The Foundations of the Earth Sound the Trumpet
…the whole earth to the knowledge of the truth, as Christ was bringing it back, calling it to conversion, justifying it by faith, and making it glorious through sanctification, there was joy and festival among the spirits above. So while the heavens rejoiced because God had mercy on Israel (Isaiah 44:23), and not only on Israel according to the flesh but also on the Israel understood according to the spirit, the foundations of the earth sounded the trumpet, that is, those who perform the sacred service of the gospel oracles. Their piercing sound was carried everywhere, and like sacred trumpets they cried aloud, proclaiming the Savior’s glory to people everywhere and calling to the knowledge of Christ both those of the circumcision and those who once worshiped the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).
For what reason do we say they are called the foundations of the earth? Christ is indeed the foundation of all and the unshakable base, who upholds all things and holds firm in well-being whatever has been set upon Him. For on Him we are all built up, a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), fitted together through the Spirit into a holy temple, into His dwelling place (Ephesians 2:20-22). For He dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). But the apostles and evangelists may be understood as foundations nearer to Him and closer than we are, since they became eyewitnesses and ministers of the word (Luke 1:2), and became also a firm support for the faith. For when we recognize that we must follow their traditions, we shall keep our faith in Christ straight and undistorted.
For somewhere He said to the godly Peter, when Peter was wisely and blamelessly confessing his faith in Him and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16): “You are Peter, and on this rock I will found My Church” (Matthew 16:18). By the rock, I think, He means the disciple’s unshakable firmness in faith. It is also said somewhere through the voice of the Psalmist: “His foundations are in the holy mountains” (Psalm 87:1). The holy apostles and evangelists may very fitly be compared to holy mountains; their knowledge has been laid like a foundation for those who came after them, and it does not let those whom they gathered in their net fall away into what is counterfeit in faith.
So the foundations of the earth sound the trumpet. But notice the exactness of the words. Moses was weak of voice and slow of tongue (Exodus 4:10), for the Law could be heard only by those in Judea. But sound the trumpet, you who are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)! “For their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:4; Romans 10:18). He has commanded the mountains to shout for joy (Isaiah 44:23), here again calling the foundations of the earth mountains. For the godly disciples are admired and conspicuous, distinguished in deed and word, and to people everywhere …
Greek
πᾶσαν εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπίγνωσιν ἀνακομίζοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ καλοῦντος εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν, καὶ δικαιοῦν- τος ἐν πίστει, καὶ διαπρεπῆ τιθέντος δι' ἁγιασμοῦ, χαρὰ καὶ πανήγυρις παρὰ τοῖς ἄνω πνεύμασιν ἦν; Εὐφραινομένων τοίνυν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὅτι ἠλέησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οὔτι που τὸν κατὰ σάρκα μόνον, ‹70.940› ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τὸν κατὰ πνεῦμα νοούμενον· ἐσάλπισε τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν οἱ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν θεσπισμάτων ἱερουργοί· τούτων ἠχὴ διαπρύσια; προσηνέχθη πανταχοῦ, καὶ οἷά τινες σάλπιγγες ἀν- εφώνησαν ἱεραὶ, τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος δόξαν περιαγγέλ- λουσαι τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ, καὶ καλοῦσαι πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τούς τε ἐκ περιτομῆς, καὶ τοὺς πάλαι τῇ κτίσει λατρεύοντας παρὰ τὸν Κτίστην. Θεμέλια δὲ τῆς γῆς ὠνομάσθαι φαμὲν αὐτοὺς, διὰ ποίαν αἰ- τίαν; Ἔστι μὲν γὰρ ἁπάντων θεμέλιος καὶ ἀκατά- σειστος ὑποβάθρα Χριστὸς, ὁ ἀνέχων ἅπαντα, καὶ διακρατῶν εἰς τὸ εὖ εἶναι τὰ ἐρηρεισμένα· ἐπ' αὐτῷ γὰρ πάντες ἐποικοδομούμεθα, οἶκος πνευματικὸς συναρμολογούμενοι διὰ Πνεύματος εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον, εἰς κατοικητήριον αὐτοῦ. Κατοικεῖ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν διὰ πίστεως, θεμέλιοι δὲ προσεχέστεροι, καὶ ἐγγὺς μᾶλλον, ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς νοηθεῖεν ἂν ἀπόστολοί τε καὶ εὐαγγελισταὶ, γεγονότες μὲν αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπ- ηρέται τοῦ λόγου, γενόμενοι δὲ καὶ εἰς ἑδραίωμα πίστεως. Ταῖς γὰρ αὐτῶν παραδόσεσιν ἕπεσθαι δεῖν ἐγνωκότες, εὐθῆ καὶ ἀδιάστροφον τῷ Χριστῷ τὴν πίστιν τηρήσομεν. Εἵρηται γάρ που παρ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεσπέσιον Πέτρον (ὅτε σοφῶς καὶ ἀνεπιπλήκτως τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν ὁμολογῶν ἔφασκεν· Σὺ εἶ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος)· "6Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος. καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ θεμελιώσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλη- σίαν,"6 πέτραν, οἶμαι, λέγων τὸ ἀκράδαντον εἰς πίστιν τοῦ μαθητοῦ. Εἴρηται δέ που καὶ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Ψάλ- λοντος φωνῆς· "6Οἱ θεμέλιοι αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τοῖς ἁγίοις."6 Ὄρεσι δὲ παρεικαστέον ἁγίοις εὖ μάλα τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους τε καὶ εὐαγγελιστὰς, ὧν ἡ γνῶσις τοῖς μετ' αὐτοὺς θεμελίου δίκην ἐρήρεισται, μεταπί- πτειν οὐκ ἐῶσα πρὸς τὸ ἀδόκιμον εἰς πίστιν τοὺς δι' αὐτῶν σεσαγηνευμένους. Σαλπίζουσι τοίνυν τὰ θεμέ- λια τῆς γῆς· πλὴν ὅρα τὴν ἐπιτήρησιν. Ἰσχνόφωνος γὰρ καὶ βραδύγλωσσος ἦν ὁ Μωϋσῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ὁ νόμος ἐξάκουστος, πλὴν ὅτι τοῖς κατὰ μόνην τὴν Ἰου- δαίαν. Σαλπίσατέ γε μὴν, 345 οἱ τὰ Χριστοῦ πρεσβεύον- τες. "6Ἐξῆλθε γὰρ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν."6 Βοᾷν δὲ τοῖς ὄρεσιν εὐφροσύνην προστέταχε· τὰ δὲ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς, ὄρη πάλιν ἐν τούτοις εἰπών· ἀπό- βλεπτοι γὰρ καὶ διαφανεῖς οἱ θεσπέσιοι μαθηταὶ, ἔργῳ τε καὶ λόγῳ διαπρεπεῖς, καὶ τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ γν