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in the psalm: "O God, give your decree to the king," teaches that the decree is something other than judgment. For a decree is what has once seemed good to God and what has been judged by him; but judgment is the discrimination of those being judged, which 23.796 is followed by the distribution to each according to their worth. Therefore, here he does not ask for judgment to be given to the king; but the decree, that is, the dogma and what was judged by the Father concerning his theophany to men. The decree, then, has been given to the king; but righteousness to the king's son. For the king himself was righteousness, as indeed the Apostle shows, saying: "Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." This righteousness of the Father, therefore, has been given to the Son of the king, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh; in whom dwelled, as in a temple, the Word of God and wisdom, and righteousness. And the reason for righteousness being given to the aforementioned son of the king, he teaches next, saying: "To judge your people in righteousness, and your poor in judgment." For it was necessary for the poor of God and his people among men to be judged by the son of the king in righteousness; since they were not otherwise able to receive the king. Therefore, taking the form of a servant and being found in appearance as a man, through the Son of Man whom he assumed, he chose from all the nations according to the just word, "for himself a people for his own possession," and those called his poor, whom he also declared blessed, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And in another way the Apostle teaches concerning righteousness, saying: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel; for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed." And again concerning the poor, the same one clarifies, saying: "For consider your calling, brothers: that not many of you were wise according to the flesh, not many were noble, not many were powerful. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; and he chose what is weak and despised, and things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are; so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." "Let the mountains bear peace for the people, and the hills, righteousness." In addition to the former things, the prophetic spirit prays for these things also, that the mountains, which were formerly hostile to the people, might make peace with them, casting away their enmity, and that the hills might announce the aforesaid righteousness to the same people. For formerly the mountains held enmity toward the people, and the hills likewise; but when the son of the king made his own the people who had long been alienated from him, then also the mountains mentioned here make peace with the people. And mountains and hills making peace with men, whom would you say they are but the choir of angels and the divine powers superior to them? which formerly, when the people of God were estranged, were its enemies; but now that they have become the possession of the son of the king, they have been reconciled to them, having changed from enmity. And you will understand the people gathered from all the nations, by comparing with these things the prophecy in 23.797 Zechariah, which says thus: "Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, and he will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. And many nations shall flee to the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. And they shall know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you." For clearly through these things the Lord proclaims that he himself will form a people for himself from the nations, and not from the nation of the Jews. With this people, then, the super-cosmic and angelic powers, here called mountains and hills, have made peace, though they were hostile before, when it was given to godless idolatry. And these same powers proclaim righteousness to the same people; that is, the Christ of God, he himself being righteousness,

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ψαλμῷ· «Ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ κρίμα σου τῷ βασιλεῖ δὸς,» ἄλλο εἶναι τὸ κρίμα παρὰ τὴν κρίσιν διδάσκει. Κρίμα γὰρ τὸ ἅπαξ δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τὸ κριθὲν παρ' αὐτῷ τυγχάνει· κρίσις δὲ τῶν κρινομένων διάκρισις, ᾗ 23.796 παρακολουθεῖ τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονεμητικὸν ἑκάστῳ. ∆ιόπερ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν κρίσιν ἀξιοῖ δοῦναι τῷ βασιλεῖ· ἀλλὰ τὸ κρίμα, τουτέστι τὸ δόγμα καὶ τὸ κριθὲν τῷ Πατρὶ περὶ τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους θεοφανείας αὐτοῦ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν κρίμα τῷ βασιλεῖ δέδοται· ἡ δὲ δικαιοσύνη τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ βασιλέως. ∆ικαιοσύνη γὰρ ἦν αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὥσπερ οὖν παρίστησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἰπών· «Ὃς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις» Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ τοῦ Πατρὸς δικαιοσύνη τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ βασιλέως δέδοται τῷ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ κατὰ σάρκα γενομένῳ· ἐν ᾧ κατῴκησεν ὥσπερ ἐν ναῷ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος καὶ ἡ σοφία, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη. Τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν τοῦ δοθῆναι τὴν δικαιοσύνην τῷ δηλωθέντι υἱῷ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἑξῆς διδάσκει λέγων· «Κρίνειν τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς σου ἐν κρίσει.» Ἔδει γὰρ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως διακρίνεσθαι ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐχώρουν ἄλλως δέξασθαι τὸν βασιλέα. ∆ιόπερ μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, δι' οὗ ἀνείληφεν Υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου λόγον, «ἐξελέξατο ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον,» καὶ τοὺς καλουμένους αὐτοῦ πτωχοὺς, οὓς καὶ μακαρίζων ἔλεγε· «Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ περὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης διδάσκει ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγων· «Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· δύναμις γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι. ∆ικαιοσύνη γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται.» Καὶ περὶ τῶν πτωχῶν πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς διασαφεῖ λέγων· «Βλέπετε γὰρ τὴν κλῆσιν ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοί· ὅτι οὐ πολλοὶ σοφοὶ κατὰ σάρκα, οὐ πολλοὶ εὐγενεῖς, οὐ πολλοὶ δυνατοί· ἀλλὰ τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς· καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα ἐξελέξατο, καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ· ὅπως μὴ καυχήσηται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» «Ἀναλαβέτωσαν τὰ ὄρη εἰρήνην τῷ λαῷ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ δικαιοσύνην.» Πρὸς τοῖς προτέροις καὶ ταῦτα τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικὸν εὔχεται, ὅπως τὰ ὄρη τὰ πάλαι ἐχθραίνοντα τῷ λαῷ εἰρηνεύσειε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπωθούμενα τὴν ἔχθραν, καὶ ὅπως οἱ βουνοὶ τὴν προλεχθεῖσαν δικαιοσύνην τῷ αὐτῷ λαῷ εὐαγγελίζωνται. Πρότερον μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὄρη ἔχθραν εἶχε πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ὡσαύτως· ὅτε δὲ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἴδιον ἐποιήσατο τὸν λαὸν πάλαι ἀπηλλοτριωμένον αὐτοῦ, τηνικαῦτα καὶ τὰ καλούμενα ἐνταῦθα ὄρη εἰρηνεύει πρὸς τὸν λαόν. Ὄρη δὲ καὶ βουνοὺς εἰρηνεύοντας ἀνθρώποις τίνας ἂν εἴποις ἢ τὸν ἀγγέλων χορὸν καὶ τὰς τούτων ἀνωτέρας θείας δυνάμεις; αἳ πάλαι μὲν, ὅτε ἀλλότριος ἦν ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐχθραὶ ἦσαν αὐτοῦ· νῦν δ' ὅτε κτῆμα γέγονε τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐφιλιώθησαν αὐτῷ μεταβαλόντες τῆς ἔχθρας. Νοήσεις δὲ τὸν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν συνηγμένον λαὸν, παραθεὶς τούτοις τὴν ἐν τῷ 23.797 Ζαχαρίᾳ προφητείαν, ὧδε λέγουσαν· «Χαῖρε καὶ εὐφραίνου, θύγατερ Σιών. Ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεται, καὶ κατασκηνώσει ἐν μέσῳ σου, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ καταφεύξονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαὸν, κἀγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεόν. Καὶ γνώσονται, ὅτι Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἐξαπέσταλκέ με πρὸς σέ.» Σαφῶς γὰρ διὰ τούτων ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους συντάξειν αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ λαὸν ὁ Κύριος εὐαγγελίζεται. Τούτῳ δὴ οὖν τῷ λαῷ αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ ὑπερκόσμιοι καὶ αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ, ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ ἐνταῦθα ὀνομαζόμεναι, εἰρήνευσαν ἐχθραίνουσαι τὸ πρὶν, ὅτε τῇ ἀθέῳ προσεῖχεν εἰδωλολατρείᾳ. Αἱ δ' αὐταὶ δικαιοσύνην εὐαγγελίζονται τῷ αὐτῷ λαῷ· ἤτοι τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτὸν ὄντα τὴν δικαιοσύνην,