270

of the Lord that was called upon her, about which the disciples of Jesus learn among other things to say in prayer, 'Hallowed be your name.' And all that flesh blesses his holy name, about which it is said, 'Hear my prayer; to you all flesh shall come'; and moreover, 'And all flesh shall see his salvation.' But these things are not said about perceptible flesh but about that which has an analogy to hearts of flesh, about which God says, 'I will take away from them their hearts of stone and I will put in them hearts of flesh,' in which also the spiritual law is inscribed, as Paul says about this, that it is not written on tablets of stone but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

1264 Ps 145,1.2 The hymn is sent up to God not by ordinary people but

by the one who celebrates a feast to God by doing what is right and remembering him according to a correct and pious understanding. For Haggai is interpreted as "feast," and Zechariah as "memory of God." Therefore, everyone who acts unwaveringly according to the practical virtues celebrates not one but many feasts, being named Haggai in the Hebrew language; but also everyone who, through all the things he has well suffered and been benefited, remembers the goodness of God is called Zechariah in the Hebrew tongue, being interpreted as "memory," that is, "of God." Praise, O my soul, the Lord. When then will you do this * and as always; or when, having been freed from sins, you approach * with the uprightness that comes from virtue and knowledge of the truth; For praise is fitting for the upright, as praise is not beautiful in the mouth of a sinner. I will praise the Lord in my life. For as long as I live (and I live always, having eternal life), I will praise. It is shown through the preceding that no one having death, which every soul that sins dies, is able to praise the Lord. I will sing psalms to my God, as long as I exist. And it has often been interpreted that to sing psalms means to act according to virtue. He therefore promises a harmonious action with "I praise." But the phrase "As long as I exist" suggests such a thought: as long as I exist, having a share in the one who said, 'I am who I am,' I will sing psalms to the one who grants me existence, since no one separated from the God who is can sing psalms, as he is not. 1265 Ps 145,3 It is also possible to interpret it thus: Do not put your trust in the rulers of this age and the other evil powers (for they too have a transient rule), nor in the sons of men; for there is no salvation in them, since they are mortal; for they cannot provide the salvation they do not have of themselves, but receive it from God. For only the Savior is the cause of eternal salvation, saying, 'There is no savior besides me.' 1266 Ps 145,5-7b Blessed is not simply he whose God is his helper, but he whose helper is the God of Jacob, he being helped by God who supplants the principalities and the powers and the world-rulers of this darkness. For he who has the struggle against these, having supplanted them by overcoming them, is helped by the God of Jacob, being a son of Jacob in practice by doing his works. Being thus helped, he has his hope in the Lord God who in the beginning made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. For not only them but also all things in them he himself made. And if his works are enduring, much more is he himself both enduring and powerful. Take courage, therefore, that he confirms the truth both of his words and of the promises in the sacred writings, and keeps his own promises for all eternity, so that his word and the promises which he promised to his own people do not fail. And what is the truth of the word? The judgment that is to come and the vengeance for those who are wronged in this present life. For do not think, he says, that the pious are overlooked, nor that the blood of God-loving men is unavenged. For he is true who promised to execute their vengeance and to give to those who hunger and thirst and are distressed in this present life

270

κυρίου τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐπ' αὐτήν, περὶ ου μανθάνουσιν οἱ μαθηταὶ ̓Ιησοῦ πρὸς αλλοις εὐχόμενοι λέγειν ̔Αγιασθήτω τὸ ονομά σου. Εὐλογεῖ δὲ τὸ ονομα τὸ αγιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐκείνη, περὶ ης λέγεται Εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου· πρὸς σὲ πᾶσα σὰρξ ηξει· ετι μὴν Καὶ πᾶσα σὰρξ οψεται τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ. οὐ περὶ αἰσθητῆς δὲ σαρκὸς λέγεται ταῦτα ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐχούσης ἀναλογίαν πρὸς τὰς σαρκίνας καρδίας, περὶ ων ὁ θεός φησιν ̓Εξελῶ αὐτῶν τὰς καρδίας τὰς λιθίνας καὶ ἐνθήσω αὐτοῖς καρδίας σαρκίνας, ἐν αις καὶ ὁ πνευματικὸς κεχάρακται νόμος, τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος περὶ τούτου ὡς αρα ἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις οὐ γέγραπται ἀλλ' ἐν πλαξὶ καρδίαις σαρκίναις.

1264 Ps 145,1.2 ̔Ο υμνος οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν τυχόντων ἀναπεμπόμενος θεῷ ἀλλ'

ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑορτάζοντος θεῷ ἐν τῷ τὰ δέοντα πράττειν καὶ μνημονεύειν αὐτοῦ κατ' ὀρθὴν καὶ εὐσεβῆ διάληψιν. ̓Αγγαῖος γὰρ ἑορτή, θεοῦ δὲ μνήμη Ζαχαρίας ἑρμηνεύονται. πᾶς ουν ὁ κατὰ τὰς πρακτικὰς ἀρετὰς ἀδιαστάτως ἐνεργῶν οὐδὲ μίαν ἀλλὰ πολλὰς ἑορτὰς αγει, ̔Εβραίᾳ γλώττῃ ̓Αγγαῖος ὀνομαζόμενος· ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶς ὁ διὰ πάντων ων ευ πέπονθε καὶ εὐεργετήθη τῆς θεοῦ ἀγαθότητος μνημονεύων Ζαχαρίας καθ' ̔Εβραίων φωνὴν καλεῖται, ἑρμηνευόμενος μνήμη τουτέστι θεοῦ. Αινει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν κύριον. πότε δὲ τοῦτο ἀ * καὶ ὡς ἀεὶ ποιήσεις· η οτε ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαλλαγῇ * τῇ κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας εὐθύτητι προσέρχῃ· Τοῖς γὰρ εὐθέσι πρέπει αινεσις, οὐχ ὡραίου οντος αινου ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ. Αἰνέσω κύριον ἐν ζωῇ μου. ἐφ' οσον γὰρ ζῶ (ζῶ δὲ ἀεὶ τὴν αἰώνιον εχων ζωήν), αἰνέσω. δείκνυται διὰ τῶν προκειμένων οτι οὐδεὶς εχων θάνατον ον πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἁμαρτάνουσα ἀποθνῄσκει αἰνεῖν δύναται κύριον. Ψαλῶ τῷ θεῷ μου, εως ὑπάρχω. ἡρμήνευται δὲ πολλάκις οτι τὸ ψάλλειν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐνεργεῖν σημαίνει. ἁρμόνιον τοίνυν πρᾶξιν τῷ Αἰνῶ ἐπαγγέλλεται. τὸ δὲ Εως ὑπάρχω διάνοιαν ὑποβάλλει τοιαύτην· εως ὑπάρχω μετοχὴν εχων τοῦ εἰπόντος ̓Εγώ εἰμι ὁ ων, ψαλῶ τῷ τὴν υπαρξίν μοι ὀρέγοντι, οὐδενὸς ψάλλειν δυναμένου κεχωρισμένου τοῦ οντος θεοῦ ατε μὴ ων τυγχάνων. 1265 Ps 145,3 ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ ουτω διελεῖν Μὴ πεποίθατε ἐπ' αρχοντας τοὺς οντας τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ τὰς αλλας πονηρὰς δυνάμεις (μεταπτώτην γὰρ καὶ ουτοι τὴν ἀρχὴν εχουσιν), ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἐφ' υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων· οὐκ εστι γὰρ αὐτοῖς σωτηρία θνητοῖς τυγχάνουσι· παρασχεῖν γὰρ οὐ δύνανται ην οὐκ εχουσι σωτηρίαν οικοθεν, ἀλλὰ θεόθεν λαβοῦσι. μόνος γὰρ ὁ σωτὴρ αιτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου τυγχάνει, φάσκων Σῴζων οὐκ εστι πάρεξ ἐμοῦ. 1266 Ps 145,5-7b Μακαρίζεται δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ου ὁ θεὸς βοηθὸς ἀλλ' Ου ὁ θεὸς τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ βοηθός, βοηθουμένου ὑπὸ θεοῦ τοῦ πτερνίζοντος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου. ὁ γὰρ τὴν πάλην εχων πρὸς τούτους, πτερνίσας αὐτοὺς τῷ περιγεγονέναι αὐτῶν, βοηθεῖται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ̓Ιακώβ, υἱὸς ̓Ιακὼβ ων κατὰ πρᾶξιν τῷ ποιεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰ εργα. Ουτω βοηθούμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα εχει ἐπὶ κύριον τὸν θεὸν τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ πεποιηκότα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς. οὐ μόνον γὰρ αὐτὰ ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν. εἰ δὲ τὰ εργα αὐτοῦ διαρκῆ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς καὶ διαρκὴς καὶ δυνατός. Θάρσησον τοίνυν οτι καὶ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς γράμμασιν ἐπαγγελιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν πιστοῦται καὶ φυλάσσει εἰς τὸν σύμπαντα αἰῶνα τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ὑποσχέσεις, ὡς μὴ διαπίπτειν αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον καὶ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ας τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀνθρώποις ἐπηγγείλατο. τίς δὲ ἡ τοῦ λόγου ἀλήθεια; ἡ μέλλουσα γίνεσθαι κρίσις καὶ ἡ ἐκδίκησις τοῖς κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἀδικουμένοις. μὴ γὰρ νομίζετε, φησίν, παρορᾶσθαι τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς μηδὲ τὸ αιμα τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀνεκδίκητον. ἀψευδὴς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν αὐτῶν ποιήσασθαι ἐπαγγειλάμενος καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον πεινῶσι καὶ διψῶσι καὶ στενοχωρουμένοις διδόναι