The righteous share death with sinners but receive better things after death
Apollinaris is explaining why the righteous suffer and die alongside sinners, using Josiah as an example, and then comments on Psalms 78-80.
But if a righteous man shares with sinners even to the point of death, then after death good things are already stored up for him, to mark him off from the wicked. This was the case with King Josiah. For indeed this man also, being most righteous, died in war while the Egyptian prevailed, because Israelite impiety had been great beforehand and did not receive pardon. So for the righteous themselves, if they suffer along with sinners, better things from God are stored up after the suffering (Ps 78:4). And for the brothers and kinsmen who suffer because of sins, there is great help through them, so that on account of their destruction some turning of God toward the nation comes about. This is also what the prophet now asks.
These words depend on a defense acceptable before God. For even if we deserve what we have suffered, he says, yet your name is reproached together with us, just as God himself says through Isaiah: "Because of you my name is continually blasphemed among the nations" (Isaiah 52:5).
Because, he says, they ravaged the God-fearing nation like wild beasts and laid waste a holy land (Psalm 79:7; LXX 78:7).
By naming the one who sits upon the cherubim, he reveals the heavenly authority through which all things are subject to him and nothing can resist him, if only he would appear. And he calls upon the power to be roused, because it has been silent and still and has looked on while the people suffered. Such were the things they suffered from the Assyrians; and he asks that the one who for the present is not with them, because of their abandonment, should come to them. But how would he come except in his working? For this reason he says, "Come to save us," as if he were saying, "Come by way of saving." And the words "Turn us and show your face" are because the one who has turned away from God cannot obtain the appearing unless he first turns back to him (Psalm 80:3). For he says, "Turn to me, and I will turn to you" (Malachi 3:7). He asks this from the guidance and cooperation of God, as also in the words, "Incline my heart to your testimonies" (Psalm 118:36 (119:36)). For the pious attribute everything to God. And if your face appears, he says, we shall be saved; for the appearing of God is salvation (Psalm 80:3).
The vine mentioned earlier covered the mountains with its shadow, because it surpassed every height and every power upon the earth, and with the spreading of its branches it covered the cedars of God, because it was supported by the divine powers and reached as far as the sea and the river. For this is also how the boundaries of the Judean land are named by God: "From the wilderness to the Euphrates, and from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines" (Exodus 23:31). Therefore the vine which you yourself, he says, brought out of Egypt and transplanted, which you made so conspicuous and extended so far—why did you look on while it was stripped of its protection and plundered by passersby?
Trumpets begin the winepresses according to the law. On the new moon of the seventh month he commanded a trumpet blast, and on the fifteenth day the feast of tabernacles. This was the gathering of fruits at the end of the year, in the collection of the works of the field, as is made clear in Exodus. And for the one who views the law spiritually, the trumpet blast would be a revelation of the trumpets that come from heaven, while the fast appointed for atonement on the tenth of the same month is a sign of that saying of the Lord: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). For the law made the fast preparatory for the rest of the tabernacles and the joy in it, and by introducing beforehand the trumpets which signify the fear of the coming of the judge from heaven—since these announce beforehand the coming judgment, the humility for atonement follows, and so the feast for rest comes about. Let the psalm sung at the winepresses indeed correspond to the season of the feast according to the custom of the law, and for this reason let it mention trumpets at the beginning as a prelude to the feast of tabernacles. But let it signify the end about which it is sung, as the inscription reveals: when God gathers all fruits and gives the eternal tabernacles to his own. For in that end the good things are restored to those who are saved, and salvation from present evils—about which the previously mentioned psalms made their requests to God. [The rest follows in agreement with the preceding psalm.]
"Burdens," that is, the loads of lifting. For those who served in the labors of brickmaking carried the clay on their backs, throwing it out with a basket. So he removed their back, he says, from burdens—that is, he freed them from the loads (Psalm 81:6).
Greek
ὁ δὲ καὶ μέχρι θανάτου κοινωνήσειεν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς δίκαιος
ὤν, τούτῳ τὰ μετὰ θάνατον ἤδη χρηστὰ πρὸς διάκρισιν τὴν ἀπὸ πονηρῶν ἀποκείσεται, καθάπερ Ἰωσίᾳ τῷ βασιλεῖ· δικαιότατος γὰρ δὴ καὶ οὗτος ὢν ἐν πολέμῳ τέθνηκεν ἐπικρατοῦντος τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου, τῆς Ἰσραηλιτικῆς ἀσεβείας πολλῆς τε προγεγενημένης καὶ οὐ δεχομένης συγχώρησιν. αὐτοῖς τε οὖν τοῖς δικαίοις, εἰ μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν πάθοιεν, ἀπόκειται τὰ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ τὸ πάθος καλλίονα· καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῖς δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ὁμογενέσι πολλὴ δι' αὐτῶν ἐπικουρία, ὥστε τῆς ἐκείνων ἀναιρέσεως ἕνεκα γενέσθαι θεοῦ τινα εἰς τὸ γένος ἐπιστροφήν, ὅπερ καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης ἀξιοῖ. 129 Ps 78,4 Ταῦτα δικαιολογίας ἤρτηται δεκτῆς παρὰ θεῷ. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἄξιοι, φησίν, ὧν πεπόνθαμεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ σὸν συνονειδίζεται, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου λέγει ∆ιὰ παντὸς δι' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. 130 Ps 78,7 Ὅτι θηρίων δίκην, φησίν, ἐλυμήναντο τὸ θεοσεβὲς ἔθνος καὶ χώραν ἠρήμοσαν ἱεράν. 131 Ps 79,3.4 Καθήμενον ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ὀνομάσας τὴν ἐξουσίαν δηλοῖ τὴν οὐράνιον δι' ἣν ὑποχείρια πάντα αὐτῷ καὶ οὐδὲν ἀντιστατεῖν δύναται, εἰ μόνον φανείη· καὶ τὴν δυνάστειαν ἐξεγερθῆναι παρακαλεῖ διὰ τὸ παρασιωπῆσαι καὶ ἡσυχάσαι καὶ περιϊδεῖν τὸν λαὸν πάσχοντα· οἷα πέπονθεν ὑπὸ Ἀσσυρίων ἐλθεῖν τέως, οὐ παρόντα, αὐτοῖς ἀξιοῖ διὰ τὴν ἐγκατάλειψιν. πῶς δ' ἐλθεῖν ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν; διὰ τοῦτό φησιν Ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς, ὥσπερ εἰ ἔλεγεν Ἐλθὲ κατὰ τὸ σῴζειν. τὸ δὲ Ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου διότι τῆς ἐπιφανείας οὐχ οἷός τε τυχεῖν ὁ ἀπεστραμμένος θεοῦ, εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἐπιστραφείη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐπιστράφητε γάρ φησι πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. αἰτεῖ δὴ τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς ὁδηγίας καὶ συνεργίας τοῦ θεοῦ, οἷόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ Κλῖνον τὴν καρδίαν μου εἰς τὰ μαρτύριά σου. θεῷ γὰρ οἱ εὐσεβεῖς τὸ σύμπαν ἀνατίθεισιν. εἰ δὲ ἐπιφανείη, φησί, τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ σωθησόμεθα· ἐπιφάνεια γὰρ θεοῦ σωτηρία. 132 Ps 79,9®14 Τῇ 18 σκιᾷ μὲν τὰ ὄρη ἐκάλυψεν ἡ προειρημένη ἄμπελος διὰ τὸ πᾶν ὕψος καὶ πᾶσαν δύναμιν τὴν ὑπὲρ γῆς ὑπερβαλέσθαι, ταῖς δὲ τῶν ἀκρεμόνων ἐκτάσεσι τὰς κέδρους τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὸ ταῖς θείαις δυνάμεσιν ὑπερείδεσθαι διήκειν τε ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ποταμοῦ. διότι καὶ ὅρια τῆς χώρας τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς οὕτως ὑπὸ θεοῦ καλεῖται· Ἀπὸ ἐρήμου ἕως Εὐφράτου καὶ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐρυθρᾶς ἕως θαλάσσης Φυλιστιείμ. ἣν οὖν αὐτός, φησίν, ἐξήγαγες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ μεταφύτευσας ἄμπελον, ἣν οὕτως ἐμφανῆ κατέστησας καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐξέτεινας, διὰ τί περιεῖδες οὕτως ἀπογυμνωθεῖσαν τῆς ἀσφαλείας καὶ τρυγωμένην ὑπὸ τῶν παριόντων; 133 Ps 80 arg. Σάλπιγγες κατάρχουσι ληνῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον. νουμηνίᾳ μὲν τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς σαλπισμὸν ἐπέταξε, πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ δὲ τὴν τῶν σκηνῶν ἑορτήν. αὕτη δὲ ἦν συγκομιδῆς καρπῶν ἐπ' ἐξόδῳ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν ἔργων τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ, ὡς ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ δεδήλωται. καὶ εἴη ἂν τῷ πνευματικῶς θεωροῦντι τὸν νόμον ὁ μὲν σαλπισμὸς δήλωσις τῶν οὐρανόθεν ἐρχομένων σαλπίγγων, ἡ δὲ πρὸς ἐξιλασμὸν ὡρισμένη νηστεία τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς μήνυσις ἐκείνου τοῦ λεγομένου παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ· Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. εἰς γὰρ τὴν τῶν σκηνῶν ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ τὴν εὐφροσύνην τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ παρασκευαστικὸν ἐποιήσατο τὴν νηστείαν ὁ νόμος καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ ταπείνωσιν προεισαγαγὼν τὰς σάλπιγγας αἳ τὸν φόβον δηλοῦσι τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παρουσίας τοῦ κριτοῦ. ὧν προκαταγγελουσῶν τὴν μέλλουσαν κρίσιν ἡ πρὸς ἐξιλασμὸν ταπείνωσις ἕπεται, καὶ οὕτως ἡ πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν ἑορτὴ γίνεται. Ὁ δὲ ψαλμὸς ἐπὶ ληνοῖς ᾀδόμενος ἔστω μὲν καὶ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἑορτῆς διαφέρων κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τοῦ νόμου καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σαλπίγγων ἐν ἀρχῇ μεμνημένος ὡς προοιμίου τῆς σκηνοπηγίας. σημαινέτω δέ· τὸ τέλος περὶ οὗ καὶ ᾄδεται αὐτὸν ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ δηλοῖ· ὅτε συναγαγεῖ ὁ θεὸς καρποὺς ἅπαντας, καὶ τὰς αἰωνίους δίδωσι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ σκηνάς. ἐν ἐκείνῳ γὰρ τῷ τέλει τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς σῳζομένοις ἀποκαθίσταται καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῶν νῦν κακῶν σωτηρία περὶ ὧν οἱ προειρημένοι ψαλμοὶ τὰς δεήσεις ἐποιοῦντο πρὸς θεόν. [τὰ δ' ἑξῆς τῷ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἀκολούθως.] 134 Ps 80,7 Ἄρσεων τουτέστι τῶν βασταγμάτων τῶν ἐπάρσεων· οἱ γὰρ τοῖς τῆς πλινθείας ὑπηρετοῦντες πόνοις κοφίνῳ τὸν πηλὸν ἐκβάλλοντες φέρουσι κατὰ νώτου. τὸν τοίνυν νῶτον αὐτῶν, φησίν, ἀπέστησεν ἀπὸ ἄρσεων, τουτέστιν ἠλευθέρωσε τῶν βασταγμάτων.