Cassiodorus — Commentary on Scripture

Psalms 22:16

This is what happened with the body of the Lord Savior: it was fastened with nails and pierced with a spear and thereby brought us a fruit which remains forever. For this reason, we are now not afraid to say that God suffered in the flesh, that God died for the salvation of all. So Father Augustine says admirably in his usual way: “It was an accustomed matter for humankind to die. But in order that this might not always hold sway among humankind, something new happened in that God died.” So also the Apostle says: “But we preach Christ, and him crucified.” So that you may not think that the Virgin’s Son was somehow some other one, as some of those who are without reason do, he added: Christ, who is surely “the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” For what seems so foolish or so weak to unbelievers as when they hear that God, the Son of God, was both crucified and buried? “But it pleased God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save believers.” For the Lord’s incarnation is t…

This is what happened with the body of the Lord Savior: it was fastened with nails and pierced with a spear and thereby brought us a fruit which remains forever. For this reason, we are now not afraid to say that God suffered in the flesh, that God died for the salvation of all. So Father Augustine says admirably in his usual way: “It was an accustomed matter for humankind to die. But in order that this might not always hold sway among humankind, something new happened in that God died.” So also the Apostle says: “But we preach Christ, and him crucified.” So that you may not think that the Virgin’s Son was somehow some other one, as some of those who are without reason do, he added: Christ, who is surely “the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” For what seems so foolish or so weak to unbelievers as when they hear that God, the Son of God, was both crucified and buried? “But it pleased God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save believers.” For the Lord’s incarnation is the marvelous height of his mercy, an unimaginable gift, an incomprehensible mystery. From the same source, either salvation issues forth for those of the right mind or destruction is begotten for corrupted minds.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:17

Psalms 22:17

They did not appear to have done something in passing or by chance. Instead, he says that they “looked carefully and stared,” and their stony hearts were not softened by miracles. Great rocks were split and the earth shook, the sun hid itself in a cloak of darkness so as not to look upon such a great crime, and, how sad to say, their wickedness remained unshaken in their sacrilege, and their eyes unwavering.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:18

Psalms 22:23

Once the Lord’s passion has been related a little more extensively, he moves on to the third section in order that their hearts may not be distraught by a lingering sadness. In this part, he addresses the faithful, so that they may praise him, recognizing his ordering of events, and in order that they may gather together to celebrate the proclamation of him with universal rejoicing. For through his suffering has come the salvation of the faithful and the life of the just. Now let us consider what a sweet emotion is demonstrated in the fear of the Lord. For human fear does not engender praise, but rather blame. But the fear of God, because it is just and right, produces praise, imparts love and kindles the warmth of love.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:24

Psalms 22:26

Note that he wrote only the word poor to indicate those who despised the enticements of this world with the most lavish contempt; not the rich who are stuffed with the happiness of this world, but the poor, namely, those who hunger for God’s kingdom.… The poor praise the Lord, while the rich exalt themselves. The rich collect earthly treasures, while the poor become rich with heavenly abundance. Their resources differ, and each has a completely different mindset. The rich acquire their wealth from this world, but the poor from God.… The poor possess what they could never lose; the rich cling to what not only the dead but even the living frequently lose.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:27

Psalms 22:28

God will rule over the nations, for the kingdom belongs to the Lord. Kingdoms do not belong to the nations, but to the Lord, who by his own power both changes and retains kings. The one who is known to be the Lord of history must be worshiped everywhere.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:29

Psalms 22:31

The Son of God is the righteousness of the Father. Therefore this righteousness is to be proclaimed to the people who would believe in God, who forsake the death caused by sins and come over to life, who by God’s kindness experience such a new birth through faith that they are counted worthy of living forever.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 22:32

Psalms 23:1

Throughout the entire psalm, the speaker is the most faithful Christian, who has been reborn through water and the Holy Spirit, for whom the old age of the first man has been set aside. He gives thanks that he has been brought from the dryness of sin to places of pasture and to restoring water through the Lord’s generosity. We should also observe that, as he accepted the Ten Commandments of the Law, so here he rejoices that he has been enriched with ten kindnesses. These kindnesses are not related in separate verses, but are described briefly in phrases.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:1

Psalms 23:2

“The water of refreshment” is the baptismal font through which the soul, barren because of the dryness of sin, is watered by divine gifts in order that it may produce good fruits.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:2

Psalms 23:4

The rod refers to the justice and strength of the Lord Savior, as he says in another psalm: “A rod of fairness is the rod of your kingdom.” The staff evokes the notion of support for human beings. With the staff, the foot itself is planted securely and the whole body of those who lean on it with their weight from above is supported.… The faithful claim that they have found consolation in these two things.… There is no doubt that the staff brings consolation; it is always taken up to bring help for human weakness. What should we say about the rod, which strikes, beats and punishes our vices with the courtroom’s severity? This too also clearly consoles the faithful when improvement results, and it leads people back to the Lord’s path. It is appropriate to say that everything that helps us comforts us, even if something saddens us for the sake of correction.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:4

Psalms 23:4

The shadow of death … is the devil, who lays traps for us in secret so that, once we have been misled by the mists, we might fall headlong into eternal death. But this situation is not feared by the true believer, even if, while relying on divine mercy, he ventures to walk in the midst of these traps.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:4

Psalms 23:5

The cup is … the Lord’s blood, which inebriates in such a way that it heals the mind, restraining it from wrongs, not inducing it to sins. This intoxication renders us sober; this fullness empties us of evils. He who is not filled from this cup ends up hungry and in perpetual need.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:5

