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the mercy of Christ that has risen upon all men. For just as morning came long ago to the former people according to the visitation of which they were deemed worthy while living in Egypt, so in the last of days the morning mercy shone forth to all the nations through the saving dawn, which those who have been shown are taught to ask to be deemed worthy of through prayer; but also to say with the others: And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us, and let your works appear to your servants and the beauty of the Lord our God; so that they too might be deemed worthy of the saving theophany, and of his divine glory, and of the beauty, about which it is said, "Fair in beauty beyond the sons of men," and of all the other goods conceived according to Christ the God. 2. He who dwells in the help of the Most High shall abide in the shelter of the God of heaven. The psalm is without a title. But is it perhaps not a psalm, but a prophecy containing deeper words about Christ and those perfected in him? The preceding text has much disharmony with the sequence of the psalm above. For the one prophesied the final rejection of the Jewish nation through the prayer of Moses 23.1141; but the present one contains the struggles and trials of the one being perfected according to the Lord; but it also prophesies the temptation of our Savior himself in the wilderness, when he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and his victory over all things. What then does the prophetic word say? The former people, having lamented through the preceding prayer of Moses, confess, saying, "For we have failed in your wrath," and the rest, as was shown through what was presented; but the people who are to be established after that one for God through Christ, trusting in the help of the Most High, and always dwelling in it, remain untroubled and unshaken; so that, lodging under the shelter of God, he will not turn back for any of the temptations, but in each case will say to the Lord: "You are my helper and my refuge, my God, in him I will hope." But instead of, "He who dwells in the help of the Most High," Symmachus has, "He who dwells under the shelter of the Most High"; and Aquila, and the fifth edition, have rendered, "He who sits in the secret place of the Most High"; the word signifying the steadfast and fearless disposition of the one striving according to God in Christ, and how the Most High himself is established as an inhabitant and helper in the secret place of his soul. Again, instead of, "shall abide in the shelter of the God of heaven," Aquila has, "shall abide in the shelter of the sufficient one"; and Symmachus has said, "passing the night under the shadow of the sufficient one." But these things the Holy Spirit spoke as in a prelude; but what follows he addresses to him, and directs the whole discourse to his person, either of the one who strives in Christ and is victorious, or of the man understood according to the Savior, whom the pre-existent Word of God used as an instrument; for this man, dwelling in the help of the Most High, lodged under the shelter of the Word of God dwelling in him, who overshadowed him with his divinity, and had as his helper and refuge and his hopes the power of the Word of God filling him. And just as his human instrument was named the body of Christ, so also his people have been called the body of Christ by the holy Apostle, who says: "But you are the body of Christ, and members in part." It is fitting, therefore, that what is said in the preceding texts concerning the body of Christ should be referred both to the human nature of our Savior, and to the one being perfected in him. These things having been thus said, the discourse next recounts what things will be given by God to the one who dwells in the help of the Most High and lodges under the shelter of God, and says to the Lord: "You are my helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in him." But what things

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ἔλεος Χριστοῦ τὸ ἐπὶ πάντας ἀνατεῖλαν ἀνθρώπους. Ὡς γὰρ πάλαι γέγονε πρωΐα τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ κατὰ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἧς κατηξιώθησαν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διατρίβοντες, οὕτως ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸ ὀρθρινὸν ἔλεος τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐξέλαμψε τοῖς ἔθνεσι διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου ἀνατολῆς, ἧς καταξιωθῆναι διδάσκονται οἱ δηλωθέντες διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς αἰτεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ λέγειν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων· Καὶ ἔστω ἡ λαμπρότης Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ φανήτω παρὰ τοῖς δούλοις σου τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ τὸ κάλλος Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν· ὡς ἂν καὶ αὐτοὶ καταξιωθεῖεν τῆς σωτηρίου θεοφανείας, καὶ τῆς ἐνθέου δόξης αὐτοῦ, τοῦ τε κάλλους, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται, Ὡραῖος κάλλει παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁπάντων τῶν κατὰ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπινοουμένων ἀγαθῶν. ʹ Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται. Ἀνεπίγραφος ὁ ψαλμός. Μήποτε δὲ οὔτε ψαλμὸς τυγχάνει, ἀλλά τις προφητεία βαθυτέρους περιέχουσα λόγους περὶ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τελειουμένων; Πολλὴν δὲ ἀσυμφωνίαν ἔχει τὰ προκείμενα πρὸς τὸν ἀνωτέρω ψαλμὸν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀποβολὴν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διὰ τῆς Μωϋσέως 23.1141 προσευχῆς ἐθέσπιζεν· ὁ δὲ παρὼν τοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ τὰ πειρατήρια τοῦ κατὰ Κύριον τελειουμένου περιέχει· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πειρασμὸν προφητεύει, ὅτε ἀνήχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς τὴν ἔρημον πειρασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσι νίκην αὐτοῦ. Τί δὴ οὖν φησιν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος; Ὁ μὲν πρότερος λαὸς ὁ διὰ τῆς προηγουμένης Μωϋσέως προσευχῆς ἀποκλαυσάμενος ὁμολογεῖ φάσκων, Ὅτι ἐξελίπομεν ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ σου, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ, ὅσα ἐδηλοῦτο διὰ τῶν ἐμφερομένων ὁ δὲ μέλλων συστήσεσθαι μετ' ἐκεῖνον τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λαὸς, ἐπὶ τῇ βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου πεποιθὼς, καὶ ἀεὶ ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικῶν, ἀτάραχος καὶ ἀσάλευτος διαμένει· ὡς ἂν, ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐλιζόμενος, οὐδένα τε τῶν πειρασμῶν ἐπιστραφήσεται, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ ἐρεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεός μου, ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος, Ὁ κατοικῶν ὑπὸ σκέπην τοῦ Ὑψίστου· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις, Ὁ καθήμενος ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ Ὑψίστου, ἐκδεδώκασι· σημαίνοντος τοῦ λόγου τοῦ κατὰ Θεὸν ἐν Χριστῷ ἀγωνιζομένου τὸ ἑδραῖον καὶ ἀπτόητον τῆς διανοίας, καὶ ὡς ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς ἔνοικος ἐγκαθέζεται καὶ βοηθὸς αὐτὸς ὁ Ὕψιστος. Πάλιν δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, Ἐν σκέπῃ ἱκανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ὑπὸ σκιὰν τοῦ ἱκανοῦ νυκτερεύων, εἰρήκασιν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὡς ἐν προοιμίοις τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα διελάλησε· τὰ δ' ἑξῆς αὐτῷ προσφωνεῖ, καὶ τὸν πάντα λόγον εἰς αὐτοῦ πρόσωπον ἀποτείνεται, ἤτοι τοῦ τῷ Χριστῷ ἀγωνιζομένου καὶ νικῶντος, ἢ καὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Σωτῆρα νοουμένου ἀνθρώπου, ᾧ δίκην ὀργάνου κέχρητο ὁ προὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος· καὶ γὰρ οὗτος, ἐν βοηθείᾳ κατοικῶν τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην ηὐλίζετο τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτῷ Θεοῦ Λόγου, ἐπισκιάζοντος αὐτῷ τῇ αὐτοῦ θεότητι, εἶχέ τε ἀντιλήπτορα καὶ καταφυγὴν καὶ ἐλπίδας αὐτοῦ τὴν πληροῦσαν αὐτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου δύναμιν. Ὥσπερ δὲ σῶμα Χριστοῦ τὸ ἀνθρώπειον αὐτοῦ ὄργανον ἐχρημάτισεν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ σῶμα προσηγόρευται ὑπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ, καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους. Εἰκότως τοιγαροῦν τὰ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις λεγόμενα ὡς περὶ τοῦ σώματος Χριστοῦ ἀναφέροιτ' ἂν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀνθρώπειον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ τελειούμενον. Ὧν οὕτως εἰρημένων, ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος διεξέρχεται ὅσα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπάρξει τῷ κατοικοῦντι ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου καὶ αὐλιζομένῳ ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγοντί τε τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν. Τίνα δέ