Judas And Absalom

Hunc psalmum ex persona Christi accipiendum persuadet quod dictum est: Ego dormivi et somnum cepi: et exsurrexi, quoniam Dominus suscipiet me. Magis enim hoc ad passionem et resurrectionem Domini congruentur sonat, quam ad illam historiam in qua David scribitur fugisse a facie bellantis adversum se filli sui. Et quoniam scriptum est de discipulis Christi: Quamdiu cum eis est sponsus, non jejunant filii sponsi.; non mirum si filius ejus impius, significatur disciplulus impius qui cum tradidit. A cujus facie fugisse quanquam historice possit accipi, quando illo discendente secessit cum caeteris in montem; tamen spiritualiter, quando mentem Judae Filius Dei, id est virtus et sapientia Dei. deseruit cum eum diabolus penitus invasit, in eo quod scriptum est, Et intravit diabolus in cor ejus, bene accipitur a facie ejus Christum fugisse; non quia Christus diabolo cessit, sed Christo discedente diabolus possedit. Quem discessum fugam esse in hoc psalmo appellatum celeritatis causa arbitror; quod verbo etiam Domini significatur dicentis: Quod facis, cito fac. Loquimur etiam sic in consuetudine, ut dicamus: Fugit me, quod in mentem non venit; et de homine doctissimo dicimus: Nihil cum fugit. Proptera veritas fugit mentem Judae, cum eum illustrare destitit. Abessalon autem, sicut quidam interpretantur, in latina lingua dicitur Patris Pax: quod mirum videri potest, sive in historia Regnorum, cum bellum adversus patrem Abessalon gesserit; sive in historia Novi Testamenti, cum traditor Domini Judas fuerit, quemadmodum Patris Pax possit intelligi. Sed et ibi qui diligenter legunt, vident in illo bello David pacatum fuisse filio, qui etiam magno cum dolore planxit exstinctura, dicens, Abessalon filius meus, quis dabit mihi mori pro te? Et in historia Novi Testamenti, ipsa Domini nostri tanta et tum miranda patientia, quod eum tamdiu pertulit tamquam bonum, cum ejus cogitationes non ignoraret, cum adhibuit ad convivium in quo corporis et sanguinis sui figuram discipulis commendavit et tradidit, quod denique in ipsa traditione osculum accepit, bene intelligitur pacem Christum exhibuisse traditori suo; quamvis ille tam scelerate cogitationis interno bello vastaretur. Et ideo Abessalon Patris Pax dicitur, quia pater habuit pacem, quam ille non habuit. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, Ennarationes in Psalmos, Psalmus III Source: Migne PL 37.72-73

This Psalm persuades us that it is to be received as speaking of the person of Christ when it says, 'I slumbered, I seized sleep, and I rose, for the Lord took me up.' 1 Indeed it seems more appropriate to the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord than to that history in which it is written that David fled from the face of his son who was at war against him. 2 And, since it is written of Christ's disciples, 'The sons of the bridegroom do not fast while the bridegroom is with them,' 3 it is not to be wondered if his impious son means that impious disciple who betrayed Him. Although it may be understood that He fled from that man's face, when on his departure He withdrew with others to the mountain, yet spiritually speaking, when the Son of God, that is the power and wisdom of God, abandoned the mind of Judas; when the devil utterly overcome him, as it is written, 'The Devil entered into his heart,' 4 it may be well understood that Christ fled his face; not that Christ yielded to the devil, but that on Christ's departure the devil possessed. Which departure is called a flight in this Psalm, I judge, because of its swiftness; which the Lord signifies with the words , 'That which you would do, do quickly.' 5 So we customarily say 'It has gone from me,' when something does not come to mind; and of a most learned man we say that nothing goes from far him. Thus truth fled from the mind of Judas when it ceased to enlighten him. Absalom, as some interpret it, in the Latin tongue signifies, Patris Pax, Peace of his Father; by which it may seem bewildering how in the history of the kings, when Absalom waged war against his father; or in the history of the New Testament, when Judas was the betrayer of our Lord; how Peace of His Father can be understood. But they who read carefully there see that David in that war was at peace with his son, he who with great grief lamented his death, saying, 'O Absalom, my son, would I had died for you!' 6 And in the history of the New Testament by that so great and so wonderful patience of our Lord, in that He suffered him for so long as if he was good, when He was not ignorant of his thoughts, and He admitted him to the supper in which He commended and delivered to the disciples the figure of His Body and Blood; and then in the betrayal itself he received the kiss of peace; it is well understood how Christ showed peace to His betrayer, although that man was devastated by the internal war of so despicable a scheme. And therefore Absalom is called Peace of his Father because his father had the peace which he did not have. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Expositions of the Psalms, from Psalm 3  1 Ps 3. 4 2 2 Kings 15.7  3 Mt 9.15  4 Jn 13.2  5 Jn 13.7 6 2 Kings 18.33