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to deny in the Lord, the word clearly presenting their denial, but also we have departed, it says, from behind our God; we have spoken slander. You see how he nowhere accuses them of idolatry, but also of slanders and false words and things similar to these. And we have disobeyed, it says, and we have conceived and meditated from our heart unjust words, but according to Aquila: to speak, it says, slander and apostasy, they conceived and uttered from the heart words of falsehood, but according to Symmachus: to speak slander and deviation, to conceive and meditate from the heart false words. Then next it is said: and we have turned judgment back; for it did not leave us, he says, but we turned it away, and righteousness has stood far off, because truth has been consumed in their ways, and they could not pass through by the straight way, but according to Symmachus: because truth has grown weak in the street, and uprightness was not able to come, and truth has come to be failing. But observe how often in these things he accuses them of the denial of truth and refutes the false reasonings they have devised. To which he adds next: and the Lord saw, and it did not please him, because there was no judgment, and he saw and there was no man. And above it was said: "because I came and there was no man, I called and there was no one who would obey"? But here also he saw, it says, and there was no man, and he considered and there was no one to help, and he defended them with his arm and established himself by his mercy, or also by righteousness, according to the others, he established himself. and he put on a helmet of salvation on his head and put on righteousness as a breastplate and was clothed with a garment of vengeance and the mantle as one about to repay recompense of reproach to the adversaries. And this is the end of the present accusation against the Jewish people, which indeed signifies plainly a war of God rising up against them, which also came upon them, which they suffered in the final siege during the Roman times. 2.49 Having recounted the impieties of the Jewish people against the savior, the prophetic word, and after all the accusations against them, having proclaimed beforehand that God himself would be their enemy, through the preceding words passes again to the calling of the nations, to which it connects the coming of Christ; for it was consistent with the prophecy about Christ that the grace procured through him for the nations should be included. So then it says, beginning: and they from the west shall fear the name of the Lord; "and the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord." It decrees, then, that not Israel shall partake of this wisdom, but those from the west, that is, those who have been allotted to inhabit the western parts, and also those from the rising of the sun. Likewise they also will fear the glorious name. And above it was said: "Behold, these will come from afar, these from the west and these from the north, and others from the land of the Persians. Rejoice, heavens." And concerning "those who fear the Lord" many things have been said, since also: "blessed is the man who fears the Lord," and: "there is no want to those who fear him," and: "the fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom," and: "the fear of the Lord adds days." All these things, then, the prophet announces as good news to the nations, saying: and they from the west shall fear the name of the Lord and they from the rising of the sun the glorious name. And he presents the cause of so great a salvation of the nations next, saying: for the wrath of the Lord will come like a violent river, it will come with anger. But neither the Hebrew reading mentioned wrath here nor anger, nor did the other interpreters; for it made no sense for the anger and wrath of God to be included in promises of good things. Wherefore, according to Aquila it is said: because the spirit of the Lord will come as a river, a standard to himself, but according to Symmachus: he will come as a river oppressing the spirit of the Lord, he hastens and will come, but according to Theodotion: for he will come as a river
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ἀρνήσασθαι ἐν κυρίῳ, σαφῶς τὴν ἄρνησιν αὐτῶν παριστῶντος τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπέστημέν φησιν ὄπισθεν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν· ἐλαλήσαμεν συκοφαντίαν. ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐδαμοῦ εἰδωλολατρίαν αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ συκοφαντίας καὶ λόγους ψευδεῖς καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια. καὶ ἠπειθήσαμεν δέ φησι, καὶ ἐκύομεν καὶ ἐμελετήσαμεν ἀπὸ καρδίας ἡμῶν λόγους ἀδίκους, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· λαλεῖν φησι συκοφαντίαν καὶ ἀπόστασιν, συνέλαβον καὶ ἐφθέγξαντο ἀπὸ καρδίας ῥήματα ψεύδους, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· λαλεῖν συκοφαντίαν καὶ ἔκκλισιν, κύειν καὶ μελετᾶν ἀπὸ καρδίας λόγους ψευδεῖς. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς εἴρηται· καὶ ἀπεστήσαμεν ὀπίσω τὴν κρίσιν· οὐ γὰρ αὕτη ἡμᾶς φησι κατέλειψεν, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς αὐτὴν ἀπεστήσαμεν, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη μακρὰν ἀφέστηκεν, ὅτι κατηναλώθη ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ δι' εὐθείας οὐκ ἠδύναντο διελθεῖν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ὅτι ἠσθένησεν ἐν πλατείᾳ ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ εὐθύτης οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐλθεῖν, καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐπιλείπουσα. τήρει δ' ὅπως πολλάκις ἐν τούτοις ἀληθείας ἄρνησιν αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖ καὶ τοὺς ἐφευρημένους αὐτοῖς ψευδεῖς λογισμοὺς ἀπελέγχει. οἷς ἑξῆς ἐπάγει· καὶ εἶδε κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν κρίσις, καὶ εἶδε καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀνήρ. καὶ ἀνωτέρω δὲ ἐλέγετο· «διότι ἦλθον καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος, ἐκάλεσα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων»; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ εἶδέ φησι καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀνήρ, καὶ κατενόησε καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἀντιληψόμενος, καὶ ἠμύνατο αὐτοὺς τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ ἐστηρίσατο, ἢ καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπεστηρίσατο. καὶ περιέθετο περικεφαλαίαν σωτηρίου ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ ἐνεδύσατο δικαιοσύνην ὡς θώρακα καὶ περιεβάλετο ἱμάτιον ἐκδικήσεως καὶ τὸ περιβόλαιον ὡς ἀνταποδώσων ἀνταπόδοσιν ὄνειδος τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις. καὶ τοῦτο τὸ τέλος τῆς παρούσης κατὰ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ κατηγορίας, ὃ δὴ σημαίνει ἄντικρυς πόλεμον θεοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν ἐπανιστάμενον, ὃς καὶ μετῆλθεν αὐτούς, ὃν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης πολιορκίας πεπόνθασι κατὰ τοὺς Ῥωμαϊκοὺς χρόνους. 2.49 Τὰς κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος δυσσεβείας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ διεξελθὼν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος μετὰ πάσας τε τὰς κατ' αὐτῶν κατηγορίας αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν πολέμιον αὐτῶν ἔσεσθαι προαναφωνήσας διὰ τῶν προκειμένων μεταβαίνει πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν, ᾗ συνάπτει Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἀκόλουθον τῇ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητείᾳ τὴν δι' αὐτοῦ προξενηθεῖσαν τοῖς ἔθνεσι χάριν συμπεριλαμβάνεσθαι. λέγει δ' οὖν ἀρχόμενος· καὶ φοβηθήσονται οἱ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου· «ἀρχὴ δὲ σοφίας φόβος κυρίου». ταύτης οὖν τῆς σοφίας μεταλήψεσθαι οὐ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ θεσπίζει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, δηλαδὴ τοὺς τὰ δυτικὰ μέρη λαχόντας οἰκεῖν, καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν δὲ ἡλίου. ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτοὶ φοβηθήσονται τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἔνδοξον. καὶ ἀνωτέρω δὲ ἐλέγετο· «ἰδοὺ οὗτοι πόρρωθεν ἥξουσιν, οὗτοι ἀπὸ δυσμῶν καὶ οὗτοι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπὸ γῆς Περσῶν. εὐφραίνεσθε, οὐρανοί». περὶ δὲ «τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον» πολλὰ εἴρηται, ἐπεὶ καί· «μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν κύριον», καί· «οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστέρημα τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν», καί· «φόβος κυρίου παιδεία καὶ σοφία», καί· «φόβος κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας». ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὁ προφήτης εὐαγγελίζεται λέγων· καὶ φοβηθήσονται οἱ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου καὶ οἱ ἀπ' ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἔνδοξον. τῆς δὲ τοσαύτης τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίας τὸ αἴτιον παρίστησιν ἑξῆς λέγων· ἥξει γὰρ ὡς ποταμὸς βίαιος ἡ ὀργὴ κυρίου, ἥξει μετὰ θυμοῦ. οὔτε δὲ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ ἀνάγνωσις ὀργῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐνταῦθα οὔτε θυμοῦ οὔτε οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταί· οὔτε γὰρ λόγον εἶχεν ἐν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαις θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν θεοῦ παραλαμβάνεσθαι. διὸ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· ὅτι ἐλεύσεται ὡς ποταμὸς πνεῦμα κυρίου σύσσημον ἑαυτῷ, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ἥξει ὡς ποταμὸς θλίβων τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, ἐπείγει καὶ ἥξει, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· ἥξει γὰρ ὡς ποταμὸς