493

leading up their thought and giving wings to their mind and causing them to ascend, he gently adds, in heaven and on earth, that is, both above and below. And he said this because of the 23.1352 Jewish weakness, which was terrified by idols and worshiping gods confined in places and temples. For having said, in heaven and on earth, he gives us to understand that he is everywhere, both there and here, and he passes through all things. For not as one confined in heaven looks from afar on the things on earth, but being present everywhere and being uncontainable and uncircumscribed and encompassing all things. Do you see how little by little he gives wings to the thought of his hearers? For he does not seek how one might for now speak in a manner worthy of the glory of God, but in a manner comprehensible to them. And elsewhere heaven is called God's throne because the heavenly powers have the glory of God firmly established in themselves; and the earth his footstool, because on earth human beings are scarcely able to comprehend the last things concerning God. But here David, having raised the hearer from the earth, comes to another proof of God's power, saying: He who raises the poor from the earth, and lifts the needy from the dunghill, to make him sit with princes, with the princes of his people; He who makes the barren woman to keep house, a joyful mother of children. He praises the power of God, which easily changes what it wills. For not only, he says, does he enrich and glorify the needy, but he also seats him with the rulers of the people, and raises him to a position of authority. For it is of great and ineffable power to lift up the small. But the verse can also be said concerning the people from the nations, about whom the prophet says: And for this reason the poor people will bless you, and the cities of wronged men will bless you. For you became a helper to every humble city, and a shelter to those who are disheartened because of want; you will deliver them from wicked men; a shelter for the thirsty, and a breath for wronged men. For this poor and needy people, having raised them from lowly affairs, and from the dishonor of the passions and the dung of the Hellenic abominations, he will seat them with the rulers of Israel, who is his people. And the apostles are the rulers of the Hebrew people, or also the patriarchs, with whom those who have believed from the nations will dwell. And the Lord says this: Many will come from east and west, and will recline with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. The saying is therefore universal. But if someone should wish to take it anagogically, he will see this happening again at the coming of Christ. For what is poorer than our nature? But yet he raised and led up our first-fruits, and seated it in the highest heaven. And here by 'dunghill' he means what is lowly, and the sudden change from there, showing that all things are easy and effortless for him. And the blessed Anna also said these things, offering her hymn of thanksgiving to God: The Lord makes poor and makes rich, he humbles and he exalts, he raises up the needy from the earth, and from the dunghill he lifts the poor, to seat him with the mighty of the people, and making them inherit a throne of glory. And we see 23.1353 these things continually being done by the God of all. Thus the blessed David, who was a shepherd, he made a king; thus Joseph, who had fallen into slavery, he seated upon the royal throne; thus Moses, who had become a shepherd, he declared a leader of the people, and appointed as a god to Pharaoh; thus the nations, serving in the slavery of impiety and sitting upon the dung of sin and abomination, he deemed worthy of the good things granted to Israel; thus human nature, which had fallen into the very pit of Hades, he took up and led up, and seated above every principality and authority and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also

