The Allegorical Exodus and the Sea of Passions
If he is God of gods and Lord of lords, he is of those in heaven and on earth having a relationship to the holy principalities and powers and lordships (Ps 135:4–6). For it was written that he alone does wonderful things; for the Father, remaining in the Son, does the works. But also, while making the heavens in understanding and strengthening the earth upon the water, it must be confessed again. And what is set forth agrees: God in wisdom founded the earth, and prepared the heavens in prudence. Understanding and prudence are through which the heavens are prepared and strengthened; who is like the wisdom through which all things came to be, concerning which the theologian says Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For also those bearing the image of the heavenly become intelligibles, being heavens. Such things are prepared in the revealed understanding and prudence of God. And the earth is strengthened upon the water, receiving the seed cast under Jesus in order to bear fruit. For in the flowing and temporary things of life, they allegorically strengthen and provide firmness upon the water to bear fruit most fully (Ps 135:7–9).
Having made great lights alone, by saying: 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heaven'; he arranged the sun for the dominion of the day and the moon and the stars for the dominion of the night, just as it is said in the creation to have become the sun for the beginnings of the day and the moon for the beginnings of the night and the stars. And these things contribute not a little to us for the order of life and for life itself: the elements nourishing fruits, without which one cannot live; showing us seasons, marking hours, representing the courses of day and night, guiding the travelers of earth and sea, providing ten thousand other uses. If you see how unto the age is his mercy (Ps 135:10–12). And towards diani-
Regarding what belongs to the tropical Egypt while the world exists around the earth, these things, appearing to be firstborn, are struck down by God for the benefit of Israel. For when these are struck down, the mind seeing God is led out from it by God. And God leads Israel out from the middle of the allegorically called Egypt through His word and His wisdom, which is named His arm and His mighty hand. And these things are said concerning Christ, since according to the Epistle of Jude, Jesus is the one who saved the people out of Egypt. A mighty hand and a high arm should be said to express His paradoxical energy and power.
God divided the Red Sea into not one division but into many, so that it might be driven out from the middle of it by God, while Israel walked as on dry land (Ps 135:13–15). It is given into twelve divisions according to the twelve ways, so that each tribe of Israel might have its own passage to pass through.
And these things are indeed according to the literal sense; but for the intellect, the life of man is often like a sea placed before us, filled with waves and much saltiness and turbulence, yet the word of God provides us a way through, rising up and piercing the storms laid upon us from passions, so that we might have a way through once the moisture of all those passions has been dried up by God, while the intelligible Pharaoh and all that from demons and unclean spirits are being sunk in it, his power being fulfilled as if he were scattering them like the most worthless dust into the sea of God.
Happening to be deceived by those prepared in a sophistical manner, since the Amorites are interpreted as those who provoke and the king of them, Sihon, as a temptation or an incitement (Ps 135:17–22), and since it was necessary to provoke others and to act as those who speak through sophistry...
Greek
