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performing God's will, whom one might rightly call temple-wardens of God; and in addition to all these, those from foreign nations who are added in fear of the Lord. However, even if all bless, yet each one will do this according to the proportion of his ability. But he whom the aforementioned bless is not only being blessed but is also blessed, not from any ordinary place but from the heavenly Zion, inhabiting the city of the God who gave the heavenly Jerusalem and the church that has no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, being Jerusalem by seeing the peace which Jesus gives, saying, "My peace I give to you." But even if according to another conception he is blessed in Zion, so also is God in her and from her. And these things might also be said about a soul which, on account of knowledge and perfect virtue, is called Zion and Jerusalem.

1195 Ps 135,1-3 And the present psalm, calling us to thanksgiving,

commands us to give thanks to the Lord, who acts with much kindness and goodness. For this reason, on each verse, in the manner of a refrain, is added, "For his mercy endures forever." For since he does not show mercy at one time and not at another, but always shows mercy, those who add the refrain rightly say, "For his mercy endures forever." But of which gods is he God, if not of those about whom it has been said? If, then, he called them gods to whom the word of God came, according to the scripture that says, "I said, ‘You are gods,’" for it is truly fitting for him to be called God—indeed, those around Abraham were also gods in this way (God is recorded as saying, "I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob"; for it is truly fitting for him to be called God)—according to this meaning of divinity, both angels and divine powers might be called gods, as the Apostle says, "Just as there are many gods and many lords in heaven and on earth," since all those called gods after the Trinity are such by participation in divinity. But the Savior is not so, but is God by essence; for this reason, he makes gods of those who partake of him. He is called the only-begotten God; for he alone is true God from true God, being God in the same way as the Father, by being consubstantial with the one who begot him. And in addition to being God of gods, he is also Lord of lords of those in heaven and on earth who have kinship with the holy principalities and authorities and lordships. 1196 Ps 135,4-6 For he alone was recorded as doing wonders; for the Father, abiding in the Son, does the works. But we must again give thanks to him who makes the heavens with understanding and establishes the earth upon the water. And with what has been set forth agrees the saying, "God in wisdom founded the earth, and prepared the heavens in prudence." The understanding and prudence through which the heavens are prepared and established, what else could it be but the wisdom of him through whom all things were made, about whom the Theologian says, "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God"? But indeed, those who bear the image of the heavenly one become heavens in an intelligible sense. Such ones are prepared in the aforementioned understanding and prudence of God. And the earth is established upon the water, the earth which has received the seed cast by Jesus in order to bear fruit. For while still engaged in the fluid and temporary affairs of life, allegorically represented by water, it has received stability and vigor for the purpose of bearing fruit most fully. 1197 Ps 135,7-9 He alone made the great lights by saying, "Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven"; he appointed the sun for rule over the day and the moon and the stars for rule over the night, just as it is also said in the account of creation that the sun was made for the beginning of the day and the moon and the stars for the beginning of the night. And these elements contribute not a little to the good order of our life and to life itself, nourishing and ripening fruits, without which it is not possible to live, showing us seasons, hours

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θεοῦ ἐπιτελοῦντες, ους νεωκόρους τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δίκῃ προσαγορεύσειέ τις· ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ οἱ ἐξ ἀλλογενῶν ἐθνῶν οι φόβῳ τοῦ κυρίου προστιθέμενοι. Ομως εἰ καὶ πάντες εὐλογοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ουν εκαστος κατὰ τὴν τῆς δυνάμεως ἀναλογίαν τοῦτο ποιήσει. Ον δὲ εὐλογοῦσιν οἱ προειρημένοι, οὐκ αὐτὸ μόνον εὐλογούμενος ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐλόγητός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τυχούσης ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἐπουρανίου Σιών, κατοικῶν τὴν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ δόντος τὴν ἐπουράνιον ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν μὴ εχουσαν σπίλον η ῥυτίδα η τι τῶν τοιούτων ουσαν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ τῷ ὁρᾶν τὴν εἰρήνην ην ̓Ιησοῦς δίδωσι λέγων Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. ̓Αλλ' εἰ καὶ κατ' αλλην ἐπίνοιαν ἐν Σιών ἐστιν εὐλόγητος, καὶ ουτως ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς ὁ θεός ἐστι. λεχθείη δ' αν ταῦτα καὶ περὶ ψυχῆς δι' ἐπιστήμην καὶ τελείαν ἀρετὴν Σιὼν καὶ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ καλουμένης.

1195 Ps 135,1-3 Καὶ ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς εἰς εὐχαριστίαν προκαλούμενος

προστάττει ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τῷ κυρίῳ χρηστότητι καὶ ἀγαθότητι πολλῇ ποιοῦντι. διὸ καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστου στίχου τρόπῳ ἐφυμνίου ἐπιλέγεται Οτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ. ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὐ ποτὲ μὲν ἐλεεῖ, ποτὲ δὲ ου, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἐλεεῖ, εἰκότως οἱ ἐφυμνοῦντες λέγουσιν Οτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ. Τίνων δὲ θεῶν θεός ἐστιν η ἐκείνων περὶ ων ειρηται; εἰ ουν ἐκείνους θεοὺς ειπε πρὸς ους ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν γραφὴν ̓Εγὼ ειπα Θεοί ἐστε τοῦτον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀληθῶς ἁρμόζει θεὸν λέγεσθαι, ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν ̓Αβραὰμ ουτω θεῶν οντων (θεὸς ἀναγέγραπται φάσκων ̓Εγὼ θεὸς ̓Αβραὰμ καὶ θεὸς ̓Ισαὰκ καὶ θεὸς ̓Ιακώβ· τοῦτον γὰαὐτὸν ἀληθῶς ἁρμόζει θεὸν λέγεσθαι), κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον τῆς θεότητος καὶ αγγελοι καὶ θεῖαι δυνάμεις ῥηθεῖεν αν θεοί, ῃ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος Ωσπερ εἰσὶ θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοὶ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τῷ πάντας τοὺς λεγομένους μετὰ τὴν τριάδα θεοὺς μετουσίᾳ θεότητος ειναι τοιούτους. ἀλλ' ὁ σωτὴρ οὐχ ουτως ἀλλ' ων κατ' οὐσίαν θεός· διὸ ποιεῖ θεοὺς τοὺς μετέχοντας αὐτοῦ. μονογενὴς ειρηται θεός· μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ἀληθινὸς θεὸς ἐξ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνει, κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ πατρὶ θεὸς ων τῷ ὁμοούσιος τῷ γεννήσαντι ειναι. Πρὸς τῷ δὲ ειναι θεὸς θεῶν καὶ κύριος τῶν κυρίων ἐστὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς συγγένειαν ἐχόντων πρὸς τὰς ἁγίας ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ κυριότητας. 1196 Ps 135,4-6 Μόνος γὰρ ποιεῖν θαυμάσια ἀνεγράφη· μένων γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ ποιεῖ τὰ εργα. ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιοῦντι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν συνέσει καὶ στερεοῦντι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τὸ υδωρ πάλιν ἀνθομολογητέον. συνᾴδει δὲ τοῖς προκειμένοις τὸ ̔Ο θεὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει. σύνεσις καὶ φρόνησις δι' ης ἑτοιμάζονται καὶ στερεοῦνται οἱ οὐρανοί, τίς αν αλλη ειη η σοφία τοῦ ∆ι' ης πάντα γεγένηται, περὶ ης ὁ θεολόγος φησὶ Χριστὸς θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία. ̓Αλλὰ γὰρ καὶ οἱ φοροῦντες τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου νοητῶς οὐρανοὶ οντες γίνονται. ἑτοιμάζονται τοιοῦτοι ἐν τῇ προδεδηλωμένῃ συνέσει τε καὶ φρονήσει θεοῦ. καὶ ἡ γῆ στερεοῦται ἐπὶ τὸ υδωρ ἡ τὸν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ βαλλόμενον σπόρον πρὸς τὸ καρποφορῆσαι δεξαμένη. ἐν τοῖς ῥευστοῖς γὰρ καὶ προσκαίροις τοῦ βίου πράγμασιν υδατι ἀλληγορικῶς ετι διατριβούσας στερέωσιν καὶ εὐτονίαν εσχεν ἐπὶ τῷ πληρέστατα καρποφορῆσαι. 1197 Ps 135,7-9 Φῶτα μεγάλα μόνος ποιήσας διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν Γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν ηλιον καὶ εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς νυκτὸς τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας εταξεν, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ κοσμοποιΐᾳ ειρηται γεγονέναι τὸν ηλιον εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὴν σελήνην εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ ἡμῖν εἰς εὐταξίαν ζωῆς καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ζωὴν ταῦτα συντελεῖται τὰ στοιχεῖα τρέφοντα καρποὺς πεπαίνοντα, ων ανευ ζῆσαι οὐκ ενι, καιροὺς ἡμῖν δεικνῦντα, ωρας