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many; but for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." This one the psalm called Lord of the true lords. δʹ. "To him who alone does great wonders, for his mercy endures forever." Great works are also those of his good servants. But we call divine also the wonders of Moses, and of Joshua, and of Elijah; likewise also the signs wrought by the holy apostles. Rightly, therefore, did the Prophet say that he alone is the creator of great wonders. Then he also shows his great works. εʹ. "To him who by understanding made the heavens, for his mercy endures forever." For the heaven, by being seen alone, proclaims the wisdom of God. For great is its size, and its beauty, and its long endurance. ʹ. "To him who established the earth upon the waters, for his mercy endures forever." And this too is admirable, and surpasses human thought, that the earth, being washed over on all sides by the waters, stands, and remains in its own nature. And rightly has the great writer joined the eternal mercy to all these sayings, since the lover of mankind created all things not because of his own need, but through love for mankind alone. ζʹ. "To him who alone made great lights, for his mercy endures forever." Men, partaking of divine Providence, are accustomed to light lamps, but all the fire on earth does not imitate the brightness of a single star. But of all the stars and the moon itself, the sun is the brightest. For when it appears it hides them, and it dims her rays. ηʹ, θʹ. "The sun to rule the day, for his mercy endures forever. The moon and the stars to rule the night, for his mercy endures forever. 80.1924" He divided, he says, the time to the luminaries, and with the rays of the sun he makes the day, but with the moon and stars he illuminates the night. Through these things happening, showing his own goodness. ιʹ. "To him who struck Egypt with their firstborn, for his mercy endures forever." But perhaps someone might ask, how is death brought about by mercy? Let him then consider the solution of the preceding sayings: that he who pities the wronged, punishes the wrongdoers. For this the Prophet also added here. ιαʹ. "And brought out Israel from their midst, for his mercy endures forever." His mercy towards this one brought punishment upon those. And that, and this, are mixed with justice. For he justly had mercy on these, and he justly punished those. ιβʹ. "With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, for his mercy endures forever." He called the hand 'energy,' and the arm 'strength'. Through both, however, he showed that through the salvation that came to the people he revealed his own power. ιγʹ. "To him who divided the Red sea into divisions, for his mercy endures forever." Some, following Jewish myths, said that the divisions made in the Red sea were equal in number to the twelve tribes, since the Prophet did not say 'division', but 'divisions'. But they should have understood that the sea, being cut in two, became two instead of one. For the water was a wall to them on the right, and a wall on the left; for which reason he called the cutting of the sea in two 'divisions'. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, for his mercy endures forever. And overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, for his mercy endures forever." For both are works of his power, both that these should easily cross the sea, and that he should be submerged by the waters. ιʹ. "And led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever." And this also is a proof of divine strength, to have nourished so great a people for so long a time in the desert, and to have supplied them with an abundance of necessities. ιζ, ιηʹ. "To him who smote great kings, for his mercy endures forever. And slew mighty kings, for his mercy endures forever." In summary, already the interpretation of these things
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πολλοί· ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ." Τοῦτον ἐκάλεσεν ὁ ψαλμὸς Κύριον τῶν ἀληθῶν κυρίων. δʹ. "Τῷ ποιήσαντι θαυμάσια μεγάλα μόνῳ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Μεγαλουργίαι καὶ αἱ τῶν εὐνῶν αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων. Ἀλλὰ θεῖα καλοῦ μεν καὶ τὰ Μωσοῦ, καὶ τὰ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ τὰ Ἠλίου θαυμάσια· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀπο στόλων γεγενημένα σημεῖα. Εἰκότως τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὁ Προφήτης μόνον ἔφη τῶν μεγάλων θαυμάτων δη μιουργόν. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ μεγάλα ποιή ματα. εʹ. "Τῷ ποιήσαντι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν συνέσει, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Κηρύττει γὰρ καὶ μόνον ὁρώμενος οὐρανὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν. Πολὺ γὰρ τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ τὸ κάλλος, καὶ ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον διαμονή. ʹ. "Τῷ στερεώσαντι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀξιάγαστον, καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπερβαῖνον διά νοιαν, καὶ πανταχόθεν τὴν γῆν περικλυζομένην τοῖς ὕδασιν ἑστάναι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως διαμένειν. Εἰκότως δὲ τοῖς ῥητοῖς ἅπασι τὸν αἰώνιον ἔλεον ὁ μεγαλογράφος συνέζευξεν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ διὰ χρείαν οἰκείαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ μόνην φιλανθρωπίαν ἐδη μιούργησεν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ἅπαντα. ζʹ. "Τῷ ποιήσαντι φῶτα μεγάλα μόνῳ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Τῆς θείας μεταλαχόντες Προνοίας οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐξάπτειν λαμπάδας εἰώθασιν, ἀλλ' ὅλον τὸ περίγειον πῦρ ἑνὸς ἀστέρος οὐ μιμεῖται λαμπρότητα. Πάντων δὲ ἀστέρων καὶ σελήνης αὐτῆς φανώτατος ἥλιος. Κἀκείνους γὰρ φαινόμενος κρύπτει, καὶ αὐτῆς τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀμβλύνει. ηʹ, θʹ. "Τὸν ἥλιον εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Τὴν σελήνην, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας, εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς νυκτὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα 80.1924 τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." ∆ιένειμε, φησὶ, τοῖς φωστῆρσι τὸν χρόνον, καὶ ταῖς μὲν ἡλιακαῖς ἀκτῖσι τὴν ἡμέραν ποιεῖ, σελήνῃ δὲ καὶ ἄστροις καταφωτίζει τὴν νύκτα. ∆ιὰ τούτων γινομένων τὴν οἰκείαν δεικνὺς ἀγαθό τητα. ιʹ. "Τῷ πατάξαντι Αἴγυπτον σὺν τοῖς πρωτοτόκοις αὐτῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἄν τις ἐπαπορήσειε, πῶς ἐλέῳ τεκταίνεται θάνατος; Σκοπείτω τοίνυν τὴν λύσιν τῶν προκειμένων ῥη τῶν· ὡς ὁ τοὺς ἀδικουμένους οἰκτείρων, τοὺς ἀδι κοῦντας κολάζει. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ Προφή της ἐπήγαγε. ιαʹ. "Καὶ ἐξαγαγόντι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ὁ περὶ τοῦτον ἔλεος ἐκείνοις τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγε. Κἀκεῖνος δὲ, καὶ αὕτη, δικαιοσύνῃ συγκέκραται. Καὶ τούτους γὰρ δικαίως ἠλέησε, κἀκείνους ἐνδίκως ἐκόλασεν. ιβʹ. "Ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ, καὶ ἐν βραχίονι ὑψη λῷ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Χεῖρα τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐκάλεσε, βραχίονα δὲ τὴν ἰσχύν. ∆ι' ἀμφοτέρων μέντοι ἐδήλωσεν, ὡς διὰ τῆς γεγε νημένης τοῦ λαοῦ σωτηρίας τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπεκάλυψε δύναμιν. ιγʹ. "Τῷ καταδιελόντι τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν εἰς διαιρέσεις, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Τινὲς τοῖς Ἰουδαϊκοῖς ἀκολουθήσαντες μύθοις ἰσαρίθμους ταῖς δυοκαίδεκα φυλαῖς ἔφασαν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ γεγενῆσθαι τὰς διαιρέσεις, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Προφήτης οὐ δι αίρεσιν, ἀλλὰ διαιρέσεις εἶπεν. Ἔδει δὲ αὐτοὺς συν ιδεῖν, ὅτι διχῆ τμηθὲν τὸ πέλαγος δύο ἀνθ' ἑνὸς ἐγέ νετο. Τὸ γὰρ ὕδωρ αὐτοῖς τεῖχος ἐκ δεξιῶν, καὶ τεῖχος ἐξ εὐωνύμων· οὗ δὴ χάριν διαιρέσεις ἐκάλεσε τὴν εἰς δύο τοῦ πελάγους τομήν. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "Καὶ διαγαγόντι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διὰ μέσου αὐτῆς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐκτινά ξαντι Φαραὼ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ εἰς θάλασσαν Ἐρυθρὰν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ἀμφότερα γὰρ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἔργα, καὶ τὸ τούτους εὐπετῶς διαβῆναι τὸ πέλαγος, καὶ τὸ ἐκεῖνον ὑπο βρύχιον γενέσθαι τοῖς ὕδασι. ιʹ. "Καὶ διαγαγόντι τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρή μῳ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῆς θείας ἰσχύος ἀπόδειξις, τοσοῦτον λαὸν ἐπὶ χρόνῳ τοσούτῳ ἐν ἐρήμῳ διαθρέψαι, καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων αὐτῷ χορηγῆσαι τὴν ἀφθονίαν. ιζ, ιηʹ. "Τῷ πατάξαντι βασιλεῖς μεγάλους, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἀποκτείναντι βασιλεῖς κραταιοὺς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ἐν κεφαλαίῳ καὶ τούτων ἤδη τὴν ἑρμηνείαν