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to him, he in no way mentioned the nation of the Jews, nor of Israel, nor did he bless those who fulfilled the things of Moses through works; but first, universally, those who dwell in the house of God; second, every man for whom there is help for him from the Lord; and at the end of the whole discourse, indefinitely and universally, every person who hopes in the Lord. For it was necessary, when the epiphany of God and the presence of Christ to men was being proclaimed, that the blessings from God should be announced not only to the Jews but also to all men. FOR THE END, A PSALM FOR THE SONS OF KORAH. 84. Lord, you have been favorable to your land; you have turned back the captivity of Jacob. Following the psalm before this one, after the theophany prophesied in that one, in the one at hand deliverance from evils is prophesied, and a ransom from captivity, and pardon and remission of sins. For these things followed the presence of God to men, and the other things declared in the preceding psalm. For since in that one it was prophesied that many tabernacles of God and courts and altars would be established on the earth, and the cause of these things was God who was about to appear on earth, and Christ was specifically looked upon; at any rate, it was said: "The God of gods shall be seen in Zion;" and again: "Look upon the face of your Christ;" fittingly in the present psalm the things that are to be throughout the whole inhabited world of men are proclaimed beforehand. Which things have indeed been fulfilled at the presence of our Savior, during which God was well-pleased, deeming it worthy of the visitation of his Christ. For long ago it was said to the first-formed man: "You are earth, and to earth you shall return," and, "Cursed is the ground in your works;" and another of the prophets said: "Cursing and murder and lying, and theft and adultery are poured out upon the earth; and they mingle blood with blood;" But when the Son of God visited the earth, and took up a body from the earth, there was a change from the former evils, and the whole element of the earth, instead of the former curse, partook of the blessing of God, and churches and prayer-houses to God were established throughout the whole inhabited world. Wherefore it is now said: "Lord, you have been favorable to your land;" and in other places, "The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice," and again, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth." Fittingly, therefore, the earth is also said to be the Lord's own, according to, "Lord, you have been favorable to your land." For it has become not only His creation and work, but also His possession because of the things that have been said. 23.1020 How "You have turned back the captivity of Jacob" is said, you will understand from the saving voice, by which, after reading the prophecy of Isaiah that says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind," he added, "Today this prophecy has been fulfilled in your ears," teaching that the oracle was fulfilled in himself. That he himself was the Savior and redeemer of human souls, whom he freed from the bitter slavery of polytheistic error and demonic activity, having loosed the chains of their sins. Which is itself also presented by the present psalm, which says: "You have forgiven the iniquities of your people, you have covered all their sins." And the word elsewhere also knows of iniquities forgiven and covered, saying: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;" And through these things the Spirit signifies the remission of former sins granted by the Savior to those who have been redeemed from the spiritual captivity of their souls; to whom, if they should sin again after the remission, he no longer grants a second remission, but a covering of sins. For through second good deeds to cover the things previously sinned

