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mythology that God rejoices in burnt offerings, or in perceptible incense, or in the blood of rams and oxen and goats. All of which God himself rejects through the prophet, saying: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and I do not desire the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats. For who has required these things at your hands?" And otherwise these things would be contrary to what was said before according to the 49th psalm, in which it was said from the person of God: "I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices;" and: "I will not take calves from your house, nor he-goats from your flocks; for all the beasts of the forest are mine, cattle on the mountains and oxen;" and what follows: "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of rams?" For how could the things said here concerning burnt offerings and rams and oxen and goats be in harmony with those things? And indeed David himself, confessing through the previous words, said: "For if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with burnt offerings." And again in another: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. Burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you did not approve." "Come, hear, and I will tell, all you who fear God, what he has done for my soul." The same ones also said in the preceding words: "Come and see the works of God, terrible in his counsels toward the sons of men;" and they said these things to the nations. And now, therefore, again the same ones speak to them, saying: "Come and hear, and I will tell." But who are to come? He adds next: "All you who fear God;" whom above they sometimes called all the earth, and sometimes all the nations. For they indicate the same ones in the present passage, calling them those who fear God. And many times in other places we have shown that the Word is accustomed to call the God-fearing from the nations "those who fear the Lord." Since, therefore, the apostolic preaching requires mention, they necessarily promise to deliver the interpretation to the nations, saying: "Come, hear, and I will tell;" And they say these things as from one mouth because of their perfection; for they all have become one, having been perfected in the Lord. And the Holy Spirit declares these things as from one apostolic choir speaking to the nations, and promising to interpret what God has done for their soul. Formerly, then, they said: "Come and see the works of God, how he once turned the sea into dry land, and how they passed through the river on foot." But now they have delivered not the old things, but those of the new and recent history, relating their own deeds, and the benefits done to them by God. Therefore they say: "what he has done for my soul;" then they narrate, fulfilling the promise. And what is the narration? "To him," it says, "I cried with my mouth, and I exalted him under my tongue." For since they enumerated the benefits of God to them, how they were tried by fire, how they were tested, how they entered into tribulations, how they endured, how they passed through fire and water, how they came out into a place of refreshment; that not idly were all these things to them, but divine grace has been given; for they necessarily teach that their great deeds contributed to their witness. For first, they say, we never ceased praying and crying out to him. And we cried out not with a shout and a loud voice, but "under the tongue," holding our cries within; for we knew that God hears even those who are silent, and that there are cries of the soul not uttered by the tongue, but sent up to God with ineffable power. And this is what the Savior taught when he said: "Enter into your chamber, and shut your door, and pray; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Thus, therefore, they also say here, that "To him I cried with my mouth and exalted him under my tongue;" but according to the

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μυθολογίας ὁλοκαυτώμασι χαίρειν τὸν Θεὸν, ἢ θυμιάμασιν αἰσθητοῖς, ἢ κριῶν καὶ βοῶν καὶ χιμάρων αἵμασιν ὑπονοούντων. Ἃ δὴ πάντα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς παραιτεῖται λέγων· «Τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει Κύριος· πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κριῶν, καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἵματα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι. Τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησε ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν;» Καὶ ἄλλως γ' ἂν εἴη ταῦτα ἐναντία τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν κατὰ τὸν μθʹ ψαλμὸν λελεγμένοις, ἐν οἷς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλέγετο· «Οὐκ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις σου ἐλέγξω σε·» καί· «Οὐ λήψομαι ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου μόσχους, οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων σου χιμάρους· ὅτι ἐμά ἐστι πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ, κτήνη ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι καὶ βόες·» καὶ ἑξῆς· «Μὴ φάγομαι κρέα ταύρων, ἢ αἷμα κριῶν πίομαι;» Πῶς γὰρ ἐκείνοις σύμφωνα ἂν εἴη τὰ ὡς περὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων καὶ κριῶν καὶ βοῶν καὶ χιμάρων ἐνταῦθα λελεγμένα; Καὶ μὴν αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυῒδ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐξομολογούμενος ἔλεγεν· «Ὅτι, εἰ ἠθέλησας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἂν, ὁλοκαυτώματα οὐκ εὐδοκήσεις.» Καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ· «Θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἐθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι. Ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ηὐδόκησας.» «∆εῦτε, ἀκούσατε, καὶ διηγήσομαι, πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, ὅσα ἐποίησε τῇ ψυχῇ μου.» Οἱ αὐτοὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγον· «∆εῦτε καὶ ἴδετε τὰ 23.669 ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ, φοβερὸς ἐν βουλαῖς ὑπὲρ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων·» καὶ ταῦτα ἔλεγον τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Καὶ νῦν οὖν πάλιν οἱ αὐτοὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς προσφωνοῦσι φάσκοντες· «∆εῦτε καὶ ἀκούσατε, καὶ διηγήσομαι.» Τίνες δὲ δεῦτε; ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· «Πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεόν·» οὓς ἀνωτέρω ποτὲ μὲν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὠνόμαζον, ποτὲ δὲ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Τοὺς αὐτοὺς γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος δηλοῦσι φοβουμένους τὸν Θεὸν ἀποκαλοῦντες. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις ἀπεδείξαμεν, ὡς τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν θεοσεβοῦντας φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον καλεῖν εἴωθεν ὁ Λόγος. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν μνείας δεῖται τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ ἀποστολικὸν, ἀναγκαίως ἐπαγγέλλονται τὴν ἑρμηνείαν παραδώσειν τοῖς ἔθνεσι λέγοντες· «∆εῦτε, ἀκούσατε, καὶ διηγήσομαι·» Λέγουσι δὲ ταῦτα ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος διὰ τὴν τελείωσιν· οἱ γὰρ πάντες ἓν γεγόνασι τελειωθέντες ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καὶ ταῦτα θεσπίζει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς χοροῦ τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ τοῖς ἔθνεσι προσφωνοῦν, ἐπαγγελλόμενόν τε διερμηνεύειν, ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν. Πάλαι μὲν οὖν ἔλεγον· «∆εῦτε καὶ ἴδετε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς μετέστρεψέ ποτε τὴν θάλασσαν εἰς ξηρὰν, καὶ ὡς ἐν ποταμῷ διῆλθον ποδί.» Νυνὶ δὲ οὐκέτι τὰ παλαιὰ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς νέας καὶ καινῆς ἱστορίας παραδεδώκασι, τὰς ἑαυτῶν πράξεις ὑφηγούμενοι, καὶ τὰς εἰς αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γενομένας εὐεργεσίας. ∆ιό φασιν· «Ὅσα ἐποίησε τῇ ψυχῇ μου·» εἶτα διηγοῦνται τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν πληροῦντες. Τίς δὲ ἡ διήγησις; «Πρὸς αὐτὸν, φησὶ, τῷ στόματί μου ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ὕψωσα ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσάν μου.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰς εἰς αὐτοὺς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ Θεοῦ κατηριθμήσαντο, ὡς ἐπυρώθησαν, ὡς ἐδοκιμάσθησαν, ὡς εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὰς θλίψεις, ὡς ὑπέμειναν, ὡς διῆλθον διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, ὡς ἐξῆλθον εἰς ἀναψυχήν· ὅτι μὴ ἀργῶς ταῦτα αὐτοῖς πάντα, ἡ θεία δεδώρηται χάρις· ἀλλὰ γὰρ αὐτῶν τὰ μεγάλα συμβαλλομένων εἰς τὸ μαρτύριον διδάσκουσιν ἀναγκαίως. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ, φασὶν, οὐδέποτε ἀνεχωροῦμεν εὐχόμενοι καὶ βοῶντες πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐβοῶμεν δὲ οὐ κραυγῇ καὶ φωνῇ γεγωνῷ, ἀλλ' «ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσαν» εἴσω συνέχοντες αὐτῶν τὰς βοάς· ᾔδειμεν γὰρ, ὅτι καὶ σιωπώντων ἀκούει ὁ Θεὸς, καί εἰσι κραυγαὶ ψυχῆς οὐ διὰ γλώττης προφερόμεναι, ἀῤῥήτῳ δὲ δυνάμει πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀναπεμπόμεναι. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰπών· «Εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖόν σου, καὶ κλεῖσον τὴν θύραν σου, καὶ πρόσευξαι· καὶ ὁ Πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι.» Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθά φασιν, ὅτι «Πρὸς αὐτὸν τῷ στόματί μου ἐκέκραξα καὶ ὕψωσα ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσάν μου·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν