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man; proclaiming beforehand that this would also happen for the Church. For this reason, then, he also ended his discourse here, showing the prophecy to be trustworthy from this, from the things that had already happened, from his greatness. For all things that seem good to God are easy to do. For He can change nature, and transform lowliness into height, and correct ways. Knowing all these things, then, let us contribute what is ours, and we shall enjoy all glory, and we shall ascend to an ineffable height, enjoying the inclination of God; to whom be glory and power, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ON THE 113TH PSALM. When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people, Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 1. Here it witnesses to the great gentleness and mildness of God. What is this? That first He provides proofs of His own power, then He demands worship. For making this clear, it said: When Israel went out of Egypt, Judah became his sanctuary. For then, he says, He showed His power, through the signs in Egypt, through those in the desert; then He also made the people His own. This He also did in the case of Adam. For having first made the world, and shown the strength of both His wisdom and His power, so He formed man, and demanded worship. So also the only-begotten Son of God, having first provided many and various signs, then demanded faith. For this reason, to those who came to him from the beginning, since they did not have pledges from him, nor proof of his divinity, he did not say, Do you believe that I can do this? but only showed the signs. But when everywhere in Palestine he had deposited memorials of his own power, correcting maimed bodies, driving out evil, discoursing about the kingdom, introducing the laws of salvation, then he also demanded faith from those who approached him. For men first want to rule, and then attempt to do good; but God begins with benefactions. And why do I speak of the other benefactions, when He even endured the cross itself, and then took possession of the world, showing his care through the 55.305 works? This, then, the psalm also making clear here said: When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people, Judah became his sanctuary. That is, in the exodus, in the departure, in the freedom, from Egypt. and he did not simply say, of Egypt, but added, From a barbarous people; showing the care of God by the name of the enemies. For they would not have been able to escape from those harsh, and savage, and most barbarously disposed Egyptians, if they had not enjoyed the mighty hand and the invincible right hand. For they were more savage than wild beasts, and harder than rocks, being struck with countless plagues, and not giving in. Therefore, by calling the people barbarous, he showed the excess of God's power, that He now persuaded such a barbarous, such a cruel people, and now compelled them even unwillingly to release the slaves, and later, when they were contentious, delivered them to the sea, and so freed His own people. What is, Judah became his sanctuary? Instead of, a people worshipping him, a people dedicated to him, a people made his own. But sanctuary was properly said of the temple, the

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ἄνδρα· τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐσόμενον προαναφωνῶν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ οὗτος ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον κατέλυσε, τὴν προφητείαν ἀξιόπιστον καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀποφήνας, ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γενομένων, ἀπὸ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ. Πάντα γὰρ ὅσα ἂν δόξῃ τῷ Θεῷ, ῥᾴδια ποιῆσαι. Καὶ γὰρ φύσιν μεταθεῖναι δύναται, καὶ ταπεινότητα μεταβαλεῖν εἰς ὕψος, καὶ διορθῶσαι τρόπους. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες ἅπαντα, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέρωμεν, καὶ πάσης ἀπολαυσόμεθα δόξης, καὶ πρὸς ἄφατον ὕψος ἀναβησόμεθα, τῆς ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύοντες τοῦ Θεοῦ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ, καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΙΓʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Ἐν ἐξόδῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οἴκου Ἰακὼβ ἐκ λαοῦ βαρβάρου, ἐγενήθη Ἰουδαία ἁγίασμα αὐ τοῦ, Ἰσραὴλ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ. αʹ. Μεγάλην ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πραότητα μαρτυρεῖ καὶ ἡμερότητα. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Ὅτι πρῶτον ἀποδείξεις παρεχόμενος τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως, τότε ἀπαιτεῖ τὴν προσκύνησιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἐν ἐξόδῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἐγενήθη Ἰουδαίαἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ. Τότε γὰρ ἔδειξε τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, διὰ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ σημείων, διὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· τότε καὶ τὸν λαὸν ᾠκειώσατο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐποίησε. Πρότερον γὰρ τὸν κόσμον ποιήσας, καὶ δείξας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως τὴν ἰσχὺν, οὕτω τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔπλασε, καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν ἀπῄτησεν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ σημεῖα πρῶτον παρασχόμενος πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ, τότε τὴν πίστιν ἀπῄτει. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τοῖς μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προσιοῦσιν, ἅτε οὐκ ἔχουσιν αὐτοῦ ἐνέχυρα, οὐδὲ ἀπόδειξιν τῆς θεότητος, οὐκ ἔλεγε, Πιστεύετε, ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; ἀλλὰ μόνον τὰ σημεῖα ἐπεδείκνυ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πανταχοῦ τῆς Παλαιστίνης ὑπομνήματα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐναπέθετο, σώματα πεπηρωμένα διορθῶν, κακίαν ἐξελαύνων, περὶ βασιλείας διαλεγόμενος, τοὺς σωτηριώδεις εἰσάγων νόμους, τότε καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀπῄτει παρὰ τῶν προσιόντων. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ πρότερον ἄρχειν ἐθέλουσι, καὶ τότε εὐεργετεῖν ἐπιχειροῦσιν· ὁ Θεὸς δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ἄρχεται. Καὶ τί λέγω τὰς ἄλλας εὐεργεσίας, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτὸν ὑπέμεινε, καὶ τότε τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκράτησε, διὰ τῶν 55.305 ἔργων ἐπιδειξάμενος τὴν κηδεμονίαν; Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐνταῦθα δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἐν ἐξόδῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οἴκου Ἰακὼβ ἐκ λαοῦ βαρβάρου, ἐγενήθη Ἰουδαία ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπαλλαγῇ, ἐν τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ, τῆς Αἰγύπτου. καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε, Λαοῦ βαρβάρου· τῷ ὀνόματι τῶν πολεμίων τὴν κηδεμονίαν ἐνδειξάμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τῶν γὰρ χαλεπῶν ἐκείνων, καὶ ἀνημέρων, καὶ βαρβαρικώτερον διακειμένων Αἰγυπτίων οὐκ ἂν ἠδυνήθησαν ἀπαλλαγῆναι, εἰ μὴ τῆς κραταιᾶς ἀπήλαυσαν χειρὸς καὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς τῆς ἀμάχου. Καὶ γὰρ θηρίων ἦσαν ἀγριώτεροι, καὶ πέτρας σκληρότεροι, μυρίαις παιόμενοι πληγαῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἐνδιδόντες. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν τὸν λαὸν βάρβαρον, ἔδειξε τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς δυνάμεως τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, ὅτι τὸν οὕτω βάρβαρον, τὸν οὕτως ὠμὸν νῦν μὲν ἔπεισε, νῦν δὲ καὶ ἄκοντα κατηνάγκασεν ἀφεῖναι τοὺς δούλους, καὶ φιλονεικοῦντας ὕστερον τῇ θαλάττῃ παρέδωκε, καὶ οὕτω τὸν λαὸν ἠλευθέρωσε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐγενήθη Ἰουδαία ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, λαὸς αὐτῷ λατρεύων, λαὸς αὐτῷ ἀνακείμενος, λαὸς αὐτῷ ᾠκειωμένος. Ἁγίασμα δὲ κυρίως ἐλέγετο ὁ ναὸς, τὰ