The Ascent of Wrath and the Nature of Heavenly Signs
Being put into action and being contemplated. They tested Him not in their hearts superficially, but from the depth of their own ruling principle, thinking against God and doubting His power to request food for their souls—not the souls made in the image and likeness of God (for they feed on the bread of life and the fruit of the tree of life), but the souls being transformed into flesh because they have succumbed to material things, desiring not beneficial and healthy foods, but pleasant and disease-causing ones.
The soul that desires food, the desiring and appetitive one, is a rational power in us. For concerning this, it is said, 'And let your soul desire meat' (Psalm 34:8). The irrational animals also participate in this, desiring and being appetitive for food. And they spoke against God, saying, 'Will God not be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?' and the following things; but He has indeed given bread having come down from heaven and prepared a table before His people. Wisdom says, 'She has laid her victims and mixed her wine in the vessel; and none of the unbelieving shall taste them' (Wisdom 18:6). To this, you will receive the 'For I say to you, none of those men shall taste my supper' (Luke 22:27).
Because of this, the Lord was angry and cast down, as if to pay attention to them. This was followed by the fire of desires being kindled upon Jacob; or rather, the fire decided and laboring for the sake of virtue, or the fire kindled from God, which is able to consume by their blessing their material choice and their disposition. Consequently, by this fire, wrath ascended upon Israel. For from when they were practicing lower things, the wrath, having perceived, ascended upon Israel. And perhaps wrath descends upon those lying below the strangers of godliness, according to what is said: 'For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and injustice of men' (Romans 1:18). And wrath ascends upon those called to do what God wills, through having been called from above. Therefore, the care for Israel, who ought to look above, has ascended, as it is said: 'the wrath has ascended.' 'Stop, if those serving God happen to be vessels of wrath through the punishments from God,' they serve similarly as vessels of wrath.
They are called. And the wrath, which is not said to be below, ascends upon the former Israel. This accords with: 'If the spirit of the ruler ascends upon you, let him not leave your place' (1 Sam 2:9). For in these things the unclean spirit is said to be below, which ascends toward. Therefore it is able to ascend upon Israel.
And since they did not believe in God, they did not hope for His salvation. For those who did not hope in Jesus Christ, the salvation of God, did not even believe in God Himself. To the apostles, it was said by Christ: 'Believe in me, and believe in God' (cf. John 14:1). It is possible, then, for wrath to have ascended upon Israel because they did not believe in God nor hope for His salvation, being overtaken by a force, concerning which Paul said: 'And wrath reached them to the end' (Eph 4:30).
And bread of heaven He gave them (Ps 77:38b). The voice of heaven signifies the essence of the intelligible realms, just as we have also learned in the previous passages; and the opening doors of the heavens are the outpourings and manifestations of the patriarchs, through these doors the gifts of God flow. Bread of angels man has eaten, to signify how a man is in the hiddenness of the heart. Therefore, having passed over all the other names, even though he frequently remembered them—of Jacob and of Israel and of Ephraim—he remembers the human appellation here to show the man who is truly made according to the image and likeness of God, having become a fellow-table-guest and a host to angels, receiving the true manna (Ps 77:38b).
To corrupt signifies sometimes to fall into punishment, just as 'If anyone corrupts the temple of God, God will corrupt him' (1 Cor 3:17), instead of punishment. But since to corrupt also signifies being handed over to a condition of dishonor as a recompense for error and other sins being committed, God does not corrupt in this sense; rather, He finds those worthy of being seen by Him, so that they might be propitiated for their sins by much mercy and compassion. He does not say He will produce evil angels such as these, but those who bring harm through their labors. He did not spare their souls from death, bringing them to the dissolution of a weary life (Ps 77:49c–51).
Greek
