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The Lord looked down from heaven upon the earth. And the word immediately added the reason for which he does this, saying: To hear the groans of the fettered. For those who bear the bonds and the fetters of wickedness groan out of repentance. For when they practiced evil with pleasure, they considered it light and gladly bore its fetters; but when they departed from the deeds of wickedness, they are weighed down, fettered by this most evil state; for which reason they also groan to him who is able to release the fettered. And the Lord, looking down upon the earth, also releases the sons of the slain, that is, those born of those who committed the sin unto death and for this reason have died. And these would be those coming from the nations, being descendants of sinful and impious fathers whom death, having prevailed, also swallowed up; whose sons he freed from sins, he released from bitter bonds through the mystery of regeneration. But it is possible to use these two verses for those fettered in persecutions for the word of Christ and the sons of those slain for the witness of the truth. 974 Ps 101,22 For the watchful soul, being Zion, will have teachers declaring to it the name of the Lord, and declaring his praise in the mind that is named Jerusalem because it sees peace. But if Zion and Jerusalem should be predicated of the church because of watching for better things and seeing peace in the connection and harmony of doctrines, it is fitting that in the so-called Zion the name of the Lord should be announced and his praise in the so-named Jerusalem. 975 Ps 101,24.25a The text does not make clear who answered him in the way of his strength. Perhaps then it means the people being created to praise the Lord; or, which is more likely, the one answering must be considered the poor man in the inscription, who is despondent and pours out his supplication before the Lord, not with voice and speech but in the way of his strength, powerfully and vigorously journeying the way of deeds according to virtue. For in this way alone is it possible to answer God in deed and not with voice. And he says: Since I have great eagerness to accomplish what you have commanded me and to contemplate the doctrines of your most pure truth, and I need much time to be perfected in these things, I beseech your goodness to declare to me the fewness of the days that extend my life in the flesh, so that, giving myself over to intense prayer, I may accomplish as much as I can; wherefore I also ask this: Do not take me up in the midst of my days. But one is taken up in the midst of his days who has not perfectly nor as is fitting borne fruit here according to virtue. And this is not measured in an interval of time, since I am received full of days, like Abraham, when I am perfected with the knowledge of the truth and of the virtues. For then take me up, when the true light has shone upon me and I become full of all days, having done those things according to virtue and having understood as much as can be throughout the entire time of my life. 976 Ps 101,26-29 And a little before we noted that the preceding words were spoken to Christ by Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews. What the psalmist says, therefore, is this: and you, in the beginning, Lord, founded the earth, that is, as soon as it came into being you made it, in accordance with In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. The phrase "in the beginning" can refute the opinion of all those who say the earth is an element, as if all things came from it, with nothing being before it. For it appears not to be a beginning, but that its foundations exist according to certain pre-conceived beginnings. And it was also said to Job by the Lord himself, as having founded the earth: Where were you when I founded the earth? And with the Lord, through whom all things were made, founding the earth, it is also said concerning the Father: God by wisdom founded the earth. And the

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Κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐπέβλεψε. καὶ τὴν πρόφασιν δι' ην τοῦτο ποιεῖ ὁ λόγος ἐπήγαγεν εὐθὺς εἰπὼν Τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν στεναγμῶν τῶν πεπεδημένων. στενάζουσι γὰρ ἐκ μετανοίας οἱ τὰ δεσμὰ καὶ τὰς πέδας τῆς κακίας φέροντες. οτε μὲν γὰρ σὺν ἡδονῇ επραττον τὸ κακόν, κοῦφον ὑπελάμβανον αὐτὸ καὶ ἡδέως εφερον τὰς κατ' αὐτὸ πέδας· ὁπηνίκα δὲ τῶν πράξεων τῆς κακίας ἀνεχώρησαν, βαροῦνται ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς χειρίστης εξεως πεπεδημένοι· διὸ καὶ στενάζουσι πρὸς τὸν δυνάμενον λύειν πεπεδημένους. Λύει δὲ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν τεθανατωμένων ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὁ κύριος, τουτέστι τοὺς γεννηθέντας ἀπὸ τῶν πραξάντων τὴν πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτίαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀποτεθνηκότων. καὶ ειεν ουτοι οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐρχόμενοι, ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ δυσσεβῶν πατέρων οντες ἀπόγονοι ους καὶ κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας· ων τοὺς υἱοὺς ἐλευθερώσας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ελυσε τῶν πικρῶν δεσμῶν διὰ τοῦ τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως μυστηρίου. ∆υνατὸν δὲ χρήσασθαι τούτοις τοῖς δύο στίχοις πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς πεπεδημένοις διὰ τὸν Χριστοῦ λόγον καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν διὰ μαρτυρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας τεθανατωμένων. 974 Ps 101,22 ̔Η γὰρ σκοπευτικὴ ψυχὴ Σιὼν τυγχάνουσα εξει τοὺς ἀπαγγέλλοντας αὐτῇ διδασκάλους τὸ ονομα κυρίου, ἀπαγγέλλοντας δὲ καὶ τὴν αινεσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ διὰ τὸ ὁρᾶν τὴν εἰρήνην χρηματιζούσῃ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ διανοίᾳ. εἰ δὲ Σιὼν καὶ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ κατηγοροῖτο τῆς ἐκκλησίας διὰ τὸ σκοπεῖν τὰ κρείττονα καὶ ὁρᾶν τὴν εἰρήνην ἐν τῷ εἱρμῷ καὶ τῇ συμφωνίᾳ τῶν δογμάτων, εἰκότως καὶ ἐν τῇ ουτως καλουμένῃ Σιὼν ἀναγγελθείη τὸ ονομα κυρίου καὶ ἡ αινεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ουτω προσαγορευθείσῃ ̔Ιερουσαλήμ. 975 Ps 101,24.25a Τίς ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ ἐν ὁδῷ ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ οὐ συνεμφαίνει ἡ λέξις. μήποτ' ουν τὸν κτιζόμενον λαὸν ἐπὶ τῷ αἰνέσαι κύριον λέγει· η, οπερ μᾶλλον, τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ προγραφῇ πτωχὸν ἀκηδιῶντα καὶ ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἐκχέοντα τὴν δέησιν αὐτοῦ ἡγητέον ειναι τὸν ἀποκρινόμενον, οὐ φωνῇ καὶ προφορᾷ ἀλλ' ἐν ὁδῷ ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ ἰσχυρῶς καὶ μετ' εὐτονίας ὁδεύοντα τὴν τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν πράξεων ὁδόν. ουτως γὰρ μόνως πραγματικῶς ἀλλ' οὐ φωνῇ εστιν ἀποκρίνασθαι θεῷ. Φησὶ δέ· ̓Επεὶ πολλὴν εχω προθυμίαν κατορθῶσαι α μοι ἐνετείλω καὶ θεωρῆσαι τὰ τῆς ἀκραιφνεστάτης σου ἀληθείας δόγματα, πολλοῦ δέ μοι χρόνου χρεία πρὸς τὸ ἐν τούτοις τελειωθῆναι, ἱκετεύω τὴν ἀγαθότητά σου ἀναγγειλαί μοι τὴν ὀλιγότητα τῶν ἡμερῶν τῶν παρεκτεινουσῶν τῇ μετὰ σαρκός μου ζωῇ, ιν' οσα δύναμαι συντόνῳ προσευχῇ ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιδιδοὺς κατορθώσω· οθεν καὶ τοῦτο ἀξιῶ Μὴ ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν. ̓Εν ἡμίσει δὲ ἡμερῶν ἀνάγεται ὁ μὴ τελείως μηδὲ ὡς δεῖ ἐνταῦθα καρποφορήσας κατὰ τὴν ἀρετήν. οὐκ ἐν χρονικῷ δὲ διαστήματι τοῦτο μετρεῖται, ἐπεὶ τότε πλήρης ἡμερῶν κατὰ τὸν ̓Αβραὰμ παραλαμβάνομαι, οταν τελειωθῶ μετὰ τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν. τότε γὰρ ἀνάλαβέ με, οταν ἐπιλάμψαντός μοι τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς πασῶν ἡμερῶν πλήρης γένωμαι, πράξαντός μου ἐκεῖνα κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ φρονήσαντος οσα ἐνδέχεται γενέσθαι παρὰ πάντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς μου χρόνον. 976 Ps 101,26-29 Καὶ πρὸ βραχέος ἐσημειωσάμεθα ὡς πρὸς Χριστὸν εἰρημένων τῶν προκειμένων λέξεων ὑπὸ Παύλου ἐν τῇ Πρὸς ̔Εβραίους ἐπιστολῇ. ο ουν λέγει ὁ ψάλλων τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· καὶ σὺ κατ' ἀρχάς, κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, τουτέστιν αμα τῷ οὐσιωθῆναι αὐτὴν πεποίηκας συμφώνως τῷ ̓Εν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. δύναται τὸ κατ' ἀρχὰς κείμενον ἀναιρεῖν δόξαν τῶν λεγόντων πάντων τὴν γῆν στοιχεῖον ειναι, ὡς πάντα ἐξ αὐτῆς γεγονέναι οὐδενὸς προτέρου αὐτῆς οντος. φαίνεται γὰρ οὐκ ἀρχὴ ἀλλὰ κατά τινας προεπινοουμένας αὐτὰς ἀρχὰς θεμελίους αὐτῆς ὑπάρχειν. ειρηται καὶ τῷ ̓Ιὼβ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ὡς θεμελιώσαντος τὴν γῆν Ποῦ ης ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν με τὴν γῆν; θεμελιοῦντος δὲ τοῦ κυρίου δι' ου τὰ πάντα γεγένηται τὴν γῆν, καὶ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς λέγεται ̔Ο θεὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν. καὶ τὸ