The Transformation of Souls and the Shipwreck of Bodies
Regarding Abraham, the portions which are found are rulers (Ps 46:10). The mighty ones of the earth are men who have lived rightly, exalting themselves by thinking of the things above and seeking the things above. For they, having been greatly exalted, being suspended by divine knowledge and virtue, have become of God; for the mighty ones of the earth, having become the possession of God, were exalted.
The joy of all the earth is a deep-rooted and good-rooted thing (Ps 47:3); perhaps there is no other one of him who said, 'I am the true vine' (John 15:1). For he himself is the joy of all the earth, being also the provider of joy.
It does not seem that some, having moved from wherever, were heard to have suffered, to signify from the appointed word; for they say that the Savior was crucified on the northern sides of Zion, there being the place of the skull (Ps 47:3).
But we say, following many writings, that the north is not anything other than the devil, according to the 'Exert yourself, O North, and come' (Job 37:7). This side is wicked men, just as they say the retainers of a ruler are his side. The wicked men who serve the devil, having previously been his side, transformed so much in virtue that they did not merely plunder Zion, but became its mountain (Ps 47:3-4). Paul, then, being a traitor, being a side of the north, plundered the body of the church which is Zion as it was transforming. And since the woman is called the side of the man, and the souls that became spouses to the devil, being his side through fellowship with him, became the mountain of Zion through transformation, just as the city of the great King Christ was plundered. For this word intends this, saying Zion is the mountain, which was formerly the side of the north or of the great king, we understanding it again as a great king by excellence of power but not of size. And in this city there are certain heavy and great dwellings in which God is known and the care of the city is grasped. These dwellings are of the same kind as the house which he builds upon the rock, he who heard the words of Jesus and did them (Ps 47:5-8). In the city the kings have come and into it...
Having been gathered together, having become the same, prepared by the same mind and the same judgment; but the kings are not those ruling according to God, such as Abraham was to someone, although not perceptibly ruling: 'You are a king from God in our midst' (Gen 26:2).
Not having seen the ancient ones who rose to such height from the north side, they marveled at the sight of Zion, being struck by the change occurring in the rational nature. And if one sees the bad becoming diligent and wise, marveling at the change, if he considers what might happen again—that those able to fall might be the diligent and wise—having thought this, he will cause trouble and shaking even to those who have greatly progressed in virtue, as if they were to seize the terror of dread.
Accompanying this is: 'The righteous groan in the places of the ungodly' (Ps 47:9), for when they fall, they become terrified. There are pains like those of a woman in childbirth. In the city of the great king, it is likely that souls have become pregnant from the bridegroom, and they have a time for delivery to form the offspring cast upon him, as if to labor to bring forth the mother's offspring.
The name of pains may signify those who are troubled and shaken, whom terror has seized. 'A mighty wind shall break the ships of Tarshish' (Job 41:31). The bodies are often called the ships of the souls in the Scripture, as also in 'Those going down into the sea in ships' (Ps 107:23). These bodies are not being crushed by the Divine Spirit striking them violently in essence, that is, being dissolved, so that at the time of the resurrection, incorruptible, strong, and promising spiritual things might come forth from corruptible, weak, and dishonorable, psychic kinds.
But these ships are not simply so, but are 'Tarshish,' changing the voice of Tarshish into the joy of discovery. For then the bodies, being crushed and dying, are praiseworthily broken, so that those nearby may discover the divine joy. While experiencing this in this life, we hear much concerning the heavenly city of God and the spiritual goods in it from prophetic words and other inspired Scripture. If, having been relocated...
