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anointed with divinity, and for this reason proclaimed Christ; and through him the Gospel was preached to those whose souls were captive, in accordance with the prophecy. The prophets of the Jewish nation, therefore, did not sing such things, nor did they preach gospels of good things to those of their time; but such things as Moses said to the people in a great song: Blemished children, a crooked and perverse generation, do you repay the Lord thus? O foolish and unwise people? and the things that follow this; among which is also this, They provoked me with what is not God, they embittered me with their abominations. They sacrificed to demons, and not to God; and this, They made me jealous with what is not God, they angered me with their idols. And Isaiah, singing a song appropriate to these things, said: I will sing now to my beloved a song of my beloved, for my vineyard; to which he adds: What shall I do to my vineyard, since I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns? I will take away its hedge, and it will be for plundering; and I will tear down its tower, and it will be for trampling; and I will let my vineyard go, and the things that follow these. And Jeremiah also sang laments against the Jewish people; and the other prophets likewise, lamenting their fall, sang appropriate odes to them. But the new song preached as good news to the nations was not like those, containing promises of new and recent good things, and addressed not to the Jewish people, but to the whole earth. And very precisely the inscription says the new song will be preached as good news to all the nations, When the house was being built after the captivity. For in another sense, after the captivity of the Jews and after their fall, and the wrath from God that came upon them, which the psalm before this prophesied, saying, They always go astray in their heart. They have not known my ways, so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest, the people inhabiting the whole earth, both barbarians and Greeks, when the house of God was established among them, that is, his Church, were taught to sing the new song, having put aside the demonic and polytheistic error. From that time they also proclaim the salvation of God as good news, using the readings of the holy Gospels throughout the whole world. Proclaim his salvation from day to day; declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples. And to whom is it fitting to think these things are commanded, if not to those who later fulfilled them by their deeds, that is, to those who preached the salvation of God to all the nations? For the divine Spirit from above and long before urged them to do this. And to these same ones he also addresses what follows, as to those who are about to declare the glory of the Lord among all the nations, and are about to preach his wonders among all peoples. Who then were those who accomplished these things by their deeds? If it were possible to show others, either in the times of Cyrus, or in those of Darius, such are the preceding commands given to the disciples of Jesus, hearing this: Go and make disciples of all nations. For the Holy Spirit wants them to accomplish the work of the gospel with intense and unceasing diligence; for by, from day to day, he indicates this, that they should continuously proclaim the salvation, about which it is said: This is truly the Savior of the world. Bring to the Lord, you families of the nations, bring to the Lord glory and honor, bring to the Lord glory to his name. Not in vain did he command to sing a new song in the introduction of the psalm, but because the calling of the present psalm is new, the preaching is new. For the nations, as you see, who are called are not to bring calves nor lambs, nor any external offering of imperfect things (for every irrational thing is deficient), but they are required to sacrifice themselves, and glory and honor as

