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in the first was established a chorus of prophets and God-fearing men. Who indeed, always expecting the coming of Christ, ended their lives disposed as though he would descend even to death for their freedom. Therefore, he preaches the coming of the light of Christ to those sitting in darkness, as the word is fitting both to the first coming and to the second, concerning which the Savior said: "And they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven," and what follows; in which he says the angels will gather the elect from all places. And again: "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory." Then he speaks about the separation of the pious and the impious, like sheep and goats, the one being delivered to fire, 2620 the other being called into the new age, in which there will be no corporeal luminaries, since Christ the Sun of righteousness is sufficient for illumination; when, according to the most holy Paul, "The dead in Christ will rise first, and those who are left behind will be meeting in the clouds with Christ." Therefore, addressing such ones at that time the word will say: Be enlightened, Jerusalem; or according to the others: Arise, be enlightened. And see if he did not clearly show through the word "arise" the resurrection from the dead, which the light will accomplish by its own rays, reviving the dead, who, having risen, will also see his glory. For this reason he now adds: And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you; that is, the new city of God, which Christ alone illumines. For darkness is laid up for the impious, which he indicates, saying: Behold, darkness will cover the earth, and gloom the nations. But upon you the Lord will rise, according to the others. For there must first be the rising of light for those who are about to become beholders of the glory of the only-begotten of God, who is called the glory of the Father. For in him, and through him, and with him he is glorified. For seeing the Son, we see the majesty and glory of the Father, who says: "Father, glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you." But the phrase: Behold darkness and gloom will cover the earth over the nations; but upon you the Lord will appear; some, taking this of the first coming, say not that the nations are going to be darkened, when Christ has shone on the world. For it has been enlightened. But the future tense here indicates the present, that is, it covers. For when Christ first shone upon those from Israel, the nations were still held by darkness, before grace transferred to them. For then he showed his own glory by working miracles for the Jews. But some say that "gloom upon the nations" is when the enemies suffer what is just. But, he says, kings will walk by your light, and nations by your brightness, indicating the calling of the nations that has come from their disobedience. But we shall understand two orders of those who are saved: both the God-loving among the Jews, who, having been perfected through faith, did not receive the promises, since God foresaw something better for us, so that they might not be made perfect without us; who also tarried in the regions of death, awaiting the coming of Christ. Therefore, John sent and asked: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?" preaching to them the descent of Christ to them, he says: Arise, be enlightened. For your light has come, that is, which you were expecting. Therefore, the first order is of these. And the second is that of the Church from the Gentiles, which Paul indeed joined to the first, saying: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens 2621 with the saints," and what follows this. In which it is that "the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ." Rightly, therefore, having now evangelized the first order, he brought in: And nations will walk by your light, showing that the light is common to both those before the coming and after, and the brightness, which the wiping away of all filth produces. For the kings of the nations will also use this, being purified by the power of the divine mysteries, which is indeed seen among us through works. Then, since he mentioned nations, and kings of nations, he accordingly teaches the former city of God all those from the nations

