The Abyss and the Provision of God
To show this regarding the order of the angels, although is it not somewhat different for all of them? Ps 103,1: He clothed himself in majesty, and to those in greatness and those who exalt themselves, he gives the appropriate thing; but in confession, he gives to all a harmonious symphony concerning them. For the name of confession signifies also the symphony that is in words. But if you wish him to be clothed in another kind of confession according to repentance and in thanksgiving, it is not for sinners. Corresponding to this signified thing, he will also clothe the virtue of those who succeed, which is called majesty. And just as the Savior says, 'I am naked, and you clothed me' (Matt 25:36), this shows what his clothing and covering becomes: the practice of those living according to him; so also the Father will clothe himself in the virtues of those who strive concerning him.
Ps 103,2a: Just as one who puts on a sensible garment is covered from every side, so God, being filled with knowledge from every side, as his essence turns out to be ungraspable, puts on light as a garment, signifying even here the most sharp-witted knowledge of the light. Agreeing with this concerning God, Paul writes that he has an unapproachable light, or dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16). For in this very expression, it is said that the whole is the knowledge of God, and for this reason, that it is difficult to understand for the intellects, that he dwells in unapproachable light.
Ps 103,2b.3a: He roofs the air above us and the wind toward the ether with waters according to the swirling of the clouds. And toward the intellect: he calls the intellectual essence 'heaven,' being stretched out and made simple upon the canopy of the mind, he who roofs the intellectual and divine things with waters, the heavenly things of the soul, that is, its powers which happen to be above the sensible.
Ps 103,6a: You will find the abyss lying upon ungraspability, and in 'Your judgments, O Lord, are many' (Ps 136:7), for his judgments being unsearchable, there is no grasping of them. Therefore also not simply ab...
They are compared to a small abyss, but a great one. And God is not a small abyss, for the greatness of the abyss covers the judgments of the enclosure, being called incomprehensibility. Ps 103:7b: Hearing the sound of thunder—that is, the word being made loudly according to providence—they shall fear. It is fitting that these things should be said concerning the visible things and the waters. It is possible to take 'From the sound of thunder they shall fear' (Ps 103:11) not concerning the waters, but concerning men, rather concerning all living creatures, as it might happen that a thunder, of the invisible and unseen divinity, is perceived.
Through every word the preceding psalm glorifies and doxologizes God, remembering each of the creatures; and God, accepting his providence in the things set forth, marvels and considers his goodness with wisdom, caring for the endurance of the irrational animals. And rightly; for if he himself has made them, he is the provider of both their food and their drink. Ps 103:13–15.
And by ascent you shall understand the words having been fully returned; for the spirit-bearing men are they. They are watered from the heavenly things of this God, being filled with the gifts of the Spirit, the word of wisdom, and the following things which are innumerable. And the heavenly things of God, from which the words water, are sharp and surpassing contemplations of the truth, being called heavenly because they have not ascended beyond themselves. 'The earth shall be satisfied from the fruit of your works.' For he is... Let the earth blossom with grass for pasture and a fruitful tree producing fruit, and the following. And by ascent from Jesus, having much fruit during the visitation, the whole earth is satisfied, receiving those things having been made by Jesus in such a paradoxical way. For this is the fruit of his works. And the word concerning the works of creation and his providence, being understood, being found to be the fruit of the works of God, shall satisfy the earth, I say, those upon the...
Greek
τῆς τάξεως τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτὸ φάναι, καίτοι ἁπάντων ε τερόν τι ο ν; 989 Ps 103, 1δ Μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐνεδύσατο τῷ ἐν μεγάλοις καὶ ὑπεραίρουσιν ε χειν τὸ πρέπον, ἐξομολόγησιν δὲ τῷ πᾶσαν συμφωνίαν τὴν ἐναρμόνιον ε χειν περὶ 212 αὐτά. σημαίνει γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως ο νομα καὶ τὴν συμφωνίαν τὴν ἐν λόγοις. εἰ δὲ θέλεις α λλην κατὰ μετάνοιαν ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ τὴν ἐπ' εὐχαριστίαν ἐνδεδύσθαι αὐτόν, οὐχ ἁμάρτοις. καταλλήλως δὲ τούτῳ τῷ σημαινομένῳ καὶ τὴν τῶν κατορθούντων ἀρετὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν καλουμένην ἐνδύσεται. καὶ ω σπερ ὁ σωτὴρ φάσκων Γυμνὸς η μην καὶ περιεβάλετέ με δηλοῖ ο τι ε νδυσις καὶ σκέπη αὐτοῦ γίνεται ἡ πρᾶξις τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν πολιτευομένων, ου τω καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐνδύσεται τὰς τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν σπουδαζόντων ει ναι ἀρετάς. 990 Ps 103,2a Ωσπερ ὁ ἀναβαλλόμενος αἰσθητὸν ἱμάτιον πάντοθεν καλύπτεται, ου τω θεὸς πάντοθεν γνώσεως πεπληρωμένος ὡς ἀκατάληπτον αὐτοῦ τυγχάνειν τὴν οὐσίαν ἀναβάλλεται φῶς ὡς ἱμάτιον, σημαινούσης καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῆς φῶς προσηγορίας τὴν ἀκραιφνεστάτην γνῶσιν. τούτῳ συνᾴδων περὶ θεοῦ γράφει Παῦλος ὡς α ρα οι κον ε χει φῶς ἀπρόσιτον η οἰκεῖ φῶς ἀπρόσιτον. καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ τῇ λέξει τὸ ο λον ει ναι τὸν θεὸν γνῶσιν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δυσπερινόητον ὑπάρχειν τοῖς νοητοῖς οἰκῶν ει ρηται φῶς ἀπρόσιτον. 991 Ps 103,2b.3a Τὸν ἀνωτέρω ἡμῶν ἀέρα καὶ νεύοντα πρὸς τὸν αἰθέρα υ δασι τοῖς κατὰ τὰς συστροφὰς τῶν νεφελῶν στεγάζει. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· τὴν νοητὴν οὐσίαν οὐρανὸν ὀνομάζει ἐκτεινομένην καὶ ἁπλουμένην ἐπὶ σκέπῃ τοῦ νοῦ ὁ στεγάζων τοῖς νοητοῖς καὶ θείοις υ δασι τὰ ὑπερῷα τῆς ψυχῆς τουτέστι τὰς δυνάμεις αὐτῆς τὰς ὑπεράνω τῶν αἰσθητῶν τυγχανούσας. 992 Ps 103,6a Τὴν α βυσσον ἐπὶ ἀκαταληψίας εὑρήσεις κειμένην καὶ ἐν τῷ Τὰ κρίματά σου, κύριε, α βυσσος πολλή. ἀνεξερευνήτων γὰρ ο ντων τῶν κριμάτων αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ε στι κατάληψιν αὐτῶν ε χειν. διὸ καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀβύσσῳ ἀλλὰ πολλῇ παραβάλλονται. καὶ τὸν θεὸν ου ν ου πολλὴ α βυσσος τὰ κρίματά ἐστι περιβολαίου δίκην καλύπτει ἀκαταληψία α βυσσος ὀνομαζομένη. 993 Ps 103,7b Βροντῆς ἀκούοντα τὰ ο ρη τουτέστιν τὸν κατὰ τὴν πρόνοιαν μεγαλοφώνως γινόμενον λόγον δειλιᾷ. εἰκότως περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὀρῶν καὶ ὑδάτων εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα δεῖ νοεῖν. δυνατὸν δὲ τὸ ̓Απὸ φωνῆς βροντῆς σου δειλιάσουσι μὴ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκλαβεῖν ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μᾶλλον δ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμψύχων ἁπάντων δηλουμένων, ο πως α ν γένοιτο βροντή, τῆς ἀοράτου καὶ ἀφανοῦς θεότητος συναισθανομένων. 994 Ps 103,11.12 ∆ιὰ πάσης λέξεως ὁ προκείμενος ψαλμὸς θεὸν ὑμνῶν δοξολογεῖ, ἑκάστου κτίσματος μνημονεύων· ο θεν καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις ἀποδεχόμενος τὴν πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ, θαυμάζει καὶ τὴν μετὰ σοφίας ἀγαθότητα αὐτοῦ φροντίσαντος καὶ τῆς διαμονῆς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων. καὶ εἰκότως· εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτὰ πεποίηκε, καὶ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τοῦ πότου αὐτῶν αὐτὸς χορηγὸς ει η. 995 Ps 103,13–15 Καὶ κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν δὲ νοήσεις τὰ ἀρτίως ἀποδοθέντα ο ρη· εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ πνευματοφόροι α νδρες. ποτίζονται ἐκ τῶν ὑπερῴων αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, πληρούμενοι τῶν τοῦ πνεύματος χαρισμάτων, λόγου σοφίας καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς ἀπηριθμημένων. ὑπερῷα δὲ θεοῦ ἀφ' ω ν τὰ ο ρη ποτίζει ἀκραιφνεῖς καὶ ὑπερβάλλουσαι θεωρίαι τῆς ἀληθείας τυγχάνουσιν, ὑπερῷα καλούμεναι τῷ μηδὲν αὐτὰς ὑπεραναβεβηκέναι. ̓Απὸ καρποῦ τῶν ε ργων σου χορτασθήσεται ἡ γῆ. αὐτὸς γὰρ ει πε Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. κατὰ δὲ ἀναγωγὴν ἐκ τῶν ̓Ιησοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν ε ργων πολὺν καρπὸν ἐχόντων α πασα ἡ γῆ χορτάζεται μεταλαμβάνουσα τῶν ου τω παραδόξως ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ γεγενημένων. ου τος γὰρ καρπὸς τῶν ε ργων αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει. καὶ ὁ λόγος δὲ ὁ περὶ τῶν ε ργων τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ προνοίας αὐτοῦ νοηθεὶς οι α καρπὸς ε ργων θεοῦ τυγχάνων χορτάσει τὴν γῆν, φημὶ δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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