3:19), or as it translates, "Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt turn." Thus, the 'root of the righteous grows old in the earth, and his trunk dies in the dust,' as the virtues of righteous teaching wither away in the hearts of the wicked who scorn such preaching; the 'stump dies in the dust' as his body is lifeless in the hands of those who persecute him. This aligns with the wisdom found in, "In the eyes of the unwise they seemed dead, and their departure is taken for suffering" (Wisdom 3:2). Yet those whose 'root is old in the earth, and whose stump is dead in the dust,' upon perceiving the refreshing waters, are revived; through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the witness of their lives, they evoke new strength in the hearts of the elect. The term 'water' is often used to represent the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a fact we must remember, as it is written, "Whoever thirsts, come to Me and drink" (John 7:37), and "whosoever shall drink of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst" (John 4:14). It continues, stating that they produce leaves, as when they were first planted. To bring forth leaves after being cut down indicates that when a righteous person concludes his earthly life, his virtuous example in suffering uplifts many and through steadfast faith reveals the flourishing truth that lies ahead. It is aptly noted: as when it was first planted; all actions performed by the righteous can be seen as a second planting, as the initial planting did not reside in actions but in the Creator's foreknowledge; therefore, since all that the elect do is first rooted in their hearts and only afterward manifested outwardly, it is truly said: and puts forth leaves as when it was first planted, revealing its vitality in deeds, following a prior vision of the Creator.
Moreover, 'the root of the righteous' can also signify the genuine essence of humankind, by virtue of which he currently finds himself in a condition where that same root appears outdated in the earth, as the natural order leads to the decay of the fleshly stump—'whose stump dies in the dust,' representing how the corporeal body, having maintained its form, eventually deteriorates; yet upon encountering the waters, it produces new shoots, for through the coming of the Holy Spirit, it shall rise again, yielding shoots as when it was first planted, as humankind returns to the intended form of creation if, when set in Paradise, he had turned from sin.
This interprets the Lord Himself, who is the source of all that is good; for as previously stated, He affirms, "For if they did these things to the green tree, what must be done to the dry?" (Luke 23:31). He claims to be the green tree while we, as mere mortals, represent the dry tree, for He embodies the Divine nature while we, being commonplace, are likened to lifeless wood. There is thus hope for the tree; if it is felled, it may sprout anew because even though He faced death during His Passion, by the glory of His Resurrection, the Green of Life blossomed once more; 'it yieldeth shoots,' as faithfulness flourishes through His Resurrection and extends throughout the world; His root, as it were, remained in the earth due to the scorn from the Jews toward His teachings; 'And His stump died in the dust,' as He encountered utter disregard from those who, through their own disbelief, exhibited contempt toward the death of the flesh. Yet "smelling the waters," He "gives forth shoots," showcasing that through divine power, His flesh was resurrected, as stated: "Whom God raised from the dead" (Acts 3:15). The Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—restored the lifeless flesh of His only begotten Son. He 'put forth leaves as when He was first planted,' for after the Apostles had weakened, fearing and denying Him at His death, they regained strength and belief through the glory of His Resurrection. When compared to such a tree, what are we but mere dust? Thus, it is added:
THEOSIS