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of the older and foolish people of the Jews, the younger people from the Gentiles, being wise, and delivered from the bonds of the devil, through faith in Christ, became a royal priesthood; being poor in spirit, blessed in the Gospels. And a type of such poor ones became our Lord Jesus Christ; being the wisdom of the Father, but young in age according to the flesh, and being a king according to the divine dignity, yet he became poor for our sakes though he was rich, and having come forth from the bonds of death, having loosed the prison of Hades, teaching us by his example to be of a humble mind. Through which he said: Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. 93.536 "I saw all the living who walk under the sun with the second youth who shall arise in his place; there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them. Yet the last will not rejoice in him; and this also is vanity and a striving after wind;" the whole saying looking toward allegory. For no one can see all men with perceptible eyes. But since the interpretation of the saying is conveyed in different ways (for some have taken the second youth to be the Lord Jesus Christ, and others the Antichrist); we will therefore set forth both interpretations. 'I saw,' he says, 'all the living who walk under the perceptible sun, that is, the sinners, with the second youth;' he means the Antichrist, 'who will arise in his place;' he says, 'in the place of our Lord Jesus Christ.' And there was no end of the multitude of sinners, in place of those who have been from of old. But even the last, that is, those in the presence of the Antichrist, who believe in him, will not rejoice in him, nor will impiety save those who belong to it. Then, teaching that these also endure this error by choice, and not by compulsion, he added, that 'And this also is vanity and a striving after wind.' Alternatively: He says to know those under the sun of righteousness, that is, those living a true life. And this is the second youth from heaven, who arose in place of the first, who was of the earth, earthly; he means Adam. And endless, he says, were those under this youth, journeying before themselves, that is, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead; for this is the life of the faithful. And who are the last of these, who do not rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the people of the Jews, who being first have become last; or those at the consummation who believe in the Antichrist; or also all who after the virtuous are called last because of the baseness of their life. Then, teaching that by the inclination of their own free choice the aforementioned last ones do not rejoice in the second youth, he added, that 'And this also is vanity and a striving after wind.' It should be known, because of what was said before, that Adam is also called a youth, while still in paradise, and vigorously practicing the virtues. And the Lord Jesus is also called a youth because of the all-powerful nature of his divine power; and the Antichrist is also called a youth because he is an innovator, and because he is always young in evil. "Guard your foot when you go into the house 93.537 of God; and be near to hear." The members of the outer man are also spoken of homonymously with respect to the soul, such as eye, and hand, and foot, and the rest. But it is not possible for what is said of the soul to be said of the body; for wings are spoken of with respect to the soul, according to the saying, 'If you sleep among the lots, the wings of a dove are covered with silver.' Guard therefore the foot of your soul in every matter in which you journey, that you may arrive at the house of God, that is, the heavenly Jerusalem. And he who guards the foot of the soul is near to hear, that is, to obey the word, and to keep the divine commandments. But if you should also take what is said about the perceptible foot, 'Guard,' he says, 'the whole body'; for by the part of the foot he signified the whole, so that not through the same things by both virtue and vice
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πρεσβυτέρου καὶ ἄφρονος τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ, ὁ νεώτερος λαὸς ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν σοφὸς ὢν, καὶ ῥυσθεὶς ἐκ τῶν διαβολικῶν δεσμῶν, διὰ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως, γέγονε βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα· τῷ πνεύματι πτωχὸς ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις μακαριζόμενος. Τύπος δὲ τῶν τοιούτων πτωχῶν γέγονε ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· σοφία μὲν ὢν τοῦ Πατρὸς, νέος δὲ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα ἡλικίαν, καὶ βασιλεὺς μὲν τυγχάνων κατὰ τὸ θεϊκὸν ἀξίωμα, πτωχεύσας δὲ δι' ἡμᾶς πλούσιος ὢν, καὶ ἐξελθὼν μὲν ἐκ τῶν δεσμῶν τοῦ θανάτου, λύσας τοῦ ᾅδου τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ἡμᾶς δὲ διδάσκων τῷ ὑποδείγματι μετριοφρονεῖν. ∆ι' ὧν ἔλεγε· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. 93.536 "Εἶδον σύμπαντας τοὺς ζῶντας, τοὺς περιπατοῦντας ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, μετὰ νεανίσκου τοῦ δευτέρου, ὃς ἀναστήσεται ἀντ' αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἔστι περασμὸς τῷ παντὶ λαῷ, τοῖς πᾶσιν οἳ ἐγένοντο ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν. Καί γε οἱ ἔσχατοι οὐκ εὐφρανθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης, καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος·" τοῦ παντὸς ῥητοῦ πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν βλέποντος. Οὐδὲ γάρ τις αἰσθητοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς δύναται πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἰδεῖν. Ἑτέρως δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως τῆς εἰς τὸ ῥητὸν ἑρμηνείας φερομένης (οἱ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, οἱ δὲ εἰς τὸν Ἀντίχριστοντὸν νεανίσκον τὸν δεύτερον ἐξειλήφασιν)· ἑκατέραν οὖν παραθήσομεν ἑρμηνείαν. Εἶδον, φησὶ, σύμπαντας τοὺς ζῶντας, τοὺς περιπατοῦντας ὑπὸ τὸν αἰσθητὸν ἥλιον, τουτέστι τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς, μετὰ τοῦ νεανίσκου τοῦ δευτέρου· λέγει δὲ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου, ὃς ἀναστήσεται ἀντ' αὐτοῦ· φησὶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ὑμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ ἦν περασμὸς τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἀντὶ τούτων ἐξ αἰῶνος γεγονότων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι, τουτέστι οἱ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου, πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτὸν, οὐκ εὐφρανθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ διασώσει ἀσέβεια τοὺς παρ' αὐτῆς. Εἶτα διδάσκων ὅτι καὶ οὗτοι προαιρετικῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκαστικῶς ταύτην ὑπομένουσι τὴν πλάνην, ἐπήγαγε, ὅτι Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης, καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος. Ἄλλως· Εἰδέναι λέγει τοὺς ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τουτέστι ἀληθινὴν ζωὴν ζῶντας. Οὗτος δέ ἐστι ὁ νεανίσκος ὁ δεύτερος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ὃς ἀνέστη ἀντὶ τοῦ πρώτου τοῦ ἐκ γῆς χοϊκοῦ· φησὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἀδάμ. Καὶ ἀπέραντοι, φησὶν, ἧσαν οἱ ὑπὸ τοῦτον τὸν νεανίσκον ἔμπροσθεν ἑαυτῶν ὁδεύοντες, τουτέστι τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμενοι, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενοι· αὕτη γὰρ τῶν πιστῶν ἡ πολιτεία. Τίνες δέ εἰσιν οἱ ἔσχατοι τούτων, οἱ μὴ εὐφραινόμενοι ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, ἢ ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαὸς, ὅστις πρῶτος ὢν γέγονε ἔσχατος· ἢ οἱ πρὸς τῇ συντελείᾳ τῷ Ἀντιχρίστῳ πιστεύοντες· ἢ καὶ πάντες, οἱ μετὰ τοὺς ἐναρέτους ἔσχατοι λεγόμενοι διὰ τὸ τοῦ βίου χυδαῖον. Εἶτα διδάσκων ὡς αὐτεξουσίας προαιρέσεως ῥοπῇ οἱ εἰρημένοι ἔσχατοι οὐκ εὐφραίνονται ἐπὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ νεανίσκῳ, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης, καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος. Ἰστέον δὲ, διὰ τὰ προειρημένα, ὅτι καὶ νεανίσκος ὁ Ἀδὰμ καλεῖται, ἔτι ὢν ἐν παραδείσῳ, καὶ ἀκμαίως τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐργαζόμενος. Καλεῖται δὲ νεανίσκος καὶ ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς διὰ τὸ παναλκὲς τῆς θεϊκῆς δυνάμεως· καλεῖται δὲ νεανίσκος καὶ ὁ Ἀντίχριστος διὰ τὸ νεωτεροποιὸν, καὶ τὸ νεάζειν ἀεὶ τῇ κακίᾳ. "Φύλαξον τὸν πόδα σου ἐν ᾧ ἂν πορεύῃ εἰς οἶκον 93.537 τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἀκούειν." Ὁμωνύμως τὰ τοῦ ἔξωθεν ἀνθρώπου μέλη λέγονται καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὡς ὀφθαλμὸς, καὶ χεὶρ, καὶ ποὺς, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὰ λεγόμενα ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς λέγεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος· λέγονται γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς πτέρυγες, κατὰ τὸ, Εἰ κοιμηθῆτε ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων, πτέρυγες περιστερᾶς περιηργυρωμέναι. Φύλαξον οὗν τῆς ψυχῆς σου πόδα ἐν παντὶ πράγματι, ἐν ᾧ ἂν πορεύῃ, ἐπὶ τῷ καταντῆσαί σε ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ οἶκον, τουτέστι τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὁ δὲ φυλάττων τὸν πόδα τῆς ψυχῆς, ἐγγύς ἐστι τοῦ ἀκούειν, τουτέστι τοῦ ὑπακούειν τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ κατορθοῦν τὰς θείας ἐντολάς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ ποδὸς ἐκλάβοις τὸ εἰρημένον, Φύλαξον, φησὶ, τὸ ὅλον σῶμα· μερικῶς γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ποδὸς τὸ ὅλον ἐσήμανε, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν τῇ τε ἀρετῇ καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