The Change of Face and the Daughter of Tyre
Having loved iniquity, but having been granted righteousness through faith which comes from his presence by a paternal good pleasure, a man becomes and is anointed with the oil of gladness, that is, with the Holy Spirit. The garments of Christ breathe the scent of kingship and hierarchy through the death he undertook (for this is the fragrance imposed upon the buried dead), but also a continuous, unceasing scent of myrrh because of having something more than Christ's death for the salvation of others and the destruction of the devil, and of cassia because of his word being fiery; for this ointment is warming. The garments of Christ are those which are reasonably theologized about him. Since he did not take up along with the others that which is praised as being like a corpse, it is fitting that from his garments the aforementioned things breathe; with this, 'The fragrance of your myrrh is above all ointments' (Ps 44:9b) accords.
Kings are spoken of here as those co-reigning with Christ, while he himself is King reigning over them. Their daughters have become, according to teaching, educators of souls, or rather of the church; these daughters, in honor of the one being praised, have glorified the King, Christ. From ivory. But 'ivory' you say, meaning the high things of theology; for ivory, it happens, is a symbol of the Word, since the musical instruments and the teeth are vocal; and the great houses are heavy. Since they did not magnify their own word as the greatest of contemplations concerning God, many of the kings' daughters, from the aforementioned rich ivory, have glorified Christ.
The soul, having truly become a spouse to the true King Christ, is the church, and is named queen because it is the bride of the king, standing at his right hand to hold the right position, possessing its foundation in virtue and faith. And she also holds golden garments, having wrapped herself in Christ; and she is also draped and variegated, embracing the manifold wisdom of God. And one should not stumble because he himself is both bridegroom and clothed; for in one relation and another, and in one thought and another, these things exist, just as shepherd and lamb, and ten thousand other things are found in the Gospels.
A change of face appears to have happened (Ps 44:11); for God is the one calling the church from the Gentiles and naming her his daughter. He says: 'Having received my words, O daughter, listen and see their mind, having understood it for them; for what more will you desire to incline your will more fully toward them and to hear and long for them more effectively? And the forgetting of your kin will follow you, no longer desiring to restrain those same things and your fatherland; and the memory of your father who begot you according to the malice of the devil will also come upon you.'
Because of this I call you, daughter, says God to her, on account of the doing of the things commanded to you; since my son the king has desired the beauty existing in you according to the image and according to likeness having been made mine, and he, the king desiring your beauty, is not among your equals (Ps 44:12-14). For he is your Lord; for he is not an angel or an archangel or any other created being; for all worship him. Since it is not of God to be worshiped, be a god, the king desiring your beauty, who is also your Lord. Toward this also you undergo much change. For you, daughter of Tyre, because of which you had fear, have been made my daughter, so as to bring all the rich of the people as suppliants to your face. For all of the people from circumcision are becoming rich for you according to faith and are coming to you the truth of the gospel, beseeching your face to become a spouse to the king. For just as formerly those from the Gentiles, coming to the Godly service of Israel, were adhering to his face entreating him, so now those from the Jews, repenting, flee to the church of the Gentiles, deeming themselves worthy to be received by it. All the glory of the daughter of kings is Asbos. Asbos is interpreted as 'thoughts'. And the king of the thoughts being righteous is the Lord. The glory of the daughter of Tyre, which is being praised, is not other than that from the king of the thoughts. And it is to be understood that often in the Scriptures instead of the intelligible essence, gold is taken, as it will be timely shown. Since
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Greek
