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finding no occasion for slander, neither against him, nor against his Church. Therefore they are covered with shame and are abashed, so that they no longer dare to bring up anything worthy of slander. And all these things are fulfilled in deed, in accordance with the prophecy speaking through the preceding words: “When those who seek my harm are ashamed and abashed.” For then, he says, when the enemies are put to shame, I will sing psalms to you, and I will give thanks to you, my Father. And moreover, “my tongue shall meditate on your righteousness all the day long.” FOR SOLOMON, 71. “O God, give your judgment to the king.” The others have translated it “of Solomon.” There is also another by the same author in the Songs of Ascents, the beginning of which is: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it have labored in vain.” In which it seems Solomon, on the occasion of the construction of the house which he raised in Jerusalem, having been the first to build the temple there, composed the song, teaching that only the buildings of God last forever; for human things are established for a time; which indeed also happened to his own building; for the temple constructed by him was destroyed by the Babylonians not long after. But the prophecy at hand, whether it is spoken of Solomon himself, or is by him according to the other interpreters; the words present someone else as being prophesied. Therefore, neither “psalm,” nor “song,” nor “hymn,” nor anything similar to these is inscribed. But it is a prophecy decreeing that a certain savior of the needy and poor will appear among men, and that he will descend quietly and without a sound from above somewhere; 23.792 “For he shall descend like rain upon a fleece.” And that righteousness will henceforth be established among the race of men at his coming. And that he will rule not only over Judea, nor over two or three nations, but over all throughout the whole world, and all nations will be subject to him, and he will be renowned among all, not for some short time, but for all eternity. For what else does the discourse at hand describe but that the one prophesied will be such a one as no one is ever recorded to have been, neither among the nation of the Jews, nor among others? For neither Solomon himself, nor David, nor any of those after them appeared to be such, that the things signified by the prophecy might be fitted to any of them. See, therefore, if the discourse at hand, which describes his kingdom, is not connected consistently with the predictions set forth before concerning the passion of the Savior. For it was necessary for us to be instructed about this as well. And since many prophecies praise the Christ prophesied to come from David; since it was likely that some would suppose Solomon to be indicated through them; for he alone of the sons of David reigned most gloriously, and he raised the temple to God, and is testified to have excelled in wisdom; the present prophecy is necessarily inscribed “For Solomon;” or it is said to be of Solomon himself; so that he himself may no longer be thought to be the one expected from David; but from Solomon himself another is hoped for, the one who was also promised to him. If, then, we accept that the psalm was spoken of Solomon himself according to the inscription of the Seventy, we shall say that the Holy Spirit, having sent up the prayer for him to God through the first verse, in which it is said: “O God, give your judgment to the king,” that is, to Solomon, makes the subsequent discourse about the one who would be born from him; therefore it adds: “And your righteousness to the king’s son;” that is, to Jesus, who was to come forth from his seed. Or the meaning of what is set forth is this: A decree has been brought forth from your divinity, and a dogma and

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δὲ εὑρίσκοντες ὑπόθεσιν διαβολῆς, μήτε κατ' αὐτοῦ, μήτε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καταχέονται αἰσχύνην καὶ ἐντρέπονται πρὸς τὸ μηκέτι μηδὲν τολμᾷν διαβολῆς ἄξιον ἐπικαλεῖν. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἔργῳ πληροῦται συμφώνως τῇ φασκούσῃ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων προφητείᾳ· «Ὅταν αἰσχυνθῶσι καὶ ἐντραπῶσιν οἱ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακά μοι.» Τότε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅταν οἱ ἐχθροὶ καταισχύνωνται, ἐγὼ ψαλῶ σοι, καὶ ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι τῷ ἐμαυτοῦ Πατρί. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ «ἡ γλῶσσά μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελητήσει τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου.» ΕΙΣ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΑ ΟΑʹ. «Ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ κρίμα σου τῷ βασιλεῖ δός.» Οἱ λοιποὶ τοῦ «Σολομῶντος» ἡρμήνευσαν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἕτερος τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς ᾠδαῖς τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχή· «Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες αὐτόν.» Ἐν οἷς ἔοικεν ὁ Σολομὼν ἐπὶ τῇ κατασκευῇ τοῦ οἴκου, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, πρῶτος αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσας τὸ αὐτόθι ἱερὸν, τὴν ᾠδὴν πεποιῆσθαι, διδάσκουσαν μόνα τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκοδομήματα διαιωνίζειν· τὰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπινα καιρῷ συνίστασθαι· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἀπέβη ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομῆς· οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν γοῦν ὁ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευασθεὶς νεὼς ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων κατελύθη. Ἡ δὲ μετὰ χεῖρας προφητεία εἴτε εἰς αὐτὸν λέλεκται τὸν Σολομῶντα, εἴτε αὐτοῦ ἐστι κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· οἱ λόγοι ἕτερόν τινα παριστῶσι προφητευόμενον. ∆ιὸ οὔτε ψαλμὸς, οὔτε ᾠδὴ, οὔτε ὕμνος, οὔτε τι τούτοις παραπλήσιον ἐπιγέγραπται. Ἀλλ' ἔστι προφητεία θεσπίζουσα ἀναφανήσεσθαί τινα ἐν ἀνθρώποις πενήτων καὶ πτωχῶν σωτῆρα, καὶ τοῦτον ἄνωθέν 23.792 ποθεν ἠρέμα καταβήσεσθαι καὶ ἀψοφητί· «Καταβήσεται γὰρ ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον.» ∆ικαιοσύνην τε λοιπὸν ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ. Ἐπικρατήσειν τε αὐτὸν οὐ τῆς Ἰουδαίας μόνης, οὐδὲ δυεῖν ἢ τριῶν ἐθνῶν, ἀλλὰ πάντων τῶν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, πάντα τε τὰ ἔθνη ὑποταγήσεσθαι αὐτῷ, ὀνομαστόν τε αὐτὸν ἔσεσθαι παρὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν, οὐ κατά τινα χρόνον βραχὺν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλ' ἢ τοιοῦτόν τινα ἔσεσθαι τὸν θεσπιζόμενον ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας ὑπογράφει λόγος, ὁποῖον οὐδεὶς πώποτε οὔτε παρὰ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει, οὔτε παρ' ἑτέροις γεγονέναι μνημονεύει; Οὔτε γὰρ αὐτὸς Σολομὼν, οὔτε ∆αυῒδ, οὔτε τις τῶν μετ' αὐτοὺς τοιοῦτος ἐφάνη, ὡς ἁρμόσαι τινὶ αὐτῶν τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς προφητείας σημαινόμενα. Ὅρα τοίνυν εἰ μὴ ταῖς προτεταγμέναις διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν περὶ τοῦ πάθους τοῦ Σωτῆρος προῤῥήσεσιν ἀκολούθως συνῆπται ἡ μετὰ χεῖρας τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ διαγράφουσα. Ἐχρῆν γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ περὶ ταύτης παιδευθῆναι. Πολλῶν δὲ προφητειῶν τὸν ἐκ ∆αυῒδ προφητευόμενον Χριστὸν ἀνυμνουσῶν· ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν ὑπολαβεῖν τινας τὸν Σολομῶντα δηλοῦσθαι δι' αὐτῶν· μόνος γὰρ οὗτος τῶν υἱῶν ∆αυῒδ ἐπιδοξότατα βασιλεύσας, καὶ τὸν νεὼν ἤγειρε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ σοφίᾳ διαπρέψαι μεμαρτύρηται· ἀναγκαίως ἡ προκειμένη προφητεία «εἰς Σολομῶντα» ἐπιγέγραπται· ἢ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σολομῶντος εἶναι λέλεκται· ἵνα μηκέτι αὐτὸς νομίζηται ὁ προσδοκώμενος εἶναι ἐκ ∆αυΐδ· ἐξ αὐτοῦ δὲ Σολομῶντος ἐλπίζεται ἕτερος ὁ καὶ αὐτῷ ἐπηγγελμένος. Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ἐκδεξώμεθα εἰς αὐτὸν εἰρῆσθαι τὸν Σολομῶντα τὸν ψαλμὸν κατὰ τὴν τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα προγραφὴν, ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, περὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμψαν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ πρώτου στίχου, δι' οὗ εἴρηται· «Ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ κρίμα σου τῷ βασιλεῖ δὸς,» τουτέστι τῷ Σολομῶντι, τὸν ἑξῆς λόγον περὶ τοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενησομένου ποιεῖται· διὸ ἐπιλέγει· «Καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ βασιλέως·» δηλαδὴ τῷ μέλλοντι προελεύσεσθαι ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ἢ τῶν προκειμένων ὁ νοῦς τοιοῦτος· Ὅροςπαρὰ τῆς σῆς θεότητος ἐξενήνεκται, δόγμα τε καὶ