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but much better and more brilliant, and more conspicuous, and greater, and more prosperous, and more powerful, and more spacious in its buildings, in its markets, in its power, in the abundance of its substance. For, he says, the last glory of this house will be greater than the former. He exhorts the people, and all but says these things: Behold this city, the despaired of, the hopeless, which was a ruin, how has it returned to a more brilliant form? Consider therefore these very things, its construction, its brilliance, its conspicuousness, so that learning from this the might of God, how He made the despaired of greater, you may declare to your descendants the power of God, the constancy of His providence; that He remained continually caring for us, and presiding over us and shepherding us. For these narratives will also be for those after these things a subject of much philosophy, and an occasion for the most accurate knowledge of God, and a care for virtue. For these reasons He commands them to go about it, so that they might become accurate teachers of their own descendants. 4. Wherefore we also, always and continually looking, let us keep in mind our city Jerusalem, always imagining its beauties, which is the mother city of the king of the ages, in which are spirits of the just, choirs of patriarchs, of apostles, and of all the saints; where all things are without strife, and do not pass away; where 55.222 are the incorruptible and unseen beauties, which it is possible only for those to inherit who have made a complete forgetting of these corruptible and temporary cares of life, of wealth, I say, and of luxury, and of the harmful pleasures of the devil. And brotherly love and hospitality toward those in need increasing each day, love toward neighbor, and forgiveness from the heart for one who has grieved us, so that thus living well and in a manner pleasing to God, we may become heirs of the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Himself our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. TO THE 48TH PSALM. To the end, for the sons of Korah. Another: A song of victory. Hear these things, all nations. Another: Hear this. Give ear, all who inhabit the world. Another: The setting. Another says, The setting. But the Hebrew has, Old, Both those born of the earth and the sons of men. Another: Both humanity, and moreover also the sons of each man. Together rich and poor. Another: Together. 1. The Prophet is now about to discuss with us certain great and secret things. For he would not have called those everywhere on earth to a hearing, nor would he have seated the theatre of the world, unless he were about to say to us something great, and brilliant, and worthy of the size of the assembly. For no longer as prophesying to Jews who inhabit Palestine does he speak, but like some apostle and evangelist he directs his discourse to the whole nature of men. For the law on the one hand instructed the nation in one corner of the world; but the word of the preaching was sounded out everywhere on earth, and extended itself, having gone over as much land as the sun also goes over. For those things were a kind of tutelage and introduction, and a ministry of condemnation and death; but these things are grace and peace. Since, therefore, he has summoned the entire race to the hearing, come then, let us also

