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Tyre, and the people of the Ethiopians, these were born there." These things, he says, O divine city, have been spoken of you; so that those who formerly lived with impiety, and were held by the darkness of ignorance, might be deemed worthy of a dwelling in you, and might partake of your citizenship. For this very reason he mentioned the aforesaid nations, 80.1565 as being most lawless, and having bound on the crown of impiety, so that through these he might also make known the others. For Rahab is both a Canaanite and a prostitute; Babylon, beastly and impious; the foreigners, that is, the Philistines; we have already shown who these are; both superstitious and lawless. And the prophet Ezekiel dramatized the impiety and licentiousness of Tyre; but the prophetic word called the people of the Ethiopians not only the Ethiopians themselves, whose souls imitated the color of their body, but also all those who are black in soul. For indeed in the Song of Songs the Bride cries out: "I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem." [Black, indeed, having been deceived, stained by the savor of irrational things; but beautiful, awaiting you, the Master who will come from heaven for my salvation.] And it has shown at the same time both the darkness of impiety and the beauty given by divine grace. These nations, however, in the time of the Jews, did not come together to Jerusalem, nor did they love the legal polity; but after the incarnation of our Savior, they both inhabit this Jerusalem, and fill the churches throughout the world, and pass over to the Zion above, and partake of that blessed citizenship. [For from what nations have they not believed in the Savior? And who of these have not reached even the lower Jerusalem to worship the most renowned and venerable places, in which not only the God from God was incarnate, but also walked with feet of philanthropy. Well then, he said through the following:] 5. "Mother Sion, a man shall say." And each one will name Sion mother, and every man will say that Sion is mother. [Thus also the blessed Paul says: "But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all."] "And a man was born in her." To "a man shall say" this too is connected. For he who names Sion mother will also confess the birth of the man born in her; and lest anyone should suppose this to be a mere man, he immediately added: "And he himself, the Most High, has founded her." For this man born in her is also maker and creator, being Most High, and God. 80.1568 6. "The Lord will recount in the writing of the peoples, and of these rulers who were born in her." But Symmachus has it thus: The Lord will number, writing the peoples; this one was born there. For he who deems the peoples who live as citizens in her worthy of his writing, was born in her according to his humanity, being Lord and God. And our Lord also taught this numbering, having said to the holy apostles: "But even the hairs of your head are all numbered." And he also made known the registration to his own disciples, saying: "Do not rejoice that the demons are subject to you, but that your names have been written in the heavens." 7. "The dwelling of all who rejoice is in you." For the citizenship in heaven, separated from all despondency, has unmixed and pure joy and gladness. And the nurslings of piety do not sojourn in it, but dwell in it forever. INTERPRETATION OF THE 87TH PSALM.

1. "A song of a psalm, for the sons of Korah; to the end, for Maeleth to answer; of understanding, for Aeman the Israelite." But Symmachus, instead of, for Maeleth, has said, by the choir; and Aquila, for dancing; and Aeman also led a certain choir of singers, and of those hymning God. And the response alludes to the antiphonal choirs. The prophecy, however, foretells the calamities of the Jews, and the servitude in Babylon. And it teaches at the same time also

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Τύρος, καὶ λαὸς τῶν Αἰθιόπων, οὗτοι ἐγενήθησαν ἐκεῖ." Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ὦ θεία πόλις, λελάληται περὶ σοῦ· ὥστε τοὺς πάλαι δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶντας, καὶ τῷ ζόφῳ τῆς ἀγνοίας κατεχομένους, τῆς ἐν σοὶ κατ οικίας ἀξιωθῆναι, καὶ τῆς σῆς πολιτείας μεταλαχεῖν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τῶν προειρημένων ἐθνῶν ἀνέμνησεν, 80.1565 ὡς παρανομωτάτων, καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀναδησα μένων τὸ κράτος, ἵνα διὰ τούτων καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους δηλώσῃ. Ῥαὰβ μὲν γὰρ καὶ Χαναναία καὶ πόρνη· Βαβυλὼν δὲ, θηριώδης καὶ δυσσεβής· οἱ δὲ ἀλλό φυλοι ἤ τοι Φυλιστιαῖοι· δεδηλώκαμεν δὲ ἤδη τίνες οὗτοι· καὶ δεισιδαίμονες καὶ παράνομοι. Τῆς δὲ Τύρου καὶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὴν ἀσέλγειαν, ὁ προφήτης Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἐτραγῴδησε· λαὸν δὲ τῶν Αἰθιό πων, οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς Αἰθίοπας, ὧν αἱ ψυχαὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐμιμήσαντο χροὰν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς μέλανας τῇ ψυχῇ, ὁ προφητικὸς ἐκάλεσε λό γος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἡ Νύμφη βοᾷ· "Μέλαινά εἰμι καὶ καλὴ, θυγατέρες Ἱε ρουσαλήμ." [Μέλαινα μὲν ἐξηπατημένη, τῇ κνίσῃ τῶν ἀλόγων κατεσπιλωμένη· καλὴ δὲ περι μένουσά σε τὸν ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἥξοντα ∆εσπότην διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν σωτηρίαν.] Καὶ δεδήλωκε κατὰ ταυτὸν τῆς τε δυσσεβείας τὸν ζόφον, καὶ τὴν δεδομένην ὑπὸ τῆς θείας χάριτος ὥραν. Ταῦτα μέντοι τὰ ἔθνη, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οὐ συνῆλθεν, οὐδὲ τὴν νομικὴν πολιτείαν ἠγάπησεν· μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν, καὶ ταύτην κατοικεῖ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκκλησίας πληροῖ, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἄνω μετα βαίνει Σιὼν, καὶ τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης πολιτείας μεταλαγχάνει. [Ἐκ ποίων γὰρ ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἐπί στευσαν τῷ Σωτῆρι; Τίνες δὲ τούτων οἱ μὴ κατα λαβόντες καὶ τὴν κάτω Ἱερουσαλὴμ διὰ τὸ προσκυνῆ σαι τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους καὶ σεπτοὺς τόπους, ἐν οἷς οὐ μόνον ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸς σαρκωθεὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποσὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἐβάδισε. Καλῶς οὖν ἔχων διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ἔφησε·] εʹ. "Μήτηρ Σιὼν ἐρεῖ ἄνθρωπος." Μητέρα δὲ ἕκαστος τὴν Σιὼν ὀνομάσει, καὶ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐρεῖ, ὅτι μήτηρ ἡ Σιών. [Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγει Παῦλος· "Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μήτηρ πάντων ἡμῶν."] "Καὶ ἄν θρωπος ἐγενήθη ἐν αὐτῇ." Τῷ Ἐρεῖ ἄνθρωπος καὶ τοῦτο συνῆπται. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν Σιὼν ὀνομάζων μητέρα, ὁμολογήσει καὶ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ τεχθέντος ἀνθρώπου τὴν γέννησιν· καὶ ἵνα μή τις ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον ὑπο λάβοι ψιλὸν, εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν· "Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐθε μελίωσεν αὐτὴν ὁ Ὕψιστος." Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἐν αὐτῇ τεχθεὶς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ποιητής ἐστι, καὶ δημι ουργὸς, ὕψιστος ὢν, καὶ Θεός. 80.1568 ʹ. "Κύριος διηγήσεται ἐν γραφῇ λαῶν, καὶ ἀρχόντων τούτων γεγενημένων ἐν αὐτῇ." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Κύριος ἀριθμήσει γράφων λαούς· οὗτος ἐτέχθη ἐκεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πολιτευομένους λαοὺς τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ γραφῆς ἀξιῶν, ἐν αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐγεννήθη Κύριος ὢν καὶ Θεός. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἀρίθμησιν καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐδίδαξε πρὸς τοὺς ἱεροὺς εἰρηκὼς ἀποστό λους· "Ὑμῶν δὲ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς ἠριθμη μέναι εἰσί." Καὶ τὴν ἀναγραφὴν δὲ τοῖς οἰκείοις μαθηταῖς ἐδήλωσε λέγων· "Μὴ χαίρετε, ὅτι τὰ δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑποτάσσεται, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν ἐγγέγραπται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." ζʹ. "Ὡς εὐφραινομένων πάντων ἡ κατοικία ἐν σοί." Ἡ γὰρ ἐν οὐρανοῖς πολιτεία, πάσης ἀθυμίας κεχωρισμένη, τὴν ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ καθαρὰν εὐφρο σύνην ἔχει, καὶ θυμηδίαν. Ταύτην δὲ οὐ παροικοῦ σιν, ἀλλ' εἰς αἰῶνα κατοικοῦσιν, τῆς εὐσεβείας οἱ τρόφιμοι. ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΠΖʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ.

αʹ. "Ὠδὴ ψαλμοῦ, Τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορέ· εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ Μαελὲθ τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι· συνέσεως, Αἰμὰν τῷ Ἰσραηλίτῃ." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὑπὲρ Μαελὲθ, διὰ χοροῦ εἴρηκεν· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, ἐπὶ χορείᾳ· καὶ ὁ Αἰμὰν δὲ χοροῦ τινὸς ἐξῆρχεν ᾀδόν των, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνούντων. Ἡ δὲ ἀπόκρισις αἰνίττεται τὰ ἀντιφθεγγόμενα τάγματα τῶν χορῶν. Ἡ μέντοι προφητεία προθεσπίζει τὰς Ἰουδαίων συμφορὰς, καὶ τὴν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι δουλείαν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ κατὰ ταυτὸν καὶ