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to confess to him with their whole heart. 863 Ps 85,14.15 One would not unlearnedly accept that these things were said by our Lord Jesus Christ, when the kings of the earth stood by and the rulers were gathered together against him. 864 Ps 85,16 Look upon me. For you look upon those you see for no other reason than to do good and to have mercy. Wherefore also in the following, being a king he asks that the power be given and kept for him, which God himself has given to him. For this will be followed by his being saved, being the son of the handmaid of God. But if the things announced were a prophecy concerning Christ, the preceding things would be explained in this way: David says: looking upon me as God, have mercy on me. And it shall come to pass from you giving your power to your child in his becoming man and taking the form of a servant. And since it follows for one who has become man also to die, God, raising him, will save him, being the son of his handmaid who said, when she heard from the angel, "Therefore the holy one to be born of you will be called the Son of God": "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." For truly the one who bore him is the handmaid and mother of the Lord. And consider that the Lord's child and the son of the handmaid were spoken of in parallel. The son of the handmaid can also be the people of the circumcision. For Paul, writing to the Galatians, says clearly concerning these things: "But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh." 865 Ps 85,17 Let there be for me a sign for good, of the prophecy being fulfilled which proclaims that God would be born among us humans, a virgin giving birth before experience of a man and remaining a virgin even after the birth. This was seen as a sign for good for the help of our race. Wherefore we were also comforted; for how were we not to have the fullest consolation, having God as a helper?

866 Ps 86,4a God says he will make mention of Rahab and of Babylon

among those who know him. With these things agrees the "But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known by God." For having taken up knowledge of him, we will be known more and most of all by him; "For if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant." And to someone God says, "Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children." Therefore God had forgotten the wicked who did not know him, remembering them when they also knew him. Behold, then, God said he would remember Rahab, which is translated as "breadth," and Babylon, which is interpreted as "confusion," among those who had known him. For those who travel the broad and wide way, having changed, are Rahab, having known God, and those who from confused and troubled thoughts have come to a calm and settled state of mind are Babylon, having known God, of whom God makes mention, they having been judged worthy of his memory. And the breadth can signify those coming from the east and west into the kingdom. 867 Ps 86,6 Of the church not only the rulers but also the peoples were enrolled in the citizenship of the heavenly city of the living God, having reference to the church of the firstborn who are written in heaven, with God alone being able to declare their writing. For their registration was not of their names made of syllables but of those things signifying the quality of their soul, of which he alone is the overseer. And it is possible to bring the opposite to what is being considered; in Jeremiah it is written, "They that depart shall be written on the earth." As therefore those who have departed and become far from God are written on the earth, being clothed in the image of the earthy, minding earthly things and thinking on material things, so those the image of the heavenly

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ολῃ καρδίᾳ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. 863 Ps 85,14.15 Οὐκ ἀμούσως δὲ παραδέξοιτ' αν τις εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, παραστάντων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων συναχθέντων ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατ' αὐτοῦ. 864 Ps 85,16 ̓Επισκόπησόν με. ἐπισκοπεῖς γὰρ ους βλέψεις οὐκ αλλου του ενεκα η τοῦ ευ ποιῆσαι καὶ ἐλεῆσαι. διὸ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς βασιλεὺς ων ἀξιοῖ δοθῆναι καὶ φυλαχθῆναι αὐτῷ τὸ κράτος, οπερ αὐτὸς αὐτῷ δέδωκεν ὁ θεός. τούτῳ γὰρ ἀκολουθήσει καὶ τὸ σωθῆναι αὐτὸν οντα υἱὸν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ παιδίσκης. Εἰ δὲ προφητεία ειη περὶ Χριστοῦ τὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενα, τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐξομαλισθείη τὰ προκείμενα· φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ· ἐπιβλέψας ὡς θεὸς ἐλέησόν με. ὑπάρξει δὲ τοῦ διδόντος σοῦ τὸ κράτος σου τῷ παιδί σου ἐν τῷ ἐνανθρωπεῖν καὶ λαμβάνειν τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ γενομένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ τεθνάναι, ἀνιστῶν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς σώσει αὐτὸν οντα υἱὸν τῆς παιδίσκης αὐτοῦ τῆς εἰπούσης ὁπηνίκα ηκουσεν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ αγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ· ̓Ιδοὺ ἡ δούλη κυρίου· γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου. ἀληθῶς γὰρ δούλη καὶ μήτηρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡ τεκοῦσα αὐτόν. ἐκ παραλλήλου δὲ εἰρῆσθαι νόμιζε τὸν κύριον παῖδα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τῆς παιδίσκης. ∆ύναται δὲ καὶ υἱὸς παιδίσκης ὁ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαός. σαφῶς γὰρ περὶ τούτων ὁ Παῦλος Γαλάταις ἐπιστέλλων φησὶν ̓Αλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται. 865 Ps 85,17 Γένοιτό μοι σημεῖον εἰς ἀγαθὸν τῆς προφητείας περιαιρουμένης τῆς διαγορευούσης ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γενήσεσθαι τὸν θεόν, παρθένου πρὸ πείρας ἀνδρὸς τικτούσης καὶ διαμενούσης παρθένου καὶ μετὰ τὸν τόκον. τοῦτο εἰς ἀγαθὸν σημεῖον ωφθη ἐπὶ βοηθείᾳ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν. διὸ καὶ παρεκλήθημεν· πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐμέλλομεν πληρεστάτην παραμυθίαν εξειν, θεὸν βοηθὸν ἐσχηκότες;

866 Ps 86,4a Τῆς ̔Ραὰβ καὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος μνησθήσεσθαι ὁ θεός φησι

γινωσκόντων αὐτόν. συνᾴδει τούτοις τὸ Νῦν δὲ γνόντες θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ. γνῶσιν γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἀναλαβόντες μᾶλλον καὶ μάλιστα γνωσθησόμεθα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· Εἰ γάρ τις ἀγνοεῖ, ἀγνοεῖται. καὶ πρός τινα ὁ θεὸς λέγει Οτι σὺ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀπώσω, ἀπώσομαί σε τοῦ μὴ ἱερατεύειν μου· ἐπελάθου νόμου θεοῦ σου, κἀγὼ ἐπιλήσομαι τέκνων σου. τῶν φαύλων τοίνυν ἀγνοούντων αὐτὸν ἐπιλέληστο θεός, μνησθεὶς αὐτῶν οτε καὶ αὐτὸν εγνωσαν αὐτοί. ̓Ιδοὺ τοίνυν τῆς ̔Ραὰβ τῆς εἰς πλατυσμὸν μεταλαμβανομένης καὶ Βαβυλῶνος συγχύσεως ἑρμηνευομένης μεμνῆσθαι ὁ θεὸς ειπεν ἐγνωκότων αὐτόν. μεταβαλόντες γὰρ οἱ τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδεύοντες ὁδὸν ̔Ραάβ εἰσιν ἐγνωκότες θεόν, καὶ οἱ ἐκ συγκεχυμένων καὶ τεταραγμένων ἐνθυμημάτων εἰς γαλήνην καὶ κατάστασιν διανοίας ἐληλυθότες Βαβυλών εἰσι θεὸν ἐγνωκότες, ων μνημονεύει θεὸς ἀξιῶν τῆς μνήμης αὐτοῦ κριθέντων. ∆ύναται δὲ ὁ πλατυσμὸς σημαίνειν τῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐρχομένων. 867 Ps 86,6 Τῆς ἐκκλησίας οὐ μόνον οἱ αρχοντες ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ λαοὶ ἐνεγράφησαν εἰς τὴν πολιτείαν τῆς οὐρανίου πόλεως τοῦ ζῶντος θεοῦ, τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἐχόντων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανῷ, μόνου θεοῦ διηγήσασθαι δυναμένου τὴν γραφὴν αὐτῶν. οὐ γὰρ τῶν ἐκ συλλαβῶν ὀνομάτων αὐτῶν ἡ ἀναγραφὴ γέγονεν ἀλλὰ τῶν δηλούντων τὴν κατὰ ψυχὴν ποιότητα αὐτῶν ης μόνος αὐτὸς εφορός ἐστιν. καὶ εστιν ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἐπιστῆσαι τῷ θεωρουμένῳ· ἐν ̔Ιερεμιᾷ γέγραπται ̓Αφεστηκότες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γραφήσονται. ὡς ουν οἱ ἀφεστηκότες καὶ πόρρω θεοῦ γεγενημένοι γράφονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ περικείμενοι φρονοῦντες τὰ ἐπίγεια καὶ τὰ ὑλικὰ διανοούμενοι, ουτως οἱ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου