Judgment and the Two Presences of Christ
He is compared to irrational cattle, like a female horse having become so and having imitated the impulses of all other irrational animals. He was not made like irrational cattle, having hope if he wishes to be made like God. For there shall be five above the cities and ten the upright in the time to come (Ps 48:15b). And Solomon in the Proverbs says the same thing: A wealthy man hastens to be rich, and he does not know that mercy will hold him.
If even the aforementioned things have happened to the majority of men, nevertheless God will take my soul from the hand of the slave holding it and desiring to swallow it (Ps 48:16). And since the sinner is in slavery according to his condition, the one forgiving those holding him in sins thanks God having received his soul from the hand of the slave.
The one lying before us rich, not knowing another life in his life, thinks by this to bless his soul; and only then does he confess that it is good to him through the giving of material desires (Ps 48:19). A father having begotten him through evil works and a clumsy intellect (Ps 48:20). Likewise, acting toward them, he imitated the parents, and as being similar to the generation of the fathers, he will enter into the same deep abyss of ignorance as they. For having accepted only the present life, he did not hasten to see the light; therefore it has been said regarding the age not to approach it; for perhaps, having been condemned in outer darkness, he will not be permitted to behold the eternal light.
He says the gods are not the idols and the demons, but the men partaking of the words of God; for those are gods to whom the word of God came. God the Lord is of these gods, just as he is king of kings. And again, from the rising of the sun even unto the settings, he says, to know what... From Zion the splendor of his beauty has come. For the one according to the flesh was shown from the seed of David. The God of the gods himself, having called all the earth to partake of him, will not hide nor be forgotten, but will manifest clearly according to the second presence in glory with his angels; and he will not be silent.
Thus, each one is judged according to his works and his practice. It should be noted that in this present word, both presences of Christ are shown: the first through the 'Out of Zion' glory, and the second through 'God has appeared manifestly' (Ps 49:4).
Since the giving of the law is given upon witnesses, heaven and earth, as it is written in Deuteronomy, it is necessary that the people, being distinguished upon the witnesses through whom they received the law, be examined having stood upon the divine laws. He calls not the heaven above, that is, the divine powers, and the earth, I say, the inhabitants upon it, so that those made his children upon it might be exposed: 'Hear, O heaven, and pay attention, O earth, for the children of God are being proclaimed; for they, having received the law upon you, did not keep it' (Ps 49:4).
Perhaps he commands angels to holy men, so that he might gather his pious ones to prepare and establish his covenant of God upon spiritual sacrifices: namely, the sacrifice of praise and if anyone else similar. He commands the pious ones to be gathered to him, receiving the spiritual covenant upon which they are to offer the sacrifices, so that they might fulfill the things foretold.
'The heavens announce so-called righteousness' (Ps 49:6a), being men who are holy, bearing the image of the heavenly.
'God examines not the things themselves offered to those approaching, but the disposition according to which they approach' (Ps 49:8); and indeed, he exposes Cain for not having divided the offering rightly. If someone offers a spiritual sacrifice as whole burnt offerings through his whole body, let him do this with right intention; for one is not praised for the things being done, but one is examined for the intention not being rightly fulfilled.
'Since those in your land, figuratively called bulls, have become hostile to the Savior, concerning whom it is said, "Many bulls have surrounded me, wild oxen have enclosed me"' (Ps 49:9-11a); for this reason, I will not receive them, nor the rams associated with them. For they, offering themselves on behalf of sin, are no better than those who sin. Know then what those who were once beasts of the forest, men awakened from the Gentiles, are to me, being made subject to the divine teaching.
Greek
κτήνεσιν ἀνοήτοις παραβάλλεται, ι ππος θηλυμανὴς γεγονὼς καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων τῶν α λλων τὰς ὁρμὰς μιμησάμενος. ὡμοιώθη ου ν κτήνεσιν ἀνοήτοις, ἐλπίδα ε χων εἰ βουληθείη ὁμοιωθῆναι θεῷ. 513 Ps 48,15b Εσονται γὰρ ἐπάνω πέντε πόλεων καὶ δέκα οἱ εὐθεῖς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι. καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν δὲ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτό φησιν· Σπεύδει πλουτεῖν ἀνὴρ βάσκανος καὶ οὐκ οι δεν ο τι ἐλεήμων κρατήσει αὐτοῦ. 514 Ps 48,16 Εἰ καὶ τὰ προειρημένα τοῖς πλείστοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων συμβέβηκεν, ἀλλά γε τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν λήψεται ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ ᾳ δου η δη κρατοῦντος αὐτὴν καὶ καταπίειν θέλοντος. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐν ᾳ δῃ κατὰ τὴν κατάστασιν ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἐστίν, ὁ α φεσιν τῶν κρατούντων αὐτὸν ἁμαρτημάτων ε χων εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ θεῷ λαβόντι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ ᾳ δου. 515 Ps 48,19 ̔Ο προκείμενος πλούσιος οὐκ εἰδὼς α λλην ζωὴν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ, ταύτῃ εὐλογεῖσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ νομίζει· καὶ τότε μόνον ἐξομολογεῖται, ο ταν ἀγαθύνῃς αὐτῷ διὰ δόσεως τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῶν ὑλικῶν. 516 Ps 48,20 Πατέρας ει χεν ε ργοις φαύλοις καὶ χειρίστῳ φρονήματι γεννήσαντας αὐτόν. ὡσαύτως δὲ αὐτοῖς δρῶν ἐμιμήσατο τοὺς γεννήτορας καὶ ε ως τῆς γενεᾶς τῶν πατέρων ἐξομοιούμενος αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν ἐκείνοις τῆς ἀγνοίας τοῦ καλοῦ βυθὸν εἰσελεύσεται. ου τος γὰρ τὴν παροῦσαν μόνην ζωὴν ἀποδεξάμενος οὐκ ε σπευσε τὸ φῶς θεωρῆσαι· διὸ καὶ ε ως αἰῶνος ει ρηται μὴ προσπελάζειν αὐτῷ· τάχα γὰρ ἐν ἐξωτέρῳ σκότῳ καταδικασθεὶς οὐκ ἐπιτραπήσεται τὸ αἰώνιον φῶς ε τι θεάσασθαι. 517 Ps 49,1b Θεούς φησιν οὐ τὰ ἀγάλματα καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας ἀλλὰ τοὺς μετέχοντας ἀνθρώπους τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγων· ἐκείνους γὰρ θεοὺς ει πε πρὸς ου ς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο. τούτων τῶν θεῶν θεὸς ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὡς καὶ βασιλευόντων βασιλεύς. 518 Ps 49,1c Καὶ πάλιν τοῖς ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου, φησίν, καὶ μέχρι δυσμῶν ἐπέλαμψεν γνῶναι ο τι ̓Εκ τῆς Σιὼν ἡ εὐπρέπεια τῆς ὡραιότητος αὐτοῦ γεγένηται. ἐδείχθη γὰρ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ ε χων τὸ κατὰ σάρκα. 519 Ps 49,2.3a Αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν θεῶν θεὸς ὁ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τὸ μετασχεῖν αὐτοῦ καλέσας οὐ κρύβδην οὐδὲ λεληθότως ἀλλ' ̓Εμφανῶς η ξει κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν ἐν δόξῃ μετ' ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν· καὶ Οὐ παρασιωπήσεται, ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ε ργα καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν τὴν κρίσιν ποιῶν. σημειωτέον δὲ ο τι καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ῥητῷ ἀμφοτέρας τὰς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας δηλοῖ, τὴν μὲν πρώτην διὰ τοῦ ̓Εκ Σιὼν ἡ εὐπρέπεια, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν διὰ τοῦ ̔Ο θεὸς ἐμφανῶς η ξει. 520 Ps 49,4 ̓Επεὶ ἡ δόσις τοῦ νόμου ἐπὶ μάρτυσιν οὐρανῷ καὶ γῇ δέδοται, ὡς ἐν ∆ευτερονομίῳ γέγραπται, ἀνάγκη τὸν λαὸν διακρινόμενον ἐπὶ μάρτυσιν ἐφ' ω ν τὸν νόμον ε λαβεν ἐξετασθῆναι παραβεβηκότα τοὺς θείους νόμους. προσκαλεῖται ου ν τὸν οὐρανὸν α νω, τουτέστι τὰς θείας δυνάμεις, καὶ τὴν γῆν, λέγω δὴ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐπ' αὐτῇ, ἐπὶ τῷ διελεγχθῆναι τοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῶν υἱοποιηθέντας· Ακουε γάρ, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ἐκκηρυττομένων τῶν τεκνῶν τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐφ' ὑμῖν γὰρ τὸν νόμον λαβόντες οὐκ ἐφύλαξαν. 521 Ps 49,5 ̓Αγγέλοις τάχα προστάττει η ἀνδράσιν ἱεροῖς, ο πως τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ συναγάγωσιν ἐπὶ τὸ 98 διαθέσθαι καὶ συνθέσθαι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ θυσίαις πνευματικαῖς· θυσίας δὲ τὴν τῆς αἰνέσεως καὶ ει τις α λλη παραπλήσια. τὰς ου ν θυσίας ἐφ' α ς ἡ πνευματικὴ διαθήκη ἀποδεχόμενος συναχθῆναι αὐτῷ τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ προστάττει, ι να τὰ προειρημένα ἐπιτελέσωσιν. 522 Ps 49,6a ∆ικαιοσύνην προσονομαζόμενον ἀναγγελοῦσιν οἱ οὐρανοί, α νδρες ο ντες ἱεροὶ φοροῦντες τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου. 523 Ps 49,8 ̓Ελέγχει θεὸς οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτὰ τοῖς προσαγομένοις ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ διαθέσει καθ' η ν προσάγεται ταῦτα· καὶ τὸν Κάϊν γοῦν ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ὀρθῶς διῃρηκέναι α ε δει προσάγειν η λεγξεν. κα ν πνευματικὴν ου ν θυσίαν προσφέρῃ τις ὡς ὁλοκαυτώματα διὰ παντελοῦς τὸ σῶμα ἑαυτοῦ, ὀρθῇ γνώμῃ τοῦτο ποιείτω· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς πραττομένοις ἐπαινετοῖς ου σιν ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ γνώμῃ οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἐπιτελούσῃ ἐλέγχεταί τις. 524 Ps 49,9–11a ̓Επεὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ οι κῳ σου, τροπικῶς λεγόμενοι μόσχοι, πολέμιοι τῷ σωτῆρι ω φθησαν περὶ ω ν καὶ λέγεται ̓Εκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με, τούτου χάριν οὐ δέξομαι αὐτοὺς οὐδὲ τοὺς συγκαταλεγομένους αὐτοῖς χιμάρους. καὶ ου τοι γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας προσάγοντες ἑαυτοὺς οὐδὲν η ττον ἁμαρτάνουσιν. γίνωσκε γὰρ ο τι οἱ ποτὲ θῆρες τοῦ δρυμοῦ, οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐξηγριωμένοι α νθρωποι, τῇ θείᾳ διδασκαλίᾳ τιθασσευόμενοι ἐμοὶ
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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