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saints, and a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, the holy Apostle taught the system of the pious to be, saying: “You are all the house of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you; if anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which you are.” Having said this, he taught in harmony with the word at hand, which says: “Holy is your temple, wonderful in righteousness.” For just as the construction of perceptible temples is often marveled at for being made with a sumptuous love of beauty; indeed, they construct gold-roofed and carved structures, loving beauty, and adorn the buildings with the material of columns and marbles; in the same way the temple of God, being holy, and possessing this first most beautiful good, is clothed in an outer adornment, adorned with the manifold wisdom of God, with righteousness and the other virtues, and with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so as to create astonishment and provide a wonder to those who see it. Wherefore those who are deemed worthy of spending time in it say, rejoicing: “We shall be filled with the good things of your house; holy is your temple, 23.633 wonderful in righteousness.” But observe how these things were said in the time of David, during which the perceptible temple had not yet been built by Solomon; the word showing clearly that the true temple of God was not the one built of lifeless stones, but the one given to us according to the apostolic testimony. And otherwise, according to another interpretation, since above they blessed the one chosen and taken up by God, who already dwelt in His heavenly courts, it is fitting that they too, while for the time being remaining among the called, but praying to become chosen and to be deemed worthy of the same heavenly mansions, subscribe to good hopes for themselves, supplicating to attain the same heavenly house and the good things within it. Then, as having learned what the heavenly house of God is like, they interpret its virtue, saying: “Holy is your temple, wonderful in righteousness.” And what could be a heavenly temple truly worthy of God, in which the God of all is conceived as dwelling, other than His only-begotten Word, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell? This one, therefore, is truly wonderful in righteousness; since he himself became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. “Hear us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of those far off at sea.” The one indeed chosen by you and taken up into the heavenly temple is truly blessed and thrice-blessed; but we, being in the promises of the aforementioned good things, and sustained by hope, pray to attain these at last; wherefore we beseech, saying: “Hear us, O God our Savior;” and having heard, deem us worthy to become blessed, by receiving us, and choosing us, and making us to dwell in your courts; so that, being there, we may be filled with the good things of your house. And what kind of good things of the heavenly house could one conceive, other than what the divine Apostle described, saying: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him?” Hear us, therefore, O God our Savior, and having heard, deem us also worthy of the good things of your house. Those who were once flesh, but have been deemed worthy of the call of God, are taught to say these things. And in these things they opportunely call upon their Savior, whom they also named above as the propitiation, saying, “and you will be gracious to our iniquities.” And here the Hebrew Scripture writes the Savior with these characters, with which also our Savior Jesus is written. And they call this same Savior and propitiation, “the hope of all the ends of the earth and of those far off at sea,” openly showing that these things have nothing to do with the Jews; for not

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ἅγιοι, καὶ οἶκος πνευματικὸς εἰς ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον τὸ σύστημα τῶν θεοσεβῶν εἶναι ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· «Ὑμεῖς δὲ πάντες οἶκος Θεοῦ ἐστε, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν· εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ Θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς.» Τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν, συνῳδὰ τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας ἐδίδασκε λόγῳ φάσκοντι· «Ἅγιος ὁ ναός σου, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ.» Ὡς γὰρ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ναῶν θαυμάζεται πολλάκις ἡ κατασκευὴ διὰ φιλοκάλου πολυτελείας γενομένη· χρυσόροφα γοῦν καὶ διάγλυφα τεκταίνουσι, φιλοκαλοῦντες, ὕλῃ τε κιόνων καὶ μαρμάρων κατακοσμοῦσι τὰς οἰκοδομάς· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ νεὼς ἅγιος ὢν, καὶ τοῦτο πρῶτον κάλλιστον ἀγαθὸν κεκτημένος, τὸν ἔξωθεν περιβέβληται κόσμον, πολυποικίλῳ σοφίᾳ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνῃ τε καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἀρεταῖς, τοῖς τε τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χαρίσμασι πεποικιλμένος, ὡς ἔκπληξιν ἐμποιεῖν καὶ θαῦμα παρέχειν τοῖς ὁρῶσιν. Ὅθεν οἱ καταξιούμενοι τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ διατριβῆς χαίροντές φασι· «Πλησθησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τοῦ οἴκου σου· ἅγιος ὁ ναός 23.633 σου, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ.» Τήρει δὲ ὅπως ταῦτα κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους ἐλέγετο τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, καθ' οὓς ὁ αἰσθητὸς ὑπὸ Σολομῶνος οὐδέπω κατεσκεύαστο νεώς· δεικνύντος ἐναργῶς τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι ὁ ἀληθῶς ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὁ ἐκ λίθων ἀψύχων ᾠκοδομημένος ἦν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀποδοθεὶς ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν μαρτυρίαν. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ καθ' ἑτέραν ἐκδοχὴν, ἐπειδὴ ἀνωτέρω ἐμακάρισαν τὸν ἐκλεγέντα καὶ ἀναληφθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατοικήσαντά τε ἤδη ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἐπουρανίοις, εἰκότως καὶ αὐτοὶ τέως μένοντες κλητοὶ, εὐχόμενοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοὶ γενέσθαι καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπουρανίων μονῶν καταξιωθῆναι, ἐλπίδας ἀγαθὰς ἑαυτοῖς ὑπογράφουσιν, ἱκετεύοντες τυχεῖν τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπουρανίου οἴκου καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀγαθῶν. Εἶθ' ὡς μεμαθηκότες ὁποῖός ἐστιν ὁ ἐπουράνιος τοῦ Θεοῦ οἶκος, ἑρμηνεύουσι τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ φάσκοντες· «Ἅγιος ὁ ναός σου, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ.» Ναὸς δὲ ἐπουράνιος καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐπάξιος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν ᾧ κατοικῶν ἐπινοεῖται ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, τίς ἂν γένοιτο, ἢ ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ Λόγος, εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησε πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος κατοικῆσαι; Οὗτος οὖν ἀληθῶς θαυμαστός ἐστιν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ἐπειδὴ γέγονεν ἡμῖν αὐτὸς σοφία ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις. «Ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν, ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, ἡ ἐλπὶς πάντων τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς, καὶ τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ μακράν.» Ὁ μὲν δὴ ἐκλελεγμένος ὑπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἀναληφθεὶς εἰς τὸν ἐπουράνιον ναὸν μακάριος ἀληθῶς καὶ τρισμακάριος· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ὄντες τῶν προλεχθέντων ἀγαθῶν, ἐλπίσι τε ἀνηρτημένοι, ἤδη ποτὲ τούτων τυχεῖν εὐχόμεθα· διὸ παρακαλοῦμεν λέγοντες· «Ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν, ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν·» ἐπακούσας δὲ, μακαρίους γενέσθαι καταξίωσον, καὶ ἡμᾶς προσλαβόμενος, καὶ ἐκλεξάμενος καὶ κατοικίσας ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου· ἵν' ἐκεῖ γενόμενοι πλησθῶμεν τῶν ἀγαθῶν τοῦ οἴκου σου. Ἀγαθὰ δὲ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου οἴκου, ὁποῖα ἄν τις νοήσειεν, ἢ οἷα ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος διέγραψεν εἰπών· «Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν;» Ἐπάκουσον τοίνυν ἡμῶν, ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐπακούσας καταξίωσον καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν τοῦ οἴκου σου. Ταῦτα διδάσκονται λέγειν οἱ πάλαι ὄντες σάρκες, τῆς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ κλήσεως κατηξιωμένοι. Ἐπικαλοῦνται δὲ εὐκαίρως ἐν τούτοις τὸν ἑαυτῶν Σωτῆρα, ὃν καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἱλασμὸν ὠνόμασαν εἰπόντες, «καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν σὺ ἱλάσῃ.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸν Σωτῆρα ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ Γραφὴ τούτοις ἐγγράφει τοῖς χαρακτῆρσι, δι' ὧν καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος Σωτὴρ Ἰησοῦς γράφεται. Τοῦτον δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ τὸν ἱλασμὸν, «ἐλπίδα πάντων τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ μακρὰν» ὀνομάζουσιν, ἄντικρυς παριστῶντες μηδὲν ταῦτα πρὸς Ἰουδαίους· οὐ γὰρ