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αὐτῷ, οὐδαμῶς τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, οὐδὲ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐμνημόνευσεν, οὐδὲ τοὺς τὰ Μωϋσέως δι' ἔργων ἀποπληροῦντας ἐμακάρισεν· ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν καθόλου τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ· δεύτερον πάντα ἄνδρα οὗ ἐστιν ἀντίληψις αὐτῷ παρὰ Κυρίου· καὶ ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ παντὸς λόγου ἀορίστως καὶ καθολικῶς πάντα ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ Κύριον. Χρῆν γὰρ ἐπιφανείας Θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας εἰς ἀνθρώπους καταγγελλομένης μὴ Ἰουδαίοις μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοὺς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ μακαρισμοὺς ἀναγγελίζεσθαι. ΕΙΣ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΤΟΙΣ ΥΙΟΙΣ ΚΟΡΕ ΨΑΛΜΟΣ. Π∆ʹ. Εὐδόκησας, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν σου, ἀπέστρεψας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰακώβ. Ἀκολούθως τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ μετὰ τὴν ἐν ἐκείνῳ θεσπισθεῖσαν θεοφάνειαν ἐν τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας κακῶν ἀπαλλαγὴ προφητεύεται, καὶ λύτρωσις μὲν αἰχμαλωσίας, συγχώρησις δὲ καὶ ἄφεσις ἁμαρτημάτων. Εἵπετο γὰρ ταῦτα τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς ἀνθρώπους παρουσίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἐπὶ τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ δεδηλωμένοις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ σκηνώματα Θεοῦ πλεῖστα καὶ αὐλαὶ καὶ θυσιαστήρια ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐθεσπίζετο συστήσεσθαι, καὶ τὸ τούτων αἴτιον Θεὸς ἦν μέλλων ἐπὶ γῆς φαίνεσθαι, καὶ ὀνομαστὶ Χριστὸς ἦν ἐπιβλεπόμενος· ἐλέγετο γοῦν· Ὀφθήσεται ὁ Θεὸς τῶν θεῶν ἐν Σιών· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐπίφανον ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου· εἰκότως ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ ψαλμῷ τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι καθ' ὅλης τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης προαναφωνεῖται. Ἃ δὴ καὶ πεπλήρωται ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίας, καθ' ἣν εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς καταξιώσας αὐτὴν τῆς ἐπιβάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ εἴρητο τῷ πρωτοπλάστῳ· Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ, καὶ, Ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου· καὶ ἄλλος προφητῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἀρὰ καὶ φόνος καὶ ψεῦδος, καὶ κλοπὴ καὶ μοιχεία κέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ αἵματα ἐφ' αἵμασι μίσγουσιν· Ὡς δὲ ἐπεδήμει τῇ γῇ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ γῆς σῶμα ἀνελάμβανε· μεταβολὴ προτέρων ἐγίγνετο κακῶν, καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῆς γῆς στοιχεῖον ἀντὶ τῆς προτέρας ἀρᾶς εὐλογίας Θεοῦ μετελάμβανεν, ἐκκλησίαι τε καὶ οἶκοι τῷ Θεῷ προσευκτήριοι καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης συνίσταντο. ∆ιὸ νῦν μὲν λέλεκται· Εὐδόκησας, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν σου· ἐν ἑτέροις δὲ, Κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ πάλιν· Ἄσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. Εἰκότως οὖν καὶ αὐτοῦ λέλεκται τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ κατὰ τὸ, Εὐδόκησας, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν σου. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ κτίσμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ποίημα, ἀλλὰ καὶ κτῆμα γέγονε διὰ τὰ λελεγμένα. 23.1020 Πῶς δὲ εἴρηται τὸ, Ἀπέστρεψας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰακὼβ, νοήσεις ἐκ τῆς σωτηρίου φωνῆς, δι' ἧς τὴν φήσασαν τοῦ Ἡσαΐου προφητείαν, Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, ἀναγνοὺς ἐπήγαγε, Σήμερον πεπλήρωται ἡ προφητεία αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν, διδάσκων εἰς ἑαυτὸν πληροῦσθαι τὸ λόγιον. Ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ λυτρωτὴς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν, ἃς ἀπὸ τῆς πικρᾶς δουλείας τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης καὶ τῆς δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας ἠλευθέρου, λύσας αὐτῶν τὰς σειρὰς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ παρίσταται διὰ τοῦ προκειμένου ψαλμοῦ φάσκοντος· Ἀφῆκας τὰς ἀνομίας τῷ λαῷ σου, ἐκάλυψας πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἀνομίας δὲ ἀφιεμένας καὶ καλυπτομένας οἶδε καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ὁ φάσκων λόγος· Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων τὸ Πνεῦμα τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος δεδωρημένην ἄφεσιν τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς νοητῆς τῶν ψυχῶν αἰχμαλωσίας λελυτρωμένοις· οἷς, εἰ μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν πάλιν ἁμάρτοιεν, οὐκέτι δευτέραν ἄφεσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπικάλυψιν ἁμαρτιῶν παρέχει. ∆ιὰ γὰρ δευτέρων κατορθωμάτων καλύπτειν τὰ προημαρτημένα