Psalms 98:1

His own right hand has saved for him. What he says is this: He saved men — not another's work, but his own; that is, what he had made for himself, he himself saved for himself. He had made man for salvation, who by his own fault had perished: this One died, that he might save man for himself by his own right hand. Here 'right hand' is put for power, and 'arm' for strength. And his holy arm. Although both 'arm' and 'right hand' may be said to be Christ — 'The right hand of the Lord has done valiantly.' 'And the arm of the Lord, to whom has it been revealed?' — nevertheless, since here it is said of Christ, the right hand and the arm of the Lord is his power.

Along with my prayers I now add book 10 to the Church History and dedicate it to you, my most consecrated Paulinus, and blazon you as the seal of the whole work. It is appropriate that in a perfect number I shall here provide a completed account in celebration of the restoration of the churches, in obedience to the divine Spirit who urges us: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; His right and his holy arm have wrought salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation: His righteousness he has revealed in the sight of the heathen. Accordingly, let me now sing the new song, since after those grim and horrifying scenes and narratives, I was now privileged to see and to celebrate what many righteous people and martyrs of God before me desired to see but did not see and to hear but did not hear. But they hurried on to far better things in the heavens, caught up into a paradise of divine bliss, while I, admitting that even the present circumstances are more than I deserve, have been totally astonished at the magnitude of grace he has conferred and offer him my total awe and worship, confirming the truth of the prophecies that declare: Come and behold the works of the Lord, What wonders he has wrought on the earth, Making wars to cease to the ends of the world. He will break the bow and shatter the spear, And the shields he will burn with fire. Rejoicing that all this has been clearly fulfilled, let me proceed with my narrative.

Sing to the Lord a new song. The new song is the Son of God crucified, which had never before been heard. Let a new thing have a new song. Sing to the Lord a new song. He indeed is a man who suffered — but you, sing to the Lord. He suffered indeed as a man, but he saved as God. Sing to the Lord a new song. A new song deserves a new name. Therefore it is said elsewhere too: 'And a new name,' he says, 'shall be given to you.' A new name deserves a new song. And in the Apocalypse it is said: 'To him that overcometh,' he says, 'I will give a pebble, and I will write upon it a new name.' The new name is that of the Christians. Sing to the Lord. Why? For what has he done? Why does he deserve a new song? Because he has done marvelous things. He worked signs among the Jews: he healed the paralyzed, he cleansed the lepers, he raised the dead. This other prophets also did. He turned a few loaves into many and fed a countless multitude. This Elisha also did. What then did he do that is new, so that he deserves a new song? Do you want to know what new thing he did? God died as though a man, that men might live; the Son of God was crucified, that he might lift us up to heaven. Because he has done marvelous things. Do you want to know that he has done marvelous things? The widow's son lay in the upper room: Elisha came and drew himself together, and placed mouth to mouth, and hands to hands, and feet to feet. For if he had stretched himself out, the widow's son would not have come back to life: therefore he drew himself together, that he might give life. Since he was in the form of God, therefore he took the form of a man, therefore he drew himself together, that he might make us higher.