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among whom it is likely there was also the soul of David. But trusting in the power of the resurrection of the 23.97 Savior, through which he himself, having fallen asleep, was about to be raised, he says: I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who set themselves against me round about. For he foresaw that myriads of opposing powers would wish to restrain the revival of the saints, being envious of their salvation; of whom, he says, I will take no account, trusting in my defender, the conqueror of death; who indeed, having shattered gates of bronze and broken bars of iron, opened the gates of death that had been shut from eternity; and he provided a way of resurrection to his acquaintances there, one of whom was David. Wherefore in another psalm he said: You have made known to me the ways of life; you will fill me with joy with your countenance. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God. For you have struck all who are my enemies without cause; you have broken the teeth of sinners. Salvation belongs to the Lord, and your blessing is upon your people. Believing in the foreknowledge of what would happen to him after falling asleep, that is, after death, through saving grace and beneficence; and that it would not be otherwise than with the resurrection of the Savior himself, he accordingly prays for the Lord's resurrection to be hastened, so that through it he himself might also attain salvation; wherefore he says: Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God. And knowing the Savior to be the conqueror of all the plots against the human race, of evil demons and opposing powers, he says: For you have struck all who are my enemies without cause. The Hebrew does not have it thus, "without cause," but "jawbone;" but the Seventy rendered it "without cause," either according to ancient copies that had it differently, as some of the Hebrews say, or avoiding the baseness of the word. As if showing God to be sleeping, when for the sake of trial he delivered us to the opposing powers, he rouses him. And perhaps also when he delivered the Savior for us all, the Father was sleeping to him; But he arises saving him, striking his enemies, either the Jews, or the intelligible beings who are unreasonably hostile. For the saint is peaceful with those who hate, loving his enemies; more humanly, one who is not an enemy without cause wishes to defend himself; but more piously for speaking the truth. For Paul said: Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? Such also is that in the Psalms, Did I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? But one must not understand a plotting enmity, but a hindering one, as wickedness is poured out upon many. For through oneself or through another, one must heal by bringing what help one can; or finally to pray for the wicked disposition to be punished, that is, to be rooted out from the one who has it; instructive of this is also, Pray for those who mistreat you, and, Love your enemies. And he who does not love merely, also cooperates for it to go well with him, 23.100 and that which is said in the seventh psalm: If I have repaid those who repay me with evil, may I then fall away empty from my enemies, clearly teaches to hate no one. How then is it said: Did I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? Rather, who is so godless as to hate one whom he considers God? It is clear, then, that those who hate and curse Jesus hate God; For he who receives me, he says, receives him who sent me; and, He who confesses the Son, has the Father also; therefore he who hates the Son, hates the Father also. And every sinner also hates God; for he hates wisdom and righteousness, which Christ is. And what is surprising, when the sinner hates himself? For according to Solomon: He who rejects instruction hates himself. Therefore he who hates those who hate God, except for the most pious oracles, will hate everyone and himself when he sins. So one must not consider those who hate God to be creatures, but evils that have befallen rational beings, such as injustice; and the unjust man, insofar as he is unjust, hates God, of that which is in him
