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them, says the Lord. Those who were set on devouring the people of God like bread did not call upon the Lord, thinking to accomplish all things by their own power and to oppress the people of God. For if they had known that they had received him through sin by the judgment of God, they would have feared even more to impose a measure against the one delivered over, lest they fall under the same judgment. Therefore it is said to them who were enraged beyond what was fitting: For which things I was a little angry, but they joined together for evil. Thus, having unjustly oppressed the people of God, they fell into cowardice. where they ought not even to have been afraid; for there was no fear, if having received those delivered over by the judgment of God, they had treated them humanely and gently. But since they did all things harshly and unmercifully, they became cowards, falling into what they had inflicted on others. And this has been brought about. Since God is in the generation of the righteous, you will say a generation of the righteous is either the harmony of righteous deeds in which the righteous judge is found, or the unanimity of righteous men and their assembly into the same. For if where two and three are gathered together in His name, the Lord is found present, how much more might He be found where there is a whole generation of the righteous? But that those of the same mind and the same life complete one generation, even if they are born in different times, may be said after this when the occasion calls for it. One is cowardly with a fear where there was no fear; and He who fears man and, in short, those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. For it has been said, Fear no other besides God. The Lord rebukes Jerusalem, seized by this passion, saying: Who are you that you were afraid of a mortal man? 84 Ps 13,7 But what the captivity of the people was must first be considered, so that we may then see its return. He who through his own laziness falls away from the doing of good is taken captive by the law of sin, so as to be under the tyrannically oppressing devil who has the power of death; The Lord recalls this one who has thus been taken by his enemies outside his fatherland (and this is the participation in virtue) in the manner of repentance, at the same time promising also forgiveness of past sins; and this is the redemption of the captives and the return of the captivity. And when this was fulfilled by the Lord's cross, so that all the believing people from the nations have been redeemed, Jacob rejoices. He is the same according to the subject†, having the difference in concept only. For if, by doing good things and practicing things according to virtue, he trips up the passions and vices and the evil powers at work so as to appear a victor over them, he is Jacob rejoicing; But if after the practical life, having acquired a pure heart, he sees God, he is Israel, a mind seeing God. For so it is translated into the Greek language, rejoicing with divine joy; no one is troubled to take "Let him rejoice" and "Let him be glad" as said in parallel.
85 Ps 14,1 See if he who lives according to the law which became a tutor
to Christ sojourns in the tabernacle of the Lord, busying himself about the tent of witness. But he who has arrived at Christ, having accepted the evangelical teaching, dwells on the holy mountain of God, which is none other than the Son of God, concerning whom it was said prophetically, The mountain of the Lord shall be manifest. Consider if it might be rightly understood, that the holy mountain of God is the God-Logos, and His tabernacle is the man He assumed; and one must first know Christ according to the flesh, then according to His being the only-begotten from the Father. He sojourns in the tabernacle who says, Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer, he who has seen His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, no longer sojourning but dwelling on the holy mountain of God. And to him it is said: Go up on a high mountain, you who
