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in the future. Hallelujah. 113. When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people, Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. This is also a hymn, recounting the benefits provided to the Jews by God, and narrating the power of God, and mocking the weakness of idols. And this hymn is also fitting for those from the nations who have believed and have been delivered from the error of idols; for they learn how great is the difference between things that are not and the One who is, and that there is one God of the Old and New Testament. And instead of, From a barbarous people, Aquila has, From a people of a different tongue; and Symmachus has given, From a people of a foreign speech. Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. For of old, when those from the former people made their journey out of Egypt through Moses, a small portion of the earth and a very insignificant corner of the whole inhabited world, Judea, was chosen by God, and one nation, that of the Jews; but since the saving appearance of grace has been spread over the whole inhabited world, from the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is praised, and the Lord has become high not over the nation of Israel, but high above all the nations. The sea saw it, and fled: the Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs of the flock. What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? And you, O Jordan, that you were driven back? You mountains, that you skipped like rams; and you little hills, like lambs of the flock? The earth was shaken at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of water, and the steep rock into a fountain of waters. It seems to me that from here the word again makes the prophecy of the calling of all the nations. For of old, he says, during the journey out of Egypt, Judea alone became the sanctuary of God, and Israel alone was under his dominion. And of old there was a certain partial perception by the sea, and river, and mountains, and hills; but now let the whole element of the earth be moved and shaken; or rather, according to Aquila, let it be in travail, so that what was said by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 23.1356 Who has heard such things, and who has seen them thus? Shall the earth be in travail in one day, and shall a nation be born at once? For since the calling of the nations and the grace of God were about to be poured out over the whole world inhabited by men, it was altogether necessary that the established objects of worship of the nations from of old should suffer shock and turmoil, and that the demons in them should flee, so that for God might be born throughout the whole inhabited world the people from the nations. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your mercy, and for your truth's sake, lest the nations should say, Where is their God? But our God is in heaven and on earth, he has done all things that he pleased. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of the hands of men. Here it seems to me that the Holy Spirit alludes to the rejection of the people of the circumcision, and hands down to them a prayer for confession, and speaks the present words in their person, by which they are shown to no longer have the divine power watching over them; by which they are taught to pray and beseech by saying: We indeed are unworthy of the grace of which all the nations have been deemed worthy; but do not do this to us, Master; but for the sake of your name which was called upon us from the beginning, and not for our righteousnesses, but grant it for your mercy and your truth. For if you do not have mercy, the nations will say: Where is their God? But that they may never say this word, grant us and bestow your mercy. For even if your oversight no longer governs us, yet we are persuaded that you are in heaven, and do these things which
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ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. ΑΛΛΗΛΟΥΙΑ. ΡΙΓʹ. Ἐν ἐξόδῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οἴκου Ἰακὼβἐκ λαοῦ βαρβάρου, ἐγενήθη Ἰουδαία ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ, Ἰσραὴλ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ. Ὕμνος καὶ οὗτός ἐστι τὰς Ἰουδαίοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ παρασχεθείσας εὐεργεσίας διεξιὼν, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν διηγούμενος, καὶ τῶν εἰδώλων κωμῳδῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Ἁρμόττει δὲ καὶ οὗτος ὁ ὕμνος τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκόσι, καὶ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνης ἀπηλλαγμένοις· μανθάνουσι γὰρ ὅσον τὸ μέσον τῶν οὐκ ὄντων πρὸς τὸν ὄντα, καὶ ὡς εἷς ἐστι Θεὸς Παλαιᾶς καὶ Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ἐκ λαοῦ βαρβάρου, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, Ἀπὸ λαοῦ ἑτερογλώσσου· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ἐκ λαοῦ ἀλλοφώνου, ἐκδέδωκεν. Ἐγενήθη Ἰουδαία ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ, Ἰσραὴλ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ, ὅτε διὰ Μωϋσέως τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πορείαν ἐποιήσαντο οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ, βραχύ τι μόριον τῆς γῆς καὶ σφόδρα εὐτελὴς γωνία τῆς ἁπάσης οἰκουμένης, Ἰουδαία, ἐξείλεκτο τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἔθνος ἓν τὸ Ἰουδαίων· ἐπεὶ δὲ, τῆς σωτηρίου ἐπιφανείας τῆς χάριτος ἁπλωθείσης καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν αἰνετὸν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, καὶ ὑψηλὸς οὐκ ἐπ' ἔθνος τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ὑψηλὸς ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη γέγονεν ὁ Κύριος. Ἡ θάλασσα εἶδε, καὶ ἔφυγεν, ὁ Ἰορδάνης ἐστράφη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω· τὰ ὄρη ἐσκίρτησαν ὡσεὶ κριοὶ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ὡσεὶ ἀρνία προβάτων. Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες, καὶ σοὶ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω; τὰ ὄρη, ὅτι ἐσκιρτήσατε ὡσεὶ κριοὶ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ, ὡσεὶ ἀρνία προβάτων; Ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ, ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακὼβ, τοῦ στρέψαντος τὴν πέτραν εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων, καὶ τὴν ἀκρότομον εἰς πηγὰς ὑδάτων. ∆οκεῖ μοι πάλιν ἐντεῦθεν ὁ λόγος τὴν προφητείαν ποιεῖσθαι τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων κλήσεως. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, κατὰ τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πορείαν, Ἰουδαία μόνη γέγονεν ἁγίασμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μόνος Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλαι μὲν μερική τις γέγονεν αἴσθησις θαλάσσης, καὶ ποταμοῦ καὶ ὀρῶν καὶ βουνῶν· νῦν δὲ τὸ πᾶν στοιχεῖον τῆς γῆς κινείσθω καὶ σαλευέσθω· μᾶλλον δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, ὠδινησάτω, ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ Ἡσαΐου προφήτου· Τίς 23.1356 ἤκουσε τοιαῦτα, καὶ τίς ἑώρακεν οὕτως; Εἰ ὤδινε γῆ ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἐτέχθη ἔθνος εἰσάπαξ; Τῆς γὰρ κλήσεως τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος μελλούσης χεῖσθαι καθ' ὅλης τῆς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ἦν τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἱδρυμένα σεβάσματα τῶν ἐθνῶν σάλον καὶ κλόνον παθεῖν, καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς δαίμονας φυγεῖν, ἵνα τῷ Θεῷ γεννηθῇ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαός. Μὴ ἡμῖν, Κύριε, μὴ ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ τῷ ὀνόματί σου δὸς δόξαν ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλέει σου καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου, μή ποτε εἴπωσι τὰ ἔθνη, Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησε. Τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον αἰνίττεσθαι τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ τὴν ἀποβολὴν, εὐχήν τε αὐτοῖς παραδιδόναι εἰς ἐξομολόγησιν, ἐκ προσώπου τε αὐτῶν τὰ παρόντα φάσκειν, δι' ὧν παρίστανται μηκέτι ἔχοντες τὴν ἐπισκοποῦσαν αὐτοῖς θείαν δύναμιν· δι' ὧν διδάσκονται δέεσθαι καὶ παρακαλεῖν διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· Ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀνάξιοι τῆς χάριτος, ἧς κατηξίωνται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· ἀλλὰ μὴ ἡμῖν ποιήσῃς ∆έσποτα· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ὄνομά σου τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπικληθὲν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ μὴ ταῖς ἡμῶν δικαιοσύναις, ἀλλὰ τῷ σῷ ἐλέει χάρισαι καὶ τῇ σῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐλεήσειας, ἐροῦσι τὰ ἔθνη· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; Ἀλλ' ἵνα μή ποτε τοῦτον εἴπωσι τὸν λόγον, χάρισαι ἡμῖν καὶ δώρησαι ἔλεός σου. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ ἡμᾶς μηκέτι ἡ σὴ ἐπισκοπὴ διακυβερνᾷ, ἀλλὰ πεπείσμεθά σε εἶναι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἅπερ