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of you, the gift of God." And elsewhere: "The saying is trustworthy and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost, but I received mercy." But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rightly, therefore, did the prophetic word say, that His mercy has been strengthened over us. "And the truth of the Lord endures forever." For He has given the salvation which He promised through the holy prophets. This also the blessed Paul said, beginning his letter to the Romans, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for 80.1809 the Gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures." And again: "For I tell you that Christ Jesus became a servant of the circumcision to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy." Since, therefore, the God of all has fulfilled the promises, and has given the salvation which He promised, and has opened the springs of mercy to all, both we who have come from Judea, and you who have believed from the Gentiles, having mingled a harmonious hymnody, repay the benefactor.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 117TH PSALM. Alleluia. This too is a hymn by those who have enjoyed salvation

offered to God. For the Jews, after the return, when all their neighbors gathered together at the same time, envying them their former prosperity, and indeed gathering other nations and barbarians, and then being consumed by God-sent plagues according to the prophecy of Joel, and Ezekiel, and Micah, and Zechariah, offer this hymn of thanksgiving to God. But since our affairs were prefigured in theirs, the hymnody is more fitting for those who have believed from the Gentiles; who, having been persecuted by many rulers and subjects, peoples and demagogues, and kings and generals, and having been tortured, and tormented, and having endured countless forms of death, were shown to be stronger than their enemies. And to these and to those the grace of the Spirit has set forth the teaching of the hymnody. 1. "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever." Praise the good one, and the giver of good things. For He has enduring mercy, and this He always bestows on those who ask. 2, 3. "Let the house of Israel say, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever." Having mentioned these by division, he makes common mention of those who have believed from the Gentiles. 4. "Let all those who fear the Lord say, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever." All, he says, praise the philanthropy of God, both those who trace their lineage from Israel, and boast of their ancestral piety, and those among them who have been deemed worthy of the priesthood, and those who are from various nations, but have been delivered from the impiety of their forefathers 80.1812. For there is one God of all, and He offers various benefits to all, and extends mercy to those who ask. Then he teaches the providence of God more clearly. 5. "Out of my distress I called on the Lord, and he answered me and set me in a broad place." For He did not prevent the attack of evils, but He showed the dangers, and immediately scattered them. This he also said in the fourth psalm, In distress you have enlarged me, instead of, You have brought me a consolation greater than my pain. 6, 7. "The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid what man can do to me. The Lord is my helper, and I will look in triumph on my enemies." For having the Master of all as my helper, I do not dread the attacks of enemies. For I hope, enjoying the impulse from him, to see their destruction as quickly as possible. Then with good reasonings he confirms the pious opinion. 8, 9. "It is better to trust

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ὑμῶν, Θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον." Καὶ ἑτέρωθι· "Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος, ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰη σοῦς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι, ὧν πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγὼ, ἀλλ' ἐλεήθην." Συνίστησι δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ἡμῶν ὄντων Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθα νεν. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς ἔφη λόγος, ὅτι ἐκραταιώθη τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. "Καὶ ἡ ἀλή θεια τοῦ Κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Ἣν γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν ὑπέσχετο, δέδωκε σωτηρίαν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος τῶν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους γραμμάτων ἀρξάμενος, "Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰη σοῦ Χριστοῦ κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς 80.1809 Εὐαγγέλιον Θεοῦ, ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προ φητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν Γραφαῖς ἁγίαις." Καὶ πάλιν· "Λέγω δὲ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν διάκονον γεγενῆσθαι περιτομῆς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ βεβαιῶσαι τὰς ἐπαγγε λίας τῶν πατέρων, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ὑπὲρ ἐλέους δοξάσαι τὸν Θεόν." Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν πεπλήρωκε τὰς ὑποσχέ σεις ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, καὶ ἣν ὑπέσχετο, δέδωκε σω τηρίαν, καὶ ἠνέῳξεν ἅπασι τὰς τοῦ ἐλέους πηγὰς, καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐξ Ἰουδαίας προσελθόντες, καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότες, σύμφωνον ὑμνῳδίαν κε ράσαντες τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀμείψασθε.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΙΖʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. Ἀλληλούϊα. Ὕμνος καὶ οὗτός ἐστιν ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπολελαυκότων

τῷ Θεῷ προσφερόμε νος. Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, τῶν πλη σιοχώρων ἁπάντων κατὰ ταυτὸν ἀθροισθέντων, φθονούντων αὐτοῖς τῆς προτέρας εὐημερίας, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἔθνη ἕτερα καὶ βάρβαρα συναγειράντων, εἶτα θεηλάτοις ἀναλωθέντων πληγαῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰωὴλ, καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ, καὶ Μιχαίου, καὶ Ζαχαρίου προφητείαν, τοῦτον τὸν ὕμνον χαριστήριον προσφέ ρουσι τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐν ἐκείνοις προεγράφετο τὰ ἡμέτερα, μᾶλλον ἁρμόττει τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπι στευκόσιν ἡ ὑμνῳδία· οἳ παρὰ πολλῶν καὶ ἀρχόντων καὶ ἀρχομένων, δήμων καὶ δημαγωγῶν, καὶ βασι λέων καὶ στρατηγῶν, διωχθέντες, καὶ στρεβλω θέντες, καὶ αἰκισθέντες, καὶ μυρία θανάτου ὑπο μείναντες εἴδη, κρείττους τῶν πολεμούντων ἐδεί χθησαν. Καὶ τούτοις μέντοι κἀκείνοις ἡ τοῦ πνεύ ματος χάρις τὴν τῆς ὑμνῳδίας διδασκαλίαν προ τέθεικεν. αʹ. "Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ὑμνήσατε τὸν ἀγα θὸν, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸν χορηγόν. ∆ιαρκῆ γὰρ ἔχει τὸν ἔλεον, καὶ τοῦτον ἀεὶ χορηγεῖ τοῖς δεομένοις. βʹ, γʹ. "Εἰπάτω δὲ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἀγα θὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Εἰπάτω δὲ οἶκος Ἀαρὼν, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Τούτων κατὰ διαίρεσιν μνημονεύ σας, τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότων κοινὴν ποιεῖται τὴν μνήμην. δʹ. "Εἰπάτωσαν δὴ πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ἅπαντες, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ὑμνήσατε, καὶ οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ γένος κατάγοντες, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν αὐχοῦντες εὐσέβειαν, καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἠξιωμένοι, καὶ οἱ ἐκ διαφό ρων μὲν ὄντες ἐθνῶν, τῆς δὲ τῶν προγόνων ἀσεβείας 80.1812 ἀπαλλαγέντες. Εἷς γὰρ ὁ πάντων Θεὸς, καὶ δια φόρους πᾶσιν εὐεργεσίας προσφέρει, καὶ τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν ὀρέγει τὸν ἔλεον. Εἶτα σαφέστερον τοῦ Θεοῦ διδάσκει τὴν πρόνοιαν. εʹ. "Ἐκ θλίψεως ἐπεκαλεσάμην τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου εἰς πλατυσμόν." Οὐ γὰρ ἐκώλυσε τὴν τῶν κακῶν προσβολὴν, ἀλλ' ἔδειξε τοὺς κινδύνους, καὶ παραυτίκα τούτους ἐσκέδασε. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ τε τάρτῳ ἔφη ψαλμῷ, Ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς μοι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μείζονά μοι τῆς ὀδύνης παραψυχὴν προσενήνοχας. ʹ, ζʹ. "Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθὸς, καὶ οὐ φοβηθή σομαι τί ποιήσει μοι ἄνθρωπος. Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθὸς, κἀγὼ ἐπόψομαι τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου." Τὸν γὰρ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότην ἐπίκουρον ἔχων, οὐ δέδια τῶν πολε μίων τὰς προσβολάς. Ἐλπίζω γὰρ, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύων, τὸν ὄλεθρον τούτων ἰδεῖν ὅτι τάχιστα. Εἶτα τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς λογισμοῖς βεβαιοῖ τὴν γνώμην τὴν εὐσεβῆ. ηʹ, θʹ. "Ἀγαθὸν πεποιθέναι