141

to have come down signifies the submission of the divine glory, which the divine apostle presented, saying: “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” And the phrase “he mounted upon the Cherubim and flew” seems to me to hint at the restoration to the glory of God, which he made while being escorted by angelic and divine powers, which also seems to me to be indicated by “he flew upon the wings of the winds.” 6.1.3 And that “darkness” was made his “hiding place” and “darkness under his feet” is said would be indicative of the hidden and secret dispensation, according to which all these things were accomplished by him. And “around him his tabernacle,” what should one understand this to mean other than his holy and catholic church, whether on earth or in heaven? 6.1.4 Next, at the end of the same psalm, the discourse foretells both the rejection of the former people and the calling of the nations through the words: “Deliver me from the strivings of the people; you will make me the head of the nations; a people whom I have not known has served me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; strange children have lied to me; strange children have grown old, and they have limped from their paths.” What meaning these things have will be examined at the proper time. 6.2.1 Psalm 46. “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the Lord Most High is awesome, a great king over all the earth. He subdued the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loved. God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to our God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of understanding. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples are gathered together with the God of Abraham, for the mighty of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.” 6.2.2 And what else does the ascent of the Lord God indicated by these words mean, if not his descent before the ascent? On which again the calling of all the nations is prophesied, and signs of joy and gladness at the coming knowledge of God are proclaimed as good news to all the nations, when the Lord himself, the Most High, acknowledged as the only God and King of all the earth, is said to have subjected peoples to us. 6.2.3 And to whom does “us” refer, if not clearly to those who prophesy these things? Which can be clearly seen fulfilled, when all the nations that have believed in Christ have been subjected to the words of the prophets. And these things could also be said from the person of the apostles of our Savior, who could also say, “He chose for us his inheritance.” 6.2.4 And what should one understand his inheritance to be, other than the calling of all the nations, which Christ himself, of God, presented, saying: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.’” 6.2.5 This inheritance, therefore, given to him by the Father, he subjected to his apostles and prophets, in that those who have believed in him have been subjected to their words, in accordance with the aforementioned prophecies. And having accomplished all these things during his presence among men, the Word of God, about whom we have discussed a great deal, “ascended with a shout.” 6.2.6 And the apostle, interpreting this, says: “But what does ‘he ascended’ mean, except that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who also ascended far above all the heavens.” And it says that he ascended “with a shout” because of the theology directed toward him by the angels who escorted him as he was ascending, who also said: “Lift up your gates, O you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.” And you would not be mistaken in saying that the “sound of a trumpet” is the evangelical preaching that has resounded throughout the whole inhabited world. 6.2.7 For of every instrument

