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we. But the Lord of all dwells in heaven, not having a circumscribed nature, but delighting in the choirs of the holy angels who dwell there. But the earth he has assigned to the race of men. Therefore, he provides not only for the Jews, but also for all men, to whom he has also given the earth as a dwelling place. 20, 27. "The dead shall not praise you, Lord, nor all who go down into Hades. But we the living will bless the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore." He called "dead" those who serve lifeless idols; for what is more senseless than they? And "living," those who worship the living God, to whom he has allotted the divine hymn. And in addition to this, he teaches that it is fitting for those who serve God to hymn him with all readiness while still living, since death prevents doing this; for this reason he also says in another psalm: "I will sing to the Lord in my life, I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 114. Alleluia. With many and various [calamities] Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, surnamed

Epiphanes, surrounded the Jews with calamities; and some, living in ease, he prepared 80.1797 to transgress the divine law. But the lovers of piety, having readily undertaken the struggles on its behalf, enjoyed the crowns of glorious victory. This present melody foretells this courage of theirs. And at the same time it narrates both the attacks of painful things, and the aid furnished to them by the God of all. 1, 2. "I loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my supplication. Because he has inclined his ear to me." The prophecy teaches them to say these things, that "To me, divine things are more pleasing than all else, and more worthy of love to me than other things is to serve God; for he accepts my supplications, and deems me worthy of his own aid." "And in my days I will call upon him." For which reason, throughout my entire life I will continue to hymn him, and I will ask for the alliance from him. Then it narrates the multitude of painful things. 3. "The sorrows of death have compassed me, the dangers of Hades have found me." Properly, "sorrows" are the pains of a woman in labor before birth. Therefore, from this metaphor, they are called "sorrows of Hades," the calamities that prepare one to approach death itself. It says, therefore, that being surrounded by many and various dangers, so as to be at the point of death, and to have reached the very gates of Hades. "I found affliction and sorrow. [4] And I called upon the name of the Lord." But having fallen into these things, I did not give myself over to rest and ease, nor did I put myself forward for the other pleasures of life, but using lamentations and tears, and continuously beseeching, I sought divine help. One might learn this more accurately from the history of the Maccabees. For having fled into the desert, the disciples of piety, and being oppressed by hunger and thirst, besought God, and enjoyed help from him. "O Lord, deliver my soul." These things, he says, I said while beseeching: "Help, O Master, and free our souls from the impending evils." Yet while praying, I knew that I would obtain my request, having learned his great love for mankind by experience. For he added this: 5. "Merciful is the Lord, and just, and our God is merciful." For he pours out the springs of mercy to men; but he also has justice, punishing the unjust who are unwilling to repent. However, having mentioned mercy twice, he mentioned justice once. For the love for mankind of God overcomes the vote of justice. 6. "The Lord preserves the infants." For he exercises so much care 80.1800 for all men, that he deems even infants worthy of all providence. And he not only cares for them when born, but also for them hidden in the very wombs of their mothers, and in waters

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ἡμεῖς. Ἐνδιαιτᾶται δὲ τῷ οὐρανῷ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, οὐ περιγεγραμμέ νην ἔχων τὴν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐκεῖ πολιτευομένοις τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων χαίρων χοροῖς. Τὴν μέντοι γῆν τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπένειμεν. Οὐ τοίνυν Ἰουδαίων προμηθεῖται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, οἷς καὶ τὴν γῆν οἰκητήριον δέδωκεν. κʹ, κζʹ. "Οὐχ οἱ νεκροὶ αἰνέσουσί σε, Κύριε, οὐδὲ πάντες οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς ᾄδου. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εὐλογήσομεν τὸν Κύριον, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος." Νεκροὺς ἐκάλεσε τοὺς τοῖς ἀψύχοις εἰδώλοις δουλεύοντας· τί γὰρ ἐκείνων ἀναισθητότερον; Ζῶντας δὲ, τοὺς τὸν ζῶντα Θεὸν προσκυνοῦντας, οἷς τὸν θεῖον ἀπεκλήρωσεν ὕμνον. Πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ διδάσκει, ὡς σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ προσ ήκει τοὺς θεραπεύοντας τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνεῖν αὐτὸν ἔτι ζῶντας, ὡς τοῦ θανάτου τοῦτο ποιεῖν κωλύοντος· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει ψαλμῷ· "Ἄσω τῷ Κυ ρίῳ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ μου, ψαλῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου ἕως ὑπάρ χω."

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΙ∆ʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. Ἀλληλούϊα. Πολλαῖς καὶ παντοδαπαῖς ὁ τοῦ Σελεύκου Ἀντίοχος, ὁ ἐπίκλην

Ἐπιφανὴς, Ἰουδαίουπεριέβαλε συμφοραῖς· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ῥᾳστώνῃ συ 80.1797 ζῶντας παραβῆναι τὸν θεῖον παρεσκεύασε νόμον. Οἱ δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐρασταὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ ταύτης ἀγῶ νας προθύμως ἀναδεξάμενοι, τῶν καλλινίκων στε φάνων ἀπήλαυσαν. Ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἡ παροῦσα μελῳδία προλέγει. ∆ιηγεῖται δὲ κατὰ ταυτὸν καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀλγεινῶν προσβολὰς, καὶ τὴν παρασχεθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ῥοπήν. αʹ, βʹ. "Ἠγάπησα, ὅτι εἰσακούσεται Κύριος τῆς φωνῆ, τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Ὅτι ἔκλινε τὸ οὖς αὑτοῦ ἐμοί." Αὐτοὺς ταῦτα λέγειν ἡ προφητεία διδάσκει, ὅτι Πάντων μοι τὰ θεῖα θυμηρέστερα, καὶ ἀξιερα στότερόν μοι τῶν ἄλλων τὸ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεύειν· δέχεται γάρ μου τὰς δεήσεις, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ῥο πῆς ἀξιοῖ. "Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου ἐπικαλέσο μαι." Οὗ δὴ χάριν, παρὰ πάντα μου τὸν βίον καὶ ὑμνῶν αὐτὸν διατελέσω, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ συμμα χίαν αἰτήσω. Εἶτα διηγεῖται τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀλγει νῶν. γʹ. "Περιέσχον με ὠδῖνες θανάτου, κίνδυνοι ᾅδου εὕροσάν με." Κυρίως ὠδῖνες καλοῦνται αἱ πρὸ τοῦ τόκου τῆς τικτούσης ὀδύναι. Τοιγαροῦν ἐκ τῆς μετα φορᾶς ταύτης ὠδῖνες ᾅδου προσαγορεύονται, αἱ αὐ τῷ πελάζειν τῷ θανάτῳ παρασκευάζουσαι συμφοραί. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι πολλοῖς καὶ παντοδαποῖς περιστοι χηθεῖσι δεινοῖς, ὡς παρ' αὐτὸν γενέσθαι τὸν θά νατον, καὶ αὐτὰς καταλαβεῖν τοῦ ᾅδου τὰς πύ λας. "Θλίψιν καὶ ὀδύνην εὗρον. [δʹ] Καὶ τὸ ὄνομα Κυ ρίου ἐπεκαλεσάμην." Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς ἀνάπαυλαν ἐμαυ τὸν ἐξέδωκα, καὶ ῥᾳστώνην, τούτοις περιπεσὼν, οὔτε εἰς τὰς ἄλλας τοῦ βίου ψυχαγωγίας ἐμαυτὸν προενήνοχα, ἀλλὰ θρήνοις καὶ δάκρυσι κεχρημέ νος, καὶ διηνεκῶς ποτνιώμενος τὴν θείαν ἐξῄτουν βοή θειαν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἀκριβέστερον ἐκ τῆς τῶν Μακκα βαίων ἱστορίας μάθοι τις ἄν. Εἰς γὰρ τὴν ἔρημον ἀποδράσαντες οἱ τρόφιμοι τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ λιμῷ, καὶ δίψῃ πιεζόμενοι, τὸν Θεὸν ἠντιβόλησαν, καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας ἀπήλαυσαν. "Ὦ Κύριε, ῥῦ σαι τὴν ψυχήν μου." Ταῦτα, φησὶ, ποτνιώμενος ἔλεγον· Ἐπάμυνον, ὦ ∆έσποτα, καὶ τῶν ἐπικειμένων κακῶν τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχὰς ἐλευθέρωσον. Ἤδειν μέντοι προσευχόμενος, ὅτι τεύξομαι τῆς αἰτήσεως, τὴν πολ λὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν τῇ πείρᾳ μεμαθηκώς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· εʹ. "Ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος, καὶ δίκαιος, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐλεεῖ." Τὰς γὰρ τοῦ ἐλέους πηγὰς τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις προσχέει· ἔχει δὲ καὶ δικαιοσύνην, τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας κολάζει μεταμελείᾳ χρήσασθαι μὴ βου λομένους. ∆ὶς μέντοι τοῦ ἐλέους μνημονεύσας, ἅπαξ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐμνήσθη. Νικᾷ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλ ανθρωπία τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὴν ψῆφον. ʹ. "Φυλάσσων τὰ νήπια ὁ Κύριος." Τοσαύτην 80.1800 γὰρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ποιεῖται κηδεμονίαν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ βρέφη πάσης ἀξιοῖ προμηθείας. Καὶ οὐ μόνον τεχθέντων ἐπιμελεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐταῖς ταῖς νηδύσι τῶν μητέρων ἐπικρυπτόμενα, καὶ ὕδασι