320

the disciples, and they teach those who are ignorant. Such is that which was said by Christ in the gospels: "Father, I have glorified your name on the earth." And a little later he teaches that he did not give him a glory which he did not have before, but he revealed the one he had. For he said, "I have manifested your name to men." Thus also the Father did not give the Son a glory which he did not have before; but he taught the ignorant the one he had. "For glorify me," he says, "you, 80.1968 Father, with the glory that I had with you before the world was made." Therefore, he did not receive what he did not have, but what he had became clear to those who did not know. And here, therefore, the Prophet does not profess to make God high, but to show his highness to men, as far as it is possible; and he calls the God of all both God and his own king, being moved to do this by love. 2. "Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever, and forever and ever." "I will continually hymn you," he says, "and I will not leave any day bereft of hymnody." 3. "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and of his greatness there is no end." Since every perceptible magnitude is shown to be great by being measured in length, and breadth, and depth, he fittingly added that "of his greatness there is no end," in order to show that the one being hymned is both incorporeal and uncircumscribable. For I know that he is great, he says, but not comprehensible, nor measurable. For I find neither beginning nor end of his greatness. For this is infinite, and surpasses all comprehension. 4. "Generation and generation shall praise your works, and they shall declare your power." From this he foretold the divine knowledge of the nations. For not only, he says, will we, who are from Israel, in this generation hymn you the benefactor, but also another generation, the Church from the nations, will proclaim the magnificent work of your deeds. 5. "They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of your holiness, and they shall tell of your wondrous works." The nature of the one being hymned overcomes the power of the Prophet. For seeking worthy and fitting appellations, and then missing the mark, he weaves together many names at once, calling it the glory of holiness and magnificence. These things, however, he foretells will be proclaimed by the other generation. 6. "And they shall speak of the power of your awesome deeds, and they shall tell of your greatness." He seems to use tautology, but nevertheless he signifies different things. For he speaks of wondrous works, the miracles performed for the benefit of some; but the power of awesome deeds, the magnificent works shown for the punishment of others; for instance, through the divine Moses he brought all kinds of plagues upon Egypt; those are to be understood as the power of awesome deeds. In the desert he brought manna to the people, and he bound flocks of quail, and he flooded the waterless place; these things moved the tongues of the grateful to wonder. 80.1969 The divine Apostle also made this distinction. For he said that by the all-holy Spirit were given not only gifts of healing, but also workings of powers. And he calls gifts of healing, the running of the lame, and the health of the sick, and the resurrection of the dead, and such things. But workings of powers, the blindness of Elymas, the death of Ananias and Sapphira, those delivered to Satan, that they may be taught not to blaspheme. 7. "They shall pour forth the memory of the abundance of your goodness, and they shall exult in your righteousness." The Prophet indeed wishes to show the wealth of the divine goodness and power; but using human language, and being unable to attain what he desires, he again joins together more names, and foretells the gratitude of the coming generation, that delighting in the divine oracles, it offers the narration of the divine philanthropy like some utterances. This, however, the divine Apostle also endures, and being unable to narrate divine things worthily, he attempts this through more names. "For the surpassing," he says, "riches of his grace." But elsewhere he confesses defeat, saying, "How unsearchable are the judgments

