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the form of prayer. For let them be ashamed, he says, who seek my soul, to take it away. Let them be turned back and be confounded who wish me evil. Let them receive their shame immediately who say to me, "Well done, well done." Let all who seek you, O Lord, rejoice and be glad in you, and let those who love your salvation say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified." For only the demons plot against the soul; but the plotting of the soul is alienation from God through the passionate disposition that arises. Therefore, that he might not suffer this, he prays for the shame of those who wrestle against him. And this is nothing other than to pray for a victory for himself against his enemies; and the enemies are the passions. Thus Jeremiah, having a zeal for piety, when the king and the people were practicing idolatry, does not treat any private passion, but offers his supplication to God on behalf of the common good of men, deeming that all humanity should be brought to its senses by the impulse against those who acted impiously. And Hosea condemns the evil that was then prolific among the Israelites to childlessness, and wishes the bitter nipples of sin to be dried up, so that evil might neither be born nor nurtured among men. And if any other such saying is found among the saints that has an emphasis of anger, it certainly looks to such a thought, which banishes evil; it does not crush the man. But if someone wishes to understand the things of David differently, as the Prophet subjecting to curses those living in impiety; even so he will find the prophecy agreeing with the apostolic teaching. For Paul, writing to the Corinthians, has set such a conclusion: If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema. For it is characteristic of those who love ardently to hate those who hate the one who is loved. Perhaps also David through these things signifies the 23.1296 state after the resurrection, when he also says that the Lord rejoices in his works, the sinners having ceased from the earth. For how will someone be named from sin, when sin does not exist? Pray such things also: Open, O Lord, your rich hand for the supply of spiritual beneficence; that my most bitter and harsh soul may be filled with goodness. Send forth your Holy Spirit, and renew my corrupted earth, that then I may rejoice in your works, the demonic sorceries having ceased from my heart. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Here, having resolved everything into a doxology, he concludes the psalm with the same verse in praise, placing the roof securely with the foundation on the discourse, and adding an end similar to the beginning. For you, he says, O soul, continually praise your creator and Savior. For he will also remove you from the lot of the wicked, and will make you to be deemed worthy of the saints. And make blessing to him the beginning and end of your discourse. For perpetual blessing of God directs our life toward well-being. ALLELUIA. 104. Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his name; declare his works among the nations. Sing to him and chant psalms to him, recount all his wondrous deeds. Of those inscribed "Alleluia," the present psalm happens to be the first. But "Alleluia" is a mystical exhortation stirring up the hearing to the praise of God; so that its meaning is this, "Praise the Lord." For in those parts of holy Scripture where this phrase is added, which says, "Praise the Lord," such a thing is signified by "Alleluia" in the Hebrew words. "Allelou" is understood as "praise," which has reference to God; while "ia" is one of the interpretive names of the divine nature. But the whole, "Alleluia," is jointly interpreted as "Praise of God." Whenever

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εὐχῆς τὸ εἶδος· Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχήν μου, τοῦ ἐξᾶραι αὐτήν. Ἀποστραφήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἐντραπήτωσαν οἱ θέλοντές μοι κακά. Κομισάσθωσαν παραχρῆμα αἰσχύνην αὐτῶν οἱ λέγοντές μοι, Εὖγε, εὖγε. Ἀγαλλιάσαιντο καὶ εὐφρανθείησαν ἐπὶ σοὶ πάντες οἱ ζητοῦντές σε, Κύριε, καὶ εἰπάτωσαν διαπαντὸς, Μεγαλυνθήτω ὁ Κύριος, οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸ σωτήριόν σου. Μόνοι γὰρ οἱ δαίμονες εἰς ψυχὴν ἐπιβουλεύουσι· ψυχῆς δὲ ἐπιβουλὴ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσις διὰ τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς γινομένης διαθέσεως. Ὡς ἂν οὖν μὴ τοῦτο πάθοι, αἰσχύνην τῶν ἀντιπαλαιόντων εὔχεται. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ ἑαυτῷ νίκην κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπεύξασθαι· οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι τὰ πάθη εἰσίν. Οὕτως Ἱερεμίας ζῆλον τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔχων, εἰδωλολατροῦντος τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, οὐκ ἴδιόν τι θεραπεύει πάθος, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων προσάγει τῷ Θεῷ τὴν δέησιν, τῇ κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβησάντων ὁρμῇ ἅπαν σωφρονισθῆναι ἀξιῶν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. Καὶ Ὠσηὲ δὲ πολυγονοῦσαν τότε τὴν κακίαν ἐν τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τῇ ἀτεκνίᾳ καταδικάζει, καὶ τὰς πικρὰς θηλὰς τῆς ἁμαρτίας ξηρανθῆναι βούλεται, ὡς ἂν μήτε τίκτοιτο ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸ κακὸν, μήτε τρέφοιτο. Καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος τοιοῦτος ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις εὑρεθῇ λόγος θυμοῦ ἔμφασιν ἔχων, πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην πάντως διάνοιαν βλέπει, ἢ ἐξορίζει τὸ κακόν· οὐκ ἐπιτρίβει τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Εἰ δέ τις ἑτέρως τὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ νοεῖν βούλεται, ὡς τοῦ Προφήτου τοὺς δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶντας ἀραῖς ὑποβάλλοντος· καὶ οὕτως εὑρήσει τῇ ἀποστολικῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τὴν προφητείαν συμβαίνουσαν. Παῦλος γὰρ Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλων, τοιοῦτον ἀκροτελεύτιον τέθεικεν· Εἴ τις οὐ φιλεῖ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, ἤτω ἀνάθεμα. Ἴδιον γὰρ τῶν θερμῶς ἀγαπώντων τὸ μισεῖν τοὺς μισοῦντας τὸν ἀγαπώμενον. Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὴν 23.1296 μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν διὰ τούτων ὁ ∆αυῒδ σημαίνει κατάστασιν, ὅτε καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι τὸν Κύριον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ λέγει, ἐκλιπόντων τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. Πῶς γάρ τις ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ὀνομασθήσεται, τῆς ἁμαρτίας οὐκ οὔσης; Τοιαῦτα εὔχου καὶ σύ· Ἄνοιξον, Κύριε, τὴν πλουσίαν σου χεῖρα εἰς χορηγίαν πνευματικῆς εὐεργεσίας· ἵνα ἡ πικροτάτη καὶ ἀπηνής μου ψυχὴ πλησθῇ χρηστότητος. Ἀπόστειλον τὸ Πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἀνακαίνισον τὴν κατεφθαρμένην μου γῆν, ἵνα τότε εὐφρανθῶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις σου, τῶν δαιμονικῶν μαγγανευμάτων ἐκλιπόντων ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας μου. Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον. Ἐνταῦθα καταλύσας τὸ πᾶν εἰς δοξολογίαν, εἰς εὐφημίαν τῷ αὐτῷ στίχῳ συγκλείει τὸν ψαλμὸν, ἀσφαλῆ μετὰ τοῦ θεμελίου τὸν ὄροφον ἐπιθεὶς τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ τῷ προοιμίῳ ἐοικὸς τὸ τέλος ἐπαγαγών. Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὦ ψυχὴ, ἐνδελεχῶς τὸν σὸν ὕμνει δημιουργὸν καὶ Σωτῆρα. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ τοῦ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀποστήσει κλήρου, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀξιοῦσθαι ποιήσει. Καὶ ἀρχὴν τοῦ λόγου καὶ τέλος τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν εὐλογίαν ποιοῦ. Εὐλογία γὰρ Θεοῦ διηνεκὴς εἰς εὐζωΐαν ῥυθμίζει τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον. ἈΛΛΗΛΟΥΙΑ. Ρ∆ʹ. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐπικαλεῖσθε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ· ἀπαγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Ἄσατε αὐτῷ καὶ ψάλατε αὐτῷ, διηγήσασθε πάντα τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ. Τῶν ἐπιγεγραμμένων Ἀλληλούϊα πρῶτος ὁ παρὼν τυγχάνει ψαλμός. Ἔστι δὲ τὸ Ἀλληλούϊα παρακέλευσις μυστικὴ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμνῳδίαν τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐπεγείρουσα· ἵνα τοιοῦτον ᾖ τούτου τὸ σημαινόμενον, Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον. Ἐν οἷς γὰρ μέρεσι τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς αὕτη πρόσκειται ἡ φωνὴ, ἡ λέγουσα, Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, διὰ τοῦ Ἀλληλούϊα ἐν ταῖς Ἑβραϊκαῖς φωναῖς τὸ τοιοῦτον σημαίνεται. Τὸ μὲν Ἀλληλοὺ αἶνος νοεῖται, ὃς εἰς Θεὸν τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει· τὸ δὲ Ἴα ἓν τῶν ἑρμηνευτικῶν τῆς φύσεως τῆς θείας ἐστὶν ὄνομα. Ὅλον δὲ κοινῇ τὸ, Ἀλληλούϊα, Αἶνος Θεοῦ ἑρμηνεύεται. Ὅταν