約伯倫理 第 1209 章

5. The Lord chose the abject and the humble.—'He held the ends of the earth,' because at the end of the ages He came to the synagogue which was now forsaken and made subject to foreign kings; and He shook the impious out of it, because those who refused the spiritual teachings of faith He also drove away from the glory of the carnal sacrifice. Or surely He held the ends of the earth, because out of Judaea He chose a few abject and humble men (Matt. 4:18ff.). He held the ends of the earth, because forsaking the doctors of the law He took up fishermen. And while He holds its ends, He shakes the impious out of it, because while He strengthens the weak faithful, He condemns the strong unbelievers within it. Rightly indeed did He add 'shaking,' because by His coming He moved even the hearts of the reprobate with immense dread.

For they had indeed been shaken who said: 'We prevail nothing; behold, the whole world is gone after Him' (John 12:19). Now a thing that is shaken, being drawn hither and thither, is wearied. Judaea therefore had been shaken, which through some spoke of Christ: 'He is a good man' (John 7:12); and through others resisted, saying: 'No, but He seduceth the multitudes' (ibid.). Through some it said: 'Unless this man were of God, He could not do anything' (John 9:33); and at the last, through others, it cried out: 'If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up to thee' (John 18:30). The reprobate were indeed shaken, but not overthrown, since now, amazed, they beheld the miracles, now, despising them, they mocked the reproaches of His weakness.

Had they not indeed been shaken, who said: 'How long dost Thou hold our soul in suspense? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly' (John 10:24)? Or surely He shook and held the ends of the earth, because while He terrified the weak hearts of the humble with holy fear, He by no means abandoned them to strict judgment. For thence did the multitude of believers stand more firmly in God, whence it had trembled, humbled within itself. For that God holds the one whom He shakes, He intimates through the prophet, saying: 'Upon whom shall My spirit rest, but upon the humble and quiet, and him that trembleth at My words?' (Isa. 66:2, according to the LXX). That He holds the one whom He shakes is shown by the testimony of Solomon, who says: 'Blessed is the man that is always fearful;

but he that is of a hard mind shall fall into evil' (Prov. 28:14). Since therefore the Lord held the ends of Judaea in the apostles, and out of it reproved the Scribes and Pharisees and priests, as the desert of their impiety demanded, let us hear what is further added concerning their condemnation. There follows: