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you have promised to rest in Zion forever. And this too has reached its end. For even if the old temple became desolate because of the madness of the Jews, nevertheless there again, the places of the cross, and of the resurrection, and of the ascension were deemed worthy through divine grace; and from every land and sea all run together to draw the blessing that springs forth in those places. "Here I will dwell, for I have chosen her." And this has reached its end, and a certain exchange of houses took place. And the prophetic word also mentioned Zion. And in it is also the place of the cross, and of the resurrection. 15. "Her provision blessing I will bless." But Symmachus, Her food blessing I will bless. That is, I will provide them with an abundance of all good things. "I will satisfy her poor with bread." And I will provide the needy with their necessities. 16. "Her priests I will clothe with salvation." What he called righteousness above, here he has named salvation. For salvation is the fruit of righteousness. "And her holy ones will rejoice with great joy." And the lovers of piety will be filled with all gladness. 17. "There I will make a horn to sprout for David." The immediate meaning, therefore, indicates Zerubbabel. But since he passed on the leadership neither to descendants, nor indeed to children, one could not reasonably call him a horn, having ruled for a short time. For the horn indicates something strong and lasting. But since the prophecy does not fit Zerubbabel, the word foretells the birth of Christ according to the flesh. Thus also the blessed Peter said in the Acts: "David being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him from the fruit of his loins to raise up the Christ according to the flesh to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing, spoke of his resurrection." "I have prepared a lamp for my Christ." Again, the prophetic word names the temple from David a lamp, that received the light of the divinity. 18. "His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him my sanctification shall flourish." The Jews are therefore witnesses of the shame, having embraced enmity, and reaped shame. But the sanctification, the Churches throughout all land and sea, being named the body of the Lord Christ, receiving the springs of holiness from him.
INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 132. 1. "A song of ascents." In the time of Rehoboam 80.1912 the tribes were divided,
and ten followed Jeroboam, but two embraced the Davidic kingdom. However, after the return from Babylon, they came together again, and loved harmony, and had one rule, and performed the common worship according to the law. This psalm therefore prophesies these things. "Behold now, what is good, or what is pleasant, but for brothers to dwell together in unity?" Through the deeds themselves, he says, we have learned that nothing is more delightful than brotherly harmony. He calls the tribes brothers, since their eponymous patriarchs were children of one father. 2. "Like ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron." The high-priestly oil was composed of various perfumes; but none of them by itself emitted such a fragrance, but the mixture and blending of all produced the greatest possible fragrance. To this he fittingly compared brotherly harmony. For the contribution of many achievements produces the fragrance of perfect virtue. "That went down to the opening of his garment." To that ointment, he says, is the gift of love similar, which was poured upon the head of Aaron, and went down not only to the beard, but sanctified the part of his tunic around the chest. For he called "opening" what we call a collar. And Aquila has also called this the mouth of the garments. Just as, therefore, from the head through the beard to the clothing the sacred running ointment of the fragrance the priest
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ὑπέσχου ἐπ αναπαύεσθαι τῇ Σιὼν ἀεί. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τετύχηκε πέρατος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ παλαιὸς νεὼς ἔρημος διὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίων μανίαν ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐκεῖ πάλιν, καὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, καὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τὰ χωρία διὰ τῆς θείας ἠξίωτο χάριτος· καὶ ἐκ πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάττης συντρέχουσιν ἅπαντες τὴν ἐν ἐκείνοις ἀναβλύζουσαν εὐλογίαν ἀρύσασθαι. "Ὧδε κατοικήσω, ὅτι ᾑρετισάμην αὐτήν." Καὶ τοῦτο τέλους τετύχηκε, καὶ ἐναλλαγή τις τῶν οἴκων ἐγένετο. Καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς δὲ λόγος τῆς Σιὼν ἐμνη μόνευσεν. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ δὲ καὶ ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τόπος. ιεʹ. "Τὴν θήραν αὐτῆς εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Τὴν σίτησιν αὐτῆς εὐλογῶν εὐλο γήσω. Τουτέστι, τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτοῖς ἁπάντων παρ έξω τὴν ἀφθονίαν. "Τοὺς πτωχοὺς αὐτῆς χορτάσω ἄρτων." Παρέξω δὲ καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις τῶν ἀναγ καίων τὴν χρείαν. ιʹ. "Τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς ἐνδύσω σωτηρίαν." Ἣν ἄνω δικαιοσύνην ἐκάλεσεν, ἐνταῦθα σωτηρίαν ὠνό μασε. ∆ικαιοσύνης γὰρ σωτηρία καρπός. "Καὶ οἱ ὅσιοι αὐτῆς ἀγαλλιάσει ἀγαλλιάσονται." Οἱ δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐρασταὶ πάσης γενήσονται θυμηδίας ἀνά πλεοι. ιζʹ. "Ἐκεῖ ἐξανατελῶ κέρας τῷ ∆αβίδ." Τὸ μὲν οὖν πρόχειρον νόημα τὸν Ζοροβάβελ δηλοῖ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὔτε εἰς ἐκγόνους, οὔτε μὴν εἰς παῖδας, τὴν ἡγε μονίαν παρέπεμψεν, οὐκ ἄν τις αὐτὸν εἰκότως ὀνο μάσει κέρας, ὀλίγον ἡγεμονεύσαντα χρόνον. Τὸ γὰρ κέρας ἰσχυρόν τι δηλοῖ καὶ μόνιμον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῷ Ζοροβάβελ οὐχ ἁρμόττει ἡ προφητεία, ὁ λόγος τὴν κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέννησιν προθεσπίζει. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν ἔφη· "Προφήτης ὑπάρχων ὁ ∆αβὶδ, καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι ὅρκῳ ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ ἀναστῆσαι τὸ κατὰ σάρκα τὸν Χριστὸν, καθ ίσαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, προειδὼς ἐλάλησεν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ." "Ἡτοίμασα λύχνον τῷ Χριστῷ μου." Λύχνον πάλιν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τὸν ἐκ ∆αβὶδ ὀνομάζει ναὸν, τὸ τῆς θεότητος ὑποδε ξάμενον φῶς. ιηʹ. "Τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ἐνδύσω αἰσχύνην, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξανθήσει τὸ ἁγίασμά μου." Τῆς μὲν οὖν αἰσχύνης μάρτυρες Ἰουδαῖοι, τὴν ἔχθραν ἀσπα σάμενοι, καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην δρεψάμενοι. Τὸ δὲ ἁγία σμα, αἱ κατὰ πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν Ἐκκλησίαι, σῶμα μὲν τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ χρηματίζουσαι, τῆς ἁγιωσύνης τὰς πηγὰς παρ' αὐτοῦ κομιζόμεναι.
ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΛΒʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ὠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν." Ἐπὶ τοῦ Ῥοβοὰμ 80.1912 διῃρέθησαν αἱ φυλαὶ,
καὶ αἱ μὲν δέκα τῷ Ἱεροβοὰμ ἠκολούθησαν, αἱ δὲ δύο τὴν ∆αβιτικὴν ἠσπάσαντο βασιλείαν. Μετὰ μέντοι τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάν οδον, καὶ πάλιν συνῆλθον, καὶ τὴν συμφωνίαν ἠγά πησαν, καὶ μίαν ἔσχον ἡγεμονίαν, καὶ κοινὴν τὴν κατὰ νόμον ἐπετέλουν λατρείαν. Ταῦτα τοίνυν οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς προθεσπίζει. "Ἰδοὺ δὴ τί καλὸν, ἢ τί τερπνὸν, ἀλλ' ἢ κατοικεῖν ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό;" ∆ι' αὐτῶν, φησὶ, μεμαθήκαμεν τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς οὐδὲν τῆς ἀδελφικῆς θυμηρέστερον συμφωνίας. Ἀδελφοὺς δὲ καλεῖ τὰς φυλὰς, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οἱ τού των ἐπώνυμοι φύλαρχοι ἑνὸς ὑπῆρχον παῖδες πα τρός. βʹ. "Ὡς μύρον ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς, τὸ καταβαῖνον ἐπὶ πώγωνα, τὸν πώγωνα τοῦ Ἀαρών." Τὸ ἀρχιερα τικὸν ἔλαιον ἐκ διαφόρων ἡδυσμάτων συνέκειτο· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐκείνων αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τοσαύτην εὐοσ μίαν ἠφίει, ἡ δὲ πάντων μίξις καὶ κρᾶσις πλεί στην ὅσην τὴν εὐωδίαν εἰργάζετο. Τούτῳ τὴν ἀδελ φικὴν εἰκότως συμφωνίαν ἀπείκασεν. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν πλειόνων κατορθωμάτων συνεισφορὰ τῆς τελείας ἀρετῆς τὴν εὐοσμίαν ἐργάζεται. "Τὸ καταβαῖνον ἐπὶ τὴν ὦαν τοῦ ἐνδύματος αὐτοῦ." Ἐκείνῳ, φη σὶν, ἔοικε τῷ μύρῳ τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ χάρισμα, ὃ κατεχεῖτο μὲν τῆς τοῦ Ἀαρὼν κεφαλῆς, οὐ μέχρι δὲ μόνου τοῦ γενείου κατῄει, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ χι τῶνος τὸ περὶ τὸ στῆθος ἡγίαζε. Ὦαν γὰρ ἐκάλε σεν, ὃ καλοῦμεν περιτραχήλιον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ Ἀκύλας στόμα ἐνδυμάτων εἴρηκε. Καθάπερ τοίνυν ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς διὰ τοῦ γενείου μέχρι τῆς ἐσθῆ τος τὸ ἱερὸν διατρέχον μύρον τῆς εὐοσμίας τὸν ἱερέα