“But Peter, standing with the eleven Apostles, lifted up his voice and spoke to them.”
Now it begins to be made known how great is the efficacy of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and how great the distance between human frailty and divine power. Behold: he who a little before, frightened by the voice of a lowly servant girl, denied Christ—the first and highest Truth—now, in the midst of so many thousands, together with the other Apostles, with fearless and trumpet-like speech bears witness to the truth. For now perfect love has cast out fear in him.
“Men of Judea, and all you who dwell in Jerusalem… let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.”
Behold how authoritatively and confidently he speaks—he who a little before was unlearned and a simple man.
Next, the most blessed Peter more clearly instructs them by deeds and authorities, declaring that Jesus is the Messiah:
“Men of Israel”
You who are Israelites by descent of the flesh, not yet by imitation of faith.
“Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God”
By God the Trinity—and also by Himself insofar as He is God—“among you,” that is, in your midst; “by mighty works,” that is, holy deeds; “and wonders,” as regards His greater miracles; “and signs,” as regards the lesser.
For God worked through Him in your midst. The Word (Verbum), that is, the Trinity, operated through Christ’s humanity, which was an instrument or organ immediately united and proper to the Word—just as our body is an instrument of our soul in its operations, according to John of Damascus. Hence the divine Dionysius the Areopagite calls Christ’s action theandric (θεανδρική), that is, “God-manly.” And Christ as man performed miracles by divine power.
“This one, delivered up by the definite counsel and foreknowledge of God”
Although Judas handed Him over, God nevertheless foretold through the prophets that He would be handed over, predetermined it, and in His eternal foreknowledge ordained that He would die for mankind. As the Apostle says: “He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all” (Rom 8:32).
God the Father, or the Trinity, also inspired in Christ’s soul the will to die for mankind. Moreover, He granted that Christ should live and speak so justly that the Jews were stirred up against Him, and thus proceeded even to His killing. Thus the handing over of Christ, as to its good cause—namely justice and a voluntary principle—was directly and effectively from God; yet this is said with respect to the good cause of that handing over, in virtue of which Christ also delivered Himself, according to Isaiah: “He delivered His soul unto death.”
“By the hands of the lawless”
That is, the soldiers of Pilate.
“You crucified and killed”
Bringing about His death.
“Whom God raised up from the dead”
And He Himself, as God, raised Himself, as He had foretold: “I have power to lay down my life and to take it up again,” and “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”—which He said of the temple of His body.
“Having loosed the pains of Hades”
That is, the punishments of Hades being taken away from Christ, so that He did not experience them, according to the Psalm: “I was made like a man without help, free among the dead.”
These punishments were also taken away from the saints whom Christ brought out of Limbo. For as soon as His soul came to them, He illumined them with the beatific vision of God. The cause of the delay of glory—namely, the guilt of sin—He removed by His Passion.
Although the saints in Limbo did not suffer punishment in the strict sense, there was nevertheless a certain suffering in them: the delay of glory afflicted them in some way, according to Proverbs: “Hope deferred afflicts the soul.” Hence Zechariah says: “You also, by the blood of your covenant, have sent forth your prisoners from the pit in which there is no water.”
“Because it was impossible for Him to be held by it”
That is, by Hades. Since He was entirely without sin, neither the devil nor Hell had any power or right over Him. Therefore He said: “The prince of this world comes, and in me he has nothing.”
“For David says concerning Him”
That is, concerning Christ; so that the following words are spoken in Christ’s person:
“I foresaw the Lord before me always”
As man, Christ continually beheld God, for from the first instant of His creation His soul saw God clearly and unceasingly.
“Because He is at my right hand, that I may not be moved”
God graciously assists Him in all things. Thus He would never depart from the way of truth and righteousness. The assumed human nature was so upheld that it could not sin.
“Therefore my heart has rejoiced… and my tongue has exulted”
Because of so incomparable a gift of God and the unceasing vision of Him.
“Moreover my flesh shall rest in hope”
That is, when my body is separated from the soul and laid in the tomb, I shall be certain of its resurrection.
“For you will not abandon my soul in Hades”
Except insofar as it remains there until the moment of the resurrection. Here Hades is taken for the limbo of the fathers, as when Jacob says: “I will go down mourning into Hades.”
In Christ’s death, His body and soul were separated, yet both remained united to the Word. Therefore His body could not undergo corruption.
“Nor will you give your Holy One to see corruption”
That is, the body of your only-begotten Son will not be permitted to decay or dissolve—though if “corruption” is taken for death, He was truly corrupted, that is, truly dead.
“You have made known to me the ways of life”
That is, the paths of justice by which one passes to blessed life. By His swift resurrection He came to know by experience the way to glory.
“You will fill me with joy with your face”
That is, when I shall appear in your presence in the heavenly kingdom, I shall be most fully glorified.
Although from the beginning of the Incarnation Christ, in the higher part of His soul, enjoyed the beatific vision and was filled with essential glory, nevertheless in His lower powers—and even in some respect in His higher powers insofar as related to His human condition—and in His passible flesh, He was still a viator (wayfarer), capable of suffering sorrow. In the Ascension, however, He attained full glorification.
That David spoke not of himself but of Christ is then proven:
“Men, brothers, let me speak boldly to you concerning the patriarch David”
He died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore his body underwent corruption.
“Being therefore a prophet”
For David was a most excellent prophet.
“And knowing that God had sworn to him… of the fruit of his loins”
That is, of his seed—according to the Psalm: “The Lord has sworn in truth… of the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne.”
“He spoke of the resurrection of Christ”
Not of himself, since David’s flesh saw corruption.
“This Jesus God raised up, of which we are all witnesses”
We testify as those who have seen, showing that what was prophetically foretold is now fulfilled.
“Exalted therefore at the right hand of God”
That is, lifted up by divine power—from Limbo, from the tomb, from the earth into heaven.
“And having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit”
That is, having obtained all the glorification promised to Him by the Father through the Holy Spirit.
“He has poured out this which you see and hear”
That is, He has bestowed upon us this great grace—wisdom and the knowledge of tongues—which you now experience in us.
To receive the promise of the Holy Spirit belongs to Christ according to His human nature; but to give the Holy Spirit belongs to Him according to His divine nature—though even according to His humanity He possesses the grace of headship, by which He pours grace into His members as an instrumental, meritorious, and united cause.
Finally, that Christ is exalted at the right hand of the Father he proves by the testimony of the Psalmist.
CONTINUE
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