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And so also Aquila, And he sent them away in the crookedness of their heart, they will walk in their own counsels. For seeing him disobedient, I stripped him of my own care. And I allowed him to be carried by his own reasonings, like an unballasted and unsteered vessel; the truth of the prophecy lies before those who wish for contemplation. For the Jews, having become destitute of God's help, were scattered over all land and sea, and became slaves instead of free. And they live with all impiety, using sorceries and incantations of demons, and not willing to worship the God who saved them. 14, 15. "If my people had heard me, if Israel had walked in my ways, I would have humbled their enemies in a moment, and I would have laid my hand upon those who afflict them." If he had endured my exhortations and followed my commandments, I would have easily destroyed their enemies. For the phrase, 'in a moment,' denotes ease, instead of, 'Effortlessly and without toil, and in an instant I could have brought about their destruction.' 10. "The enemies of the Lord lied to him." But Aquila thus, Those who hate the Lord will deny. For by the denial of the Lord Christ they wrought hatred against themselves, and made themselves enemies of the Lord, having lied to him and transgressed the covenants that had been made. For after the giving of the law, he says, the people answered: "All that the Lord God has said, we will do and we will hear." And such were the promises, but the deeds were openly contrary. For when their own Lord appeared, they crucified him, but they received the penalty for their impiety, eternal destruction. [Not only they, but also Arius and Eunomius and Nestorius and those who believe their doctrines.] And this the prophecy has also shown. "And their time shall be for ever." But Symmachus has said it more clearly; for having said, 80.1528 Haters of the Lord are those who lied to him, he added, But their time shall be for ever. And he calls the misfortunes 'time'. For so also the Syrians and the Hebrews are accustomed to name [these]; and many among us also call them thus. He says, therefore, that the Jews will not fall into these for some specified time, but they will continue for ever deprived of divine care. And this resembles the prooemium of the 73rd psalm, "Why, O God, have you cast us off for ever?" For there too he foretold the complete rejection of the Jews. 17. "And he fed them from the fat of the wheat; and from the rock he satisfied them with honey." Having been sick with great ungratefulness, he says, they did not remember the good things already provided to them. For in the desert he brought forth for them the sweetest water from the rock, which to them in their thirst was thought to imitate the sweetness of honey; and in the land of promise he gifted to them abundantly the fruits from the earth. For from the part he revealed the whole, and through the wheat and the other fruits he signified the provision. INTERPRETATION OF THE 81ST PSALM. 1. "A Psalm for Asaph." Having spoken of the rejection of the Jews in the psalm before this one, here he also sets forth more clearly the reasons for which God rejected them; teaching in every way that if we imitate them, we shall fall into the same or worse things. "God stood in the congregation of gods, and in the midst he will judge gods." He named the rulers of the Jews 'gods', as being entrusted with judging. Thus the law also calls them. "You shall not speak evil of the gods, nor shall you speak ill of a ruler of your people." For since God is truly the judge, and men were also appointed to judge, those entrusted with these things were called gods, inasmuch as in this they imitate God. But those who do not judge justly, nor hold the scales of justice unswervingly, the just judge here refutes, and foretells the just judgment that will be by him. 2. "How long do you judge unjustly, and show partiality to sinners?" Until when, he says, do you not cast an impartial vote, but decline to convict the injustice of the powerful and lawless, and overlook the

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Οὕτως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας, Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ἐν σκολιότητι καρδίας αὐτῶν, πορεύσονται ἐν βου λεύμασιν αὐτῶν. Ἀπειθῆ γὰρ αὐτὸν θεασάμενος, τῆς μὲν ἐμαυτοῦ κηδεμονίας αὐτὸν ἐγύμνωσα. Εἴασα δὲ αὐτὸν τοῖς οἰκείοις φέρεσθαι λογισμοῖς, ὡς ἀνερμάτιστον καὶ ἀκυβέρνητον σκάφος· πρό κειται δὲ εἰς θεωρίαν τοῖς βουλομένοις ἡ τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθεια. Ἔρημοι γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι γενόμενοι, εἰς ἅπασαν γῆν μὲν καὶ θάλασσαν διεσπάρησαν, δοῦλοι δὲ ἀντ' ἐλευ θέρων ἐγένοντο. ∆υσσεβείᾳ δὲ πάσῃ συζῶσι, γοη τείαις καὶ δαιμόνων ἐπῳδαῖς κεχρημένοι, τὸν δὲ σεσωκότα Θεὸν προσκυνεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλοντες. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "Εἰ ὁ λαός μου ἤκουσέ μου, Ἰσραὴλ ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου εἰ ἐπορεύθη, ἐν τῷ μηδενὶ ἂν τοὺς ἐχ θροὺς αὐτῶν ἐταπείνωσα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς θλίβοντας αὐτοὺς ἐπέβαλον ἂν τὴν χεῖρά μου." Εἰ δὲ τῶν ἐμῶν ἠνέσχετο παραινέσεων, καὶ ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἠκο λούθησεν ἐντολαῖς, ῥᾳδίως ἂν αὐτῶν κατέλυσα τοὺς ἐχθρούς. Τὸ γὰρ, ἐν τῷ μηδενὶ, τὴν εὐκολίαν δηλοῖ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἀκονητὶ καὶ ἀπόνως, καὶ ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τὸν ἐκείνων ὄλεθρον ἐπενεγκεῖν ἠδυνάμην. ιʹ. "Οἱ ἐχθροὶ Κυρίου ἐψεύσαντο αὐτῷ." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως, Μισοποιοῦντες Κύριον ἀρνή σονται. Τῇ γὰρ ἀρνήσει τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ τὸ καθ' ἑαυτῶν κατεσκεύασαν μῖσος, καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ Κυρίου κατέστησαν ψευσάμενοι αὐτῷ, καὶ τὰς γεγενημένας παραβάντες συνθή κας. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν νομοθεσίαν ἀπεκρίνατο, φησὶν, ὁ λαός· "Πάντα ὅσα εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ποιήσο μεν καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα." Καὶ αἱ μὲν ὑποσχέσεις τοιαῦται, τὰ δὲ ῥήματα ἄντικρυς ἐναντία. Φα νέντα γὰρ τὸν οἰκεῖον ∆εσπότην ἐσταύρωσαν, ἀλλ' ἐδέξαντο τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπιτίμιον, τὸν αἰώνιον ὄλε θρον. [Οὐκ αὐτοὶ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἄρειος καὶ Εὐνόμιος καὶ Νεστόριος καὶ οἱ τὰ ἐκείνων θρη σκεύοντες.] Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ προφητεία δεδήλωκεν. "Καὶ ἔσται ὁ καιρὸς αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Σα φέστερον δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν· εἰρηκὼς γὰρ, 80.1528 Μισοποιοὶ Κυρίου οἱ ψευσάμενοι αὐτῷ, ἐπήγα γεν, Ἀλλ' ἔσται ὁ καιρὸς αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καιρὸν δὲ καλεῖ τὰς συμφοράς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ Σύροι, καὶ οἱ Ἑβραῖοι [ταύτας] ὀνομάζειν εἰώθασι· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν οὕτω ταύτας ἀποκα λοῦσι. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι ταύταις Ἰουδαῖοι οὐ κατά τινα ῥητὸν περιπεσοῦνται χρόνον, ἀλλ' εἰς αἰῶνα διατελοῦσι τῆς θείας ἐστερημένοι κηδεμο νίας. Ἔοικε δὲ τοῦτο τοῦ ογʹ ψαλμοῦ τῷ προοιμίῳ, "Ἱνατί, ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω εἰς τέλος;" Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τὴν παντελῆ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀποβολὴν προηγόρευσεν. ιζʹ. "Καὶ ἐψώμισεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ στέατος πυροῦ· καὶ ἐκ πέτρας μέλι ἐχόρτασεν αὐτούς." Πολλὴν δὲ, φησὶν, ἀχαριστίαν νενοσηκότες, οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν τῶν ἤδη παρασχεθέντων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ ἥδιστον αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ἐξήγαγεν ὕδωρ, ὃ διψῶσιν αὐτοῖς ἐνομίσθη μιμεῖ σθαι γλυκύτητα μέλιτος· ἐν δὲ τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγε λίας τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῖς ἀφθόνως ἐδωρή σατο καρπούς. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ μέρους τὸ πᾶν παρ εδήλωσε, καὶ διὰ τοῦ σίτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων καρπῶν τὴν χορηγίαν ἐσήμανεν. ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΠΑʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ Ἀσάφ." Τὴν ἀποβολὴν εἰπὼν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ, ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὰς αἰτίας σαφέστερον ἐκτίθησι, δι' ἃς αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεβάλλετο· διδάσκων πάντως, ὡς εἴγε ἐκείνους μιμησόμεθα, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἢ χείροσι περιπέ σομεν. "Ὁ Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρινεῖ." Τοὺς Ἰουδαίων ἄρχοντας θεοὺς, ὡς τὸ κρίνειν πεπιστευμένους, ὠνόμασεν. Οὕτως αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ νόμος ἀποκαλεῖ. "Θεοὺς οὐ κακο λογήσεις, καὶ ἄρχοντα τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐκ ἐρεῖς κα κῶς." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀληθῶς κριτὴς ὁ Θεός ἐστιν, ἐνε χειρίσθησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι κρίνειν, προσηγο ρεύθησαν οἱ ταῦτα πεπιστευμένοι θεοὶ, ἅτε δὴ Θεὸν ἐν τούτῳ μιμούμενοι. Ἀλλὰ τοὺς οὐκ ἐνδίκως δικάζοντας, οὐδὲ ἀκλινῶς κατέχοντας τὰ τῆς δίκης ζυγὰ, ὁ δίκαιος ἐνταῦθα διελέγχει κριτὴς, καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δικαίαν κρίσιν προαγορεύει. βʹ. "Ἕως πότε κρίνετε ἀδικίαν, καὶ πρόσωπα ἁμαρτωλῶν λαμβάνετε;" Μέχρι τίνος, φησὶν, ἀδέ καστον οὐκ ἐκφέρετε ψῆφον, ἀλλὰ τῶν δυνατῶν καὶ παρανόμων ἐλέγχειν παραιτεῖσθε τὴν ἀδικίαν, καὶ παρορᾶτε τοὺς