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saying: Watch, for you do not know on what day and hour your Lord is coming; and again: The Lord of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know. O Lord, in your city you will despise their image. Above he said, Until I enter 23.845 into the sanctuary of God; but now he teaches what the sanctuary was, saying: O Lord, in your city you will despise their image. Hence the divine Apostle, knowing the heavenly city of God, fittingly said: We have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem; and again: But the Jerusalem above is free. Therefore, the present Prophet also signifies this city of God, saying: O Lord, in your city you will despise their image. For if they had, he says, kept your image, they would have been fittingly deemed worthy of your city; but since man, being in honor, did not understand, he was compared to the senseless beasts, and was made like them, and in accordance with his own wickedness transformed himself into the manner of a wild beast, and became a horse mad for females, or a ravenous wolf, or a serpent and offspring of vipers, or something else similar to these; for this reason God rejects such an image from his city like a counterfeit coin, despising it, not even judging it worthy of the mansions in his city. For there are many mansions with the Father; for which reason it has been said: O Lord, in your city you will despise their image. Asaph, therefore, uttered this prophetically, as if inspired, and having seen the future with the enlightened eyes of his soul. But the reason why he was enlightened to see the city of God, he presents by saying next: Because my heart was inflamed, and my reins were changed. For since I was very zealous for the Lord according to the prophet Elijah, and was drawn away in my thoughts seeing the impious rejoicing; but I was also inflamed in my reins and the secret depths of my own soul; for which reason I also said, For I was envious of the lawless, when I saw the peace of sinners; for this reason I was deemed worthy to be enlightened by the Spirit and to see the city of God, both those who are worthy of it and those who are not. But instead of, My heart was inflamed, Symmachus says, My heart was restrained, and within my reins I reasoned, contradicting. Then next it is said: And I was despised, and did not know; which indeed Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying, But I was ignorant and not knowing; and again: I became like a beast before you; or according to Symmachus, I behaved like a beast before you. And I, he says, am always with you; but according to Symmachus, And I was with you always. For even if I did not understand before I was enlightened and knew the things said about your city, and the things about the image of the impious; and if I previously behaved foolishly like an irrational beast, and was unable to comprehend the reasons of your providence; nevertheless I did not abandon you, God, nor did I fall from the hope in you, but I was with you always; and I did this not by my own power, but by your grace. For you yourself, in your love for mankind, taking hold of my right hand, held me and kept me fast so that my steps would not 23.848 be scattered, nor my feet be moved from my standing with you. Wherefore I say: You have held my right hand. For I had a good right hand, strong and paternal, doing all things right and pleasing to you; for which reason, taking hold of it, you guided me by your counsel; or according to Symmachus, by your advice you guided me, ferrying me through mortal life, and leading me by the hand to a fair and safe harbor of rest with you; so that, if you had not held my right hand, long ago, like one overthrown by a rushing torrent, having the feet of my soul turned, I would have fallen with a dreadful fall. But now you yourself have held my right hand, and by your counsel you have guided me. And finally after the

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λέγουσαν· Γρηγορεῖτε, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε ποίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὥρᾳ ὁ Κύριος ὑμῶν ἔρχεται· καὶ πάλιν· Ἥξει ὁ Κύριος αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ, καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει. Κύριε, ἐν τῇ πόλει σου τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτῶν ἐξουθενήσεις. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν ἔλεγεν, Ἕως εἰσέλθω εἰς 23.845 τὸ ἁγιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ· νῦν δὲ τί ποτ' ἦν τὸ ἁγιαστήριον διδάσκει λέγων· Κύριε, ἐν τῇ πόλει σου τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτῶν ἐξουδενώσεις. Ἔνθεν εἰκότως ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, πόλιν οὐράνιον Θεοῦ εἰδὼς ἔλεγεν· Προσεληλύθαμεν Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστί. Ταύτην οὖν καὶ ὁ παρὼν Προφήτης τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ σημαίνει λέγων· Κύριε, ἐν τῇ πόλει σου τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτῶν ἐξουδενώσεις. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν, φησὶ, φυλάξαντες τὴν σὴν εἰκόνα, εἰκότως καὶ τῆς σῆς πόλεως κατηξιοῦντο· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρεσυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς, ἀναλόγως τε τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἑαυτὸν μετεμόρφωσεν εἰς ἀγρίου θηρὸς τρόπον τε, γέγονέ τε ἵππος θηλυμανὴς, ἢ λύκος ἁρπακτικὸς, ἢ ὄφις καὶ γέννημα ἐχιδνῶν, ἢ ἄλλο τι τούτοις παραπλήσιον· τούτου χάριν ὥσπερ κίβδηλον νόμισμα τὴν τοιαύτην εἰκόνα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πόλεως ἀποῤῥίπτει ὁ Θεὸς, ἐξουδενῶν αὐτὴν, οὐδὲ ἀξίαν κρίνων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει αὐτοῦ μονῶν. Πολλαὶ γὰρ μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατρί· δι' ὃ λέλεκται· Κύριε, ἐν τῇ πόλει σου τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτῶν ἐξουθενήσεις. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν προφητικῶς ὁ Ἀσὰφ ἀπεφθέγξατο, ὥσπερ ἐπιθειάσας, καὶ τὸ μέλλον πεφωτισμένοις ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς τεθεαμένος. Τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν δι' ἣν ἐφωτίσθη τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ συνιδεῖν, παρίστησι λέγων ἑξῆς· Ὅτι ἐξεκαύθη ἡ καρδία μου, καὶ οἱ νεφροί μου ἠλλοιώθησαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ζηλῶν ἐζήλωσα τῷ Κυρίῳ κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἡλίαν, ἐξειλκόμην τε τοῖς λογισμοῖς ὁρῶν ἀσεβεῖς εὐθυμουμένους· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπυρούμην τοὺς νεφροὺς καὶ τὰ βάθη τὰ κρύφια τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ ψυχῆς· δι' ὃ καὶ ἔλεγον, Ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, εἰρήνην ἁμαρτωλῶν θεωρῶν· τούτου χάριν ἠξιώθην φωτισθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἰδεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τούς τε ἀξίους αὐτῆς καὶ τοὺς μή. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ἐξεκαύθη ἡ καρδία μου, ὁ Σύμμαχος, Συνεστέλλετο, φησὶν, ἡ καρδία μου, καὶ ἐντὸς τῶν νεφρῶν μου διελεγόμην ἀντιλέγων. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς εἴρηται· Καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξουθενημένος, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνων· ὃ δὴ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπὼν, Ἤμην δὲ ἀνεπιστήμων καὶ μὴ εἰδώς· καὶ πάλιν· Κτηνώδης ἐγενήθην παρὰ σοί· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Κτηνωδῶς διετέλεσα παρὰ σοί. Καὶ ἐγὼ, φησὶν, διαπαντὸς μετὰ σοῦ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Καὶ συνήμην σοι διαπαντός. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα οὐ συνείην πρὶν φωτισθῆναι καὶ γνῶναι τὰ περὶ τῆς σῆς πόλεως λελεγμένα, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς εἰκόνος τῶν ἀσεβῶν· καὶ εἰ δίκην ἀλόγου κτήνους διετέλεσα πρότερον ἀνοηταίνων, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος ἐπιβαλεῖν τοῖς τῆς σῆς προνοίας λόγοις· ὅμως οὐκ ἀπελιμπανόμην σου τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδὲ ἐξέπιπτον τῆς ἐπὶ σὲ ἐλπίδος, συνήμην δέ σοι διαπαντός· καὶ τοῦτ' ἔπραττον οὐκ ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ δυνάμεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς σῆς χάριτος. Σὺ γὰρ αὐτὸς τῇ σαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, τῆς ἐμῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς ἐπιλαβόμενος, συνεῖχες καὶ διεκράτεις πρὸς τὸ μὴ δια 23.848 χεῖσθαί μου τὰ διαβήματα, μηδὲ τοὺς πόδας μου σαλεύεσθαι τῆς παρὰ σοὶ στάσεως. ∆ιό φημι· Ἐκράτησας τῆς χειρὸς τῆς δεξιᾶς μου. Εἶχον γὰρ καλὴν δεξιὰν, ἐῤῥωμένην καὶ πατρικὴν, τὰ δεξιὰ πάντα καὶ τά σοι ἀρεστὰ πράττουσαν· δι' ὃ ἐπιλαβόμενος αὐτῆς, τῇ βουλῇ σου ὡδήγησάς με· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, τῇ συμβουλίᾳ σου ὡδήγησάς με, τὸν θνητὸν διαπορθμεύων βίον, καὶ εἰς εὔδιον καὶ ἀσφαλῆ λιμένα τῆς παρὰ σοὶ ἀναπαύσεως χειραγωγῶν με· ὡς, εἴ γε μὴ τῆς δεξιᾶς τῆς ἐμῆς κεκρατήκεις, πάλαι ἂν, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ χειμάῤῥου κατασύροντος περιτραπεὶς τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς πόδας, πτώματι περιέπιπτον ἐξαισίῳ. Νῦν δὲ σὺ αὐτὸς ἐκράτησας τῆς χειρὸς τῆς δεξιᾶς μου, καὶ ἐν τῇ βουλῇ σου ὡδήγησάς με. Καὶ τέλος μετὰ τοὺς