The Righteousness of the Truth-Witnesses
Those who profess false doctrine and lie are enemies of the truth; and the friendship of the world makes one an enemy to God, as it is said. If one does not wish to be a friend of the world, he is established as an enemy of God, those being shown as enemies of God who embrace the worldly and more cosmic intercourse. These enemies are not consumed by the fire going before the Lord, which does not consume or corrupt their essence (for the subsistence of their soul is immortal), but it annihilates the works of the flesh and the material thoughts surrounding them; therefore the Savior prays that the fire which he came to cast upon the earth might be kindled, so that all earthly things might be consumed. This fire should not be considered the same as that which consumes burning substances, but it is of a different nature, differing greatly from the flame among us.
The bright words of his divine teaching flashed like lightning throughout the whole inhabited world (Ps 96:4), illuminating and lighting it with the light of knowledge, but the earth, seeing these lightnings, being shaken, changed, casting off its earthly quality in order to take up the image of the heavenly. And in another way: the earth was shaken seeing the laws of God resembling lightnings, as if human laws were to be transferred and the appropriate things were to be set for them. Not all men, having abandoned their own ancestral customs, have come to the evangelical instruction, but while the inhabited world sees the lightnings of the Lord, it is illuminated, yet the earth is shaken, receiving the beginning of the impulse to enrich the inhabited world itself, so that the divine lightnings of the Lord might appear to it having become such. And the rest similarly.
Those who preannounce the presence of the Savior here, who is the righteousness of God, are heavens (Ps 96:6), bearing the image of the heavenly and having citizenship in heaven, having announced the righteousness of God being released from heaven. When these things were brought to an end, the people followed to behold the glory of the Lord, which was not other than his righteousness. But since practical virtue is often called righteousness, only those who are righteous men can announce this practically, being heavens.
The righteous one proclaims faith, their faith being reckoned toward righteousness. And all the peoples, having become imitators of them, see the glory following this righteousness of God.
And likewise Zion will be thought of as entirely contemplative and theoretical regarding the truth, and the daughters of Judah, the souls confessing and praising God with thanksgiving for the wonderful things done through them. For Judah is interpreted as confession. And it is possible also to call all those things placed together with the Divine Scripture 'daughters of Judah'. Regarding 'Hear and be glad, O Zion' (Ps 95:2), such things are to be said: he who hears the divine words with understanding is always gladdened, seeing the beauties of the theorems made manifest by the teaching. Since Zion has been gladdened by having heard thus, the lesser daughters of Judah, being called to the judgments of God, will experience divine rejoicing according to how they will be judged, their minds being reasonably uplifted by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
If ever someone, intending harm to a holy person even unto bodily injury or death, strengthened the attacks, while the blameless and irreproachable soul remained, who would not confess the witnesses of the truth being guarded according to the souls by the Lord confessed by them? And if ever it should happen through inattention or slight oversight for the soul of a holy person to fall into the hand of a sinful devil or one of his kind, and the Lord rescues this one as having been set free from sins, the hands of the sinner are said to become under the hand of God. And concerning his holy disciples, he says to the Father, 'Father, keep them' (Jn 17:11); the same thing as 'to keep' is 'to guard'.
To the one who has perfected practical virtue, a light of knowledge has risen, called righteousness, which is nothing other than the light of the True One, concerning whom the Father is (Jn 1:1). To those who fear my name, the sun of righteousness rises (Ps 96:12). And when this light has shone upon the righteous, the heart has become straight; and God has caused gladness to rise to him having a straight heart, and for those partaking of the knowledge of the truth, having straight hearts, the righteous...
Greek
