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COMMENTARY ON PSALM 74 Ofunderstanding, for Asaph. N FORECASTING THE FUTURE destruction ofJerusalem , the inspired word bids those who come upon this psalm to understandl and grasp its sense. Some commentators in fact applied the psalm to what occurred under Antiochus Epiphanes, without taking account of the history or realizing precisely the prophecy in the psalm.2 On the one hand, the psalm mentions the burning of the divine Temple, devastation of homes, and complete destruction of the city, whereas we have no knowledge from history of this happening under Antiochus. Nor does it actually fit the siege by the Babylonians : at that time they had many prophets-Jeremiah, Uriah son of Shemaiah,3 Ezekiel, Daniel-whereas the psalm says, There is no longer any prophet, and no one to know us any longer (v. 9). If, on the other hand, the psalm relates neither to Babylonians nor to Macedonians, it is clear that it forecasts the destruction inflicted on them by Romans, after which they were granted no second chance, paying the penalty for their impiety against the Savior.4 By contrast, the ineffable goodness of the 1. While modern commentators only hazard a guess that the term maskil in the title suggests a psalm genre, the LXX sees in it the roots of the verb "understand ," and Theodoret proceeds on this tack, as before (cf. Ps 32). 2. The application of the psalm that Theodoret rejects is that of Diodore and Theodore; he prefers instead to see a reference to the Roman conquest, as had Eusebius, who also rejected an application to the Babylonian invasion. On scores of occasions in the Commentary we see Theodoret giving his reader the benefit of his acquaintance with earlier commentators, Alexandrian as well as Antiochene. 3. We have noted Theodoret's interest in marginal figures in sacred history. This prophet simply flashes before our eyes in a page of Jeremiah (Jer 26.20-21) before disappearing without trace, but he has caught Theodoret's attention. 4. In a nutshell, the theological justification for the plight of.Theodoret's Jewish contemporaries. 10 COMMENTARYON PSALM 74 11 Lord calls for admiration in foreknowing precisely their disobedience and yet trying to turn them from their impiety by the prophecy of the future evils. (2) Now, all the same, even the very beginning of the psalm indicates that the prophecy has this theme: Why, 0 God, did you reject us forever? (v. 1). It is not like the time of the Babylonians, when you limited the time of servitude to seventy years, nor seven and a half years in the time of Antiochus, in accord with Daniel's prophecy;5 instead, you rejected us forever, and condemned [us] to destruction. Your anger was vented on sheep of your pasture: you bore lasting indignation against your sheep. [1456] Remember your congregation, which you acquired from the beginning (v. 2): right from the beginning you were called our God and we were styled your people, Lord. You redeemed a rod of your inheritance: enjoying your assistance, we were freed from the servitude of Egyptians. Blessed Moses also called them inheritance : 'Jacob became the Lord's portion, his people, Israel his allotted inheritance."6 And he gave the name rod to the royal scepter, meaning, We became your portion from the beginning , we were named your inheritance, we came under your kingship. Likewise also in the forty-fourth psalm he called the royal scepter rod, saying, "The rod of your kingship is a rod of uprightness."7 This is Mount Sion, where you took up your dwelling: having freed us from the servitude of Egyptians, you introduced the promised land to the forefathers and consecrated Mount Sion to yourself so that by living there as in some palace you might guide your people. Now, this was foretold when the Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built: it was after the time of David and Asaph that Solomon built it.8 (3) Lift your hands at their arrogance forever (v. 3): bring them to account for pretentiousness. Now, he used the phrase Lift your hands by analogy with those flaying sinners with their hands. The charism of inspiration9 uttered this with the knowl5 . Theodoret is hazarding an interpretation of the obscure chronology and symbolism of chapter 9 of Daniel (in the mouth of Gabriel, in fact). 6. Cf. Deut 32.9. 7ยท Ps 45.6. 8. The tolerant Theodoret still has an open mind on the question of the...

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