The Error of the Ungodly and Divine Providence
A throne for David his father, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever (Ps 71:10-11). Regarding Jerusalem, Isaiah says that he will move into the wealth of the sea and of nations, and herds of camels will arrive, and camels of Madian will cover them, and elephants from Sheba will arrive bringing gold and frankincense, crying out and proclaiming the salvation of God.
And through Haggai it is said: 'Yet once more I will shake the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake together all the nations; and the chosen of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord of all powers (Ps 71:16). For the whole inhabited world has also been made fruitful by the fruit of Christ, and an innumerable multitude of Christ's children appearing from every city, like grass from the earth (Ps 71:20).
Therefore, there the thanksgivings of David are fulfilled, which were made for the eternal dwelling of the throne, saying: 'Lord, let the word which you spoke concerning the house of your servant and concerning your servant be believed until an age, and do according to what you spoke, and let your name be exalted until an age,' they saying, 'Lord of all powers, God of Israel,' and the house of David your servant being restored. Thus, the following psalm was written irrationally: 'The hymns of David, son of Jesse, have departed'; for this is the end, and a part of the thanksgiving, upon the fulfillment of the prayers of David.
The second book of the psalms also concluded in a blessing that pronounced 'Amen', just as the first clearly happened. For the end of the former was the M Messiah spoken concerning Christ, but the end of this one is the OA [Omega/End] now spoken. And the third concludes, so that we might already speak also concerning it toward the PH [?] psalm, since all the psalms are XVII, of which XA are of Asaph, then of the sons of Korah D, and of David A, and Heman the Israelite is the last.
Instead of 'passed into a disposition of the heart', Aquila translated 'passed by the intentions of the heart'; instead of intending to fulfill nothing of the natural thoughts, they do not even do what they think is good, but they abandon these. For them, virtue is a joke, slander against the inferior is easy, blasphemy against God is ready, and it is at hand.
The tongue is according to men. And this is: 'And their tongue has gone out over the earth' (Ps 72:11, 13). The righteous in the coming arrangement, just as Jeremiah says: 'If you turn back, I will restore you before my face.' There he says: 'And all those who plotted evil, who preferred evil, shall recognize.' For when the good things are revealed in the race of the righteous, they will say: 'There is then the providence of God; and how does He know the things being done?' But the voice of those who have lost the natural reasoning due to the disproportionate good things being against them toward injustices. For not prospering according to reason demonstrates thoughts as if the world were being conducted not according to reason, nor will our difficulties be known. But of the providence which stands over all things, nevertheless, he says, these ungodly ones, who even in prosperity are indifferent to wisdom and to the words concerning God, and in the good successes of the righteous are not yet persuaded... and the patient hand of the righteous is a vain patience, being mocked and hearing badly while choosing righteousness. This is the difficult thing of human reasoning: to recognize that the zeal for virtue is not good nor sufficient. And many such recollections come upon many, which the Word is about to heal.
[And to refute the ungodly reasoning, the more godly one confirms it through the person of God; for as God truly guarantees what is said, it is necessary that the pious ones, who are struggling now in the coming arrangement, be more blessed than the ungodly who prosper through the end. Such is in Jeremiah: 'If you turn back, I will restore you before my face.' And the part 'And I said, How did God know?' refers to those who have lost the natural reasoning due to disproportionate luxury; for since providence exists, they would not be able to prosper in good things if they were becoming hardened.] (Ps 72:24). The Confessor later said: 'Honor received it.' And also: 'I did not cease, realizing silence and believing in you as one who manages well those things concerning us, and thus to you it belongs to understand all things; therefore, take hold of me; you have set a good glory, you have led into a blessed glory.' (Ps 73:4). Necessarily the memory of places is needed because of the lawlessness of the people.
Greek
θρόνον ∆αυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. 103A Ps 71,10.11 Πρὸς δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ταῦτα καὶ Ἡσαΐας φησὶν Ὅτι μεταβαλεῖ εἰς σὲπλοῦτος θαλάσσης καὶ ἐθνῶν καὶ λαῶν· καὶ ἥξουσιν ἀγέλαι καμήλων καὶ καλύψουσι κάμηλοι Μαδιάμ, καὶ ἐλέφαντες ἐκ Σαβὰ ἥξουσι φέροντες χρυσίον καὶ λίβανον οἴσουσι καὶ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελιοῦνται. καὶ διὰ Ἁγγαίου δὲ λέγεται Ἔτι ἐγὼ ἅπαξ σείσω τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν καὶ συσσείσω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ ἥξει τὰ ἐκλεκτὰ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ πλήσω τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον δόξης, λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ. 104 Ps 71,16 Κομᾷ 13 γὰρ καὶ τέθηλεν οἰκουμένη πᾶσα τῷ Χριστοῦ καρπῷ καὶ πλῆθος ἀναρίθμητον τῶν ἐφ' ἑκάστης πόλεως ἀναφαινομένων Χριστοῦ παίδων ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς πόα. 105 Ps 71,20 Ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν πληροῦνται τοῦ ∆αυὶδ αἱ εὐχαὶ ἃς ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς αἰῶνα μονῆς τοῦ θρόνου πεποίηται λέγων Κύριε, ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησας ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ παιδός σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν παῖδά σου πιστωθήτω ἕως αἰῶνος καὶ ποίησον καθὼς ἐλάλησας καὶ ὑψωθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου ἕως αἰῶνος λεγόντων Κύριος παντοκράτωρ θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος ∆αυὶδ τοῦ παιδός σου ἀνωρθωμένος. Ἀλόγως οὖν τῷ ἑξῆς ἐγράφη ψαλμῷ τὸ Ἐξέλιπον οἱ ὕμνοι ∆αυὶδ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί· τέλος γάρ ἐστι τούτου καὶ τῆς εὐχαριστίας μέρος ἐπὶ τῇ πληρώσει τῶν ∆αυὶδ προσευχῶν. 106a Ps 72 arg. Κατέληξε καὶ ἡ δευτέρα τῶν ψαλμῶν βίβλος εἰς εὐλογίαν τὴν ἐπιφωνοῦσαν τὸ Ἀμήν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ πρώτη Γένοιτο δηλοῖ Καθὰ εἴρηκεν. ἐκείνης μὲν γὰρ ἦν τέλος ὁ Μ εἰς Χριστὸν εἰρημένος, ταύτης δὲ τέλος ὁ νῦν προειρημένος ΟΑ· καταλήγει δὲ ἡ τρίτη, ἵν' ἤδη καὶ περὶ ἐκείνης προείπωμεν εἰς τὸν ΠΗ ψαλμόν, ὡς εἶναι πάντας ψαλμοὺς ΙΖ ὧν ΙΑ μέν εἰσι τοῦ Ἀσάφ, εἶτα τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ ∆ καὶ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ Α καὶ Αἱμὰν τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου τελευταῖος. 107 Ps 72,7b®9 Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ∆ιήλθοσαν εἰς διάθεσιν καρδίας ὁ Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσεν Παρῆλθον σκοπιὰς καρδίας, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐδὲν τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἐννοημάτων ἐπιτελεῖν ἐθέλουσιν οὐδ' ἃ νοοῦσιν εὖ ἔχοντα πράττουσιν ἀλλ' ἀφίστανται τούτων. γέλως δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀρετή, συκοφαντία κατὰ τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων εὔκολος· ἕτοιμος ἡ κατὰ θεοῦ βλασφημία, πρόχειρος κατὰ ἀνθρώπων ἡ γλῶσσα. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι Καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν διῆλθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 108 Ps 72,11®13 *λους κακο.......... δίκαιοι ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ καταστάσει, ὁποῖόν τι καὶ Ἱερεμίας λέγει τὸ Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃς, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω σε πρὸ προσώπου μου. ἐκεῖ δέ φησιν Καὶ μεταγνώσονται πάντες κακῶς βουλευσάμενοι οἱ τὸ κακὸν προελόμενοι. ἀναφάντων γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐν τῷ γένει τῶν δικαίων ἐροῦσιν Ἔστιν ἄρα πρόνοια θεοῦ· καὶ πῶς γινώσκει τὰ πραττόμενα; ἡ φωνὴ δὲ ἀπολωλεκότων τὸν κατὰ φύσιν λογισμὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσυμφόρως ὑπαρξάντων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀδικίας. τὸ γὰρ μὴ κατὰ λόγον εὐπραγεῖν παρίστησι λογισμοὺς ὡς μὴ κατὰ λόγον διεξαγομένου τοῦ κόσμου μηδὲ δυσκολ.. τέρας ἡμῶν γνώσεται· τῆς δὲ προνοίας ἐφεστώσης τοῖς ὅλοις ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησίν, οἱ δυσσεβεῖς οὗτοι οἳ καὶ ἐν εὐθυμίαις ἀφόρητοι τῷ φρονήματι καὶ τοῖς κατὰ θεοῦ λόγοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς τῶν δικαίων εὐδοκίαις οὔπω πειθόμενοι .............. τῶν ἁπαν... * * καὶ τὸν χειρῶν καρτερὸν ματαία καρτερία χλευαζομένου καὶ κακῶς ἀκούοντος ἐπὶ τῷ δικαιοσύνην αἱρεῖσθαι. τοῦτο τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου λογισμοῦ τὸ χαλεπὸν τὸ μεταγνῶναι τῆς ἐπ' ἀρετῇ σπουδῆς ὡς οὐκ ἀγαθῆς οὐδὲ λυσιτελοῦς. ἐπεισέρχεται δὲ πολλοῖς πολλάκις ἐνθυμήματα τοιαῦτα ἃ δὴ καὶ θεραπεύειν μέλλει τῷ λόγῳ. [Εἰς ἀναίρεσιν δὲ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς λογισμοῦ τὸν εὐσεβέστερον βεβαιοῖ διὰ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· θεοῦ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐγγυητοῦ τὸ λεγόμενον δεῖται τὸ μακαριωτέρους εἶναι τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ καταστάσει δυσπραγοῦντας νῦν, τῶν διὰ τέλους ἀσεβῶν εὐπραγούντων. τοιοῦτον παρ' Ἱερεμίᾳ τὸ Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃς, καὶ ἀποκαστήσω σε πρὸ προσώπου μου. τὸ δὲ Καὶ εἶπον Πῶς ἔγνω ὁ θεός; ἀπολωλεκότων τὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἐστὶ λογισμὸν ὑπὸ τρυφῆς ἀσυμφόρου· προνοίας γὰρ οὔσης, μὴ ἂν ἑαυτοὺς εὐπραγεῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν δυσκληρούντων.] 109 Ps 72,24 Παρὰ μὲν *** 110A Ps 72,24 Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ὕστερον ἔφη Τιμὴ διεδέξατο. καὶ ἄλλως δέ· ἀνεπαυσάμην συνειδὼν σιωπᾶν καὶ σοὶ πιστεύειν ὡς καλῶς διοικοῦντι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ οὕτω σοι συνεῖναι διὰ παντός· διό μου ἀντελάβου· δόξαν ἐνέθηκας ἀγαθήν, εἰς δόξαν μακαρίαν προσήγαγες. 14 111a Ps 73,4a Ἀναγκαίως ἡ τῶν τόπων μνήμη διὰ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαν.
About this text
Apollinaris of Laodicea on the Psalms (catena fragments).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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