Greek
τῷ ̓Αβραὰμ αἱ μερίδες ω ν τυγχάνουσιν α ρχοντες. 493 Ps 46,10b Κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς οἱ 94 ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὀρθῶς πολιτευσάμενοι, ἐπαιρόμενοι τῷ τὰ α νω φρονεῖν τῷ τὰ α νω ζητεῖν. ου τοι γὰρ σφόδρα ἐπαρθέντες, γνώσει θείᾳ καὶ ἀρετῇ μετεωριζόμενοι, τοῦ θεοῦ γεγένηνται· οἱ γὰρ κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κτῆμα γεγενημένοι ἐπήρθησαν. 494 Ps 47,3a Τὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς ἀγαλλίαμα ευ ριζον καὶ ἀγαθὰς ῥίζας ε χον ἐστίν, τάχα οὐχ ε τερον ο ν τοῦ εἰπόντος ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ α μπελος ἡ ἀληθινή. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἀγαλλίαμα πάσης τῆς γῆς, αι τιος καὶ χορηγὸς τυγχάνων ἀγαλλιάσεως. 495 Ps 47,3b Οὐκ οι δ' ὁπόθεν κινηθέντες τινὲς ᾠήθησαν ε νθα πέπονθεν ὁ σωτὴρ σημαίνεσθαι ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης λέξεως· φασὶ γὰρ τὸν σωτῆρα ἐσταυρῶσθαι ἐν τοῖς βορείοις πλευροῖς τῆς Σιών, ἐκεῖσε τυγχάνοντος τοῦ κρανίου τόπου. 496 Ps 47,3b–4 ̔Ημεῖς δέ φαμεν, ἑπόμενοι πολλαῖς γραφαῖς, τὸν βορρᾶν οὐκ α λλον ει ναι η τὸν διάβολον κατὰ τὸ ̓Εξεγείρου, βορρᾶ, καὶ ε ρχου, νότε. τούτου ου ν πλευρὰ οἱ πονηροὶ α νθρωποι, ω σπερ καὶ α ρχοντος πλευρά φασιν τοὺς δορυφόρους αὐτοῦ. οἱ πονηροὶ ου ν α νθρωποι οἱ δορυφοροῦντες τὸν διάβολον, πλευρὰ αὐτοῦ πρότερον ο ντες, εἰς τοσοῦτον μεταβάλλοντες κατ' ἀρετὴν διέπρεψαν, ὡς μὴ ἁπλῶς τὴν Σιὼν χρηματίσαι ἀλλ' ο ρη αὐτῆς ἀποδειχθῆναι. Παῦλος ου ν ο τε προδότης η ν πλευρὸν τυγχάνων τοῦ βορρᾶ, μεταβαλλόμενος ο ρος τῆς ἐκκλησίας τυγχανούσης Σιὼν ἐχρημάτισεν. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἡ γυνὴ πλευρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς λέγεται, καὶ αἱ γενόμεναι ψυχαὶ σύζυγοι τῷ διαβόλῳ, πλευρὰ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνουσαι διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον κοινωνίας, ο ρη τῆς Σιὼν διὰ μεταβολῆς γεγένηνται, ὡς καὶ πόλιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως Χριστοῦ χρηματίσαι. Αυ τη γὰρ ἡ λέξις τοῦτο βούλεται, ο ρη λέγουσα Σιὼν τὰ πάλαι πλευρὰ τοῦ βορρᾶ η τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου, μέγαν πάλιν βασιλέα καθ' ὑπεροχὴν δυνάμεως ἀλλ' οὐ μεγέθους νοούντων ἡμῶν. ταύτης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ει εν καὶ βάρεις τινὲς ὑψηλαὶ καὶ μεγάλαι οἰκεῖαι ἐν αι ς ὁ θεὸς γινώσκεται ο ταν ἀντιλαμβάνηται τῆς πόλεως. αυ ται αἱ βάρεις ὁμογενεῖς εἰσιν τῇ οἰκίᾳ η ν οἰκοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν ὁ τοὺς ̓Ιησοῦ λόγους ἀκούσας καὶ ποιήσας. 497 Ps 47,5–8 ̓Εν τῇ πόλει οἱ βασιλεῖς ἐληλυθότες καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν συναχθέντες, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ γεγενημένοι καταρτισθέντες τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ· εἰσὶν δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς ου τοι οἱ κατὰ θεὸν βασιλεύσαντες, οι ος η ν ̓Αβραὰμ πρὸς ο ν ει πόν τινες καίτοι οὐκ αἰσθητῶς βασιλεύοντα· Βασιλεὺς παρὰ θεοῦ σὺ ει ἐν ἡμῖν. Ου τοι ἰδόντες τοὺς πάλαι πλευρὰ ο ντας τοῦ βορρᾶ εἰς τοσοῦτον υ ψος ἀναβάντας ὡς ει ναι τῆς Σιὼν ο ρη ἐθαύμασαν, ἐκπλαγέντες τὴν περὶ τὴν λογικὴν φύσιν γινομένην τροπήν. ο τ' α ν δὲ καὶ ἐκ φαύλων σπουδαίους καὶ σοφοὺς γινομένους ι δοι τις, θαυμάσας τὴν μεταβολὴν εἰ σκοπήσοι ο τι ἀνάπαλιν ἐνδέχεται γενέσθαι τοὺς σπουδαίους καὶ σοφοὺς μεταπεσεῖν δυναμένους, τοῦτ' ἐννοηθεὶς καὶ τοῖς πάνυ προκόψασιν κατ' ἀρετὴν τάραχον ἐμποιήσει καὶ κλόνον, ὡς τὸν ἐκ δέους τρόμον ἐπιλαβέσθαι αὐτῶν. τούτῳ συνῳδὸν τὸ ̓Εν τόποις ἀσεβῶν στένουσιν δίκαιοι· ἐκείνων πιπτόντων κατάφοβοι γίνονται. ̓Εκεῖ ὠδῖνες ὡς τικτούσης. ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου εἰκὸς ει ναι ψυχὰς ἐγκύμονας ἀπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου γεγενημένας, αι καὶ μορφώσασαι τὰς παρ' αὐτοῦ καταβεβλημένας γονὰς καιρὸν ε χουσιν ἀποτέξεως, ὡς καὶ ὠδινῆσαι ἐπὶ τῷ μητέρας γεννημάτων γενέσθαι. δύναται δὲ τὸ τῶν ὠδίνων ο νομα πόνους σημαίνειν τοὺς περὶ τοὺς ταραχθέντας καὶ σαλευθέντας, ω ν ἐπελάβετο τρόμος. ̓Εν πνεύματι βιαίῳ συντρίψει πλοῖα Θαρσεῖς. πλοῖα τῶν ψυχῶν τὰ σώματα πολλαχοῦ τῆς γραφῆς λέγεται ω σπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ Οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς θάλασσαν ἐν πλοίοις. ταῦτ' ου ν τὰ σώματα φθαρτὰ καὶ μετάβλητα κατ' οὐσίαν ο ντα ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος σφοδρῶς προσβάλλοντος αὐτοῖς συντρίβεται, τουτέστιν διαλύεται, ι να κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως καιρὸν α φθαρτα ἰσχυρὰ ἐπίδοξα πνευματικὰ ἐκ φθαρτῶν ἀσθενῶν καὶ ἀτίμων καὶ ψυχικῶν γένηται. οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ ἀλλὰ Θαρσεῖς ἐστιν τὰ πλοῖα ταῦτα, μεταβαλλομένης ̔Ελλάδι 95 φωνῇ τῆς Θαρσεῖς εἰς τὸ κατασκοπὴ χαρᾶς. τότε γὰρ ἐπαινετῶς συντρίβεται τὰ σώματα ὑποπιαζόμενα καὶ νεκρούμενα, ο τ' α ν κατασκοπῶσιν οἱ περικείμενοι αὐτὰ τὴν θείαν χαράν. 498 Ps 47,9a ̓Εν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τυγχάνοντες, πολλὰ περὶ τῆς ἐπουρανίου πόλεως τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ πνευματικῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀκούομεν ὑπὸ λόγων προφητικῶν καὶ τῆς α λλης θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς. ἐὰν ου ν μετοικισθέντες
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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