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in praise, for the hymn is of those who rejoice and are glad. 3. "Know that he himself is our God." [For even if the philanthropic one chose to become man, yet he remained God always; and he says that] learn from the things themselves, that our Master is himself the God of all. The sacred choir of the apostles also offered these teachings to the gentiles, as the history of the Acts teaches. "He made us, and not we ourselves." For we have not been established as our own creators, but we were formed by him. Thus the blessed Paul taught the Athenians: "The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all life and breath and all things; and he made from one blood every nation to dwell on all the face of the earth." This the Prophet also teaches here: "He made us, and not we ourselves." But Symmachus has it thus, He made us when we were not. "But we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." Through these things he showed not only his dominion, but also his care. For he is not only our Master, but also our shepherd, offering us good pasture; and we are his people as of a king, and his sheep as of a shepherd. 4. "Enter into his gates with confession, into his courts with hymns." He calls the churches his gates and his courts. 80.1672 For these provide our entrance to him, in which it is fitting to recount his divine and saving works, and to offer the hymn of thanksgiving as a kind of gift. "Give thanks to him; praise his name. [5] For the Lord is good, his mercy is for ever, and his truth is to generation and generation." For how is it not just to hymn him who employs unspeakable philanthropy, and who brings his good promises to their fulfillment? For what he promised in the generation of our forefathers, these things he has fulfilled in ours, and the salvation which he proclaimed, he has truly bestowed, [having wrought our salvation through the cross and death. Amen]. INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 100. 1. "A psalm for David." Some of the copies have: "On the fourth day of the Sabbaths." But we have not found this addition in the Hebrew, nor among the other interpreters, nor among the Seventy. And the psalm has this hypothesis: King Josiah tore up from their foundations all the altars of the idols; and he put their priests to the sword; and he led the people back to their former piety. And he was not only concerned for the health of doctrines, but also took care of the achievements of virtue, judging rightly, honoring justice, helping the wronged, punishing wrongdoers, caring for the benefit of his fellow citizens. The blessed David, having seen these things from afar, wrote this psalm, both recounting that man's virtue and setting forth a model of perfection for all men. "I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, O Lord." For since the wonderful Josiah both pitied the wronged and passed sentence against the wrongdoers, he called the narrative about them a tribute of mercy and judgment. 2. "I will sing and I will understand in a blameless way." But Symmachus has it thus: I will make melody, I will consider a blameless way. The blameless way which I saw through the grace of the Spirit, and which is pleasing to God, this I will now set forth through melody. "When will you come to me?" for this wonderful man acquired such purity as to cry out to God with boldness, "When will you come to me?" Instead of, I have made the palace fitting for you, I long for your [presence, O Master; I desire your] appearance, but grant what is longed for. "I walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house." I continued living with simplicity; I did not use duplicity, 80.1673 nor did I appear as one person to those outside, while tolerating the opposite deeds in my house, but my hidden things corresponded to what was seen. 3. "I did not set before
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ἐν αἰνέσει, ἀγαλλομένων δὴ καὶ εὐφραινομένων ὁ ὕμνος. γʹ. "Γνῶτε ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν." [Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωπος εἵλετο ὁ φιλάνθρωπος γε νέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶναι Θεὸς ἔμεινεν ἔχων ἀεί· λέγει δὲ ὅτι] δι' αὐτῶν μάθετε τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς ὁ ἡμέτερος ∆εσπότης αὐτός ἐστιν τῶν ὅλων Θεός. Ταῦτα τοῖς ἔθνεσι προσέφερε τὰ παιδεύματα καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, ὡς ἡ τῶν πράξεων ἱστορία διδάσκει. "Αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐχ ἡμεῖς." Οὐ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἡμῶν αὐτοὶ δημιουργοὶ καθεστήκαμεν, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπλάσθημεν. Οὕ τως ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος Ἀθηναίους ἐδίδασκεν· "Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν κόσμον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὗτος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς Κύριος ὑπάρχων, οὐκ ἐν χει ροποιήτοις ναοῖς κατοικεῖ, οὐδὲ ὑπὸ χειρῶν ἀνθρώ πων θεραπεύεται προσδεόμενός τινος, αὐτὸς διδοὺς πᾶσι ζωὴν καὶ πνοὴν καὶ τὰ πάντα· ἐποίησέ τε ἐξ ἑνὸς αἵματος πᾶν ἔθνος κατοικεῖν ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ πρόσ ωπον τῆς γῆς." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ Προφήτης διδάσκει· "Αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐχ ἡμεῖς." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως, Αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς οὐκ ὄντας. "Ἡμεῖς δὲ λαὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρόβατα νομῆς αὐτοῦ." ∆ιὰ τούτων οὐ μόνον τὴν δεσποτείαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κηδεμονίαν ἐδήλωσεν. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἡμῶν ∆εσπότης ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιμὴν, τὴν ἀγα θὴν ἡμῖν προσφέρων νομήν· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ λαὸς ὡς βασιλέως, καὶ πρόβατα ὡς ποιμένος. δʹ. "Εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς πύλας αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολο γήσει, εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν ὕμνοις." Πύλας αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐλὰς αὐτοῦ, τὰς ἐκκλησίας καλεῖ. 80.1672 Αὗται γὰρ ἡμῶν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν παρέχουσιν εἴσ οδον, ἐν αἷς προσήκει τὰς θείας αὐτοῦ καὶ σωτη ρίους ἐργασίας διεξιέναι, καὶ τὸν χαριστήριον ὕμνον οἷόν τι δῶρον προσφέρειν. "Ἐξομολογεῖσθε αὐτῷ· αἰνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. [εʹ] Ὅτι χρηστὸς Κύριος, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἕως γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ." Πῶς γὰρ οὐ δίκαιον ὑμνεῖν τὸν ἀῤῥήτῳ φιλανθρω πίᾳ χρώμενον, καὶ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν ἐπι τιθέντα τὸ πέρας; Ἃ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν προγόνων ὑπέσχετο γενεᾶς, ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας πεπλή ρωκεν, καὶ ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο σωτηρίαν, ἀληθῶς ἐδω ρήσατο, [διὰ σταυροῦ καὶ θανάτου τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν πραγματευσάμενος. Ἀμήν]. ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Ρʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Τῷ ∆αβὶδ ψαλμός." Ἔνια τῶν ἀντιγρά φων ἔχει· "Τετράδι Σαββάτων." Οὔτε δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑρμηνευταῖς, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα ταύτην εὑρήκαμεν τὴν προσθήκην. Ὑπόθεσιν δὲ ὁ ψαλμὸς ταύτην ἔχει· Ἰωσίας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνέσπασεν ἅπαντας ἐκ βάθρων τοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων βωμούς· τοὺς δὲ τούτων κατηκόν τισεν ἱερέας· εἰς δὲ τὴν προτέραν εὐσέβειαν ἐποδ ήγησε τὸν λαόν. Οὐ μόνης δὲ τῆς τῶν δογμάτων ἐφρόντισεν ὑγείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπεμε λήθη κατορθωμάτων, ὀρθῶς δικάζων, γεραίρων τὸ δίκαιον, ἐπαρκῶν ἀδικουμένοις, τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας κο λάζων, τῆς τῶν συνοικούντων ὠφελείας ἐπιμελού μενος. Ταῦτα πόῤῥωθεν ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ θεασά μενος, τοῦτον συνέγραψε τὸν ψαλμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐκεί νου διεξιὼν ἀρετὴν, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τελειότη τος προστιθεὶς χαρακτῆρα. "Ἔλεον καὶ κρίσιν ᾄσο μαί σοι, Κύριε." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ἠλέει, καὶ τῶν ἀδικούντων ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἰωσίας κατ εψηφίζετο, τὴν περὶ ἐκείνων διήγησιν, εὐφημίαν ἐλέου καὶ κρίσεως προσηγόρευσε. βʹ. "Ψαλῶ, καὶ συνήσω ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Μελῳδήσω, ἐννοήσω ὁδὸν ἄμωμον Ἣν διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος ἐθεασάμην ἄμωμον ὁδὸν, καὶ θυμήρη Θεῷ, ταύ την νῦν διὰ τῆς μελῳδίας προσθήσω. "Πότε ἥξεις πρός με;" τοσαύτην γὰρ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἐκτήσατο καθαρότητα, ὡς μετὰ παῤῥησίας βοῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν," Πότε ἥξεις πρός με; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εὐ πρεπῆ σοι τὰ βασίλεια κατέστησα, ποθῶ σου [τὴν παρουσίαν, ὦ ∆έσποτα· ἱμείρομαί σου] τῆς ἐπιφανείας, ἀλλὰ δὸς τὸ ποθούμενον. "∆ιεπορευό μην ἐν ἀκακίᾳ καρδίας μου ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου μου." Ἁπλότητι συζῶν διετέλεσα· οὐκ ἐχρώμην δι 80.1673 πλόῃ, οὐδὲ ἄλλος μὲν τοῖς ἐκτὸς ἐφαινόμην, ἐν δὲ τῇ οἰκίᾳ τἀναντία δρᾷν ἠνειχόμην, ἀλλὰ συνέβαινε τοῖς φαινομένοις τὰ κεκρυμμένα. γʹ. "Οὐ προσετιθέμην πρὸ