Many vs All and the Fear of God

A sound, not the apostles and the others. Again, if they say, 'By Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he casts out demons' (Matt 12:24), they are not friends, they are not virtuous men. 'And my neighbors very much.' The Jews were his neighbors, if the Savior is the one speaking; and the hypocrites of virtue are significant.

They are my neighbors, and they have their own buildings near my house; for the house of the righteous is the upright conduct. For the 146th Psalm having heard the words of Jesus and having converted them into works, builds a house upon the rock, whereas the one building upon the sand is foolish. Since both have become hearers of the words of Jesus, they seem to be neighbors, they seem to be similar.

'The houses of the lawless shall undergo cleansing, but the houses of the righteous are received.' The law-breakers are not lawless, but they have the same law, yet they transgress it. But when it is said, 'Blessed are those to whom the lawless deeds have been forgiven,' those have no experience of law. 'Law-breaking brings a man to reproach'; for in a way the lawless do not even stand up for judgment so that they might be reproached. To be reproached is a lesser punishment. Therefore, those having received the law and having transgressed, these stand up 'for reproach and eternal shame.'

And that this is so, we will understand from the prophecy of Daniel; for in it this lies: 'And from the sleeping ones of the earth's dust'—he did not say 'all'—'these stand up for life, and those for reproach and for shame' (Dan 12:2). The resurrection is also found in the 91st Psalm; the ungodly stand up not to be judged. The law-breakers, those having received the law and having transgressed, the sinners, stand up for judgment. The righteous are raised up not to be judged, but to receive the promises.

Now therefore he says: 'And many of those sleeping'; for he does not count thus the ungodly who are not raised for judgment, but those standing up 'for reproach and eternal shame.' These are the sinners. The righteous stand up 'for eternal life.' Concerning these two ranks, the Savior also says in the Gospel: 'Those who have done the good shall come forth for a resurrection of life, but those who have done the evil for a resurrection of judgment' (John 5:29). He does not even mention the ungodly here. Since, therefore, the rank of the ungodly is set apart...

He did not say that 'all' rise up, but 'many of those sleeping'. If anyone considers this interpretation to be violent and says that the ungodly and the impious are also arranged among the 'many', we hear 'many' thus instead of 'all'; for all are many, and it is not a contradiction. However, let the 'many' be said here instead of 'all'.

And the apostle writes this: 'just as through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous, so also through the disobedience of one man many will be made sinners' (Rom 5:19). And here 'all' are signified by the 'many': all those who disobey, all those who obey. It is not a contradiction. If some are 'all', it is not necessarily that the 'many' are 'all', for example: 'many will say to my soul' or 'and fear to my known ones'. I have become a fear to my known ones, bearing this state which many reproach. Indeed, even the apostles, having been afraid, were scandalized at a certain time.

But here he speaks of a fear which is passive, which is followed by cowardice if it is not itself cowardice. It is possible also to receive a divine fear. Those observing me, knowing the mystery of my visitation and for whose sake I was crucified, had a fear equal to reverence, concerning which it is said: 'the fear of the Lord surpassed all things'; see, for what does it say: 'my known ones'.

The diligent are known by God; for the Lord knew those who were His, and they know Him. For the apostle says also to the Galatians: 'but once they did not know God, but now they know God, and even more so they are known by God' (Gal 4:9). When we know God, He knows us; for 'if anyone' 'is ignorant, he is unknown', clearly meaning that if anyone knows, he is known. Therefore, 'fear' 'to my known ones'.

Those worthy of being known, and knowing me, had a fear equal to reverence, concerning which it is said: 'then you will understand the fear of the Lord', after many mistakes. 'Those observing me fled from me'.

The Savior and Lord of us is both God and man at once. But He is seen and observed according to being man; for He is invisible being the 'image' 'of the invisible God'. And it is necessary for the image of the invisible to be invisible. But if it is said: 'he who has seen me', let 'having seen' be taken homonymously instead of 'he who observes me intelligently, he who sees me divinely, he who sees as...'