to the heights, I have taken captivity captive” (Ps. 67:19; Eph. 4:8); for those who were previously captive to death, He has drawn into life. The abysses represent the ominous and malevolent powers set to inflict suffering and punishment, to whom the demons implore in the Gospel (Luke 8) to avoid expulsion. Sometimes, the abyss refers to the divine mysteries, the profound insights and judgments of God: “the judgments of the Lord are the abyss of many” (Ps. 35:7), and “the abyss calls unto the abyss at the sound of Thy judgments” (Ps. 41:8). The psalmist reflects on his plight, saying, “the sea hath covered my head. To the foundations of the mountains I have gone down; the heaths of the earth have barred me for an age.”
The Septuagint conveys, “my head has reached the clefts of the mountains.” It’s universally acknowledged that Jonah's head was enveloped by the sea as he sank to the ocean’s depths, reaching the earth’s foundations. Conversely, concerning our Lord and Savior, it may be interpreted as follows: His essential part, His soul, which He accepted along with His body for our salvation, descended into the depths where darkness prevailed—far from heavenly freedom, engulfed by the abyss, isolated from God's majesty—then subsequently into the realm of the dead, into the troughs filled with sin, where souls fell victim, as the Psalmist articulates: “they shall enter into the underworld of the earth ... shall be parts of foxes” (Ps. 62:10-11). These serve as barriers in the depths of despair, functioning as locks in the furthest confines of captivity and punishment, restricting souls from emerging from the underworld. Therefore, the LXX translates poignantly: “those who are forever desiring to hold onto those they possess.” Yet, our Lord, spoken of as Cyrus in Isaiah, declares, “the gates of brass I will break down, and the cords of iron I will cut” (Isaiah 45:2), descended to the depths of the mountains, restrained by unending chains, to liberate all imprisoned souls.
Yet, “But thou, O Lord my God, shalt raise up my life from corruption.” It is expressed in its rightful meaning, “thou shalt raise up,” or “let my life arise out of corruption,” for He descended into the realm of decay. This resonates with the essence of the fifteenth Psalm, interpreted by the apostles as a prophecy concerning the Lord: “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to see corruption” (Ps. 15:10; Acts 13:35-37). David experienced death and was laid to rest, but the Savior’s body was exempt from decay. Others elucidate that regarding the eternal joys and the divine word, the human body, which is sown in corruption (1 Cor. 15:42), is inherently corruptible. The hundred and second psalm notes concerning the righteous: “He who heals all thy diseases, who redeems thy life from destruction” (Ps. 102:3-4). Consequently, the Apostle exclaims, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24); it is termed the body of death, or the body of humiliation. They misappropriate this interpretation to support their heresy, unjustly portraying the Antichrist as Christ, striving to dominate the Church while promoting a mortified existence that contradicts the flesh. However, we affirm that the body received from the Immaculate Virgin was not corruptible but the very dwelling place of Christ. Moreover, if we reflect on the Apostle’s assertion in his epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:44), where the body is referred to as spiritual, we clarify the same body and flesh that was interred and surrendered to the earth is resurrected, transformed only in its glory, yet retaining its essence. This is essential: “for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). When it mentions “these things,” it's as though pointing directly to the body; these are the things of our birth, our mortality, what those facing punishment dread receiving, and what virtue anticipates as an honor, while vice fears as its due punishment. Regarding Jonah, it may be comprehended as follows: while inside the whale, subjected to the natural order of decay and destined to become the creature's sustenance, he remained untouched and whole. The phrase “My Lord God” signifies profound reverence, as he recognizes God’s grace, viewing Him as his personal God, a privilege bestowed upon him.
THEOSIS