Expositions on the Book of Psalms (continued)
628 THE WORKS OF. ST. AUGUSTIN: [Psatm CXXXVI.
senseless material. But that no one may think, that there is no living and sentient nature, which delights in the Gentile sacrifices, he adds, " But what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: I would not have you partakers with devils."® If therefore we never find in the divine words that the holy Angels are called gods, I think the best reason is, that men may not be induced by the name to pay that ministry and service of religion (which in Greek is called Aerovpyia or Aarpia) to the holy Angels, which neither would they have paid by man at all, save to that God, who is the God of themselves and men.? Hence they are much more correctly called Angels, which in Latin is Nuntt, that by the name of their function, not their substance, we may plainly understand that they would have us worship the God, whom they announce. 'The whole then of that question the Apostle has briefly expounded, when he says, "For though there be who are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there are gods many and lords many ; yet we have one God the Father, from whom are all, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and. we by Him." '° shall be, will be for ever, and therefore " His mercy is for ever." Wherefore, " give thanks to the Lord;" that is, praise the Lord by giving thanks, "for He is good:" nor is it any temporal good you will gain from this confession, for, "' His mercy endureth for ever ;" that is, the benefit which He bestows mercifully upon you, is for ever.!
2. Then follows, " Give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy endureth for ever"' (ver. 2). "Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy endureth for ever" (ver. 3). We may well enquire, Who are these gods and lords, of whom He who is the true God is God and Lord? And we find written in another Psalm, that even men are called gods.2_ The Lord even takes note of this testimony in the Gospel, saying, 'Is it not written in your Law, I have said, Ye are gods?''3. . . Itis not therefore because they are all good, but because "the word of God came to them," that they were called gods. For were it because they are all good, He would not thus distinguish between them. He saith, " He judgeth between the gods." Then follows, " How long do ye judge iniquity !''4 and the rest, which He says certainly not to all, but to some, because He saith it in distinguishing, and yet He distinguisheth between the gods.
4. Let us therefore "give thanks to the God of gods, and the Lord of lords, for His mercy," etc. ' Whoalone did wonderful things" (ver. 4). As at the last part of every verse, it is written,
3. But it is asked, If men are called gods to' whom the word of the Lord came, are the Angels ; to be called gods, when the greatest reward
" For His mercy endureth for ever," so we must which is promised to just and holy men is the understand at the beginning of each, though it being equal to Angels? In the Scriptures I know: be not written, "Give thanks." Which indeed not whether it can, at least easily, be found, that the Angels are openly called gods; but when it; had been said of the Lord God, " He is terrible, above all gods," he adds, as by way of exposition why he says this, "for the gods of the heathen are devils," 5 that we might understand what had been expressed in the Hebrew, "the gods of the Gentiles are idols," meaning rather the devils which dwell in the idols.° For as regards images, which in Greek are called idols, a name we now use in Latin, they have eyes and see not, and all the other things which are said of them, because they are utterly without sense ; wherefore they cannot be frightened, for nothing which has no sense can be frightened. How then can it be said of the Lord, "He is terrible above all gods, because the gods of the Gentiles are idols," if the devils which may be terrified are not understood to be in these images. Whence also the Apostle says, "'We know that an idol is nothing." 7? This refers to its earthy in the Greek is very plain. It would be so in Latin, if our translators had been able to make use of that expression. Which indeed they could have done in this verse, if they had said, "To Him who doeth '! wonderful things." For where we have, " who did wonderful things," the Greek has 7@ moujoavrr, where we must necessarily understand, "give thanks." And I would they had added the pronoun, and said to Him, "who did," or to Him "who doeth," or to Him "who made sure ;'' because then one might easily understand, "let us give thanks." For now it is so obscurely rendered, that he who either knows not or cares not to examine a Greek manuscript may think, "who made the heavens, who made sure the earth, who made the luminaries, for His mercy endureth for ever," '? has been so said, because He did these things for this reason, " because His mercy endureth for ever:'' whereas they, whom He has freed from misery, belong to His Mercy: but not that we should believe that
1 [He adds: "' The expression, ' for He is good,' in the Greek is aya@os; not as in the hundred and sixth Psalm, for there ' He is good,' in Greek is xpno76s. And so some have expounded the former,
8 x Cor. x. 20. 9 [The Roman dogma makes a verdal distinction as to worship of angels and saints, to meet the case as our author puts it here. But the vulgar cannot so distinguish; and everywhere, pvactzcally, this latria is offered. See Pius IX., the bull /nxeffabzd7s. — C.] 10 x Cor. viii. 5, 6. 1 Factenti mirabilia, 32 Ps, cxxxvi. 5.
Since He is sweet.' For aya@os is not good anyhow, but good most excellently." — C. * 2 Ps, Ixxxii. 1, Vi. 7: 3 John x. 34. 4 Ps, Ixxxii. 2. 5 Ps. xcvi. 4 seg. 6 Simulacrum; eidwrdov, 7 x Cor. viii. 4.