The Heavenly Heaven and the Trinity
heaven and the earth. But if all the heavens and those in them, the earth and all that is in it, should come into being as the essence of God's will, some are very impiously thinking and suddenly snatching away the substance of the Son, the will of the Father, making him a will of those in the heavens who are substantial. But let the impious hear how creation alone was subject to the will of God. For it is fitting for the Maker that he wills to create (God and James agree in writing: 'Having willed, he brought us forth,' Rom 8:28 as he says in the word of God, a word of truth, so that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his own creatures and works) that the will of God be the cause. But the Son is neither a creature nor a work; he is a generation not of substance, but of will. For if he were a son of will, he would be an image and a character of God's will; but the divine words say he is a character of his subsistence and an image of the invisible God. If the Son is not a character of the subsistence and an image of the invisible God, then it is fitting that the Only-begotten be a generation of the essence of the invisible God and of his subsistence. For indeed, those being born by the word of truth, they are such; and the Word and the Truth himself is the Only-begotten of God. Since he is not brought forth by a word of truth, he himself is the will of the Father, for in the same way that wisdom and truth are, so also is the will of God. Indeed, it is the same in wisdom and in will to do all things.
All the perceptive race has the mind to see God (Israel signifies by chance the church of the living God) Ps 113:17 and hopes in the Lord, whereas all other men hope for nothing. And the one who is among those healing the divine, by chance a priest, hopes in a greater Lord and in a hope witnessed by Israel; for of those who have ascended above by contemplation and practice, the hope is greater, asking more greatly to have him as a helper and a defender. But also all those fearing the Lord (these are not the proselytes and those added to the law from the Gentiles) hoping themselves in the Lord, call upon him to be a helper and a defender Ps 113:20-21. For God remembers all of those who have remembered him.
Remaining in memory. Therefore he says, 'Seek the law of your God, and I will seek you,' children of yours. For the one forgetting the divine law immediately forgets also that which was given to him; but when a god remembers something blessed, he immediately turns toward it, giving spiritual and heavenly blessings according to the proportion of the greatness of faith, just as he gives the other gifts. Stand firm, for it is necessary for the small ones to receive blessings along with the great ones, among those alone fearing the Lord, and upon all the mentioned ranks, so that you may not differ in these things, where some are great and others small.
Blessed are we by the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Ps 113:23). For it is not that we observe the laws. Lest anyone think the divinations belong to another, Moses served; following this, the hierophant handed down the things concerning creation before the giving of the laws, through which he teaches that there is a God, but all the parts of the world and He himself are created. But he who wishes to contemplate these things more deeply will say that something is exceptionally said in the Scripture, a heaven characterized for God, in which God alone is; but I speak of God concerning the Trinity.
This heaven, far from being a place, is a property of essence for the created things, as these things are in the heavens. Take care lest, before the transgression, the devil, who finds himself below this heaven as in heaven, said, 'I will ascend into heaven, and above the stars of heaven I will set my throne' (Ps 113:24); for these things were said to him before he fell from heaven; indeed, this is also remembered as the cause of his fall. No one has ascended into this heaven except the one descending from heaven, since having been sent from there, he has come, saying, 'I have descended from heaven.' But also the Holy Spirit was sent from this heaven, which Peter says: 'Truly it has been announced to us through those who evangelized us by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven' (2 Pet 1:21). For the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are thus. But stand firm, lest you carry the thought concerning these things down to sensible things, supposing a local heaven and a movement occurring there by transport; for God's...
Greek
οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. Εἰ δὲ πάντες οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς η τε γῆ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ θελήσει θεοῦ εἰς οὐσίαν η λθεν, ἀσεβῶς σφόδρα διανοούμενοί τινες ἐξάπτουσι τὴν υ παρξιν τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς θελήσεως, ε να ποιοῦντες αὐτὸν τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς θελήσει πατρὸς οὐσιωμένων. ἀλλὰ ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ δυσσεβεῖς ὡς τὴν κτίσιν μόνην ἐξήρτησε τῆς βουλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ. καταλλήλως γὰρ ε χει τὸν ποιητὴν α βούλεται δημιουργεῖν (ο θεν καὶ ὁ ̓Ιάκωβος συνῳδᾷ γράφων Βουληθεὶς ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς, ε φη λόγῳ θεοῦ, λόγῳ ἀληθείας εἰς τὸ ει ναι ἡμᾶς ἀπαρχήν τινα τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων καὶ ποιημάτων) ἡ θέλησις τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσακτική. οὐ κτίσμα δὲ οὐδὲ ποίημα ὁ υἱός, οὐσίας ἀλλ' οὐ βουλήσεώς ἐστι γέννημα. εἰ γὰρ βουλήσεως υἱός, η ν α ν καὶ εἰκὼν καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς θεοῦ βουλήσεως· ἀλλὰ χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι φασίν. εἰ ου ν χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως καὶ εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου ὁ υἱός, εἰκότως γέννημα τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου καὶ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ ὁ μονογενὴς ει η. καὶ ο ρα γε τοὺς βουλήσει γεννωμένους λόγῳ ἀληθείας τούτου τυγχάνοντας, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ λόγος καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια, ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐπεὶ μὴ λόγῳ ἀληθείας κυΐσκεται, αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ βούλησις τοῦ πατρός· ῳ γὰρ τρόπῳ σοφία καὶ ἀλήθεια, ου τω καὶ θέλησίς ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ. ταὐτὸν γοῦν ἐστιν ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ θελήσει πάντα ποιῆσαι. 1062 Ps 113,17–19 Τὸ πᾶν διορατικὸν γένος διὰ τὸ νοῦν ε χειν ὁρῶντα θεὸν (οι κος ̓Ισραὴλ χρηματίζει διὰ τοῦ τυγχάνειν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος) η λπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον, πρὸς οὐδὲν ε τερον ω ν οἱ α λλοι α νθρωποι ἐλπίζουσιν ε χον τὴν προσδοκίαν. καὶ ὁ οι κος δὲ τῶν θεραπευόντων τὸ θεῖον τῷ τυγχάνειν ἱερεῖς η λπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον μείζονι καὶ τεθεωρημένῃ παρὰ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ἐλπίδι· τῶν γὰρ ὑπεραναβεβηκότων θεωρίᾳ καὶ πράξει μείζων ἡ ἐλπὶς μειζόνως αἰτούντων βοηθὸν καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν αὐτὸν ε χειν. ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον (ου τοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ προσήλυτοι καὶ προστεθέντες τῷ νόμῳ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν) ἐλπίσαντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ κύριον βοηθὸν καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν αὐτὸν ε χειν ἐπικαλοῦνται. 1063 Ps 113,20.21 Πάντων γὰρ μνημονεύει θεὸς τῶν αὐτῷ μεμνημένων. διό φησιν ̓Επελάθου νόμου θεοῦ σου, κἀγὼ ἐπιλήσομαι τέκνων σου. ὁ γὰρ ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῦ θείου νόμου εὐθέως καὶ τοῦ δεδωκότος αὐτὸν ἐπιλανθάνεται, μνημονεύσας δέ τινος θεὸς εὐθὺς εὐλογημένον αὐτὸν ἀποφαίνει διδοὺς πνευματικὰς καὶ ἐπουρανίους εὐλογίας κατὰ ἀναλογίαν ου ε χει τις μεγέθους πίστεως· ω σπερ τὰ α λλα τῶν χαρισμάτων, ου τως καὶ τὰς εὐλογίας διδούς. ̓Επίστησον δὲ εἰ Τοὺς μικροὺς μετὰ τῶν μεγάλων ἐπὶ μόνων τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον δεῖ λαβεῖν η καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν εἰρημένων ταγμάτων, ου σης καὶ ἐν τούτοις διαφορᾶς καθ' η ν οἱ μὲν μεγάλοι οἱ δὲ μικροί. 1064 Ps 113,23 Εὐλογημένοι δὲ τῷ κυρίῳ ἐσμὲν τῷ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν πεποιηκότι. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ου τοὺς νόμους φυλάττομεν. ι να γὰρ μὴ νομίσῃ τις α λλου τινὸς τοὺς χρησμοὺς ει ναι ου ς Μωυσῆς διηκονήσατο, ἀκολούθως ὁ ἱεροφάντης πρὸ τῆς τῶν 228 νόμων δόσεως τὰ περὶ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας παραδέδωκε, δι' η ς διδάσκει ε να θεὸν ει ναι, πάντα δὲ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου μέρη καὶ αὐτὸν ει ναι γενητά. 1065 Ps 113,24 ̔Ο δὲ βαθύτερον καὶ ταῦτα θεωρεῖν βουλόμενος ἐρεῖ ει ναί τινα ἐξαιρέτως ἐν τῇ γραφῇ λεγόμενον οὐρανὸν θεῷ προσῳκειωμένον, ἐν ῳ μόνος ὁ θεός· θεὸν δὲ λέγω περὶ τῆς τριάδος διανοούμενος. τούτου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πόρρω που οὐ τόπῳ ἀλλ' οὐσίας ἰδιώματι τυγχάνει τὰ γενητά, κα ν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ῃ ταῦτα. ἀμέλει πρὸ παραβάσεως ὁ διάβολος, ω ν ἐν οὐρανῷ ὡς κάτω που τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τούτου τυγχάνων, ε λεγεν Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι καὶ ἐπάνω τῶν α στρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου· ει ρηται γὰρ αὐτῷ ταῦτα πρὶν ἐκπεσεῖν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· αυ τη γοῦν καὶ αἰτία τῆς καταπτώσεως αὐτοῦ μνημονεύεται. εἰς τοῦτον τὸν οὐρανὸν οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖθεν ἀποσταλεὶς ἐλήλυθε φάσκων Καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα ἐκ τούτου ἀπεστάλη τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ῃ ὁ Πέτρος φησὶν Α δὴ ἀνηγγέλη ἡμῖν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελισαμένων ἡμᾶς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἀποσταλέντι ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ. ε νθα γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα. ἀλλ' ἐπίστησον ἀκριβῶς μὴ εἰς αἰσθητὰ κατενέγκῃς τὴν περὶ τούτων νόησιν, οὐρανὸν τοπικὸν καὶ μετάβασιν ἐκεῖθεν κατὰ φορὰν γινομένην ὑπολαβών· θεοῦ γὰρ
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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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