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of you." It is like the prophecy of the patriarch Jacob, "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved; and he is the expectation of the nations." -"O God, to the highest heavens what great things you have done for me." But Aquila and Symmachus have it thus: O God, to the height what great things you have done, instead of, high and great are the things done by you, O Master. and sufficient to persuade all to name you Most High. "O God, who is like you?" For, he says, it is not possible to compare or liken anyone to you. For you surpass all, both in nature, and in power, and in all good things; from here he prophesies the return. 20. "You have shown me many and evil afflictions; and turning back, you have given me life." Having given me over, he says, to all kinds of misfortunes because of the transgressions committed by me, you brought me back to life again. "And from the abysses of the earth you 80.1428 brought me up again." I suppose, he says, to have obtained a kind of revival; having been delivered from so many misfortunes contrary to human expectation. [And one might say that these things were also said from the person of human nature. For he who descended into the lower parts of the earth brought this up from the abysses of the earth, that is, God from God, who for its sake chose also to become man.] This God also said through Ezekiel: "For I will open your tombs, and I will bring you up from Babylon;" that is, I will loose human despair, and contrary to the hopes of your enemies I will grant you the return. 21. "You have multiplied your greatness upon me; and turning back you have comforted me, and from the abysses of the earth you have brought me up again." But Symmachus has it thus: You will increase my majesty, and you will surround me with consolation. And he has said the other things similarly. For in the care concerning me your goodness will be shown. 22. "For I will also give praise to you among the peoples, O Lord." For I will not cease recounting your gifts, and teaching those who are ignorant. And it is fitting to note, that also here he has mentioned many peoples, who after the incarnation of our Savior, through the preachers from the Jews, enjoyed salvation. "On the instruments of the psaltery your truth, O God, I will sing praise to you on the harp, O Holy One of Israel." And I will use the customary instruments, weaving the hymn. 23, 24. "My lips shall rejoice, when I sing praise to you; and my soul, which you have redeemed. Moreover my tongue also shall meditate on your righteousness all the day long; when they who seek my hurt are confounded and put to shame." He foretells at the same time the destruction of the Babylonians which happened under Cyrus the Persian, and the recalling of the Jews. For when they, he says, are destroyed, I shall obtain my return; and having enjoyed this, rejoicing and exulting I will dance, hymning your benefactions, and making continual meditation of your law.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 71. 1. "For Solomon." That to Solomon in no 80.1429 wise the present

psalm fits, I think even Jews would confess if they wished to speak the truth, let alone the children of the faith. For in the first place, Solomon did not rule over the ends of the earth; nor did he receive tribute from those of the west and of the east. Then, being a man, having lived a time commensurate with nature, he received the end of his life, and this not a glorious one. But the psalm shows the one prophesied to be more ancient than the sun and moon. But the interpretation of the sayings will teach these things more accurately. And the inscription is not unfitting, but simply applies to the Savior. For Solomon is interpreted as "peaceful"; and the history of Chronicles clearly teaches us this. For God says to David through Nathan: "For Solomon is his name, and I will give peace in his days." And the Lord Christ also has this name. And Paul, the great preacher of the truth, cries out: "He himself

