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of the hands of men." Our God, he says, is the maker of all things, but those not only have no creative power, but they even received their very form from human art. For their composition is from matter and art. 10, 17. "They have a mouth, but they will not speak; they have eyes, but they will not see. They have ears, but they will not hear." They have images of senses, he says, but they are deprived of their function. "For there is no breath in their mouth." Even irrational nature has a share in this; for every living creature breathes. But the idols do not share in this even in a way similar to the irrational creatures. 80.1920 18. "May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them." Both those who fashion them and those who worship them are worthy to share in this insensibility. For it is just that those who have a share in reason, and yet suppose that things deprived of life and reason are gods, should share in their irrationality. 19. "O house of Israel, bless the Lord." They, he says, render so much worship to lifeless idols; but you, hymn the Maker of all things. "O house of Aaron, bless the Lord." He distinguished the priests from the people, and he exhorted them to hymn by themselves, thereby showing the difference. 20. "O house of Levi, bless the Lord." Here again is another distinction. For the Levites are more honored than the others, but inferior to the priests. Therefore, so that these might not also seize the priestly dignity (for they had dared this long ago while the divine Moses was still alive), he necessarily separated them also from the priests. "You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord." This is another order, not tracing its lineage from Jacob, but embracing his piety. Thus they also called the pious ones proselytes. And this is sufficient to teach the Jews that the God of all prefers kinship of character to kinship of the body. 21. "Blessed be the Lord from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem." God, being blessed, blesses; but he blesses in deed, while he is blessed in word. And those who hymn offer words, but he gives back the blessing through deeds. He said that He dwells in Jerusalem, not circumscribing the divine nature there, but because he knew the divine epiphany was there at that time.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 135. 1. Alleluia. And the prophetic composed this hymn for the same people

grace, working out their benefit through many lessons. "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever." Offer, he says, the hymn of thanksgiving to God, remembering the good things bestowed by him, and marveling at his immeasurable mercy. 2. "Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever." Here he does not speak of the gods of the idols; for he would not have called him God of things that are not. For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Therefore he calls gods those who are honored with the priesthood, who have been named sons of God. Thus also in the Law he says: "You shall not revile the gods, nor speak evil of the ruler of your people." And: "Israel is my firstborn son." And through Isaiah: 80.1921 "I have begotten and exalted sons." And in the psalms: "I said: You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High." These he called gods, as having been named sons of God. 3. "Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever." Both kings and rulers, having received their authority from God, are masters of their subjects. Thus also the Lord said: "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their rulers exercise authority over them." There are also certain angels called dominions. For this reason the divine Apostle also said: "For even if there are so-called gods (many so-called, not being so, sharing the name, not the reality), whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are gods

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χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων." Ὁ μὲν ἡμέτερος Θεὸς τῶν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ, φησὶ, ποιητὴς, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οὐ μόνον δημιουργικὴν οὐκ ἔχουσι δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ εἶδος παρὰ τέχνης ἀνθρωπείας ἐδέξαντο. Ἐξ ὕλης γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ τέχνης ἡ σύστασις. ιʹ, ιζʹ. "Στόμα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσιν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται. Ὦτα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἐνωτισθήσονται." Εἰκόνας, φησὶν, αἰσθήσεων ἔχουσι, τῆς δὲ ἐνεργείας ἐστέρηνται. "Οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι πνεῦμα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν." Τούτου δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἡ φύσις μετέλαχεν· ἀναπνεῖ γὰρ τῶν ζώων ἕκαστον. Τὰ δὲ εἴδωλα οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀλόγοις πα ραπλησίως τούτου μετέχει. 80.1920 ιηʹ. "Ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς." Ταύτης εἰσὶν ἄξιοι τῆς ἀναισθησίας μεταλαχεῖν, καὶ οἱ δη μιουργοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ οἱ προσκυνοῦντες. Τοὺς γὰρ λόγου μετέχοντας, καὶ θεοὺς ὑπολαμβάνοντας τὰ ζωῆς ἐστερημένα καὶ λόγου, δίκαιον τῆς ἐκείνων μετασχεῖν ἀλογίας. ιθʹ. "Οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν, φησὶ, τοσαύτην ἀπονέμουσι θεραπείαν τοῖς ἀψύχοις εἰδώλοις· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων ὑμνήσατε Ποιητήν. "Οἶκος Ἀαρὼν, εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον." ∆ιέκρινε τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς ἱερέας. καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὑμνεῖν παρηγγύησε, ταύτῃ δεικνὺς τὸ διά φορον. κʹ. "Οἶκος Λευῒ, εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον." Ἑτέρα πάλιν ἐνταῦθα διαφορά. Οἱ γὰρ Λευῖται τῶν μὲν ἄλλων τιμιώτεροι, τῶν δὲ ἱερέων ὑποδεέστεροι. Ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ καὶ οὗτοι τὴν ἱερατικὴν ἀξίαν ἁρπάσωσιν (ἐτόλμησαν γὰρ καὶ πάλαι τοῦτο τοῦ θεσπεσίου Μω σοῦ περιόντος), ἀναγκαίως καὶ τούτους ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερέων ἀπέκρινεν. "Οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, εὐ λογήσατε τὸν Κύριον." Ἕτερον καὶ τοῦτο τάγμα, ἐκ μὲν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ οὐ κατάγον τὸ γένος, ἐκείνου δὲ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀσπαζόμενον. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς ὠνόμαζον προσηλύτους. Ἱκανὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο Ἰουδαίους διδάξαι, ὡς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῆς σωματικῆς συγγενείας τὴν τῶν τρόπων προκρίνει συγγένειαν. καʹ. "Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ἐκ Σιὼν, ὁ κατοικῶν Ἱερουσαλήμ." Εὐλογούμενος ὁ Θεὸς εὐλογεῖ· ἀλλ' εὐλογεῖ μὲν ἔργῳ, εὐλογεῖται δὲ λόγῳ. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ὑμνοῦντες προσφέρουσι ῥήματα, αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν διὰ πραγμάτων ἀντιδίδωσιν εὐλογίαν. Κατοικεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔφη, οὐ τὴν θείαν ἐκεῖ περι γράφων φύσιν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ τηνικαῦτα τὴν θείαν ἐπι φάνειαν εἰδώς.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΛΕʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. Ἀλληλούϊα. Καὶ τόνδε τὸν ὕμνον τοῖς αὐ τοῖς ἡ προφητικὴ συνέγραψε

χάρις, διὰ πλειόνων αὐ τοῖς παιδευμάτων πραγματευομένη τὴν ὠφέλειαν. "Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Προσενέγκατε, φησὶ, τῷ Θεῷ τὸν χαριστήριον ὕμνον, τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ χορηγη θέντων ἀγαθῶν μεμνημένοι, καὶ τὸν ἀμέτρητον αὐ τοῦ θαυμάζοντες ἔλεον. βʹ. "Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Θεῷ τῶν θεῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Θεῶν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τῶν εἰδώλων λέγει· οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσε τῶν οὐκ ὄντων Θεόν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς Θεὸς νεκρῶν, ἀλλὰ ζώντων. Καλεῖ τοίνυν θεοὺς τοὺς ἱερωσύνῃ τετι μημένους, τοὺς υἱοὺς Θεοῦ χρηματίσαντας. Οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ φησί· "Θεοὺς οὐ κακολογήσεις, καὶ ἄρχοντα τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐκ ἐρεῖς κακῶς." Καί· "Υἱὸς πρωτότοκός μου Ἰσραήλ." Καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου· 80.1921 "Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα." Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς· "Ἐγὼ εἶπον· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες." Τούτους θεοὺς ἐκάλεσεν, ὡς υἱοὺς Θεοῦ χρηματί σαντας. γʹ. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν κυρίων, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Καὶ βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχον τες, παρὰ Θεοῦ λαβόντες τὴν ἐξουσίαν, τῶν ὑπ ηκόων δεσπόζουσιν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· "Οἱ βασιλεῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν." Εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἄγ γελοί τινες ὀνομαζόμενοι κυριότητες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἔφη· "Καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶ λεγό μενοι θεοὶ (πολλοὶ λεγόμενοι, οὐκ ὄντες, ὀνόματος μετέχοντες, οὐ πράγματος), εἴτε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, εἴτε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὥσπερ εἰσὶ θεοὶ