ἐνεργούμενα καὶ θεωρούμενα. ̓Εξεπείρασαν ου ν αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς ἀλλ' ἐκ βάθους τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ἑαυτῶν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ διανοούμενοι καὶ ἀμφιβάλλοντες περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ τοῦ αἰτῆσαι βρώματα ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν οὐ ταῖς κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ γεγενημέναις (τρέφονται γὰρ αυ ται τὸν τῆς ζωῆς α ρτον καὶ τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς) ἀλλὰ ταῖς εἰς σάρκας μεταβαλλούσαις διὰ τὸ τοῖς ὑλικοῖς προσπεπονθέναι ὀρεγομέναις οὐκ ὠφελίμων καὶ ὑγιῶν τροφῶν ἀλλ' ἡδέων καὶ νοσοποιῶν. η τάχα ψυχὴ τροφῶν ὀρεγομένη ἡ ἐπιθυμητικὴ καὶ ὀρεκτικὴ ἐν ἡμῖν α λογος δύναμίς ἐστιν. περὶ ταύτης γὰρ ει ρηται Καὶ φάγῃ κρέα ο σον ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου. ταύτης μετέχει καὶ τὰ α λογα ζῷα ὀρεγόμενα καὶ ἐπιθυμητικὰ τροφῆς ο ντα. Καὶ κατελάλησαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ει πον Μὴ δυνήσεται ὁ θεὸς ἑτοιμάσαι τράπεζαν ἐν ἐρήμῳ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; ἀλλὰ καὶ δέδωκεν α ρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκότα καὶ τράπεζαν ἡτοίμασεν ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. ε φη ἡ Σοφία Τὰ ἑαυτῆς θύματα ἐπέθηκε καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῆς οι κον εἰς κρατῆρα κεράσασα ἡτοίμασε· καὶ γεύσεται αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀπίστων. εἰς τοῦτο παραλήψῃ τὸ Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν Οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων γεύσεταί μου δείπνου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο η κουσε κύριος καὶ ἀνεβάλετο, κα ν εἰς τὸ ε τι προσέχειν αὐτοῖς. τοῦτο δὲ ἠκολούθησε τὸ ἀναφθῆναι τὸ πῦρ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ιακώβ· η τὸ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσκεῖν καὶ πονεῖν ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς κεκριμένον, η πῦρ ἀνήφθη ἐκ θεοῦ τὸ δυνάμενον καταφλέξαι ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ αὐτῶν τὴν ὑλικὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ διάθεσιν αὐτῶν. ἑπομένως δὲ τῷ πυρὶ τούτῳ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ὀργή. ἀφ' ω ν γὰρ ε πραττον κατωτερικῶν ο ντων, ἐξαφθεῖσα ἡ ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ἀναβέβηκε. καὶ τάχα μὲν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τῆς θεοσεβείας κάτω που κειμένους ὀργὴ καταβαίνει κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ̓Αποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ θεοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων. ἀναβαίνει δὲ ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τοὺς κληθέντας ἐπὶ τὸ πράττειν α βούλεται θεός, α νω διὰ τοῦ κεκλῆσθαι γεγενημένους. ἀμέλει γοῦν ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ τὸν ὀφείλοντα α νω βλέπειν ἀναβεβηκέναι ει ρηται ἡ ὀργή. ̓Επίστησον εἰ οἱ διακονούμενοι ταῖς ἐκ θεοῦ κολάσεσι σκεύη τυγχάνοντες ὀργῆς, ὁμωνύμως ῃ ὑπηρετοῦνται ὀργὴ καλοῦνται. καὶ ἡ ου τως ου ν λεγομένη ὀργὴ κατωτέρω ου σα τοῦ προλεχθέντος ̓Ισραήλ, ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἀναβαίνει. τούτων συνᾴδει ̓Εὰν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῇ ἐπὶ σέ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς. καὶ ἐν τούτοις γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον κάτω λέγεται ει ναι τοῦ πρὸς ο ν ἀναβαίνει. διὸ ἀναβαίνειν ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ δεδύνηται. Καὶ ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ θεῷ, ου τε 156 η λπισαν ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ. οἱ γὰρ μὴ ἐλπίσαντες ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ιησοῦν ο ντα θεοῦ σωτήριον οὐδὲ αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ ἐπίστευσαν. τοῖς γοῦν ἀποστόλοις ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ ει ρηται Πιστεύετε εἰς ἐμέ, καὶ εἰς τὸν θεὸν πιστεύετε. δυνατὸν δ' ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ μὴ πιστεύσαντα εἰς τὸν θεὸν μηδ' ἐλπίσαντα ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ ἀναβεβηκέναι νομίζειν τὴν ὀργὴν η ν ὑπομένουσιν ἁλόντες ὑπὸ ῥώμης, περὶ η ς ὁ Παῦλος ε φη Εφθασε δ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος. Καὶ α ρτον οὐρανοῦ ε δωκεν αὐτοῖς. ἡ οὐρανὸς φωνὴ σημαίνει τὴν τῶν νοητῶν οὐσίαν καθὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ε μπροσθεν διειλήφαμεν, αἱ δὲ ἀνοιγόμεναι θυρίδες τῶν οὐρανῶν αἱ ἐξαπλώσεις καὶ φανερώσεις τῶν πατρικῶν εἰσιν, ῥέοντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς αὐτοῦ δωρεὰς διὰ τούτων τῶν θυρίδων. Αρτον ἀγγέλων ε φαγεν α νθρωπος· ι να ει πῃ τὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῆς καρδίας α νθρωπον. διὸ καὶ πάντα τὰ α λλα ὀνόματα παρεὶς καίτοι πολλάκις αὐτῶν μνημονεύσας, τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ καὶ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ καὶ τοῦ ̓Εφραίμ, τῆς ἀνθρώπουπροσηγορίας ἐνταῦθα μνημονεύει πρὸς δεῖξιν τοῦ τὸν ἀληθῶς α νθρωπον τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ γεγενημένον ὁμοτράπεζον καὶ ὁμέστιον ἀγγέλοις γεγονέναι μεταλαμβάνοντα τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ μάννα. 809 Ps 77,38b Τὸ διαφθεῖραι σημαίνει ποτὲ τὸ κολάσει περιπεσεῖν καθάπερ Ει τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός, ἀντὶ τοῦ κολάσει. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ δηλοῖ τὸ διαφθεῖραι καὶ τὸ παραδοθῆναι πάθεσιν ἀτιμίας κατὰ ἀντιμισθίαν πλάνης καὶ α λλων ἁμαρτημάτων γινομένων, οὐ διαφθείρει ὁ θεὸς κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον τοὺς ἀξίους τοῦ ι λεω εὑρεῖν αὐτόν, ὡς ἐλέῳ πολλῷ καὶ οἰκτιρμῷ ἱλάσασθαι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν. 810 Ps 77,49c–51 ̓Αγγέλους πονηροὺς οὐ φύσει ο ντας τοιούτους φησὶν ἀλλὰ τοὺς πόνων κάκωσιν ἐπιφέροντας. Οὐκ ἐφείσατο ἀπὸ θανάτου τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, ἐπαγαγὼν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς μοχθηρᾶς ζωῆς
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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