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σου." Ἔοικε δὲ τῇ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰακὼβ προηγορίᾳ, "Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται· καὶ αὐ τὸς προσδοκίᾳ ἐθνῶν." -"Ὁ Θεὸς, ἕως τῶν ὑψί στων ἃ ἐποίησάς μοι μεγαλεῖα." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Ὁ Θεὸς, ἕως ὕψους ἃ ἐποίησας μεγαλεῖα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὑψηλὰ καὶ μεγάλα τὰ ὑπὸ σοῦ γινόμενα, ∆έσποτα. καὶ ἱκανὰ πεῖσαι πάν τας Ὕψιστον ὀνομάζειν σε. "Ὁ Θεὸς, τίς ὅμοιός σοι;" Οὐδένα γὰρ, φησὶ, συγκρῖναί σοι καὶ πα ραβαλεῖν δυνατόν. Ὑπερβάλλεις γὰρ ἅπαντας, καὶ τῇ φύσει, καὶ τῇ δυνάμει, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς· ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ἐπάνοδον προθεσπίζει. κʹ. "Ὅσας ἔδειξάς μοι θλίψεις πολλὰς καὶ κακάς· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας ἐζωοποίησάς με." Παρα δούς με, φησὶ, παντοδαπαῖς συμφοραῖς διὰ τὰς ὑπ' ἐμοῦ γεγενημένας παρανομίας, πάλιν με εἰς ζωὴν ἐπανήγαγες. "Καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς πά 80.1428 λαι ἀνήγαγές με." Ἀναβιώσεως, φησὶ, τινὸς ὑπο λαμβάνω τετυχηκέναι· παρὰ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην τοσ ούτων ἀπαλλαγεὶς συμφορῶν. [Εἴποι δ' ἄν τις ταῦτα καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τῆς ἀνθρωπείας εἰρῆ σθαι φύσεως. Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς ἀν ήγαγε ταύτην ὁ καταβὰς εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς, τουτέστιν ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸς, ὁ διὰ ταύτην ἑλό μενος καὶ ἄνθρωπος γενέσθαι.] Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ Θεὸς ἔφη· "Ὅτι ἀνοίξω τοὺς τάφους ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀνάξω ὑμᾶς ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος·" τουτέστι, τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀπόγνωσιν λύσω, καὶ παρὰ τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἐλπίδας τὴν ἐπάνοδον ὑμῖν δωρήσομαι. καʹ. "Ἐπλεόνασας ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην σου· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας παρεκάλεσάς με, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς πάλιν ἀνήγαγές με." Ὁ δὲ Σύμ μαχος οὕτως· Αὐξήσεις τὴν μεγαλειότητά μου, καὶ παρακυκλώσεις με παραμυθίᾳ. Καὶ τἄλλα δὲ ὁμοίως προείρηκε. Τῇ γὰρ περὶ ἐμὲ κηδεμονίᾳ δειχθήσεταί σου τὸ ἀγαθόν. κβʹ. "Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν λαοῖς, Κύριε." Οὐ παύσομαι γὰρ τὰς σὰς διηγούμενος δωρεὰς, καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάσκων. Ἐπισημή νασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὡς καὶ ἐνταῦθα λαῶν πολλῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν, οἳ μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Σω τῆρος ἡμῶν, διὰ τῶν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων κηρύκων, τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπήλαυσαν. "Ἐν σκεύεσι ψαλμοῦ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, ὁ Θεὸς, ψαλῶ σοι ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ." Χρήσομαι δὲ καὶ τοῖς συνήθεσιν ὀρ γάνοις τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν ὑφαίνων. κγʹ, κδʹ. "Ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ χείλη μου, ὅτ' ἂν ψαλῶ σοι· καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου, ἣν ἐλυτρώσω. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελετήσει τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου· ὅτ' ἂν αἰσχυνθῶσι καὶ ἐντρα πῶσιν οἱ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακά μοι." Προλέγει κατὰ ταυτὸν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων τὸν ὄλεθρον ὑπὸ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου γεγενημένον, καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀνάκλησιν. Ἐκείνων γὰρ, φησὶ, καταλυθέντων, ἐγὼ τῆς ἐπανόδου τεύξομαι· ἀπολαύσας δὲ τούτου, γεγηθὼς καὶ γαννύμενος χορεύσω, τὰς σὰς εὐερ γεσίας ὑμνῶν, καὶ τοῦ σοῦ νόμου διηνεκῆ τὴν με λέτην ποιούμενος.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΟΑʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς Σολομών." Ὅτι τῷ Σολομῶντι οὐδα 80.1429 μῶς ὁ προκείμενος

ἁρμόττει ψαλμὸς, οἶμαι καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἂν ὁμολογῆσαι τ' ἀληθῆ λέγειν ἐθέλον τας, ἤπου γε τῆς πίστεως τοὺς τροφίμους. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὔτε τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἐκράτησε Σολο μών· οὔτε παρὰ τῶν ἑσπερίων καὶ ἑῴων ἐδέξατο φόρον. Ἔπειτα ἄνθρωπος ὢν, τὸν τῇ φύσει σύμμε τρον διαβιώσας χρόνον, τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ εὐκλεές. Ὁ δὲ ψαλμὸς ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης ἀρχαιότερον δείκνυσι τὸν προφητευό μενον. Ἀκριβέστερον δὲ ταῦτα ἡ τῶν ῥητῶν ἑρμη νεία διδάξει. Καὶ ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ δὲ, οὐκ ἀνάρμοστος, ἀτεχνῶς δὲ τῷ Σωτῆρι συμβαίνουσα. Σολομὼν γὰρ εἰρηνικὸς ἑρμηνεύεται· καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστορία διδάσκει. Φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν ∆αβὶδ διὰ τοῦ Νάθαν ὁ Θεός· "Ὅτι Σολομὼν ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ εἰρήνην δώσω ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐ τοῦ." Ταύτην δὲ τὴν προσηγορίαν καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἔχει Χριστός. Καὶ βοᾷ Παῦλος, ὁ μέγας κήρυξ τῆς ἀληθείας· "Αὐτός