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ἀλλὰ πολλῷ βελτίονα καὶ λαμπροτέραν, καὶ περιφανεστέραν, καὶ μείζονα, καὶ εὐπορωτέραν, καὶ δυνατωτέραν, καὶ εὐρυτέραν ἐν ταῖς οἰκοδομαῖς, ἐν τοῖς ὠνίοις, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει, ἐν τῇ τῆς ὑποστάσεως περιουσίᾳ. Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἐσχάτη δόξα τοῦ οἴκου τούτου, ὑπὲρ τὴν ἔμπροσθεν. Παραινεῖ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ μονονουχὶ ταῦτα λέγει· Ἰδοὺ ἡ πόλις αὕτη, ἡ ἀπεγνωσμένη, ἡ ἀπηλπισμένη, ἡ ἐρείπιον οὖσα, πῶς ἐπὶ λαμπρότερον ἐπανῆλθε σχῆμα; Αὐτὰ οὖν ταῦτα καταμάθετε, τὴν οἰκοδομὴν αὐτῆς, τὴν λαμπρότητα, τὴν περιφάνειαν, ἵνα κἀντεῦθεν μαθόντες τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν, πῶς τὴν ἀπεγνωσμένην μείζονα ἐποίησε, διηγῆσθε τοῖς ἐγγόνοις ὑμῶν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ διαρκὲς αὐτοῦ τῆς προνοίας· ὅτι διαπαντὸς ἔμενεν ἡμῶν κηδόμενος, καὶ προϊστάμενος καὶ ποιμαίνων. Ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ διηγήματα καὶ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα πολλῆς ἔσται φιλοσοφίας ὑπόθεσις, καὶ θεογνωσίας ἀκριβεστάτης ἀφορμὴ, καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐπιμέλεια. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα αὐτὴν περιιέναι κελεύει, ἵνα ἀκριβεῖς διδάσκαλοι τῶν ἐγγόνων γένωνται τῶν ἑαυτῶν. δʹ. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀεὶ καὶ διηνεκῶς ἀποσκοποῦντες, ἐν νῷ ἔχωμεν τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, αὐτῆς τὰ κάλλη διαπαντὸς φανταζόμενοι, ἥτις ἐστὶ μητρόπολις τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν αἰώνων, ἐν ᾗ πνεύματα δικαίων, χοροὶ πατριαρχῶν, ἀποστόλων, καὶ πάντων ἁγίων· ἔνθα πάντα ἀστασίαστα, καὶ μὴ παρερχόμενα· ἔνθα 55.222 τὰ ἄφθαρτα καὶ ἀθέατα κάλλη, ἃ μόνοις πρόσεστι κληρονομῆσαι τοῖς παντελῶς λήθην ποιησαμένοις τῶν φθαρτῶν τούτων καὶ προσκαίρων βιωτικῶν μελημάτων, πλούτου λέγω, καὶ τρυφῆς, καὶ τῶν ἐπιβλαβῶν ἡδονῶν τοῦ διαβόλου. Τὴν δὲ φιλαδελφίαν καὶ τὴν φιλοξενίαν πρὸς τοὺς δεομένους καθ' ἑκάστην τὴν ἡμέραν αὐξοῦντες, ἀγάπην τὴν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας συγχώρησιν τοῦ λελυπηκότος, ἵν' οὕτω καλῶς καὶ θεαρέστως βιοτεύοντες, κληρονόμοι γενοίμεθα τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας, ἐν αὐτῷ Χριστῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΜΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορέ. Ἄλλος, Ἐπινίκιος. Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἄλλος, Ἀκού σατε τοῦτο. Ἐνωτίσασθε, πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦν τες τὴν οἰκουμένην. Ἄλλος, Τὴν ἐγκατάδυσιν. Ἄλλος φησὶ, Τὴν κατάδυσιν. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος, Ὄλδ, Οἵ τε γηγενεῖς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἄλλος, Ἥ τε ἀνθρωπότης, προσέτι δὲ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ἑκάστου ἀνδρός. Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πλούσιος καὶ πέ νης. Ἄλλος, Ὁμοῦ. αʹ. Μεγάλα τινὰ καὶ ἀπόῤῥητα μέλλει διαλέγεσθαι νῦν ἡμῖν ὁ Προφήτης. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν τοὺς πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἐκάλεσεν εἰς ἀκρόασιν, οὐδ' ἂν τὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκάθισε θέατρον, εἰ μὴ μέγα τι, καὶ λαμπρὸν, καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τοῦ συλλόγου ἄξιον ἐρεῖν ἡμῖν ἔμελλεν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ ὡς Ἰουδαίοις προφητεύων τοῖς τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκοῦσι διαλέγεται, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τις ἀπόστολος καὶ εὐαγγελιστὴς πρὸς ἅπασαν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν ἀποτείνει τὸν λόγον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ νόμος ἐν μιᾷ γωνίᾳ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ ἔθνος ἐπαίδευεν· ὁ λόγος δὲ τοῦ κηρύγματος πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἐξηχεῖτο, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐξέτεινε, τοσαύτην ἐπελθὼν χώραν, ὅσην καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἔπεισιν. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ παιδαγωγία τις ἦν καὶ εἰσαγωγὴ, καὶ διακονία κατακρίσεως καὶ θανάτου· ταῦτα δὲ χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἅπαν τὸ γένος εἰς τὴν ἀκρόασιν συνεκάλεσε, δεῦρο δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς