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he granted. All these things the God of all granted to the land of men, and especially to those who dwell in it, through the visitation of the Savior, having ceased the wrath and the anger, which the inhabitants of the earth were formerly worthy of, since they were his enemies on account of the excess of their impieties; but God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. Therefore it has been said: You have ceased all your wrath, you have turned from the anger of your wrath. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and turn your anger from us. Will you be angry with us forever? Or will you extend your wrath from generation to generation? O God, you, turning, will give us life, and your people will rejoice in you. The former things were prophesied concerning the things that would happen throughout the whole earth, which indeed came to pass through the presence of our Savior according to the interpretation that has been given; but the present text contains a prayer on behalf of the people of the circumcision. For since the prophet foresaw by the divine Spirit the disobedience of the Jewish nation toward Christ, and the wrath that would overtake them on account of the audacious things that would be done by them, he reasonably sends up the present prayer on their behalf; so that the psalm no longer seems to contain a contradiction, having prophesied better things for all the earth above, but in the present text going through the prayer as if nothing good had been accomplished. The first things, therefore, were prophesied concerning the benefits provided to the life of men through our Savior; but the second things the prophet prays for on behalf of his kinsmen, supplicating that the wrath against them might cease, and that they too might be deemed worthy of turning to God and of the joy in Christ from God. 23.1021 Show us, Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation. Still these things also the Prophet prays, supplicating that he himself might be deemed worthy to receive with his own eyes the things that were to come through the mercy of God, which indeed were prophesied in the preceding verses. And he exhorts also to obtain the illumination of Christ for men, by saying: And grant us your salvation. For Simeon in the Gospels clearly taught that the salvation is Christ himself; for having taken Jesus in his hands while he was still an infant, he said: Now you dismiss your servant, Master, according to your word in peace. For my eyes have seen your Salvation. The Prophet, therefore, prays to see this very thing; wherefore the Savior says: Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it. I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me, for he will speak peace to his people, and to his saints, and to those who turn their heart. Having prayed, the Prophet gives himself over to silence, believing that he will be heard. Then, expecting to receive an answer, he says to himself: Such were the things of my prayer; it is now time to listen to the Holy Spirit, and to learn from him what he might decree concerning the peace of his people, and concerning those who are to turn through his Christ. Then, having kept quiet for a short while, he is filled with the divine Spirit, and prophesies next in this way, saying But his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land; And by these words he indicates that the salvation of God, about which he prayed above, saying, is about to come upon men any moment now: Show us, Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation. This very Salvation, therefore, he says is very near, and is already close and near to those who fear him, being the cause for glory to dwell and tabernacles to be set up in our land. It is a custom of the divine Scripture to call the Christ of God salvation, as we have often shown through many examples. This indeed the word now also ordains, indicating and teaching that instead of the former dishonor concerning the