ἀληθείας οἱ ψευδοδοξοῦντες καὶ ψευδόμενοι· καὶ ἡ φιλία δὲ τοῦ κόσμου ἐχθροποιεῖν ει ρηται θεῷ. ἐὰν ου ν βουληθῇ φίλος ει ναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐχθρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καθίσταται, τῶν τὴν ε νυλον καὶ κοσμικωτέραν διαγωγὴν ἀσπαζομένων ἐχθρῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποδεικνυμένων. τούτους ου ν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς φλογίζει τὸ πῦρ τὸ ε μπροσθεν τοῦ κυρίου προπορευόμενον, οὐκ ἀναλίσκον καὶ φθεῖρον αὐτῶν τὴν οὐσίαν (ἀθάνατος γὰρ ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν ὑπόστασις) ἀλλ' ἀφανίζον τὰ περὶ αὐτοὺς παραφυέντα τῆς σαρκὸς ε ργα καὶ ὑλικὰ φρονήματα· ο θεν ὁ σωτὴρ ευ χεται ἀναφθῆναι τὸ πῦρ ο βαλεῖν η λθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ο πως ἀναλωθῇ τὰ γήινα πάντα. οὐχ ἡγητέον δὲ τοῦτο τὸ πῦρ ὁμογενὲς ει ναι τῷ τὰς καυστὰς ἀναλίσκοντι υ λας ἀλλ' ἑτεροούσιον αὐτοῦ πολλῷ διαφέρον τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν φλογός. 940 Ps 96,4 Οἱ φωτεινοὶ λόγοι τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ ἀστραπῶν τρόπῳ ε φαναν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, καταυγάζοντες καὶ φωτίζοντες αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ε χειν φῶς γνώσεως, ἀλλ' ἡ γῆ ταύτας τὰς ἀστραπὰς ἰδοῦσα κλονηθεῖσα μετέβαλεν, ἀποβαλοῦσα τὴν γεώδη ποιότητα ἐπὶ τῷ ἀναλαβεῖν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου. Καὶ ἑτέρως δέ· ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ ἰδοῦσα τοὺς ἀστραπαῖς ἐοικότας τοῦ θεοῦ νόμους ὡς μετατεθῆναι τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους νόμους καὶ 198 τὰ κατάλληλα τούτοις ε θη. πάντες ου ν οἱ α νθρωποι τὰ σφέτερα πάτρια καταλιπόντες τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ παιδεύσει προσεληλύθασιν, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκουμένη μὲν ἰδοῦσα τὰς ἀστραπὰς αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἐλλάμπεται, ἡ δὲ γῆ σαλεύεται διὰ τοῦ κλόνου ἀρχὴν λαμβάνουσα πρὸς τὸ καὶ αὐτὴν οἰκουμένην χρηματίσαι, ι να φανῶσιν αὐτῇ τοιαύτῃ γεγενημένῃ αἱ θεῖαι τοῦ κυρίου ἀστραπαί. Τὰ δ' α λλα ὁμοίως. 941 Ps 96,6 Οἱ προαναφωνήσαντες τὴν ἐνταῦθα ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ο ντος δικαιοσύνης θεοῦ οὐρανοί εἰσι τῷ φέρειν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου καὶ ε χειν τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἀναγγείλαντες τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην οὐρανόθεν ἐλευσομένην. Τούτων ου τως εἰς πέρας ἠγμένων, ἠκολούθησε τὸ πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς θεάσασθαι τὴν τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν οὐκ α λλην τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ τυγχάνουσαν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ πρακτικὴ ἀρετὴ πολλαχοῦ δικαιοσύνη καλεῖται, ταύτην ἀναγγέλλειν πρακτικῶς μόνοι ι σασιν οἱ οὐρανοὶ ο ντες α νδρες δίκαιοι· ̓Επιδεικνυμένην γὰρ πίστιν ἀναγγέλλει δίκαιος, τῆς πίστεως αὐτῶν εἰς δικαιοσύνην λογιζομένης. καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ λαοὶ μιμηταὶ αὐτῶν γενόμενοι ὁρῶσι τὴν ἑπομένην ταύτῃ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ θεοῦ δόξαν. 942 Ps 96,8 Καὶ α λλως δὲ Σιὼν νοηθήσεται πᾶσα σκοπευτικὴ καὶ θεωρητικὴ τῆς ἀληθείας ε ξις, θυγατέρες δὲ τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας τὰς ἐξομολογουμένας ψυχὰς ἐπ' εὐχαριστίᾳ αἰνούσας θεὸν ἐφ' οι ς ει δον θαυμασίοις· ̓Ιουδαία γὰρ ἐξομολόγησις ἑρμηνεύεται. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ πάσας τὰς συγκατατιθεμένας τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ ̓Ιουδαίᾳ καλουμένῃ θυγατέρας αὐτῆς φάναι. Ετι εἰς τὸ Ηκουσε καὶ εὐφράνθη Σιὼν τοιαῦτα ῥητέον· ὁ μετὰ συνέσεως θείων λόγων ἀκούων πάντως εὐφραίνεται, ὁρῶν τὰ κάλλη τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας θεωρημάτων δηλουμένων. εὐφρανθείσης ου ν τῆς Σιὼν ἐπὶ τῷ ου τως ἀκηκοέναι, αἱ ταύτης ὑποδεέστεραι ̓Ιουδαίας θυγατέρες προσαγορευόμεναι ε νεκεν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κριμάτων καθὰ κρινεῖ ἀγαλλίασιν θείαν ε σχον, τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν εὐλόγως ἐπαιρομένης παρουσίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. 943 Ps 96,10bξ Ει ποτε ἐπεβούλευσέ τις τῶν ὁσίων τινὶ μέχρι τῆς σώματος κακώσεως η θανάτου τὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως ι σχυσεν, τῆς ψυχῆς ἀζημιώτου καὶ ἀμειώτου διαμεινάσης, τίς ου ν οὐχ ὁμολογήσειε τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας μάρτυρας περιφρουρεῖσθαι κατὰ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ ὁμολογουμένου παρ' αὐτῶν κυρίου; εἰ δέ ποτε καὶ συμβαίη ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας η ὀλίγης παραβλέψεως ψυχὴν ὁσίου ὑπὸ χεῖρα τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ γενέσθαι διαβόλου η τινος τῶν ἐκείνου, καὶ ταύτην ὁ κύριος ῥύσεται ὡς ἐλευθερωθεῖσαν ὑπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν, αι χεῖρες ει ρηνται τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ θεοῦ γενέσθαι. καὶ περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ὁσίων γεγενημένων φησὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Πάτερ α γιε, τήρησον αὐτούς· ταὐτὸν δὲ τὸ τηρῆσαι τῷ φυλάξαι. 944 Ps 96,11.12a Τῷ τὴν πρακτικὴν ἀρετὴν κατορθώσαντι δικαιοσύνην καλουμένην ἀνέτειλε φῶς τῆς γνώσεως, οὐκ α λλο τυγχάνον τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ περὶ ου ὁ πατὴρ ει πε Τοῖς δὲ φοβουμένοις τὸ ο νομά μου ἀνατελεῖ η λιος δικαιοσύνης. ἀναλάμψαντος δὲ τούτου τοῦ φωτὸς τῷ δικαίῳ, εὐθύτης ἐγγέγονε τῆς καρδίας· ο θεν καὶ εὐφροσύνη αὐτῷ εὐθεῖαν ε χοντι τὴν καρδίαν ἀνέτειλεν, εὐθειῶν κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν ο ντων τῶν μετεχόντων τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας, δικαίου δὲ
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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