286
is promised. For when they obey, he says, their seed will be blessed. The beasts will be at peace with you and with themselves. And "heaven is my throne," that is, the holy things are my rest. And "the earth is my footstool," under my authority also are the things that are not holy. And when the two and a half tribes thought they would escape capture because of their relation to the temple of God, but not through virtue of character and piety, he shows that these things are not useful to him, but for them, so that by abiding in the laws, they might be worthy for him to dwell in them. Since I also turn away from sacrifices not made with right reasoning. For doing their own wills, and worshiping idols, they approach me with these things. εʹιδʹ. 9Hear the words of the Lord, you who tremble at his word. Say to our brothers who hate you, and who abominate you, that the name of the Lord may be glorified, and be seen in their joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of a cry from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord rendering recompense to his adversaries9, etc. Having said that all things will be new at the time of the 2701 promises for those who learn these things beforehand in the present life, he accordingly says these things: Hear, you who tremble at his words, concerning whom he said: "Upon whom then shall I look, but upon the humble, and the quiet, and him who trembles at my words?" to whom he gives an evangelical command no different from: "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who insult and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." For to tremble at the words of God is not sufficient for perfection alone; but the attainment of virtue to the highest degree is a loving disposition toward those who afflict, so that the name of the Lord may be glorified, and be seen in their joy. For through the ways you rejoice in them instead of hating, God is glorified, according to: "So that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." And they themselves perhaps will glorify the name of your God, seeing you so disposed toward them, and rejoicing in the kindness toward them. But Symmachus rendered it, And we shall see in your joy, as if at the end of the vengeance these would be manifestly rejoicing, while those would be exceedingly ashamed at what they see. For the time of recompense will soon be at hand, when the voices of those to be punished will be heard, the inhabitants crying from the city, and the ministers from the temple. And the Lord will cry out also through the events, that the terrible things happen by his judgment. But one must know that by evangelically commanding to consider the gentiles as brothers, he has annulled a legal commandment. For the law says: You shall not speak peaceably to them. And it has forbidden all intermarriage with them, lest being persuaded by them they should fall into idolatry; but in Christ both have become one, and the middle wall of partition has been broken down, and the law of commandments in ordinances has been abolished. For he himself is our peace. But some say that it was spoken to the apostles, as they were about to be mistreated by the Jews, and especially by those in Jerusalem, whose rulers tortured the apostles, threatening death if they preached the word of salvation. And what must one say, that the promise of joy was for the disciples of Christ, through whom Churches were being established everywhere. But the wrath of God came upon those who mistreated them, when enemies surrounded them. And these things, then, for them. But the godly commonwealth, and the new Zion, the Church to be established through you, will suddenly bear such a multitude of peoples, that he who hears will be amazed. For as a woman with child will suddenly give birth, with no labor preceding; and the child born is a male. Thus the new 2704 Zion will suddenly bear a whole people, which has not happened for others. For every nation, and that of the Jews, having grown little by little from a few, became a nation. For instance from Jacob, the twelve patriarchs. Then children, grandchildren, and again descendants. And the gradual addition resulted in a great nation. But of God
286
ἐπήγγελται. Πειθομένων γὰρ, φησὶν, εὐλογημένον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα. Εἰρηνεύσει τε πρὸς ὑμᾶς τὰ θηρία καὶ αὐτὰ πρὸς ἑαυτά. Τὸ δὲ ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἀνάπαυσις τὰ ἅγια. Τὸ δὲ ἡ γῆ ὑποπόδιον, ὑπεξουσίαν καὶ τὰ μὴ ἅγια. Τῶν δύο δὲ ἡμίσεος φυλῶν οἰομένων διαφεύγειν τὴν ἅλωσιν, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τρόπων ἀρετὴν, καὶ εὐσέβειαν, δείκνυσιν ὡς οὐκ αὐτῷ ταῦτα, δι' ἐκείνους δὲ χρήσιμα, ὅπως τοῖς νομίμοις ἐμμένοντες, εἶεν ἄξιοι τοῦ αὐτὸν οἰκεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰς θυσίας ἀποστρέφομαι μὴ γινομένας ἀπ' ὀρθοῦ λογισμοῦ. Ποιοῦντες γὰρ αὐτῶν τὰ θελήματα, καὶ προσκυνοῦντες εἰδώλοις, ἐμοὶ μετὰ τούτων προσέρχονται. εʹιδʹ. 9Ἀκούσατε ῥήματα Κυρίου οἱ τρέμοντες τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ. Εἴπατε ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ βδελυσσομένοις, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου δοξασθῇ, καὶ ὀφθῇ ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκεῖνοι αἰσχυνθήσονται. Φωνὴ κραυγῆς ἐκ πόλεως, φωνὴ ἐκ ναοῦ, φωνὴ Κυρίου ἀνταποδίδοντος ἀνταποδίδοσιν τοῖς ἀντικειμένοισ9, κ.τ.λ. Πάντα καινὰ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν εἰπὼν ἔσεσθαι τῶν 2701 ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῖς ταῦτα προμαθοῦσι κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα βίον, ἀκολούθως ταῦτά φησιν· Ἀκούσατε οἱ τρέμοντες τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ, περὶ ὧν ἔφασκεν· "Ἐπὶ τίνα δὲ ἐπιβλέψω, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν ταπεινὸν, καὶ ἡσύχιον, καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους;" οἷς εὐαγγελικὸν παράγγελμα [δίδ]ωσιν οὐδὲν διαφέρον τοῦ· "Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν· καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς. Προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων, καὶ διωκόντων ὑμᾶς, ἵνα γένησθε υἱοὶ τοῦ Πατέρος ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." Οὐ γὰρ τὸ τρέμειν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς λόγους, πρὸς τελειότητα μόνον ἀρκεῖ· ἀρετῆς δὲ ἐπ' ἄκρον ἀνάληψις ἀγαπητικὴ πρὸς τοὺς θλίβοντας γνώμη, Ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου δοξασθῇ, καὶ ὀφθῇ ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ αὐτῶν. ∆ι' ὧν γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ μίσους εὐφραίνεσθε, Θεὸς δοξάζεται, κατὰ τό· "Ἵνα ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ὑμῶν ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ τυχὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν δοξάσουσι τοὔνομα, οὕτω πρὸς αὐτοὺς διακειμένους ὁρῶντες, καὶ τῇ χρηστότητι τῇ περὶ αὐτοὺς εὐφραινόμενοι. Σύμμαχος δὲ, Καὶ ὀψόμεθα ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ ὑμῶν ἐξέδωκεν, ὡς ἂν ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς ἐκδικήσεως τούτων μὲν ἐκδήλως εὐφραινουμένων· ἐκείνων δὲ λίαν ἐφ' οἷς ὁρῶσιν αἰσχυνουμένων. Ἐπιστήσεται γὰρ ὁ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως ὅσον οὔπω καιρὸς, ὅτε φωναὶ τῶν κολασθησομένων ἀκουσθήσονται, τῶν μὲν οἰκητόρων βοώντων ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, τῶν δὲ λειτουργούντων ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ. Βοήσεται δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ὁ Κύριος, ὡς αὐτοῦ κρίσει γίνεται τὰ δεινά. Εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ ὡς εὐαγγελικῶς παραγγείλας ἀδελφοὺς νομίζειν τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς, νομικὴν ἔλυσεν ἐντολήν. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ νόμος· Οὐ λαλήσεις αὐτοῖς εἰρηνικά. Καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιγαμίαν ἀπείρηκε πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὡς ἂν μὴ παρ' αὐτῶν πεισθέντες εἰς εἰδωλολατρείαν ἐκπέσωσιν· ἀλλ' ἐν Χριστῷ γέγονε τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓν, καὶ λέλυται τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ, κατήργηται δὲ καὶ ὁ νόμος τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν. Τινὲς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἰρῆσθαί φασιν, ὡς μέλλοντας ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων κακοῦσθαι, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὧν οἱ ἄρχοντες τοὺς ἀποστόλους ᾐκίσαντο, θάνατον ἀπειλήσαντες, εἰ τὸν σωτήριον λόγον κηρύττοιεν. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν, ὡς ἡ μὲν τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἐπαγγελία τοῖς Χριστοῦ γέγονε μαθηταῖς, δι' αὐτῶν πανταχοῦ συνισταμένων Ἐκκλησιῶν. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς κακώσαντας αὐτοὺς, μετῆλθεν ὀργὴ, περιστάντων αὐτοὺς πολεμίων. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκείνοις. Τὸ δὲ θεοσεβὲς πολίτευμα, καὶ ἡ νέα Σιὼν, ἡ Ἐκκλησία δι' ὑμῶν συστησομένη, τοσοῦτον ἀθρόως γεννήσει πλῆθος λαῶν, ὡς ἐκπλαγῆναι τὸν ἀκούοντα. Ὡς γὰρ ἂν αἰφνίδιον κατὰ γαστρὸς ἔχουσα γεννήσει γυνὴ, μηδεμιᾶς ὠδῖνος ἡγησαμένης· τὸ δὲ τεχθὲν, ἄρσεν. Οὕτως ὁλόκληρον ἀθρόως ἡ νέα 2704 γεννήσει Σιὼν, ὅπερ ἐπ' ἄλλων οὐ γέγονε. Πᾶν γὰρ ἔθνος, καὶ τὸ Ἰουδαίων, ἐξ ὀλίγων κατ' ὀλίγον αὐξηθὲν, ἔθνος ἐγένετο. Οἷον ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, οἱ δώδεκα πατριάρχαι. Εἶτα παῖδες ἔκγονοι, καὶ πάλιν ἀπόγονοι. Καὶ ἡ κατὰ βραχὺ προσθήκη πρὸς ἔθνος μέγα κατήντησεν. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