The Uniqueness of the Most High and Eternal Dwellings
Likeness is understood in two ways. For when there is identity in essence, it is called similarity and even strictly identity; but when it is according to quality, it is called simply similarity. According to the second meaning, those becoming perfect are said to be made like God, just as the heavenly Father is perfect; therefore it is said, 'When he is revealed, we shall be like him' (1 John 3:2), meaning, like God. And the Creator of all, according to the first meaning, which I say is according to essence, fashioned man not according to an image and his own likeness, for no one is becoming like God. For 'Who shall be like God?' (Ps 82:2) does not declare something rare but rather something impossible, that no one is able to be like God in essence. But do not err, thinking that yourself and the Son are subject to the things being said. For it is not 'Who is like you?' but 'Who shall be made like you?'; for the Son is not about to undergo being made like God, being of His own essence and therefore being the same as Him, not in number but in the sameness of essence.
He wills them to be placed by God like an unstable and unwatered wheel (Ps 82:14). For it will be a misfortune to them not to be made stable and to remain motionless, having pursued wickedness. Therefore also He wills them to be placed like a reed being scattered and being driven about by a fierce wind before the face of the one pursuing them, a punishing spirit, allegorically a wind (Ps 82:15). And the fire of punishments shall consume them, having cut off the grove which had become fruit. And using another punishment against them, He will pursue them with His own storm, from which there is no escape; therefore they shall be troubled in the wrath of God being brought upon them. Since indeed their sins were diverse, a multi-faceted punishment has necessarily risen over them. It should be noted, however, that He loved them, though they were a good planting, becoming unfruitful. For the reed has its beginning from a good seed, not beforehand, but deviating by accident. For if they had borne fruit beforehand, it was necessary for them to become wheat, if they were to be brought into the granaries of the Word. But not desiring this, they have become a reed and a wasteland, which the tyrant of the spiritual Egypt shall use for the construction of...
They shall burn in the fire of destructive cities, and they shall be consumed by the unquenchable fire (Ps 82:19b).
For even if others are high and have become Most High through virtue, being lifted up, none of them is such from himself or in essence. For God alone is Most High, making others Most High but not becoming so himself; just as He alone is wise and alone is true, providing wisdom and truth but not participating in them as a recipient, so the Most High is unique, according to this being the Most High and the Only-begotten Most High. For the power of the Most High overshadowed Mary; and the Holy Spirit, being sent from the Most High, is Most High. The only Most High is fitting to the Trinity. For he who spoke the Most High Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit declares them; likewise, he who called the Son also declares the Father and the Holy Spirit. For as there is one deity, so is the Most High in it, so that there might be no difference regarding the Trinity, just as we theologize correctly in other matters.
Regarding the word 'As' (Ps 83:2,3a), it does not signify a likeness or a parable here, but the beloved thing itself, just as in Moses, where he is 'as' a servant, and Christ is 'as' a son. For 'as a son' signifies a true Son and not a likeness; and Moses was not a likeness of a servant of God, but was a servant of Him. Therefore, regarding the word present, the beloved dwellings of God are not according to a parable but according to truth. And if we have meditated on what kind of things they are, we will more certainly understand them as beloved things, rather than finding them to be merely like beloved things. These things are therefore eternal and heavenly, concerning which the Savior says to those present, 'Make friends for yourselves from the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings' (Luke 16:9). My soul longs and faints, to cast off the psychic state and become spiritual, as is appropriate for the dwelling in the heavenly courts, as they have been spoken of in parallel.
The altars are not perceptible. For the altar was not a multitude, according to the history. Unless even the altar is called so, Lord of hosts of the heavens (Ps 83:8).
Greek
840 Ps 82,2a ̔Η ὁμοίωσις διττῶς νοεῖται. ε στιν γὰρ κατ' οὐσίαν ὁμοιότης η καὶ κυρίως ταυτότης λέγεται, ε στι δὲ καὶ κατὰ ποιότητα η καὶ ἁπλῶς ὁμοιότης καλεῖται. κατὰ τὸ δεύτερον σημαινόμενον ὁμοιωθεῖεν α ν θεῷ οἱ γινόμενοι τέλειοι, ̔Ως τέλειός ἐστιν ὁ οὐράνιος πατήρ· ο θεν ει ρηται Οταν φανερωθῇ, ο μοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, τῷ θεῷ δηλαδή. Καὶ τὸν α νθρωπον ου ν κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁμοιότητα κατεσκεύασεν ὁ πάντων αι τιος κατὰ τὸ πρῶτον σημαινόμενον, τὸ κατ' οὐσίαν λέγω, οὐδενὸς ὁμοιουμένου θεῷ. τὸ γὰρ Τίς ὁμοιωθήσεται οὐ πεῦσιν οὐ τὸ σπάνιον ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀδύνατον δηλοῖ, οὐδενὸς δυναμένου κατ' οὐσίαν θεῷ ὁμοιοῦσθαι. ἀλλὰ μὴ λάθῃς σαυτὸν νομίσας καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ὑποκεῖσθαι τοῖς λεγομένοις. οὐ γὰρ ει πε Τίς ο μοιός σοι, ἀλλὰ Τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι; οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ μέλλουσιν ε χει ὁ υἱὸς τὸ ὁμοιωθήσεσθαι τῷ θεῷ, ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ τυγχάνων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ αὐτὸς αὐτῷ ω ν οὐκ ἀριθμῷ ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ταυτῷ τῆς οὐσίας. 841 Ps 82,14–16 Βούλεται αὐτοὺς τεθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς τροχὸν ἀβέβαιον καὶ ἀνίδρυτον. πρὸς καλοῦ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ε σται τὸ μὴ βεβαιωθῆναι καὶ ἀκινήτως ε χειν η ς ει λαντο κακίας. διὸ καὶ βούλεται τεθῆναι αὐτοὺς ὡς καλάμην σκορπιζομένην καὶ διαρριπτουμένην κατὰ πρόσωπον σφοδρὸν πνέοντος ἀνέμου ὑπὸ τοῦ διώκοντος αὐτοὺς τιμωροῦ πνεύματος ο ἀλληγορικῶς α νεμον ει πεν. Καταφάγεται δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ δρυμὸν α καρπον γεγενημένους τὸ τῶν κολάσεων πῦρ ἐκκοπέντας ἀξίνῃ. χρώμενος δὲ κατ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἑτέρᾳ τιμωρίᾳ καταδιώξει αὐτοὺς τῇ ἰδίᾳ αὐτοῦ καταιγίδι η ν οὐκ ε στι διαδράναι· ο θεν καὶ ταραχθήσονται ἐν τῇ φερομένῃ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς θεοῦ ὀργῇ. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ποικίλα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν ἐτύγχανεν, ἀναγκαίως πολύτροπος αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρκται κόλασις. Σημειωτέον δὲ ο τι καλὴ φυτεία τυγχάνοντες ἀκαρπίαν ἠγάπησεν. ἡ γὰρ καλάμη ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦ σπέρματος τὴν ἀρχὴν ε χει, οὐ προηγουμένως ἀλλὰ κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς παραφυομένη. ε δει μὲν γὰρ αὐτούς, ει περ προηγουμένως ἐκαρποφόρουν, σῖτον γενέσθαι, ι ν' εἰσαχθῶσιν εἰς τὰς τοῦ λόγου ἀποθήκας. τοῦτο δὲ μὴ θελήσαντες καλάμη καὶ α χυρα γεγένηνται, οι ς χρήσεται μὲν καὶ ὁ τῆς πνευματικῆς Αἰγύπτου τύραννος πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν ω ν κατασκευάζει ὀλεθρίων πόλεων, κατακαήσονται δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀσβέστου πυρός. τὸ γὰρ α χυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ. 842 Ps 82,19b Εἰ καὶ α λλοι ὑψηλοὶ καὶ υ ψιστοι ἐκ θεοῦ γεγένηνται ἀρετῇ μετεωριζόμενοι καὶ ὑψούμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κατ' οὐσίαν ἐστὶ τοιοῦτος. μόνος γὰρ θεὸς υ ψιστος ὑψίστους ποιῶν ἀλλ' οὐ γινόμενος· ὡς μόνος σοφός ἐστι καὶ μόνος ἀληθινὸς παρέχων σοφίαν καὶ ἀλήθειαν ἀλλ' οὐ μετέχων, ου τω μόνος υ ψιστος, κατὰ τοῦτο τοῦ ὑψίστου τὸ ει δος καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ὑψίστου τυγχάνοντος. ὑψίστου γὰρ ω ν δύναμις ἐπεσκίασε τὴν Μαρίαν· καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα δὲ τὸ α γιον ἀπὸ ὑψίστου πεμπόμενον υ ψιστόν ἐστιν. ὁ μόνος ου ν υ ψιστος α μα τῇ τριάδι ἁρμόζει. ὁ γὰρ τὸν πατέρα υ ψιστον εἰπὼν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ α γιον δηλοῖ· ὡσαύτως 166 ὁ τὸν υἱὸν ου τω καλέσας δηλοῖ καὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα. ὡς γὰρ μία θεότης, ου τω καὶ τὸ υ ψιστος ε ν, ι να μηδὲν τούτῳ διαφορὰ ῃ περὶ τὴν τριάδα, ω σπερ ἐν τοῖς α λλοις ὀρθῶς θεολογοῦμεν. 843 Ps 83,2.3a ̔Η ̔Ως λέξις οὐχ ὁμοίωσιν καὶ παραβολὴν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαπητόν, ω σπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ Μωυσεῖ ̓Εν ο λῳ τῷ οι κῳ αὐτοῦ ὡς θεράπων, καὶ ε τι Χριστὸς δὲ ὡς υἱός. τὸ γὰρ ̔Ως υἱὸς ἀληθείᾳ υἱὸν ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοίωμα τοῦτο σημαίνει, καὶ Μωυσῆς δὲ οὐχ ὁμοίωμα θεράποντος τοῦ θεοῦ η ν ἀλλὰ θεράπων η ν αὐτοῦ. ο θεν ἐπὶ τῆς προκειμένης λέξεως οὐ κατὰ παραβολὴν ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀγαπητὰ τὰ σκηνώματα τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ εἰ νοήσαμεν αὐτὰ τίνα ποτέ ἐστιν, ε τι μᾶλλον συνήσομεν ὡς ἀγαπητὰ ἀλλ' οὐχ ο μοια ἀγαπητοῖς τυγχάνει. ε στι τοίνυν αἰώνια καὶ ἐπουράνια ταῦτα, περὶ ω ν ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς παροῦσιν ε φη Ποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας, ι ν' ο ταν ἐκλίπῃ δέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς. ̓Επιποθεῖ καὶ ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου, τῷ ἀποβαλεῖν τὴν ψυχικὴν κατάστασιν καὶ γενέσθαι πνευματικὴν ὡς καταλλήλως ε χειν πρὸς τὴν διατριβὴν τὴν ἐν ταῖς ἐπουρανίαις αὐλαῖς ἐκ παραλλήλου εἰρημέναις. 844 Ps 83,4c Θυσιαστήρια οὐκ αἰσθητά. οὐ γὰρ πλῆθος ἀλλ' ε ν η ν τὸ θυσιαστήριον κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν. εἰ μὴ α ρα καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ου τω τις καλέσοι, κυρίου δὲ τῶν δυνάμεων τῶν οὐρανίων
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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