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a lawless thing before my eyes." Not only did I abhor lawless acts, but I also shook off thoughts about them, regulating and directing my reasoning before all other things. "I have hated them that work transgressions." And I turned away from those who despise the divine statutes. 4. "A froward heart did not cleave to me." Those who honored justice were my companions; but those who chose the opposite, and were unwilling to have right reasoning, I kept far from my assemblies. "When the wicked man turned away from me, I did not know him." And if any of my companions, using wickedness, wished to depart from my company, I did not even consider such a separation a separation. So very contemptible to me was the one who chose evil. 5. "Him that privily slanders his neighbor, him I drove out." And I did not accept accusations made in secret, but drove out those who attempted to do this. "With a proud eye and an insatiable heart, with him I would not eat." Neither did I make those who practice arrogance [and greed] my table companions. 6. "My eyes were upon the faithful of the land, that they might sit with me." Those adorned with faith, and who held divine things in high regard, shared with me in councils and deliberation. "He that walked in a blameless way, he ministered to me." And I took great care not only of friends and counselors, but also of ministers. For I used servants who cared for virtue and were free from vice. 7. "He that practiced pride did not dwell in the midst of my house." And I chose to have no one who practiced arrogance as a housemate. "He that spoke unjust things did not prosper before my eyes." And if anyone advised, or demanded, unjust things, he went away having failed; [for it was my earnest care to close my ears to those wishing to slander.] 8. "In the mornings I slew all the sinners of the land, to destroy out of the city of the Lord all that work iniquity." 80.1676 This we have learned clearly from the history. For he delivered all the impious priests to death, and cleansed the holy city. [And he calls 'morning' the beginning of his reign; for like the dawn he himself arose with fitting and illuminating justice.] And he who wishes to learn the virtue of the man more accurately will find it both from the second book of Chronicles, and from the history of the fourth book of Kings. [Let each one therefore be zealous to become an imitator of this man; that he may share with him equal boldness before Christ. Amen.]

INTERPRETATION OF THE 101ST PSALM. 1. "A prayer for the poor man, when he is faint and pours out the supplication

his." The psalm contains a prophecy of the suffering of the Jewish people in Babylon, and of their return from there. And according to it, it also foretells the calling and salvation of the gentiles. It is also fitting for anyone struggling with some misfortune, and beseeching to obtain the divine inclination. For it calls 'poor' the one in need of divine providence. 2. "Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry [come] to you. Accept my supplication, O Master, and extend your help to me who am lamenting. For Symmachus has rendered 'cry' as 'lamentation'. 3. "Turn not your face away from me." Be gracious to me, and release your indignation. "In whatever day I am afflicted, incline your ear to me; in whatever day I call upon you, hear me speedily." These words of the psalm also show that it is a prophecy of things to come, and not a narrative of things that have happened. For since the people happened to be in great prosperity and eminence in the kingdom of the divine David, the prophet, using their persona, fittingly offers the supplication, and entreats to obtain the divine care, whenever the time for this should come. 4. "For they vanished like smoke, the

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ὀφθαλμῶν μου πρᾶ γμα παράνομον." Οὐ μόνον τὰς παρανόμους πρά ξεις ἐβδελυττόμην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς περὶ τούτων ἐνθυ μήσεις ἀπεσειόμην, τὸν λογισμὸν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ῥυθμίζων καὶ διευθύνων. "Ποιοῦντας παραβάσεις ἐμίσησα." Ἀπεστρεφόμην δὲ καὶ τοὺς τῶν θείων καταφρονοῦντας θεσμῶν. δʹ. "Οὐκ ἐκολλήθη μοι καρδία σκαμβή." Συν ήθεις δέ μοι ἦσαν οἱ τιμῶντες τὸ δίκαιον· τοὺς δὲ τὰ ἐναντία προαιρουμένους, καὶ τὸν ὀρθὸν λογισμὸν οὐκ ἐθέλοντας ἔχειν, πόῤῥω τῶν ἐμῶν ἐποιούμην συλ λόγων. "Ἐκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον." Εἰ δέ τις τῶν συνόντων πονηρίᾳ χρώ μενος ἀποστῆναι τῆς ἐμῆς ἠθέλησε συνουσίας, οὐδὲ χωρισμὸν ὑπελάμβανον τὸν τοιοῦτον χωρισμόν. Οὕ τως εὐκαταφρόνητος ἦν μοι λίαν ὁ τὴν κακίαν αἱ ρούμενος. εʹ. "Τὸν καταλαλοῦντα λάθρα τοῦ πλησίον αὐ τοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον." Τὰς δὲ λάθρα γινομέ νας κατηγορίας οὐ προσιέμην, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοῦτο δρᾷν πειρωμένους ἐξήλαυνον. "Ὑπερηφάνῳ ὀφθαλμῷ καὶ ἀπλήστῳ καρδίᾳ, τούτῳ οὐ συνήσθιον." Οὔτε τοὺς ἀλαζονείᾳ [καὶ πλεονεξίᾳ] χρωμένους ἐποιού μην συσσίτους. ʹ. "Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐπὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς τῆς γῆς, τοῦ συγκαθῆσθαι αὐτοὺς μετ' ἐμοῦ." Συνεδρίων δέ μοι καὶ βουλῆς ἐκοινώνουν οἱ πίστει κοσμού μενοι, καὶ περὶ πολλοῦ τὰ θεῖα ποιούμενοι. "Πο ρευόμενος ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ, οὗτός μοι ἐλειτούργει." Οὐ μόνον δὲ φίλων καὶ συμβούλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν διακόνων πολλὴν ἐποιούμην φροντίδα. Ὑπηρέταις γὰρ ἐχρώμην ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελομένοις, καὶ κακίας ἀπηλλαγμένοις. ζʹ. "Οὐ κατῴκει ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκίας μου ποιῶν ὑπερηφανίαν." Οὐδένα δὲ τῶν ὑπεροψίᾳ χρω μένων σύνοικον ἔχειν ᾑρούμην. "Λαλῶν ἄδικα οὐ κατεύθυνεν ἐνώπιον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου." Εἰ δέ τις συνεβούλευσεν, ἢ ἐξῄτησεν ἄδικα, διαμαρτὼν ἀπελήλυθεν· [σπουδὴ γάρ μοι ἀποκλείειν τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῖς διαβάλλειν ἐθέλουσιν.] ηʹ. "Εἰς τὰς πρωΐας ἀπέκτενον πάντας τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῆς γῆς, τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἐκ πόλεως Κυρίου πάντας τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν." 80.1676 Τοῦτο σαφῶς παρὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐμάθομεν. Ἅπαντας γὰρ τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς ἱερέας τῷ θανάτῳ παρέπεμψε, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν ἐξεκάθηρε πόλιν. [Πρωΐαν δὲ καλεῖ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας· ὡς ὄρθρος γὰρ αὐ τὸς ἀνέτειλε μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης καὶ φωτιζούσης δικαιοσύνης.] Ὁ δὲ βουλόμενος τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀρε τὴν καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβέστερον, εὑρήσεται ταύ την ἔκ τε τῆς δευτέρας τῶν Παραλειπομένων, καὶ ἐκ τῆς τετάρτης τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορίας. [Σπουδα σάτω τοίνυν ἕκαστος μιμητὴς τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς γε νέσθαι· ἵνα τῆς ἴσης αὐτῷ κοινωνήσῃ παρὰ Χριστῷ παῤῥησίας. Ἀμήν.]

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΑʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Προσευχὴ τῷ πτωχῷ· ὅταν ἀκηδιάσῃ, καὶ ἔναντι Κυρίου ἐκχέῃ τὴν δέησιν

αὑτοῦ." Πρόῤῥη σιν μὲν ὁ ψαλμὸς ἔχει τῆς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ταλαιπωρίας, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανόδου. Προαγορεύει δὲ κατ' αὐτὸν, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν κλῆ σιν καὶ σωτηρίαν. Ἁρμόττει δὲ καὶ παντὶ συμφορᾷ τινι προσπαλαίοντι, καὶ τῆς θείας ῥοπῆς τυχεῖν ἱκετεύοντι. Πτωχὸν γὰρ καλεῖ, τὸν θείας ἐνδεῆ προμηθείας. βʹ. "Κύριε, εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου, καὶ ἡ κραυγή μου πρὸς σὲ [ἐλθέτω]. ∆έξαι μου τὴν ἱκε τηρίαν, ὦ ∆έσποτα, καὶ ποτνιωμένῳ τὴν σὴν βοή θειαν ὄρεξον. Τὴν γὰρ κραυγὴν, οἰμωγὴν ὁ Σύμ μαχος εἴρηκεν. γʹ. "Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." Εὐμενής μοι γενοῦ, καὶ λῦσον τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν. "Ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ θλίβωμαι, κλῖνον πρός με τὸ οὖς σου· ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπικαλέσωμαί σε, ταχὺ ἐπάκουσόν μου." ∆ηλοῖ καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, ὡς μελλόντων ἐστὶ πρόῤῥησις, καὶ οὐ γεγενημένων δι ήγησις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν εὐκληρίᾳ πολλῇ, καὶ περι φανείᾳ ἐτύγχανεν ὢν ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ τοῦ θεσπεσίου ∆α βὶδ βασιλείᾳ· εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης, τῷ ἐκείνων κε χρημένος προσώπῳ, προσφέρει τὴν ἱκετείαν, καὶ τυχεῖν ἀντιβολεῖ τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας, ἡνίκα ἂν γέ νοιτο τούτου καιρός. δʹ. "Ὅτι ἐξέλιπον ὡσεὶ καπνὸς αἱ