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πρώτῃ συνίστατο προφητῶν τε καὶ θεοσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων χορός. Οἳ δὴ τὴν παρουσίαν ἀεὶ προσδοκῶντες Χριστοῦ, τὸν βίον κατέστρεφον διακείμενοι, ὡς καὶ μέχρι θανάτου καταβήσεται διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν ἐλευθερίαν. Ὅθεν ὡς ἐν σκότῳ καθημένοις τοῦ φωτὸς Χριστοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν εὐαγγελίζεται, ὡς πρὸς τῇ πρώτῃ παρουσίᾳ, καὶ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τὸν λόγον ἁρμόττειν, περὶ ἧς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· "Καὶ ὄψονται τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἐν οἷς τοὺς ἀγγέλους συνάξειν λέγει πανταχόθεν τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς. Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὑτοῦ." Εἶτα περὶ διακρίσεως εὐσεβῶν τε λέγει, καὶ ἀσεβῶν, ὡς προβάτων καὶ ἐρίφων, τῶν μὲν παραδιδομένων πυρὶ, 2620 τῶν δὲ ἀνακαλουμένων εἰς τὸν νέον αἰῶνα, καθ' ὃν οὐκ ἔσονται φωστῆρες σωματικοὶ, Χριστοῦ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἡλίου πρὸς φωτισμὸν ἐπαρκοῦντος· ὅτε, κατὰ τὸν ἱερώτατον Παῦλον, "Οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτοι, οἱ δὲ περιλειπόμενοι ἐν νεφέλαις ἀπαντῶντες ἔσονται σὺν Χριστῷ." Τοῖς οὖν τοιούτοις τότε προσφωνῶν ὁ λόγος ἐρεῖ· Φωτίζου, Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἢ κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους· Ἀνάστηθι, φωτίσθητι. Καὶ ὅρα εἰ μὴ σαφῶς διὰ τοῦ ἀνάστηθι, τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ἔδειξεν, ἣν ποιήσει τὸ φῶς ἀκτῖσιν ἰδίαις ἀναζωπυροῦν τοὺς νεκροὺς, οἳ καὶ ἀναστάντες ὄψονται τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ νῦν ἐπάγει· Καὶ ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἐπὶ σὲ ἀνατέταλκεν· δηλαδὴ τὴν νέαν τοῦ Θεοῦ πόλιν, ἣν φωτίζει μόνην Χριστός. Τοῖς γὰρ ἀσεβέσι σκότος ἀπόκειται, ὃ δηλῶν φησιν· Ἰδοὺ σκότος καλύψει τὴν γῆν, καὶ γνόφος ἐπ' ἔθνη. Ἐπὶ δὲ σὲ ἀνατελεῖ Κύριος, κατὰ τοὺς λοιπούς. ∆εῖ γὰρ πρῶτον φωτὸς ἀνατολῆς τοῖς μέλλουσι θεωροῖς γενέσθαι τῆς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξης, ὃς δόξα λέγεται τοῦ Πατέρος. Ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ δοξάζεται. Ὁρῶντες γὰρ τὸν Υἱὸν, ὁρῶμεν τὴν μεγαλειότητα, καὶ δόξαν τοῦ Πατέρος, ὅς γέ φησι· "Πάτερ, δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱὸν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ Υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε." Τὸ δέ· Ἰδοὺ σκότος καὶ γνόφος καλύψει γῆν ἐπ' ἔθνη· ἐπὶ δὲ σὲ φανήσεται Κύριος· ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης ἐκλαβόντες παρουσίας τινὲς, οὐχ ὡς μελλόντων φασὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν σκοτισθήσεσθαι, τῷ κόσμῳ λάμψαντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πεφώτισται γάρ. Ἀλλ' ὁ μέλλων ἐνταῦθα χρόνος τὸν ἐνεστῶτα δηλοῖ, τοῦτ' ἔστι καλύπτει. Χριστοῦ γὰρ πρώτοις τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιλάμψαντος, ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη σκότῳ κεκράτητο, πρὶν ἐπ' αὐτὰ μεταστῆναι τὴν χάριν. Τότε γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις τὴν οἰκείαν θαυματουργῶν ἐπεδείκνυτο δόξαν. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ, γνόφος ἐπ' ἔθνη, φασὶν ὅτε πάσχουσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τὰ δίκαια. Πορεύσονται δὲ, φησὶ, βασιλεῖς τῷ φωτί σου, καὶ ἔθνη τῇ λαμπρότητί σου, τὴν κλῆσιν δηλῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀπειθείας γεγενημένην. ∆ύο δὲ νοήσομεν τάγματα σωζομένων· τῶν τε παρ' Ἰουδαίοις θεοφιλῶν, οἳ διὰ πίστεως τελειωθέντες οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, τοῦ Θεοῦ κρεῖττόν τι περὶ ἡμῶν προβλεψαμένου, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν· οἳ καὶ τοῖς τοῦ θανάτου χωρίοις ἐνδιέτριβον τὴν παρουσίαν Χριστοῦ περιμένοντες. ∆ιὸ πέμψας Ἰωάννης ἠρώτα· "Σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ἢ ἕτερον προσδοκῶμεν;" οὓς εὐαγγελιζόμενος τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κάθοδον, φησίν· Ἀνάστηθι, φωτίσθητι. Ἦλθεν γὰρ τὸ φῶς σου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὃ προσεδόκας. Τούτων οὖν τὸ πρῶτον τάγμα. ∆εύτερον δὲ, τὸ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίας, ὃ δὴ συνῆψεν ὁ Παῦλος τῷ πρώτῳ λέγων· "Ἄρ' οὖν οὐκ ἔτι ἔστε ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι, ἀλλὰ συμπολῖται 2621 τῶν ἁγίων," καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Ἐν οἷς ἔστιν "εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα, καὶ σύσσωμα, καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν Χριστῷ." Εἰκότως οὖν εὐαγγελισάμενος νῦν τῷ πρώτῳ τάγματι ἐπήνεγκε· Καὶ πορεύσονται ἔθνη τῷ φωτί σου, δεικνὺς κοινὸν ἀμφοτέροις τὸ φῶς τοῖς πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας, καὶ ὕστερον, καὶ τὴν λαμπρότητα, ἣν ἡ ῥύπου παντὸς ἀπόσμηξις ἀπεργάζεται. Ταύτῃ γὰρ καὶ οἱ τῶν ἐθνῶν χρήσονται βασιλεῖς, καθαιρόμενοι τῇ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων δυνάμει, ὃ δὴ καθ' ἡμᾶς διὰ τῶν ἔργων ὁρᾶται. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἐθνῶν ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ βασιλέων ἐθνῶν, ἀκολούθως τὴν προτέραν τοῦ Θεοῦ πόλιν διδάσκει πάντας τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν