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Using a distinction, Symmachus presented two meanings in the same passage, saying, As gleanings when the vintage is finished. Then from another beginning he says, Whose with those present their voice. For he assigned the one to the former meaning, that, as those 2201 who harvest the fruit of the olive, striking it with rods, and down to the last one, if you will, they bring down; so none of the ungodly will escape, just as some people go back over the grape clusters and gather those that were missed the first time. And this the Savior illustrates in the parable of the dragnet, with the rotten being cast out. But they indeed will suffer these things. But these will lift up their voice, clearly those of the better order. Whence he added: They will rejoice when the Lord is glorified. But according to the Seventy: The ungodly, suffering a final vintage, will give forth cries, shouting while being punished; but the good will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord, when the Lord comes in the glory of his Father, with power and great glory. And instead of, The water of the sea will be troubled, Theodotion translated, The waters of the sea resounded, showing the magnitude of the cry of those glorifying the Lord. And by islands he means the Churches in the present life, and before the judgment, set apart in the midst of the unbelievers, in the midst of the sea, upon which the glory of God will shine in the age to come. Wherefore the word hymns God who will do this, saying: Lord God of Israel, from the ends of the earth we have heard wonders. But instead of wonders, Theodotion and Symmachus translate psalms. And Aquila, melodies. For those of God's portion, marveling at His righteous judgment, rejoicing together with the glory of the Lord, offer up to Him hymns and thankful psalms, being from every part of the earth. And indeed the prophet marveled at this, having learned that they were deemed worthy to hymn God. Which indeed also seemed wondrous according to the Seventy, if, having left their ancestral error, they hymn the God of the prophets, since their hope has come to its fulfillment. For upon the righteous judgment of God is introduced the phrase, hope for the pious, even if he is a foreigner, clearly, even if he is a stranger to the seed of Abraham. Concerning which, according to Symmachus, it is said: And he said, My secret is for me; my secret is for me. For when the prophets glorified God for the paradox, and mentioned the hope of the pious, but did not say what and what kind of things were hoped for, and desired to learn what God has prepared for those who love Him, God commands them to be silent, saying: My secret is for me; my secret is for me. For now, he says, is not the time to reveal, "what eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him." But the pro 2203 phet, as he glorified God for the hope of good things, so out of love for mankind he laments the wicked, saying: Woe to those who transgress. Instead of which Aquila said: O woe is me, the transgressors have transgressed. But Symmachus: Woe is me, the transgressors are transgressed against. But you will understand windows of heaven according to the preceding explanation. For when God proceeds against the sinners, the windows of heaven are opened, a visitation upon them taking place. And it is likely that it was said in this way concerning those of whom David says: "Lift up your gates, O princes." Then, indeed, all will be opened at the kingdom of the Lord, so that through them the subjects of the kingdom may enter. But now, when they are opened, what happens? The foundations of the earth will be shaken, he says, and the earth will be troubled; signifying those who inhabited it, as being shaken from the intoxication of evils. And such an earth, being the soul of the ungodly, will be like a lodge in a garden. And this also signified desolation through the preceding passages, in which it was said: "Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be as a lodge in a garden." And these things have happened to those who dwell on the earth, since lawlessness has prevailed over them, for which reason at the end of the discourse he says, And it will fall, and will not be able to rise again. For once it has fallen at the end of mortal life, the earth, being earthly flesh, or a soul that loves the body, or those of old
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διαστολῇ χρησάμενος, ὁ Σύμμαχος δύο κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ παρέστησε διανοίας εἰπὼν, Ὡς ἐπιφυλλίδες ἐὰν συντελεσθῇ τρυγητός. Εἶτ' ἐξ ἑτέρας φησὶν ἀρχῆς, Οὗ τοῖς παροῦσι φωνὴν αὐτῶν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῇ τῶν προτέρων ἀπέδωκε διανοίᾳ, ὅτι, ὡς οἱ 2201 τὸν τῆς ἐλαίας τρυγῶντες καρπὸν, καλάμοις διακρούοντες, καὶ μέχρι μιᾶς, εἴπου φωνῇ, καταβάλλουσιν· οὕτω τῶν ἀσεβῶν οὐδεὶς, διαφεύξεται ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν βοτρύων ἐπανίοντές τινες, καὶ τοὺς τὸ πρῶτον λαθόντας συλλέγουσιν. Καὶ τοῦτο παρίστησιν ὁ Σωτὴρ τῇ περὶ τῆς σαγήνης παραβολῇ τῶν σαπρῶν ἔξω βαλλομένων. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ταῦτα πείσονται. Οὗτοι δὲ ἐπαροῦσι φωνὴν αὐτῶν, δῆλον ὡς οἱ τοῦ κρείττονος τάγματος. Ὅθεν ἐπήγαγεν· Ἀγαλλιάσονται ἐν τῷ ἐνδοξασθῆναι Κύριον. Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα· Οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τρυγητὸν παθόντες ἔσχατον, φωνὰς ἀποδώσουσι, βοῶντες ἐν τῷ κολάζεσθαι· οἱ δὲ ἀγαθοὶ εὐφρανθήσονται ἅμα τῇ δόξῃ Κυρίου, ὅτε ὁ Κύριος ἐλεύσεται ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ταραχθήσεται τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης, Ἤχησαν ὕδατα θαλάσσης, Θεοδοτίων ἑρμήνευσεν, δηλῶν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς βοῆς τῶν δοξαζόντων Κύριον. Νήσους δὲ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας φησὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, καὶ πρὸ τῆς κρίσεως ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀπίστων, ἐν μέσῳ θαλάσσης ἀπειλημμένας, ἐφ' ἃς ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ λάμψει δάξα κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν μέλλοντα. ∆ιόπερ ὁ λόγος τὸν τοῦτο ποιήσοντα Θεὸν ἀνυμνεῖ λέγων· Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ἀπὸ τῶν πτερύγων τῆς γῆς τέρατα ἠκούσαμεν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ τέρατα, ψαλμοὺς Θεοδοτίων ἑρμηνεύει, καὶ Σύμμαχος. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας,μελῳδίας. Οἱ γὰρ τῆς μερίδος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δικαίαν αὐτοῦ κρίσιν ἀποθαυμάζοντες, εὐφραινόμενοι ἅμα τῇ δόξῃ Κυρίου ὕμνους αὐτῷ καὶ ψαλμῳδίας εὐχαριστηρίους ἀνάγουσιν πανταχόθεν ὄντες τῆς γῆς. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐθαύμασεν, ὑμνεῖν αὐτὰς τὸν Θεὸν ἠξιῶσθαι μαθών. Ὃ δὴ καὶ τερατῶδες ἐδόκει κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, εἰ τὴν πατρῴαν πλάνην ἐάσαντες τὸν τῶν προφητῶν ὑμνοῦσι Θεὸν εἰς πέρας αὐτοῖς τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐκβάσης. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίᾳ ἐπῆκται τὸ, ἐλπὶς τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, κἂν ἀλλόφυλος ᾖ δηλονότι, κἂν ἀλλότριος τοῦ σπέρματος Ἀβραάμ. Ἐφ' οἷς, κατὰ Σύμμαχον, εἴρηται· Καὶ εἶπεν τὸ μυστήριόν μου ἐμοί· τὸ μυστήριόν μου ἐμοί. Τῶν γὰρ προφητῶν ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τὸν Θεὸν δοξασάντων, μνημονευσάντων δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος τῶν εὐσεβῶν, μὴ εἰρηκότων δὲ τίνα καὶ ποῖα ἦν τὰ ἐλπιζόμενα, ποθούντων δὲ μαθεῖν ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, σιωπᾷν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς παρακελεύεται λέγων· Τὸ μυστήριόν μου ἐμοί· τὸ μυστήριόν μου ἐμοί. Οὐ γὰρ νῦν, φησὶν, ἐκφαίνειν καιρὸς, "ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν." Ὁ δὲ προ 2203 φήτης, ὡς ἐδόξασε τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδι. Οὕτως ἐκ φιλανθρωπίας τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀποκλαίεται λέγων· Οὐαὶ τοῖς ἀθετοῦσιν. Ἀνθ' οὗ Ἀκύλας μὲν ἔφη· Ὢ εἴμοι ἀθετοῦντες ἠθέτησαν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Οὐαί μοι ἀθετοῦντες ἠθέτηνται· Θυρίδας δὲ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ τὴν προλαβοῦσαν νοήσεις ἐξήγησιν. Ἐπεξιόντος γὰρ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, αἱ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θυρίδες ἀναπετάννυνται, τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπισκοπῆς γινομένης. Εἰκὸς δὲ οὕτως εἰρῆσθαι περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ ∆αβίδ· "Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν." Τότε μὲν οὖν ἀνοιγήσονται πᾶσαι ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου βασιλείας, ὅπως δι' αὐτῶν εἰσέρχωνται οἱ βασιλευόμενοι. Νυνὶ δὲ ἀνοιγομένων τί γίνεται; Σεισθήσεται, φησὶ, τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς, καὶ ταραχθήσεται ἡ γῆ· τοὺς οἰκήσαντας ταύτην δηλῶν, ὡς ἀπὸ κακῶν μέθης σαλευομένους. Ἡ δὲ τοιαύτη γῆ τῶν ἀσεβῶν οὖσα ψυχὴ, ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐρημίαν ἐδήλου, ἐν οἷς ἐλέγετο· "Σιὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται." Ταῦτα δὲ γέγονε, τοῖς οἰκοῦσι τὴν γῆν, ἐπείπερ κατίσχυσεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ἀνομία, διὸ ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ λόγου φησί. Καὶ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἀναστῆναι. Ἅπαξ μὲν γὰρ πεσοῦσα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου τελευτὴν ἡ γῆ, σὰρξ οὖσα γεώδης, ἢ φιλοσώματος ψυχὴ, ἢ οἱ πάλαι