74

As it were: Peter, being ignorant of the things concerning the Lord, spoke thus. And immediately a cloud from heaven overshadowed and separated both Moses and Elijah and hid them from the disciples; but the Father, pointing with his finger, shows Jesus alone in the midst to the disciples, saying: "This is my beloved and chosen Son, hear him." You are mistaken, he says, in making him equal with them; for this one is my Son, but they, just as you, are servants. Therefore hear him in all things as Lord and my Son. Repetition of the preceding 5.139 Thus also the prophet David, moved by the Holy Spirit, did not mix indiscriminately the subject matter of the Lord with the subject matter of the servants, but specifically for the subject of the Lord he was deemed worthy to prophesy and compose these four psalms, and all the others concerning other persons or matters or histories, setting forth teaching for the common benefit of all. For this reason he also spoke them melodiously and with rhythm, so that they might be easily grasped and easily remembered by all, as being pleasant. And this is evident, since in all the churches of the world we will find the psalms of David being sung, and are on the lips of almost all people, both small and great, and are sung and remembered every day more than the other prophets and Scriptures. But having put an end to this, let us turn to the great Elijah, explaining his worth as well. It is possible then to perceive his description as well, thus. ELIJAH 5.140 This is Elijah, the first of men who showed men how to travel to heaven, the first of men who showed one way for angels and men, he who received the earth as a dwelling place and runs across heaven all at once, he who, being mortal, yet competes with the immortals, he who walks on the ground and like a spirit travels the heavens with angels, he who through his mantle imparted double the gifts to his disciple Elisha, the long-lived and ageless man, the champion preserved for the Antichrist, he who will stand against and refute his deceit and arrogance, he who will turn all people back from his error to God at the consummation of the age. This is he who is deemed worthy to be the forerunner of the second and manifest coming of the Lord Christ. O measures of ministries competing with the angels. Glory to God who bestows these things on men. Amen. Note 5.141 This great Elijah, having been taken up as it were into heaven, was shown both to angels and to men, how the nature of men has been honored; and through him God again established beforehand a good hope that it is possible for men, if God wills, to travel to heaven. For it is a great wonder to see him, a man driving a fiery chariot and running across heaven. Indeed, the philanthropy of the one who honored him. Let those be ashamed who do not glorify the great economy of God, how wisely and not in anger God on each occasion both inflicts punishments upon men and preserves the honor of man made according to his own image. Glory and praise to him forever. Amen. 5.142 This Hosea of the twelve prophets was the first deemed worthy to speak concerning the Lord Christ thus: "When they are afflicted, they will rise early to me, saying: 'Come, let us return to the Lord our God, for he has torn, and he will heal us; having struck, he will bind us up; he will make us whole after two days; on the third day we shall be raised up before him and we shall know.'" From this passage the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;" for the phrase "he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" cannot be found elsewhere. 5.143 Further the prophet says, applying it to the Lord Christ: "My flesh is from them." Again he says: "Ephraim has surrounded me with falsehood, and the house of Israel and Judah with impiety. Now God has known them, and

74

ὡσανεί· Ἠγνοηκὼς ὁ Πέτρος τὰ κατὰ τὸν Κύριον οὕτως ἐφθέγξατο. Εὐθέως δὲ οὐρανόθεν νεφέλη ἐπεσκίασε καὶ ἐχώρισε Μωϋσέα τε καὶ Ἠλίαν καὶ ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπὸ τῶν μαθητῶν· τὸν δὲ Ἰησοῦν μόνον ἐν μέσῳ δακτυλοδεικτῶν ὁ Πατὴρ δεικνύει τοῖς μαθηταῖς λέγων· "Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς καὶ ἐκλελεγμένος, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε." Πλανᾶσθε, φησί, τοῦτον μετ' ἐκείνων ἐξισοῦντες· οὗτος γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός, ἐκεῖνοι δέ, ὥσπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς, δοῦλοι. Τούτου οὖν ὡς ∆εσπότου καὶ ἐμοῦ Υἱοῦ κατὰ πάντα ἀκούετε. Ἐπανάληψις τῶν προτέρων 5.139 Οὕτως καὶ ὁ προφήτης ∆αυΐδ, τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ κινούμενος, οὐκ ἀνέμιξε χύδην τὰ τῆς ὑποθέσεως τοῦ ∆εσπότου μετὰ τῆς ὑποθέσεως τῶν δούλων, ἀλλ' ἰδικῶς εἰς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τοῦ ∆εσπότου τοὺς τέσσαρας τούτους ψαλμοὺς ἠξιώθη προειπεῖν καὶ συντάξαι, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους πάντας εἰς ἑτέρων προσώπων ἢ πραγμάτων ἢ ἱστοριῶν, κοινωφελῆ διδασκαλίαν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐκτιθέμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐμμελῶς καὶ μετὰ ῥυθμοῦ αὐτὰ ἐξεῖπεν, ἵνα εὐκάτοχα καὶ εὐμνημόνευτα τοῖς πᾶσιν ὡς τερπνὰ γένωνται. Καὶ τοῦτο εὔδηλον, ὡς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ κόσμου ᾀδόμενα τὰ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ εὑρήσομεν, καὶ σχεδὸν ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων μικρῶν τε καὶ μεγάλων διὰ στόματος φερόμενα καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ᾀδόμενα καὶ μνημονευόμενα πλείω τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν καὶ Γραφῶν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτῳ πέρας δόντες ἐπὶ τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν μετέλθωμεν, ἐξηγούμενοι καὶ τούτου τὴν ἀξίαν. Ἔστιν οὖν καὶ τούτου τὴν διαγραφὴν κατιδεῖν οὕτως. ΗΛΙΑΣ 5.140 Οὗτος Ἠλίας, ὁ πρῶτος ἀνθρώπων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑποδείξας οὐρανοδρομεῖν, ὁ πρῶτος ἀνθρώπων ὑποδείξας ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων μίαν ὁδόν, ὁ τὴν γῆν λαχὼν οἰκητήριον καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀθρόον διατρέχων, ὁ θνητὸς ὑπάρχων καὶ τοῖς ἀθανάτοις ἁμιλλώμενος, ὁ χαμαὶ βαδίζων καὶ ὡς πνεῦμα μετὰ ἀγγέλων οὐρανοπορῶν, ὁ διὰ τῆς μηλωτῆς τῷ μαθητῇ Ἐλισσαίῳ διπλᾶ τὰ χαρίσματα μεταδούς, ὁ μακροχρόνιος καὶ ἀγήρως ἄνθρωπος, ὁ τῷ Ἀντιχρίστῳ διατηρούμενος στρατηγός, ὁ ἀντικαθιστάμενος καὶ διελέγχων τὴν ἀπάτην καὶ τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν αὐτοῦ, ὁ πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐκ τῆς πλάνης αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐπιστρέφων. Οὗτος ὁ τῆς δευτέρας καὶ ἐπιφανοῦς παρουσίας τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ ἀξιούμενος εἶναι πρόδρομος. Ὢ μέτρα διακονιῶν τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἁμιλλώμενα. ∆όξα τῷ ταῦτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις χαριζομένῳ Θεῷ. Ἀμήν. Παραγραφή 5.141 Οὗτος ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας ἀναληφθεὶς ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἐδείχθη, ὡς τετίμηται τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις· καὶ ἐλπίδα χρηστὴν διὰ τούτου πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς προκατεβάλετο ὡς δυνατὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, Θεοῦ θέλοντος, οὐρανοδρομεῖν. Μέγα γὰρ θαῦμα τὸ τοῦτον ὁρᾶν, ἄνθρωπον ἐν ἅρματι πυρίνῳ ἡνιοχοῦντα καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν διατρέχοντα. Βαβαί, φιλανθρωπία τοῦ τιμήσαντος. Αἰσχυ νέσθωσαν οἱ μὴ δοξάζοντες τὴν μεγάλην οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς σοφῶς καὶ οὐκ ὀργίλως ὁ Θεὸς ἑκάστοτε καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπιφέρει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ τὴν τιμὴν διαφυλάττει τοῦ κατ' εἰκόνα ἑαυτοῦ γενομένου ἀνθρώπου. ∆όξα καὶ ἔπαινος αὐτῷ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. 5.142 Οὗτος Ὠσηὲ τῶν δώδεκα προφητῶν ὁ πρῶτος ἀξιωθεὶς εἰπεῖν περὶ τοῦ ∆ε20σπότου Χριστοῦ οὕτως·20 "Ὅταν θλίβωσιν, ὀρθρίσωσι πρός με λέγοντες· ∆εῦτε, ἐπιστρέψωμεν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἥρπακε καὶ ἰάσεται ἡμᾶς, πλήξας μοτώσει ἡμᾶς, ὑγιάσει ἡμᾶς μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ ἀναστησόμεθα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ γνωσόμεθα." Ἐκ ταύτης τῆς χρήσεως ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος λέγει τοῖς Κορινθίοις· "Παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς, καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς·" τὸ γὰρ "ἐγήγερται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς" οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλαχόθεν εὑρεῖν. 5.143 Ἔτι λέγει ὁ προφήτης ἁρμόζων ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ· "Σάρξ μου ἐξ αὐτῶν." Πάλιν λέγει· "Ἐκύκλωσέ με ἐν ψεύδει Ἐφραῒμ καὶ ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. Νῦν ἔγνω αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεός, καὶ