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to pre-exist, so that we might thus enjoy adoption, and be deemed worthy to call him Father. But to me it seems he is hinting at something else, saying: for, "In his saints," means this: through his saints. Give thanks, therefore, that he introduced such a way of life that made men angels. This is why, having first said, "In his saints," he then added: "Praise him in the firmament of his power"; showing what I said before. For this is more of a concern to God than that. For heaven was made for man, not man for heaven. Another, instead of "in the firmament," said, "In the indestructible." And another, "In the firmament of his might." And again it seems to me to hint at something else, as in the previous psalm. For as he said there, "Praise him, you his angels," so also here, "Praise him in his firmament"; that is, those who are in his firmament. For he does not cease to continually take the powers above as partners in his praise. Praise him for his mighty acts. Another, "Through his mighty acts." The Hebrew says, *Begeburothau*. What he says is this: Praise him for his mighty acts, for his power, for his wonders, for the strength which he displays through all things, things above, things below, things in common, things in particular, of each one, things perpetually. Praise him according to the multitude of his greatness. And how is this possible, to offer praise equivalent to the multitude of his greatness? He does not mean equivalent, but, he says, as much as it is possible to extend, contemplating the multitude of his greatness, offer such as you can, and such a hymn as is fitting for a man to offer to so great a God, and one great beyond measure; for no one is able to offer what is worthy. Have you seen the longing of a soul? Have you seen a mind set on fire, straining, striving both to overcome its own weakness and to fly up at last to heaven itself, bound to God, devoted to him with much longing? Praise him with the sound of a trumpet. Another, "With the sound of a horn." Praise him with the psaltery and lyre. Another, "With the nabla and lyre." Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe. Another, "With strings and a lyre." Praise him with well-sounding cymbals; praise him with cymbals of jubilation. Another, "With cymbals of signal." Let every breath praise 55.497 the Lord. Another, "Breathing." He sets all the instruments in motion, and through them all he exhorts the melody to be offered up, warming and rousing their minds. Just as, then, for the Jews it was through all the instruments, so he exhorts us to praise God through all our members: through the eye, through the tongue, through hearing, and through the hand. This is what Paul also makes clear when he says: "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." For the eye also praises, when it does not look licentiously; and the tongue, when it sings psalms; and hearing, when it does not receive wicked songs, nor accusations against a neighbor; and the mind, when it does not weave deceits but gushes with love; and the feet, when they do not run to evil, but to the stewardship of good works; and the hands, when they are not stretched out for plunder and greed and blows, but for almsgiving and the protection of the wronged. Then man becomes a melodious lyre, offering a certain all-harmonious and spiritual melody to God. And those instruments were permitted at that time for this reason: because of their weakness, and to mix them in love and harmony, and to rouse their minds with pleasure to do the things that provide benefit, and because he wished to lead them to great diligence through such entertainment. For God, devising against their coarseness and laziness and indolence, contrived by this wisdom to awaken them from 55.498 sleep, mingling with the labor of attendance the sweetness of the

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προϋπάρξαι, ὥστε τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἡμᾶς οὕτως ἀπολαῦσαι, καὶ καλέσαι Πατέρα ἀξιωθῆναι. Ἐμοὶ δὲ ἕτερον δοκεῖ αἰνίττεσθαι λέγων· τὸ γὰρ, Ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, τοῦτό ἐστι, διὰ τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ. Εὐχαριστεῖτε οὖν, ὅτι τοιαύτην πολιτείαν εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσήγαγεν, ἢ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀγγέλους ἐποίησε. ∆ιὸ πρότερον, Ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις εἰπὼν, τότε ἐπήγαγεν· Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν στερεώματι δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ· ἐμφαίνων ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπών. Τοῦτο γὰρ μᾶλλον τῷ Θεῷ περισπούδαστον, ἢ ἐκεῖνο. Καὶ γὰρ οὐρανὸς διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον γέγονεν, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὸν οὐρανόν. Ἕτερος δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐν στερεώματι, Τῷ ἀκαθαιρέτῳ εἶπε. Καὶ ἄλλος, Ἐν στερεώματι κράτους αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἕτερον δέ μοι δοκεῖ αἰνίττεσθαι πάλιν, ὡς ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ ψαλμῷ. Ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖ εἶπεν, Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν στερεώματι αὐτοῦ· τουτέστιν, οἱ ὄντες ἐν στερεώματι αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ παύεται συνεχῶς κοινωνοὺς λαμβάνων τῆς εὐφημίας τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις. Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ταῖς δυναστείαις αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος, ∆ιὰ τῶν δυναστειῶν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖός φησιν, Βεγεβουροθαῦ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν διὰ τὰς δυναστείας αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὰ θαύματα αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν, ἣν διὰ πάντων ἐπιδείκνυται, τῶν ἄνω, τῶν κάτω, τῶν κοινῇ, τῶν ἰδίᾳ, τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον, τῶν διηνεκῶς. Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πῶς τοῦτο δυνατὸν, ἀντίῤῥοπον τοῦ πλήθους τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ αἶνον ἀναγαγεῖν; Οὐ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἀντίῤῥοπον, ἀλλ' ὅσον, φησὶ, δυνατὸν ἐκτείνειν, ἐννοῶν τὸ πλῆθος τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ, τοιοῦτον ὡς ἐγχωρεῖ σοι ἀνάφερε, καὶ οἷον εἰκὸς τοιούτῳ μεγάλῳ Θεῷ καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς μεγάλῳ ἀναφέρειν ὕμνον ἄνθρωπον ὄντα· καὶ γὰρ ἄξιον οὐδεὶς ἀνενεγκεῖν δύναται. Εἶδες πόθον ψυχῆς; εἶδες ἐκκαιομένην διάνοιαν, βιαζομένην, φιλονεικοῦσαν καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν ὑπερβῆναι, καὶ ἀναπτῆναι λοιπὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν, συνδεδεμένην τῷ Θεῷ, ἀνακειμένην αὐτῷ πολλῷ τῷ πόθῳ; Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν ἤχῳ σάλπιγγος. Ἄλλος, ∆ι' ἤχου κερατίνης. Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ καὶ κιθάρᾳ. Ἄλλος, ∆ιὰ νάβλας καὶ λύρας. Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τυμπάνῳ καὶ χορῷ· αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν χορδαῖς καὶ ὀργάνῳ. Ἄλλος, ∆ιὰ χορδῶν καὶ κιθάρας. Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν κυμβάλοις εὐήχοις· αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν κυμβάλοις ἀλαλαγμοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ἐν κυμβάλοις σημασίας. Πᾶσα πνοὴ αἰ 55.497 νεσάτω τὸν Κύριον. Ἄλλος, Ἀναπνοή. Πάντα ἀνακινεῖ τὰ ὄργανα, καὶ διὰ πάντων τὴν μελῳδίαν ἀναφέρεσθαι παρακελεύεται, διαθερμαίνων τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνεγείρων. Ὥσπερ οὖν Ἰουδαίοις διὰ πάντων τῶν ὀργάνων, οὕτως ἡμῖν παρακελεύεται διὰ πάντων τῶν μελῶν ἀνυμνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, δι' ὀφθαλμοῦ, διὰ γλώττης, δι' ἀκοῆς, καὶ διὰ χειρός. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλοῖ λέγων· Παραστήσατε τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζῶσαν, ἁγίαν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν. Αἰνεῖ γὰρ καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς, ὅταν μὴ ἀκόλαστα βλέπῃ· καὶ γλῶττα, ὅταν ψάλλῃ· καὶ ἀκοὴ, ὅταν μὴ δέχηται πονηρὰ ᾄσματα, μηδὲ κατηγορίας τοῦ πλησίον· καὶ διάνοια, ὅταν μὴ δόλους ῥάπτῃ, ἀλλὰ ἀγάπην βρύῃ· καὶ πόδες, ὅταν μὴ ἐπὶ πονηρίαν τρέχωσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἀγαθῶν ἔργων οἰκονομίαν· καὶ χεῖρες, ὅταν μὴ ἐπὶ ἁρπαγὴν καὶ πλεονεξίαν καὶ πληγὰς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀδικουμένων προστασίαν ἐκτείνωνται. Τότε γίνεται κιθάρα ἐμμελὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, παναρμόνιόν τινα μελῳδίαν καὶ πνευματικὴν ἀναφέρων τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ τὰ ὄργανα δὲ ἐκεῖνα διὰ τοῦτο ἐπετέτραπτο τότε, διά τε τὴν ἀσθένειαν αὐτῶν, καὶ διὰ τὸ κιρνᾷν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀγάπην καὶ συμφωνίαν, καὶ ἐγείρειν αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν μεθ' ἡδονῆς ποιεῖν τὰ τὴν ὠφέλειαν παρεχόμενα, καὶ εἰς πολλὴν βούλεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἄγειν σπουδὴν διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ψυχαγωγίας. Τὸ γὰρ βάναυσον αὐτῶν καὶ ῥᾴθυμον καὶ ἀναπεπτωκὸς σοφιζόμενος ὁ Θεὸς, ἀφ 55.498 υπνίζειν αὐτοὺς ταύτῃ μεθώδευσε τῇ σοφίᾳ, ἀνακεράσας τῷ πόνῳ τῆς προσεδρίας τὸ ἡδὺ τῆς