The Lord of Powers and the Pantokrator
The inquiry has become directed toward a holy place, not as an answer concerning a single person, but concerning every pure person with clean hands and a pure heart. Therefore, the text also brings forth the generation of those seeking him, instead of saying 'All such are'; and the generation having possessed the virtue of the aforementioned are seeking the Lord. They seek in order to find the face of God, as Jacob, whom they wish to behold, might be improved by the understanding and the illumination of it in some way: 'The light of your face has been signaled to us, Lord' (Ps 23:8–10).
Running forward, divine angels were addressing those standing at the heavenly gates: 'Lift up your gates, O rulers; you are leaders and you are guards.' For just as he, bowing, bent the heaven and did not open it, so having been taken up, he did not enter through opened gates, but through those being lifted up. Since these gates also are spiritual, and the angels say toward them: 'Be lifted up, eternal gates.' But these spiritual gates are not temporary, because they are not bodily, but eternal because of the incorporeal and unblemished nature; yet they say that the gates should be lifted and be lifted up, not so that the glorious ones might enter, but that the King of Glory might enter.
And it is said that the Savior is the King of Glory to rule over all the glorious ones according to God, and as one bringing glory from all and possessing the true and lasting kingdom. Providing this to the worthy, and he is its Lord, it is said according to: 'For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory' (1 Cor 2:8). But since not God the Word alone ascended, but coming forth he was taken up in flesh, being animated by a spiritual soul, the powers above were astonished, asking: 'Who is this King of Glory?' For seeing the one spoken of as the King of Glory surrounding himself with flesh, they marveled.
Again, those running forward said, 'Lord, mighty and powerful,' shouting contrary to this: 'Not the one surrounding himself with a body, but the one having excelled against those who fell from us and having taken on a tyrannical power, the Lord who is mighty in war,' having seen that he had utterly defeated all, to contradict and to wish to stand against them. Having heard these things, the rulers along with the eternal gates...
They were not satisfied with doing only what was commanded, but they also stood over the higher powers and the gates of the higher heavens, as they reported, proclaiming the gates of the Most High, your rulers, and so on. And when they were questioned again, the angels answered them, and this was their answer, saying, 'Lord of Powers,' He is the King of Glory. But they call Him 'Lord of Powers' as a commander of armies.
It should be noted that those who have been precise regarding the Hebrews say that the voice of Sabaoth is lying in the Hebrew. The Seventy translate into Greek either 'Lord of Powers,' 'Lord of Armies,' or 'the Pantokrator.' They say, indeed, that in this place where Sabaoth is located, the translation into 'Lord of Powers' has occurred. But if Sabaoth lies concerning the Savior, it is also translated into 'the Pantokrator,' so that it is fitting the voice of the Pantokrator should be attributed to the Savior; for if all things came into being through Him, and He is before all things, and all things consist in Him, and He holds providentially all things having come into being through Him, and He is before all things consisting in Him, it follows that He is called Pantokrator. For it is His face speaking in Zechariah: 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have been sent after glory' (Zech 8:2), and 'You shall know what the Lord of hosts has sent me to you' (Zech 8:13). For the Son is the Pantokrator being sent by the Pantokrator, being sent by the Father. And most clearly in the Apocalypse of John, the Savior is called Pantokrator: 'These things says the Lord, the faithful and true witness, the one who was and the one who is and the one who is coming, the Lord God the Pantokrator' (Rev 1:8). For these things have been said about the Son without dispute.
Let me not be put to shame, as those who trust in others are put to shame; for he who trusts in wealth shall not fall (Ps 24:1-3). This is to be said synecdochically concerning all temporal things. For I pray, having trust toward You, not to contend with those who are striving, lest I should be made a laughingstock by the enemies; and my enemies are the devil and the other evil powers and men except the God-fearing. For having learned this through all, I am emboldened, not to be put to shame by all those...
Greek
εἰς τόπον α γιον αὐτοῦ ἡ ἐρώτησις γέγονεν, οὐδὲ ἡ ἀπόκρισις περὶ ἑνὸς ἀλλὰ περὶ παντὸς ἀθῴου χερσὶν καὶ καθαροῦ τῇ καρδίᾳ. διὸ καὶ ἐπιφέρει τὸ Αυ τη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτὸν ἀντὶ τοῦ Πάντες οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων ἀρετὴν ἐσχηκότες γενεὰ ζητοῦντές εἰσι τὸν κύριον· ζητοῦντες δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ εὑρεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ ̓Ιακώβ, ο ν θεωρῆσαι θέλουσιν ι να βελτιωθέντες ἐκ τῆς κατανοήσεως καὶ ἐκλάμψεως αὐτοῦ ει πωσιν· ̓Εσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε. 215 Ps 23,8–10 Προτρέχοντες θεῖοι α γγελοι προσεφώνουν τοῖς ἐφεστηκόσιν ταῖς οὐρανίαις πύλαις· Αρατε πύλας, οἱ α ρχοντες ὑμῶν, τὰς ὑμετέρας ω ν ἡγεῖσθε καὶ φύλακές ἐστε. ὡς γὰρ κατιών, κλίνας οὐρανὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀνοίξας κατῆλθεν, ου τως ἀναληφθείς, οὐκ ἀνοιχθεισῶν πυλῶν, εἰσῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ αἰρομένων. ει τα ἐπεὶ αυ ται αἱ πύλαι καὶ λογικαὶ τυγχάνουσιν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς οἱ α γγελοί φασιν· ̓Επάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι. αυ ται δὲ αἱ πνευματικαὶ πύλαι οὐ πρόσκαιροι, ἐπεὶ μὴ σωματικαί, ἀλλ' αἰώνιοι διὰ τὸ α ϋλον καὶ ἀκήρατον· πλὴν φάσκοντες ἀρθῆναι καὶ ἐπαρθῆναι τὰς πύλας, οὐχ ε να τῶν ἐπιδόξων εἰσελεύσεσθαι ἀλλὰ τὸν Βασιλέα τῆς δόξης φασίν. Βασιλεὺς δὲ δόξης ὁ σωτὴρ τῷ α ρχειν πάντων τῶν ἐπιδόξων κατὰ θεὸν ει ρηται καὶ ὡς τὴν παρὰ πάντων κομιζόμενος δόξαν καὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ μόνιμον ε χων βασιλείαν. ταύτην δὲ παρέχων τοῖς ἀξίοις, καὶ κύριος αὐτῆς ει ρηται κατὰ τὸ Εἰ γὰρ ε γνωσαν, οὐκ α ν τὸν κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνος ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἀνῆλθεν ἀλλ' ἐπιφερόμενος η ν ἀνείληφεν σάρκα ἐψυχωμένην ψυχῇ νοερᾷ, ξενιζόμεναι αἱ α νω δυνάμεις ἐπυνθάνοντο Τίς ἐστιν ου τος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; σάρκα γὰρ περικείμενον τὸν λεχθέντα Βασιλέα τῆς δόξης ἰδοῦσαι, ἐθαύμαζον. Πάλιν 55 δὲ οἱ προτρέχοντες, Κύριος, ε λεγον, κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός, α ντικρυς τοῦτο βοῶντες· ο ν ι στε παμβασιλέα καὶ τῶν ο λων δεσπότην κραταιὸν καὶ δυνατόν, ου τός ἐστιν σῶμα περικείμενος, ἀριστεύσας κατὰ τῶν ἀφ' ἡμῶν πεσόντων καὶ τυραννικὴν ε ξιν ἀναλαβόντων, Κύριος ω ν δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ, ὀφθεὶς τῷ πάντας καταλελυκέναι ἀντιδοξῆσαι καὶ ἀνθίστασθαι θελήσαντας. Ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες οἱ α ρχοντες μετὰ καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων πυλῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἠρκέσθησαν τὸ προσταχθὲν μόνον ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς ὑπερτέρω δυνάμεσιν ἐπιστατούσαις καὶ αὐταῖς ταῖς πύλαις τῶν ἀνωτέρων οὐρανῶν α περ η κουσαν ἀνήγγειλαν, κηρύττουσαι τὸ Αρατε πύλας, οἱ α ρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ πυθομέναις πάλιν αὐταῖς ἀπεκρίναντο η ν ε σχον καὶ αυ ται ἀπόκρισιν, Κύριος δυνάμεων εἰποῦσαι Αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. ∆υνάμεων δὲ κύριον αὐτὸν ει πον ὡς α ρχοντα στρατοπέδων. σημειωτέον δὲ ο τι οἱ τὰ ̔Εβραίων ἠκριβωκότες φασὶν τὴν Σαβαὼθ φωνὴν ἐν τῷ ̔Εβραικῷ κειμένην. εἰς ̔Ελλάδα φωνὴν οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα μεταλαμβάνοντες ὁτὲ μὲν τὸ Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁτὲ δὲ Κύριος στρατιῶν, ὁτὲ δὲ τὸ Παντοκράτωρ ε ταξαν. λέγουσι γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ κειμένου τοῦ Σαβαώθ, μετάληψις εἰς τὸ Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων γέγονεν. εἰ δὲ τὸ Σαβαὼθ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος κεῖται, ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ Παντοκράτωρ, εἰκότως ἡ Παντοκράτωρ φωνὴ τοῦ σωτῆρος κατηγορηθείη· εἰ γὰρ Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ γέγονεν καὶ Αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν, κρατεῖ δὲ προνοητικῶς τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ πάντων γεγενημένων καὶ πρὸ πάντων ἐστὶν τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ συστάντων, ἀκολούθως Παντοκράτωρ λέγεται. αὐτοῦ γοῦν ἐστι πρόσωπον λέγον ἐν Ζαχαρίᾳ Ου τω λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ ̓Οπίσω δόξης ἀπέστειλέν με, καὶ Γνώσῃ ο τι κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἀπέστειλέν με πρός σε. παντοκράτωρ γὰρ ὑπὸ παντοκράτορος ἀποστελλόμενος ὁ υἱός ἐστιν, ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς πεμπόμενος. ἀριδηλότατα δὲ ἐν τῇ ̓Ιωάννου ̓Αποκαλύψει παντοκράτωρ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγεται· Τάδε γὰρ λέγει κύριος, ὁ μαρτὺς ὁ πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός, ὁ η ν καὶ ὁ ω ν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ. ἀναμφισβητήτως γὰρ ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ ει ρηται. 216 Ps 24,1b–3a Οι δα μὴ καταισχυνθησόμενον ἐμαυτόν, ω σπερ καταισχύνονται οἱ ἐπ' α λλοις τισὶ πεποιθότες· ̔Ο πεποιθὼς γὰρ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ ου τος πεσεῖται. συνεκδοχικῶς δὲ περὶ πάντων τῶν προσκαίρων τοῦτο λεκτέον. τὴν γὰρ πρὸς σὲ πεποίθησιν ε χων ευ χομαι μὴ διαμαρτεῖν τῶν σπουδαζομένων, ο πως μὴ ὀφλήσω παρὰ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γέλωτα· ἐχθροί μου δὲ διάβολος καὶ αἱ α λλαι πονηραὶ δυνάμεις καὶ α νθρωποι θεοσεβείας ἐκτός. τεθάρσηκα γὰρ καθ' ο λου τοῦτο μαθών, οὐ καταισχυνθήσεσθαι πάντας τοὺς
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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