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of the Father by which He blesses those who approach Him, then most especially when, having become a curse for us, He redeemed us from the curse of the law so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the gentiles. You will gladden him with joy with your face. Just as the same grace and peace are given from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, so it happens that the same joy comes from God and from His face; and the face of God is the express image of His person. And these things will happen concerning the king who hopes in God the Lord and obtains the things hoped for. For having attained by experience the things expected, he is gladdened with the face of God. And otherwise: since your face is the image, and this is God the Word, the king, becoming a temple of this face and becoming conformed to it, is gladdened with joy. 168 Ps 20,8b.9 Having received oil from the Most High by being anointed with the oil of gladness, He has an unchangeable priesthood from the anointing, being a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For that he is not shaken shows that he will not have a temporary dignity from which it is possible to be shaken by changing into something else. Not for some but for all the enemies of God is His hand found, either bringing punishments upon them or warring against those opposed to the divine law according to that which says, The Lord wars with a secret hand against Amalek. And perhaps here it can speak of enemies as those who introduce the lack of providence and embrace godlessness. For to these who do not posit God, the hand would be found afflicting and bringing chastisement upon them, so that they might then know that God presides over all things. Here it speaks of those who hate God as those who sin. For if in the one who keeps the commandments the love of God is perfected according to that which says, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, it will follow that the one who does not keep the word and the commandments of God hates God. And one who hates in this way is said to be lost. Since, therefore, there is an expectation that the Savior, who is the right hand of God, will come to seek and to save that which was lost, it is fittingly said: May your right hand find all those who hate you. It must be considered in what way hand differs from right hand according to the scriptures. It assigns the hand to punishments, as in Your hand destroyed nations, and Now having sent my hand I will strike you (For indeed the hand of the Lord has touched me); but the right hand to salvation and other good things: For his right hand saved him, and The right hand of the Lord has done mighty things, and The right hand of the Lord has exalted me, and such things. Fittingly, therefore, here also it says that the hand is found by the enemies punishing them, but the right hand finds those who hate, so that being found they might no longer be in perdition. 169 Ps 20,10a I think that You will make them refers to the enemies, whom, because they have been delivered to punishment, He will make as a furnace of fire, not always and for infinity, but until the time of the shining of the divine face. And here the time signifies not a period of time but the particular condition of those who are able to receive the face of God. And I think that the name of the furnace has not been included in vain; for just as a furnace is not lit in vain nor at random, but for some good end, either for bread-making or some other such thing, so also God imposes punishments so that such a time might arrive in which they will be able to look upon His face. 170 Ps 20,10b Those who rest in wickedness and false opinion, by being charmed by pleasure, God will confound in His wrath, being disturbed at the expectation of punishment. And fire will consume those thus disposed, not a bodily fire at all, but that which follows the disease of the soul, either, when it repents for the evils it has done, the repentance itself consumes it like a fire, or the displeasure generates in it a fire analogous to the diseases of the body. For just as bodily foods, when brought beyond what is necessary or having a disease-producing quality, raise fevers in those

