Deep Dive into Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.8: Saint Augustin: Expositions on the Book of Psalms - Psalm 11

Based on the sources, an exposition of Psalm 11 uses various allegories to describe the challenges faced by the early Church, particularly from heretics.The moon is a central symbol, representing the Church. One view is that its bright and dark halves represent the Church's spiritual and carnal parts. Another, emphasizing the Church's dependence on Christ, sees the moon receiving light from the Sun, who is the Son of God. The moon's phases are linked to the resurrection of the dead.Heretics are depicted as taking advantage of the "obscure moon," which signifies the Church during periods of difficulty. This obscurity can be the Church's early youth, times of slander, persecution, or, most significantly, when the Church's light is obscured by the multitude of unlearned and carnal members (sinners) within it. Heretics exploit this to make the Catholic Church's identity seem uncertain.Heretics are shown to misuse Scripture, depicted as "bending the bow". Through "carnal interpretation," they create "envenomed sentences" ("arrows") stored in their hearts. They use these arguments to "shoot at the upright in heart," aiming to draw believers away from the "one True Mother Church". They urge them to "Remove into the mountains as a sparrow," where "mountains" can allegorically represent Christ (whom they falsely claim to have) or the heretics themselves ("proud men").The faithful respond by affirming, "In the Lord I trust," signifying their steadfastness and patient endurance of the "chaff" (sinners) within the Church. They remain in the "one mountain wherein I trust," referring to Christ.God is described as being in His "holy temple," which is the Church. God "questioneth the righteous and ungodly" within the Church, assuring the faithful that the presence of sinners does not harm those who trust in Him. God rains "snares upon the sinners," often through their own misinterpretation of Scripture. The ultimate portion for sinners is described as "Fire and brimstone," while the righteous have an excellent "cup". God's "face" is where "equity is seen," signifying He is known by the good, which is justice.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianPatreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed