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prophecy has declared; for it said: "And he struck their enemies in the hind parts;" indicating more reverently the part that received the blow. He called long-suffering 'sleep;' and from wine, a surfeit, 80.1501 indignation. For it is like an acquired thing of God, a punishment justly brought upon sinners. 67. "And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim." Again, leaving the other tribes, he mentions only Ephraim, foreseeing the coming tyranny. For Jeroboam, springing from this tribe, tore away the ten tribes from the Davidic kingdom; He says Joseph and Ephraim are the same tribe; for Ephraim was the son of Joseph. He says it was rejected, because the tabernacle did not remain in Shiloh, but the grace of the divine ark was transferred to Jerusalem, in which Solomon also afterwards built the divine temple. 68. "And he chose the tribe of Judah; the mountain of Zion, which he loved." He chose, however, the tribe of Judah, on account of the rod from Jesse which was expected to blossom. This shoot the patriarch Jacob also prophesied when blessing Judah; the divine Paul also mentions it, saying thus: "For it is evident that our Lord Jesus Christ has sprung out of Judah." For this reason, therefore, he preferred the tribe of Judah over the others; and since this mystery was somehow unknown to the many, he added very clearly: "The mountain of Zion, which he loved," so as to extinguish the envy of the other tribes, as if to say: Do not admit any occasion for jealousy. For because of Mount Zion he chose the tribe of Judah. Besides, he also wishes to show the mountain as venerable, because of the temple that would be built on it. 69. "And he built his sanctuary like the unicorns'." They say the unicorn is armed with one horn; and the law taught to worship one God. Therefore, he fittingly likened the one temple, dedicated to the one God, to a unicorn. "In the earth he established it forever." But Symmachus has it thus: Like the earth, which you have founded forever. And the others have also interpreted the same meaning. He says, therefore, that just as he created one earth, so he commanded one temple to be built for the Jews. 70. "And he chose David his servant, and took him from the flocks of sheep." At the same time, through these words, he showed both the virtue of David, calling him the servant of God, and the munificence of God, that he made a shepherd a king. 80.1504 71. "From following the ewes with young he took him." But Symmachus has it thus: He brought him following the pregnant ones. And this is an increase of the munificence; for he was not even a perfect shepherd, but a shepherd's assistant, following the birthing sheep. "To shepherd Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance; and he shepherded them in the innocence of his heart, and with the understandings of his hands he guided them." And this also shows the excess of his care; for he did not set the shepherd of the sheep over ordinary people, but having mixed understanding with simplicity, he guided them according to the divine laws. The Lord's legislation is like these things: "Be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves." For having banished the evil of each, and having removed the malice of the one and the foolishness of the other, he mixed the praiseworthy virtue. It is fitting for us also to achieve this in ourselves, having been called similarly to the blessed David, or rather to greater things; for we have been entrusted with the ministry of greater things; to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, according to the legislation of the divine Paul.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 78TH PSALM. 1. "A Psalm of Asaph." Of Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, the against the

people of the Jews, the prophetic word foretells the madness. The oracle

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προφητεία δεδήλωκεν· ἔφη γάρ· "Καὶ ἐπάταξε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω·" σεμνότερον τὸ μέρος δηλώσασα τὸ δεξάμενον τὴν πληγήν. Ὕπνον δὲ τὴν μακροθυμίαν ἐκάλεσεν· ἐξ οἴνου δὲ κραιπά 80.1501 λην, τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπείσακτόν ἐστι Θεοῦ, τιμωρία δικαίως τοῖς πλημμελοῦσιν ἐπαγομένη. ξζʹ. "Καὶ ἀπώσατο τὸ σκήνωμα Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ τὴν φυλὴν Ἐφραῒμ οὐκ ἐξελέξατο." Πάλιν τὰς ἄλλας καταλιπὼν φυλὰς, μόνης μέμνηται τῆς Ἐφραΐμ, τὴν ἐσομένην προορῶν τυραννίδα. Ἐκ ταύτης γὰρ Ἱεροβοὰμ ὁρμώμενος, τὰς δέκα φυλὰς ἐκ τῆς ∆αβι τικῆς ἀπέῤῥηξε βασιλείας· Ἰωσὴφ δὲ καὶ Ἐφραῒμ τὴν αὐτὴν λέγει φυλήν· υἱὸς γὰρ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ Ἐφραΐμ. Ἀπωσθῆναι δὲ αὐτὴν λέγει, τῷ μὴ διαμεῖναι ἐν τῇ Σηλὼμ τὴν σκηνὴν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ Ἱερου σαλὴμ τῆς θείας κιβωτοῦ μεταβῆναι τὴν χάριν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν θεῖον νεὼν ἐδεί ματο. ξηʹ. "Καὶ ἐξελέξατο τὴν φυλὴν Ἰούδα· τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σιὼν, ὃ ἠγάπησεν." Ἐξελέξατο μέντοι τὴν φυλὴν Ἰούδα, διὰ τὴν ἐξ Ἰεσσαὶ ῥάβδον ἀνθήσειν προσδοκωμένην. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν βλάστην καὶ ὁ πατριάρ χης Ἰακὼβ προεθέσπισεν εὐλογῶν τὸν Ἰούδαν· μέμνηται δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· "Πρόδηλον δὲ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός." Ταύτης οὖν ἕνεκα τὴν Ἰούδα φυλὴν τῶν ἄλλων προείλετο· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτό πως ἠγνοεῖτο τοῖς πολλοῖς τὸ μυστήριον, μάλα σαφῶς ἐπήγαγε· "Τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σιὼν, ὃ ἠγάπησεν," ἵνα τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν κατασβέσῃ τὸν φθόνον, μο νονουχὶ λέγων· Μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν ζηλοτυπίας εἰσδέξησθε. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ Σιὼν ὄρος ἐξελέξατο τὴν Ἰούδα φυλήν. Ἄλλως τε καὶ σεβάσμιον βούλεται δεῖξαι τὸ ὄρος, διὰ τὸν οἰκοδομηθησόμενον νεὼν ἐν αὐτῷ. ξθʹ. "Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ὡς μονοκερώτων τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ." Κέρατι τὸν μονόκερων ἑνὶ καθω πλίσθαι φασίν· ἕνα δὲ προσκυνεῖν Θεὸν καὶ ὁ νόμος ἐδίδαξεν. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ἀπείκασε μονοκέρωτι τὸν ἕνα νεὼν, τὸν τῷ ἑνὶ ἀφιερωμένον Θεῷ. "Ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Ὡς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἐθεμελίωσας εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν ἡρμηνεύκασι. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι καθάπερ μίαν ἐδημιούργησε γῆν, οὕτω νεὼν Ἰουδαίοις ἕνα δημιουργῆσαι προσέταξε. οʹ. "Καὶ ἐξελέξατο ∆αβὶδ τὸν δοῦλον αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων τῶν προβάτων." Κατὰ ταυτὸν διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε, καὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὴν ἀρετὴν, δοῦλον αὐτὸν ὀνομάσας Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλοτιμίαν, ὅτι τὸν προβατέα βασιλέα πεποίηκεν. 80.1504 οαʹ. "Ἐξόπισθεν τῶν λοχευομένων ἔλαβεν αὐτόν." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Ἀκολουθοῦντα ἐγκύμοσιν ἤγαγεν αὐτόν. Ἐπίτασις δὲ τῆς φιλοτιμίας καὶ τοῦτο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ποιμὴν τέλειος ἦν, ἀλλ' ὑπουργὸς ποιμένος, τοῖς τίκτουσι τῶν προβάτων ἑπόμενος. "Ποιμαίνειν Ἰακὼβ τὸν δοῦλον αὑτοῦ, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν κληρονομίαν αὑτοῦ· καὶ ἐποίμα νεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀκακίᾳ τῆς καρδίας αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς συνέσεσι τῶν χειρῶν αὑτοῦ ὡδήγησεν αὐτούς." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ δείκνυσι τὴν τῆς κηδεμονίας ὑπερβο λήν· οὐ γὰρ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπέστησε τὸν τῶν προβάτων νομέα, ἀλλ' ἁπλότητι σύνεσιν κεράσας, κατὰ τοὺς θείους αὐτοὺς ἐποδήγησε νόμους, Τούτοις ἔοικεν ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου νομοθεσία· "Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστε ραί." Ἑκατέρου γὰρ ἐξορίσας κακίαν, καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὴν κακουργίαν, τῆς δὲ τὴν ἄνοιαν ἐξελὼν, τὴν ἐπαινουμένην ἐκέρασεν ἀρετήν. Ταύτην καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κατορθῶσαι προσήκει, καὶ τῷ μακαρίῳ ∆αβὶδ κληθέντας παραπλησίως, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπὶ μεί ζοσι· μειζόνων γὰρ πραγμάτων διακονίαν ἐνεχειρί σθημεν· ἀξίως περιπατῆσαι τῆς κλήσεως, ἧς ἐκλήθημεν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου νομοθεσίαν.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΟΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ Ἀσάφ." Ἀντιόχου, τοῦ ἐπίκλην Ἐπιφανοῦς, τὴν κατὰ τοῦ

λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μανίαν ὁ προφητικὸς προθεσπίζει λόγος. Τὴν δὲ χρησμολο γίαν