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having taken it up, there may be a release from former evils for all, and good things may succeed for the human race through Christ. For one day in your courts is better than a thousand. The one who speaks the present psalm considers the one day of the presence of God, the day of the resurrection from the dead, much better than thousands and more precious. I think that through the "thousands" he alludes to the time of the establishment of Jerusalem. For in a whole 23.1016 thousand years the temple in it was established; for so many were the years from the building of the temple by Solomon until the presence of our Savior, which I think are also indicated again through the 89th Psalm, which is inscribed, "A prayer of Moses," and says as it proceeds, "For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." Therefore, that one day of the resurrection of our Savior from the dead is to be preferred and is more precious than that thousand to one who has become a desirer of it. Wherefore he prays to hasten his presence, saying: "Behold, O God, and look upon the face of your Christ, for one day in your courts is better than a thousand." But "thousands" is not necessarily to be understood in the plural; for among the Hebrews this word signifies one thousand, as will be clear to anyone who pays attention. And since the one day is more precious than the thousand in the courts established throughout the whole world through the theophany of the prophesied God, for this reason he also said above: "My soul longs, and faints for the courts of the Lord." And again, since he said above, "Blessed are those who dwell in your house, they will praise you for ever and ever," believing this and being precisely convinced that the saying is true, for this reason I say: "I chose rather to be cast down in the house of my God"; so that being in the house of God, I might be able to praise God for ever and ever. Rather I chose, just as the one day over the thousand, so the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, rather than to dwell in the many tabernacles of sinners. For sinners have also made for themselves imitations of the tabernacles of God; but those of God are beloved, while those of sinners are worthy of hatred. For the Lord God loves mercy and truth, the Lord will give grace and glory. Instead of, "For the Lord loves mercy and truth," Aquila says, "For the Lord God is mercy and a shield"; and the fifth edition, "For the Lord God is a sun and a protector"; and Symmachus, in agreement with these, called him "sun." For this reason, he says, that one day is better than thousands, since the Lord himself, the Word of God, is the sun of that day. And the prophet also alluded to this sun, saying: "But for you who fear me, the Sun of righteousness shall arise, with healing in its wings." And he who said, "And the sun shall go down on the prophets who lead my people astray," also indicated the same one; but Isaiah more plainly, "The sun shall be no more your light by day," he says, "but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory." And the Lord, being such a sun, will give grace and glory and still a greater and better, both unspeakable and ineffable, good to those who walk in innocence; or according to Symmachus, "to those who walk in 23.1017 perfection." For this reason, believing the things that have been said, and having precisely convinced myself that the words concerning these things are true, I say as the conclusion of the whole discourse: "O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in you." For anyone who is otherwise called blessed by the many would be called blessed in error. But only he, if one must speak the truth, is blessed on account of the things foretold, as one who is full of all good things, who has attached himself to you alone, and has committed all his hopes to the promises from you. Now for the third time in the present psalm the discourse has pronounced blessed those who are engaged in

