The Nature of God's Enemies and the Deception of the Tongue
They shall be written: all things happening to them in all things, and all darkness, and all grief, and pain, and the sighing happening from the feet, but in a bright day they shall shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their own Father. For it is said, 'They shall be made as the Day' (Ps 139:16), so that they are no longer in the darkness of their creation, being planted in corruption and dishonor, but in light and in a day standing together, being raised in incorruption and glory.
But since they are not made such as the day, and since all things happening in all things are written in the book of God, God will be in them, and there is no one among them of the evil ones or worthy of being despised. Perhaps the multitude and the 'who' and the 'no one' will vanish; for because of a great perfection and for the sake of oneness and identity, having restored the number, there shall no longer exist a 'who' or a 'no one' among them, having understood all things into the unity of the Spirit. The 'who' and the 'no one' shall no longer be among them.
A scripture is brought forward: 'My unformed eyes saw you' (Ps 139:16). And let this itself be understood likewise: 'You understood my thoughts from afar,' instead of 'the unformed of my thoughts'; before anything is accomplished, your eyes, seeing all hidden things, are full. And the Gospels are full of such things. They are friends of God, having come to be from faith and virtue. For it is said concerning Abraham: 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness, and he was called a friend of God' (Gen 15:6); and concerning Moses it says: 'God spoke to him mouth to mouth, face to face, as if one were speaking to his own friend' (Exod 33:11). But even the greatest of the prophets has not become such a friend of God. And toward the apostles, indeed (they possess this friendship), Jesus says: 'I say to you, my friends' (John 15:15).
And these rulers, receiving authority from the King Christ over more than ten cities or more than five cities, are very strong as they co-reign with Christ. And it is said also by another meaning: their rule is strong because the reasons for it are friends of God. For those who are highly honored, friends of God, through a multitude of contemplations and good activities which they have, shall be multiplied beyond the immaterial, that is, beyond the sensible and the bodily. For since the companions of the material things regarding the immaterial are under this as the foundation of the house...
Their path, having fallen easily upon this, is established or fortified under this; which carries a symbol: the Egyptian, having been struck down by Moses after being seized by error, is necessarily taking a super-cosmic disposition, being worthy to be numbered by God despite the error (Ps 138:21-22). Regarding the same, it is to accept and honor the friends of God and to hate those who hate him, and to count as enemies the impious and those who think foolishly concerning God. For how are those who turn the deceived away from the truth not enemies of God, since God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)? And perfect hatred exists against such people, not for the sake of another, but because one hates them as enemies of God. And just as someone has perfect love toward the good, not for the sake of another but desiring it for its own sake, so the one hating those diverse from God does so not for the sake of another but because they are enemies of God, raging against them according to the one saying the prophet, 'I have envied with zeal for the Lord Pantokrator, whom the sons of Israel have forsaken' (1 Kings 19:10).
An evil man is a treacherous and deceiving man; but an unjust man is one who has ascended above this in wickedness, as if through craftiness and mischief, hastening the rational nature from virtue into wickedness, attempting to transfer it by some craft. Desiring to be saved from both, the one declaring the things set before him prays to God, since they reckoned iniquity against him, hiding it in their own heart, so that through remaining hidden, what such people are, they might be able to ensnare him, standing hostilely and against him for the sake of the duration of his life. Therefore, if it is said, 'All the day they prepared wars,' having no time of peace and rest, instead of a sword they have sharpened the tongue of themselves upon the deceiver, and being able to wound, they utter a word imitating the serpent who corrupts in his craftiness. And under their own lips, that is, their speech, they have thoughts made to be cast into them by evil powers because of the harmful and venomous nature of what are called 'darts.' And it is possible also concerning the devil and the other invisible enemies to grasp these things.
Greek
γραφήσονται· σοῦ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι γινομένου καὶ σκότους παντὸς καὶ λύπης καὶ ὀδύνης καὶ στεναγμοῦ ἐκ ποδῶν γινομένου, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ φωτεινῇ ε σονται ἐκλάμψαντες ὡς ὁ η λιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς ἑαυτῶν. ο θεν ει ρηται τὸ ̔Ημέρας πλασθήσονται, οὐκέτι σκοτίας τῆς πλάσεως αὐτῶν ου σης σπειρομένων ἐν 257 φθορᾷ καὶ ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἀλλὰ φωτεινῆς καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ συνισταμένης ἐγειρομένων ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ καὶ δόξῃ. ̓Αλλ' ἐπεὶ ου τως ἡμέρας πλασθέντων αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ θεοῦ γραφέντων πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν ὁ θεὸς ε σται, ἐν αὐτοῖς οὐδείς ἐστι τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐξευτελίζεσθαι ἀξίων. η τάχα ε νθα τὸ πλῆθος καὶ ὁ τίς καὶ οὐδείς· ο ταν διὰ πολλὴν τελειότητα καὶ εἰς ε ν καὶ ταὐτότητα ἀποκαταστάντων ἀριθμὸς μηκέθ' ὑπάρχῃ καταντησάντων πάντων εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὁ τίς καὶ ὁ οὐδεὶς οὐκέτι ε σται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Φέρεται γραφὴ ε χουσα Τὸ ἀκατέργαστόν μου ι δοσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου. νοηθείη δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ ὡσαύτως τῷ Σὺ συνῆκας τοὺς διαλογισμούς μου ἀπὸ μακρόθεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ Τὸ ἀκατέργαστον τῶν λογισμῶν μου· πρὶν ἐπιτελέσθαι τι οἱ πάντα τὰ κρυπτὰ ὁρῶντες ὀφθαλμοί σου ει δον. πλήρη δὲ τῶν τοιούτων τὰ Εὐαγγέλια. 1218 Ps 138,17.18a Φίλοι δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσιν, ἐκ πίστεως καὶ ἀρετῆς γεγενημένοι. ει ρηται γοῦν περὶ τοῦ ̓Αβραὰμ ̓Επίστευσε δὲ ̓Αβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰςδικαιοσύνην, καὶ φίλος θεοῦ ἐκλήθη· καὶ περὶ Μωυσέως φησὶν Οτι ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς στόμα κατὰ στόμα ἐνώπιος ἐνωπίῳ, ὡς ει τις λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ φίλον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ε καστος τῶν προφητῶν ου τω φίλος τοῦ θεοῦ γέγονε. καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους γοῦν (ταύτην ε χουσι τὴν φιλίαν) ̓Ιησοῦς λέγει ̔Υμῖν λέγω τοῖς φίλοις μου. τούτων δὲ καὶ αἱ ἀρχαί, α ς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοῦ ε σχον ἐξουσίαν λαμβάνοντες ἐπάνω δέκα πόλεων η ἐπάνω πέντε πόλεων, λίαν κραταιοί εἰσιν α τε Χριστῷ συμβασιλεύοντες. ̔Ρηθεῖεν δ' α ν καὶ κατ' α λλο σημαινόμενον αἱ ἀρχαὶ αὐτῶν κραταιαὶ αἱ αἰτίαι καθ' α ς εἰσι φίλοι θεοῦ. ου τοι δὲ οἱ λίαν τιμηθέντες φίλοι τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ πλῆθος θεωρημάτων καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐνεργειῶν ω ν ε χουσιν ὑπὲρ α μμον πληθυνθήσονται, τουτέστιν ὑπὲρ τὰ αἰσθητὰ καὶ σωματικά. ἐπεὶ γὰρ οἱ τῶν ὑλικῶν ἑταῖροι περὶ τὴν α μμον η ὑπὸ ταύτην τυγχάνουσιν ὡς τὸν θεμέλιον τῆς οἰκοδομῆς αὐτῶν ῥᾷστα καταπεσουμένης ἐπὶ ταύτης ἱδρῦσθαι η ὑπὸ ταύτην κατορύσσεσθαι, ω ν σύμβολον φέρει ὁ ὑπὸ Μωυσέως παταχθεὶς Αἰγύπτιος ὑπὸ τὴν α μμον χωσθείς, ἀνάγκη τοὺς ὑπερκόσμιον διάθεσιν λαμβάνοντας ὑπὲρ τὴν α μμον ει ναι ἀξίους τοῦ ἀριθμεῖσθαι παρὰ θεοῦ ὑπάρχοντας. 1219 Ps 138,21.22 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ α ν ει η καὶ τὸ ἀποδέχεσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν τοὺς φίλους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μισεῖν τοὺς μισοῦντας αὐτὸν καὶ ἐχθροὺς λογίζεσθαι τῷ ἀσεβῆ καὶ α θεα περὶ θεοῦ φρονεῖν. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐχθροὶ θεοῦ οἱ διαστρέφοντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας τοὺς ἀπατωμένους, τοῦ θεοῦ θέλοντος πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν; Τέλειον δὲ μῖσός ἐστι κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων, ο ταν μὴ α λλου χάριν ἀλλ' η τοῦ ἐχθροὺς αὐτοὺς ει ναι τοῦ θεοῦ μισεῖ τις αὐτούς. καὶ ω σπερ τελείαν ἀγάπην τις ε χει πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν μὴ α λλου του χάριν ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ε νεκα ποθῶν αὐτό, ου τως ὁ μισῶν διαφόρους θεοῦ μὴ α λλου του χάριν ἀλλ' η ο τι ἐχθροὶ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσιν, ἐκτηκόμενος ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα προφήτην Ζηλῶν ἐζήλωκα τῷ κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι ἀνθ' ω ν κατέλιπόν σε οἱ υἱοὶ ̓Ισραήλ. 1220 Ps 139,2–4 Ανθρωπος πονηρὸς ὁ δολερὸς καὶ ἀπατεών ἐστιν, ἀνὴρ δὲ α δικος ὁ τοῦτον ὑπεραναβεβηκὼς ἐν κακίᾳ ὡς διὰ τοῦ πανουργεύεσθαι καὶ ῥᾳδιουργεῖν ἀδικεῖν σπεύδειν τὴν λογικὴν φύσιν ἐξ ἀρετῆς εἰς κακίαν πανουργίᾳ τινι πειρώμενος μεταβιβάζειν. ἀπ' ἀμφοτέρων σωθῆναι βουλόμενος ὁ τὰ προκείμενα φάσκων θεὸν παρακαλεῖ, ἐπείπερ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀδικίαν ἐλογίσαντο κρύπτοντες αὐτὴν ἐν καρδίᾳ ἑαυτῶν, ο πως διὰ τοῦ λανθάνειν ο τι εἰσὶ τοιοῦτοι παγιδεῦσαι αὐτὸν δυνηθῶσι πολεμίως καὶ ἀντικειμένως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἱστάμενοι δι' ο λου τοῦ χρόνου τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ. διὸ ει ρηται Ολην τὴν ἡμέραν παρετάσσοντο πολέμους, οὐδένα καιρὸν εἰρήνης καὶ ἀναπαύσεως ε χοντες ἀντὶ ξίφους ἀκονήσαντες τὴν γλῶσσαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀπατηλὸν καὶ τρῶσαι δυνάμενον λόγον προφέρειν μιμήσει τῇ πρὸς 258 τὸν ο φιν τὸν φθείραντα τὴν Ευ αν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ. ο θεν καὶ ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη ἑαυτῶν, τουτέστι τὴν προφοράν, δηλητηρίῳ ἐοικότα ε χουσι νοήματα ὑποβληθέντα αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ δυνάμεων πονηρῶν διὰ τὸ βλαπτικὸν καὶ ἰῶδες ἀσπίδων καλουμένων. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν α λλων ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν ἐκλαβεῖν ταῦτα·
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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