Wealth and sacrifice cannot match God's righteousness
Apollinaris is commenting on Psalm 49 (50), explaining that God desires thanksgiving and trust rather than sacrifices, and that sin is inherited from the first generation.
So let wealth and glory be reckoned as nothing great—at least, the things that do not depart together with the one who acquired them, as righteousness does depart with him and brings back those who have been brought low.
The heavenly perfect races, he says, will sing in praise of God's righteousness, applauding with perfect words that possess what is most just and most discerning: that God is gladdened not by sacrifices but by judgment, and holds this as his everlasting covenant (Psalm 50:6; LXX 49:6; Psalm 50:13; LXX 49:13).
For God is not in need of food and drink, he says, that he should attend to meats as food and to blood as drink. Then, introducing the true honor of God in place of the name of sacrifice, he adds what follows.
Consider this to be sacrifice, he says: the awareness of benefits, the confession from the heart, and the fulfillment of prayers as a debt owed by human beings to God (Psalm 50:14; LXX 49:14).
And if you do these things, he says, be of good hope that you will obtain God as your helper in afflictions, so that you may also glorify him when you are benefited, offering thanks without ceasing (Psalm 50:15; LXX 49:15; Ps 49:17).
These things are a paralysis of the law: the commandment “You shall not steal” is paralyzed by running together with a thief; “You shall not commit adultery” by being arrayed with adulterers; “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” and “You shall not go about in deceit among your nation” by speaking conspiratorial and deceitful words, by accusing, and by devising stumbling blocks for a neighbor (Psalm 50:18).
But the judgment will reveal the knowledge, because I will make you yourself visible to yourself. For each person will see himself, when hearts are uncovered, as he was formed from his heart. And Theodotion, rendering “I will add, I will heap up,” indicated the sudden gathering of deeds that comes before the eyes of the one who did them (Psalm 50:21).
This was the “righteous accuser of himself.” For I do not wait, he says, for the reproof of another, even though the prophet did reprove me. He did so once, but I see my offense continually—yet I do not despair of healing, because of mercy.
This is a request for pardon, because sin has grown together with us from our first origin, passed on to us from the mothers who conceive us (Psalm 51:5). For “through one man sin entered the world” (Romans 5:12), and evil was rooted in the first woman, and from her it passes through childbirth to those who are born. This is said more fittingly of the mother, even though sin also comes through the father, because we are brought forth from the father in seed, but from mothers completely, and we come into the light through childbirth.
We, he says, have been rooted in lawlessness and are born in sins, but what pleases you is what is truly good and in no way distorted. How then can human beings be glorified before such a judge, rather than carry away shame by being condemned? (Psalm 51:6)
From the grace that already existed toward him, he asks that sparing may also now come about. For God brings what follows upon the beginnings that come from himself, for the sake of his own purpose and steadfastness, even if what comes from us is not entirely worthy—just as, for the sake of the covenant with Abraham, he has mercy on the race descended from him when it suffers harm, bringing what follows upon the beginning and guarding the certainty of the promise above the equality of authority. Since, then, he knows he has obtained wisdom from God and has been honored by it, so as to understand even the hidden things about which he prays—“Open my eyes, and I will consider the wonders of your law” (Psalm 118:18 [119:18])—for this reason he acknowledges gratitude for the gift of wisdom, and asks that God remove the defilement that has come upon him, adding this also to grace.
The Savior said that Abraham, expecting his day, rejoiced beforehand, and when it came he saw it and rejoiced—Abraham, as he says, “your father rejoiced that he might see my day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). But David speaks of hearing instead of sight, saying that he will hear in Hades the cause of great gladness—the coming of the Savior signified to him by the Spirit—and that he will rejoice in Hades in spirit, and his bones within the tombs, humbled by sin and death, will also rejoice together with him, since the body that is the cause of resurrection was buried with them (Psalm 51:8).
Sin is weak and a cause of weakness, but righteousness is strong, and so is God, its champion. Such also is hope in God, and especially the unceasing hope. And just as hope is understood from the first origin as something that could not have existed without God, so when it stands against the opposition of painful things, it is trained all the more (Psalm 71:7; LXX 70:7).