ει ναι θεὸς θεῶν καὶ κύριος τῶν κυρίων ἐστὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς συγγένειαν ἐχόντων πρὸς τὰς ἁγίας ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ κυριότητας. 1196 Ps 135,4–6 Μόνος γὰρ ποιεῖν θαυμάσια ἀνεγράφη· μένων γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ ποιεῖ τὰ ε ργα. ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιοῦντι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν συνέσει καὶ στερεοῦντι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τὸ υ δωρ πάλιν ἀνθομολογητέον. συνᾴδει δὲ τοῖς προκειμένοις τὸ ̔Ο θεὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει. σύνεσις καὶ φρόνησις δι' η ς ἑτοιμάζονται καὶ στερεοῦνται οἱ οὐρανοί, τίς α ν α λλη ει η η σοφία τοῦ ∆ι' η ς πάντα γεγένηται, περὶ η ς ὁ θεολόγος φησὶ Χριστὸς θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία. ̓Αλλὰ γὰρ καὶ οἱ φοροῦντες τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου νοητῶς οὐρανοὶ ο ντες γίνονται. ἑτοιμάζονται τοιοῦτοι ἐν τῇ προδεδηλωμένῃ συνέσει τε καὶ φρονήσει θεοῦ. καὶ ἡ γῆ στερεοῦται ἐπὶ τὸ υ δωρ ἡ τὸν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ βαλλόμενον σπόρον πρὸς τὸ καρποφορῆσαι δεξαμένη. ἐν τοῖς ῥευστοῖς γὰρ καὶ προσκαίροις τοῦ βίου πράγμασιν υ δατι ἀλληγορικῶς ε τι διατριβούσας στερέωσιν καὶ εὐτονίαν ε σχεν ἐπὶ τῷ πληρέστατα καρποφορῆσαι. 1197 Ps 135,7–9 Φῶτα μεγάλα μόνος ποιήσας διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν Γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν η λιον καὶ εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς νυκτὸς τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας ε ταξεν, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ κοσμοποιΐᾳ ει ρηται γεγονέναι τὸν η λιον εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὴν σελήνην εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ ἡμῖν εἰς εὐταξίαν ζωῆς καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ζωὴν ταῦτα συντελεῖται τὰ στοιχεῖα τρέφοντα καρποὺς πεπαίνοντα, ω ν α νευ ζῆσαι οὐκ ε νι, καιροὺς ἡμῖν δεικνῦντα, ω ρας 252 χαρακτηρίζοντα, δρόμους ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς εἰκάζοντα, ὁδοιπόρους γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ὁδηγοῦντα, μυρίαν ἑτέραν χρείαν παρεχόμενα. ει δες πῶς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ε λεος αὐτοῦ. 1198 Ps 135,10–12 Καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν δὲ Αἰγύπτου τροπικῶς τοῦ περὶ γῆν κόσμου ὑπάρχοντος, τὰ ταύτης δοκοῦντα πρωτότοκα ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ὑπὸ θεοῦ πατάσσεται. παταχθέντων γὰρ τούτων ὁ θεὸν ὁρῶν νοῦς ε ξω αὐτῆς γίνεται ὑπὸ θεοῦ ποδηγούμενος. ἐξάγει δὲ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ὁ θεὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεσαιτάτου τῆς ἀλληγορικῆς Αἰγύπτου καλουμένης τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, βραχίονος καὶ κραταιᾶς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ὀνομαζομένης. καὶ περὶ Χριστοῦ δὲ ῥηθείη ταῦτα, ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ̓Ιούδα ὁ τὸν λαὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου σώσας ̓Ιησοῦς ἐστι. κραταιὰν δὲ χεῖρα καὶ ὑψηλὸν βραχίονα ῥητέον τὴν παραδοξοποιὸν ἐνέργειαν καὶ δύναμιν αὐτοῦ. 1199 Ps 135,13–15 Οὐκ εἰς μίαν διαίρεσιν ἀλλ' εἰς πλείονας καταδιεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ὡς ἐπὶ ξηρᾶς βαδίζοντα ἐξαχθῆναι ἐκ μέσου αὐτῆς ὑπὸ θεοῦ. παραδέδοται δὲ εἰς δώδεκα διαιρέσεις ἐπὶ τῷ δώδεκα διόδους ει ναι, ο πως ἑκάστη τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ φυλὴ ἰδίαν διάβασιν ε χουσα διέλθοι. 1200 Ps 135,13–15 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος πολλάκις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ε μπροσθεν ει ρηται θάλασσα, η νπερ κυμάτων καὶ πολλῆς ἁλμυρότητος καὶ ταραχῆς πεπληρωμένην διοδεύσιμον ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος παρέχει, ἀναστελλόμενος καὶ διϊστῶν τὰς ἐκ παθῶν ἐπιθεμένας τρικυμίας ἐπὶ τῷ, ἀναξηρανθέντων τῶν παθῶν πάσης τῆς ὑγρότητος αὐτῶν ὑπὸ θεοῦ κωλυομένης, διοδεύσιμον ἡμῖν γενέσθαι, καταποντιζομένων ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ νοητοῦ Φαραὼ καὶ πάσης τῆς ἐκ δαιμόνων καὶ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, συμπληρουμένης δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ω σπερ εὐτελεστάτην κόνιν ἐκτινάσσοντος αὐτοὺς εἰς αὐτὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. 1201 Ps 135,17–22 Τυγχάνοντας περὶ τὸ ἀπατᾶν δεινοὺς τῷ σοφιστικῶς παρεσκευᾶσθαι, ἐπεὶ ̓Αμορραῖοι ἑρμηνεύονται λαλητοὶ η τοι παραπικραίνοντες καὶ ὁ τούτων βασιλεὺς Σηὼν πειρασμὸς η παροργισμός, τίνας δὲ α λλους παραπικραίνοντας καὶ λαλητοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι ἐχρῆν η τοὺς διὰ σοφιστικῶν
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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