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you commanded me. But those who existed long ago, and had an ancient course, you willed to cease from running. This he also says in another psalm: "He turned rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into a thirsty ground; a fruitful land into saltness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turned a wilderness into pools of water, and a waterless land into water-springs, and there he settled the hungry." For he dried up the rivers of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the other neighbors, because of the lawlessness of the inhabitants. But to the waterless land he gave channels from the rock, offering streams to the thirsty people. For it is easy for him to divert the nature of the waters as he wishes. Through this, however, the word also indicates another thing, that to the Jews, on account of their lawlessness, he will not bring the streams of the prophetic rivers, but the gentiles, long ago desolate, he will water with streams from the rock; and the rock, as 80.1464 the divine Apostle says, is Christ. And all these things that have been said from: "He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth," contain the type of our benefits. For there through waters was the deliverance from slavery, and here through waters is the beginning of freedom. There the heads of dragons were crushed in the waters, and here the powers of demons are destroyed by the grace of baptism. There they became an easy prey after the sea to the Ethiopians, and our enemies after the holy font became easy to overcome for those who formerly had black souls. And the other things similar to these are easy to understand for those willing to pay attention. [There a rod, here a cross; there Moses, here high priests; there the sea, here the font; there twelve springs, here twelve apostles; there seventy palm trees, here seventy books.] But let us proceed to the next parts of the interpretation. 16, 17. The day is yours, and the night is yours; you have prepared the light and the sun. You have made all the borders of the earth; summer and spring you have formed them." From specific benefactions he moved the discourse to common ones, and teaches that the God of all is the creator of the universe, maker of day and night, giver of light, and creator of the sun, and the ruler of time. For through spring and summer, he indicated the seasons; and instead of, You have made all the borders of the earth, Aquila and Theodotion have, you set up as a pillar, while Symmachus has said you established. But the word declares that he himself gave it its being, and some parts of it he assigned to plains, and others to mountains and valleys; and others he hollowed out for the reception of lake and sea waters. 18. "Remember this." Having made, he says, all these things, O creator of so many and so great things, remember this, that is, the Synagogue, which you acquired from the beginning. For he has rendered this in relation to that. "An enemy has reproached the Lord, and a foolish people has provoked your name." Look not upon us, he says, but upon the blasphemies of our enemies. 19. "Do not deliver to the wild beasts the soul that confesses to you." The prophetic word does not simply pray for all; but it asks for good things for those who confess the divine name [for those who confess the crucified God from God, and consubstantial with the Father and the 80.1465 Spirit]. And he calls wild beasts, [not only] the cruelty of the enemies [but also those who reject the crucified one and do not confess him as God, as has been said]. "Forget not the souls of your poor forever." And the poor would be those who are humble in spirit. "For blessed [as the Lord himself says in the Gospels] are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 20. "Look upon the covenant of your servants, for the darkened ones of the earth have been filled with houses of iniquities." For those who have not enjoyed your splendor, but [blaspheming you as a man with the Jews, and not confessing you as the sun of righteousness, and] having loved the darkness of ignorance, have houses full of lawlessness and the punishment that grows from it, instead of, They were delivered to all kinds of evils, because they chose darkness. 21. "Let not be turned away

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μῳ προσέταξας. Τοὺς δὲ πάλαι γεγονότας, καὶ ἀρ χαίαν ἐσχηκότας πορείαν, τοῦ τρέχειν ἔπαυσας ἐθε λήσας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει ψαλμῷ· "Ἔθετο ποταμοὺς εἰς ἔρημον, καὶ διεξόδους ὑδάτων εἰς δί ψαν· γῆν καρποφόρον εἰς ἅλμην, ἀπὸ κακίας τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἔθετο ἔρημον εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων, καὶ γῆν ἄνυδρον εἰς διεξόδους ὑδάτων, καὶ κατῴκησεν ἐκεῖ πεινῶντας." Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων περι οίκων κατεξήρανε ποταμοὺς, διὰ τὴν τῶν οἰκητόρων παρανομίαν. Τῇ δὲ ἀνύδρῳ γῇ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πέτρας ἔδωκεν ὀχετοὺς, τῷ διψῶντι λαῷ προσφέρων τὰ νά ματα. Ῥᾴδιον γὰρ αὐτῷ ὡς βούλεται μετοχετεῦσαι τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν. ∆ιὰ μέντοι τούτου καὶ ἕτερον ὁ λόγος παραδηλοῖ, ὡς Ἰουδαίοις μὲν διὰ τὴν παρα νομίαν τῶν προφητικῶν ποταμῶν οὐ προσοίσει τὰ νάματα, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη, τὰ πάλαι ἔρημα, τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς πέτρας ἀρδεύσει κρουνοῖς· ἡ δὲ πέτρα, ᾗ φησιν 80.1464 ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ ἅπαντα τάδε τὰ εἰρημένα ἀπὸ τοῦ· "Εἰργάσατο σωτη ρίαν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς," τῶν ἡμετέρων εὐεργεσιῶν περιέχει τὸν τύπον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ δι' ὑδάτων ἡ τῆς δουλείας ἀπαλλαγὴ, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δι' ὑδάτων ἐλευ θερίας ἀρχή. Ἐκεῖ δρακόντων κεφαλαὶ τοῖς ὕδασι συντριβόμεναι, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δυναστεῖαι δαιμόνων καταλυόμεναι τῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάριτι. Ἐκεῖνοι εὐχείρωτοι μετὰ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐγένοντο τοῖς Αἰθίοψι, καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι πολέμιοι μετὰ τὴν ἁγίαν κολυμβή θραν εὐκαταγώνιστοι ἐγένοντο τοῖς πάλαι μελαίνας τὰς ψυχὰς ἐσχηκόσι. Καὶ τἄλλα δὲ τούτοις ὁμοίως ῥᾴδιον συνιδεῖν τοῖς προσέχειν ἐθέλουσιν. [Ἐκεῖ ῥάβδος, ἐνταῦθα σταυρός· ἐκεῖ Μωϋσῆς, ἐνταῦθα ἀρ χιερεῖς· ἐκεῖ θάλαττα, ἐνταῦθα κολυμβήθρα· ἐκεῖ δώδεκα πηγαὶ, ἐνταῦθα δώδεκα ἀπόστολοι· ἐκεῖ ἑβδο μήκοντα στέλεχοι, ἐνταῦθα ἑβδομήκοντα βίβλοι.] Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ συνεχῆ τῆς ἑρμηνείας βαδίσωμεν. ιʹ, ιζʹ. Σή ἐστιν ἡ ἡμέρα, καὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ νύξ· σὺ κατηρτίσω φαῦσιν καὶ ἥλιον. Σὺ ἐποίησας πάντα τὰ ὅρια τῆς γῆς· θέρος καὶ ἔαρ σὺ ἔπλασας αὐτά." Ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδικῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ἐπὶ τὰς κοινὰς τὸν λόγον μετήνεγκε, καὶ κτίστην εἶναι διδάσκει τοῦ παντὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, ἡμέ ρας τε καὶ νυκτὸς ποιητὴν, φωτὸς χορηγὸν, καὶ ἡλίου δημιουργὸν, καὶ τοῦ χρόνου πρύτανιν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἔαρος καὶ τοῦ θέρους, ἐδήλωσε τὰς τροπάς· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Σὺ ἐποίησας πάντα τὰ ὅρια τῆς γῆς, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων, ἐστήλωσας, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἔστησας εἴρηκε. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτῇ τὸ εἶναι δέδωκε, καὶ τὰ μὲν αὐτῆς εἰς πεδία, τὰ δὲ εἰς ὄρη καὶ νάπας ἀπένειμε· τὰ δὲ ἐκοίλανεν εἰς ὑποδοχὴν λιμναίων καὶ θαλαττίων ὑδάτων. ιηʹ. "Μνήσθητι ταύτης." Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἅπαντα πεποιηκὼς, ὁ τῶν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων δημιουρ γὸς, μνήσθητι ταύτης, τουτέστι τῆς Συναγωγῆς, ἧς ἐκτήσω ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Πρὸς ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἀποδέδωκε τοῦτο. "Ἐχθρὸς ὠνείδισε τὸν Κύριον, καὶ λαὸς ἄφρων παρώξυνε τὸ ὄνομά σου." Μὴ εἰς ἡμᾶς, φησὶν, ἀπίδῃς, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς τῶν δυσμενῶν βλασφη μίας. ιθʹ. "Μὴ παραδῷς τοῖς θηρίοις ψυχὴν ἐξομολογου μένην σοι." Οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὁ προφητικὸς πᾶσιν ἐπεύχεται λόγος· ἀλλὰ τοῖς τὸ θεῖον ὁμολογοῦσιν ὄνομα αἰτεῖ τὰ ἀγαθὰ [τοῖς ὁμολογοῦσι τὸν σταυρωθέντα Θεὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ 80.1465 Πνεύματος ὁμοούσιον]. Θηρία δὲ καλεῖ, [οὐ μόνον] τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ὠμότητα [ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀθε τούντων τὸν σταυρωθέντα καὶ μὴ ὁμολογούντων ὡς εἴρηται Θεόν]. "Τῶν ψυχῶν τῶν πενήτων σου μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ εἰς τέλος." Καὶ πένητες δὲ εἶεν ἂν οἱ τὸ φρόνημα ταπεινοί. "Μακάριοι γὰρ [ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις φησὶ] οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύ ματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. κʹ. "Ἐπίβλεψον εἰς τὴν διαθήκην τῶν δούλων σου, ὅτι ἐπληρώθησαν οἱ ἐσκοτισμένοι τῆς γῆς οἴκων ἀνομιῶν." Οἱ γὰρ τῆς σῆς αἴγλης οὐκ ἀπολαύσαντες, ἀλλ' [ἄνθρωπόν σε μετὰ τῶν Ἰου δαίων βλασφημοῦντες, καὶ μὴ ὁμολογοῦντές σε ἥλιον δικαιοσύνης, καὶ] τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἀγαπήσαντες σκότος, ἀνομίας καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν φυείσης τιμωρίας μεστὰς ἔχουσιν οἰκίας, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Παντοδαποῖς κακοῖς παρεδόθησαν, διὸ προείλοντο σκότος. καʹ. "Μὴ ἀποστραφήτω