having stirred up their previously fair voyage, by which, being crested, they were carried up to a height, and flowing back, were carried down, as is wont to happen at sea, to be humbled and confused and to lose their wits from terror, then to experience a change when the wind subsides, when God would command this also, and the violence of the winds would release into a gentle breeze, and he would quiet the sound of the waves, where they would have the joy that comes from the desolate state and would obtain the haven they long for, for which it is fitting to confess thanks to God in the assembly of the people and to praise him in the seat of the elders, the one who, on account of sins, as has been said before, delivered the nation to the tempest, but by mercy transformed them to good things. And mercy itself shows that it has come forth from sins. For those who are pitied are not worthy of good things but are pitiable for their evil things; where indeed the matter is common, not as often happens at sea, that both the good are storm-tossed and shipwrecked, just as Paul was, and the wicked are carried by fair winds, the events being common for both, so that, being tested in the same circumstances, they might reveal the difference in their disposition to which later the coming recompense, right and just, has been previously testified by their deeds themselves. So the discourse is not about those sailing the sea, but about the people storm-tossed on account of sin and coming to a haven on account of mercy, for whom there is an assembly for confession and a seat of elders for a hymn to God.
197 Ps 108,21 Mercy is for men, which he asks on behalf of men; not being himself
in need of mercy, he who relieves the terrible things for the worthy, being good in bestowing grace and not measuring out an equal return, but indeed all things come to Christ and he is pitied on our behalf; inasmuch as he is us, and as poor and lowly he is pitied, and as being in turmoil inasmuch as he partook of the nature that is troubled in evil things, and as departing into the unseen inasmuch as his bodily appearance ceased, and as stirred up and lifted up, as it were one of the lightest things, inasmuch as he gave himself up to those who seized him, and he refers to himself the weakness from fasting and the squalor from lack of anointing from us, placing nothing between us and himself, and on these matters he speaks of the mockery from his enemies which he now has through us who are reproached in his name.
198 Ps 109,1b-2 It shows that the mighty authority of the divine king will be sent forth over the whole world,
beginning from Jerusalem, according to "I was established as king by him upon Zion his holy mountain," and that all will obey and serve. 199 Ps 109,3c.4a And Apollinaris, citing the interpretation of Symmachus, says: the perpetuity of the bloom and its unfading quality, proper to eternal life, is compared to the morning dews, just as a life that is passing away was compared to a declining shadow, "The Lord has sworn and will not repent," and what follows. 200 Ps 109,4 An eternal priest is he who lives eternally, a steadfast priesthood as if confirmed by an oath, Melchizedek is a type, whose death is not declared, as a sign of a death that does not even exist; and having just been declared a king, now he is also shown to be a priest, which is impossible in Israel and under the law. And this was prefigured in Melchizedek. 201 Ps 109,7 For it is clear that Christ, even before being exalted with the exaltation from men, was high, since indeed he was in the form of God and came down from heaven. And a journey and a drink of water from a river is a symbol of humility; and indeed we see the Lord traveling on foot and asking the Samaritan woman for a drink of water.
29
ἀνακινήσαντος αὐτῶν τὸν πρότερον εὔδιον πλοῦν, ὑφ' ὧν κορυφουμένων εἰς ὕψος ἀναγομένους αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀναρρεόντων καταγομένους, οἷον ἐν θαλάττῃ γίνεσθαι φιλεῖ, ταπεινοῦσθαί τε καὶ συγχεῖσθαι καὶ ἀσυνετεῖν ὑπ' ἐκστάσεως, εἶτα τυγχάνειν μεταβολῆς ὑπέντος τοῦ πνεύματος, ἡνίκα καὶ τοῦτο θεὸς ἐπιτάξειε καὶ τὸ σφοδρὸν τῶν ἀνέμων εἰς αὔραν πραείαν ἀνείη καὶ τῶν κυμάτων τὸν ἦχον κοιμήσειεν, ἔνθα τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐρημίας εὐφροσύνην ἕξειν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἧς ὀρέγονται τεύξεσθαι καταγωγῆς εἰς λιμένα, ἐφ' οἷς προσήκει χάριτας θεῷ ὁμολογεῖν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τε λαοῦ καὶ ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρεσβυτέρων ὑμνεῖν τὸν ἕνεκα μὲν ἁμαρτημάτων, ὡς προείρηται, κλύδωνι παραδόντα τὸ ἔθνος, ἐλέῳ δὲ εἰς ἀγαθὰ μεταστήσαντα. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἔλεος αὐτὸς τὸ ἐξ ἁμαρτημάτων προκεκομίσθαι. ἐλεοῦνται γὰρ οἱ μὴ ἄξιοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς ἐλεεινοί· οὗ δὴ κοινὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα οὐχ οἷον ἐν θαλάττῃ πολλάκις γίνεται, καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς χειμάζεσθαι καὶ ναυαγεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸν Παῦλον, καὶ τοὺς φαύλους ἐξ οὐρίων κομίζεσθαι, κοινῶν ἐφ' ἑκατέροις ὄντων τῶν συμβαινόντων, ἵν' ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐξεταζόμενοι πράγμασιν ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ τὸ διάφορον ἐκφάνοιε πρὸς ἣν ὕστερον ἥξουσαν ἀνταπόδοσιν ὀρθὴν καὶ δικαίαν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς προμεμαρτυρημένην. οὐ δὴ περὶ τῶν πλεόντων θάλατταν ὁ λόγος ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ χειμαζομένου δι' ἁμαρτίας καὶ δι' ἔλεον ἥξοντος εἰς λιμένα λαοῦ, οὗ καὶ ἐκκλησία πρὸς ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ πρεσβυτέρων καθέδρα πρὸς ὕμνον θεοῦ.
197 Ps 108,21 Ἔλεος τὸ εἰς ἀνθρώπους ὃ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων αἰτεῖ· οὐκ ὢν κατά
γε ἑαυτὸν ἐν χρείᾳ ἐλέου ὃς τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐπικουφίζει τὰ δεινὰ χρηστὸς ὢν ἐν τῷ χαρίζεσθαι καὶ οὐ τὸ ἴσον ἀντιμετρῶν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἥκει τὰ πάντα εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ ἐλεεῖται ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· καθὸ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡμεῖς καὶ ὡς πένης καὶ ταπεινὸς οἰκτείρεται, καὶ ὡς ἐν ταραχαῖς ὢν καθὸ μετεῖχε τῆς ταραττομένης ἐν κακοῖς φύσεως, καὶ ὡς εἰς ἀφανὲς ἀπιὼν καθ' ὅσον ἡ σωματικὴ διέλειπεν ἐπιφάνεια αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὡς ἀνακινηθεὶς καὶ ἀνακουφισθεὶς οἷον δή τι τῶν κουφοτάτων καθὸ τοῖς συναρπάσασιν ἐξέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν τήν τε ἐκ νηστείας ἀσθένειαν καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀναλειψίας αὐχμηρὸν ἐξ ἡμῶν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναφέρει, μηδὲν μεταξὺ τιθεὶς ἡμῶν τε καὶ ἑαυτοῦ, χλεύην τε ἐπὶ τούτοις λέγει τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολεμούντων ἣν δι' ἡμῶν νῦν ἔχει τῶν ὀνειδιζομένων ἐν ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ.
198 Ps 109,1b-2 Ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν κόσμον διαπεμφθήσεσθαι δηλοῖ τὴν δυνατὴν
ἐξουσίαν τοῦ θείου βασιλέως ἀρξαμένην ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατὰ τὸ Ἐγὼ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντας ὑπακούσεσθαι καὶ δουλεύσειν. 199 Ps 109,3c.4a Ἀπολινάριος δὲ τὴν Συμμάχου παραθεὶς ἑρμηνείαν φησίν· τὸ διηνεκὲς τῆς ἀκμῆς καὶ ἀμάραντον οἰκεῖον αἰώνιον ζωῇ παραβαλλόμενον δρόσοις ἑωθιναῖς, ὥσπερ ἡ λυθεῖσα ζωὴ σκιᾷ παρεβάλλετο κλινομένῃ, Ὤμοσε κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 200 Ps 109,4 Αἰώνιος ἱερεὺς ὁ ζῶν αἰωνίως, βέβαιος ἱερωσύνη καθάπερ ὅρκῳ βεβαιωθεῖσα, τύπος ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ οὗ μὴ δηλοῦται θάνατος εἰς σημεῖον τοῦ μηδὲ ὄντος θανάτου· ἄρτι δὲ βασιλεὺς δηλωθείς, νῦν καὶ ἱερεὺς ἐπιδείκνυται ὅπερ ἀδύνατον ἐν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ νόμῳ. ὑποτετύπωτο δὲ ἐν Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ τοῦτο. 201 Ps 109,7 ∆ῆλον γὰρ ὡς Χριστὸς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὕψωσιν ὑψωθῆναι ἦν ὑψηλός, ἅτε δὴ ὢν ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ καὶ καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. ταπεινότητος δὲ σύμβολον ὁδοιπορεία καὶ ποτὸν ὕδωρ ἐκ ποταμοῦ· καὶ ὁρῶμέν γε πεζοποροῦντα τὸν κύριον καὶ ποτὸν ὕδωρ αἰτοῦντα τὴν Σαμαρείτινι.
29