ἀνομίαν, ἀγαπήσας δὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ φυομένην ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνην ἐπιδέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν εὐδοκίᾳ πατρικῇ α νθρωπος γενέσθαι καὶ χρισθῆναι ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως τουτέστιν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. 461 Ps 44,9a Τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ Χριστοῦ βασιλείως α μα καὶ ἱεραρχίως ο ντα πνεῖ σμύρνης δι' ο ν ἀνέλαβεν θάνατον (τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ α ρωμα τοῖς θαπτομένοις νεκροῖς ἐπιβάλλεται), ἀλλὰ καὶ στακτῆς ου σης ἀπανθίσματος σμύρνης διὰ τὸ ε χειν τι πλεῖον τὸν Χριστοῦ θάνατον ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας α λλων καὶ καταλύσεως διαβόλου γεγονέναι, καὶ κασσίας διὰ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ο ντα διάπυρον· θερμαντικὸν γὰρ τὸ μῦρον τοῦτο. Χριστοῦ ου ν ἱμάτια τὰ εὐλόγως περὶ αὐτοῦ θεολογούμενά ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ ου ν προσελάβετο σὺν τοῖς α λλοις καὶ τὸ ὡς νεκρὸς ἀριστεύσας ὑμνεῖσθαι, εἰκότως ἐκ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ τὰ προειρημένα πνεῖ· τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ ̓Οσμὴ μύρων σου ὑπὲρ πάντα ἀρώματα. 462 Ps 44,9b.10a Βασιλεῖς ἐνταῦθα ῥητέον τοὺς Χριστῷ συμβασιλεύοντας ω ν αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς βασιλευόντων. τούτων θυγατέρες γεγόνασιν κατὰ διδασκαλίαν α ς παιδεύουσι ψυχάς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκκλησίας· αι περ θυγατέρες ἐν τιμῇ τοῦ ὑμνουμένου ου σαι ηυ φραναν τὸν βασιλέα Χριστὸν ̓Απὸ βαρέων ἐλεφαντίνων. βαρεῖς δὲ ἐλεφαντίνας ἐρεῖς τὰς ὑψηλὰς θεολογίας· τὸ γὰρ ἐλεφάντινον, ὀδοὺς τυγχάνον, λόγου σύμβολόν ἐστιν· φωνητικὰ γὰρ ο ργανα καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες· βαρεῖς δ' εἰσὶν αἱ μεγάλαι οἰκίαι. ἐπεὶ ου ν τὸν ἑαυτῶν λόγον ου τως ἐμεγάλυναν ὡς οι κον μέγιστον θεωριῶν τῶν περὶ θεοῦ γενέσθαι, αἱ πολλαὶ τῶν βασιλέων θυγατέρες ἀπὸ τῶν προειρημένων βαρέων ἐλεφαντίνων ηυ φραναν 90 Χριστόν. 463 Ps 44,10bc ̔Η τῷ Χριστῷ τῷ ἀληθινῷ βασιλεῖ ἀληθῶς σύζυγος γενομένη ψυχή, η τοι ἐκκλησία, βασιλίσσα διὰ τὸ ει ναι νύμφη βασιλέως ὀνομάζεται, παραστᾶσα ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ τῷ δεξιὰν ἐπέχειν στάσιν, ἐν ἀρετῇ δὲ καὶ πίστει τὴν ι δρυσιν ε χουσα. αυ τη δὲ καὶ ἱμάτια διάχρυσα ε χει, Χριστὸν ἐνδυσαμένη· περιβέβληται δὲ καὶ πεποικιλμένη, τὴν πολυποίκιλον σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναλαβοῦσα. οὐ προσκοπτέον δὲ εἰ αὐτὸς καὶ νύμφιος καὶ ε νδυμά ἐστιν· κατὰ γὰρ α λλην καὶ α λλην σχέσιν καὶ ἐπίνοιαν ταῦτα ὑπάρχει, ω σπερ καὶ ποιμὴν καὶ ἀμνὸς καὶ α λλα μυρία εὑρίσκεται ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις. 464 Ps 44,11 Μεταβολὴ προσώπου ἐμφαίνεται γενομένη· θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ προσφωνῶν τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ η ν καὶ θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ ὀνομάζει. φησὶν γοῦν· ∆εξαμένη τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους, ω θύγατερ, α κουσον καὶ ἰδὲ αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπιστήσασα αὐτοῖς· ε τι γὰρ μᾶλλον πλεῖον θελήσεις τὸ ου ς σου κλῖναι ἐπὶ τὸ πλειόνως αὐτὰ καὶ ἐξεργαστικώτερον ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ποθῆσαι· ἀκολουθήσει δέ σοι λήθη τῶν ὁμοφύλων, μηκέτι θελησάσης σου τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνων περιστέλλειν ε θη καὶ πάτρια· ἐπιλήσῃ δὲ καὶ τοῦ οι κου τοῦ πατρός σου γεννήσαντός σε κατὰ κακίαν τοῦ διαβόλου. 465 Ps 44,12–14 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο σὲ καλῶ, θύγατερ, φησὶν πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ θεός, ἐπὶ τῷ ποιῆσαι τὰ προστεταγμένα σοι· ἐπείπερ ὁ ἐμὸς υἱὸς βασιλεὺς ω ν ἐπεθύμησεν τοῦ ἐνυπάρχοντός σοι κάλλους κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἐμὴν γεγενημένης, αὐτὸς δ' ου ν ου τος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιθυμῶν τοῦ κάλλους σου οὐχ ει ς τῶν ὁμοτίμων σου τυγχάνει. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ κύριός σου· οὐ γὰρ α γγελος η ἀρχάγγελος η τις α λλος γενητὸς ω ν ὑπάρχει· αὐτῷ γὰρ καὶ προσκυνοῦσι πάντες. ἐπεὶ ου ν θεοῦ τὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι, ι σθι θεὸν ο ντα τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἐπιθυμοῦντα τοῦ κάλλους σου, ο ς καὶ κύριός σού ἐστιν. Πρὸς τούτοις δ' ι σθι ο τι πολλὴν μεταβολὴν ε σχες. θυγάτηρ γὰρ Τύρου ου σα δι' η ν ει χες δεισιδαιμονίαν ἐμοῦ θυγάτηρ ἐχρημάτισας, ὡς λιτὰς τῷ προσώπῳ σου προσάγειν πάντας τοὺς πλουσίους τοῦ λαοῦ. τοῦ γὰρ ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοῦ πάντες ο σοι πλουτοῦσιν κατὰ πίστιν καὶ τὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἀλήθειαν σοὶ προσέρχονται, τὸ πρόσωπόν σου λιτανεύοντες διὰ τὸ σύζυγον τῷ βασιλεῖ γεγονέναι. ὡς γὰρ πάλαι οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῇ κατὰ θεὸν θεραπείᾳ προσερχόμενοι τῷ ̓Ισραὴλ προσηλύτευον τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ παρακαλοῦντες, ου τω νῦν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων μετανοοῦντες προσφεύγουσιν τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀξιοῦντες ὑποδεχθῆναι παρ' αὐτῆς. Πᾶσα ἡ δόξα τῆς θυγατρὸς βασιλέων ̓Εσεβών. ̓Εσεβὼν ἑρμηνεύεται λογισμοί. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ τῶν λογισμῶν τῶν δικαίων ο ντων ε στιν ὁ κύριος. τῆς ου ν ὑμνουμένης θυγατρὸς Τύρου ἡ δόξα οὐκ α λλοθέν ἐστιν η ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν λογισμῶν. ̓Ιστέον δὲ ο τι πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν ἀντὶ τῆς νοητῆς οὐσίας λαμβάνεται ὁ χρυσός, ὡς εὐκαίρως δειχθήσεται. ἐπεὶ
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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