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to add concerning the Only-begotten of God; and necessarily so; since he was about to signify through prophecy the one who would be born from the seed of David, he foresees the divinity of the one who will dwell in him; so that we might learn together, what power is about to dwell in him, and that he was the son of David, but the one dwelling in him was the Son of God. God, glorified in the council of saints, great and terrible over all those around him. The one who has no comparison, nor juxtaposition, nor likeness to any of those named sons of God, he shows what sort of person he is, saying: This is the God who is glorified in the council of the saints. And he called the aforementioned Church of the saints the council of saints; and he seemed to have named the Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven a council, analogous to local council chambers. And in this council of the saints is glorified the one who has no comparison, nor likeness to those called sons of God; and not only is he glorified in the council of the saints, but he is also terrible over all those around him. And who would be those around him but the sons 23.1085 of God, who themselves are called gods, concerning whom it is said, God stood in the congregation of gods? For indeed, "In the council of saints," and, "In the church of the firstborn," and, "In the congregation of gods," seem to me to be one and the same. Therefore, standing in the midst of these and attended by these as a bodyguard, the Son of God is said to be glorified and great and terrible. However, Symmachus rendered the preceding text in this way: O invincible God in the great assembly of saints, and terrible among all those around you; and Aquila says: A mighty one greatly strengthened in the secret council of the saints, a multitude, a multitude, and terrible over all those around him. But the meaning of the passage presents the sequence. For since you are mighty, O Lord, he says, and your truth is round about you, it is fitting that you are great, and you are terrible, and you are glorified in the council of saints, and among those who attend upon your divinity, who, perceiving the truth of your promises, send up fitting thanksgivings with wonder at your divinity. Wherefore a little before they were saying: The heavens will confess your wonders, and your truth in the Church of the saints. O Lord God of hosts, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your truth is round about you. You rule the might of the sea, and you calm the surge of its waves. You have humbled the proud one as one wounded; with the arm of your power you have scattered your enemies. And in these things he allows none of the created beings to be like the Son of God who is proclaimed as God; for he is the mighty one, and the God of the mighty, and the Lord of the powers themselves, so that no one is able to speak against him, nor to resist his will; wherefore he both speaks and does all things, as the only mighty one; for the phrase, "Who is like you?" is taken here not in the sense of 'rarely' but in the sense of 'no one'. At any rate, he says that no one is like the one proclaimed as Lord, comparing with him the aforementioned sons of God. For the present things and the former things hold to the same meaning, in which it was said: For who in the clouds will be made equal to the Lord, or who will be likened to the Lord among the sons of God? and now therefore, "Who is like you?" he says, because you are mighty, and the truth of your words, and your promises are about you and with you. For with you is your truth, and with those who surround you; for if any were near you and stood round about, these themselves know your truth. But we on earth, being yet far from you, beholding your mighty works from the things worked by your providence upon the sea, we confess that you are mighty, and your truth is round about you. For of the sea and of so great a body of waters
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ἐπιλέγειν περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀναγκαίως δέ· ἐπειδὴ ἤμελλε τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ γενησόμενον διὰ τῆς προφητείας σημαίνειν, τὴν θεότητα τοῦ κατοικήσοντος ἐν αὐτῷ προθεωρεῖ· ὡς ἂν ὁμοῦ μάθοιμεν, τίς ἡ μέλλουσα κατοικεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ δύναμις, καὶ ὡς ὁ μὲν υἱὸς ἦν ∆αυῒδ, ὁ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικήσων Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ Θεὸς ἐνδοξαζόμενος ἐν βουλῇ ἁγίων, μέγας καὶ φοβερὸς ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς περικύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Τὸν μὴ ἔχοντα σύγκρισιν, μηδὲ παράθεσιν, μηδὲ ὁμοίωσιν πρός τινα τῶν ὠνομασμένων υἱῶν Θεοῦ, ὁποῖός τίς ἐστι παρίστησι λέγων· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἐνδοξαζόμενος ἐν τῇ βουλῇ τῶν ἁγίων. Βουλὴν δὲ ἁγίων προσεῖπε τὴν ἀνωτέρω λεχθεῖσαν Ἐκκλησίαν ἁγίων· καὶ ἐῴκει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς βουλὴν ὠνομακέναι, ἀναλόγως τοῖς κατὰ τόπον βουλευτηρίοις. Ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ βουλῇ τῶν ἁγίων ἐνδοξαζόμενός ἐστιν ὁ μὴ ἔχων σύγκρισιν, μηδὲ ὁμοίωσιν πρὸς τοὺς ὀνομαζομένους υἱοὺς Θεοῦ· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐνδοξαζόμενός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ φοβερὸς ὑπάρχει ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς περικύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Τίνες δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ περικύκλῳ αὐτοῦ ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ υἱοὶ 23.1085 τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ αὐτοὶ θεοὶ χρηματίζοντες, δι' οὓς εἴρηται, Ὁ Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν; Καὶ γὰρ τὸ, Ἐν βουλῇ ἁγίων, καὶ τὸ, Ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων, καὶ τὸ, Ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἓν καὶ ταυτὸν εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ. Τούτων τοιγαροῦν ἐν μέσῳ ἑστὼς καὶ ὑπὸ τούτων δορυφορούμενος ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐνδοξαζόμενος εἴρηται καὶ μέγας καὶ φοβερός. Ὅ γε μὴν Σύμμαχος τὰ προκείμενα τοῦτον ἐξέδωκε τὸν τρόπον· Θεὲ ἀήττητε ἐν ὁμιλίᾳ ἁγίων πολλῇ, καὶ ἐπίφοβος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς περὶ σεαυτόν· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας φησί· Ἰσχυρὸς κατισχυρευόμενος ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ ἁγίων, πλῆθος, πλῆθος, καὶ ἐπίφοβος ἐπὶ πάντας κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ λόγου διάνοια τὴν ἀκολουθίαν παρίστησιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δυνατὸς εἶ, Κύριε, φησὶν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου κύκλῳ σου, εἰκότως μέγας εἶ, καὶ φοβερὸς εἶ, καὶ ἐνδοξαζόμενος εἶ ἐν βουλῇ ἁγίων, καὶ ἐν τοῖς τὴν σὴν θεότητα περιπολοῦσιν, οἳ, τῶν σῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν συνορῶντες, τὰς πρεπούσας εὐχαριστίας μετὰ θαυμασμοῦ τῆς σῆς θεότητος ἀναπέμπουσι. ∆ιὸ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἔλεγον· Ἐξομολογήσονται οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὰ θαυμάσιά σου, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἁγίων. Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; ∆υνατὸς εἶ, Κύριε, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου κύκλῳ σου. Σὺ δεσπόζεις τοῦ κράτους τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸν δὲ σάλον τῶν κυμάτων αὐτῆς σὺ καταπραΰνεις. Σὺ ἐταπείνωσας ὡς τραυματίαν ὑπερήφανον ἐν τῷ βραχίονι τῆς δυνάμεώς σου διεσκόρπισας τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου. Καὶ ἐν τούτοις οὐδὲν ἀφίησι τῶν γενητῶν εἶναι ὅμοιον τῷ θεολογουμένῳ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· αὐτὸν γὰρ εἶναι τὸν δυνατὸν, καὶ τὸν τῶν δυνατῶν Θεὸν, καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν δυνάμεων Κύριον, ὡς μηδένα αὐτῷ ἀντιλέγειν δύνασθαι, μηδὲ τῇ αὐτοῦ βουλῇ ἀνθίστασθαι· δι' ὃ λέγειν αὐτὸν καὶ ποιεῖν, ἅτε μόνον δυνατὸν, τὰ πάντα· τὸ γὰρ, Τίς ὅμοιός σοι; καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ σπανίου, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς παρείληπται. Οὐδένα γοῦν ὅμοιον εἶναί φησι τῷ κυριολογουμένῳ, ἀντιπαραβάλλων αὐτῷ τοὺς ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένους υἱοὺς Θεοῦ. Τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς ἔχεται διανοίας τὰ παρόντα καὶ τὰ πρότερα, ἐν οἷς εἴρητο· Ὅτι τίς ἐν νεφέλαις ἰσωθήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὁμοιωθήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν υἱοῖς Θεοῦ; καὶ νῦν δ' οὖν, Τίς ὅμοιός σοι; φησὶν, ὅτι δυνατὸς εἶ, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια τῶν λόγων σου, αἵ τε ἐπαγγελίαι σου περὶ σὲ καὶ παρὰ σοὶ τυγχάνουσι. Παρὰ σοὶ γάρ ἐστι, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς κυκλοῦσί σε, ἡ ἀλήθειά σου· εἰ γάρ τινές σου πλησίον καὶ κύκλῳ περιεστῶτες εἶεν, οὗτοι αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου γινώσκουσιν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἐπὶ γῆς, ἔτι μακράν σου τυγχάνοντες, τὰς μεγαλουργίας σου ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ θάλασσαν ἐνεργουμένων ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς προνοίας θεωροῦντες, ὁμολογοῦμεν, ὅτι δυνατὸς εἶ, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου κύκλῳ σου. Τῆς τε γὰρ θαλάσσης καὶ τοῦ τοσούτου τῶν ὑδάτων