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συνεχώρησε. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γῇ, καὶ δηλαδὴ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτὴν, διὰ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐδωρήσατο, καταπαύσας τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὸν θυμὸν, ὧν ἄξιοι τὸ πρὶν ἐτύγχανον οἱ τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντες, ἅτε δὴ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες αὐτοῦ διὰ τὰς τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῶν ὑπερβολάς· ἀλλὰ Θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ, μὴ λογιζόμενος δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώματα. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· Κατέπαυσας πᾶσαν τὴν ὀργήν σου, ἀπέστρεψας ἀπὸ ὀργῆς θυμοῦ σου. Ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν σωτηρίων ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀπόστρεψον τὸν θυμόν σου ἀφ' ἡμῶν. Μὴ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὀργισθήσῃ ἡμῖν; ἢ διατενεῖς τὴν ὀργήν σου ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεάν; Ὁ Θεὸς, σὺ ἐπιστρέψας ζωώσεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὁ λαός σου εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ σοί. Τὰ μὲν πρότερα προεφητεύετο περὶ τῶν γενησομένων καθ' ὅλης τῆς γῆς, ἃ δὴ καὶ τέλους ἔτυχε διὰ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν ἑρμηνείαν· τὰ δὲ προκείμενα εὐχὴν περιέχει ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης προεώρα τῷ θείῳ Πνεύματι τὴν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀπείθειαν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, καὶ τὴν καταληψομένην αὐτοὺς ὀργὴν τῶν τολμηθησομένων αὐτοῖς ἕνεκεν, εἰκότως τὴν προκειμένην εὐχὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀναπέμπει· ὡς μηκέτι δοκεῖν ἐναντιολογίαν περιέχειν τὸν ψαλμὸν, ἀνωτέρω μὲν τὰ χρηστότερα θεσπίσαντα πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, ἐν δὲ τοῖς προκειμένοις, ὡς μηδενὸς ἀγαθοῦ πεπραγμένου τὴν εὐχὴν διεξιόντα. Τὰ τοίνυν πρῶτα περὶ τῶν διὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρασχεθεισῶν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίῳ εὐεργεσιῶν προεφητεύετο· τὰ δὲ δεύτερα ὁ προφήτης ὑπὲρ τῶν ὁμοεθνῶν εὔχεται, ἱκετεύων παύσασθαι μὲν τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ὀργὴν, καταξιωθῆναι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιστροφῆς καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ Χριστῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφροσύνης. 23.1021 ∆εῖξον ἡμῖν, Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν σου δῴης ἡμῖν. Ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Προφήτης εὔχεται, ἱκετεύων καταξιωθῆναι καὶ αὐτὸς ὀφθαλμοῖς παραλαβεῖν τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι διὰ τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἃ δὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω προεφητεύετο. Παρακαλεῖ δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπιλάμψεως τυχεῖν, διὰ τοῦ φάσκειν· Καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν σου δῴης ἡμῖν. Σαφῶς δὲ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Συμεὼν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· λαβὼν γοῦν μετὰ χεῖρας ἔτι νήπιον ὄντα τὸν Ἰησοῦν, εἶπε· Νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸν λόγον σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ Σωτήριόν σου. Τοῦτο οὖν αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ Προφήτης ἰδεῖν εὔχεται· διό φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ· Πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ ὑμεῖς βλέπετε, καὶ οὐκ εἶδον. Ἀκούσομαι τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι λαλήσει εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιστρέφοντας καρδίαν. Εὐξάμενος ὁ Προφήτης, τῇ σιωπῇ ἑαυτὸν παραδίδωσι, πιστεύσας ἐπακουσθήσεσθαι. Εἶτα προσδοκήσας ἀποκρίσεως τυχεῖν φησιν αὐτὸς πρὸς αὑτόν· Τὰ μὲν τῆς εὐχῆς μοι τοιαῦτα γέγονε· καιρὸς δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπακοῦσαι τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ μαθεῖν παρ' αὐτοῦ τί μέλλοι θεσπίζειν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπιστρέφειν. Εἶτα βραχύ τι ἐφησυχάσας, πληροῦται τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ θείου, καὶ προφητεύει ἑξῆς ὧδέ πως λέγων Πλὴν ἐγγὺς τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι δόξαν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν· Παρίστησι δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὅσον οὐδέπω μέλλειν ἐπιστήσεσθαι ἀνθρώποις τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ ἀνωτέρω ηὔξατο εἰπών· ∆εῖξον ἡμῖν, Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν σου δῴης ἡμῖν. Αὐτὸ δὴ οὖν τοῦτό φησι τὸ Σωτήριον ἔγγιστα τυγχάνειν, καὶ πλησίον ἤδη καὶ ἐγγὺς τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν εἶναι, αἴτιον ὑπάρχον τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι δόξαν καὶ σκηνώματα συστῆσαι ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν. Ἔθος δὲ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ σωτήριον ὀνομάζειν, πολλάκις διὰ πολλῶν ἀπεδείξαμεν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν θεσπίζων ὁ λόγος, παρίστη διδάσκων ἀντὶ τῆς προτέρας ἀτιμίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν