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the blessed Paul mentions; "You have come, he says, to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven." 7. For who in the clouds shall be made equal to the Lord, or shall be likened to the Lord among the sons of God?" But Symmachus [translates it] thus: For who in the ether will compare with the Lord, will be equal to the Lord among the sons of gods; He calls the gods sons of God, as he calls men sons of men. He calls them gods, not as being so, but as being considered so by the unbelievers. He says therefore, that You are above even the heavenly beings, and are incomparably superior to all, and none of existing things will be able to be compared to you. For the falsehood of those deified by men is exposed; but your power is enduring and indestructible. He also uses such words elsewhere, saying: "And our Lord is above all the gods." But the prophets make this comparison, not being ignorant of the greatness of the difference, but offering a teaching commensurate with the weakness of the unbelievers. 8. "God who is glorified in the council of the saints; great and terrible is he over all who are around him." Since he mentioned the gods that are not, and the God who is was unknown among the impious, he reasonably brought forward the saints, by whom the true God is hymned, to whom he is also terrible, since they draw near to him and know his ineffable power. And here he called the assembly of the saints the council of the saints. 9. "O Lord God of hosts, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your truth is round about you." They continually mention the truth, longing to see the unfailingness of the promises; and they say to 80.1581 him, Who, O Master, of existing things can be compared to you? You are Lord and God of hosts, you have power that accompanies your will; all things with you are true and firm. Then he recounts the proofs of his power. 10, 11. "You rule the power of the sea; and you calm the surge of its waves. You humbled the arrogant one as a wounded man; with the arm of your power you scattered your enemies." You are, he says, the creator and master of all things; and it is easy for you both to stir up the sea, and to make it calm. And having mentioned the sea, he also recalls the things that happened in it. For he calls Pharaoh the arrogant one, and the Egyptians enemies, whom he delivered to the sea, and saved his own people. And at the same time he also foretells the destruction of the teachers of arrogance; for these also with the wicked host he destroys in the all-holy baptism; [just as there through Moses, here through the priest.] 12. "The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; the world, and its fullness, you have founded." For not only of the sea and of all the earth, but also of the heavens above you are poet and creator. For your work is not only the visible heaven, but also that which is above it. 13. "The north and the sea you have created." But Theodotion [translates it] thus: North and south you have created. [And he calls the south sea, because it especially stirs up its depths.] And the winds, he says, and the very parts of the world, are your creations. He did not simply mention these two parts; but because south of Jerusalem are the Egyptians, and to the north the Assyrians; and having destroyed the audacity of the Egyptians, he granted them freedom. It is easy for you, he says, to destroy these as well as those. When this has happened, "Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in your name." And through these he signified all the land of the promise. For these are the mountains of that land. But Aquila has rendered "shall rejoice" as "shall praise," and Symmachus as "shall speak well of." Yet he did not say that the mountains would do this, but the people inhabiting the mountains, or near the mountains. 80.1584 14. "Yours is the arm with dominion." It is your property to work all things powerfully. For he took arm for activity, and dominion for power; for indeed

