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of spiritual streams, and bringing forth good fruit. And his leaf shall not fall off, and whatever he does shall prosper. And his leaves, as another says, being different from the perfect fruit, that is, the things of mortal life, and the things of human life, in which the perfect fruit is also protected and guarded and does not fall away, being carefully observed to live even unto these things; wherefore also in all that he does he will be made to prosper by God. And otherwise, the blessed man, being always watered by the rational waters of divine teaching, and receiving the appropriate cultivation in the present life, in his own time will give his own fruit. And his time is the age 23.80 to come; since of the present he is not a native, but a stranger; wherefore in that his own time he will give back to God the fruits of the cultivation here. And in another way, the one who is called blessed, being transplanted from mortal life, will have the promise to be in the paradise of God, as the tree planted by the channels of waters. Not so the ungodly, not so, but as the dust, which the wind casts away from the face of the earth. The blessed man is such as the word has described; but he is rare and found among few. But many are the ungodly, who, as having nothing, are distinguished from the blessed man. For having acquired a temporary and scattered and perishing fruit, they have become as the dust which the wind casts away from the face of the earth. Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners in the council of the just. You will hear "in the council of the just" in a general sense; so that the meaning is as follows: Since the ungodly have brought forth nothing fruitful nor life-giving, nor indeed a fruit worthy of God like the just, therefore in the time of judgment, neither shall sinners rise in the council of the just. But instead of council, Aquila and Theodotion have interpreted it as "synagogue," and Symmachus "assembly." Council, therefore, must be considered to be said here for the synod of the saints, as was also said in the beginning. According to a second meaning, the synod of the ungodly is indicated by "in the council of the ungodly." Yet they will rise for punishment and vengeance; For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. But note, that David was the first to teach clearly both a resurrection and a judgment after the resurrection to come, and a promise of a future life, Moses having handed down nothing of the sort. For the Lord knows the way of the just, and the way of the ungodly shall perish. Note universally, that what is good is known by the Lord, but what is evil, never. For the way of the just is good, and he did not say: The Lord knows the way of the ungodly, that is, of those who are perishing; but: And the Lord knew those who are his. And the way of the just is he who said: I am the way; and: See what is the good way. It refers to these.
PSALM 2 OF DAVID. Exposition of Psalm 2. Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate vain things? He inserts a prophecy foretelling the coming of Christ; and how he will be plotted against by the Jews, but will rule over all the nations, and how through him all who trust in him will be blessed. The first psalm, then, called blessed some one person who is rarely saved; but the present one calls multitudes together to the blessing; since it also contains the calling of all the nations, and the
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πνευματικῶν ναμάτων, καρπόν τε ἀγαθὸν προφέρων. Καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται. Καὶ τὰ φύλλα δὲ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἄλλος φησὶν, ἕτερα ὄντα παρὰ τὸν τέλειον καρπὸν, τὰ κατὰ τὸν θνητὸν δηλαδὴ βίον πράγματα, τά τε κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ζωὴν, καθ' ἢν καὶ ὁ τέλειος καρπὸς σκέπτεταί τε καὶ φυλάττεται καὶ οὐκ ἀποῤῥεῖ, μέχρι καὶ τούτων ἀκριβῶς βιοῦν παραφυλαττομένου· διὸ καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἂν ποιῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατευοδωθήσεται. Καὶ ἄλλως ὁ μακάριος διὰ παντὸς ἀρδόμενος ὕδασι λογικοῖς τῆς ἐνθέου διδασκαλίας, καὶ τῆς προσηκούσης γεωργίας κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τυγχάνων ἐν καιρῷ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ δώσει τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καρπόν. Καιρὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ μέλλων ἐστὶν 23.80 αἰών· ἐπειδὴ τοῦ παρόντος οὐκ ἔστιν οἰκεῖος, ἀλλ' ἀλλότριος· διὸ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ καιρῷ τῆς ἐνταῦθα γεωργίας ἀποδώσει τῷ Θεῷ τοὺς καρπούς. Καὶ καθ' ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον, ὁ μακαριζόμενος, μεταφυτευθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου, ἐπαγγελίαν ἕξει ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔσεσθαι, ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων. Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἢ ὡσεὶ χοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. Ὁ μὲν μακάριος τοιοῦτος οἷον ὁ λόγος διέγραψεν· σπάνιος δὲ οὗτος καὶ ἐν ὀλίγοις εὑρισκόμενος. Πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οἵτινες ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες τῷ μακαρίῳ διαβέβληνται. Καρπὸν γὰρ πρόσκαιρον καὶ σκεδαστὸν, καὶ ἀπολλύμενον κτησάμενοι, γεγόνασιν ὡς ὁ χοῦς ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει, οὐδὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων. Κατὰ κοινοῦ τὸ, ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων, ἀκούσεις· ὡς εἶναι τὴν διάνοιαν τοιαύτην· Ἐπεὶ μηδὲν γόνιμον μηδὲ ζωτικὸν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ καρπὸν Θεοῦ ἄξιον τοῖς δικαίοις παραπλησίως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς προηνέγκαντο, διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ τῆς κρίσεως καιρῷ, οὔτε οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων ἀναστήσονται. Ἀντὶ δὲ βουλῆς ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων συναγωγὴν ἡρμηνεύκασι, συνέλευσιν δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος. Βουλὴν τοίνυν ἡγητέον ἐνταῦθα εἰρῆσθαι τὴν σύνοδον τῶν ἁγίων, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ εἴρηται. Κατὰ δευτέραν διάνοιαν τὴν σύνοδον τῶν ἀσεβῶν δηλοῦσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν. Πλὴν ἀναστήσονται ἐπὶ κολάσει καὶ τιμωρίᾳ· Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ποίημα ἄξει ὁ Θεὸς εἰς κρίσιν ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐάν τε ἀγαθὸν ᾖ, ἐάν τε πονηρόν. Σημείωσαι δὲ, ὅτι πρῶτος ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἀνάστασιν καὶ κρίσιν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐσομένην, καὶ ἐπαγγελίαν ζωῆς μελλούσης σαφῶς ἐδίδαξε, Μωϋσέως μηδὲν τοιοῦτον παραδεδωκότος. Ὅτι γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Σημείωσαι καθολικῶς, ὅτι καλὸν μὲν γινώσκεται ὑπὸ Κυρίου, φαῦλον δὲ οὐδὲν οὐδέποτε. Καλὸν γὰρ ὁδὸς δικαίων, καὶ οὐκ εἶπε· Γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν ἀσεβῶν, ἤτοι τῶν ἀπολλυμένων· ἀλλά· Καὶ ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ. Ὁδὸς δὲ δικαίων, ὁ εἰπών· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός· καὶ τό· Ἴδετε ποία ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀγαθή. Ἐπὶ τούτων ἀναφέρεται.
ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΪ∆ Βʹ. Ἐξήγησις ψαλμοῦ βʹ. Ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά; Προφητείαν ἐντίθησι Χριστοῦ παρουσίας προσαγορευτικήν· καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων μὲν ἐπιβουλευθήσεται, κρατήσει δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων, καὶ ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ πάντες μακάριοι ἔσονται οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν πρῶτος ψαλμὸς ἕνα τινὰ σπανίως σωζόμενον ἐμακάριζεν· ὁ δὲ παρὼν ὁμοῦ πλήθη καλεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν μακαρισμόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων περιέχει, καὶ τὰς