141

κατεληλυθέναι σημαίνει τὴν ὑποστολὴν τῆς ἐνθέου δόξης, ἣν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος παριστὰς ἔλεγεν· «ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών». καὶ τὸ «ἐπέβη» δὲ «ἐπὶ Χερουβὶμ καὶ ἐπετάσθη» αἰνίττεσθαί μοι δοκεῖ τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δόξαν ἀποκατάστασιν, ἣν πεποίηται ἀγγελικαῖς καὶ θείαις δυνάμεσι δορυφορούμενος, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ δηλοῦσθαί μοι δοκεῖ διὰ τοῦ «ἐπετάσθη ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀνέμων». 6.1.3 τὸ δὲ «σκότος» τεθεῖσθαι τὴν «ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ» καὶ «γνόφον ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ» λέγεσθαι παραστατικὸν ἂν εἴη τῆς κρυφίου καὶ ἀπορρήτου οἰκονομίας, καθ' ἣν ταῦτα πάντα αὐτῷ ἐτελεῖτο. «κύκλῳ» δὲ «αὐτοῦ ἡ σκηνὴ αὐτοῦ» τίνα λέγεσθαι προσήκει νοεῖν ἢ τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, εἴτε τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς; 6.1.4 ἑξῆς δὲ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ψαλμὸν τελευτῶν ὁ λόγος ὁμοῦ τὴν παραίτησιν τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ καὶ τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίζει δι' ὧν φησιν «ῥῦσαί με ἐξ ἀντιλογιῶν λαοῦ, καταστήσεις με εἰς κεφαλὰς ἐθνῶν· λαὸς ὃν οὐκ ἔγνων ἐδούλευσέ μοι, εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ὑπήκουσέ μου· υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐψεύσαντό μοι, υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐπαλαιώθησαν καὶ ἐχώλαναν ἀπὸ τῶν τρίβων αὐτῶν». ταῦτα δὲ ὁποίας διανοίας ἔχεται, κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν ἐξετασθήσεται. 6.2.1 Ψαλμοῦ μʹ. «Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ἀλαλάξατε τῷ θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. ὅτι κύριος ὕψιστος φοβερός, βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. ὑπέταξεν λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν· ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτῷ, τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ ἣν ἠγάπησεν. ἀνέβη ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος. ψάλατε τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε· ψάλατε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε· ὅτι βασιλεὺς πάσης τῆς γῆς ὁ θεός, ψάλατε συνετῶς· ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, ὁ θεὸς κάθηται ἐπὶ θρόνου ἁγίου αὐτοῦ. ἄρχοντες λαῶν συνήχθησαν μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ Ἀβραάμ, ὅτι τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς σφόδρα ἐπήρθησαν.» 6.2.2 Καὶ τί ἕτερον βούλεται σημαίνειν ἡ διὰ τούτων δηλουμένη κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνοδος ἢ τὴν πρὸ τῆς ἀνόδου κάθοδον αὐτοῦ; ἐφ' ᾗ πάλιν ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων κλῆσις θεσπίζεται, χαρᾶς τε καὶ εὐφροσύνης σημεῖα ἐπὶ τῇ μελλούσῃ θεογνωσίᾳ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἅπασιν εὐαγγελίζεται, ὅτε κύριος αὐτός, ὁ ὕψιστος, μόνος θεὸς καὶ βασιλεὺς ἁπάσης τῆς γῆς ὁμολογηθείς, ὑποτάξειν λαοὺς ἡμῖν λέλεκται. 6.2.3 ἡμῖν δὲ τίσιν ἢ δηλαδὴ τοῖς ταῦτα προφητεύουσιν; ὃ καὶ ἔστιν ἐναργῶς ἰδεῖν πεπληρωμένον, ὅτε πάντα τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότα ἔθνη τοῖς λόγοις τῶν προφητῶν ὑποτέτακται. λέγοιτο δ' ἂν ταῦτα καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οἳ καὶ εἴποιεν ἂν τὸ «ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτοῦ». 6.2.4 κληρονομίαν δὲ αὐτοῦ τίνα χρὴ νοεῖν ἢ τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων, ἣν αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ παριστὰς ἔφησεν· «κύριος εἶπεν πρός με, υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς». 6.2.5 ταύτην οὖν τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς δεδομένην αὐτῷ κληρονομίαν ὑπέταξε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις, τῷ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότας τοῖς τούτων ὑποτετάχθαι λόγοις, ἀκολούθως τοῖς προκειμένοις θεσπίσμασιν. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ πάντα κατορθώσας ἐπὶ τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ παρουσίας ὁ θεὸς λόγος, περὶ οὗ πλεῖστα ἡμῖν διείληπται, «ἀνέβη ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ». 6.2.6 τοῦτο δὲ ἑρμηνεύων ὁ ἀπόστολός φησι· «τὸ δὲ ἀνέβη τί ἐστιν, εἰ μὴ ὅτι καὶ κατέβη πρῶτον εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς; ὁ καταβὰς αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν». «ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ» δὲ αὐτόν φησιν ἀνεληλυθέναι διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν θεολογίαν τῶν δορυφορούντων αὐτὸν ἀνιόντα ἀγγέλων, οἳ καὶ ἔλεγον· «ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης». «φωνὴν» δὲ «σάλπιγγος» οὐκ ἂν σφαλείης τὸ κήρυγμα εἰπὼν τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν εἰς πᾶσαν ἐξηχῆσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. 6.2.7 παντὸς γὰρ ὀργάνου