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saved by God.” Therefore, he also proclaims this through the words that follow, saying: Hear me, hear me, my people. But he also wants the kings, the rulers of the nations, or even the kingdoms of the earth, to pay attention to what is being said; for it is clear that he sometimes names the kingdoms in this way. For these he sets forth a suitable teaching, saying: for a law shall go forth from me, which the other interpreters have also rendered similarly. For it was necessary for a new law to be given to the new people who were to be established from the nations; for the one given through Moses was unsuitable for the life of the nations, confining all physical worship to one place, the one in Jerusalem; therefore, necessarily alluding to the new covenant and the evangelical proclamation, he says: for a law shall go forth from me, and my judgment for a light to the nations, again here promising light to the nations, but not to Israel. And instead of: and my judgment, all the other interpreters have rendered my decree; for I have judged, he says, and a decree has been established by me for this my law and my decree to become a light to the nations. And these things, he says, will not be far off, but my righteousness draws near quickly, and according to Symmachus: suddenly I will hasten; righteousness is near; for the grace bestowed equally on all nations was filled with righteousness. And this was the Christ of God, whom “Simeon, taking in his arms,” is recorded as having said: “Now you are letting your servant depart, O Lord; because my eyes have seen your salvation” and so on, the prophecy signifying the divinity of the Word. For as he indicated the humanity through salvation, so also in this way he alluded to the divinity. Do not be afraid of the reproach of men, and do not be overcome by their scorn, because he says: “those who want to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted” and will be reproached and scorned by men, and will endure all kinds of persecutions and trials. Wherefore, fencing them in from here on, he already commands, saying: Do not be afraid of the reproach of men, and do not be overcome by their scorn. But one must rather look, he says, to the end that will succeed them. which he indeed outlines, saying: For just as a garment will be consumed by time and as wool will be consumed by a moth, so also these will clearly be given over to corruption and destruction. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid, but to trust in their own savior, whom he taught beforehand to be immortal and ageless and enduring and saving. And again he repeats the theology, sealing it through the following words, saying: But my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation for generations of generations. 2.39 The addition Jerusalem is found neither in the Hebrew reading nor among the other interpreters, but Aquila says: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord, and Symmachus: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord, and Theodotion likewise: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord. Therefore, since according to all the interpreters and according to the Hebrew language itself the word is not addressing Jerusalem, but the arm of the Lord; it would be fitting for us also to refer the address of the word to the arm of the Lord, about which it was said above: and in my arm the nations will hope. And we were saying that the divinity of the Word is signified in this way, since, therefore, he exhorted the people not to be afraid of the reproach of men and not to be overcome by their scorn, accordingly a supplicatory prayer is sent up from the person of the people to the arm of God, imploring him to be roused and to fight for his own people. For we, he says, are nothing if you do not protect and fight for us, wherefore you yourself, O arm of the Lord, awake, awake and put on your strength and your might. So awake, he says, as also in the times before this. Therefore according to the
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θεοῦ σεσῳσμένος» εἴη ἄν. τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν καὶ διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας προσφωνεῖ λέγων· ἀκούσατέ μου ἀκούσατέ μου, λαός μου. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις βούλεται τοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντας ἢ καὶ τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς· δηλῶν ἐστι γὰρ ὅτε τὰς βασιλείας τοῦτον ὀνομάζει τὸν τρόπον. τούτοις κατάλληλον διδασκαλίαν ἐκτίθεται λέγων· ὅτι νόμος παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξελεύσεται, ὃ δὴ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ὁμοίως ἐκδεδώκασιν. ἔδει γὰρ καινῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐξ ἐθνῶν συστησομένῳ καὶ νόμον δοθῆναι καινόν· ὁ γὰρ διὰ Μωσέως δοθεὶς ἀκατάλληλος ἦν τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν πολιτείᾳ πᾶσαν περιγράφων τὴν σωματικὴν θρησκείαν εἰς ἕνα τόπον τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις· διόπερ ἀναγκαίως αἰνιττόμενος τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην καὶ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα φάσκει· ὅτι νόμος παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ ἡ κρίσις μου εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, πάλιν κἀνταῦθα φῶς τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπισχνούμενος, οὐ μὴν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ ἡ κρίσις μου, οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες ἑρμηνευταὶ τὸ κρίμα μου ἐκδεδώκασι· κέκρικα γάρ φησι, καὶ κρίμα παρ' ἐμοῦ ὥρισται τὸ γενέσθαι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εἰς φῶς τὸν ἐμὸν τοῦτον νόμον καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν κρίμα. Καὶ ταῦτά φησιν οὐ μακράν ποτε ἔσται, ἐγγίζει δὲ ταχὺ ἡ δικαιοσύνη μου, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ἐξαίφνης ταχυνῶ· ἐγγὺς ἡ δικαιοσύνη· δικαιοσύνης γὰρ πεπλήρωτο ἡ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξ ἴσου δωρηθεῖσα χάρις. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃν «λαβὼν ἐν ἀγκάλαις ὁ Συμεὼν» ἀναγέγραπται εἰρηκώς· «νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα· ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, τὴν θεότητα τοῦ λόγου σημαινούσης τῆς προφητείας. ὡς γὰρ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐδήλου διὰ τοῦ σωτηρίου, οὕτως καὶ τὴν θεότητα τοῦτον ᾐνίξατο τὸν τρόπον. μὴ φοβεῖσθε ὀνειδισμὸν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν μὴ ἡττᾶσθε, ὅτι φησὶν· «οἱ θέλοντες ζῆν εὐσεβῶς ἐν Χριστῷ διωχθήσονται» καὶ ὀνειδισθήσονται καὶ φαυλισθήσονται ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων, διωγμούς τε παντοίους καὶ πειρασμοὺς ὑπομενοῦσι. ὅθεν καὶ περιφράττων αὐτοὺς ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη παραγγέλλει λέγων· μὴ φοβεῖσθε ὀνειδισμὸν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν μὴ ἡττᾶσθε. Χρὴ δὲ μᾶλλον ὁρᾶν φησιν ἐπὶ τὸ διαδεξόμενον αὐτοὺς τέλος. ὃ δὴ καὶ ὑπογράφει λέγων· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἱμάτιον βρωθήσεται ὑπὸ χρόνου καὶ ὡς ἔρια βρωθήσεται ὑπὸ σητός, οὕτω δηλαδὴ καὶ οὗτοι φθορᾷ καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ παραδοθήσονται. ὅθεν οὐδὲν δεῖ φοβεῖσθαι, θαρσεῖν δὲ τῷ ἑαυτῶν σωτῆρι, ὃν προεδίδαξεν ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀγήρω καὶ διαρκῆ καὶ σωτήριον ὑπάρχειν. καὶ αὖθις δευτεροῖ τὴν θεολογίαν ἐπισφραγιζόμενος διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας φάσκων· ἡ δὲ δικαιοσύνη μου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἔσται, τὸ δὲ σωτήριόν μου εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν. 2.39 Ἡ προσθήκη Ἰερουσαλὴμ οὔτε ἐν τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇἀναγνώσει οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς φέρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας· ἐξεγείρου φησὶν ἐξεγείρου, ἔνδυσαι κράτος, βράχιον κυρίου, καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος· ἐξεγείρου ἐξεγείρου, ἔνδυσαι κράτος, βράχιον κυρίου, καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων δὲ ὁμοίως· ἐξεγείρου ἐξεγείρου, ἔνδυσαι κράτος, βράχιον κυρίου. ὅτι τοίνυν κατὰ πάντας τοὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν φωνὴν οὐ τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὁ λόγος προσφωνεῖ, ἀλλὰ τῷ βραχίονι κυρίου· ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη καὶ ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸν βραχίονα κυρίου τὴν τοῦ λόγου προσφώνησιν ἀναφέρειν, περὶ οὗ ἀνωτέρω ἐλέγετο· καὶ εἰς τὸν βραχίονά μου ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν. ἐφάσκομεν δὲ τὴν θεότητα τοῦ λόγου τοῦτον σημαίνεσθαι τὸν τρόπον, ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τῷ λαῷ παρεκελεύσατο μὴ φοβεῖσθαι ὀνειδισμὸν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν μὴ ἡττᾶσθαι, ἀκολούθως ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ εὐχὴ ἀναπέμπεται πρὸς τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ θεοῦ παρακλητική, ἐξεγερθῆναι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπερμαχῆσαι τοῦ ἰδίου λαοῦ καθικετεύουσα. ἡμεῖς γάρ φησιν οὐδέν ἐσμεν μὴ σοῦ προασπίζοντος καὶ ὑπερμαχοῦντος ἡμῶν, ὅθεν σὺ αὐτὸς ὁ βραχίων κυρίου ἐξεγείρου ἐξεγείρου καὶ ἔνδυσαι τὴν σαυτοῦ ἰσχὺν καὶ τὸ σαυτοῦ κράτος. οὕτω δέ φησιν ἐξεγείρου ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτου χρόνοις. διὸ κατὰ τὸν