Mercy and truth meet in the calling of nations and Israel
Apollinaris is commenting on Psalms 82-87, explaining how the psalm verses speak of God's favor, the calling of the nations through mercy, and Israel's restoration through truth, with Christ as the one through whom this is accomplished.
Others, however, said that the judgment of God and the mysteries are hidden (Psalm 83:3).
It should be known that some have taken the psalm to be spoken from the person of those in Babylon, longing to see Jerusalem and the temple in it and the altar (Psalm 84; LXX 83).
The rest have taken the temple in Jerusalem literally, according to the history (Psalm 84:4).
He brings forward the favor of God and the perpetual hearing of prayers, about which it is said in the prophecy of Isaiah: “While they are still speaking, I will say, ‘Here I am’” (Isaiah 65:24) (Psalm 84:9). This will happen when we enjoy the honor that comes through Christ, with the Father looking on us as on the face of the Son, because Christ will be in us.
Mercy and truth met, when the mercy through which the nations have been called comes together with the truth through which Israel will be brought back (Psalm 85:10). For the nations have been called for the sake of mercy, as the apostle says, but Israel for the sake of God’s truth, so that the promises to the fathers might be confirmed. Now, then, their rejection, he says, is reconciliation of the world, but later their acceptance will be life from the dead, when the perfect favor of God is shown to humanity, when he fulfills the promises made to the fathers, bringing in the race descended from them not because of their worthiness but because of his own truth. For until now those called for the sake of truth have spoken against it and have not obeyed the call, but those called through mercy have come first. Then, however, both will run together—mercy and truth—and then unrighteousness will fall completely, and the unrighteous will be driven out from their power over the righteous, so that the righteous one enjoys peace, and righteousness and peace are united to one another as if by a kiss (Psalm 85:10).
When truth rises from the earth, righteousness will appear from heaven, and all good things will come from God, and everything from the earth will be good (Psalm 85:11-12). For the Lord brought in God’s righteousness on behalf of humanity, since the heavenly judgment that is to judge and rightly order human affairs could not come about otherwise unless Christ was born among humanity for the setting right of things and took upon himself the whole matter of human nature.
Another, saying that the psalm is spoken from the person of the Son, says: For he asks from the Father the surpassing and divine virtue for us, saying from himself the things he wishes to happen for us—so that God is the one who leads us, according to what Paul says: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14), and so that we walk in the truth of God, serving the true and real worship, the worship of the Spirit, and keeping our heart undivided around the divine fear alone, with no other concern, whole in seeking the true good (Psalm 86:11-13; LXX 85:11-13). Then he offers the hymn and thanksgiving for the resurrection to God—the Lord himself, since he went down to the lowest parts of the earth, as it is written, and from there ascended by the will of the Father and by the authority of his divinity—and we likewise find our ascent by the grace that comes from him.
We have said before that Heman was a descendant of Korah, and Korah was the grandson of Kohath, the most honored of the sons of Levi, and the leader of the order of the Levites. He sings a most lordly song. For he dances for Christ, as the song is also inscribed “For the dance.” He sings the world-saving sufferings of the Savior, bringing forward the very person of the Lord in the word, as becomes clear from what is said.
And he describes a heavenly way of life for the salvation of humanity and teaches that when evils surround us, we should consider God our only refuge—just as we were also taught from the Gospels, when the passion was already approaching and he was making constant supplications and prayers (Psalm 88:2; LXX 87:2).
Greek
135 Ps 82,4 [Ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπόκρυφον ἔφασαν εἶναι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γνώμην καὶ τὰ μυστήρια.] 136 Ps 83 arg. [Ἰστέον δὲ ὥς τινες ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι λελέχθαι τὸν ψαλμὸν ἐξειλήφασιν ἐπιποθούντων τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ νεὼν καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον θεάσασθαι.] 137 Ps 83,5 [Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν αἰσθητῶς τὸν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ νεὼν ἐξειλήφασιν.] 138 Ps 83,10 Τὴν εὐμένειαν ἄγει τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν διὰ παντὸς ἐσομένην ἐπακοὴν τῶν προσευχῶν περὶ ἧς ἐν προφητείᾳ Ἡσαΐου λέγεται τὸ Ἔτι λαλούντων αὐτῶν ἐρῶ Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι, ὅτε τῆς διὰ Χριστὸν ἀπολαύσομεν τιμῆς οὕτως ἀφορῶντος εἰς ἡμᾶς τοῦ πατρὸς ὡς εἰς τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ πρόσωπον, διότι ἔσται Χριστὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. 139 Ps 84,11 Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια συνήντησαν, ἐπειδὰν τῷ ἐλέῳ δι' οὗ τὰ ἔθνη κέκληται συνέλθῃ καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια δι' ἧς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπαναχθήσεται· Ὑπὲρ ἐλέους μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἔθνη κέκληται, καθά φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας δὲ θεοῦ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ βεβαιωθῆναι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τῶν πατέρων. νῦν μὲν οὖν ἡ ἀποβολὴ αὐτῶν 19 καταλλαγή φησι κόσμου, ὕστερον δὲ ἡ πρόσληψις ζωὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν, τελείας τῆς εὐμενείας τοῦ θεοῦ φανείσης ἀνθρώποις, ἐπειδὰν τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν πληροῖ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας, τὸ γένος τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν προσαγόμενοι οὐ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀξίαν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀλήθειαν. τέως μὲν γὰρ οἱ δι' ἀλήθειαν κληθέντες ἀντεῖπον καὶ πρὸς τὴν κλῆσιν οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν ἀλλ' ἔφθασαν οἱ δι' ἐλέου κλητοί, τότε δὲ ἀμφότερα συνδραμεῖται καὶ ὁ ἔλεος καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ τότε ἡ ἀδικία πεσεῖται παντελῶς καὶ οἱ ἄδικοι τῆς κατὰ τῶν δικαίων ἰσχύος ἐξωσθήσονται ὥστε εἰρήνης ἀπολαύειν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ οἱονεὶ φιλήματι πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἑνωθῆναι δικαιοσύνην τε καὶ εἰρήνην. 140 Ps 84,12.13 Τῷ ἀνατεῖλαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐπιφανεῖται τὸ δίκαιον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὰ χρηστὰ πάντα παρὰ θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἐκ γῆς ὑπάρξει πάντα ἀγαθά. διότι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην ὁ κύριος ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ἐπηγάγετο, οὐκ ἄλλως τῆς οὐρανίου κρίσεως μελλούσης τὰ κατ' ἀνθρώπους δικάζειν καὶ διατιθέναι καλῶς εἰ μὴ Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων κατορθώσεως ἐγεννήθη κατ' ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὸ ὅλον πρᾶγμα τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνεδέξατο. 141 Ps 85,11–13 Ἄλλος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸν ψαλμὸν εἰρῆσθαι εἰπών φησιν· τὴν ἐξαίρετον γὰρ καὶ θείαν ἀρετὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς αἰτεῖ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτα λέγων ἅπερ ἡμῖν γενέσθαι βούλεται, ὥστε θεὸν εἶναι τὸν ἄγοντα ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου Ὅσοι πνεύματι θεοῦ ἄγονται οὗτοι υἱοί εἰσι θεοῦ, καὶ πορεύεσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ θεοῦ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ ὄντως λατρείαν τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος λατρεύοντας καὶ περὶ μόνον τὸν θεῖον φόβον ἔχοντας τὴν καρδίαν ἀμέριστον εἰς ἑτέραν φροντίδα, ὁλόκληρον εἰς τὴν ζήτησιν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἀγαθοῦ. εἶτα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὕμνον καὶ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἀναφέρει θεῷ αὐτός τε ὁ κύριος, ἐπεὶ κατῆλθεν εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς, ὡς γέγραπται, κἀκεῖθεν ἀνῆλθεν βουλήσει πατρὸς καὶ τῇ τῆς θεότητος ἐξουσίᾳ, ἡμεῖς τε ἀκολούθως χάριτι τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄνοδον εὑρισκόμενοι. 142 Ps 87 arg. Προείρηται μὲν ἡμῖν ὅτι τοῦ Κορὲ ἀπόγονος Αἰμᾶν, ὁ δὲ Κορὲ τοῦ Καὰθ υἱωνὸς τοῦ τιμιωτάτου τῶν Λευὶ παίδων, ἐξάρχου δὲ τοῦ τάγματος τῶν Λευιτῶν, ᾠδὴν ᾄδει κυριωτάτην. χορεύει γὰρ τῷ Χριστῷ καθὰ καὶ ἐπιγέγραπται ἡ ᾠδὴ Ἐπὶ χορείᾳ· ᾄδει δὲ τὰ πάθη τοῦ σωτῆρος τὰ κοσμοσωτήρια, παράγων αὐτὸ τὸ τοῦ κυρίου πρόσωπον ἐν τῷ λόγῳ, ὡς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων δῆλον γίνεται. 143 Ps 87,2 Καὶ πολιτείαν ἐπουράνιον ὑπογράφοντος πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν διδάσκοντός τε, ἐπειδὰν ἡμᾶς περιστῇ τὰ κακά, μόνην καταφυγὴν ἡγεῖσθαι θεόν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐκ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἐδιδάχθημεν ἡνίκα ἤδη προσήει τὸ πάθος, συνεχεῖς δεήσεις αὐτὸν καὶ προσευχὰς ποιούμενον.