493

ἀνάγων αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ πτερῶν τὴν γνώμην καὶ ἀναβιβάζων, ἠρέμα ἐπάγει ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, τουτέστι καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε διὰ τὴν 23.1352 ἀσθένειαν τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν, τὴν πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα ἐπτοημένην, καὶ θεοὺς προσκυνοῦσαν τοὺς ἐν τόποις καὶ ναοῖς συγκεκλεισμένους. Εἰπὼν γοῦν, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, δίδωσι νοεῖν, ὅτι πανταχοῦ ἐστι, κἀκεῖ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, καὶ διὰ πάντων ἥκει. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἄν τις ἐν οὐρανῷ συγκεκλεισμένος πόῤῥωθεν βλέπει τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ παρὼν καὶ ἀχώρητος ὢν καὶ ἀπερίγραπτος καὶ πᾶσι περιιστάμενος. Εἶδες πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν πτεροῖ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀκουόντων; Οὐ γὰρ ζητεῖ ὅπως ἄν τις τῆς δόξης εἴποι τοῦ Θεοῦ τέως ἐπάξιον, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἐκείνοις χωρητόν. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ θρόνος Θεοῦ λέγεται ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐκ τοῦ τὰς οὐρανίας δυνάμεις παγίως ἐν αὐταῖς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν ἐνιδρυμένην ἔχειν· καὶ ἡ γῆ ὑποπόδιον, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ γῆς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰ τελευταῖα τῶν περὶ Θεοῦ μόλις χωρῆσαι δύνασθαι. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀναστήσας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὸν ἀκροατὴν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἐφ' ἕτερον ἔρχεται τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Θεοῦ δεῖγμα λέγων· Ὁ ἐγείρων ἀπὸ γῆς πτωχὸν, καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἀνυψῶν πένητα, τοῦ καθίσαι αὐτὸν μετὰ ἀρχόντων, μετὰ ἀρχόντων λαοῦ αὐτοῦ· ὁ κατοικίζων στείραν ἐν οἴκῳ, μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις εὐφραινομένην. Ὑμνεῖ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ῥᾳδίως μεταβάλλουσαν ἃ βούλεται. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ, φησὶ, πλουτίζει τὸν πένητα καὶ δοξάζει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι τοῦ λαοῦ συγκαθίστησι, καὶ εἰς ἀρχὴν ἀνάγει. Μεγάλης γὰρ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀφάτου τὸ τὰ μικρὰ ἐπαίρειν. ∆ύναται δὲ ὁ στίχος καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν λαοῦ λέγεσθαι, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε ὁ λαὸς ὁ πτωχὸς, καὶ πόλεις ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων εὐλογήσουσί σε. Ἐγένου γὰρ πάσῃ πόλει ταπεινῇ βοηθὸς, καὶ τοῖς ἀθυμήσασι δι' ἔνδειαν σκέπη· ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν ῥύσῃ αὐτούς· σκέπη διψώντων, καὶ πνεῦμα ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων. Τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα λαὸν, ἀπὸ τῶν χαμαιζήλων πραγμάτων ἐγείρας, καὶ τῆς ἀτιμίας τῶν παθῶν καὶ τῆς κοπρίας τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν μυσαγμάτων, καθίσει μετὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὄντος λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἄρχοντες τοῦ Ἑβραίων λαοῦ, ἢ καὶ οἱ πατριάρχαι, μεθ' ὧν κατασκηνώσουσιν οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πιστεύσαντες. Καὶ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ Κύριος· Πολλοὶ ἥξουσιν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν, καὶ ἀνακλιθήσονται μετὰ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ὁ λόγος καθολικός. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν αὐτὸν βουληθείη, ὄψεται τοῦτο πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενόμενον. Τί γὰρ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως πτωχότερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως αὐτὴν ἤγειρε καὶ ἀνήγαγε τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἡμῶν, καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐκάθισε τὸν ὑψηλότερον. Κοπρίαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ εὐτελὲς λέγει, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀθρόον γινομένην μεταβολὴν, δεικνὺς ὅτι πάντα αὐτῷ ῥᾴδια καὶ εὔκολα. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἡ μακαρία Ἄννα εἴρηκε, τὸν χαριστήριον ὕμνον προσφέρουσα τῷ Θεῷ· Κύριος πτωχίζει καὶ πλουτίζει, ταπεινοῖ καὶ ἀνυψοῖ, ἀνιστᾷ ἀπὸ γῆς πένητα, καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἐγείρει πτωχὸν, καθίσαι μετὰ δυναστῶν λαοῦ, καὶ θρόνον δόξης κατακληρονομῶν αὐτοῖς. Ὁρῶμεν 23.1353 δὲ αὐτὰ διηνεκῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ γινόμενα. Οὕτω τὸν μακάριον ∆αυῒδ, ποιμένα ὄντα, βασιλέα πεποίηκε· οὕτω τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, εἰς δουλείαν μεταπεσόντα, ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλικὸν ἐκάθισε θρόνον· οὕτω τὸν Μωσέα, προβατέα γενόμενον, δημαγωγὸν ἀπέφηνε τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ θεὸν ἐχειροτόνησε τοῦ Φαραώ· οὕτω τὰ ἔθνη, τῇ δουλείᾳ τῆς ἀσεβείας δουλεύοντα καὶ τῇ κόπρῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ βδελυγμίας ἐπικαθήμενα, τῶν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δεδωρημένων ἠξίωσεν ἀγαθῶν· οὕτω τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν εἰς αὐτὸν καταπεσοῦσαν τὸν τοῦ ᾅδου πυθμένα, ἀνέλαβε καὶ ἀνήγαγε, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐπάνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ κυριότητος, καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