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αὐτούς, φησὶν κύριος. οἱ προκείμενοι κατεσθίειν τὸν θεοῦ λαὸν αρτου δίκην τὸν κύριον οὐκ ἐπεκαλέσαντο, τῇ αὐτῶν δυνάμει πάντα ἀνύειν καὶ καταδυναστευκέναι τὸν θεοῦ λαὸν οἰόμενοι. εἰ γὰρ ησαν εἰδότες ὡς δι' ἁμαρτίας κρίσει θεοῦ παρέλαβον αὐτόν, καν ἐφοβήθησαν ετι μᾶλλον ὡς μέτρον ἐπιθέσθαι κατὰ τοῦ παραδοθέντος, ινα μὴ κρίματι τῷ αὐτῷ ὑποπέσωσιν. διὸ λέγεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς πέρα τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐξαγριωθέντας· ̓Ανθ' ων ἐγὼ μὲν ὠργίσθην ὀλίγα, αὐτοὶ δὲ συνεπέθεντο εἰς κακά. ουτως καταδυναστεύσαντες τὸν λαὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀδίκως, εἰς δειλίαν ἐνέπεσαν. ενθα οὐδὲ φοβεῖσθαι εδει· φόβος γὰρ οὐκ ην, εἰ παραλαβόντες τοὺς κρίσει θεοῦ παραδοθέντας φιλανθρώπως καὶ ἡμέρως προσενεχθέντες ησαν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ σκληρῶς καὶ ἀνελεημόνως πάντα ἐποίησαν, ἐδειλίασαν περιπεσόντες οις αλλους διέθηκαν. ὑπῆρκται δὲ τοῦτο. ̓Επεὶ ἐν γενεᾷ δικαίων ὁ θεός, γενεὰν δικαίων ἐρεῖς ητοι τὴν τῶν δικαίων πραγμάτων συμφωνίαν ἐν ῃ ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς εὑρίσκεται, η τὴν τῶν δικαίων ἀνδρῶν ὁμοφροσύνην καὶ τὴν εἰς ταὐτὸν σύνοδον. Εἰ γὰρ ενθα δύο καὶ τρεῖς συνέρχονται ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ προσηγορίᾳ, παρὼν εὑρίσκεται ὁ κύριος, ποσῷ μᾶλλον εὑρεθείη αν ενθα ολῃ δικαίων γενεᾷ; οτι δὲ οἱ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης καὶ βίου τοῦ αὐτοῦ μίαν συμπληροῦσι γενεὰν καν ἐν διαφόροις χρόνοις γένωνται, μετὰ ταῦτα ῥηθείη οταν εἰς τοῦτο καλέσῃ καιρός. ∆ειλιᾷ τις φόβῳ ῳ οὐκ ην φόβος· καὶ ̔Ο φοβούμενος ανθρωπον καὶ απαξ ἁπλῶς τοὺς ἀποκτένοντας τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυνάμενος ἀποκτεῖναι. ειρηται γὰρ Πλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ αλλον. τούτῳ τῷ πάθει συσχεθεῖσαν τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ὁ κύριος ἐλέγχει λέγων· Τίς ουσα εὐλαβήθης ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου θνητοῦ; 84 Ps 13,7 Τίς δὲ ην ἡ αἰχμαλωσία τοῦ λαοῦ πρῶτον θεωρητέον, ινα καὶ τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν αὐτοῦ ἑπομένως ιδωμεν. ὁ ἐκπίπτων παρ' ἰδίαν ῥαθυμίαν τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ποιήσεως αἰχμαλωτίζεται ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὡς γενέσθαι ὑπὸ τὸν καταδυναστεύοντα τυραννικῶς διάβολον εχοντα τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου· τοῦτον ουτω ἑλόντα τοῖς πολεμίοις εξω τῆς πατρίδος (αυτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς μετουσία) γεγενημένον ἀνακαλεῖται μετανοίας τρόπῳ ὁ κύριος, αμα καὶ αφεσιν τῶν προημαρτημένων ὑπισχούμενος· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ λυτρωθῆναι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους καὶ ἐπιστραφῆναι τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν. πληρωθέντος δὲ τούτου τῷ κυριακῷ σταυρῷ ὡς πάντα τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύοντα λαὸν λελυτρῶσθαι, ἀγαλλιᾷ ̓Ιακώβ. ὁ αὐτὸς κατὰ τὸ ὑποκείμενόν ἐστιν†, ἐπινοίᾳ μόνῃ εχων τὴν διαφοράν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ πράττων τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἐνεργῶν τὰ κατὰ ἀρετὴν πτερνίζει τὰ πάθη καὶ κακίας καὶ τὰς ἐνεργούσας πονηρὰς δυνάμεις ὡς νικητὴς αὐτῶν ἀναφανῆναι, ̓Ιακώβ ἐστιν ἀγαλλιώμενος· εἰ δὲ μετὰ τὸν πρακτικὸν βίον καρδίαν καθαρὰν κεκτημένος ὁρᾷ τὸν θεόν, ̓Ισραήλ ἐστιν, νοῦς ὁρῶν θεόν. ουτω γὰρ μεταλαμβάνεται εἰς ̔Ελλήνων φωνὴν εὐφραινόμενος θείαν εὐφροσύνην· οὐδεὶς λυπεῖ λαβεῖν ἐκ παραλλήλου τὸ ̓Αγαλλιάσθω καὶ Εὐφραινέσθω εἰρῆσθαι.
85 Ps 14,1 Ορα εἰ ὁ κατὰ νόμον πολιτευόμενος τὸν γενόμενον παιδαγωγὸν
εἰς Χριστὸν παροικεῖ ἐν τῷ σκηνώματι τοῦ κυρίου, τευτάζων περὶ τὴν σκήνην τοῦ μαρτυρίου. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν φθάσας προσηκάμενος τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν διδασκαλίαν κατασκηνοῖ ἐν ορει ἁγίῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐχ ἑτέρῳ οντι τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, περὶ ου προφητικῶς ἐλέχθη ̓Εμφανὲς εσται τὸ ορος τοῦ κυρίου. ἐπίστησον εἰ ὀρθῶς νοηθείη, ορος μὲν αγιον τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ θεὸς λόγος ειναι, σκήνωμα δὲ αὐτοῦ ον ἀνέλαβεν ανθρωπον· καὶ ἐπιγνῶναι δεῖ πρότερον κατὰ σάρκα Χριστόν, ειτα κατὰ τὸ ἐκ πατρὸς μονογενὴς ειναι. παροικεῖ ἐν τῷ σκηνώματι ὁ λέγων Εἰ καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστόν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν, τοῦ θεασαμένου τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, οὐκέτι παροικοῦντος ἀλλὰ κατοικοῦντος ἐν τῷ ορει τῷ ἁγίῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ειρηται· ̓Επ' ορος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι ὁ