Greek
82 Ps 48,17 Μηδὲν τοίνυν λογιζέσθω μέγα πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα· τά γε μὴ συναπιόντα τῷ κτησαμένῳ, ὥσπερ ἡ δικαιοσύνη συναπέρχεται, καὶ
ἐπανάγει τοὺς καταχθέντας. 83 Ps 49,6 Ἐφυμνήσει δέ, φησίν, τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνῃ τὰ τέλεια γένη τὰ οὐράνια, τοῖς τελείοις ἐπευφημοῦντα λόγοις τοῖς τὸ δικαιότατον ἔχουσιν καὶ κριτικώτατον, τῷ μὴ θύμασιν ἀλλὰ κρίσει θεὸν εὐφραίνεσθαι καὶ ταύτην ἔχειν τὴν εἰς ἀεὶ διαθήκην. 84 Ps 49,13 Μὴ γὰρ ἐνδεὴς ἐδεσμάτων, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς καὶ ποτῶν, ἵνα προσέχῃ κρέασιν ὡς ἐδέσμασι καὶ ὡς ποτῷ αἵματι. εἶτα ἀντεισάγων τὴν ἀληθῆ θεοῦ τιμὴν τῷ τῆς θυσίας ὀνόματι τὰ ἐχόμενα προστίθησι. 85 Ps 49,14 Ταύτην, φησίν, ἡγοῦ θυσίαν τὴν τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν αἴσθησιν καὶ τὴν ἐκ καρδίας ὁμολογίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν εὐχῶν πλήρωσιν χρέος ὀφειλόμενον παρὰ ἀνθρώπων θεῷ. 86 Ps 49,15 Καὶ ταῦτα ποιῶν, φησίν, εὔελπις ἔσο τεύξεσθαι θεοῦ βοηθοῦντος ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἵνα καὶ δοξάσῃς αὐτὸν εὐεργετούμενος, ἀπαύστως ἀνάγων εὐχαριστίας. 87 Ps 49,17®19 Παράλυσις ταῦτα τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ μὲν Οὐ κλέψεις τὸ κλέπτῃ συντρέχειν, τοῦ δὲ Οὐ μοιχεύσεις τὸ μετὰ μοιχῶν συντετάχθαι, τοῦ δὲ Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σαυτὸν καὶ Οὐ πορεύσει δόλῳ ἐν τῷ ἔθνει σου τὸ λαλεῖν ἐπιβουλευτικὰ καὶ δολερὰ καὶ κατηγορεῖν καὶ μηχανᾶσθαι τῷ πλησίον προσπταίσματα. 88 Ps 49,21c Ἀλλ' ἡ κρίσις ἐπιδείξει τὴν γνῶσιν ὅτι καὶ αὐτόν σε ποιήσω σεαυτῷ θεωρεῖσθαι. τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστος ὄψεται τῶν καρδιῶν ἀπο καλυπτομένων, οἷος ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐτυπώθη. Τὸ δὲ Προσθήσω Στοιβάσω Θεοδοτίων ἑρμηνεύσας τὴν ἀθρόαν τῶν πράξεων ἐδήλωσεν ἄθροισιν ὑπ' ὀφθαλμοὺς τῷ πράξαντι γινομένην. 89 Ps 50,5 Τοῦτο ἦν τὸ ∆ίκαιος ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος. οὐ γὰρ ἀναμένω, φησίν, τὸν παρ' ἑτέρου ἔλεγχον, εἰ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἤλεγξεν. ἐκεῖνος μέν γε εἰς ἅπαξ, ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ παντὸς ὁρῶ τὸ πταισθέν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπογινώσκω τὴν ἴασιν διὰ τὸν ἔλεον. 90 Ps 50,7 Συγγνώμης αἴτησις ὅτι συμπέφυκεν ἡμῖν ἡ ἁμαρτία κατὰ τὴν πρώτην γένεσιν ἐκ μητέρων τῶν κυουσῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς παραπεμπομένη. ὅτι ∆ι' ἑνὸς 11 ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἁμαρτία εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν, καὶ ἐρρίζωται τὸ κακὸν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ γυναικὶ καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνης διὰ τῶν τοκετῶν ἐπὶ τὰ τικτόμενα διαβαίνει. οἰκειότερον δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς μητρὸς τοῦτο λέγεται, καίτοι καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς διηκούσης τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὅτι σπερματικῶς μὲν ἐκ πατρός, ἐντελῶς δὲ ἐκ μητέρων ἐσμὲν ἀποκυούμενοι καὶ διὰ τῶν τοκετῶν εἰς φῶς προϊόντες. 91 Ps 50,8a Ἡμεῖς μέν, φησίν, ἐν ἀνομίαις ἐρριζώθημεν καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις γεννώμεθα, σοὶ δὲ ἀρέσκει τὸ ἀληθῶς καλὸν καὶ μηδαμῶς παρατετραμμένον. πῶς οὖν ἔστιν ἀνθρώπους παρὰ τῷ τοιούτῳ κριτῇ δοξασθῆναι ἀλλ' οὐκ αἰσχύνην ἀπενέγκασθαι κατακρινομένους; 92 Ps 50,8b.9 Ἐκ τῆς προϋπαρξάσης εἰς αὐτὸν χάριτος ἀξιοῖ καὶ τὴν νῦν γενέσθαι φείδω. ταῖς γὰρ ἀρχαῖς ταῖς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ θεὸς ἐπάγει τὰ ἐφεξῆς ἕνεκα τῆς ἰδίας προθέσεως καὶ βεβαιότητος, εἰ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν μὴ παντάπασιν ἄξια εἴη, ὥσπερ καὶ τῆς διαθήκης ἕνεκα τῆς πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ οἰκτείρει τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γένος κακούμενον, τῇ ἀρχῇ τὰ ἐφεξῆς ἐπιφέρων καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας βέβαιον ὑπὲρ τὸ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἴσον φυλάττων. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν σοφίας οἶδεν παρὰ θεοῦ τετυχηκὼς καὶ ταύτῃ τετιμημένος ὡς καὶ τὰ κεκρυμμένα συνιέναι περὶ ὧν ηὔχεται Ἀποκάλυψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ κατανοήσω τὰ θαυμάσιά σου ἐκ τοῦ νόμου σου, διὰ τοῦτο χάριτας μὲν ὁμολογεῖ τῇ τῆς σοφίας δωρεᾷ, ἀξιοῖ δὲ τὸν ἐπιγεγονότα ῥύπον ἀφελεῖν αὐτοῦ προστιθέντα, καὶ τοῦτο τῇ χάριτι. 93 Ps 50,10 Ὁ μὲν σωτὴρ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἔφη προσδοκῶντά τε τὴν ἡμέραν αὐτοῦ προ ηγαλλιᾶσθαι καὶ παραγενομένης αὐτῆς ἰδεῖν καὶ χαίρειν Ἀβραάμ, λέγων, ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἠγαλλιάσατο ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμήν, καὶ εἶδεν καὶ ἐχάρη· ὁ δὲ ∆αυὶδ ἀντὶ τῆς ὄψεως ἀκοὴν λέγει, ἀκούσεσθαι λέγων ἐν ᾅδου τὴν αἰτίαν εὐφροσύνης μεγάλης τὴν τῆς παρουσίας ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτῷ σημαινομένην καὶ εὐφρανθήσεσθαι μὲν ἐν ᾅδου τῷ πνεύματι, συναγάλλεσθαι δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ εἴσω μνημάτων ὀστέα τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ τεταπεινωμένα, συνταφέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αἰτίου σώματος. 94a Ps 70,7 Ἀσθενὲς ἡ ἁμαρτία καὶ ἀσθενείας αἴτιον, ἰσχυρὸν δὲ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ὁ ταύτης προστάτης θεός· τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ θεοῦ προσδοκία καὶ μάλιστα ἡ διηνεκής· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκ πρώτης γενέσεως νοουμένης ὡς οὐκ ἂν ὑπῆρξεν ἄνευ θεοῦ, ἀνθισταμένη δὲ πρὸς λυπηρῶν ἐναντιότητα μᾶλλον γυμνάζεται.