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Jews who had believed in him, If therefore you remain in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 949 Ps 97,3c When the prophecy which says, All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before him, came to fulfillment, it will be said, All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. For when the gospel was preached under the whole heaven and in the whole inhabited world as a testimony to all the nations according to the oracle of Christ, all the ends of the earth saw Christ the salvation of God. They saw not by approaching with sight but by the faithful assent of his teaching through which they had an image of him as present; but also in the mind, those who have passed beyond the earth and have become above it by no longer thinking material and earthly things but seeking and caring for the things above—being the ends of the earth—saw salvation and the cause of this, the God Logos, being the salvation of God. 950 Ps 97,4.5 He commands all the earth, that is, all the people on earth, to send up a victory hymn to the Lord who cast down the enemies, the invisible foes of men, the devil and his champions. Shouting aloud to him, all those on earth, let them sing psalms to him also with a cithara. What the cithara is, we have often said, and what it is to play on it: that it is to actively perform the things of virtue through the body or through all the powers of the soul. And playing on this cithara, they also receive a command to bring forth a song, which he called the voice of a psalm; that is, in addition to the psalm played by the instrument, let some voice also be sung, being the contemplation of things to be done. 951 Ps 97,6a Those who utter the word of truth brightly and ardently sound the trumpet with ductile trumpets. For these are truly capable of arousing to a spiritual festival, saying, Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, since only those who are rich in all speech and all knowledge are able to say this. And with the horn they sound the trumpet, those who are able to fight back with the word against sophisms and deceitful words. And consider whether an interpreter of divine instruction uses a ductile trumpet when he utters words didactically and demonstratively, but a trumpet of horn when silencing those who contradict the truth. 952 Ps 97,8b.9 And the mountains, which have been named for the height of their faith, though divided in thought and in way of life, rejoice, not being liable to the judgment which the Lord came to make; For he who believes in me, says the Lord, is not judged, that is, he is not subject to accusations, but stands before the tribunal of Christ to receive the promised goods. And judging the inhabited world in righteousness, he will preeminently judge those who have become his own, so that they might be called his peoples, in uprightness, since the peoples have an upright heart and upright actions; For he will render to each according to his work.
953 Ps 98,2 Formerly in Zion according to the giving of the law and of the
prophets the Lord is great, and then he is high above all the peoples from the nations who come to the faith; For glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek; for being lifted up from the earth he drew all to himself. Both the high and the great belong to his nature. For he is high, dwelling in high places, and he is great and exceedingly praiseworthy, since created nature is lowly and small, or rather is nothing in comparison to him. We have an image of him as high when we think of the things above; but also by conceiving great things about him we behold his greatness. But we imagine neither the greatness nor the height in a sensible way (for these are far from incorporeal things), much less of God himself. 954 Ps 98,3.4a You will understand it also thus; the name of the great
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πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ ̓Ιουδαίους ̓Εὰν ουν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς. 949 Ps 97,3c ̓Εκβάσεως τυχούσης τῆς προφητείας λεγούσης Μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, λεχθήσεται Ειδοσαν πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν. κηρυχθέντος γὰρ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ὑπ' οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς εθνεσι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ χρῃσμωδίαν, ειδε πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς Χριστὸν τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ. ειδον δὲ οὐκ οψει προσβάλλοντες ἀλλὰ πιστῇ συγκαταθέσει τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ δι' ης φαντασίαν ειχον παρόντος· ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν οἱ περάσαντες τὴν γῆν καὶ ἀνωτέρω αὐτῆς γεγενημένοι τῷ μὴ ὑλικὰ καὶ ἐπίγεια ετι φρονεῖν ἀλλὰ ζητεῖν καὶ φροντίζειν τὰ ανω-πέρατα γῆς οντες ειδον σωτηρίαν καὶ τὸν ταύτης αιτιον θεὸν λόγον οντα σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ. 950 Ps 97,4.5 Πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, τουτέστι τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς απαντας ἀνθρώπους προστάττει ἐπινίκιον υμνον ἀναπέμπειν τῷ κυρίῳ καθελόντι τοὺς πολεμίους τοὺς ἀοράτους ἐχθροὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ὑπασπιστὰς αὐτοῦ. ἀλαλάζοντες δὲ αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἐπὶ γῆς, ψαλάτωσαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν κιθάρᾳ. τίς δὲ ἡ κιθάρα, πολλάκις ειπομεν, καὶ τί τὸ ψάλλειν ἐν αὐτῇ, οτι τὸ πρακτικῶς ἐστι διὰ σώματος ἐνεργεῖν τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς η διὰ πασῶν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεων. ψάλλοντες δὲ ταύτῃ τῇ κιθάρᾳ καὶ ᾠδὴν προφέρεσθαι ἐντολὴν λαμβάνουσιν, ην φωνὴν ψαλμοῦ ειπεν· ἀντὶ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν ψαλμὸν τὸν διὰ τοῦ ὀργάνου πληττόμενον καὶ φωνή τις ᾀδέσθω ουσα ἡ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων θεωρία. 951 Ps 97,6a Σαλπίζουσιν ἐν ἐλαταῖς οἱ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας λαμπρῶς καὶ διαπύρως προφέροντες. ουτοι γὰρ ἀληθῶς εἰς πνευματικὴν ἑορτὴν διεγείρειν ἱκανοί, λέγοντες ̔Η ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ος καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης, τῶν πλουτούντων παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει μόνων τοῦτο δυναμένων προφέρειν. σαλπίζουσι δὲ τῇ κερατίνῃ οἱ ἀπομάχεσθαι τῷ λόγῳ δυνάμενοι πρὸς σοφίσματα καὶ λόγους ἀπατηλούς. καὶ ἐπίστησον εἰ ἐξηγητὴς θείας παιδεύσεως ἐλατῇ μὲν χρᾶται σάλπιγγι διδακτικῶς καὶ ἀποδεικτικῶς προφέρων τοὺς λόγους, σάλπιγγι δὲ κερατίνῃ ἐπιστομίζων τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. 952 Ps 97,8b.9 Καὶ οἱ τῷ φρονήματι δὲ καὶ τῇ πολιτείᾳ διῃρημένοι ορη διὰ τὸ υψος τῆς πίστεως χρηματίσαντες ἀγαλλιῶνται, οὐκ οντες ενοχοι τῇ κρίσει ῃ ηλθεν ὁ κύριος ποιῆσαι· ̔Ο πιστεύων γάρ φησιν ὁ κύριος εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ κρίνεται, τουτέστιν οὐχ ὑπόκειται ἐγκλήμασι, παρίσταται δὲ τῷ Χριστοῦ βήματι ἐπὶ τῷ τυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν. Κρίνων δὲ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, κατ' ἐξοχὴν τοὺς οἰκειωθέντας αὐτῷ ὡς λαοὺς αὐτοῦ χρηματίσαι ἐν εὐθύτητι κρινεῖ, ἐπεὶ εὐθεῖαν καρδίαν καὶ εὐθείας πράξεις εχουσι οἱ λαοί· ̓Αποδώσει γὰρ ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ.
953 Ps 98,2 Πρότερον ἐν τῇ Σιὼν κατὰ τὴν δόσιν τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν
προφητῶν μέγας ὁ κύριός ἐστιν, ειθ' ουτως ὑψηλὸς τυγχάνει ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν προσερχομένους τῇ πίστει λαούς· ∆όξα γὰρ καὶ τιμὴ καὶ εἰρήνη παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθόν, ̓Ιουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ελληνι· ὑψωθεὶς γὰρ ἐκ τῆς γῆς πάντας ειλκυσε πρὸς ἑαυτόν. ἀμφότερα δὲ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχει τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ μέγα. ὑψηλὸς γὰρ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν ἐστι, καὶ μέγας τυγχάνει καὶ αἰνετὸς σφόδρα, τῆς γενητῆς φύσεως ταπεινῆς καὶ βραχείας, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲν ουσης πρὸς αὐτόν. ὑψηλοῦ δὲ αὐτοῦ φαντασίαν εχομεν, οτε τὰ ανω φρονοῦμεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλαμβάνοντες τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ θεωροῦμεν. ἀλλ' ουτε τὸ μέγεθος ουτε τὸ υψος αἰσθητῶς φανταζόμεθα (μακρὰν γὰρ ταῦτα τῶν ἀσωμάτων), ου τι γε αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. 954 Ps 98,3.4a Νοήσεις καὶ ουτως· μεγάλου ονομα