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Christ, and the assembly of the Church is called His body; and He calls her hymn His own hymn. 31. "For he stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from those who persecute it." This he also said in the 15th psalm: "I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken." For the divine nature, having made the union inseparable, was present to the human nature, but permitted it to suffer, working out the salvation of men. For it would have been easy for him to make immortal the very nature which he assumed. But since the passion was the salvation of the world, he permitted the passion to occur, and after the passion he imparted immortality and incorruptibility. And he himself received no harm from its passions, but filled it with his own glory, and with it he reigns, and holds sway over all things. And when he had this nature as corruptible, he permitted it to suffer and to speak all things in a human way, except for sin. INTERPRETATION OF THE 109TH PSALM. 1. "A Psalm of David." Having prophesied about the saving passion in the preceding psalm, he now foretells the ascension of the Savior after the passion. And the most divine Peter also makes mention of the beginning of the psalm in the Acts. And he speaks thus: "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." And the Lord himself, seeing that the Pharisees held other opinions about Christ, posed this question to them: 80.1768 "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" And when they said, "Of David," he answered, "How then does David in the spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand?" Then he concludes: "If then David in the spirit calls him Lord, how is he his son?" He said this, not rejecting that the Christ is the son of David, but adding to what was confessed that which was not known. For the Pharisees confessed that the Christ was the son of David; but that he was also the Lord of David, they were completely ignorant. Therefore he adds what is lacking, he does not take away what is confessed, teaching that he is the same one, both his son according to the flesh, and his Lord as God and creator. Clearly, therefore, the blessed David proclaims the divinity of the Lord Christ, and says: "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand." If David the king, and a pious king who was also deemed worthy of prophetic grace, calls the Lord Christ his own Lord; then he is not merely a man according to the foolishness of the Jews, but also God, as the creator and Lord of David. And the commonality of the names indicates the identity of substance. For Lord speaks to Lord, and not Lord to a creature, nor Lord to a created thing; "Sit at my right hand." This therefore is a great thing; and not only above human nature, but also above all creation. Nevertheless, it is also spoken in a human way. For as God, the Son has an eternal throne; for he says, "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever." For it was not after the cross and the passion that he was deemed worthy of this honor as God; but he received as man what he possessed as God. For he was not exalted being lowly, but being most high, and existing in the form of God, he humbled himself, taking the form of a servant. Therefore the evangelist also cries out: "The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." And the Lord himself also says: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me." And elsewhere: "Glorify me, you Father, with the glory which I had with you before the world was made." As man, therefore, he hears: "Sit at my right hand;" for as God, he has eternal dominion. "Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." Enemies are preeminently the devil and his servants the demons, and in addition to these, also those who oppose his divine proclamations, Jews and Greeks. But the word "until" does not signify time, but is an idiom of the divine Scripture. For so also God says through the prophet, "I am, and until you grow old I am." It is clear

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Χριστὸς, καὶ σῶμα αὐτοῦ χρηματίζει τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὁ σύλλογος· οἰκεῖον δὲ ὕμνον τὸν ταύτης ὕμνον καλεῖ. λαʹ. "Ὅτι παρέστη ἐκ δεξιῶν πένητος, τοῦ σῶσαι ἐκ τῶν καταδιωκόντων τὴν ψυχήν μου." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ ιεʹ εἴρηκε ψαλμῷ· "Προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντὸς, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ." Ἀχώριστον γὰρ ἡ θεία φύσις ποιησαμένη τὴν ἕνωσιν, παρῆν μὲν τῇ ἀνθρω πείᾳ φύσει, συνεχώρει δὲ πάσχειν, τῶν ἀνθρώπων πραγματευομένη τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ῥᾴδιον μὲν γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ, ἀθάνατον αὐτὴν ἣν ἀνέλαβεν ἀπεργάσασθαι φύσιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ σωτηρία ἦν τοῦ κόσμου τὸ πάθος, συνεχώρησε γενέσθαι τὸ πάθος, μετὰ τὸ πάθος τῆς ἀθανασίας καὶ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας μετέδωκε. Καὶ βλάβην μὲν αὐτὸς ἐκ τῶν ταύτης παθῶν οὐδεμίαν ἐδέξατο, τῆς δὲ οἰκείας αὐτὴν ἐπλήρωσε δόξης, καὶ σὺν αὐτῇ βασιλεύει, καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων κρατεῖ. Ἡνίκα δὲ φθαρτὴν εἶχεν αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν, ἀνθρω πίνως ἅπαντα, πλὴν ἁμαρτίας, συνεχώρει καὶ πάσχειν καὶ φθέγγεσθαι. ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΘʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Τὸ περὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους ἐν τῷ προτεταγμένῳ προθεσπίσας ψαλμῷ, προαγορεύει τὴν μετὰ τὸ πάθος ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος. Μέμνηται δὲ τοῦ προοιμίου τοῦ ψαλμοῦ καὶ ὁ θειότατος Πέτρος ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Οὐ γὰρ ∆αβὶδ ἀνέβη εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, λέγει δὲ αὐτός· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου." Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύριος, ὁρῶν τοὺς Φαρισαίους ἄλλας περὶ Χρι στοῦ δόξας ἔχοντας, πεῦσιν αὐτοῖς τοιάνδε προσήνε 80.1768 γκε· "Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ περὶ Χριστοῦ; τίνος ἐστὶν υἱός;" Εἰρηκότων δὲ ἐκείνων, Τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ἀπεκρίνατο, "Πῶς οὖν ∆αβὶδ ἐν πνεύματι Κύριον αὐτὸν καλεῖ, λέγων· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου;" Εἶτα ἐπισυλλογίζεται· "Εἰ οὖν ∆αβὶδ καλεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν πνεύματι Κύριον, πῶς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστι;" Τοῦτο δὲ ἔφη, οὐκ ἐκβάλλων τὸ εἶναι υἱὸν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὁμολογουμένῳ τὸ ἀγνοούμενον προστιθείς. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ υἱὸν εἶναι τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὸν Χριστὸν ὡμολόγουν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· ὅτι δὲ καὶ Κύριος ἦν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ἠγνόουν παντάπασι. Τὸ λεῖπον τοίνυν προστίθησιν, οὐ τὸ ὁμολογούμενον ἀναιρεῖ, διδάσκων ὡς ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα, καὶ Κύριος αὐτοῦ ὡς Θεὸς καὶ δημιουργός. Σαφῶς τοίνυν ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ κηρύττει θεότητα, καί φησιν· "Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου." Εἰ ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς ὁ καὶ προφητικῆς χάριτος ἠξιωμένος, Κύριον ἑαυτοῦ καλεῖ τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστόν· οὐκ ἄρα μόνον ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἄνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεὸς, ὡς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ δημιουργός τε καὶ Κύριος. Καὶ τὸ κοινὸν δὲ τῶν ὀνομάτων τὴν ταυτότητα τῆς οὐσίας δηλοῖ. Κύριος γὰρ Κυρίῳ λέγει, καὶ οὐ Κύριος κτίσματι, οὐδὲ Κύριος ποιήματι· "Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου." Μέγα μὲν οὖν καὶ τοῦτο· καὶ οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἅπασαν τὴν κτί σιν. Πλὴν ἀνθρωπίνως καὶ αὐτὸ εἴρηται. Ὡς γὰρ Θεὸς, ὁ Υἱὸς αἰώνιον ἔχει τὸν θρόνον· "Ὁ θρόνος σου γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος." Οὐ γὰρ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, καὶ τὸ πάθος, ταύτης ὡς Θεὸς τιμῆς ἠξιώθη· ἀλλ' ἔλαβεν ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ὅπερ εἶχεν ὡς Θεός. Οὐ γὰρ ταπεινὸς ὢν ὑψώθη, ἀλλ' ὕψιστος ὢν, καὶ ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς βοᾷ· "Ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο." Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύριός φησιν· "Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· "∆όξασόν με, σὺ Πάτερ, τῇ δόξῃ ᾗ εἶχον παρὰ σοὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον γενέσθαι." Ὡς ἄνθρωπος τοίνυν ἀκούει· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου·" ὡς γὰρ Θεὸς, αἰώνιον ἔχει τὸ κράτος. "Ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου." Ἐχθροὶ διαφερόντως μὲν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ οἱ τούτου διάκονοι δαίμονες, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ οἱ τοῖς θείοις αὐτοῦ κηρύγμασιν ἀντιπίπτοντες, Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες. Τὸ δὲ ἕως, οὐ χρόνου σημαντικὸν, ἀλλ' ἰδίωμα τῆς θείας Γραφῆς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, "Ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ἕως ἂν καταγηράσητε ἐγώ εἰμι." ∆ῆλον