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to the Holy Spirit prayers, not those sent up through a loud cry, but in the power of the Spirit, he teaches are of such a kind, saying: The Spirit itself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. And so great and rare is the shout so often named by the divine Scriptures, that the one who knows it is called blessed, just as those who are called blessed for their other achievements according to God. Therefore it is said here: Blessed is the people that knoweth the shout. And elsewhere the divine word teaches that such a shout is a sacrifice, saying: I will compass about and sacrifice in his tabernacle a sacrifice of shouting. 23.1096 It seems to me, then, that here the divine Spirit clearly blesses the people of Christ; for this people, having received knowledge of the victory of our Savior against the enemies, shouts against the foes, making the shout on behalf of its own king. But also this people alone is accustomed to offer the bloodless, rational sacrifice to God through a shout, by sending up a harmonious thanksgiving to God in the spiritual sacred rites and in the worships accomplished by us according to the New Covenant, and in the bloodless and immaterial and spiritual sacrifices. But instead of, He who knows the shout, He who knows the signal, Symmachus has interpreted. And why is this people of Christ, which knows the said shout, blessed, but because, recognizing the divinity of the Savior, which is named his countenance, being illumined by the light of his countenance, it makes its journey, saying, The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us; and, In thy light we shall see light? And for this reason, then, this people is blessed. And thirdly, because not content with being enlightened through the knowledge of Christ, and moreover glorying in his name, and being called Christian from him, it rejoices and exults all the day long, or rather every day; for so Symmachus interpreted it; and for this reason, then, it is blessed. And fourthly, because having advanced in greatness and height it is exalted in the righteousness of God, God having judged it right to lead to a height and to great glory the people knowledgeable of the said shout, and the one illumined by the countenance of the Savior, and the one exulting in his name, and the one boasting, but not in its own achievements. And necessarily the word made mention of what was declared, decreeing the achievement of the coming of Christ among men. Therefore, being about to teach the generation of the one who would come forth from the seed of David, and to foretell the destruction of the venerable things of the Jews, for which reason he also says in perplexity, Where are thy ancient mercies, O Lord? he necessarily made the aforementioned teachings about the certain fulfillment of God’s promises to David. But since it was necessary for us to learn beforehand for which people the grace of the Savior's beneficence was stored up, he consequently made mention not of Israel, nor of the nation of the Jews, but of the people that knoweth the shout; and he reasonably blessed this people, promising it very many good things. For because they know the shout, first, they shall walk in the light of the countenance of God; then, they shall exult in his name every day; and third, they shall be exalted in his righteousness; and fourth, the Lord himself will be the boast of their strength. For since this people is strong and mighty, inasmuch as it has been built upon the rock, so that not even the gates of hades prevail against it; it will reasonably boast, but not in its own strength, but in the Lord who founded it upon the rock. And for all these reasons, blessed is the people that 23.1097 knoweth the shout. And the horn of us prophets, who declare these things through the Spirit, will be exalted. But what horn

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ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εὐχὰς, τὰς μὴ διὰ γεγωνοῦ βοῆς, ἀλλὰ ἐν δυνάμει Πνεύματος ἀναπεμπομένας, τοιαύτας εἶναι διδάσκει λέγων· Αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις. Οὕτω δὲ μέγας τίς ἐστι καὶ σπάνιος ὁ πολλάκις ὑπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ὀνομαζόμενος ἀλαλαγμὸς, ὡς μακαρίζεσθαι τὸν ἐπιστήμονα τούτου, ὁμοίως τοῖς μακαριζομένοις ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις κατὰ Θεὸν κατορθώμασι. ∆ιὸ ἐνταῦθα λέλεκται· Μακάριος ὁ λαὸς ὁ γινώσκων ἀλαλαγμόν. Ἐν ἑτέροις δὲ ὁ θεῖος λόγος θυσίαν εἶναι τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀλαλαγμὸν διδάσκει λέγων· Ἐκύκλωσα καὶ ἔθυσα ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ αὐτοῦ θυσίαν ἀλαλαγμοῦ. 23.1096 ∆οκεῖ δὴ οὖν μοι ἐνταῦθα τὸ θεῖον Πνεῦμα σαφῶς μακαρίζειν τὸν Χριστοῦ λαόν· οὗτος γὰρ, γνῶσιν ἀνειληφὼς τῆς κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν νίκης, ἀλαλάζει κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἰκείου βασιλέως τὸν ἀλαλαγμὸν ποιούμενος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν θυσίαν τὴν ἄναιμον λογικὴν μόνος οὗτος ὁ λαὸς δι' ἀλαλαγμοῦ εἴωθε προσφέρειν τῷ Θεῷ, διὰ τοῦ σύμφωνον ἀναπέμπειν τῷ Θεῷ εὐχαριστίαν ἐν ταῖς πνευματικαῖς ἱερουργίαις καὶ ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Καινὴν ∆ιαθήκην ἐπιτελουμέναις ἡμῖν λατρείαις, ταῖς τε ἀναίμοις καὶ ἀΰλοις καὶ πνευματικαῖς θυσίαις. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ὁ γινώσκων ἀλαλαγμὸν, Ὁ γινώσκωνσημασίαν, ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μακάριός ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ Χριστοῦ λαὸς ὁ τὸν εἰρημένον ἀλαλαγμὸν ἐπιστάμενος, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπειδήπερ τὴν θεότητα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιγινώσκων, ἥτις ὠνόμασται πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καταυγαζόμενος, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖται πορείαν λέγων, Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε· καὶ, Ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα τὸ φῶς; Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν μακάριός ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ λαός. Καὶ τρίτον ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀρκούμενος τῷ διὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ φωτίζεσθαι, ἔτι καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ σεμνυνόμενος, καὶ Χριστιανὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ καλούμενος, χαίρει καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, μᾶλλον δὲ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν ἐστι μακάριος. Καὶ τέταρτον ἐπειδὴ εἰς μέγεθος καὶ ὕψος ἐπιδοὺς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνῃ ὑψοῦται, δίκαιον εἶναι κρίναντος τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς ὕψος ἄγειν καὶ ἐπὶ μέγα δόξης τὸν ἐπιστήμονα τοῦ εἰρημένου ἀλαλαγμοῦ λαὸν, καὶ τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωτιζόμενον, καὶ τὸν ἐν ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἀγαλλόμενον, καὶ τὸν ἐγκαυχώμενον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις κατορθώμασιν. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ καὶ τοῦ δηλωθέντος μνήμην ὁ λόγος ἐποιήσατο, θεσπίζων τὸ κατόρθωμα τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας. Μέλλων γοῦν τὴν γένεσιν διδάσκειν τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ προελευσομένου, καὶ τὴν καταστροφὴν τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίων σεμνῶν προαγορεύειν, δι' ἣν καὶ ἀπορῶν ἐπιλέγει, Ποῦ ἐστι τὰ ἐλέη σου τὰ ἀρχαῖα, Κύριε; ἀναγκαίως περὶ μὲν τοῦ ἐπαληθεύσειν ἐξ ἅπαντος τὰς πρὸς τὸν ∆αυῒδ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίας τὰς προειρημένας ἐποιήσατο διδασκαλίας. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐχρῆν προμαθεὶν ἡμᾶς καὶ ποίῳ λαῷ ἡ χάρις τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος εὐεργεσίας ἐταμιεύετο, ἀκολούθως ἐμνημόνευσεν οὐ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, οὐδὲ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, ἀλλὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ γινώσκοντος ἀλαλαγμόν· καὶ τοῦτον εἰκότως τὸν λαὸν ἐμακάρισε, πλεῖστα αὐτῷ ἀγαθὰ ἐπαγγειλάμενος. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ εἰδέναι ἀλαλαγμὸν, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ πορεύσονται, ἔπειτα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἀγαλλιάσονται καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· καὶ τρίτον ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτοῦ ὑψωθήσονται· καὶ τέταρτον καύχημα τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῶν ἔσται αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς τυγχάνει ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, ἅτε ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν ᾠκοδομημένος, ὡς μήτε πύλας ᾅδου κατισχύειν αὐτοῦ· εἰκότως καυχήσεται, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ τεθεμελιωκότι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν Κυρίῳ. ∆ιὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάντα μακάριος ὁ λαὸς ὁ γι 23.1097 νώσκων ἀλαλαγμόν. Καὶ ἡμῶν δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ταῦτα θεσπιζόντων διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος προφητῶν τὸ κέρας ὑψωθήσεται. Ποῖον δὲ κέρας