The Circle of the Lord and the Stability of Jerusalem
High doctrines of truth, distinct laws and ecclesiastical canons, and with these all the saints—not only those before the epidemic but also those after it—for each of these is a circle concerning the church, so that from all of them a continuous and inseparable circle has come to be in the midst of the church.
And with these the announcements can be made, placing around those who fear the Lord the mountains that surround Jerusalem. But greater than the security of the mountains exists for the people dwelling in Jerusalem, through whom especially the one dwelling in it is not shaken for ever, the Lord becoming a circle around him. And the Lord becomes a circle not locally and bodily enclosing some within, but being participated in by them and being with them over all, not only in the present age but also in the coming one.
Regarding the rod, indeed there is a purpose to strike, to stretch out the hands of the righteous against lawlessness; but the will of the Lord is for the righteous to stretch out their hands toward righteousness, lifting them up piously without anger or inner deliberation (Psalm 125:3; LXX 124:3). Good are those who have been benefited in mindset by virtue, and upright in heart are those who truly and rightly think the things of piety.
And these differ not in hypostasis but in conception.
For those dwelling in Jerusalem unto the age, unshaken, being at once practical and knowing, are good and upright in heart.
And God does them good, giving good things to those who ask him—an addition of faith and of the remaining virtue, with participation in divine gifts, furnished for leading them also into the heavenly promises and the kingdom of heaven.
Ps 124:5a-b: 'He shall lead away' means 'he shall hand over': those who chose to have desires unto uncleanness and unto passions of dishonor and unto a reprobate mind, to do the things not fitting.
And he also said in the psalms: 'And I sent them away according to the devices of their hearts; they shall walk in their devices' (Psalm 81:12).
He shall lead away, then, those who turn aside into crooked ways with the workers of iniquity, that it may be shown openly who they were, being hidden—seeming not to do iniquity, though disposed according to it.
The blameworthiness of crooked ways is also shown in the prophet, with God saying to the one coming to fast: 'Loose the bonds of violent contracts' (Isa 58:6),
that he may perform it rightly and with the due disposition.
Ps 124:5c: But the peace surpassing all mind (Phil 4:7), given with divine grace by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, shall be to everyone and only to the one having a mind, being Israel, with the hymnist praying.
Ps 126 title: Eighth song of ascents; riddling the mysteries of the resurrection of the Lord in the ogdoad, it is inscribed to Solomon—to the one born from the seed of David according to the flesh, the truly peaceful one.
For he is our peace, of us who are being saved, saying: 'My peace I give to you' (John 14:27).
To the one bringing about the dissolution of every enemy and foe, making peace, and founding and building the house of God—whose symbol Solomon, born of David, bore, who built the temple of God in Judea, much peace having come in his days.
Ps 126:1: Not less than the other scriptures, the verses set before us also posit the Lord as provider of all, with human pursuits becoming vain if they do not obtain the fitting end from God;
hence, doing anything, let us not give the whole to ourselves, but to the perfecting God, nor, having left all to him, let us end up inactive.
For the verses set before us declare both—then from us and from God—saying vain is the one who builds without God, not the one who does not work at all.
Ps 126:2: And understand thus: those who are torn to pieces by the [...].
Greek
ὑψηλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας δόγματα καὶ οἱ διῃρημένοι θεσμοὶ καὶ κανόνες ἐκκλησιαστικοί, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις οἱ α γιοι πάντες, οὐχ οἱ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας μόνοι ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταύτην· ε καστος γὰρ τούτων ο ρος ἐστὶ περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τυγχάνων, ὡς ἀπὸ πάντων αὐτῶν ε να κύκλον συνεχῆ καὶ ἀδιάστατον γενόμενον ἐν μέσῳ ε χειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις α γγελοι ει ναι δύνανται, παρεμβάλλοντες κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον, τὰ κύκλῳ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ο ρη. Μεῖζον δὲ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ὀρῶν ἀσφαλείας ὑπάρχει τῷ λαῷ τῷ κατοικοῦντι τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ δι' η ν μάλιστα οὐ σαλεύεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὁ κατοικῶν αὐτῇ, τοῦ κυρίου κύκλῳ γινομένου αὐτοῦ. κύκλῳ δὲ γίνεται ὁ κύριος οὐ τοπικῶς καὶ σωματικῶς ε νδον τινὰς περιορίζων, ἀλλὰ μετεχόμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι συνὼν αὐτοῖς, οὐ κατὰ μόνον τὸν παρόντα αἰῶνα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα. 1163 Ps 124,3 1163 Καὶ σκοπὸς μὲν τῇ ῥάβδῳ ταύτῃ βιάσασθαι ἐπὶ ἀνομίαν ἐκτεῖναι τὰς χεῖρας τοὺς δικαίους, θέλημα δὲ τοῦ κυρίου τὸ ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐκτείνειν τοὺς δικαίους τὰς χεῖρας ἐπαίροντας αὐτὰς ὁσίως χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ. 1164 Ps 124,4 ̓Αγαθοί εἰσιν οἱ τὴν γνώμην ἐξ ἀρετῆς 243 ὠφελημένοι καὶ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ οἱ ἀληθῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας φρονοῦντες. διαφέρουσι δὲ ου τοι οὐ τῇ ὑποστάσει ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ. οἱ γὰρ κατοικοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἀκλονήτως πρακτικοὶ καὶ γνωστικοὶ α μα ο ντες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ εἰσίν. ἀγαθύνει δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεός, διδοὺς ἀγαθὰ αἰτοῦσιν αὐτὸν προσθήκην πίστεως καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀρετῆς σὺν μετουσίᾳ θείων χαρισμάτων παρεχομένοις ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐπουρανίους ἐπαγγελίας καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτούς. 1165 Ps 124,5a.β Τὸ ̓Απάξει τὸ παραδώσει φησίν, αι ς ει λαντο ε χειν ἐπιθυμίας εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας καὶ εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα. ε φη δὲ καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν, πορεύσονται ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν. ἀπάξει τοίνυν τοὺς ἐκκλίνοντας εἰς τὰς στραγγαλιὰς μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐπὶ τῷ δειχθῆναι φανερῶς τίνες ο ντες ἐλάνθανον, ὡς δοκεῖν τὴν ἀνομίαν μὴ ποιεῖν, καίτοι κατ' αὐτὴν διακείμενοι. δηλοῦται τὸ ψεκτὸν τῶν στραγγαλιῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ, τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος τῷ εἰς νηστείαν ἐρχομένῳ ∆ιάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, ο πως ὀρθῶς ἐπιτελῇ αὐτὴν καὶ μετὰ τῆς ὀφειλούσης ε ξεως. 1166 Ps 124,5c ̔Η δὲ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν εἰρήνη ἡ μετὰ θείας χάριτος διδομένη ὑπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπάρξεται παντὶ καὶ μόνῳ νοῦν ε χοντι χρηματίζοντι ̓Ισραήλ, ἐπευχομένου τοῦ ὑμνοῦντος. 1167 Ps 126 αργ ̓Ογδόη τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν ᾠδή· αἰνιττόμενος τὰ μυστήρια τῆς ἐν ὀγδοάδι ἀναστάσεως τοῦ κυρίου * τῷ Σολομῶν ἀναγέγραπται, τῷ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα γεγενημένῳ εἰρηνικῷ ἀληθῶς * ο ντι. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν τῶν σῳζομένων, φάσκων Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. * τὰ κατάλυσιν παντὸς ἐχθροῦ καὶ πολεμίου εἰρηνι * ειν καὶ τὸν οι κον τοῦ θεοῦ θεμελιοῦντι καὶ οἰκοδομοῦντι, ου τὸ σύμβολον φέρων ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γεννηθεὶς Σολομῶν, πολλῆς εἰρήνης γενομένης ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ, τὸν ἐν τῇ ̓Ιουδαίᾳ ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ᾠκοδόμησεν. 1168 Ps 126,1 Οὐχ η ττον δὲ τῶν α λλων γραφῶν καὶ οἱ προκείμενοι στίχοι προνοητὴν ἁπάντων τὸν κύριον τέθεινται, τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σπουδῶν ματαίων γινομένων, εἰ μὴ τύχοιεν τὸ κατάλληλον τέλος ἐκ θεοῦ ἀπολαβοῦσαι· ο θεν τι ποιοῦντες μὴ τὸ ο λον ἑαυτοῖς δῶμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τελειοῦντι θεῷ, μηδ' αὐτῷ τὸ πᾶν ἐάσαντες α πρακτοι διατελῶμεν. ἑκάτερα γὰρ αἱ προκείμεναι δηλοῦσι λέξεις, τότε ἐξ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ματαίως λέγουσαι τὸν οἰκοδομοῦντα α νευ θεοῦ, οὐ τὸν μηδ' ο λως ἐνεργοῦντα. 1169 Ps 126,2 Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ου τως· οἱ καταξαινόμενοι ταῖς