320

οἱ τρόφιμοι, καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας δι δάσκουσι. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις εἰρημένον· "Πάτερ, ἐδόξασά σου τὸ ὄνομα ἐν τῇ γῇ." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα διδάσκει ὡς οὐ δόξαν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ, ἣν μὴ πρότερον εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ἣν εἶχεν ἐγύμνωσεν. Ἔφη γὰρ, Ἐφανέρωσά σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ τῷ Υἱῷ οὐκ ἔδωκε δόξαν, ἣν μὴ πρότερον εἶχεν· ἀλλ' ἣν εἶχε τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας ἐδίδαξε· "∆όξασόν με γὰρ, φησὶν, σὺ 80.1968 Πάτερ, τῇ δόξῃ, ᾗ εἶχον παρὰ σοὶ, πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον γενέσθαι." Οὐ τοίνυν ἔλαβεν ὃ μὴ εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ὃ εἶχε δῆλον τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσιν ἐγένετο. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ὁ Προφήτης οὐχ ὑψηλὸν ποιεῖν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπαγγέλλε ται, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὡς οἷόν τε δεικνύναι· καὶ τὸν ἁπάντων Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸν καὶ βα σιλέα ἴδιον ὀνομάζει, ὑπὸ τοῦ φίλτρου τοῦτο ποιεῖν προαγόμενος. βʹ. "Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ αἰ νέσω τὸ ὄνομα σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος." Ἀεί σε, φησὶν, ὑμνῶν διατελέσω, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἡμέραν ἄμοιρον ἐάσω τῆς ὑμνῳδίας. γʹ. "Μέγας Κύριος, καὶ αἰνετὸς σφόδρα, καὶ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι πέρας." Ἐπειδὴ πᾶν μέγεθος αἰσθητὸν μήκει, καὶ πλάτει, καὶ βάθει με τρούμενον δείκνυται μέγα, εἰκότως ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι "Τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι πέρας," ἵνα καὶ ἀσώματον δείξῃ, καὶ ἀπερίγραφον τὸν ὑμνούμενον. Μέγαν μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, οἶδα, οὐ μὴν ἐφικτὸν, οὔτε μὴν μετρητόν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀρχὴν, οὔτε τέλος τοῦ μεγέθους εὑρίσκω. Ἄπειρον γὰρ τοῦτο, καὶ πᾶ σαν ὑπερβαῖνον κατάληψιν. δʹ. "Γενεὰ καὶ γενεὰ ἐπαινέσει τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ τὴν δύναμίν σου ἀπαγγελοῦσι." Ἐντεῦθεν τῶν ἐθνῶν προεκήρυξε τὴν θείαν ἐπίγνωσιν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον, φησὶν, ἡμεῖς, οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, κατὰ τήνδε τὴν γενεάν σε τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνήσομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρα γενεὰ, ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία, τῶν ἔργων σου τὴν μεγα λουργίαν κηρύξει. εʹ. "Τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν τῆς δόξης τῆς ἁγιω σύνης σου λαλήσουσι, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσιά σου διηγή σονται." Νικᾷ τοῦ Προφήτου τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ὑμνου μένου ἡ φύσις. Ἀξίας γὰρ ἐπιζητῶν καὶ προσφυεῖς προσηγορίας, εἶτα διαμαρτάνων, πολλὰ κατὰ ταυτὸν ἐπιπλέκει ὀνόματα, ἁγιωσύνης δόξαν καὶ μεγαλο πρέπειαν ὀνομάζων. Ταῦτα μέν τοι προλέγει ὑπὸ τῆς ἑτέρας κηρυχθήσεσθαι γενεᾶς. ʹ. "Καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῶν φοβερῶν σου ἐροῦσι, καὶ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην σου διηγήσονται." ∆οκεῖ μὲν ταυτολογίᾳ κεχρῆσθαι, διάφορα δὲ ὅμως ση μαίνει. Θαυμάσια μὲν γὰρ λέγει, τὰ ἐπ' εὐεργεσίαις τινῶν γινόμενα θαύματα· δύναμιν δὲ φοβερῶν, τὰς ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ ἑτέρων δειχθείσας μεγαλουργίας· οἷον διὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Μωϋσοῦ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ παντοδαπὰς ἐπήγαγε μάστιγας· ἐκεῖνα νοητέον δύναμιν φοβε ρῶν. Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μάννα ἐκόμισε τῷ λαῷ, καὶ ὀρ τυγομήτρας ἐπέδησε, καὶ τὴν ἄνυδρον ἐπέκλυσε· ταῦτα εἰς θαῦμα τῶν εὐγνωμόνων τὰς γλώττας ἐκί 80.1969 νησε. Ταύτην καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἐποιήσατο τὴν διαίρεσιν. Ἔφη γὰρ, ὑπὸ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος δεδόσθαι, οὐ μόνον χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων. Καὶ καλεῖ μὲν χαρίσματα ἰα μάτων, τῶν χωλῶν τὸν δρόμον, καὶ τῶν ἀῤῥώστων τὴν ὑγίειαν, καὶ τῶν νεκρῶν τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Ἐνεργήματα δὲ δυνάμεων, τὴν τοῦ Ἐλυμᾶ τυφλότητα, τοῦ Ἀνανίου καὶ τῆς Σαπφείρας τὸν θάνατον, τοὺς τῷ Σατανᾷ παραδοθέντας, ἵνα παι δευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν. ζʹ. "Μνήμην τοῦ πλήθους τῆς χρηστότητός σου ἐξερεύξονται, καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ἀγαλλιάσονται." Βούλεται μὲν ὁ Προφήτης τῆς θείας ἀγαθότητός τε καὶ δυνάμεως ὑποδεῖξαι τὸν πλοῦτον· ἀνθρωπίνῃ δὲ χρησάμενος γλώττῃ, καὶ τυχεῖν οὐ δυνάμενος τοῦ ποθουμένου, πλείονα πάλιν συνάπτει ὀνόματα, καὶ προλέγει τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς ἐσομένης τὸ εὔγνωμον, ὅτι τοῖς θείοις ἐντρυφῶσα λογίοις, καθάπερ τινὰς ἐρυγὰς προσφέρει τὴν τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας διήγησιν. Τοῦτο μέν τοι καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ὑπομένει, καὶ ἀξίως οὐ δυνάμενος διηγήσασθαι τὰ θεῖα, διὰ πλειό νων ὀνομάτων τοῦτο πειρᾶται. "Τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα γάρ φησι, πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ." Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ τὴν ἧτταν ὁμολογεῖ, "Ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα, λέγων, τὰ κρίματα