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he endured death on a cross for our salvation, which no one of the angels, or powers, or men underwent; wherefore also the Father gave to him alone the name that is above every name and entrusted to him judgment over all. And instead of: And I brought down their blood to the earth, the others rendered it as victory. For they who seem invincible, he says, have been conquered by me. But others, taking the saying to be about the ascension of the Savior, say that, having fulfilled the economy in the flesh, ascending to the Father he was seen by the powers above, bearing the symbols of the passion, not because he rose with these, but in the way that he showed them to doubting Thomas. Thus (that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places through the Church) he ascended with the signs of the passion. Therefore, marveling, 2669 they inquire of him as he ascends. Now Edom is interpreted as red, or earthly. And Bosor, as flesh, or fleshy. It signifies, therefore, being reddened, as from flesh and blood. But as they recognize him as God, even though he was in the flesh, they say he is beautiful in his robe, and they bear witness to his strength. For 'with force' signifies this. And the present passage is like that in the 23rd Psalm: "Who is this King of glory?" And he answers, that I speak righteousness, or the evangelical preaching, or, that every word of God is just. And judgment for salvation, he calls the judgment upon us. For he has rendered judgment for humanity and against Satan who deceived it. For he said: "Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out." A second question again, in which you recall the patriarch Jacob saying: "He will wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape." Then he says: And of the nations there is no man with me. Which must be connected with: I speak righteousness and a judgment of salvation. For no one stood by me, he says, or grieved with me when I suffered. For as the evangelist says: Then all the disciples, leaving him, fled. Which Christ also foretold: The hour is coming, and has come, that you should be scattered, each to his own, and leave me alone. And in the Psalms he says: "My soul expected reproach, and misery, and I waited for someone to grieve with me, and there was none; and for comforters, and I found none." And yet, though I was alone, I trod them down in wrath. For after the Lord’s ascension, every kind of disaster befell the Jews. But the time of their retribution was one of redemption for those who had recognized his epiphany. And although no one helped or supported me (which the Scribes and Pharisees ought to have done, who on the contrary were subverting the people), nevertheless my power saved them. For very many from among the Jews believed. But just punishments of wrath befell those who disobeyed. But some, speaking in harmony, say that having become the fulfiller of the paternal commands, and having proceeded to death on our behalf, and having trodden it down, as in a winepress, and having been stained, as from trodden fruit, having become this for them, he offered himself on our behalf to the Father as an intercession and a ransom, granting an ascent into the heavens to those who were supposed to remain below by the decree, and joining those below with those above. But when you hear of the angels being perplexed, do not attribute ignorance to them (for they knew the things being orchestrated by the Savior, from the time he was incarnate), but consider the matter a lesson, that angels too rejoice in the salvation of men, and sing praises to him, marveling at how he accepted the death that was owed to us. For neither would you say that the angels are ignorant, just as 2672 they do not bear arms, even if they appeared thus to Gehazi, correcting his cowardice. Having said these things, therefore, they also interpreted it historically, saying: as having proclaimed beforehand to them God’s help against the plot of the invaders, they dispute who the deliverer is, he says: He will destroy those from Edom who attacked you with your enemies and who blocked the escape routes of your flight, so that he seems to be stained with their blood. And by Edom he means the sons of Esau, and by Bosor, Bozrah. Therefore, he pursues them with a just sentence. God
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σταυροῦ θάνατον ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας, ὃ μηδεὶς ἀγγέλων, ἢ δυναμένων, ἣ ἀνθρώπων ὑπέστη· διὸ καὶ μόνῳ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐχαρίσατο τὸ ὄνομα, τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα καὶ τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἐνεχείρισε κρίσιν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· Καὶ κατήγαγον τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν εἰς γῆν, οἱ λοιποὶ τὸ νίκος ἐξέδωκαν. Νενίκηνται γὰρ ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶν, οἱ δοκοῦντες ἀνίκητοι. Ἄλλοι δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὴν ῥῆσιν δεξάμενοί φασιν, ὡς πληρώσας τὴν μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίαν, ἀναβὰς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ὤφθη ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσι, τοῦ πάθους φέρων τὰ σύμβολα, οὐχ ὅτι μετὰ τούτων ἀνέστη, ᾧ δὲ τρόπῳ διστάσαντι δέδειχε τῷ Θωμᾷ. Οὕτως (ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ) μετὰ τῶν τοῦ πάθους σημείων ἀνέδραμεν. Θαυμάζουσαι τοίνυν 2669 ἀνιόντος πυνθάνονται. Τὸ δὲ Ἐδὼμ, ἑρμηνεύεται πυῤῥὸς, ἢ γήϊνος. Τὸ δὲ Βόσορ, ἢ σὰρξ, ἢ σάρκινος. ∆ηλοῖ τοίνυν τὸ πεφοινίχθαι, ὡς ἀπὸ σαρκός τε καὶ αἵματος. Ὡς δὲ γνωρίζουσαι αὐτὸν Θεὸν, εἰ καὶ ἦν ἐν σαρκὶ, ὡραῖον αὐτόν φασιν ἐν στολῇ, καὶ ἰσχὺν αὐτῷ μαρτυροῦσι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ βία δηλοῖ. Ἔοικε δὲ τὸ παρὸν τῷ ἐν κγʹ ψαλμῷ· "Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης;" Ἀποκρίνεται δὲ, ὅτι Ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην, ἢ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα, ἢ, ὅτι Θεοῦ πᾶς λόγος δίκαιος. Κρίσιν δὲ σωτηρίου, τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ὀνομάζει κρῖμα. ∆εδίκακε γὰρ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι καὶ τῷ ταύτην ἀπατήσαντι Σατανᾷ. Ἔλεγε γάρ· "Νῦν κρίσις ἐστὶ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου ἐκβέβληται ἔξω." ∆ευτέρα πάλιν ἐρώτησις, ἐν ᾗ μέμνησο τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰακὼβ λέγοντος· "Πλυνεῖ ἐν οἴνῳ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν αἵματι σταφυλῆς τὴν περιβολὴν αὐτοῦ." Εἶτά φησι· Καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ. Ὃ συναπτέον τῷ· Ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Οὐδεὶς γάρ μοι παρέστη, φησὶν, ἢ συνήλγησε πάσχοντι. Ὡς γάρ φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Τότε πάντες ἀφέντες αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔφυγον. Ὃ καὶ προὔλεγεν ὁ Χριστός· Ἔρχεται ὥρα, καὶ ἐλήλυθεν, ἵνα ἕκαστος σκορπισθῆτε εἰς τὰ ἴδια, κἀμὲ μόνον ἀφῆτε. Καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς δέ φησιν· "Ὀνειδισμὸν προσεδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν, καὶ ὑπέμεινα συλλυπούμενον, καὶ οὐχ ὑπῆρχε· καὶ παρακαλοῦντα, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον." Καίπερ δὲ μόνος ὢν κατεπάτησα αὐτοὺς ἐν θυμῷ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου, πᾶν εἶδος συμφορᾶς Ἰουδαίοις ἀπήντηκεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀνταποδόσεως καιρὸς, λυτρώσεως ἦν τοῖς ἐπεγνωκόσι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ. Καίπερ δὲ μηδενὸς βοηθοῦντος, ἢ ἀντιλαμβανομένου (ὃ ποιεῖν ἕδει τοὺς Γραμματέας καὶ Φαρισαίους, οἳ τὸ ἐναντίον ἀνέτρεπον τοὺς λαοὺς) ὅμως ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ἐμὴ δύναμις. Πλεῖστοι γὰρ ἐπίστευσαν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων. Τοῖς δὲ ἀπειθήσασι τὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀπήντηκε δίκαια. Τινὲς δὲ συμφώνως εἰπόντες, ὡς πληρωτὴς γενόμενος τῶν πατρικῶν ἐντολῶν, καὶ χωρήσας εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θάνατον, καὶ πατήσας τοῦτον, ὡς ἐν ληνῷ, καὶ μολυνθεὶς, ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ καρπὸς αὐτοῖς γενόμενος, ἑαυτὸν προσήγαγεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῷ Πατέρι δυσώπημα καὶ λυτρὸν, ἄνοδον εἰς οὐρανοὺς διδοὺς, οὓς ἔδει κάτω μένειν ἐκ τῆς ἀποφάσεως, καὶ συνάψας τοῖς ἄνω τοὺς κάτω. Ἀγγέλων δὲ ἀπορούντων ἀκούων, μὴ ἐκείνοις ἄγνοιαν προσάψῃς (ᾔδεσαν γὰρ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος οἰκονομούμενα, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ σεσάρκωται), ἀλλ' ἡγοῦ διδασκαλίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὅτι καὶ ἄγγελοι χαίρουσιν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίᾳ, καὶ τοῦτον ἀνυμνοῦσι θαυμάζοντες, πῶς τὸν ἡμῖν ὀφειλόμενον ἐδέξατο θάνατον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν εἴποις ἀγνοεῖν τοὺς ἀγγέλους, ὡς 2672 οὐδὲ ὁπλοφορεῖν, εἰ καὶ οὕτως ἐφάνησαν τῷ Γιέζι τὴν δειλίαν αὐτοῦ διορθούμενοι. Ταῦτα τοίνυν εἰπόντες, καὶ καθ' ἱστορίαν ἐξέλαβον, λέγοντες· ὡς προαναφωνήσας αὐτοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀντίληψιν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐπιόντων ἐπιβουλὴν, ἀμφισβητοῦσι τίς ὁ ῥυσόμενος, φησίν· Ὁ τοὺς ἐξ Ἐδὼμ τοὺς ἐπιθεμένους μετὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑμῶν ὑμῖν, καὶ τὰς τῆς φυγῆς διεκδρομὰς ἀποφράξαντας ἀνελεῖ, ὡς μεμολύνθαι δοκεῖν τῷ ἐκείνων αἵματι. Ἐδὼμ δὲ λέγει τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἡσαῦ, Βόσορ δὲ τὴν βόστραν. ∆ικαίᾳ τοίνυν αὐτοὺς μέτεισι ψήφῳ. Θεὸς