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has come. Therefore, do not delay, but be enlightened, be enlightened and partake of grace; for to you, when you are enlightened, there will be such and such things. And all the things that follow which, as I said, would perhaps even have been fulfilled for them physically, if, having become obedient to the command, they had happened to receive the Christ of God who visited them. But now, along with the denial of Christ, they have deprived themselves of the light and of all the things at once that were promised through the prophecy. These things, then, are according to the bare letter, but according to the meaning, since according to the other interpreters the name of Jerusalem is not added; for Aquila interpreted it in this way: Arise, be enlightened, for your light has come, and Symmachus: Arise, be enlightened, for your light is here. But neither in the Hebrew reading is Jerusalem named; it is consistent to understand these things as being said to those who had received the promise that “a redeemer or kinsman would come.” And these were they concerning whom it was said: “and those from the west will fear the name of the Lord, and those from the east, the glorious name.” And it has often been shown by us that the pious polity conceived in the souls of pious men is called the city of God and Jerusalem. And as this formerly was established among the Jews, at the time when prophets and righteous men flourished among them, and a great company of pious and God-loving men, and our piety among them, which is truly the city of God being constituted according to the will of God, but since all among them who were perfected, “expecting the” coming of Christ that was announced through the prophets, were departing from life, but hoped “until death” that he would descend for their salvation. For this reason, as if to them “sitting in darkness,” the word proclaims the good news of the coming of the light, saying: Be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your light is here, so that these things can be fulfilled at the first coming of our Savior, but also they will reach their consummation at his second and glorious theophany. It is likely that in it there will no longer be “sun” nor “moon” nor stars, but Christ himself, the “true light” of God and “the sun of righteousness,” will suffice for the enlightenment of the souls of those deemed worthy of his kingdom. For then, according to the holy Apostle, “the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a command, with the voice of an archangel, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are left alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord.” Therefore, when he makes his glorious appearance, then the word, addressing those who are worthy of it, says: Be enlightened, be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your light is here, or, according to the other interpreters: Arise, be enlightened, for your light has come, and see if he has not clearly prophesied the resurrection from the dead by saying: Arise, and the cause of the resurrection from the dead was the presence of the light; for, having been rekindled by the life-giving rays, the souls of the saints who died long ago will obtain the things that were promised. Therefore, according to the Apostle, “the Lord himself will descend with a command, with the voice of an archangel, then the dead in Christ will rise”; then, having risen, they will see his glory. Therefore, he adds: and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you; for it does not rise upon all, but only upon the worthy; for those who are not such will be taken by “the outer darkness” and “the eternal fire” and whatever other things have been threatened to the impious. But upon you, he says, the city of God and the new Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord has risen, partaking of which, be enlightened; for for those who have not recognized the Lord nor set his arrival before their eyes, darkness is laid up, which indeed he signifies by saying: Behold, darkness will cover the earth, and gloom the nations; but upon you the Lord will appear, or according to the other interpreters: but upon you
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ἐλήλυθε. διὸ μὴ μέλλε, φωτίζου δὲ φωτίζου καὶ τῆς χάριτος μεταλάμβανε· ἔσται γάρ σοι φωτισθείσῃ τάδε καὶ τάδε. καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ ἐπιφερόμενα πάντα ἅπερ ὡς ἔφην καὶ σωματικῶς εἰς αὐτοὺς τάχα που ἐπληρώθη ἄν, εἰ καταπειθεῖς γενόμενοι τῷ προστάγματι τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιδημήσαντα αὐτοῖς ἔτυχον παραδεδεγμένοι. νυνὶ δὲ ὁμοῦ τῇ ἀρνήσει τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐστέρησαν ὡς καὶ πάντων ἀθρόως τῶν διὰ τῆς προφητείας ἐπηγγελμένων. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὡς πρὸς τὴν ψιλὴν λέξιν, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς τὸ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ οὐ πρόσκειται ὄνομα· ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀκύλας τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· ἀνάστηθι φωτίζου, ὅτι ἦλθε φῶς σου, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· ἀνάστηθι φωτίζου, ἥκει γάρ σου τὸ φῶς. ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐν τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ ἀναγνώσει ὠνόμασται Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι νοεῖν ταῦτα λέγεσθαι πρὸς τούτοις ἐπηγγελμένον «ἥξειν λυτρωτὴν ἢ ἀγχιστέα» παραδεδεγμένους. οὗτοι δ' ἦσαν, περὶ ὧν εἴρητο· «καὶ φοβηθήσονται οἱ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἔνδοξον». πολλάκις δὲ ἡμῖν ἀποδέδοται τὸ θεοσεβὲς πολίτευμα ἐν ψυχαῖς ἀνθρώπων θεοσεβῶν νοούμενον πόλις θεοῦ καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὠνομάσθαι. καὶ ὡς πάλαι τοῦτο παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις συνεστήκει, καθ' ὃν χρόνον ἤκμαζον ἐν αὐτοῖς προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι καὶ πολὺς χορὸς θεοσεβῶν καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ ἡμῶν ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοῦ πόλις ἡ κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ θεοῦ συντελουμένη παρ' αὐτοῖς θεοσέβεια, ἀλλ' ἐπειδήπερ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς πάντες τελειωθέντες «προσδοκῶντες τὴν» διὰ τῶν προφητῶν καταγγελλομένην Χριστοῦ «τοῦ παρουσίαν», ἀπηλλάττοντο τοῦ βίου, ἤλπιζον δὲ «μέχρι θανάτου» καταβήσεσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας. τούτου χάριν ὡς ἂν «ἐν σκότῳ καθημένοις» αὐτοῖς εὐαγγελίζεται τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν παρουσίαν φάσκων ὁ λόγος· Φωτίζου, Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἥκει γὰρ τὸ φῶς σου, ὡς κατὰ τὴν πρώτην παρουσίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δύνασθαι ταῦτα πληροῦσθαι, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ θεοφάνειαν τέλους αὐτὰ τεύξεσθαι. εἰκὸς ἐν ᾗ «ἥλιος» μὲν οὐκέτ' ἔσται οὐδὲ «σελήνη» οὐδὲ ἀστέρες, ἀπαρκεῖ δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ «τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν» καὶ «ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος» πρὸς φωτισμὸν ψυχῶν τῶν τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας καταξιουμένων. τότε γὰρ κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν Ἀπόστολον «αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι καὶ ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτοι, ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ περιλειπόμενοι ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλῃ εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα· καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα». ἐπειδὰν οὖν τὴν ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ ποιῆται παρουσίαν, τηνικαῦτα τοῖς ταύτης ἀξίοις προσφωνῶν ὁ λόγος φησί· Φωτίζου φωτίζου, Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἥκει γάρ σου τὸ φῶς, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· ἀνάστηθι φωτίσθητι, ἦλθε γὰρ τὸ φῶς σου, καὶ ὅρα εἰ μὴ σαφῶς τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ἐθέσπισε φήσας· ἀνάστηθι, τὸ δ' αἴτιον τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἡ παρουσία τοῦ φωτὸς ἦν· ταῖς γὰρ ἀκτῖσι ταῖς ζωοδόχοις ἀναζωπυρήσασαι αἱ τῶν πάλαι τετελευτηκότων ἁγίων ψυχαὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τεύξονται. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον «αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι καὶ ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καταβήσεται, ἔπειτα οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται»· εἶτα ἀναστάντες ὄψονται τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. διὸ ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ἡ δόξα κυρίου ἐπὶ σὲ ἀνατέταλκεν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντας ἀνατελεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μόνους τοὺς ἀξίους· τοὺς γὰρ μὴ τοιούτους διαλήψεται «τὸ ἐξώτερον σκότος» καὶ «τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον» καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἠπείληται. ἀλλ' ἐπὶ σέ φησι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ πόλιν καὶ τὴν νέαν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡ δόξα κυρίου ἀνατέταλκεν, ἧς μεταλαβοῦσα φωτίζου· τοῖς γὰρ μὴ τὸν κύριον ἐπεγνωκόσι μηδὲ τὴν ἄφιξιν αὐτοῦ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν θεμένοις σκότος ἀποκεῖσθαι, ὃ δὴ σημαίνει φάσκων· ἰδοὺ σκότος καλύψει τὴν γῆν καὶ γνόφος ἐπ' ἔθνη· ἐπὶ σὲ δὲ φανήσεται κύριος, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· ἐπὶ σὲ δὲ