The Two-Edged Sword of the Saints
The only-begotten Word of God is the horn of the people, to whom the holy ones, when they call out, say: 'We gore our enemies with you.' Therefore also the Word was named one-horned, according to the glory of being one-horned. Concerning this it is said: 'There I will cause a horn to rise up for David, I have prepared a lamp for my Christ' (Ps 131:17); for he demonstrated that the Christ, who is to be born according to the flesh from the seed of David, is a horn ordains it not as the sun and light to rise again. This, therefore, the horn says, will lift up his people, so that having been lifted up, it may become manifest to all the nations.
But it is for the holy alone to sing, not for the sinners, since: 'Not a beautiful song in the mouth of a sinner' (Ps 149:2); for praise is due to the upright. And who are the holy whose song it is, or the discerning sons of Israel who have God in their mind, or those who are called the people approaching God? Those having an enlightened mind and a pure soul approach God by relationship and disposition, being near the exhortation of the one who said: 'Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you' (James 4:8). And it is not by chance that this is so; for it is said concerning the hierophant Moses, what alone approaches God.
Only those having clothed themselves with the new man are able to attain the newness of mind and to do the things of the new covenant, serving by the newness of spirit and not by the oldness of the letter. These same also fulfill the assembly of the holy, accomplishing the faithful and holy things of David and having the most holy righteousness toward God; therefore also the praise does not attain the newness in the assembly of these.
The holy ones, having accomplished this, will rejoice in the glory that is to come and is eternal, even as they are called by that name from it (Ps 149:4). For we reckon, as the apostle says, that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy of the glory that is about to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18). And it is possible to hear of the glory in which the holy ones boast, concerning which it is said: 'The glory of the Lord shall be seen' (Isa 60:1), and 'The glory of your God has risen upon you' (Isa 60:1), not any other than the radiance of the glory of...
Of God. Therefore it is also written, 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.' Sleeping together with this glory and wisdom, the holy ones shall boast; for it is said, 'Whenever you sleep, let wisdom be with you'; appropriately to these things you say, 'Honor her, so that she may embrace you.' He who sleeps together with this is without fear and without care, and rejoices at his bed. Therefore all the souls of his holy ones, his brides, being joined together with God the Word, as a bride to the bridegroom of every rational nature, rejoice at their beds (Ps 149:6,7).
The elevations of God, demonstrated through them and through theology, in the noetic throat of the holy ones, happen to be lifting up His name to the same degree. For praising with much truth, they glorify and highly exalt Him, having in their hands two-edged swords, although they are not killing according to men, but are ready to avenge every disobedience, since the weapons of their warfare are not fleshly but are powerful through God, by which they cleanse every seductive fortification through the utterance of high words being raised against the knowledge of God.
And it is also possible to call the two-edged swords in their hands 'two-mouthed'; for the holy ones do not possess each word as two-mouthed, but according to the living and active Word of God, they are more two-mouthed than any sword. Therefore also those using the words of truth do not only cut away the false and the superfluous by loosening sophisms, but they also wound the hearers into the questions of the truth. It is possible to call both types of two-edged swords in the hands of the holy ones found in these practices. And it is possible to call even an exhortatory word a two-edged sword, doing both: rebuking the one who receives it unto repentance, and avenging and punishing the disobedient unto the end.
He does not say that the holy ones make vengeance that leads to destruction upon the Gentiles, but rather the vengeance that happens well upon them, just as the Gentiles and idolaters happen to be, so that, having cast off the life of the nations, they might become fellow-citizens of the saints and become members of God. Therefore
Greek
148,14 Κέρας λαοῦ ὁ μονογενής ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ῳ προσφωνοῦντες οἱ α γιοι ε λεγον ̓Εν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν. διὸ καὶ μονόκερως ὁ λόγος ὠνομάζετο κατὰ τὸ ̔Ως δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ. περὶ τούτου ει ρηται ̓Εκεῖ ἐξανατελῶ κέρας τῷ ∆αυίδ, ἡτοίμασα λύχνον τῷ χριστῷ μου· α ντικρυς γὰρ ἐδήλωσε τὸν κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ γενησόμενον Χριστὸν αὐτὸν ει ναι κέρας, ο ν δίκην ἡλίου καὶ φωτὸς ἐξανατέλλειν θεσπίζει. τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ κέρας φησὶν ὑψώσειν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ι ν' ὑψωθὲν πᾶσι τοῖς ε θνεσιν ἐμφανὲς γένηται. Μόνων δὲ τῶν ὁσίων ἐστὶν ὑμνεῖν ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἐπείπερ Οὐχ ὡραῖος αι νος ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ· Τοῖς γὰρ εὐθέσι πρέπει αι νεσις. τίνες δὲ οἱ ο σιοι ω ν ὁ υ μνος η οἱ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ υἱοὶ οἱ διορατικοὶ καὶ νοῦν θεὸν ὁρῶντα ε χοντες, οι τινες καὶ λαὸς ἐγγίζοντες θεῷ ει ρηνται. ἐγγίζουσι δὲ θεῷ σχέσει καὶ διαθέσει οἱ πεφωτισμένον νοῦν καὶ ψυχὴν ε χοντες καθαράν, η κοντες τῇ προτροπῇ τοῦ εἰπόντος ̓Εγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν. οὐ τοῦ τυχόντος δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἀμέλει γοῦν ει ρηται περὶ τοῦ ἱεροφάντου Μωυσέως ο τι μόνος ἐγγιεῖ πρὸς θεόν. 1283 Ps 149,1bc Μόνοι οἱ τὸν νέον α νθρωπον ἐνδυσάμενοι ᾳ δειν δύνανται τὸ καινὸν ᾳ σμα τῷ φρονεῖν καὶ πράττειν τὰ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης, δουλεύοντες καινότητι πνεύματος καὶ οὐ παλαιότητι γράμματος. οἱ αὐτοὶ δὲ συμπληροῦσι καὶ ἐκκλησίαν ὁσίων, κατορθοῦντες τὰ ο σια ∆αυὶδ τὰ πιστὰ καὶ ὁσιωτάτην πρὸς τὸν θεὸν δικαιοσύνην ε χοντες· ο θεν καὶ ἡ αι νεσις ου τὸ καινὸν ᾳ σμα τυγχάνει ἐν τῇ τούτων ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐστίν. 1284 Ps 149,5 Οἱ ὁσιότητα κατορθώσαντες ὡς καὶ παρωνύμως ἀπ' αὐτῆς αὐτοὺς χρηματίζειν ἐν δόξῃ καυχήσονται τῇ μελλούσῃ καὶ αἰωνίῳ· Λογιζόμεθα γάρ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος ο τι οὐκ α ξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι δόξαν εἰς ἡμᾶς. ∆υνατὸν δὲ τὴν δόξαν ἀκοῦσαι ἐφ' ῃ ο σιοι καυχῶνται ἐκείνην περὶ η ς ει ρηται ̓Οφθήσεται ἡ δόξα κυρίου, καὶ ̔Η δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ σου ἐπὶ σὲ ἀνατέταλκεν, οὐχ ἑτέρας ου σης τοῦ ἀπαυγάσματος τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ. διὸ καὶ γέγραπται ̔Ο καυχώμενος ἐν κυρίῳ καυχάσθω. ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ δόξῃ τῇ καὶ σοφίᾳ συγκαθεύδοντες οἱ ο σιοι καυχήσονται· ει ρηται γὰρ ̔Ηνίκα α ν 275 καθεύδῃς, μετὰ σοῦ ε στω ἡ σοφία· ἁρμοδίως τούτοις ἐρεῖς Τίμησον αὐτήν, ι να σε περιλάβῃ. ̔Ο ταύτῃ συγκαθεύδων α φοβος καὶ ἀμέριμνος ω ν ἀγαλλιᾶται ἐπὶ τῇ κοίτῃ αὐτοῦ. διὸ πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ οι α νύμφαι συνευναζόμεναι τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ ο ντι νυμφίῳ πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως ἀγαλλιῶνται ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις αὐτῶν. 1285 Ps 149,6.7 Αἱ δι' υ μνων καὶ θεολογίας ἀποδεικνύμεναι ὑψώσεις θεοῦ ἐν τῷ νοητῷ λάρυγγι τῶν ὁσίων τυγχάνουσιν ὑψούντων τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. αἰνοῦντες γὰρ σὺν ἀληθείᾳ πολλῇ δοξάζουσι καὶ ὑπερυψοῦσιν αὐτόν, ε χοντες ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ καὶ διστόμους ῥομφαίας, καίτοι οὐ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων φονῶντες ἀλλ' ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ε χοντες ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν, ἐπείπερ τὰ ο πλα τῆς στρατείας αὐτῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ δι' ω ν καθαίρουσι πᾶν ἐριστικὸν ὀχύρωμα διαδη * θεν ὑψηλῶν λόγων ἐπαιρουμένων κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι διστόμους ει ναι τὰς ἐν ταῖς αὐτῶν χερσὶ ῥομφαίας, ἑκάστου λόγου ου ε χουσιν οἱ ο σιοι διστόμου ο ντος κατὰ τὸν ζῶντα τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον καὶ ἐνεργῆ καὶ τομώτερον ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον. διὸ καὶ οἱ χρώμενοι τοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας λόγοις οὐ μόνον ἐκτέμνουσι τὰ ψευδῆ καὶ τὰ περιττὰ λύοντες σοφίσματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τιτρώσκουσιν εἰς ε ρωτα τῆς ἀληθείας τοὺς ἀκροωμένους. ∆υνατὸν ἀμφοτέρας τὰς διαθήκας ῥομφαίας διστόμους εἰπεῖν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τουτέστι πράξεσι τῶν ὁσίων εὑρισκομένας. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ε καστον προτρεπτικὸν λόγον δίστομον μάχαιραν εἰπεῖν ἀμφότερα ποιοῦντα, ἐλέγχοντα μὲν τὸν εἰς μετάνοιαν καταδεχόμενον αὐτόν, ἐκδικοῦντα δὲ καὶ τιμωρούμενον τὸν ἀπειθοῦντα μέχρι παντός. Οὐ τὴν εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἀπάγουσαν τὰ ε θνη ἐκδίκησιν τοὺς ὁσίους ποιεῖν λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐλόγως γινομένην ἐπ' αὐτούς, καθὸ ε θνη καὶ εἰδωλολάτραι τυγχάνουσιν, ο πως τὴν ἐθνῶν ζωὴν ἀποβαλόντες συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ γένωνται. ̔Επομένως
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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