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«Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth; all 23.821 the earth is full of his glory.» But these things were long ago prophesied by divine foreknowledge; but they were fulfilled in deeds before our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ shone upon the race of men; for behold, in our own time, every demonic deceit has been overthrown; and the Church of Christ has filled the whole world, glorifying the God of Israel in all the earth. And since the Holy Spirit prophetically proclaimed beforehand that these things would come to pass, a chorus of angels responds, praying together for the fulfillment of these matters, and confirming them and saying: «Let it be, let it be;» or according to Aquila, «faithfully, faithfully,» or according to Symmachus: «Amen and amen;» to which is added next: «The hymns of David the son of Jesse have ceased.» Instead of which, Symmachus translated: «The prayers of David son of Jesse were completed;» and Theodotion and the fifth edition: «The prayers of David son of Jesse were recapitulated.» Therefore, those unfamiliar with the precision of the reading have not taken «The hymns of David son of Jesse have ceased» as part of the whole psalm, but have read it as a marginal note outside the prophecy. But the other interpretations and the Hebrew scripture clearly show that this too is part of the whole psalm. For since David the king always set forth in his prayers for the dawning of the Savior's birth, which was proclaimed from his seed; and as this came to pass in deeds, all things that had been prophesied were about to be fulfilled; it is fittingly said after the conclusion of what was previously stated, that thus the prayers of David were completed and fulfilled through what was previously stated. And «were completed or have ceased» can be said prophetically for a future time; for each of the things enumerated beforehand will happen when the prayers of David the son of Jesse are both completed and fulfilled. And most opportunely, on account of the prophesied Christ of God, he mentioned not simply «of David,» but with the addition «of the son of Jesse;» so that we may connect to the present scripture the prophecy of Isaiah, through which similar things are prophesied concerning Christ, in which it is said: «A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up from the root; and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him,» and what follows; to which is added: «And there shall be the root of Jesse, and he who arises to rule the nations, in him shall the nations hope.» For you see how here too the calling of the nations is proclaimed through the root of Jesse; so that the addition «of the son of Jesse» is not borne idly in the present prophecy, In due season here, the kingdom of Christ and the calling of the nations having been announced, the second part of the book of Psalms is defined, beginning from the forty-first, and ending at the one at hand. THE SUMMARIES OF THE PSALMS INSCRIBED "OF ASAPH". 1. Those inscribed "of Asaph" are 23.824 12 in number, and of these, one has been separated from the connection of the preceding 11, and has been placed before the 50th psalm. Thus, the 49th is inscribed "of Asaph"; and we have presented the reason that occurred to us when discussing the passages. And the first one at hand of Asaph introduces the prophet greatly marveling at the long-suffering of the all-good God, and his forbearance toward the impious, and the forgiveness granted to sinners; at which, being utterly astonished, he accuses himself of being fainthearted and almost shaken, and the foundations of his soul being overturned, because of the prosperities of the impious and godless men he saw. However, having despaired in the first parts, proceeding to the

