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wearing and having their citizenship in the heavens, being enrolled as citizens there, they were inscribed in the book of God.

868 Ps 87 arg For Maeleth, that is, for the choir or dance of the sons of Kore,

for understanding and for responding with understanding to the one fearing God and for this reason being truly an Israelite. For Aiman is interpreted their fear, so that everyone having divine fear and reverence is Aiman, to whom it is fitting to respond with understanding, being a discerning hearer, reciting the ode of the psalm with dancing and a divine choir.

869 Ps 87,2.3 I will cry to you not only by day but also by night, not finding myself only in the bright and pleasant affairs of life (it is impossible for it to be day) but also having been in gloomy ones containing a nocturnal state; crying out in the day, so that the participation in good things might remain for me, and in the night, so that when it comes to an end, my spirit might be able to rise early from the night to you. But it is possible to speak more simply, similarly to what was said by the Savior: The Father will bring about justice for His children who cry to Him day and night. For he who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night and through this meditating in deeds and disposition will cry to the God of his salvation day and night, at one time asking for salvation, at another time entreating that it, having already come into being, be preserved. And the voice that says, having great confidence toward God, Let my prayer come before you. For since I ask for such things as are beneficial to me and are fitting and dear for you to give (for I ask for things that are truly good), let our prayer come into your sight; for thus you will also grant what I have asked, condescending and inclining your ear to me; for thus I have believed that I am heard; for this reason I cry to you, O Lord.

870 Ps 87,4 For many are the enemies pressing upon me who wish to drag my life down to hades, at which being despondent and distressed my soul is filled with evils, that is, with painful afflictions.

871 Ps 87,5 It is the custom of holy scripture to call the same place hades and pit interchangeably. The Savior himself therefore, becoming for the salvation of all, came to give his soul as a ransom for many, by the grace of God tasting death for everyone. For he alone died for all and in this way he said, I was reckoned with those who go down into the pit. For while each one justly goes down into the pit for what he did or thought, I was reckoned and numbered with them, not a sequence of works leading me to this, but the Father's good pleasure and our own will judging that I be reckoned with those who go down into the pit; whence of my own accord and willingly I became as a man without help, the likeness not referring to man. Away with that; for he truly became man, but he says he was made like not simply a man but a man without help. For being able not to suffer, not to be seized, not to be bound, he gave himself up, Becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. But even if he willingly became a man without help so as to be clothed with death, yet among the dead he was free. For while all who go to the place of the dead are led by some, not only the wicked but also the good, Jesus alone has dared to say: No one takes my soul from me; I lay it down of my own accord, that I may take it up again. And that the soul of all is led by some into hades, will be clear to you if you pay attention to the Gospels. For concerning Lazarus, being a good man, it is said: And it came to pass that the poor man died and was carried away to Abraham's bosom; and to a certain wicked man it was said: Fool, this night they require your soul of you; and to another person has been said the

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φοροῦντες καὶ τὸ πολίτευμα εχοντες ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκεῖ ἐμπολιτογραφούμενοι ἐνετάγησαν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ βίβλῳ.

868 Ps 87 αργ ̔Υπὲρ μαελέθ, τουτέστιν ὑπὲρ χοροῦ η χορείας τῶν υἱῶν Κορέ,

ὑπὲρ τοῦ σύνεσιν καὶ συνετῶς ἀποκρίνεσθαι τῷ τὸν θεὸν φοβουμένῳ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τυγχάνοντι ἀληθῶς ̓Ισραηλίτῃ. Αἰμὰν γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται φόβος αὐτῶν, ὡς πάντα τὸν εχοντα θεῖον φόβον καὶ εὐλάβειαν Αἰμὰν ειναι, ῳ σύνεσιν ἀποκρίνεσθαι προσήκει οντι συνετῷ ἀκροατῇ μετὰ χορείας καὶ χοροῦ θείου τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τὴν ᾠδὴν ἀπαγγέλλοντι. 869 Ps 87,2.3 Κεκράξομαι πρὸς σὲ οὐ μεθ' ἡμέραν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ νύκτωρ, οὐκ ἐν μόνοις τυγχάνων τοῖς λαμπροῖς καὶ προσηνέσι τοῦ βίου πράγμασιν (ἀδύνατον ἡμέραν ειναι) ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς σκυθρωποῖς γεγενημένος νυκτερινὴν κατάστασιν περιέχουσιν· ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μὲν κεκραγώς, οπως παραμένῃ μοι ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μετουσίᾳ, ἐν νυκτὶ δέ, οπως τέλος αὐτῆς λαβούσης ἐκ νυκτὸς πρὸς σὲ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ὀρθρίσαι δυνηθῇ. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἁπλούστερον εἰπεῖν παραπλησίως τῷ λεχθέντι ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ̔Ο πατὴρ ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν τεκνῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. ὁ γὰρ τὸν νόμον κυρίου μελετῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μελετᾶν εργοις καὶ διαθέσει κεκράξεται πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τῆς σωτηρίας ἑαυτοῦ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, ὁτὲ μὲν αἰτούμενος σωτηρίαν, ὁτὲ δὲ φυλαχθήσεσθαι αὐτὴν ηδη ὑπάρξασαν παρακαλῶν. Πολλὴν δὲ παρρησίαν εχοντος πρὸς θεὸν ἡ λέγουσα φωνὴ Εἰσελθέτω ἐνώπιόν σου ἡ προσευχή μου. ἐπεὶ γὰρ τοιαῦτα αἰτοῦμαι α κἀμοὶ συμφέρει καὶ σοὶ πρέπει καὶ φίλον διδόναι (αἰτοῦμαι γὰρ τὰ κυρίως ἀγαθά), ἐν οψεσί σου ἡ ἡμετέρα προσευχὴ γενέσθω· ουτως γὰρ καὶ ἐπινεύσεις παρασχεῖν α ᾐτησάμην, συγκαταβαίνων καὶ κλίνων πρὸς μὲ τὸ ους σου· ουτως γὰρ εἰσακουσθῆναι πεπίστευκα· διὰ τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς σέ, ω δέσποτα, βοῶ. 870 Ps 87,4 Πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ ἐπικείμενοι πολέμιοι οἱ κατασπάσαι τὴν ζωήν μου εἰς τὸν ᾳδην θέλοντες, ἐφ' οις ἀθυμῶν καὶ ἀγωνιῶν κακῶν εχω πλησθεῖσαν τὴν ψυχήν, τουτέστιν ἐπιπόνων κακωτικῶν. 871 Ps 87,5 ̓Εκ παραλλήλου τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον ᾳδην καὶ λάκκον καλεῖν εθος τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ. αὐτὸς ουν γενόμενος ὁ σωτὴρ ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ολων σωτηρίας ἐλήλυθε λύτρον δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ πολλῶν, χάριτι θεοῦ ὑπὲρ παντὸς γευσάμενος θανάτου. Μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανε καὶ ταύτῃ ειπε Προσελογίσθην μετὰ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον. ἑκάστου γὰρ εἰκότως κατιόντος εἰς τὸν λάκκον δι' α επραξεν η ἐφρόνησεν, ἐγὼ προσελογίσθην καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἠριθμήθην, οὐκ ἀκολουθίας εργων εἰς τοῦτό με ἀγαγούσης ἀλλ' εὐδοκίας πατρικῆς καὶ ἡμετέρου θελήματος προσλογισθῆναι τούτοις τοῖς εἰς τὸν λάκκον κατιοῦσι κρινάντων· οθεν αὐθαιρέτως καὶ ἐθελουσίως ἐγενήθην ὡς ανθρωπος ἀβοήθητος, τῆς ὁμοιώσεως οὐκ εἰς τὸν ανθρωπον ἀναφερομένης. Απαγε· ανθρωπος γὰρ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν γέγονεν, ὁμοιῶσθαι δέ φησιν οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπῳ ἀλλ' ἀβοηθήτῳ ἀνθρώπῳ. δυνάμενος γὰρ μὴ παθεῖν μὴ κρατηθῆναι μὴ δεθῆναι, ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδέδωκεν, Γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. ̓Αλλ' εἰ καὶ γέγονεν ἑκουσίως ανθρωπος ἀβοήθητος ὡς καὶ περιβληθῆναι θανάτῳ, ἀλλά γε ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος ην. πάντων γὰρ τῶν εἰς τὸν χῶρον τῶν νεκρῶν ἀπιόντων ὑπό τινων ἀγομένων, οὐ φαύλων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ σπουδαίων, μόνος ̓Ιησοῦς τεθάρρηκεν εἰπεῖν Οὐδεὶς αιρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, ινα πάλιν λάβω αὐτήν. οτι δὲ ἡ πάντων ψυχὴ ὑπό τινων εἰς ᾳδην αγεται, σαφές σοι εσται ἐπιστήσαντι τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις. περὶ γὰρ Λαζάρου ἀνδρὸς σπουδαίου οντος ειρηται ̓Εγένετο δὲ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχὸν καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι εἰς κόλπους ̓Αβραάμ· καὶ πρὸς φαῦλον δέ τινα λέλεκται Αφρων, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἀπαιτοῦσι τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπὸ σοῦ· καὶ πρὸς ετερον πρόσωπον λέλεκται τὸ