευ παθεῖν διὰ τὸ ἁμαρτίας ειναι περὶ ἡμᾶς, ἀλλά γε ἐπειδὴ τὸ σὸν ονομα ἐπικέκληται ἡμῖν (ἐσμὲν γὰρ κληρονομία καὶ λαός σου), ἱλάσθητι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν, οπως δοξασθῇ τὸ ονομά σου. οὐ φέρομεν γὰρ τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν λεγόντων Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν. κρατοῦσι γὰρ ἡμῶν ῃ ἡμάρτομεν, ὀνειδίζουσι δὲ καὶ τὸ ονομά σου οἰόμενοί σε ἡττηκέναι τῷ ἡμᾶς ὑποχειρίους εχειν. 822 Ps 78,11 Πρὸς δὲ τροπικὴν διάληψιν· οἱ σειραῖς τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτημάτων σφιγγόμενοι πεπέδηνται, ἀλλ' ἐν συναισθήσει γενόμενοι τοῦ βάρους ων περίκεινται πεδῶν, δι' ας ἐμποδίζονται καὶ τρέχειν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ καὶ ἐνεργεῖν τὰ συντείνοντα πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν, στενάζουσι σφᾶς ὁλοφυρόμενοι. διὸ καὶ ευχονται γνωσθέντα τῷ θεῷ τὸν στεναγμὸν αὐτῶν εἰσιέναι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. ουτω γὰρ κινῆσαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγαθότητα ἐπινεύσει πρὸς τὸ διαρρῆξαι τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν· Κύριος γὰρ λύει πεπεδημένους. περιποιήσεται δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς ζωὴν μακαρίαν, αγων κατὰ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου οντος αὐτοῦ βραχίονος, οπως, εἰ καὶ τεθανατωμένων υἱοὶ ἀνθρώποις ἐφάνησαν, ἀλλά γε δειχθῶσι τέκνα τυγχάνοντες ζώντων. οἱ γὰρ θανατωθέντες πατέρες αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ζῶντές εἰσι παρὰ κυρίῳ, οσιοι καὶ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντες. 823 Ps 78,12 ̓Επειδὴ ὁ ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸς καταπαύσεως σύμβολον εχει, βούλονται τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν ἐπὶ τῷ περιγραφῆναι τὴν ἀσέβειαν αὐτῶν, ἐφ' ῃ ὠνείδισαν θεὸν καὶ ὠμῶς προσηνέχθησαν τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ, ἐπαχθῆναι. οὐ γὰρ ἐπαναιρέσει τῶν κολαζομένων οἱ θεὸν ἀγαθὸν ἐπιστάμενοι ἐπιφέρεσθαι βούλονται τὰς κολάσεις ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ ἀργῆσαι τῶν εργων ἐκείνων οις ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀκολουθεῖ τιμωρία. ἀργίας δὲ σύμβολον ὁ σαββατικὸς ἀριθμός. 824 Ps 78,13 ̓Επεὶ λαός σου χρηματίζομεν ἡμεῖς καὶ πρόβατα νεμόμενα τὴν σὴν νομὴν περὶ ης ειρηται τὸ Εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ νομὴν εὑρήσει (δηλονότι τὸ Χριστοῦ πρόβατον) ας ᾐτήσαμεν εὐεργεσίας, κατὰ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην σου ποίησον, ἐφ' αις ὡς ηδη παρούσαις χαριστηρίως ἀνθομολογησόμεθά σοι διὰ βίου· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τὸ Εἰς αἰῶνα δηλοῖ. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ συνήθως ἐκλαμβανόμενον τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκλαμβάνοιτο, ἐρεῖς μὴ μόνον ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ ζωῇ εὐχαριστέον τῷ θεῷ. Τὸ δὲ Εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν δύναται ἁπλούστερον λέγεσθαι ἀντὶ τοῦ Καὶ εἰς ετη καὶ διαδοχὰς ἀνθρώπων πλείονας. μυστικώτερον δὲ ἐρεῖς ἐν τῷ παρόντι καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι βίῳ, η ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς γενεαῖς τῇ τε ἐκ περιτομῆς καὶ τῇ κλήσει τῶν ἐθνῶν, οπως καὶ αυται μάθωσι θεὸν ὑμνεῖν.

825 Ps 79,2-4 ̔Ο τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ποιμὴν οὐκ αλλος ἐστὶ τοῦ εἰπόντος ̓Εγώ εἰμι ὁ

ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, νέμων τοὺς εχοντας νοῦν ὁρῶντα θεόν. ὁδηγεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν προστιθεμένους ὡσεὶ πρόβατα, τουτέστιν ὡς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πρόβατα, τοὺς ̓Ισραηλίτας· ̓Ιωσὴφ γὰρ ἑρμηνευόμενος κυρίου πρόσθεσις σημαίνει τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς προστιθεμένους. εθος δὲ τοῖς παλαιοῖς μόνοις τοῖς ἡμέροις τάττειν ἀντὶ τῆς βασιλέων προσηγορίας τὴν ποιμὴν φωνήν. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ἐκ ποιμένων ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐπὶ τὸ βασιλεύειν ιενται ἀρχὴν προεθιζόμενοι καὶ ἡγεμονεύειν ἐν ταῖς ἀγέλαις τῶν εὐτελεστέρων ζώων, ινα προκόψαντες διαβῶσιν ἐπὶ τὸ καὶ λαῶν ἡγήσασθαι. Καθήμενος δ' ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν, ὡς ἐν τῷ