Psalms 23:5

The head of the faithful is the Lord Christ; he is described rightly as anointed with oil, since he does not become dry by the dryness of the sinner.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:5

Psalms 23:5

It is a blessed drunkenness, a fullness that brings salvation; the more abundantly it is consumed, the more apt it is to grant sobriety to the minds of the recipients.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 64(65).10

Psalms 23:6

For this is the final perfection of all good things.… “The house of the Lord indicates the Jerusalem to come, which endures “for the length of days,” without uncertainty, for it is an enduring blessedness and a joy that never ends.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:6

Psalms 23:6

Even though the Lord’s mercy always goes before us, he says here, “it will follow me.” It follows, particularly to guard, but it goes in front to grant grace. For if it were merely following, no one would perceive the gifts that are granted. If it were only going in front, then no one would be able to preserve the gifts that had been received. For the ambushes that the devil prepares behind us are quite substantial, and unless the Lord’s mercy follows, our human weakness is very easily deceived. For precisely when a person believes that he has moved beyond a vice, he is more easily deceived because of his unwary ignorance. For this reason, it is most essential both that the Lord’s grace go before us and that his mercy follows us.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 23:6

Psalms 24:3

After he taught briefly that everything which the Lord created belongs to him, he now embarks on the second section with a question; he answers by telling what sort of people they ought to be who desire to say that they are his.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 24:3

Psalms 24:4

Truthful swearing is certainly not forbidden in the Old Testament, but since the cause of perjury often arises for human nature from the weakness of the mind, in the New Testament it states that it is more beneficial not to swear oaths at all.… One who is going to do something other than promised swears deceitfully, not believing that it is perjury to wickedly manipulate someone who makes the mistake of trusting him.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 24:4

Psalms 24:5

The one who will judge is the very one who blesses; the one who could have issued a sentence of incommutable damnation declares innocence. Therefore he wanted the value of the kindness to be acknowledged because of the worthiness of the one who overlooks offenses.… The blessing of acquittal follows mercy so that this blessing might be perceived to have come not through merits, but through the Lord’s kindness. For there is no one who does not have need to be shown mercy. Transgressions are forgiven so that a crown may come, just as freedom will not be able to be granted until slavery has first been removed. Our savior is the Lord Christ by whom blessedness is bestowed and sins are loosened. What he said earlier should not disturb us: “He will receive blessing from the Lord”; later he added, “And mercy from God his savior,” while in the order of things he pardons our sins first, and afterwards the gifts of his blessings follow. You often find that the order is varied so that mercy is placed first.… This figure is called anastrophe or an inversion, when we express a thought in a reverse…

The one who will judge is the very one who blesses; the one who could have issued a sentence of incommutable damnation declares innocence. Therefore he wanted the value of the kindness to be acknowledged because of the worthiness of the one who overlooks offenses.… The blessing of acquittal follows mercy so that this blessing might be perceived to have come not through merits, but through the Lord’s kindness. For there is no one who does not have need to be shown mercy. Transgressions are forgiven so that a crown may come, just as freedom will not be able to be granted until slavery has first been removed. Our savior is the Lord Christ by whom blessedness is bestowed and sins are loosened. What he said earlier should not disturb us: “He will receive blessing from the Lord”; later he added, “And mercy from God his savior,” while in the order of things he pardons our sins first, and afterwards the gifts of his blessings follow. You often find that the order is varied so that mercy is placed first.… This figure is called anastrophe or an inversion, when we express a thought in a reversed order.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 24:5

Psalms 24:10

He is the king of glory who makes glorious those who glorify him, as it is said by the Lord: “Those who glorify me, I will glorify.” He allots power and strength and other gifts to each one as he desires.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 24:9

Psalms 25:1

This is the first psalm laid out by the Hebrew alphabet.… In the course of the whole book, there are two types of these psalms. The first is the type which is shown to contain the entire alphabet, as Psalms 111, 112 and 119.… The other type is the one that omits letters … such as the present psalm and Psalms 34, 37 and 145.… The alphabetic acrostics are not known as something unusual in the divine Scriptures, for Jeremiah also lamented the captivity of Jerusalem with a lament which repeated the alphabet four times. By doing this, he taught that the sacraments, which are the letters, also indicate for us the mysteries of heavenly matters.… In the entire psalm, the church prays in marvelous supplication, using the figure known as ethopoeia, that it might not appear in God’s view to be despicable to its enemies. In the first part, the church asks that it may understand the Lord’s instructions and ways. This section contains five letters of the alphabet which we noted. In the second part, the church requests the benefits that he has granted to the holy fathers from beginning of the world…

This is the first psalm laid out by the Hebrew alphabet.… In the course of the whole book, there are two types of these psalms. The first is the type which is shown to contain the entire alphabet, as Psalms 111, 112 and 119.… The other type is the one that omits letters … such as the present psalm and Psalms 34, 37 and 145.… The alphabetic acrostics are not known as something unusual in the divine Scriptures, for Jeremiah also lamented the captivity of Jerusalem with a lament which repeated the alphabet four times. By doing this, he taught that the sacraments, which are the letters, also indicate for us the mysteries of heavenly matters.… In the entire psalm, the church prays in marvelous supplication, using the figure known as ethopoeia, that it might not appear in God’s view to be despicable to its enemies. In the first part, the church asks that it may understand the Lord’s instructions and ways. This section contains five letters of the alphabet which we noted. In the second part, the church requests the benefits that he has granted to the holy fathers from beginning of the world; in the third part, the church says that those who keep the Lord’s commands are worthy of eternal rewards; it attests that it remains constantly in the same desire; this is where the psalm contains the remaining nine letters.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 25:1