Zion, the City of Our Salvation
…through the lyre of the psalmist, saying: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world” (Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:35). And He spoke to the Jews too in parables.
So they did not give counsel to the people, he says, nor did the people know Him whose speech is deep. Nor did they give the counsel that would have kept the people from being called a despised people. For if they had given counsel, the people would not have been called despised; they would rather have been called blessed, as those who had recognized the Redeemer. But there was, he says, no understanding in the one who heard (Isaiah 33:19). For the Jews, being without understanding, did not test the voices of their leaders, nor discern whether they were giving good counsel or doing the opposite.
“Behold Zion, the city, our salvation! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a rich city, tents that will not be shaken; the pegs of its tent stand for ever, nor will its cords be broken, because the name of the Lord is great to you. You will have a place, rivers and canals, broad and spacious” (Isaiah 33:20-21).
Between these come the words which God addressed to the senseless scribes of the Jews and to those who gave unholy counsel. Now the voice of the lovers of truth is brought in again, of those who have recognized the appearing of Christ and who say “Behold Zion,” meaning either the Church on earth or the fair city above in the heavens, the nurse of the saints. So whether one names the Church on earth or has that other city in mind, the thing shown by both will be one. For those who have been in the Church below will in due time be also in that city above, in the heavens.
Since, then, they all but leap for great joy at having recognized Zion, in which is our salvation, that is, Christ, and point it out to one another, at once the divine word takes up their words and says: “Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a rich city.” He speaks as if by likeness to the ancient tent in the wilderness. He calls Zion rich and says that the tent will be unshaken; for he declares that it has cords that cannot be broken and pegs fixed for ever. For the Church has been firmly set, and its continuance in well-being cannot be moved: “for the gates of Hades,” he says, “will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
And He gives the reason why it will be such, saying to those who have believed in Christ: “because the name of the Lord is great to you.” For to those who have not accepted the faith the name of Christ is not great and glorified; but with us who have believed it is great and exalted. For we worship Him as God, as truly the Son of the Father, as the Word made man for the salvation of all. This then, he says, the tent that abides for ever, is a place…
Greek
ιὰ τῆς τοῦ ψάλλοντος λύρας οὕτω λέγων· "6Ἀνοίξω ἐν πα- ραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα μου, ἐρεύξομαι κεκρυμμένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου."6 Προσελάλει δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ἰου- δαίοις ἐν παραβολαῖς. Οὐκοῦν οὐ συνεβούλευσαν τῷ λαῷ, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ᾔδει τὸν βαθύφωνον. Οὐ συν- εβούλευσαν δὲ ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι λαὸς πεφαυλισμένος. Εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν συμβουλεύσαντες, οὐκ ἂν ἤκουσε λαὸς πεφαυλισμένος. Μακάριοι δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς ἐπεγνωκότες τὸν Λυτρωτήν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν, φησὶ, τῷ ἀκούοντι σύνεσις. Ἀσύνετοι γὰρ ὄντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, τὰς τῶν ἡγουμένων οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζον φωνὰς, οὐδὲ διέκρινον πό- τερόν ποτε χρηστὰ συμβουλεύουσιν, ἢ δρῶσι τὸ ἐναν- τίον. 9Ἰδοὺ Σιὼν ἡ πόλις, τὸ Σωτήριον ἡμῶν, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὄψονται Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πόλις πλου- σία, σκηναὶ αἳ οὐ μὴ σεισθῶσιν, οἱ πάσσαλοι τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτῆς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, οὐδὲ τὰ σχοινία αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ διαῤῥαγῶσιν, ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου μέγα ὑμῖν. Τόπος ὑμῖν ἔσται, ποταμοὶ καὶ διώρυγες πλατεῖς, καὶ εὐρύχωροι.9 ∆ιὰ μέσου τεθειμένων τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων οὓς πεποίηται πρὸς τοὺς ἀσυνέτους τῶν Ἰουδαίων γραμ- ματικοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἀνόσια συμβουλεύοντας, εἰσφέ- ρεται πάλιν τὸ πρόσωπον τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐραστῶν, ἐπεγνωκότων τε τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ λεγόντων· Ἢ τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς Ἐκκλησίαν, ἤγουν τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς τὴν ἄνω καλλίπολιν, τὴν τῶν ἁγίων τροφόν. Ὥστε κἂν εἴτε τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς Ἐκκλησίαν ὀνομάσειέ τις, εἵτ' οὖν ἐκείνην εἰς νοῦν δέξαιτο, ἓν ἔσται τὸ δι' ἀμφοῖν δηλούμενον. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῇ κάτω γεγονότες, ἔσονται κατὰ καιροὺς καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἄνω καὶ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ ἐκ περιχαρείας πολλῆς ‹70.736› μονονουχὶ, καὶ ἀνασκιρτῶσιν ἐπεγνωκότες τὴν Σιὼν, ἐν ᾗ τὸ σωτήριον ἡμῶν, τοῦτ' ἔστι, Χριστὸς, ἀλλή- λοις αὐτὴν καταδεικνύουσιν, εὐθὺς ὁ θεῖος διαδέχεται λόγος τὰς παρ' αὐτῶν φωνὰς, καί φησιν· Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὄψονται Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πόλις πλουσία· καὶ διαλέ- γεται μὲν ὡς ἐξ ὁμοιότητος τῆς ἀρχαίας καὶ ἐν τῂ ἐρήμῳ σκηνῆς. Πλουσίαν τε ὀνομάζει τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ ἀκατάσειστον ἔσεσθαι τὴν σκηνήν. ∆ιϊσχυρίζεται γὰρ, ἄῤῥηκτα μὲν ἔχουσα τὰ σχοινία, πασσάλους δὲ πεπη- γότας διηνεκῶς. Ἐρήρεισται γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία, καὶ ἀκράδαντον ἔχει τὴν εἰς τὸ εὖ εἶναι διαμονήν· "6Πύ- λαι γὰρ ᾅδου, φησὶν, οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς."6 Καὶ ἀποδίδωσι τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ἔσται τοιαύτη, καί φησι τοῖς πιστεύσασιν εἰς Χριστὸν, ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου μέγα ὑμῖν. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐ προσηκαμένοις τὴν πίστιν, οὐ μέγα καὶ δεδοξασμένον ἐστὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς πιστεύσασι, μέγα καὶ ὑψηλόν. Προσκυνοῦμεν γὰρ ὡς Θεὸν, ὡς Υἱὸν ἀληθῶς τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὡς ἐνανθρωπήσαντα Λόγον ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ὅλων. Αὕτη τοίνυν, φησὶν, ἡ ἀεὶ μένουσα σκηνὴ τόπος