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ὁ μακάριος μέμνηται Παῦλος· "Προσεληλύθατε, λέγων, Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρα νοῖς." ζʹ. Ὅτι τίς ἐν νεφέλαις ἰσωθήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὁμοιωθήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν υἱοῖς Θεοῦ;" Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Τίς γὰρ ἐν αἰθέρι ἀντιπαραθήσει τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἐξισάσει τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν υἱοῖς θεῶν· Υἱοὺς Θεοῦ καλεῖ τοὺς θεοὺς, ὡς υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἀν θρώπους. Καλεῖ δὲ θεοὺς, οὐχ ὡς ὄντας, ἀλλ' ὡς παρὰ τοῖς ἀπίστοις νομιζομένους. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Καὶ τῶν ἐπουρανίων ὑπέρκεισαι, καὶ πάντων ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπέρτερος εἶ, καὶ οὐδείς σοι τῶν ὄντων παραβληθῆναι δυνήσεται. Ἐλέγχεται γὰρ τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων θεοποιουμένων τὸ ψεῦδος· ἡ δὲ σὴ δύναμις διαρκὴς καὶ ἀνώλεθρος. Τοιούτοις καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ κέχρηται λόγοις φάσκων· "Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν παρὰ πάντας τοὺς θεούς." Ταύτην δὲ ποιοῦνται τὴν παρεξέτασιν, οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες οἱ προφῆται τῆς διαφορᾶς τὴν ὑπερβο λὴν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν ἀπίστων ἀσθενείᾳ σύμμετρον διδα σκαλίαν προσφέροντες. ηʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς ἐνδοξαζόμενος ἐν βουλῇ ἁγίων· μέγας καὶ φοβερός ἐστιν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς περι κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ." Ἐπειδὴ τῶν οὐκ ὄντων θεῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἠγνοεῖτο δὲ παρὰ τοῖς δυσσεβέσιν ὁ ὢν Θεὸς, εἰκότως τοὺς ἁγίους παρήγαγε, παρ' ὧν ὁ ἀληθὴς ὑμνεῖται Θεὸς, οἷς καὶ φοβερός ἐστιν, ἅτε δὴ πελάζουσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν ἄῤῥητον αὐτοῦ γινώσκουσι δύναμιν. Βουλὴν δὲ ἁγίων ὠνόμασεν ἐνταῦθα τῶν ἁγίων τὸν σύλλογον. θʹ. "Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; δυνατὸς εἶ, Κύριε, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου κύκλῳ σου." Συνεχῶς τῆς ἀληθείας μνημονεύουσι, ποθοῦντες ἰδεῖν τὸ τῶν ὑποσχέσεων ἀψευδές· καί φασι πρὸς 80.1581 αὐτόν, Τίς σοι, ∆έσποτα, τῶν ὄντων δύναται συγκρι θῆναι; Τῶν δυνάμεων εἶ Κύριος καὶ Θεὸς, δύναμιν ἔχεις σύνδρομον τῇ βουλήσει· ἀληθῆ πάντα καὶ βέβαια παρὰ σοί. Εἶτα διέξεισι τῆς δυνάμεως τὰ τεκμήρια. ιʹ, ιαʹ. "Σὺ δεσπόζεις τὸ κράτος τῆς θαλάσ σης· τὸν δὲ σάλον τῶν κυμάτων αὐτῆς σὺ κατα πραΰνεις. Σὺ ἐταπείνωσας ὡς τραυματίαν ὑπερή φανον· ἐν τῷ βραχίονι τῆς δυνάμεώς σου διεσκόρ πισας τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου." Σὺ εἶ, φησὶ, τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργὸς καὶ δεσπότης· καὶ ῥᾴδιόν σοι καὶ διεγεῖ ραι τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ γαλήνην ἐργάσασθαι. Τῆς δὲ θαλάσσης μνημονεύσας, καὶ τῶν ἐν ταύτῃ γεγε νημένων ἀναμιμνήσκει. Ὑπερήφανον γὰρ τὸν Φα ραὼ καλεῖ, καὶ ἐχθροὺς τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, οὓς τῇ θαλάττῃ παρέδωκε, καὶ διέσωσε τὸν οἰκεῖον λαόν. Προλέγει δὲ κατὰ ταυτὸν καὶ τῶν τῆς ἀλαζονείας διδασκάλων τὸν ὄλεθρον· καὶ τούτους γὰρ σὺν τῇ πονηρᾷ στρατιᾷ ἐν τῷ παναγίῳ καταλύει βαπτί σματι· [καθάπερ ἐκεῖ διὰ Μωϋσοῦ, ἐνταῦθα διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως.] ιβʹ. "Σοί εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, καὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ γῆ· τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς σὺ ἐθεμε λίωσας." Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τῆς θαλάττης καὶ τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑπερκειμένων οὐρανῶν σὺ εἶ ποιητὴς καὶ δημιουργός. Σὸν γὰρ ἔργον οὐ μόνον ὁ ὁρώμενος οὐρανὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τούτου ὑπέρ τερος. ιγʹ. "Τὸν βοῤῥᾶν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν σὺ ἔκτι σας." Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων οὕτως· Βοῤῥᾶν καὶ νό τον σὺ ἔκτισας. [Τὸν δὲ νότον θάλασσαν καλεῖ, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς μάλιστα τὸ κύτος αὐτῆς συνταράσσει.] Καὶ οἱ ἄνεμοι, φησὶ, καὶ αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τμήματα, σοῦ ὑπάρχει δημιουργήματα. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τῶν δύο τμημάτων ἐμνημόνευσε τούτων· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ κατὰ νότον μέν εἰσιν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, κατὰ βοῤῥᾶν δὲ οἱ Ἀσσύριοι· καταλύσας δὲ Αἰγυπτίων τὸ θράσος, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν αὐτοῖς ἐδω ρήσατο. Ῥᾴδιόν σοι, φησὶ, καταλῦσαι καὶ τούτους ὡς ἐκείνους. Οὗ γενομένου, "Θαβὼρ καὶ Ἑρμὼν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἀγαλλιάσονται." ∆ιὰ τούτων δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας παρεδήλωσε. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐκείνης εἰσὶ τὰ ὄρη τῆς γῆς. Τὸ δὲ ἀγαλλιά σονται ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας αἰνέσουσιν, ὁ δὲ Σύμμα χος εὐφημήσουσιν εἴρηκεν. Οὐ μὴν τὰ ὄρη τοῦτο δράσειν εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τὰ ὄρη, ἢ παρὰ τὰ ὄρη, οἰκοῦντας ἀνθρώπους. 80.1584 ιδʹ. "Σὸς ὁ βραχίων μετὰ δυναστείας." Ἴδιόν σου τὸ δυνατῶς ἅπαντα ἐνεργεῖν. Τὸν γὰρ βραχίονα ἐπὶ τῆς ἐνεργείας, τὴν δὲ δυναστείαν ἐπὶ τῆς δυνά μεως ἔλαβε· καὶ γὰρ