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spiritual, when Christ the Son of God first came among them, he provided them with food, the heavenly bread, he himself. Moreover, he also fed them from five loaves miraculously in the wilderness; just as long ago through Moses, the manna. And he also satisfied them with honey from the rock; and he was the rock, supplying them with lessons sweeter than all pleasure and all honey, about which one could say: How sweet are your words to my throat! more than honey to my mouth. And long ago through Moses he provided them with drink from a rock. But the honey from the rock here is to be understood in no other way than according to the spiritual sense; since Moses himself gives the same testimony, saying in a great song: They sucked honey from the rock, and oil from the hard rock. Which things according to the bare letter do not exist, but are understood allegorically according to the spiritual sense alone. For Christ himself is the rock, providing all these things to them through his teaching, not only during the time when he came, but also before his coming in the flesh; so that they are altogether without excuse, and the judgment of God, after so many things, which worked their rejection, is just. But indeed, the Word teaches these things to us from the Gentiles who have been called to divine exultation through the first ones, that we may be on our guard, lest we ourselves ever fall into similar things. A PSALM OF ASAPH. 81. God stood in the assembly of gods, and in the midst he judges gods. The preceding discourse accuses the whole people of the Jews, with God clearly stating: My people did not hear my voice, and Israel did not attend to me. And I sent them away according to the practices of their heart; and again: If my people had heard me, if Israel had walked in my ways; in nothing would I have humbled their enemies; but the one at hand, following those, accuses the leaders of the people; for it is addressed to rulers and judges, saying: How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to sinners? Judge the poor and humble, vindicate the orphan and the needy. Then he adds: I commanded these things; but they did not know nor did they understand, they walk in darkness. He calls them gods, either because of the honor which the people bestowed upon them; approaching them with the greatest fear and honor as if to God himself; or because they held the place of God, having undertaken to judge, both punishing and chastising wrongdoers according to the law among them; or because they were honored by God with the name of adoption, as it is said of them: I have begotten 23.984 and exalted sons; or because they were made in the image and likeness of God through the intellectual and rational substance in humans. Indeed, proceeding in the psalm before us, the Word says to those being accused: I said: You are gods and all sons of the Most High. But you die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Therefore, the Word of God, examining the leaders of the people, namely the priests and high priests, and the other rulers, goes through the things at hand. Wherefore it is said: God stood in the assembly of gods, and in the midst he judges gods; but according to Aquila: God stood in the assembly of the mighty, in the innermost the Lord judges; and according to Symmachus: God was established in the council of God, in the midst God judging. And this God judging, that is, the Word of God, and judging the so-called assembly of gods, brings forward refutations to those being judged. And since the mighty shall be mightily tested, he fittingly sets apart and judges the order of the aforementioned gods, having gone through in the preceding discourse the refutation of the multitude of the people. But he also distinguishes, judging those worthy of salvation and those who are not. He judges

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πνευματικῆς, ὁπηνίκα πρώτοις αὐτοῖς ἐπεδήμει ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τροφὴν αὐτοῖς παρεῖχε τὸν ἐπουράνιον ἄρτον αὐτὸς ἑαυτόν. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐψώμισεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ πέντε ἄρτων παραδόξως ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου· ὥσπερ πάλαι διὰ Μωσέως τὸ μάννα. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐκ πέτρας μέλι ἐχόρτασεν αὐτούς· πέτρα δὲ ἦν αὐτὸς, χορηγῶν αὐτοῖς τὰ πάσης ἡδονῆς καὶ παντὸς μέλιτος γλυκύτερα μαθήματα, περὶ ὧν ἦν εἰπεῖν· Ὡς γλυκέα τὰ λόγιά σου τῷ φάρυγγί μου! ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου. Καὶ πάλαι δὲ διὰ Μωσέως ἐκ πέτρας αὐτοῖς παρεῖχε ποτόν. Μέλι δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἐκ πέτρας οὐδ' ἄλλως ἢ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐκδεκτέον· ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς Μωσῆς τὴν αὐτὴν τίθησι μαρτυρίαν, λέγων ἐν μεγάλῃ ᾠδῇ· Ἐθήλασαν μέλι ἐκ πέτρας, καὶ ἔλαιον ἐκ στερεᾶς πέτρας. Ἅπερ πρὸς μὲν ψιλὴν τὴν λέξιν οὐχ ὑφέστηκεν, ἀλληγορικῶς δὲ κατὰ μόνην τὴν διάνοιαν ἐξακούεται. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς ἡ πέτρα, ταῦτα πάντα παρέχων αὐτοῖς διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας, οὐ καθ' ὃν χρόνον ἐπεδήμει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐνσάρκου ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ· ὡς ἐξ ἅπαντος αὐτοὺς μὲν εἶναι ἀναπολογήτους, δικαίαν δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσιν μετὰ τὰ τοσαῦτα τὴν ἀποβολὴν αὐτῶν ἐργασαμένην. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ταῦτα ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἔνθεον ἀγαλλίασιν διὰ τῶν πρώτων κεκλημένους ὁ λόγος διδάσκει προφυλαττομένους, μή πη τοῖς ὁμοίοις καὶ αὐτοί ποτε περιπέσοιμεν. ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ΑΣΑΦ. ΠΑʹ. Ὁ Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρίνει. Ὁ μὲν πρὸ τούτου λόγος κατηγορεῖ τοῦ παντὸς Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ, σαφῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ φάσκοντος· Οὐκ ἤκουσεν ὁ λαός μου τῆς φωνῆς μου, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐ προσέσχε μοι. Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν· καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ὁ λαός μου ἤκουσέ μου, Ἰσραὴλ ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου εἰ ἐπορεύθη· ἐν τῷ μηδενὶ ἂν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἐταπείνωσα· ὁ δὲ μετὰ χεῖρας ἀκολούθως ἐκείνοις τῶν προέδρων τοῦ λαοῦ κατηγορεῖ· ὡς πρὸς ἄρχοντα γοῦν καὶ κριτὰς ἀποτείνεται λέγων· Ἕως πότε κρίνετε ἀδικίαν, καὶ πρόσωπα ἁμαρτωλῶν λαμβάνετε; Κρίνατε πτωχὸν καὶ ταπεινὸν, ὀρφανὸν καὶ πένητα δικαιώσατε. Εἶτα ἐπιλέγει· Ἐγὼ ταῦτα παρεκελευόμην· οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὐδὲ συνῆκαν, ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται. Θεοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀποκαλεῖ, ἤτοι διὰ τὴν τιμὴν ἣν ἀπένεμεν αὐτοῖς ὁ λαός· οὕτω μετὰ πλείστου φόβου καὶ τιμῆς προσιὼν αὐτοῖς ὡσεὶ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ· ἢ ἐπειδήπερ χώραν Θεοῦ ἐπεῖχον τὸ κρίνειν ἀναδεδεγμένοι, κολάζοντές τε καὶ τιμωρούμενοι τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας κατὰ τὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς νόμον· ἢ διὰ τὸ τετιμῆσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ τῆς υἱοθεσίας ὀνόματι, ὡς λέγεσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν· Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα 23.984 καὶ ὕψωσα· ἢ διὰ τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονέναι διὰ τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις νοερὰν καὶ λογικὴν οὐσίαν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ προκειμένῳ ψαλμῷ προϊὼν, ὁ λόγος φησὶ πρὸς τοὺς κατηγορουμένους· Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε, καὶ ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων πίπτετε. Τοὺς δὴ οὖν τοῦ λαοῦ προεστῶτας, ἱερέας δηλαδὴ καὶ ἀρχιερέας, τούς τε λοιποὺς ἄρχοντας ἀνακρίνων ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, τὰ μετὰ χεῖρας διεξέρχεται. ∆ιὸ εἴρηται· Ὁ Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρίνει· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ ἰσχυρῶν, ἐν ἐγκάτῳ Κύριος κρίνει· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ὁ Θεὸς κατέστη ἐν συνόδῳ Θεοῦ, ἐν μέσοις Θεὸς κρίνων. Κρίνων δὲ οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς, δηλαδὴ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, καὶ διακρίνων τὴν λεγομένην συναγωγὴν τῶν θεῶν, ἐλέγχους προσάγει τοῖς κρινομένοις. Καὶ ἐπεὶ δυνατοὶ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσονται, εἰκότως τὸ τάγμα τῶν προλελεγμένων θεῶν ἀφορίζει ἰδίως καὶ κρίνει, προδιελθὼν ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου λόγῳ τὸν ἔλεγχον τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ λαοῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ διακρίνει, κρίνων τοὺς ἀξίους σωτηρίας καὶ τοὺς μὴ τοιούτους. Κρίνει