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θεότητος κεχρισμένον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Χριστὸν ἀνηγορευμένον· δι' αὐτοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῖς τὰς ψυχὰς αἰχμαλώτοις κεκηρῦχθαι ἀκολούθως τῇ προφητείᾳ. Οἱ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους προφῆται οὐ τοιαῦτα ᾖδον, οὐδ' ἀγαθῶν Εὐαγγέλια τοῖς καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐκήρυττον· ἀλλ' ὁποῖα Μωϋσῆς ἐν μεγάλῃ ᾠδῇ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν φάσκων· Τέκνα μωμητὰ, γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη, ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε; οὕτω λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ οὐχὶ σοφός; καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα· ἐν οἷς ἐστι καὶ τὸ, Παρώξυνάν με ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις, ἐν βδελύγμασιν αὐτῶν ἐξεπίκρανάν με. Ἔθυσαν δαιμονίοις, καὶ οὐ Θεῷ· καὶ τὸ, Αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ Θεῷ, παρώργισάν με ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν. Καὶ Ἡσαΐας δὲ τούτοις κατάλληλον ᾄδων ᾆσμα ἔλεγεν· Ἄσω δὴ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ᾆσμα τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ μου, τῷ ἀμπε 23.1221 λῶνί μου· οἷς ἐπιλέγει· Τί ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου, ὅτι ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας; Καθελῶ τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς διαρπαγήν· καὶ καθελῶ τὸν πύργον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς καταπάτημα· καὶ ἀνήσω τὸν ἀμπελῶνά μου, καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα τούτοις. Θρήνους δὲ καὶ Ἱερεμίας ᾖδε κατὰ τοῦ Ἰουδαίωνλαοῦ· καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ ὁμοίως προφῆται, τὴν πτῶσιν αὐτῶν ἀπολοφυρόμενοι, ᾠδὰς αὐτοῖς ᾖδον καταλλήλους. Τὸ δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελιζόμενον ᾆσμα καινὸν οὐκ ἦν ἐκείνοις ὅμοιον, καινῶν δὲ καὶ νέων ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίας περιέχον, καὶ οὐ τῷ Ἰουδαίων λαῷ, ἀλλὰ πάσῃ τῇ γῇ προσπεφωνημένα. Σφόδρα δὲ ἀκριβῶς ἡ προγραφὴ τὸ καινὸν ᾆσμά φησι εὐαγγελισθήσεσθαι πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Ὅτε ὁ οἶκος ᾠκοδομεῖτο μετὰ μὲν αἰχμαλωσίαν. Καὶ ἄλλως γὰρ μετὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίων αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόπτωσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὴν ἐπελθοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἐκ Θεοῦ ὀργὴν, ἣν ἐθέσπισεν ὁ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμὸς εἰπὼν, Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ. Αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου, ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου, εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου, οἱ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντες ἄνθρωποι βάρβαροί τε καὶ Ἕλληνες, ὁπηνίκα παρ' αὐτοῖς ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ συνέστη, δηλαδὴ ἡ Ἐκκλησία αὐτοῦ, τὸ καινὸν ᾆσμα ᾄδειν ἐδιδάχθησαν, τὸ τῆς δαιμονικῆς καὶ πολυθέου πλάνης ἀποθέμενοι. Ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐαγγελίζονται, καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τοῖς τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἀναγνώσμασι χρώμενοι. Εὐαγγελίζεσθε ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ· ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τίσι ταῦτα προσήκει νομίζειν προστάττεσθαι ἢ τοῖς δι' ἔργων ὕστερόν ποτε αὐτὰ πεπληρωκόσι, τοῖς δηλαδὴ εὐαγγελισαμένοις εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ; Τούτοις γὰρ τὸ θεῖον Πνεῦμα ἄνωθεν καὶ πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦτο πράττειν παρεκελεύετο. Τοῖς αὐτοῖς δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς προσφωνεῖ, ὡς ἂν μέλλουσιν ἀναγγέλλειν τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν δόξαν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι, μέλλουσί τε ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ κηρύττειν. Τίνες οὖν ἦσαν οἱ ταῦτα δι' ἔργων ἐπιτελέσαντες; Εἰ μὲν ἦν ἑτέρους δυνατὸν ἐπιδεικνύναι, ἤτοι κατὰ τοὺς Κύρου χρόνους, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς ∆αρείου τοιούτους αἱ προκείμεναι προστάξεις γίγνονται τοῖς Ἰησοῦ μαθηταῖς, ἀκούουσι τό· Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Βούλεται γὰρ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον συντόνῳ καὶ ἀδιαστάτῳ σπουδῇ ἐπιτελεῖν αὐτοὺς τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν ἔργον· τῇ γὰρ, ἡμέρᾳ ἐξ ἡμέρας, τοῦτο παρίστησι, τὸ διηνεκῶς αὐτοὺς εὐαγγελίζεσθαι τὸ σωτήριον, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου. Ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κυρίῳ, αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κυρίῳ δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν, ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κυρίῳ δόξαν ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. Οὐ μάτην ᾆσμα καινὸν ᾄδειν ἐν προοιμίοις τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἐκέλευσεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καινή τις κλῆσις τοῦ παρόντος ψαλμοῦ, καινὸν τὸ κήρυγμα. Ἔθνη γὰρ, ὡς ὁρᾷς, οἱ καλούμενοι οὐ μόσχους οὐδ' ἄρνας, οὐδ' ἔξωθεν εἰσ 23.1224 φοράν τινα τῶν οὐ τελείων (πᾶν γὰρ ἄλογον ἐνδεὲς), αὐτοὶ δὲ αὐτοὺς θύειν ἀπαιτούμενοι, δόξαν τε καὶ τιμὴν ὡς