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the voluntary cross and the] ascent into the heavens, he sent forth his divinely fitting rays; rightly the prophet cries out, "The Lord has reigned, he has clothed himself with majesty." For he did not receive what he did not have, but he showed what he had. Thus also he says to his own Father, "Father, glorify me with the glory which I had with you before the world was made. [He was not without glory after the incarnation; but so that it might be testified of him 80.1625 this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear him.] "The Lord has clothed himself with power, and has girded himself." That Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God, the divine Paul clearly taught us. Therefore he did not receive power from anywhere else, which he did not previously have, but he used his own power against his enemies; but the prophetic word portrays him, like some king putting on royal armor, and using a belt, and contending against his enemies. Then he shows the accomplishments that came from this. For indeed he established the world, which shall not be shaken." He made the world firm, he says, and steadfast, having the certainty of divine knowledge, and delivered from the error of falsehood. For no longer do men worship now these, now those gods, but they offer their reverence to the true God. 2. "Your throne is prepared from of old; you are from everlasting." Not now, he says, did you receive ordination to the kingdom, but you have eternal dominion, and an eternal kingdom; and concerning the kingdom, he said both in the forty-fourth psalm: "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever." But its unchangeable and immutable nature, he taught us again in the 101st psalm; "For you are the same, he says, and your years will not fail. [For even though you became man, you were not lacking in divinity, nor were you separated from the Father or the all-holy Spirit; for there is one substance of the immaculate Trinity; one kingdom, one lordship.] However, the blessed Paul applied both testimonies to the Lord Christ. 3. "The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices; the rivers will lift up their beatings." He calls the holy apostles rivers, and those after them who received the preaching. For these, like rivers, brought all irrigation to men. Thus also the blessed Habakkuk addressed them: "The earth will be broken by rivers," that is, it will be divided, and will receive irrigation. Thus also the Lord said: "He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.' These rivers, therefore, lifted up their voice, preaching the divine doctrines, and making their own ways. For he called the paths "beatings." For since it is the nature of waters to wear away the underlying earth, and to make a course, 80.1628 he rightly called the course of the rivers "beating"; for the first who were entrusted with the preaching prepared the way for the second, and accomplished for them the teaching without toil and without trouble. 4. "From the voices of many waters, wonderful are the surgings of the sea." Just as when great rivers flow into the sea, and check the assault of the waves against the sand, the waves are greatly arched by the battle of the river currents; so also when the sweet and drinkable teaching of the apostles was brought to the salty and bitter sea of the world, a certain tempest arose, and successive waves stood up against it. This also the blessed Habakkuk foretold. For having said, "The earth will be broken by rivers, peoples will see you and be in travail," scattering the waters of the course, he added: "The deep gave its voice, the height of its appearance. Every city was filled with such a tempest; for it is the voice of the Lord himself, "I did not come to bring peace to the world, but a sword, to divide a man from his neighbor, a son from his father, a daughter from her mother, a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law." But the beginning of the preaching had the tempest; but now the lord of the sea has rebuked the

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τὸν ἑκού σιον σταυρὸν καὶ τὴν] εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον, τὰς θεο πρεπεῖς ἀφῆκεν ἀκτῖνας· εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης βοᾷ, "Ὁ Κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, εὐπρέπειαν ἐνεδύσατο." Οὐ γὰρ ἃ μὴ εἶχεν ἔλαβεν, ἀλλ' ἅπερ εἶχεν ὑπέδει ξεν. Οὕτω καὶ πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον πατέρα φησὶν, "Πάτερ, δόξασόν με ἐν τῇ δόξῃ ᾗ εἶχον παρὰ σοὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον γενέσθαι. [Οὐκ ἄδοξος μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν· ἀλλ' ἵνα μαρτυρηθῇ τὸ οὗ 80.1625 τός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε.] "Ἐνεδύσατο Κύριος δύναμιν, καὶ περιεζώσατο." Ὅτι Χριστὸς Θεοῦ δύναμις, καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία, σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος ἐδίδαξε. Τοιγαροῦν οὐχ ἑτέρωθεν ποθὲν ἐδέξατο δύναμιν, ἣν μὴ πρότερον εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐχρήσατο· σχηματίζει δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ προφητι κὸς λόγος, οἷόν τινα βασιλέα βασιλικὴν πανοπλίαν πε ριβαλλόμενον, καὶ ζώνῃ χρώμενον, καὶ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀγωνιζόμενον. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὰ ἐν τεῦθεν γινόμενα κατορθώματα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐστερέωσε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἤ τις οὐ σαλευθήσεται." Ἑδραίαν, φησὶ, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀπέφηνε, καὶ στεῤῥὰν, τὸ βέβαιον τῆς θείας γνώσεως ἔχουσαν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ ψεύδους πλάνης ἀπηλλαγμένην. Οὐκέτι γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρω ποι, νῦν μὲν τούτους, νῦν δὲ ἐκείνους τοὺς θεοὺς προσκυνοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀληθινῷ Θεῷ τὸ σέβας προσφέρουσιν. βʹ. "Ἕτοιμος ὁ θρόνος σου ἀπὸ τότε, ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰ ῶνος σὺ εἶ." Οὐ νῦν, φησὶ, τῆς βασιλείας ἐδέξω χειροτονίαν, ἀλλ' ἀΐδιον ἔχεις τὸ κράτος, καὶ τὴν βα σιλείαν αἰώνιον· καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ ἐν τῷ μʹ καὶ δʹ ἔφη ψαλμῷ· "Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος." Τὸ δὲ ἀναλλοίωτον αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἄτρεπτον, ἐν τῷ ραʹ ψαλμῷ, πάλιν ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε· "Σὺ γὰρ αὐτὸς εἶ, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν. [Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐγέ νου, οὐκ ἐνδεὴς τῆς θεότητος, οὐδὲ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἢ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἐχωρίσθης· μία γὰρ οὐσία τῆς ἀχράντου Τριάδος· μία βασιλεία, μία κυριότης.] Ἀμφοτέρας μέντοι τὰς μαρτυρίας ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος προσήρμοσε τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Χριστῷ. γʹ. "Ἐπῆραν οἱ ποταμοὶ, Κύριε, ἐπῆραν οἱ πο ταμοὶ φωνὰς αὐτῶν, ἀροῦσιν οἱ ποταμοὶ ἐπιτρί ψεις αὐτῶν." Ποταμοὺς τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους καλεῖ, καὶ τοὺς μετ' ἐκείνους δεξαμένους τὸ κή ρυγμα. Οὗτοι γὰρ ποταμῶν δίκην ἅπασαν ἀνθρώ ποις τὴν ἀρδείαν προσήνεγκαν. Οὕτως αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ μακάριος προσηγόρευσεν Ἀββακούμ· "Ποτα μῶν ῥαγήσεται γῆ," τουτέστι διαιρεθήσεται, καὶ τὴν ἀρδείαν δέξεται. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· "Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. Οὗ τοι τοίνυν οἱ ποταμοὶ ἐπῆραν αὐτῶν τὴν φωνὴν, τὰ θεῖα κηρύττοντες δόγματα, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας πο ρείας ποιούμενοι. Τρίψεις γὰρ τὰς τρίβους ἐκάλε σεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πέφυκε τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύσις τρί βειν τὴν ὑποκειμένην γῆν, καὶ πορείαν ἐργάζεσθαι, 80.1628 εἰκότως τρίψιν τῶν ποταμῶν τὴν πορείαν ἐκάλεσεν· οἱ γὰρ πρῶτοι πιστευθέντες τὸ κήρυγμα τὴν ὁδὸν δευτέροις ηὐτρέπισαν, καὶ ἄπονον αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀτα λαίπωρον τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐπραγματεύσαντο. δʹ. "Ἀπὸ φωνῶν ὑδάτων πολλῶν, θαυμαστοὶ οἱ μετεωρισμοὶ τῆς θαλάσσης." Καθάπερ τῶν μεγά λων ποταμῶν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος εἰσβαλλόντων, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῆς ψάμμου τῶν κυμάτων προσβολὴν ἐπε χόντων, ἐπὶ πλεῖστον κυρτοῦται τὰ κύματα τῇ μάχῃ τῶν ποταμίων ῥευμάτων· οὕτω καὶ τῆς γλυκείας καὶ ποτίμου τῶν ἀποστόλων διδασκαλίας τῇ ἁλμυρᾷ καὶ πικρᾷ τῆς οἰκουμένης θαλάττῃ προσφερομένης, ζάλη τις ἐγένετο, καὶ κύματα ἐπάλληλα διαν ίστατο. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος προείρηκεν Ἀββα κούμ. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ, "Ποταμῶν ῥαγήσεται γῆ, ὄψονταί σε καὶ ὠδινήσουσι λαοὶ," σκορπίζων ὕδατα πορείας, ἐπήγαγεν· "Ἔδωκεν ἡ ἄβυσσος φωνὴν αὐτῆς, ὕψος φαντασίας αὐτῆς. Τῆς τοιαύτης ἅπασα πόλις ἐπέπληστο ζάλης· αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Κυ ρίου φωνὴ, "Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην εἰς τὴν οἰ κουμένην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν, διχάσαι ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ πλησίον αὑτοῦ, υἱὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, θυ γατέρα ἀπὸ τῆς μητρὸς αὑτῆς, νύμφην ἀπὸ τῆς πενθερᾶς αὐτῆς." Ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ἀρχὴ τοῦ κηρύγμα τος εἶχε τὴν ζάλην· νῦν δὲ ὁ τῆς θαλάττης δεσπό της ἐπετίμησε τῇ