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πατρὸς καθ' ην εὐλογεῖ τοὺς προσπελάζοντας αὐτῷ, τότε μάλιστα οτε κατάρα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γεγενημένος ἐξηγόρασεν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ νόμου κατάρας ἐπὶ τῷ εἰς τὰ εθνη γενέσθαι τὴν εὐλογίαν τοῦ ̓Αβραάμ. Εὐφρανεῖς αὐτὸν ἐν χαρᾷ μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου. ωσπερ ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ αὐτὴ χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη δίδοται, ουτω τὴν αὐτὴν χαρὰν ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ γίνεσθαι συμβαίνει· πρόσωπον δὲ θεοῦ ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. ταῦτα δὲ γενήσεται περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ θεὸν κύριον τυγχάνοντα τῶν ἐλπιζομένων. πείρᾳ γὰρ προσβαλὼν τοῖς προσδοκωμένοις εὐφραίνεται μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ. Καὶ αλλως· ἐπεὶ πρόσωπον ἡ εἰκών σου τυγχάνει, αυτη δ' ἐστὶν ὁ θεὸς λόγος, μετὰ τούτου τοῦ προσώπου γινόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς ναὸς αὐτοῦ χρηματίζει καὶ σύμμορφος αὐτοῦ γινόμενος εὐφραίνεται ἐν χαρᾷ. 168 Ps 20,8b.9 Παρὰ τοῦ ὑψίστου ελαιον λαβὼν τῷ κέχρισθαι ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως, ̓Απαράβατον εχει τὴν ἐκ τῆς χρίσεως ἱερωσύνην, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ ων εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἱερεύς. τὸ γὰρ μὴ σαλευθῆναι αὐτὸν δηλοῖ μὴ πρόσκαιρον αὐτὸν εξειν ἀξίαν ἀφ' ης ἐστιν σαλευθῆναι μεταβάλλοντα εἰς ετερόν τι. Οὐ τισὶν ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ θεοῦ εὑρίσκεται ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ητοι κολάσεις αὐτοῖς ἐπιφέρουσα η πολεμοῦσα τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ κατὰ τὸ Πολεμεῖ κύριος κρυφαίᾳ χειρὶ ἐπὶ ̓Αμαλήκ. καὶ τάχα ἐχθροὺς δύναται ἐνταῦθα λέγειν τοὺς ἀπρονοησίαν εἰσάγοντας καὶ ἀθεότητα ἀσπαζομένους. τούτοις γὰρ μὴ τιθεμένοις θεὸν εὑρεθείη ἡ χεὶρ θλίβουσα καὶ ἐπιτιμίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπιφέρουσα, ὡς τότε αὐτοὺς γνῶναι οτι θεὸς ἐπιστατεῖ τῶν ολων. Μισοῦντας ἐνταῦθα θεὸν λέγει τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας. εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τηροῦντι τὰς ἐντολὰς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ τελειοῦται κατὰ τὸ ̓Εάν τις ἀγαπᾷ με, τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμὸν τηρήσει, ἀκολουθήσει τὸν μὴ τηροῦντα τὸν λόγον καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ μισεῖν τὸν θεόν. ὁ δὲ ουτως μισῶν ἀπολωλέναι λέγεται. ἐπεὶ ουν προσδοκία ἐστὶν ἐλεύσεσθαι τὸν σωτῆρα οντα θεοῦ δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τῷ ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός, εἰκότως λέγεται· ̔Η δεξιά σου ευροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε. Τίνι δὲ διαφέρει κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς χεὶρ δεξιᾶς θεωρητέον. τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τῶν κολάσεων τάττει, ὡς τὸ ̔Η χείρ σου εθνη ἐξωλόθρευσεν, καὶ Νῦν ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῖρα πατάξω σε (Καὶ γὰρ χεὶρ κυρίου ἡ ἁψαμένη μού ἐστιν)· τὴν δὲ δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τῆς σωτηρίας καὶ τῶν αλλων ἀγαθῶν· Εσωσεν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ∆εξιὰ κυρίου ἐποίησεν δύναμιν, καὶ ∆εξιὰ κυρίου υψωσέν με, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. εἰκότως ουν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν μὲν χεῖρα εὑρίσκεσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τιμωρουμένην αὐτούς φησιν, τὴν δὲ δεξιὰν εὑρίσκειν τοὺς μισοῦντας οπως εὑρεθέντες μηκέτι ωσιν ἐν ἀπωλείᾳ. 169 Ps 20,10a Τὸ Θήσεις αὐτοὺς ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς νομίζω, ους τινας διὰ τὸ κολάσει παραδεδόσθαι θήσει ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς οὐκ ἀεὶ καὶ ἐπ' απειρον ἀλλ' εως τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἐπιλάμψεως τοῦ θεϊκοῦ προσώπου. σημαίνει δὲ κἀνταῦθα ὁ καιρὸς οὐ χρόνον ἀλλὰ τὴν ποίαν κατάστασιν τῶν δυναμένων χωρῆσαι τὸ θεοῦ πρόσωπον. νομίζω δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ κλιβάνου ονομα μὴ μάτην παρειλῆφθαι· ὡς γὰρ οὐ μάτην οὐδ' ὡς ετυχεν ἐκκαίεται κλίβανος ἀλλ' ἐπί τινι τέλει χρηστῷ η ἀρτοποιΐᾳ η αλλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ, ουτω καὶ τὰς κολάσεις τίθεται θεὸς ἐπὶ τῷ καιρὸν ἀπαντῆσαι τοιοῦτον καθ' ον ἐνιδεῖν τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ δυνήσονται. 170 Ps 20,10b Τοὺς διαναπαυομένους ἐπὶ κακίᾳ καὶ ψευδοδοξίᾳ τῷ θέλγεσθαι ὑπὸ ἡδονῆς συνταράξει ὁ θεὸς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ, θορυβουμένους ἐπὶ προσδοκίᾳ τιμωρίας. τούτους δὲ ουτω διατεθέντας καταφάγεται πῦρ οὐ σωματικὸν πάντως ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀκολουθοῦν τῇ νόσῳ τῆς ψυχῆς, ητοι μεταμελουμένης ἐφ' οις εδρασεν κακοῖς αὐτῆς τῆς μεταμελείας δίκην πυρὸς διεσθιούσης αὐτήν, η τῆς δυσαρεστήσεως γεννώσης αὐτῇ πῦρ ἀνάλογον ταῖς τοῦ σώματος νόσοις. ωσπερ γὰρ αἱ σωματικαὶ τροφαὶ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος προσενεχθεῖσαι η νοσοποιὸν ποιότητα εχουσαι πυρετοὺς ἐγείρουσιν τοῖς