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the former was a synagogue; for the one was so named from being gathered together in the same place, but the other, which presents the excellence of the election, is the Church. But if anyone should ask the reason why the synagogue, which He had acquired from the beginning, was cast off, Christ Himself, the Christ of God, will teach through another prophecy, saying: Many dogs have surrounded me, a synagogue of evildoers has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones. They divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast a lot. These were the reasons why the former synagogue was cast off. Next he adds: You redeemed the rod of your inheritance; entreatingly; For You, he says, redeemed this synagogue, deeming it worthy to be called your portion and the rod of your inheritance; for when the Most High divided the nations, the Lord's portion became His people Jacob, Israel the cord of His inheritance. Therefore, remember this your inheritance. But instead of "rod of your inheritance," Aquila translated it "scepter of inheritance"; and Symmachus, "scepter of your allotment"; the word teaching that all men belong to God, but that His chosen people have become like His royal scepter. Mount Sion, this, where you have dwelt. Lift up your hands against their arrogance forever; what evils the enemy has wrought in the holy place! What was the rod, or according to the other interpreters, what was the aforementioned scepter, he clarifies by saying: Mount Sion, this, where you have dwelt. For it was a royal mountain and a scepter of royalty, on which the temple and the house of God's dwelling were built. Therefore Sion was called a faithful metropolis, and Jerusalem the city of God, bearing an image of the heavenly one, about which the divine Apostle, teaching, said: You have come to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And having said this, he next prophesies the things that will happen to the place, proclaiming as usual the things that are to be as though they have already passed. So he says: And those who hate you have boasted in the midst of your feast; or according to Aquila, Your enemies roared in the midst of your assembly. They set up their signs as signs, and they did not know, as at the exit above; which Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying: They placed their signs conspicuously known at the entrance above. But also instead of, "As in a thicket of trees with axes they cut down its doors together, with ax and pickax they broke it down," again Symmachus, With fitted wooden axes of these, and its gates together with bars and two-pronged forks they threw down. And what were the signs of the enemies, which they placed conspicuously before the entrances, other than the instruments of war, and battle-axes and axes and such things, spears and weapons? It is likely also that the standards carried before the armies are signified by these. But they also set on 23.857 fire, he says, in fire your sanctuary, and to the ground they profaned the tabernacle of your name. In which he explains the meaning of what was said above. For since it was said before: Mount Sion, this, where you have dwelt; how He dwelt in it he now clarifies, saying: The tabernacle of your name; For the place was a tabernacle not of God Himself, but of His name; And he entreats on each point, adding: For in the midst, he says, of your feast, your sanctuary and the tabernacle of your name. For such things were entreating and rousing to vengeance for the things that had been dared, which he urges next, saying: Lift up your hands against their arrogance forever; but according to Symmachus: The height, he says, of your feet has been destroyed in victory. And the height of his feet was the temple of prayer. Those who hate God boasted in the midst of his feast with good reason. For since they, dwelling in the place first, raised godless hands against the Christ of God

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προτέρα ἐτύγχανε συναγωγή· ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ συνάγεσθαι οὕτως ὠνομασμένη, ἡ δὲ τὸ ἐξαίρετον παριστῶσα τῆς ἐκλογῆς, ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Εἰ δέ τις ἔροιτο τὴν αἰτίαν δι' ἣν ἀπεβλήθη ἡ συναγωγὴ, ἣν ἐκτήσατο ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' ἑτέρας προφητείας διδάξει λέγων· Περιεκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοὶ, συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχε με. Ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου, ἐξηρίθμησαν πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μοῦ. ∆ιεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. Ταῦτ' ἦν τὰ αἴτια δι' ἃ ἡ προτέρα συναγωγὴ ἀποβέβλητο. Ἑξῆς δ' ἐπιλέγει· Ἐλυτρώσω ῥάβδον κληρονομίας σου· δυσωπητικῶς· Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ταύτην ἐλυτρώσω τὴν συναγωγὴν καταξιώσας αὐτὴν σὴν χρηματίσαι μερίδα καὶ ῥάβδον κληρονομίας σου· ὅτε γὰρ διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακὼβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ταύτης οὖν τῆς σαυτοῦ κληρονομίας μνήσθητι. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ῥάβδον κληρονομίας σου, σκῆπτρον κληρονομίας, ὁ Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, σκῆπτρον κληρουχίας σου· διδάσκοντος τοῦ λόγου πάντας μὲν ἀνθρώπους εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸν δὲ ἀφωρισμένον αὐτοῦ λαὸν ὥσπερ βασιλικὸν αὐτοῦ σκῆπτρον γεγονέναι. Ὄρος Σιὼν τοῦτο, ὃ κατεσκήνωσας ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἔπαρον τὰς χεῖράς σου ἐπὶ τὰς ὑπερηφανίας εἰς τέλος· ὅσα ἐπονηρεύσατο ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ! Τίς ἦν ἡ ῥάβδος, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς τί ποτ' ἦν τὸ προλεχθὲν σκῆπτρον, διασαφεῖ λέγων· Ὄρος Σιὼν τοῦτο ὃ κατεσκήνωσας ἐν αὐτῷ. Βασιλικὸν γὰρ ἦν ὄρος καὶ σκῆπτρον βασιλείας, ἐν ᾧ κατεσκεύαστο ὁ νεὼς καὶ ὁ οἶκος τῆς κατασκηνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὸ μητρόπολις πιστὴ Σιὼν ἐχρημάτιζε, καὶ πόλις Θεοῦ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, εἰκόνα φέρουσα τῆς ἐπουρανίου, περὶ ἧς ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος διδάσκων ἔλεγε· Προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ. Τοῦτο δ' εἰπὼν, ἑξῆς θεσπίζει τὰ συμβησόμενα τῷ τόπῳ, τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι ὡς παρῳχηκότα συνήθως προφωνῶν. Λέγει δ' οὖν· Καὶ ἐνεκαυχήσαντο οἱ μισοῦντές σε ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ἑορτῆς σου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Ἐβρυχήσαντο οἱ πολέμιοί σου ἐν μέσῳ τῆς συνταγῆς σου. Ἔθεντο τὰ σημεῖα αὐτῶν σημεῖα, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, ὡς εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον ὑπεράνω· ὃ δὴ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Ἔθηκαν τὰ σημεῖα αὐτῶν ἐπισήμως γνώριμα κατὰ τὴν εἴσοδον ἐπάνω. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὡς ἐν δρυμῷ ξύλων ἀξίναις ἔκοψαν τὰς θύρας αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, ἐν πέλυκι καὶ λαξευτηρίῳ κατέῤῥαξαν αὐτὴν, πάλιν ὁ Σύμμαχος, Ἐν ἀρμένοις ξυλίνοις ἀξίναις τῶνδε καὶ τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς ὁμοῦ ἐν μοχλοῖς καὶ δικράνοις κατέῤῥιψαν. Σημεῖα δὲ τῶν πολεμίων τίνα ἦν, ἅπερ ἐπισήμως πρὸ τῶν εἰσόδων ἔθηκαν, ἢ τὰ πολεμικὰ ὄργανα, καὶ πελέκεις καὶ ἀξίναι καὶ τοιαῦτα δόρατά τε καὶ ὅπλα; Εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τὰς σημαίας τὰς πρὸ τῶν στρατοπέδων φερομένας διὰ τούτων δηλοῦσθαι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἐνε 23.857 πύρισαν, φησὶ, ἐν πυρὶ τὸ ἁγιαστήριόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐβεβήλωσαν τὸ σκήνωμα τοῦ ὀνόματός σου. Ἐν ᾧ διερμηνεύει τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ἀνωτέρω λελεγμένου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρητο· Ὄρος Σιὼν τοῦτο ὃ κατεσκήνωσας ἐν αὐτῷ· ὅπως κατεσκήνωσεν ἐν αὐτῷ διασαφεῖ νῦν φήσας· Τὸ σκήνωμα τοῦ ὀνόματός σου· Σκήνωμα γὰρ ἦν ὁ τόπος οὐκ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ· ∆υσωπεῖ δὲ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ, προστιθείς· Ἐν μέσῳ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς ἑορτῆς σου τὸ ἁγιαστήριόν σου καὶ τὸ σκήνωμα τοῦ ὀνόματός σου. Τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα δυσωπητικὰ ἦν καὶ ἐγερτικὰ ἐπὶ ἐκδίκησιν τῶν τετολμημένων, ἐφ' ἣν παρορμᾷ ἑξῆς λέγων· Ἔπαρον τὰς χεῖράς σου ἐπὶ τὰς ὑπερηφανίας αὐτῶν εἰς τέλος· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Τὸ ὕψωμα, φησὶ, τῶν ποδῶν σου ἠφανίσθη εἰς νῖκος. Ὕψωμα δὲ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ὁ νεὼς ἦν ὁ εὐκτήριος. Ἐνεκαυχήσαντο οἱ μισοῦντες τὴν Θεὸν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ἑορτῆς αὐτοῦ εἰκότως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτοὶ πρότεροι τὸν τόπον οἰκοῦντες ἀθέους ἤραντο χεῖρας κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