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INTERPRETATION OF THE 116TH PSALM. Alleluia. This too is a hymn fitting for all people. He exhorts

for the grace of the Spirit those who have attained salvation to hymn the benefactor. 1. "Praise the Lord, all ye nations." He calls all together into a chorus; for to all the nations, not to Greeks only, and Romans, but also to all barbarians, he provided the means of salvation, using the holy apostles as ministers of his benefaction. "Go, therefore, he said, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Obeying this law, they traversed every land and sea, and one brought the Indians, another the Egyptians, and another the Ethiopians to Christ. And the blessed Paul teaches concisely to how many nations he brought the divine proclamations, "so that from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ." For not traveling a straight road, but journeying around the nations lying in between, he offered the saving doctrines. "And so I have strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand." Afterwards, however, he also set foot in Italy, and arrived in Spain, and brought benefit to the islands situated in the sea. For writing to the Romans he said: "For I hope as I journey to Spain to pass through you, and to be sent on my way there by you, after I have first been refreshed by you in part." And writing to the wonderful Titus he says: "For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might appoint elders in every city, as I directed you." Thus John the great freed Asia from its former impiety; thus the divine Andrew illuminated Greece with the rays of the 80.1808 knowledge of God; thus the most divine Philip refuted the error of both Phrygians; thus the great Peter ran from the city of Jerusalem to that of Rome, offering to all the rays of truth. Thus all of them, journeying about the whole inhabited world, both scattered the darkness of ignorance, and pointed out the sun of righteousness. Rightly, therefore, the prophetic word exhorts all the nations to offer the hymn to God, since all have enjoyed salvation. "Praise him, all ye peoples." Long ago the Jews were dispersed throughout the whole inhabited world, having been taught to worship the one God. Since, therefore, they no longer inhabited Palestine alone, nor were they organized into one people under one king, but were scattered among the nations, obeying their rulers on the one hand, but living as citizens by themselves on the other, following the ordinance of the law, he rightly calls them not a people, but peoples. For very many of them also received the divine proclamation. For in Jerusalem, three thousand and five thousand at a time were caught in the net by the fishermen. And after this there were many thousands, said the divine James. And in Syria, and Cilicia, and Lycaonia, and Pisidia, and Asia, and Pamphylia, and in all the other nations, the apostles offered the divine proclamations to the Jews first. And some believed, and enjoyed the truth, but others contradicted the beneficial teachings. Rightly, therefore, the prophetic word exhorts these also to hymn the benefactor; for these it calls peoples. 2. "For his mercy has been strengthened over us." For using mercy alone, he wrought our salvation. Thus also the blessed Paul said: "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, not because of works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his great mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out on us richly." And again: "By grace you have been saved through faith; and this not from

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ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΙʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. Ἀλληλούϊα. Ὕμνος καὶ οὗτος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἁρμόττων. Παρακελεύεται

γὰρ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύ ματος τοὺς τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκότας ὑμνῆσαι τὸν εὐεργέτην. αʹ. "Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη." Κατὰ ταυτὸν ἅπαντας εἰς χορείαν καλεῖ· ἅπασι γὰρ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, οὐχ Ἕλλησι μόνοις, καὶ Ῥωμαίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι βαρβάροις, τὰς τῆς σωτηρίας ἐχορή γησεν ἀφορμὰς, τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀποστόλοις διακόνοις τῆς εὐεργεσίας χρησάμενος. "Πορευθέντες γὰρ, ἔφη, μα θητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν." Τούτῳ πειθόμενοι τῷ νόμῳ, πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν ἔδραμον, καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἰν δοὺς, ὁ δὲ Αἰγυπτίους, ὁ δὲ Αἰθίοπας προσήγαγε τῷ Χριστῷ. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος Παῦλος διδάσκει συν τόμως, ὅσοις ἔθνεσι προσενήνοχε τὰ θεῖα κηρύγμα τα, "ὥστε ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ κύκλῳ μέχρι τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ πεπληρωκέναι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ." Οὐ γὰρ εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν ὁδεύων, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐν μέσῳ ἔθνη διακείμενα περινοστῶν, τὰ σωτήρια προσέφερε δόγ ματα. "Οὕτω δὲ φιλοτιμούμενον εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, οὐχ ὅπου ὠνομάσθη Χριστὸς, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ ἀλλότριον θεμέλιον οἰκοδομῶ· ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται, οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὄψονται, καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι, συνήσουσιν." Ὕστερον μέντοι καὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐπέβη, καὶ εἰς τὰς Σπανίας ἀφίκετο, καὶ ταῖς ἐν τῷ πελάγει διακειμέναις νήσοις τὴν ὠφέλειαν προσ ήνεγκε. Ῥωμαίοις μὲν γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων ἔφη· "Ἐλπίζω γὰρ διαπορευόμενος εἰς τὰς Σπανίας δι' ὑμῶν διελ θεῖν, καὶ ὑφ' ὑμῶν προπεμφθῆναι ἐκεῖ, ἐὰν ὑμῶν πρῶτον ἀπὸ μέρους ἐμπλησθῶ." Τῷ θαυμασίῳ δὲ Τίτῳ γράφων φησίν· "∆ιὰ τοῦτο κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ, ἵνα καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην." Οὕτως ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ πάνυ τὴν Ἀσίαν τῆς προτέρας ἠλευθέρωσεν ἀσεβείας· οὕτως ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἀνδρέας τὴν Ἑλλάδα ταῖς τῆς 80.1808 θεογνωσίας ἀκτῖσι κατηύγασεν· οὕτως ὁ θειότατος Φίλιππος Φρυγῶν ἑκατέρων τὴν πλάνην διήλεγξεν οὕτως ὁ μέγας Πέτρος ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μέχρι τῆς Ῥωμαίας ἔδραμε πόλεως, ἅπασι προσφέρων τὰς τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκτῖνας. Οὕτως ἅπαντες πᾶ σαν τὴν οἰκουμένην περινοστήσαντες, καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀγνοίας ἀπεσκέδασαν γνόφον, καὶ τὸν τῆς δικαιο σύνης ὑπέδειξαν ἥλιον. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ προφητι κὸς λόγος πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῷ Θεῷ τὸν ὕμνον προσ φέρειν παρεγγυᾷ, ἐπειδὴ πάντα τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπ ήλαυσαν. "Ἐπαινέσατε αὐτὸν, πάντες οἱ λαοί." Εἰς ἅπασαν πάλαι προδιεσπάρησαν Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν οἰκου μένην, τὸν ἕνα σέβειν δεδιδαγμένοι Θεόν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οὐκ ἔτι μόνην ᾤκουν τὴν Παλαιστίνην, οὐδὲ εἰς ἕνα λαὸν ἐτέλουν ὑφ' ἑνὶ βασιλεῖ τεταγμένοι, ἀλλὰ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι διεσπαρμένοι, τοῖς μὲν ἐκείνων ὑπ ήκουον ἄρχουσι, καθ' ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ἐπολιτεύοντο, τῇ τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύσει πειθόμενοι, εἰκότως οὐ λαὸν αὐ τοὺς, ἀλλὰ λαοὺς ὀνομάζει. Πλεῖστοι γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τούτων τὸ θεῖον ἐδέξαντο κήρυγμα. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ Ἱεροσολύμοις τρισχίλιοι καὶ πεντακισχίλιοι κατὰ ταὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁλιέων ἐσαγηνεύθησαν. Καὶ πολλαὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα μυριάδες ἐγένοντο, ἔφησεν ὁ θεῖος Ἰάκωβος. Καὶ ἐν Συρίᾳ δὲ, καὶ Κιλικίᾳ, καὶ Λυκαονίᾳ, καὶ Πισιδίᾳ, καὶ Ἀσίᾳ, καὶ Παμφυλίᾳ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἅπασιν ἔθνεσιν, προτέροις Ἰουδαίοις προσ έφερον οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὰ θεῖα κηρύγματα. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπίστευον, καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπήλαυον, οἱ δὲ ταῖς ὀνησιφόροις διδασκαλίαις ἀντέλεγον. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος καὶ τούτους ὑμνεῖν τὸν εὐεργέ την παρακελεύεται· τούτους γὰρ ὀνομάζει λαούς. βʹ. "Ὅτι ἐκραταιώθη τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς." Ἐλέῳ γὰρ μόνῳ χρησάμενος, τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐπραγ ματεύσατο σωτηρίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· "Ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπεφάνη Θεοῦ, οὐ διὰ τὰς δι καιοσύνας ἡμῶν ἃς ἐποιήσαμεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενε σίας, καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως Πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὗ ἐξ έχεεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς πλουσίως." Καὶ πάλιν· "Χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