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he endures defeat through hope in God. He has distributed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever and ever, his horn shall be exalted with glory. The sinner shall see it and be angered, he shall gnash his teeth and waste away; the desire of the sinner shall perish. Since the whole discourse has been about those perfected through faith, and about the people from the Gentiles who worship God according to the divine teaching, it follows that he also mentions those of the circumcision who are cut to the quick at the progress of those from the Gentiles. Wherefore it is said: The sinner shall see it and be angered, he shall gnash his teeth and waste away, as one who, though lawless, has received the law, but has transgressed it. Such is every one of the circumcision, who gnashes his teeth at our salvation. But also the unbelievers of the Gentiles suffer the same thing at the progress of those from among them who have converted to the life according to God. However, both orders, being cut to the quick against those perfected in Christ, will waste away, their desire perishing. ALLELUIA OF HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH. 112. Praise the Lord, O children, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. The discourse, having in the preceding psalm sketched out in every way the man who has become blessed through the fear of the Lord, and having described both the life of such men and their conduct according to God, and the end for these things with God, teaches in the present [psalm] who these men are, and to whom they are similar, calling them children because of the newness and newly-born state of their soul's age, and calls them to the praise of God. Instead of 'children,' Aquila and Symmachus have named them 'servants,' saying: 'Hymn, O servants, the Lord, hymn the name of the Lord.' For children differ in no way from servants, being disciplined by the fear of servitude. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. As to children who are ignorant of how they ought to hymn the Lord, the prophetic Spirit, in the manner of a tutor and teacher, delivers the very words. And this is a prayer offered up on behalf of us children ourselves, that the name of the Lord may remain with us perpetually, not fleeing from us, but resting in our life. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, his glory is above the heavens. And when did the word attain its fulfillment but after the appearance of our Savior Jesus Christ? For before this, God was said to be known only in Judea, and his name was great only in Israel, while the nations outside of Judea were enslaved to demons and unclean spirits, and for those who clung to idolatry the name of the Lord did not even come to mind. But when our Lord Jesus Christ himself appeared and sent forth his disciples to all the nations, then was fulfilled the hymn delivered to all through the preceding words. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, and looks upon the humble things in heaven and on earth? And through these words the new people is taught that even if our Lord has been taken up, and is at the right hand of the Father, yet even so the whole earth is full and enjoys his oversight. Does not what has been said seem to be great? But when you consider about whom it is said, it is very inadequate. For how does he who fills heaven and earth dwell in the heavens, he who is present everywhere, who says: 'I am a God at hand, and not a God afar off,' he who measured the heaven with a span and the earth with his hand, who holds the circle of the earth? But since his discourse was to the Jews, for this reason he for the time being uses the word thus, condescending to their denseness; then little by little
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ἧτταν διὰ τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδα παραμένει. Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν· ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ ὑψωθήσεται ἐν δόξῃ. Ἁμαρτωλὸς ὄψεται καὶ ὀργισθήσεται, τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ βρύξει καὶ τακήσεται, ἐπιθυμία ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἀπολεῖται. Ἐπειδὴ περὶ τῶν διὰ πίστεως τελειουμένων ὁ πᾶς λόγος, καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαοῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν θείαν διδασκαλίαν θεοσεβοῦντος, εἴρηται, ἀκολούθως μνημονεύει καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς διαπριομένων ἐπὶ τῇ προκοπῇ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· Ἁμαρτωλὸς ὄψεται καὶ ὀργισθήσεται, τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ βρύξει καὶ τακήσεται, ὡς τοῦ παρανόμου μὲν εἰληφότος νόμον, παραβεβηκότος δὲ αὐτόν. Τοιοῦτος δὲ πᾶς ὁ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ὃς ἐπὶ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ σωτηρίᾳ τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ βρύχει. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄπιστοι ταὐτὸν πάσχουσιν ἐπὶ τῇ προκοπῇ τῶν ἐξ αὐτῶν μεταβεβηκότων ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείαν. Πλὴν ἀμφότερα τὰ τάγματα διαπριόμενα κατὰ τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ τελειουμένων ἐκτακήσεται, τῆς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν ἀπολλυμένης. ΑΛΛΗΛΟΥΙΑ ΑΓΓΑΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΖΑΧΑΡΙΟΥ. ΡΙΒʹ. Αἰνεῖτε, παῖδες, τὸν Κύριον, αἰνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Πάντα τὸν διὰ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι Κύριον μακάριον γεγενημένον ἄνδρα ὑποτυπωσάμενος ὁ λόγος ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ, τόν τε βίον τῶν τοιούτων καὶ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείαν, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις παρὰ Θεῷ τέλος ὑπογράψας ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ, τίνες ποτέ εἰσιν οὗτοι, καὶ τίνων τυγχάνουσι παραπλήσιοι διδάσκει, παῖδας αὐτοὺς καλῶν διὰ τὸ νεαρὸν καὶ ἀρτιγενὲς τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἡλικίας, καὶ τούτους ἐπὶ τὸν αἶνον καλεῖ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, παῖδες, ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος δούλους ὠνόμασαν φήσαντες· Ὑμνεῖτε, δοῦλοι, Κύριον, ὑμνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. ∆ούλων γὰρ οὐδὲν διενηνόχασιν οἱ παῖδες, φόβῳ δουλείας παιδαγωγούμενοι. Εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὡς ἀγνοοῦσι τοῖς παισὶν ὅπως χρὴ τὸν Κύριον ὑμνεῖν τὸ προφητικὸν Πνεῦμα δίκην παιδαγωγοῦ καὶ διδασκάλου τὰς φωνὰς αὐτὰς παραδίδωσιν. Εὐχὴ δὲ αὕτη ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τῶν παίδων ἀναπεμπομένη, ὡς ἂν διαμείνῃ ἡμῖν τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ὄνομα εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς, μὴ φεῦγον ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ἀναπαυόμενον τῷ ἡμετέρῳ βίῳ. Ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν αἰνετὸν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Ὑψηλὸς ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὁ Κύριος, ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πότε τέλους ἔτυχεν ὁ λόγος ἀλλ' ἢ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; Πρὸ γοῦν ταύτης ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ μόνῃ ἐλέγετο γνωστὸς εἶναι Θεὸς, καὶ ἐν μόνῳ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ μέγα τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, τῶν ἔξω τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐθνῶν δαίμοσι καταδεδουλωμένων καὶ πνεύμασιν ἀκαθάρτοις, καὶ τοῖς τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἀντεχομένοις τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου μηδὲ εἰς ἔννοιαν ἥκοντος. Ὅτε γε μὴν ἐπιφανεὶς αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς ἐπὶ πάντα διεπέμψατο τὰ ἔθνη, τηνικαῦτα πληροῦται ὁ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων φωνῶν τοῖς πᾶσι παραδοθεὶς ὕμνος. Τίς ὡς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν, καὶ τὰ ταπεινὰ ἐφορῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ; ∆ιδάσκεται δὲ διὰ τούτων ὁ νέος λαὸς, ὡς εἰ καὶ ἀνελήφθη ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλ' οὖν καὶ οὕτω πλήρης ἐστὶ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ καὶ ἀπολαύει τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτοῦ. Ἆρα οὐ δοκεῖ μέγα εἶναι τὸ εἰρημένον; Ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐννοήσῃς περὶ τίνος εἴρηται, σφόδρα ἐστὶ καταδεές. Πῶς γὰρ ἐν οὐρανοῖς κατοικεῖ ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν πληρῶν, ὁ πανταχοῦ παρὼν, ὁ λέγων· Θεὸς ἐγγίζων ἐγὼ, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς πόῤῥωθεν, ὁ μετρήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ καὶ τὴν γῆν δρακὶ, ὁ κατέχων τὸν γύρον τῆς γῆς; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἦν αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος, διὰ τοῦτο τέως οὕτω κέχρηται τῷ λόγῳ, συγκαταβαίνων τῇ παχύτητι αὐτῶν· εἶτα κατὰ μικρὸν