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For since, being joined to God, they loved their worship, he reasonably called superstition fornication. 80.1733 μʹ-μβʹ. "And the Lord was angered with wrath against his people, and he abhorred his inheritance. And he delivered them into the hands of enemies, and those who hated them ruled over them. And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands." These things the history of the Judges also teaches, and indeed also the writing of the Kingdoms. For at one time he delivered them to the Moabites, at another to the Ammonites, at another to the Amalekites, and Midianites, and Philistines, reaping benefit from the discipline. μγʹ. "Many times he delivered them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were humbled in their iniquities." For bringing on discipline, he again imparted love for mankind; but they repaid him with the opposite. μδʹ. "And the Lord saw when they were afflicted, when he hearkened to their supplication." These things the histories also teach; and that they besought God, being driven by necessity; and that having besought him, they were heard. μεʹ. "And he remembered his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercy." For because of the promises to the fathers he granted mercy; and he calls the cessation of discipline repentance. For God does not have the passion of repentance, nor is he pleased now with these things, now with those; but wisely governing all things, he both brings on discipline and offers love for mankind. μʹ. "And he gave them to compassions, before all those who had taken them captive." Thus he charmed Cyrus, and bent him to mercy, and made him give freedom to the prisoners of war. μζʹ. "Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations; to give thanks to your holy name, to glory in your praise." And these things show, how the prophetic word teaches them how one must propitiate God, and obtain care from him. And the divine Apostle also foretold the future salvation for the Jews through Elijah the Tishbite; "The deliverer will come out of Zion," he says, "and will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; and this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins." One must not await the building of Jerusalem, according to the myths of the foolish, nor the worship according to the law, and the irrational sacrifices, and circumcision, and the sabbath, and shadowy sprinklings after the all-holy baptism; for these are the delirious ravings of drunken old women; but a calling and knowledge of truth, and faith in the Lord Christ, and the polity of the new covenant. 80.1736 μηʹ. "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting; and all the people shall say, So be it, so be it." For the Lord of all is to be praised for all things, he who was called the God of Israel, who wrought so many things for the sake of the salvation of men. And it is fitting for all the people to add the Amen to the voice of those singing hymns. For "So be it, so be it," the Hebrew calls, Amen and amen. Whence also the custom has remained in the Churches for the people to assent to the priest's doxology through the Amen, and thereby to offer fellowship, and to receive the blessing.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 100TH PSALM. Alleluia. We have often shown that the old covenant is a shadow of the new;

and it is no less easy to learn this from this psalm as well. For it both proclaims the freedom of the Jews, and foretells the salvation of all men. And it has much consistency with those that precede it. For the one hundred and fourth has a narrative of the promises made by God to the patriarchs, and of the gifts provided to their descendants. And the one after that, in addition to the benefactions, taught also the ingratitude of the Jews, and the punishments brought upon them on account of it. And this one foretells the of the captivity

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Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ συνημμένοι τὴν ἐκείνων θεραπείαν ἠγάπησαν, τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν εἰκότως πορνείαν ἐκάλεσεν. 80.1733 μʹ-μβʹ. "Καὶ ὠργίσθη θυμῷ Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐβδελύξατο τὴν κληρονομίαν αὑτοῦ. Καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν, καὶ ἐκυρίευ σαν αὐτῶν οἱ μισοῦντες αὐτούς. Καὶ ἔθλιψαν αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐταπεινώθησαν ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν." Ταῦτα καὶ ἡ τῶν Κριτῶν ἱστορία διδάσκει, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν συγγραφή. Ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ Μωαβίταις, ποτὲ δὲ Ἀμμανίταις, ἄλλοτε δὲ Ἀμαλακίταις, καὶ Μαδιηναίοις, καὶ Ἀλλοφύλοις παρέδωκε, τῇ παιδείᾳ τὴν ὠφέλειαν καρπούμενος. μγʹ. "Πλεονάκις ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς· αὐτοὶ δὲ παρ επίκραναν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ αὑτῶν, καὶ ἐταπεινώθη σαν ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις αὑτῶν." Ἐπάγων γὰρ τὴν παι δείαν πάλιν μετεδίδου φιλανθρωπίας· οἱ δὲ αὐτὸν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἠμείβοντο. μδʹ. "Καὶ εἶδε Κύριος ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι αὐτοὺς, ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν εἰσακοῦσαι τῆς δεήσεως αὐτῶν." Ταῦτα καὶ αἱ ἱστορίαι διδάσκουσι· καὶ ὅτι ἐδεήθη σαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης ὠθούμενοι· καὶ ὅτι δεηθέντες ἠκούσθησαν. μεʹ. "Καὶ ἐμνήσθη τῆς διαθήκης αὑτοῦ, καὶ μετ εμελήθη κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέου αὑτοῦ." ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐπαγγελίας τὸν ἔλεον ἐχορή γησε· μεταμέλειαν δὲ καλεῖ τῆς παιδείας τὴν παῦ λαν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς τῆς μεταμελείας οὐκ ἔχει τὸ πά θος, οὐδὲ νῦν μὲν τούτοις, νῦν δὲ ἐκείνοις ἀρέσκεται· ἀλλὰ σοφῶς ἅπαντα πρυτανεύων, καὶ παιδείας ἐπ άγει, καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν ὀρέγει. μʹ. "Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς οἰκτιρμοὺς, ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν αἰχμαλωτευσάντων αὐτούς." Οὕτω τὸν Κύρον κατέθελξεν, καὶ εἰς ἔλεον ἔκαμψε, καὶ δοῦναι τοῖς δορυαλώτοις τὴν ἐλευθερίαν πεποίηκε. μζʹ. "Σῶσον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐπι συνάγαγε ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν· τοῦ ἐξομολογήσασθαι τῷ ὀνόματί σου τῷ ἁγίῳ, τοῦ ἐγκαυχᾶσθαι ἐν τῇ αἰ νέσει σου." Καὶ ταῦτα δηλοῖ, ὡς ὁ προφητικὸς αὐ τοὺς διδάσκει λόγος, πῶς δεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσασθαι, καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ κηδεμονίας τυχεῖν. Καὶ ὁ θεσπέ σιος δὲ Ἀπόστολος τὴν ἐσομένην Ἰουδαίοις σωτηρίαν διὰ Ἠλιοῦ τοῦ Θεσβίτου προηγόρευσεν· "Ἥξει ἐκ Σιὼν, φησὶν, ὁ ῥυόμενος, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀσεβείας ἀπὸ Ἰακώβ· καὶ αὕτη αὐτοῖς ἡ παρ' ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, ὅταν ἀφέλωμαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν." Οὐ μὲν τὴν οἰκοδομίαν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ προσμεῖναι δεῖ, κατὰ τοὺς μύθους τῶν ἀνοήτων, καὶ τὴν κατὰ νόμον λα τρείαν, καὶ τὰς ἀλόγους θυσίας, καὶ περιτομὴν, καὶ σάββατον, καὶ σκιώδη περιῤῥαντήρια μετὰ τὸ παν άγιον βάπτισμα· ταῦτα γὰρ γραϊδίων μεθυόντων πα ραληρήματα· ἀλλὰ κλῆσιν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας, καὶ πίστιν εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν, καὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης τὴν πολιτείαν. 80.1736 μηʹ. "Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος· καὶ ἐρεῖ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς, Γένοιτο, γένοιτο." Ὑμνητὸς γὰρ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, ὁ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ χρηματίσας Θεὸς, ὁ τοσαῦτα τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα πραγματευσάμε νος σωτηρίας. Προσήκει δὲ τὸν λαὸν ἅπαντα τὸ Ἀμὴν τῇ τῶν ὑμνούντων ἐπιφέρειν φωνῇ. Τὸ γὰρ Γένοιτο, γένοιτο, Ἀμὴν καὶ ἀμὴν, ὁ Ἑβραῖος καλεῖ. Ὅθεν καὶ τὸ ἔθος ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις μεμένηκε τὸ τῇ δοξολογίᾳ τοῦ ἱερέως διὰ τοῦ Ἀμὴν συντίθε σθαι τὸν λαὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν κοινωνίαν προσφέ ρειν, καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν λαμβάνειν.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Ρʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. Ἀλληλούϊα. Πολλάκις ἀπεδείξαμεν, ὅτι σκιὰ τῆς καινῆς ἡ παλαιὰ διαθήκη·

οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ῥᾴδιον τοῦτο καταμαθεῖν. Τήν τε γὰρ Ἰουδαίων ἐλευθερίαν θεσπίζει, καὶ τὴν πάντων ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν προαγορεύει. Ἔχει δὲ πολλὴν πρὸς τοὺς προτεταγμένους ἀκολουθίαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τέταρτος καὶ ἑκατοστὸς διήγησιν ἔχει τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τοὺς πατριάρχας γεγενημένων ἐπαγγελιῶν, καὶ τῶν τοῖς ἐκείνων ἐκγόνοις παρασχεθεισῶν δω ρεῶν. Ὁ δὲ μετὰ ἐκεῖνον, πρὸς ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις, καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἀχαριστίαν ἐδίδαξε, καὶ τὰς δι' ἐκείνην ἐπενεχθείσας τιμωρίας αὐτοῖς. Οὗτος δὲ προαγορεύει τὴν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας