Commentary on Psalms

Athanasius of Alexandria (296–373)

The splendid brilliance of God's grace never suffers an eclipse. No, it is always at hand to enlighten the inner thoughts of those who really want it. Great good comes to people who, enlightened by the grace of God, make it their habit to apply the truths of holy Scripture to their lives. They receive just such a blessing as the psalmist describes.… Those blessings come because the person who accepts God's grace is not illumined by mere physical light from the sun, the moon or even the whole host of stars. Rather, he glows all over with the radiant brilliance of God.

When, by faith and knowledge, the Lord's people have embraced true life, they surely receive the joy of heaven. The wicked, however, since they do not care about the Lord's life, are rightly deprived of its blessings. For "let the wicked be taken away so that he shall not see the glory of the Lord." In the end they, like everyone else, shall hear the universal proclamation of the promise, "Awake, sleeper, and rise up from the dead." They shall rise and knock on the doors of heaven, saying, "Open to us." The Lord, however, will rebuke them for rejecting knowledge of him and will tell them, "I do not know you." And the…

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• More works by Athanasius of Alexandria

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