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«Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ· πλή 23.821 ρης πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.» Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν θεϊκῇ προγνώσει ἐθεσπίζετο πάλαι· ἔργοις δὲ ἐπληροῦτο πρότερον ἢ τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιλάμψαι γένει· ἰδοὺ γὰρ καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀνατέτραπται μὲν πᾶσα δαιμονικὴ πλάνη· πεπλήρωκε δὲ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν ἡ Ἐκκλησία Χριστοῦ, τὸν Θεὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ δοξάζουσα. Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ ταῦτα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον προφητικῶς μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι προανεφώνει, χορὸς ἀγγέλων ὑπακούει συνευχόμενος τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων τελειώσει, πιστούμενός τε αὐτὰ καὶ λέγων· «Γένοιτο, γένοιτο·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «πεπιστωμένως, πεπιστωμένως,» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Ἀμὴν καὶ ἀμήν·» οἷς ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγεται· «Ἐξέλιπον ὕμνοι ∆αυῒδ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί.» Ἀνθ'οὗ ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· «Ἐπετελέσθησαν προσευχαὶ ∆αυῒδ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί·» ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις· «Ἀνεκεφαλαιώθησαν προσευχαὶ ∆αυῒδ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί.» Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄπειροι τῆς ἀκριβείας τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος οὐχ ὡς μέρος τοῦ ὅλου ψαλμοῦ ἐξειλήφασι τὸ, «Ἐξέλιπον ὕμνοι ∆αυῒδ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί·» ἀλλ' ὡς ἔξωθεν τῆς προφητείας παραγεγραμμένον ἀνέγνωσαν. Αἱ δὲ λοιπαὶ ἑρμηνεῖαι καὶ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ γραφὴ σαφῶς παρίστησιν, ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα μέρος τυγχάνει τοῦ ὅλου ψαλμοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ∆αυῒδ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν προσευχαῖς ἐτίθετο ἀεὶ ἐπιλάμψαι τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὴν ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ προφωνουμένην γένεσιν· ταύτης δὲ εἰς ἔργα χωρούσης, ἔμελλε συμπληροῦσθαι πάντα τὰ προπεφητευμένα· εἰκότως μετὰ τὸ συμπέρασμα τῶν προλελεγμένων ἐπιλέγεται, ὡς ἄρα ἐπετελέσθησαν καὶ συνεπληρώθησαν διὰ τῶν προλελεγμένων αἱ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ προσευχαί. ∆ύναται δὲ τὸ, «ἐπετελέσθησαν ἢ ἐξέλιπον,» προφητικῶς λέγεσθαι εἰς μέλλοντα χρόνον· τῶν γὰρ προκατηριθμημένων ἕκαστον γενήσεται ἐπὰν καὶ ἐπιτελεσθῶσι καὶ συμπληρωθῶσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ ∆αυῒδ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί. Εὐκαιρότατα δὲ διὰ τὸν προφητευόμενον Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμνημόνευσεν οὐχ ἁπλῶς «τοῦ ∆αυῒδ,» ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσθήκης «τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί·» ἵνα συνάψωμεν τῇ παρούσῃ γραφῇ τὴν Ἡσαΐου προφητείαν, δι' ἧς τὰ ὅμοια περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεσπίζεται ἐν οἷς εἴρηται· «Ἐξελεύσεται ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται· καὶ ἐπαναπαύσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· οἷς ἐπιλέγεται· «Καὶ ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν, ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν.» Ὁρᾷς γὰρ ὅπως καὶ ἐνταῦθα διὰ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ ἡ κλῆσις τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀναφωνεῖται· ὥστε μὴ μάτην μηδὲ τὴν προσθήκην τὴν «τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ» ἐν τῇ προκειμένῃ φέρεσθαι προφητείᾳ, Κατὰ καιρὸν δὲ ἐνταῦθα, Χριστοῦ βασιλείας καὶ κλήσεως ἐθνῶν εὐαγγελισθείσης, τὸ δεύτερον μέρος τῆς βίβλου τῶν Ψαλμῶν περιγράφεται, ἀρξάμενον μὲν ἀπὸ πρώτου καὶ τεσσαρακοστοῦ, καταλῆξαν δὲ εἰς τὸν μετὰ χεῖρας. ΤΩΝ ΕΠΙΓΕΓΡΑΜΜΕΝΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΑΦ ΨΑΛΜΩΝ ΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΟΧΑΙ. Αʹ. Οἱ τοῦ Ἀσὰφ ἐπιγεγραμμένοι εἰσὶ μὲν τὸν ἀριθμὸν 23.824 ιβʹ, τούτων δὲ εἷς ἀπεσχοίνισται τῆς τῶν προκειμένων ιαʹ συναφείας, κατατέτακται δὲ πρὸ τοῦ νʹ ψαλμοῦ. Ὁ γοῦν μθʹ ἐπιγέγραπται τοῦ Ἀσάφ· τὴν δὲ ὑποπεσοῦσαν ἡμῖν αἰτίαν τοὺς τόπους διηγούμενοι παρεθήκαμεν. Εἰσάγει δὲ ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας πρῶτος ὢν τοῦ Ἀσὰφ, τὸν προφήτην ὑπερθαυμάζοντα τὸ μακρόθυμον τοῦ παναγάθου Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἀνεξικακίαν αὐτοῦ, τήν τε ἐνδιδομένην συγχώρησιν τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν· ἣν ὑπερεκπληττόμενος, ἑαυτοῦ κατηγορεῖ ὡς ὀλιγοψυχοῦντος καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν σαλευθέντος, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὰς βάσεις περιτραπέντος, δι' ἃς ἑώρα τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ ἀθέων ἀνδρῶν εὐπραγίας. Πλὴν ἀποδυσπετήσας ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις, προϊὼν τὴν