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ἐν οἷς εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ τὴν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ψυχήν. Θαρσῶν δὲ τῇ δυνάμει τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ 23.97 Σωτῆρος, δι' ἧς ἤμελλε καὶ αὐτὸς κοιμηθεὶς ἐξεγερθήσεσθαι, φησίν· Οὐ φοβηθήσομαι ἀπὸ μυριάδων λαοῦ τῶν κύκλῳ συνεπιτιθεμένων μοι. Προεώρα γὰρ ὅτι μυριάδες ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων βουλήσονται ἐπισχεῖν τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ἀναβίωσιν, διαφθονούμεναι τῇ αὐτῶν σωτηρίᾳ· ὧν ἐγὼ, φησὶν, λόγον οὐδένα ποιήσομαι, θαῤῥῶν τῷ ὑπερασπιστῇ μου, τῷ τοῦ θανάτου νικητῇ· ὃς δὴ θύρας χαλκὰς συντρίψας καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνθλάσας, τὰς ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀποκεκλεισμένας τοῦ θανάτου πύλας ἀνέῳξεν· ὁδόν τε ἀναστάσεως παρέσχε τοῖς αὐτόθι γνωρίμοις αὐτοῦ, ὧν εἷς αὐτῶν ἦν ὁ ∆αυΐδ. ∆ιὸ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ ἔλεγεν· Ἐγνώρισάς μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς· πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου. Ἀνάστα, Κύριε, σῶσόν με, ὁ Θεός μου. Ὅτι σὺ ἐπάταξας πάντας τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντάς μοι ματαίως· ὀδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας. Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου ἡ εὐλογία σου. Πιστεύσας τῇ προγνώσει τῆς γενησομένης αὐτῷ μετὰ τὴν κοίμησιν τουτέστι τοῦ θανάτου διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου χάριτος καὶ εὐεργεσίας· ὅτι τε οὐκ ἄλλως ἔσται ἢ σὺν τῇ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀναστάσει, ἀκολούθως εὔχεται ἐπιταχῦναι τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ὅπως δι' αὐτῆς τύχῃ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς σωτηρίας· διό φησιν· Ἀνάστα, Κύριε, σῶσόν με, ὁ Θεός μου. Νικητὴν δὲ τὸν Σωτῆρα εἰδὼς πάντων τῶν ἐπιβουλῶν τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους, δαιμόνων πονηρῶν καὶ δυνάμεων ἀντικειμένων, φησίν· Ὅτι σὺ ἐπάταξας πάντας τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντάς μοι ματαίως. Οὕτως τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν οὐκ ἔχει, ματαίως, ἀλλὰ, σιαγόνα· οἱ δὲ Ἑβδομήκοντα, ματαίως, ἐξέδωκαν, ἢ κατὰ τὰ ἀρχαῖα ἀντίγραφα ἑτέρως ἐσχηκότα, καθά φασί τινες τῶν Ἑβραίων, ἢ τῆς λέξεως τὸ εὐτελὲς ἀποφεύγοντες. Οἱονεὶ δὲ κοιμώμενον δεικνὺς τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτε πείρας ἕνεκα παρέδωκεν ἡμᾶς ταῖς ἀντικειμέναις δυνάμεσι, διανίστησιν αὐτόν. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ὅτε τὸν Σωτῆρα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν, ἐκάθευδεν αὐτῷ ὁ Πατήρ· Ἀνίσταται δὲ σώζων αὐτὸν πατάσσων αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἢ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ἢ τοὺς νοητοὺς ἀλόγως ἐχθραίνοντας. Μετὰ γὰρ τῶν μισούντων ὁ ἅγιός ἐστιν εἰρηνικὸς, ἀγαπῶν τοὺς ἐχθρούς· ἀνθρωπινότερον ὁ μὴ ματαίως ἐχθραίνων ἀμύνεσθαι θέλει· θεοσεβέστερον δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀληθεύειν Ἔφη γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος· Ἐχθρὸς ὑμῖν γέγονα ἀληθεύειν ὑμῖν· Ὁποῖον καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς τὸ, Οὐχὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε, Κύριε, ἐμίσησα; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπιβουλευτικὴν ἔχθραν νοητέον, ἀλλὰ κωλυτικὴν, χεομένης κακίας εἰς πολλούς. ∆ι' ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ ἢ καὶ δι' ἄλλου χρὴ τὴν δυνατὴν προσάγοντα βοήθειαν θεραπεύειν· ἢ τὸ τελευταῖον εὔχεσθαι περὶ τοῦ κολασθῆναι τὴν μοχθηρὰν ἕξιν, ἤγουν ἐκριζωθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔχοντος· οὗ διδακτικὸν καὶ τό, Προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων, καὶ τὸ, Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν. Ὁ δὲ μὴ ψιλῶς ἀγαπῶν, καὶ περὶ τὸ καλῶς γενέσθαι αὐτῷ 23.100 συνεργεῖ, καὶ τὸ ἐν ἑβδόμῳ δὲ ψαλμῷ λεγόμενον· Εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσί μοι κακὰ, ἀποπέσοιμι ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενὸς, σαφῶς διδάσκει μηδένα μισεῖν. Πῶς οὖν εἴρηται· Οὐχὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε, Κύριε, ἐμίσησα; Μᾶλλον δὲ τίς ἐστιν οὕτως ἄθεος, ὡς μισεῖν ὃν ἡγεῖται Θεόν; ∆ῆλον οὖν, ὡς οἱ μισοῦντες καὶ καταθεματίζοντες Ἰησοῦν μισοῦσι τὸν Θεόν· Ὁ γὰρ ἐμὲ, φησὶ, δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με· καὶ, Ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἔχει· οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ μισῶν τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸν Πατέρα μισεῖ. Καὶ πᾶς δὲ ἁμαρτάνων μισεῖ τὸν Θεόν· μισεῖ γὰρ σοφίαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ἅπερ ἐστὶ Χριστός. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, ὅπου ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἁμαρτάνων μισεῖ; Κατὰ γὰρ Σολομῶντα· Ὁ ἀπωθούμενος παιδείαν μισεῖ ἑαυτόν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ μισῶν τοὺς μισοῦντας τὸν Θεὸν πλὴν λογίων τῶν εὐσεβεστάτων πάντας μισήσει καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα. Ὥστε οὐ ζῶα νομιστέον τὰ μισοῦντα τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς λογικοῖς κακὰ συμβεβηκότα, οἷον ἡ ἀδικία· καὶ ὁ ἄδικος καθὸ ἄδικος μισεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