Providence and the Creative Hands of God
He says that the tyrannical rule of the devil is a throne of unrighteousness, by which they cruelly hunt the soul of the righteous, even as judges and arbitrators happen to condemn the innocent. For the devil's lust for evil is so great that it is equal to this wretchedness. For the Scripture calls him destruction instead of the Law-giver and perdition instead of the one who was lost; one place saying concerning him, 'Destruction came' (in this way also Judas was branded a son of perdition, having become a son of Satan), and another place calling him lawlessness; for it says his children are called sons of lawlessnessas it says concerning Christ, 'And son of lawlessness he shall not add to harm him.' Those who practice evil are his retainers, concerning whom it is said, 'Who shall rise up against me against evildoers?' or 'Who shall stand with me against those working lawlessness?' Both demons and evil men are such, acting through cunning the things foretold against the innocent and the righteous (Ps 94:1b–2).
They urge confession concerning those on whom they have acted wickedly, or concerning those who have suffered well from God, thanking Him who appeared and shone upon them, his countenance being the character of his essence. For He is the image of the invisible God. It is possible for the third verse to correspond to the first and the fourth to the second, regarding those who rejoice in the Lord: 'We have seen your face in confession, but also we shout for joy to our Savior God in psalms.' For through psalms they shout for joy to the Lord, through which deeds they perform such things as are pleasing to Him; for the voice of the psalm submits such a thing.
The Scripture calls angels 'gods' (Ps 94:3b). But the Word of God has come to reign over those who have become gods. Wandering over all the earth, the Word, according to the account of providence, holds the things said of the ends of the earth in his hand; for his grasping is the ends of the earth, as he holds the ends of the earth. Since parts of the earth and its mountains belong to the Lord (and these are high in these matters), it should be noted that throughout all Scripture, the doctrine of those describing the earth up to the moon is refuted.
He sees providence. For it is said that He does not merely hold the ends of the earth there, but also in many places, indeed, as if He is Lord of both heaven and earth: 'I will confess to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.'
Regarding thought, they come into the hand of God, for only those who are further than the ends of the earth by wisdom and citizenship are under His protective and almighty hand; thus no one is able to snatch them away, those who are in the hand of the Father and in the hand of the Son. These ends, by way of thought, are the sheep of Christ, concerning whom the Lord says: 'My sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life' (John 10:27), and furthermore: 'and no one shall snatch them from my hand' (John 10:28); and no one is able to snatch them from the hand of my Father (John 10:29). Since the interpreted ends of the earth are in the hand of God, it is fitting that He also attains the heights of the mountains, seeing those men who are separated by life and godly wisdom. But they are exceptional, surpassing even the heights of the mountains which He spoke of; perhaps they are the ends of the earth, the men walking upon the earth, yet having their citizenship and their heart in heaven because they have stored up treasure there, seeing the high angels as their wealth.
It is to be noted that the dry land is said to be formed not by one hand but by hands, just as 'the heavens are the work of your hands' (Ps 94:4) and 'your hands made me and fashioned me' (Ps 94:5). But as to what these creative hands are, it is a matter of perplexity; for one is, as we confess, the active hand of God, the Word of God, but with this hand another is also coordinated through many Scriptures, being itself creative. And it is pleasing to say, having become a follower of divine men and the apostles, that the creative hands of God are the Only-begotten and the Holy Spirit. This was the opinion of Irenaeus most especially, from which it is evident that the position being set forth is an ancient glory, not merely a passive one, but a creative one, and the Holy Spirit is creative.
They call upon one another to worship God, not by going from one place to another. For it is no longer a local worship, as was the case when Jerusalem and the temple there were established. For they worship the Lord, according to the prophet,
Greek
κώλυσον αὐτοὺς τῆς ὠμοτάτης καθ' ἡμῶν ὁρμῆς, καθ' η ν δολερῶς θηρεύουσιν ἐπὶ 191 ψυχὴν δικαίου, ἐπιμορφαζόμενοι δὲ καὶ τὸ κριταὶ καὶ δικασταὶ τυγχάνειν καταδικάζουσιν ἀθῷον αι μα. Θρόνον δὲ ἀδικίας τὴν τυραννικὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ διαβόλου ε φη. εἰς τοσοῦτον γὰρ η λασε πονηρίας ὁ διάβολος ὡς ἰσοδυναμεῖν τῇ μοχθηρᾷ ε ξει. ἀνομίαν γὰρ ἀντὶ ἀνόμου καὶ ἀπώλειαν ἀντὶ ἀπολωλότος καλεῖ αὐτὸν ἡ γραφή· ο που μὲν λέγουσα πρὸς αὐτὸν ̓Απώλεια ἐγένου (ταύτῃ καὶ ὁ ̓Ιούδας Υἱὸς ἀπωλείας ἐχρημάτισεν υἱὸς Σατανᾶ γεγονώς), ο που δὲ ἀνομίαν ὀνομάζουσα αὐτόν· τοὺς γὰρ τέκνα αὐτοῦ γεγενημένους υἱοὺς ἀνομίας λέγει, ῃ φησι περὶ Χριστοῦ Καὶ υἱὸς ἀνομίας οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ κακῶσαι αὐτόν. τούτου ὑπασπισταὶ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ πονηρευόμενοι περὶ ω ν φησι Τίς ἀναστήσεταί μοι ἐπὶ πονηρευομένους η τίς συμπαραστήσεταί μοι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν; δαίμονες δὲ ου τοι καὶ α νθρωποι πονηροί, διὰ πανουργίας τὰ προειρημένα κατὰ τοῦ ἀθῴου καὶ δικαίου δρῶντες. 922 Ps 94,1b–2 ̓Επὶ ἐξομολόγησιν παρακαλοῦσιν η τοι ἐφ' οι ς ε δρασαν κακῶς η ἐφ' οι ς ευ πεπόνθασι θεόθεν εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ ἐπιφανέντι καὶ ἐπιλάμψαντι αὐτοῖς τὴν χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντα αὐτοῦ πρόσωπον· Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου. δυνατὸν τὸν τρίτον στίχον τῷ πρώτῳ ἀποδοῦναι καὶ τὸν τέταρτον τῷ δευτέρῳ ου τω νοοῦντα ἐπὶ τῷ η κειν ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι τῷ κυρίῳ· Προεφθάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλαλάττομεν τῷ σωτῆρι θεῷ ἡμῶν ἐν ψαλμοῖς. ψαλμοὶ δὲ καθ' ου ς ἀλαλάζουσι τῷ κυρίῳ πράξεις καθ' α ς ἐνεργοῦσιν εὐαρεστοῦντες αὐτῷ τοιαῦτα γάρ τινα ὑποβάλλει ἡ ψαλμὸς φωνή. 923 Ps 94,3b Θεοὺς λέγει ου ς ἀγγέλους ἡ γραφὴ καλεῖ. βασιλεύει δὲ κἀκείνων γενομένων θεῶν πρὸς ου ς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ γεγένηται. 924 Ps 94,4 Πάσης τῆς γῆς περιδραττόμενος ὁ λόγος κατὰ τὸν τῆς προνοίας λόγον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἑαυτοῦ ε χει τὰ λεγόμενα τῆς γῆς πέρατα· ἡ κατάσχεσις γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς ἐστι, κρατοῦντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τῶν τῆς γῆς περάτων. ἐπεὶ μέρη τῆς γῆς καὶ τὰ ο ρη αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου (καὶ ταῦτά ἐστιν ὑψηλὰ ἐν τούτοις) τυγχάνει, σημειωτέον ο τι διὰ πάσης τῆς γραφῆς ἀναιρεῖται τὸ δόγμα τῶν περιγραφόντων μέχρι τῶν τῆς σελήνης ο ρων τὴν πρόνοιαν. οὐκ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ μόνον κρατεῖν τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς λέγεται ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλαχοῦ, ἀμέλει γοῦν ὡς οὐρανοῦ ου τω καὶ γῆς κύριός ἐστιν· ̓Εξομολογοῦμαί σοι γάρ, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς. Πρὸς διάνοιαν δὲ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ γίνονται τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ σκεπαστικῇ καὶ παντοδυνάμῳ μόνοι οἱ περαιτέρω τῆς γῆς φρονήσει καὶ πολιτείᾳ γινόμενοι· ο θεν οὐδεὶς αὐτοὺς ἁρπάσαι δύναται ο ντας ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ. ταῦτα τὰ πέρατα κατ' ἐπίνοιαν α λλην Χριστοῦ ει εν πρόβατα, περὶ ω ν ὁ κύριός φησι Τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει, κἀγὼ δίδωμι αὐτοῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἁρπάσει αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου, καὶ ἑξῆς· οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάσαι ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρός μου. ̓Επεὶ ου ν τὰ ἑρμηνευθέντα τῆς γῆς πέρατά εἰσιν ἐν χειρὶ θεοῦ, εἰκότως καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τῶν ὀρέων αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει, ὀρῶν ο ντων τῶν διῃρημένων βίῳ καὶ φρονήματι θεοσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν. κατ' ἐξαίρετον δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰσιν ὑπερέχοντες ου ς ὑψηλὰ τῶν ὀρέων προσηγόρευσεν· η τάχα πέρατα μὲν γῆς, οἱ ἐπὶ γῆς περιπατοῦντες α νθρωποι, ἐν οὐρανῷ δ' ε χοντες τὸ πολίτευμα καὶ τὴν καρδίαν διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ τεθησαυρικέναι, τῶν ἀγγέλων ὑψηλῶν ὀρῶν χρηματιζόντων. 925 Ps 94,5b Σημειωτέον ο τι οὐχ ὑπὸ χειρὸς ἀλλ' ὑπὸ χειρῶν πεπλᾶσθαι ἡ ξηρὰ λέγεται, ω σπερ τὸ Εργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ τὸ Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίησάν με καὶ ε πλασάν με. τίνες δὲ αυ ται αἱ δημιουργικαὶ χεῖρες ἀπορητέον· μία μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογουμένως δραστήριος τοῦ θεοῦ χεὶρ ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ τῇ χειρὶ καὶ ἑτέρα τις συντέτακται διὰ πλειόνων γραφῶν καὶ αυ τη δημιουργικὴ ὑπάρχουσα. 192 ε δοξε δὲ ἀνδράσι θείοις καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων φοιτηταῖς γεγενημένοις εἰπεῖν, ὡς α ρα αἱ δημιουργικαὶ τοῦ θεοῦ χεῖρες ὁ μονογενὴς ει η καὶ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα. ταύτης δὲ τῆς γνώμης ὁ Εἰρηναῖος μάλιστα η ν, ἐξ ου δηλονότι παλαιὰ δόξα ἐστὶν ἡ τιθεμένη μὴ ποιούμενον ἀλλὰ ποιητικὸν καὶ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα. 926 Ps 94,6–7c Οὐκ ἐκ τόπου εἰς ε τερον τόπον ἰόντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεὸν προσκυνῆσαι παρακαλοῦσιν ἀλλήλους. οὐκέτι γὰρ τοπικὴ προσκύνησίς ἐστιν, ω σπερ ἐτύγχανεν ου σα ο τε συνέστηκε τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα καὶ ὁ ἐκεῖσε ναός. Προσκυνοῦσι γὰρ τῷ κυρίῳ, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην,
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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