Wisdom, Peace, and the Just Judgment
The holy one does not speak these things from his own person, but concerning the human race having been tested by many evils and tribulation before the arrival of the Savior. After the trial, the Lord, having turned back toward us, came and gave life, having given instead of us his own soul as a ransom; so that everyone believing in him and receiving his teaching possesses eternal life. He brought up me from the abysses of the earth, that is, from Hades, having become there after the shedding of the body, and no one else resurrected me except him, to bring up those having been cast down there through their own sin.
Regarding 'You have brought me up again from the abysses of the earth' (Ps 70:21): if the abyss signifies a sinking in circumstantial matters (as it is interpreted), it follows to take it as being often raised up from there by God, always doing good (the testimony of this is the saying: 'Many are the tribulations of the righteous, and from all of them the Lord will rescue them'); but if instead of Hades the abyss is understood, it is difficult to say how someone is raised up there again; for just as there is one entrance into life and one exit from it, it is necessary that those being separated from the body also become one in Hades. Therefore, the 'again' does not pass by, but will find consolation; yet it is not passing by the divine and is not superfluous. His thought will be such: 'Having given me life by your goodness, and also having increased your righteousness upon me, you have brought me up again from the abysses of the earth, not only by having given me life and having increased your righteousness upon me, but also by bringing me up from the lower parts.'
The Psalter is a vessel of the psalm, through which he says 'I will confess to you,' bringing forth the truth thankfully, according to which no one is like God after having made bad things life-giving and having completed every following goodness. Regarding the confessing of the truth in a vessel of a psalm and in a harp, he promises to the God existing, the Holy of Israel. And 'Holy of Israel' is said as one sanctifying him; for just as if we say 'they are holy of God' we present those being sanctified by him, so we do not say 'Holy of him' without signifying what is being sanctified. And if it is not so, attend to what is said concerning Christ, who...
Wisdom was revealed to us from God, along with righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; for wisdom became for the wise, righteousness for those being justified, and sanctification and redemption for those being sanctified and redeemed. It is not only said that the Holy One of Israel is God, but also in the Parousia, the Holy One of Israel is revealed, making manifest what the sinners do. The rational soul is redeemed, because Jesus gave his own soul as a ransom for it, and it is clearly a rational soul. For just as he redeemed the bodies of men by giving a body of the same essence for them, so he redeemed rational souls by placing a rational soul for them.
Regarding Psalm 71, the psalm does not pertain to the father of Rehoboam, Solomon, but to the one called spiritual, through the participation in the name; for it is interpreted with a Greek voice of peace. For who is he who says, 'Jesus, I give you my peace'? Concerning this, the theologian writes: 'For He is our peace' (Eph 2:14), and 'He preached peace to you who are far off, and peace to those who are near' (Eph 2:17), having dissolved the enmity that divided Greeks from Hebrews, as one flock and establishing one people from the nations and Jews. Thus, being shown to be peaceful through his works, he who was born according to the flesh from a virgin is from David. Indeed, it is written concerning him, 'The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David' (Matt 1:1).
Regarding Psalm 71:2, 'To judge your people in righteousness (clearly those of the circumcision) and your poor in judgment' (Ps 72:2); for those coming to the gospel from the nations are not called poor because of a poverty of unbelief and wickedness. But if the poor of God can be the moderate in mind, according to 'Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt 5:3), then He visits them. Regarding Psalm 71:3, He protects the great-minded through virtue, the high-born and those called princes, to take up peace toward the people. And even if the high-born and princes turn out to be archangels and angels, the whole human race is a people toward whom they are called to bring peace, since Jesus, through the blood of the cross, made peace between those in the heavens and those on the earth, who previously were at odds on the earth because of wickedness toward those in the heavens. Since, therefore, the one crucified...
Greek
Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ ἰδίου προσώπου ὁ α γιος λέγει ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους πειραθέντος πλείστων ο σων κακῶν καὶ θλίψεως πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας· μεθ' η ν πεῖραν ἐπιστρέψας ὁ κύριος πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐλήλυθεν καὶ ἐζωοποίησεν δοὺς ἀνθ' ἡμῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν λύτρον ω στε πάντα τὸν πιστεύοντα εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ δεχόμενον τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ ε χειν ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἀνήγαγεν δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς τουτέστι τοῦ ᾳ δου γενόμενος ἐκεῖ μετὰ ἀπόθεσιν ου ει χεν σώματος οὐκ α λλου ε νεκα η τοῦ ἀναγαγεῖν τοὺς ἐκεῖ καταχθέντας δι' ἁμαρτίας ἰδίας. 746 Ps 70,21 Προσκειμένου τῷ ̓Εκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς ἀνήγαγές με τοῦ πάλιν–εἰ μὲν ἡ α βυσσος σημαίνοι τὸν ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς βυθισμόν (ὡς ἑρμηνεύεται), ἀκόλουθον ἐκλαβεῖν ὡς πολλάκις ε στιν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐκεῖθεν ἀναχθῆναι ἀεὶ εὐεργετοῦντος (μαρτύριον τούτου τὸ φερόμενον ου τως· Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ κύριος)· εἰ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ᾳ δου ἡ α βυσσος παραληφθῇ, ε ργον εἰπεῖν πῶς πάλιν ἐκεῖθέν τις ἀνάγεται· ὡς γὰρ μία ει σοδος εἰς τὸν βίον καὶ ε ξοδος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μία, ἀνάγκη καὶ τοὺς χωριζομένους τοῦ σώματος ου ε σχον ἐν τῷ ᾳ δῃ α παξ γίνεσθαι. Ητοι ου ν παρέλκει τὸ πάλιν η παραμυθίας τεύξεται, ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲν τοῖς θείοις παρέλκον καὶ περιττόν. ε σται αὐτοῦ α ρα νόησις τοιαύτη· ζωοποιήσας με εὐεργεσίᾳ τῇ σῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου πλεονάσας ἐπ' ἐμέ, πάλιν εὐεργετῶν ἀνήγαγές με ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς τῷ μὴ μόνον ἐζωοποιηκέναι με καὶ πεπλεονακέναι σου τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἀναγαγεῖν με. 747 Ps 70,22.23 Σκεῦος ψαλμοῦ τὸ ψαλτήριον, δι' ου λέγει ̓Εξομολογήσομαί σοι, εὐχαριστικῶς προφέρων τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ καθ' η ν οὐδεὶς ο μοιος θεοῦ μετὰ τὰ κακὰ ζωοποιοῦντος καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἑπομένην εὐεργεσίαν τελοῦντος. πρὸς τὸ ἐξομολογήσασθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν σκεύει ψαλμοῦ καὶ ἐν κιθάρᾳ ψάλαι ὑπισχνεῖται τῷ θεῷ ὑπάρχοντι ἁγίῳ τοῦ ̓Ισραήλ. α γιος δὲ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ λέγεται ὡς ἁγιάζων αὐτόν· ω σπερ γὰρ ἐὰν λέγωμεν θεοῦ ἁγίους ει ναι παριστῶμεν τοὺς πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἁγιαζομένους, ου τως α γιον αὐτὸν λέγοντες τίνος τὸ ἁγιαζόμενον σημαίνομεν. καὶ ο τι τοῦθ' ου τως ε χει, ἐπίστησον τῷ περὶ Χριστοῦ λεγομένῳ Ος ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις· γέγονε γὰρ σοφία τοῖς σοφοῖς, δικαιοσύνη τοῖς δικαιουμένοις, ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις τοῖς ἁγιαζομένοις καὶ ἀπολυτρουμένοις. οὐκ ἐνταῦθα μόνον α γιος τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ὁ θεὸς ει ρηται ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ Παρωξύνατε τὸν α γιον τοῦ ̓Ισραήλ, δῆλον ο τι οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες. Λυτροῦται ἡ λογικὴ ψυχή, λύτρον δεδωκότος τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καὶ αὐτὴν δηλονότι λογικὴν ου σαν. ο νπερ γὰρ τρόπον λυτρούμενος τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων σῶμα ὁμοούσιον αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δέδωκεν, ου τως λυτρούμενος λογικὰς ψυχὰς λογικὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ε θηκεν. 748 Ps 71 αργ Ου τος ὁ ψαλμὸς οὐ διενέγκοι τῷ πατρὶ τοῦ ̔Ροβοὰμ Σολομῶνι ἀλλὰ τῷ πνευματικῷ ου τω καλουμένῳ διὰ τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος μετάληψιν· ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ ̔Ελλήνων φωνῇ εἰρηνικός. τίς δὲ ου τος ὑπάρχει η ὁ λέγων ̓Ιησοῦς Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν; περὶ τούτου ὁ θεολόγος γράφει Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, καὶ τὸ Εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην ὑμῖν τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς, λύσας τὴν ε χθραν τὴν διαιροῦσαν Ελληνας ἀπὸ τῶν ̔Εβραίων ω στε μίαν ποίμνην καὶ ε να λαὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ̓Ιουδαίων συστῆναι. ου τως εἰρηνικὸς δεικνύμενος διὰ τῶν ε ργων ω ν ἐτέλεσεν ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυίδ ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ σάρκα γεννηθεὶς ἐκ παρθένου. 142 γέγραπται γοῦν περὶ αὐτοῦ Βίβλος γενέσεως ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ. 749a Ps 71,2 Κρίνειν δὲ τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ (τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς δηλονότι) καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς σου ἐν κρίσει· ου τοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ προσερχόμενοι πτωχοὶ ὠνομασμένοι διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀπιστίας καὶ κακίας πενίαν. εἰ δὲ δύνανται πτωχοὶ ει ναι θεοῦ οἱ μέτριοι τὴν γνώμην κατὰ τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, συνεπίσκεψαι. 750 Ps 71,3 Προστάττει τοῖς μεγαλοφυεστέροις δι' ἀρετῆς υ ψος ο ρεσι καὶ βουνοῖς καλουμένοις πρὸς τὸν λαὸν εἰρήνην ἀναλαβεῖν. καὶ εἰ μὲν ο ρη καὶ βουνοὶ ἀρχάγγελοι καὶ α γγελοι τυγχάνουσι, πᾶν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος λαός ἐστι πρὸς ου ς εἰρηνεῦσαι καλοῦνται, ἐπείπερ ̓Ιησοῦς διὰ τοῦ αι ματος τοῦ σταυροῦ εἰρηνοποίησε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πρότερον διαστασιαζόντων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ κακίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ σταυρωθεὶς ῃ
About this text
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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