230

of the teaching and life of Jesus. And so he who said, after speaking from a faithful state, "I was greatly humbled," did not suffer this by a removal of loftiness, but from having seen things greater and beyond himself. 1069 Ps 115,6 But if it also signifies the death of God's holy ones, according to which they die with Christ and carry His dying in their flesh, so too would he rightly resolve to give thanks, about to receive the cup of salvation of such a death, which he who receives it will also drink blamelessly, if he should call upon the name of the Lord to drink it nobly. But if we have said that calling upon the name of the Lord belongs to the lesser, but the Lord Himself to the perfect, do not let it trouble you now that it is taken up by one so perfect; for the saints, through lack of pride, being self-deprecating, give to themselves lesser things than they have. Indeed, neither Moses nor Samuel said of themselves, "They called upon the Lord," but another said it of them.

1070 Ps 116.1.2 The account of salvation was not complete, unless also of those

being saved it had included the memory. For having said in that psalm, as the shadow has received its end, "To you I will offer a sacrifice of praise," he immediately calls all the nations to praise, so that these too, through their praises, may offer the sacrifice of praise, since that one nation and people has been cast off, because a sinful nation and a people full of sins has become wretched; but with this nation and people cast off, the mercy of God reached all, so that his mercy became sure and strong toward us. And since this has been accomplished, "The truth of the Lord endures forever." For the truth succeeded the shadow, setting an end and an inheritance for it, but nothing will succeed the truth itself, since it is eternal, because there is nothing beyond it, but it is itself beyond all things by an incomparable excess. See, then, how with cause he has rendered it that the truth endures forever.

1071 Ps 116,2b As the mercy that was strengthened toward us endures forever with the truth, and in many places these names, "his mercy" and "the truth," are spoken of the Savior, as also in "God sent his mercy and his truth and delivered my soul from the midst of lion cubs." This truth, therefore, was also the expectation of the nations; wherefore, having also shined upon the race of men, it calls all the nations and all the peoples to praise, teaching them to give thanks to the Father who strengthened his mercy and made his truth endure forever.

1072 Ps 117,1 Since God, being good, desires the repentance of the

sinner rather than his death, as many of you as are liable for sin, by making confession to him out of repentance you will find him forgiving the things for which you confess. For his mercy, being inseparable from him, would be forever, since it also always was, as he has shown mercy not just now for the first time but also long ago from above, with all who have experience of his goodness confessing to him. 1073 Ps 117,5-9 The righteous man who is in affliction does not so much pray to be outside of it, but that he might bear it nobly and cheerfully. For he who is hard-pressed by opponents in a stadium does not pray for the contest to pass him by, lest he be disqualified, but he asks the trainer to help him, so that by enduring the things brought on by his opponent in the hope of victory and a crown, the things through which the crown is given may seem pleasing. And while the phrase "I will not fear what man can do to me" can be said of various mortals, the phrase "And I will look upon my enemies" can be said of unseen enemies; which enemies also stir up men against us, inciting them to war against us and setting them murderously against us. But if

230

̓Ιησοῦ διδασκαλίας τε καὶ πολιτείας. καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν τοίνυν μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι ἀπὸ εξεως πεπιστευκυίας ̓Εγὼ ἐταπεινώθην σφόδρα οὐ κατὰ ἀφαίρεσιν υψους τοῦτο πέπονθεν ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ μείζονα καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτὸν τεθεᾶσθαι. 1069 Ps 115,6 ̓Εὰν δὲ καὶ θάνατον ὁσίων θεοῦ σημαίνηται καθ' ον συναποθνῄσκουσι Χριστῷ καὶ τὴν νέκρωσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ περιφέρουσι, καὶ ουτω καλῶς αν εὐχαριστεῖν διέγνω, ληψόμενος τὸ τοιούτου θανάτου σωτηρίου ποτήριον ο καὶ ἀμέμπτως πίεται ὁ ληψόμενος αὐτό, εἰ ἐπικαλοῖτο τὸ ονομα κυρίου ἐπὶ τῷ γενναίως αὐτὸ πιεῖν. Εἰ δὲ τῶν ἐλαττόνων εἰρήκαμεν τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ονομα κυρίου, τελείων δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν κύριον, μή σε ταραττέτω νῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ ουτως τελείου παραλαμβανόμενον· οἱ γὰρ αγιοι δι' ἀτυφίαν οντες ἑαυτῶν ἐλαττωτικοὶ τὰ ἐλάττονα ἑαυτοῖς διδόασιν ων εχουσιν. ἀμέλει γοῦν οὐ Μωυσῆς οὐ Σαμουὴλ εἰρήκασι περὶ ἑαυτῶν ̓Επεκαλοῦντο τὸν κύριον, ἀλλ' αλλος ειπε περὶ αὐτῶν.

1070 Ps 116.1.2 Οὐκ ην ἐντελὴς ὁ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας λόγος, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῶν

σῳζομένων ἀπειλήφει τὴν μνήμην. εἰπὼν γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ ὡς τέλος ἀπολαβούσης τῆς σκιᾶς τὸ Σοὶ θύσω θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, εὐθέως εἰς αινον καλεῖ τὰ εθνη πάντα, οπως καὶ ταῦτα διὰ τῶν αινων τὴν τῆς αἰνέσεως προσάγει θυσίαν, ἀποβεβλημένου αὐτοῦ ἑνὸς εθνους καὶ λαοῦ, ἐπείπερ ταλανίζεται ἁμαρτωλὸν εθνος καὶ λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν γεγονώς· ἀλλὰ τούτου ἀποβληθέντος τοῦ εθνους καὶ λαοῦ, ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς πάντας εφθασεν ὡς βέβαιον καὶ κραταιὸν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ὑπῆρκται, ̔Η ἀλήθεια τοῦ κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. τὴν μὲν γὰρ σκιὰν ἡ ἀλήθεια διεδέξατο τέλος καὶ κλῆρον αὐτῇ περιορίσασα, αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αἰώνιον ουσαν οὐδὲν διαδέξεται τῷ μηδὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν ἀλλ' αὐτὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἀσύγκριτον ειναι. ορα γοῦν ὡς μετ' αἰτίας ἀποδέδωκε τὸ μένειν ἀλήθειαν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 1071 Ps 116,2b Συνδιαιωνίζοντος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τοῦ κραταιωθέντος ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἐλέου, πολλαχοῦ δὲ τὰ ὀνόματα ταῦτα, τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγεται, ωσπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ ̓Εξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐρρύσατο τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ μέσου σκύμνων. αυτη τοιγαροῦν ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ προσδοκία τῶν ἐθνῶν ην· διὸ καὶ ἐπιλάμψασα τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει εἰς αινον πάντα τὰ εθνη καὶ πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς καλεῖ, εὐχαριστεῖν διδάσκουσα τῷ πατρὶ τῷ κραταιώσαντι τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ καὶ μένειν ποιήσαντι τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ εως τοῦ αἰῶνος.

1072 Ps 117,1 ̓Επεὶ ἀγαθὸς ων ὁ θεὸς βούλεται τὴν μετάνοιαν τοῦ

ἁμαρτωλοῦ η τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ, οσοι ὑπεύθυνοι ἁμαρτίας ἐστέ, τὴν ἐκ μετανοίας ἐξομολόγησιν ἐπ' αὐτῷ ποιούμενοι εξετε αὐτὸν ἀφιέντα τὰ ὑπὲρ ων ἐξομολογεῖσθε. τὸ γὰρ ελεος αὐτοῦ ἀχώριστον αὐτοῦ τυγχάνον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ειη, ἐπείπερ καὶ ην ἀεί, ἐλεοῦντος αὐτοῦ οὐ νῦν πρότερον ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλαι ανωθεν, ἐξομολογουμένων αὐτῷ πάντων τῶν πεῖραν ἐχόντων τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ. 1073 Ps 117,5-9 ̔Ο ἐν θλίψει γενόμενος δίκαιος οὐ τοσοῦτον παρακαλεῖ περὶ τοῦ ἐκτὸς αὐτῆς γενέσθαι, ἀλλ' οπως γενναίως καὶ ἱλαρῶς αὐτὴν ἐνέγκῃ. καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἐν σταδίῳ πρὸς ἀντιπάλους θλιβόμενος οὐ τὸν ἀγῶνα ευχεται αὐτῷ παρελθεῖν, ινα μὴ ἐξαγώνιος γένηται, ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖ τὸν παιδοτρίβην συνεργεῖν αὐτῷ, οπως ἐγκαρτερῶν τοῖς ἐπιφερομένοις πρὸς τοῦ ἀντιπάλου ἐλπίδι νίκης καὶ στεφάνου προσηνῆ δόξῃ ειναι τὰ δι' ων ἀποδίδοται ὁ στέφανος. Καὶ δύναται μὲν περὶ θνητῶν διαφόρων λέγεσθαι τὸ Οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι ανθρωπος, περὶ δὲ ἀοράτων πολεμίων τὸ Κἀγὼ ἐπόψομαι τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου· οιτινες ἐχθροὶ καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπεγείρουσι καθ' ἡμῶν ἐκπολεμοῦντες αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ φονικῶς διατιθέντες καθ' ἡμῶν. εἰ δὲ