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without beginning and without end, as from the womb from our substance I have begotten you, being with and co-existing. 5.133 Then again, straightway also declaring concerning his humanity, he says: "The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"; for divinity does not serve as a priest or worship, but rather it is worshiped and receives the sacrifices. And the apostle Paul also mentions this usage in the Epistle to the Hebrews, speaking thus: "Just as also Aaron, so also Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest, but he who spoke to him: You are my Son, today I have begotten you, as also in another he says: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," having taken all things concerning his humanity. 5.134 Thus therefore the blessed David spoke these four psalms concerning the Lord Christ alone. For he did not make common the things of the Lord with those of the servants, but he declared the things proper to the Lord as Lord's, and the things of the servants as servants'. 5.135 But whatever other things the apostles took from the psalms, they did not take them as being spoken properly concerning him, but as fitting the subject, such as: "They divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots," and this: "They gave gall for my food," and this: "I saw the Lord always before me," and: "Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive," and as many similar things as fit their subject they took. Just as the blessed Paul also did, changing the usage of Moses in Deuteronomy to his own subject, as being fitting, saying thus: "Do not say in your heart: Who will ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down, or: Who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead," interpreting the usage as suitable for his own subject. For neither do the rest of the psalms fit the Lord Christ, from which they took certain things, such as for "they divided my garments among themselves" is the twenty-first; he says therefore in it: "Far from my salvation are the words of my transgressions," which is unfitting and discordant with the divine Scripture, and it is clear madness to take such a thing concerning Christ. 5.136 But in the case of these four psalms spoken of the Lord Christ, they fit him completely through and through. For neither, as we also first said, did the blessed David make common the things said of the Lord Christ with the things said of certain others. For the Savior himself also appears to do this, when the Jews accused him: Why do you work on the Sabbath? He answered, saying that: "My Father is working until now, and I am working." But when they accused his disciples, he says: "Have you not read what David did, how he ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful to eat, except for the priests only?" clearly distinguishing himself in relation to the Father, and the disciples in relation to the prophets, that is, the priests, as servants to servants and as a son to a father. A paragraph placed as a parenthesis 5.137 When our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured before Peter and James and John on the mountain and was seen in great glory, and Moses and Elijah were speaking with him, the disciples, seeing the surpassing glory, came into amazement and delight and longing and love and desire for that beauty. And Peter, answering, having in a way become another person, astounded by the sight, said to Jesus: "Master, it is good for us to remain here," as if to say: Behold, a good sight and place and brightness and surpassing glory; why do we go down from here to come again into the hands of those who wish to plot against us and to be afflicted, always moving from place to place and being persecuted? "If you wish, therefore, let us make here three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5.138 And since Peter considered Moses and Elijah of equal honor with the Lord, counting the tents equally, saying one for each, the evangelist Luke remarks, saying thus: "Not knowing what he was saying,"

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ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀπεράντως, ὡς ἀπὸ γαστρὸς ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας οὐσίας σε ἐξεγέννησα, συνόντα καὶ συνυπάρχοντα. 5.133 Εἶτα πάλιν εὐθέως καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος δηλῶν φησιν· "Ὤμοσε Κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ"· οὐ γὰρ ἡ θεότης ἱερατεύει ἢ λατρεύει, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον αὐτὴ λατρεύεται καὶ τὰ ἱερεῖα προσδέχεται. Μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῆς χρήσεως ταύτης ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολῇ λέγων οὕτως· "Καθώσπερ καὶ Ἀαρών, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασε γενέσθαι ἀρχιερέα, ἀλλ' ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν· Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε, καθὼς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ", πάντα τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αὐτοῦ ἐκλαβών. 5.134 Οὕτως οὖν ὁ μακαρίτης ∆αυῒδ τοὺς τέσσαρας τούτους ψαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν καὶ μόνον εἶπεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκοινοποίει τὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου μετὰ τῶν δούλων, ἀλλ' ἴδια τὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου ὡς ∆εσπότου ἐξεῖπε, καὶ τὰ τῶν δούλων ὡς δούλων. 5.135 Ὅσα δὲ ἕτερα ἐξέλαβον οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐκ τῶν ψαλμῶν, οὐχ ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν κυρίως εἰρημένα ἐξέλαβον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἁρμόζοντα τῇ ὑποθέσει, οἷον· "∆ιεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον", καὶ τό· "Ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολήν", καὶ τό· "Προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διαπαντός", καί· "Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν", καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοια ὡς ἁρμόζοντα τῇ ὑποθέσει αὐτῶν ἐξέλαβον. Οἷον ἐποίησε καὶ ὁ μακαρίτης Παῦλος τὴν χρῆσιν Μωϋσέως τὴν ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ μεταβαλὼν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόθεσιν, ὡς ἁρμόζουσαν, λέγων οὕτως· "Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστι· Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν, ἤ· Τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τουτέστι· Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν", μεταφράσας τὴν χρῆσιν ὡς ἁρμοδίαν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόθεσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁρμόζουσι τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ψαλμῶν εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστόν, ἐξ ὧν τινα ἐξέλαβον, οἷον εἰς τὸ "διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς" εἰκοστὸς πρῶτός ἐστι· λέγει οὖν εἰς αὐτόν· "Μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου", ὅπερ ἀνάρμοστον καὶ ἀσύμφωνον τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, καὶ σαφὴς μανία περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκλαβεῖν τὸ τοιοῦτο. 5.136 Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τεσσάρων τούτων ψαλμῶν τῶν εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν εἰρημένων, ὅλοι δι' ὅλου αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσιν. Οὔτε γάρ, καθὰ καὶ πρῶτον εἴπαμεν, ἐκοινοποίει ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ τὰ εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν λεγόμενα μετὰ τῶν λεγομένων εἰς ἑτέρους τινάς. Φαίνεται γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῦτο ποιῶν, ἡνίκα ἐνεκάλουν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ∆ιατί ἐργάζῃ ἐν σαββάτῳ; Ὃς ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων ὅτι· "Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι." Ὅτε δὲ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ἐνεκάλουν, φησίν· "Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησε ∆αυΐδ, ὡς τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν, οὓς οὐκ ἔξεστι φαγεῖν, εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι μόνον;" διαρρήδην τῷ Πατρὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀντιδιαστέλλων, τοὺς μαθητὰς δὲ τοῖς προφήταις, ἤγουν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν, ὡς δούλους πρὸς δούλους καὶ ὡς υἱὸν πρὸς πατέρα. Παραγραφὴ κατὰ παρένθεσιν κειμένη 5.137 Ὅτε μετεμορφώθη ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἔμπροσθεν Πέτρου καὶ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ὤφθη ἐν δόξῃ μεγάλῃ, καὶ Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας συλλαλοῦντες αὐτῷ, θεωρήσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν δόξαν εἰς ἔκπληξιν καὶ τέρψιν καὶ πόθον καὶ ἔρωτα καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ κάλλους ἐκείνου ἐγένοντο. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Πέτρος, τρόπον τινὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἄλλος ἀντ' ἄλλου γεγονώς, καταπλαγεὶς τῇ θέᾳ ἔλεγε τῷ Ἰησοῦ· "Ἐπιστάτα, καλὸν ἡμᾶς ὧδε μεῖναι", ὡσανεί· Ἰδοὺ καλὴ θέα καὶ τόπος καὶ λαμπρότης καὶ δόξα ὑπερβάλλουσα· διατί κατερχόμεθα ἔνθεν εἰς χεῖρας πάλιν ἐλθεῖν τῶν θελόντων ἡμῖν ἐπιβουλεύειν καὶ θλίβεσθαι, διαπαντὸς τόπον ἐκ τόπου μετερχόμενοι καὶ διωκόμενοι; "Εἰ θέλεις οὖν, ποιήσωμεν ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς, σοὶ μίαν καὶ Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καὶ Ἠλίᾳ μίαν." 5.138 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἰσότιμον ἡγήσατο ὁ Πέτρος Μωϋσέα καὶ Ἠλίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, συναριθμήσας ἐξ ἴσου τὰς σκηνάς, μίαν ἑκάστῳ εἰπών, ἐπισημαίνεται ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Λουκᾶς λέγων οὕτως· "Μὴ εἰδὼς ὃ λέγει",