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In illud: Dominus regnavit et in illud: Dies diei dicit verbum

By the same author, on the 96th Psalm: "the Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice and let the many islands be glad," that is, man and the

Church. And on "Day to day utters speech"

1 Of Gladness. For if some good had not happened, the prophets would not have proclaimed "the Lord has reigned." But since Christ has reigned, sin has been loosed, the devil has been put to shame, demons have fled, the stings of death have been broken, when Paradise, closed to Adam, has been opened, the thorns of our sins have been dried up, my thistle has been uprooted, and a threefold grace has been placed upon my head, my ancient curse has been loosed, no longer do I fear hearing "you are earth and to earth you shall return"; for in baptism I have put off the earth and have put on heaven, and henceforth I hear: "you are heaven and to the heavens you shall go; the Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice and let the many islands be glad." No longer do I lie beneath the earth, no longer am I held in those inner sanctuaries and dark and lightless storerooms and enclosures of the devil in Hades; it is necessary for me henceforth to mount upon the clouds and to run up to heaven through the grace of Christ who has reigned. The word is not without witness; "for we shall be caught up in the clouds, Paul exclaims, to meet the Lord, and so we shall always be with the Lord."; "The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice, and let the many islands be glad." No longer does Eve fear Adam reproaching her; for in Mary her defeat has been saved; and no longer do I fear the serpent that travels in coils, that turns its head to and fro, no longer do I fear its venomous bite; for I am no longer earth but salt, for the Lord said to the serpent, cursing it: "you shall eat earth all the days of your life." Before the coming of Christ I was earth, eaten by the serpent, but the Lord came and changed me into salt. Learn, beloved, how salt is made, so that you may understand yourself in that matter; for salt is made from water and spirit, and so he has regenerated us from water and spirit.

2 "The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice and let the many islands be glad."

But why not all, but many? the many are the orthodox churches; but those that lack right faith are the churches of the heretics; how then can they be glad, who in various ways insult Christ the king? Would that we might call those churches, beloved, and not dens of foxes, in which there are foxes not by a change of nature but by a perversion of mind.

3 If Eunomius or Arius or Macedonius should approach my Lord Christ, and

say to him: "I will follow you wherever you go"; He answers him appropriately and fittingly, saying: "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Concerning these the Preacher says: "Catch for me the little foxes that spoil the vineyards." The little foxes are the disciples of the heretics, who, entering into our churches, ruin by their teaching the faithful who stand out like bunches of grapes in the Christ-bearing vineyard; "for bad company corrupts good morals." "Therefore the Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice, let the many islands be glad."

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In illud: Dominus regnavit et in illud: Dies diei dicit verbum

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ϛϛʹ ψαλμόν· "ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν νήσοι πολλαί", τουτέστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἡ

ἐκκλησία. Καὶ εἰς τὸ "ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα"

1 Εὐφροσύνης εἰ μὴ γάρ τι γεγόνει ἀγαθὸν, οὐκ ἂν προφῆται ἀνεφθέγγοντο "ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν". Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ βασιλεύσαντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ ἁμαρτία λέλυται, ὁ διάβολος ᾔσχυνται, δαίμονες πεφεύγασιν, τὰ κέντρα τοῦ θανάτου κατεκλάσθησαν, ὁπότε κεκλεισμένος τῷ Ἀδὰμ παράδεισος ἠνέῳκται, αἱ ἄκανθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν ἐξηράνθησαν, ὁ τρίβολός μου ἐξεριζώθη, καὶ τρίπλοκος χάρις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου ἐπετέθη, λέλυταί μου ἡ ἀρχαία κατάρα, οὐκέτι ἐγὼ φοβοῦμαι ἀκούων "γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ"· ἐν γὰρ τῷ βαπτίσματι τὴν γῆν ἀπεθέμην καὶ οὐρανὸν ἐνεδυσάμην, καὶ λοιπὸν ἀκούω· "οὐρανὸς εἶ καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀπελεύσῃ· ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν νήσοι πολλαί." Οὐκέτι ὑποχθόνια κεῖμαι, οὐκέτι ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις ἐκείνοις καὶ σκοτεινοῖς καὶ ἀφεγγέσιν ταμείοις καὶ περιβόλοις τοῦ διαβόλου ἐν τῷ Ἅδῃ κατέχομαι· δεῖ με λοιπὸν νεφέλαις ἐπιβῆναι καὶ οὐρανὸν ἀναδραμεῖν διὰ τῆς τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος Χριστοῦ χάριτος. Οὐκ ἀμάρτυρος ὁ λόγος· "ἁρπαγησόμεθα γὰρ ἐν νεφέλαις, Παῦλος βοᾷ, εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα."· "Ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ, καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν νήσοι πολλαί." Οὐκέτι Εὔα φοβεῖται τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὀνειδίζοντα· ἐν γὰρ Μαριὰμ τὸ ταύτης ἥττημα ἀνασέσωσται· καὶ οὐκέτι φοβοῦμαι τὸν ὄφιν τὸν καμπύλα διαβαίνοντα, τὸν ἀλλαχόσε τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποκλίνοντα, οὐκέτι φοβοῦμαι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἰοβόλον δῆγμα· οὐ γάρ εἰμι λοιπὸν γῆ ἀλλ' ἅλας, τῷ γὰρ ὄφει εἶπεν ὁ κύριος καταρασάμενος· "γῆν φαγῇ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου." Πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ γῆ ἤμην ἐσθιομένη ἀπὸ ὄφεως, ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰς ἅλας με μετέβαλεν. Μάθετε, ἀγαπητοὶ, πῶς τὸ ἅλας γίνεται ἵνα σεαυτὸν ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ πράγματι καταμάθῃς· ἅλας τοίνυν ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος γίνεται καὶ ἡμᾶς τοίνυν ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος ἀνεγέννησεν.

2 "Ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν νήσοι

πολλαί." ∆ιατί δὲ οὐ πᾶσαι ἀλλὰ πολλαί; αἱ πολλαὶ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐκκλησίαι· αἱ δὲ πίστεως ὀρθῆς ἀμοιροῦσαι, αἱ αἱρετικῶν ἐκκλησίαι εἰσίν· πῶς οὖν εὐφρανθῶσιν, τὸν βασιλέα Χριστὸν ποικίλως ὑβρίζουσαι; Εἴη δὲ κἀκείνας ἐκκλησίας λέγειν, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ μὴ ἀλωπέκων καταγώγια, ἐν οἷς εἰσὶν ἀλώπεκες οὐ τῇ τῆς φύσεως μεταβολῇ ἀλλὰ τῆς γνώμης μετατροπῇ.

3 Ἐὰν προσέλθῃ Εὐνόμιος ἢ Ἄρειος ἢ Μακεδόνιος τῷ Χριστῷ μου κυρίῳ, καὶ

εἴπῃ αὐτῷ· "ἀκολουθήσω σοι ὅπου ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃς"· προσφόρως αὐτῷ καὶ ἁρμοζόντως ἀντιφθέγγεται λέγων· "αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ." Περὶ τούτων λέγει ὁ ἐκκλησιαστής· "πιάσατέ μοι ἀλώπεκας μικροὺς ἀφανίζοντας ἀμπελῶνας." Μικροὶ ἀλώπεκές εἰσιν οἱ αἱρετικῶν μαθηταὶ, οἵτινες ἐνδύνοντες ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἡμῶν τοὺς δίκην βοτρύων ἐξέχοντας τῷ χριστοφόρῳ ἀμπελῶνι πιστοὺς τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ λυμαίνονται· "φθείρουσιν γὰρ ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί." "Ὁ κύριος οὖν ἐβασίλευσεν ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ, εὐφρανθήτωσαν νήσοι πολλαί."