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be afraid, nor be troubled, having such an invincible Master; to whom is due all honor and glory with his unoriginate Father and his life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ON THE 46TH PSALM.

For the end, for the sons of Korah. Another, To the victor, of the sons of Korah. All ye nations, clap your hands. Another, With the hand. Shout unto God with a voice of gladness. Another says, Signify with a voice of praise. For the Lord is most high, terrible, a great king over all the earth.

1. This psalm also holds to the same subject, speaking of the victories and the trophies that have occurred against the enemies, and calling the whole world to praise for what has happened. But perhaps to some the introduction seems unworthy of the exhortation of the divine Spirit, and such an encouragement: clapping, and noises, and shouts. For these things are not fitting, perhaps, for those who gather in this solemn school, someone will say, but for those occupied in the theater and in banquets, to rattle and to strike with the hands; but for men instructed by the grace of the Spirit, quietness and good order are fitting. What, then, does the word intend to show, and what shout, and what clapping does it mean? For it is also customary for those in the battle line of war and combat to do this, I mean to shout and to clap loudly in order to terrify the enemies; but this is foreign to a tranquil soul. But the psalm commands both, to clap and to shout. What, then, is that which is said? Nothing other, but it indicates pleasure and a symbol of victory. Since elsewhere the Prophet also introduces the rivers clapping; Rivers, he says, will clap with the hand together; and Isaiah introduces trees doing this, and this same one again, also mountains skipping, and hills, not that we should understand this, that the mountains skip, and the hills, nor that rivers are clapping, or have hands for this is of the utmost folly, but that we might learn the excess of pleasure. So indeed it is also to be seen in the case of men. And why did he not say, Rejoice, and leap, but Clap, and, Shout? Showing to us pleasure with excess. For just as Christ, when he says, But when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, does not command anointing to be done for none of us does this, but to show pleasure, and the brightness of the mind for he commands to fast rejoicing, not looking gloomy, so indeed also here we were not commanded this, so as to clap our hands, but to be pleased, and to rejoice while singing psalms. Justly, then, might one rather interpret the psalm according to a higher meaning, having gone beyond the history. For even if it has its beginning and its introduction from sensible things, nevertheless it leads the hearer on to intelligible things. For what I also said before, this I will also say now; 55.209 some things are to be taken as they are said, but others in a sense opposite to what is written, as for instance in that passage: Wolves and lambs will feed together. For we will certainly not take them as wolves and lambs, nor as chaff, and ox, and bull, but we characterize the dispositions of men through the image of irrational animals; and others according to a double interpretation, understanding both the sensible things, and receiving the intelligible things; as in the case of the offering up of the son of Abraham. For that the son was offered up, we know, and we select something else hidden in the meaning through

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φοβεῖσθε, μηδὲ ταράσσεσθε, οὕτως ἔχοντες ἄμαχον ∆εσπότην· ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα τιμὴ καὶ δόξα σὺν τῷ ἀνάρχῳ Πατρὶ καὶ ζωοποιῷ αὐτοῦ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ Μςʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ.

Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν υἱῶν Κορέ. Ἄλλος δὲ, Τῷ νικοποιῷ τῶν υἱῶν Κορέ. Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας. Ἄλλος, Χειρί. Ἀλαλάξατε τῷ Θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. Ἕτερός φησι, Σημάνατε ἐν φωνῇ εὐφημίας. Ὅτι Κύριος ὕψιστος, φοβερὸς, βασιλεὺς μέ γας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν.

αʹ. Τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως καὶ οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς ἔχεται, νίκας λέγων καὶ τὰ τρόπαια τὰ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων συμβεβηκότα, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην πᾶσαν καλῶν εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγενημένων εὐφημίαν. Ἀλλ' ἴσως τισὶν ἀνάξιον εἶναι δοκεῖ τῆς τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος παραινέσεως τὸ προοίμιον, καὶ ἡ τοιαύτη παρακέλευσις, κρότοι, καὶ πάταγοι, καὶ ὀλολυγαί. Οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σεμνῷ τούτῳ διδασκαλείῳ συνιοῦσι προσήκει ἴσως ταῦτα, ἐρεῖ τις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἐν σκηνῇ καὶ συμποσίοις ἠσχολημένοις, τὸ κροταλίζειν, καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ πατάσσειν· ἀνδράσι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος παιδευομένοις ἡσυχία καὶ εὐταξία πρέπει. Τί τοίνυν βούλεται ὁ λόγος ἐμφῆναι, καὶ τίνα τὸν ἀλαλαγμὸν, καὶ τίνα τὸν κρότον φησί; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ σύνηθες τοῦτο τοῖς ἐν παρατάξει πολέμου καὶ μάχης ποιεῖν, ἀλαλάζειν λέγω, καὶ μέγα κροτεῖν πρὸς τὸ καταπλήττεσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους· γαληνιαίας δὲ ψυχῆς τοῦτο ἀλλότριον. Ὁ δὲ ψαλμὸς ἀμφότερα διακελεύεται, καὶ κροτεῖν, καὶ ἀλαλάζειν. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἡδονὴν ἐνδείκνυται καὶ νίκης σύμβολον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἑτέρωθι ὁ Προφήτης τοὺς ποταμοὺς εἰσάγει κροτοῦντας· Ποταμοὶ, φησὶ, κροτήσουσι χειρὶ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό· ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας, καὶ δένδρα τοῦτο ποιοῦντα εἰσάγει, αὐτὸς δὲ οὗτος πάλιν, καὶ ὄρη σκιρτῶντα, καὶ βουνοὺς, οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτο νοήσωμεν, ὅτι τὰ ὄρη σκιρτᾷ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ, οὐδ' ἵνα ποταμοὺς κροτοῦντας, ἢ χεῖρας ἔχοντας τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἡδονῆς μάθωμεν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ εἶπε, Χάρητε, καὶ σκιρτήσατε, ἀλλὰ Κροτήσατε, καὶ, Ἀλαλάξατε; Τὴν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἡμῖν ἡδονὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ Χριστὸς, ὅταν λέγῃ, Σὺ δὲ ὅταν νηστεύῃς ἄλειψόν σου τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι, οὐκ ἀλοιφὴν κελεύει γενέσθαι οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι, καὶ τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς διανοίας κελεύει γὰρ γεγηθότα νηστεύειν, μὴ σκυθρωπάζοντα, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τοῦτο ἐπετάγημεν ὥστε κροτεῖν τὰς χεῖρας, ἀλλ' ἥδεσθαι, καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι ψάλλοντες. ∆ικαίως δ' ἄν τις τὸν ψαλμὸν κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν μᾶλλον ἐκλάβοι, τῆς ἱστορίας ἀνώτερος γενόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸ προοίμιον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπὶ τὰ νοητὰ χειραγωγεῖ τὸν ἀκροατήν. Ὅπερ γὰρ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν 55.209 ἐρῶ· τὰ μὲν ὡς εἴρηται ἐκληπτέον, τὰ δὲ ἀπεναντίας τοῖς κειμένοις, οἷον ὡς ἔχει ἐπ' ἐκείνου· Λύκοι καὶ ἄρνες ἅμα βοσκηθήσονται. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ λύκους καὶ ἄρνας ἐκληψόμεθα, οὐδὲ ἄχυρα, καὶ βοῦν, καὶ ταῦρον, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἤθη διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων εἰκόνος χαρακτηρίζομεν· τὰ δὲ κατὰ διπλῆν ἐκδοχὴν, τά τε αἰσθητὰ νοοῦντες, καὶ τὰ νοητὰ ἐκδεχόμενοι· ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Ὅτι γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς ἀνηνέχθη ἴσμεν, καὶ ἕτερόν τι ἐγκεκρυμμένον τῷ νοήματι ἐκλέγομεν διὰ