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ἀναλαβόντος, λύσις μὲν γένηται προτέρων κακῶν τοῖς πᾶσιν, ἀγαθὰ δὲ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαδέξηται γένος. Ὅτι κρείσσων ἡμέρα μία ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας. Τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρουσίας τὴν μίαν, τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως ἡμέραν, πολὺ κρείττω χιλιάδων καὶ προτιμοτέραν ὁ τὸν παρόντα ψαλμὸν λέγων ἡγεῖται. Αἰνίττεσθαι δὲ ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τῶν χιλιάδων τὸν χρόνον τῆς συστάσεως τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἐν ὅλοις γὰρ 23.1016 χιλίοις ἔτεσι συνέστη ὁ ἐν αὐτῇ νεώς· τοσαῦτα γὰρ ἦν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς Σολομῶντος κατασκευῆς τοῦ ναοῦ μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίας, ἃ καὶ αὖθις δηλοῦσθαι ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τοῦ πθʹ ψαλμοῦ, ὃς ἐπιγέγραπται μὲν, Προσευχὴ Μωϋσέως, φησὶ καὶ προϊὼν, Ὅτι χίλια ἔτη ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου ὡσεὶ ἡμέρα ἡ ἐχθὲς, ἥτις διῆλθε, καὶ φυλακὴ ἐν νυκτί. Τῆς οὖν χιλιάδος ἐκείνης ἡ μία ἡμέρα τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προκριτέα καὶ προτιμοτέρα τυγχάνει τῷ ταύτης ἐπιθυμητῇ γενομένῳ. ∆ιὸ εὔχεται ταχῦναι τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ λέγων· Ἰδὲ, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐπίβλεψον εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου, ὅτι κρείσσων ἡμέρα μία ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας. Οὐ πάντως δὲ πληθυντικῶς ἀκουστέον τῶν χιλιάδων· παρὰ γὰρ Ἑβραίοις αὕτη ἡ λέξις μίαν χιλιάδα σημαίνει, ὡς παντὶ τῷ ἐπιστήσαντι δῆλον ἔσται. Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ ἡ μία ἡμέρα προτιμοτέρα ἐστὶ τῆς χιλιάδος ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς ταῖς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, διὰ τῆς θεοφανείας τοῦ προφητευομένου Θεοῦ, ἱδρυθείσαις· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν· Ἐπιποθεῖ καὶ ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς τοῦ Κυρίου. Καὶ πάλιν ἐπειδήπερ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγε τὸ, Μακάριοι οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων αἰνέσουσί σε· τούτῳ πιστεύων καὶ ἀκριβῶς πεπεισμένος ἀληθῆ εἶναι τὸν λόγον, διὰ τοῦτό φημι· Ἐξελεξάμην παραῤῥιπτεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ μου μᾶλλον· ἵν' ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὢν, δύνωμαι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων αἰνεῖν τὸν Θεόν. Μᾶλλον δὲ ἐξελεξάμην ὥσπερ τὴν μίαν ἡμέραν ὑπὲρ τὴν χιλιάδα, οὕτω τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἐκκλησία Θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας, μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκεῖν ἐν πολλοῖς σκηνώμασι τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. Μιμήματα γὰρ τῶν σκηνωμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατεσκεύασαν· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαπητὰ τυγχάνει, μίσους δὲ ἄξια τὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. Ὅτι ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, χάριν καὶ δόξαν δώσει Κύριος. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὅτι ἔλεον καὶ ἀλήθειαν ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, ὁ Ἀκύλας φησὶν, Ὅτι ἔλεος καὶ θυρεὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεός· καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις, Ὅτι ἥλιος καὶ σκεπαστὴς Κύριος ὁ Θεός· καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος δὲ τούτοις συμφώνως, Ὅτι ἥλιον, ὠνόμασε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκείνη ἡ μία ἡμέρα κρείσσων ἐστὶ χιλιάδων, ἐπειδήπερ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἥλιος τυγχάνει τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης. Τοῦτον δὲ καὶ ὁ προφήτης τὸν ἥλιον ᾐνίττετο φήσας· Τοῖς δὲ φοβουμένοις με ἀνατεῖλε Ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτοῦ. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ ἐδήλου καὶ ὁ εἰπών· Καὶ δύσεται ὁ Ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πλανῶντας τὸν λαόν μου· γυμνότερον δὲ ὁ Ἡσαΐας, Οὐκ ἔσται σοι ὁ ἥλιος εἰς φῶς τῆς ἡμέρας, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἔσται σοι Κύριος φῶς αἰώνιον, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς δόξα σου. Τοιοῦτος δὲ ἥλιος ὢν ὁ Κύριος, χάριν καὶ δόξαν καὶ ἔτι μεῖζον καὶ κρεῖττον, ἄῤῥητόν τε καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον ἀγαθὸν δώσει τοῖς πορευομένοις ἐν ἀκακίᾳ· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Τοῖς ὁδεύουσιν ἐν τε 23.1017 λειότητι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πιστεύων τοῖς εἰρημένοις, καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἐμαυτὸν πείσας ἀληθεῖς εἶναι τοὺς περὶ τούτων λόγους, τέλος τοῦ παντὸς λόγου φημί· Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων, μακάριος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἐλπίζων ἐπὶ σέ. Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἄλλως παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς μακαριζόμενος πεπλανημένως ἂν μακαρίζοιτο. Μόνος δὲ, εἰ χρὴ τἀληθῆ φάναι, μακάριος διὰ τὰ προλελεγμένα, ὡς ἂν πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔμπλεος, ὅ σοι μόνῳ ἑαυτὸν ἀναρτήσας, καὶ πάσας ἑαυτοῦ τὰς ἐλπίδας ταῖς παρὰ σοὶ ἐπαγγελίαις ἀναθείς. Ἤδη δὲ τρίτον ἐν τῷ παρόντι ψαλμῷ μακαρίσας ὁ λόγος τοὺς ἐμφερομένους ἐν