The Power of God and the Nature of the Word
We have a discussion concerning God from the Scripture and from common understanding that He is unchangeable, and that He is immutable. For He who is not at all subject to quality does not turn, nor is He altered; for no alteration is anything other than a change according to quality. Not every change is an alteration, but the one according to quality. There are indeed also other changes, since there are also motions. That which becomes changes, but this motion is not an alteration. That which grows changes, but this is not an alteration; for such a motion is addition and increase. But when someone becomes lazy from being diligent, or lazy from being diligent, he is altered according to quality, just as when one comes from sickness to health and again.
But the words, regarding the meaning of the thing about which they are spoken, we understand. God was not composed of parts, since He is not composite; therefore, sitting upon Him, rising, walking, turning of the face, or illumination of the face, pass by. But in these things, regarding those arranged about Him, it is necessary to grasp the meaning in a God-befitting way to preserve faith. For some, through the words and their fluidity, subvert the things signified. Indeed, some have even dared to run into such a prosperity or impiety, so as to think the God human-shaped because of the manner in which they are written. And they say that God has hands, limbs, and feet, and appearance, and the rest. But if we know this always, regarding whom these things are said and from whom, we are able to lead the things to what is signified, to what is made manifest. If we do not grasp them in a God-befitting way, we are not able to have a pious conception concerning them according to each of the words.
The prophets. For this one, in a certain place, says: 'Are not his words beautiful and rightly proceeding with him?' If they are not with him, according to his intention, they are not beautiful. If you hear—behold—sleep and wakefulness and repentance, and you do not receive such things according to his intention, then the things said about him do not rightly proceed with him.
But when you receive such things with him, the words proceeding rightly with him, being filled with spirit, have neither shadow nor sketch. This is what the Savior said in the Gospel: 'You wander, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God' (Matt 22:29). You wander, saying that he does not make things from non-being; for they say this: 'To do is later than to be; for there must exist something underlying. Those who are dead are without hope of resurrection.' Since, therefore, they do not receive these things through the power of God, because of this they stumble. God is able to bring from non-being into being and to transform corruptible bodies.
He says, then, to the Sadducees. He who thinks he knows the Scriptures wanders when he is ignorant of the power of God which is spoken concerning Him and by whom they are spoken. For whose sake these things have been spoken to me, I will say, apart from the deed about to take place. The Savior and our Lord is both God and man; God always, but not always man; for before the creation he was God, but not a man. And this also was destined to happen for the sake of salvation. And the becoming man has a cause, but being God is not because of a cause, but because of his own existence and the essence of his offspring; for thus I heard: 'I live because of the Father' (John 6:57) of mine. He does not say this because the Father makes me alive, as the Eunomians wish, but he says this, as...
Greek
Commentarii in Psalmos 1 Ἔχ̣ομ̣ε̣ν̣ περὶ θεοῦ διάλημψιν καὶ ἀπὸ τ̣ῆς γραφῆς καὶ τῆς κοινῆς ἐννοίας ὅτι ἄτρεπτός ἐστιν, ὅτι ἀναλλοίωτός ἐστιν· ὁ γὰρ ὅλως μὴ ὑποκείμενος ποιότη̣τι οὐ τρέπεται, οὐκ ἀλλοιοῦται· οὐδὲν γ̣α`̣ρ̣ ἕτερ̣ο´̣ν̣ ἐστιν ἀλλοίωσις ἢ κατὰ ποιὸν μεταβολή. οὐ πᾶσα μεταβολ̣ὴ ἀλλοίωσίς ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἡ κ̣ατὰ π̣οιότητα. εἰσίν γ̣ε̣ καὶ ἄλλαι μεταβολαί, ἐπεὶ καὶ κινήσεις εἰσὶν ἄλλαι. τὸ γ̣ι̣νόμενον μεταβάλλει, ἀλλ' οὔκ ἐστιν α᾿̣λ̣λοίω̣σι̣ς ἡ κίνη̣σις αὕτη. τὸ αὐξο´̣μ̣ενον μεταβάλλει, ἀλλ' οὔκ ἐστιν ἀλλοίωσις αὕτη· προσθήκη γὰρ καὶ αὔξησις̣ π̣οσ̣ου῀̣ ἐστιν ἡ τοιαύτη κίν̣η̣σις. ὁ´̣ταν δὲ ἐκ φα̣υ´̣λ̣ο̣υ σπου̣δα̣ι῀̣ος̣ ἠ`̣ ε᾿̣κ̣ σπουδαίου φαῦλος γένητ̣αί τ̣ι̣ς̣, η᾿̣λλοίωται κατ̣ὰ τ̣ὴν ποιότητα, ὡς αὖ ὅτε ἐκ νοσο̣ῦντος εἰς ὑγείαν ἔλθῃ καὶ ἔνπαλιν. ἀλλ̣α`̣ τὰς̣ λε´̣ξεις πρὸς τὴν ἔννοιαν τοῦ πρα´̣γματος, π̣ερὶ οὗ λέγονται, δ̣ι̣ανοούμεθα. ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐκ μελω῀̣ν συνέστηκεν, ε᾿̣π̣ε̣ι`̣ σ̣ύνθε̣τος̣ ο̣ὐ´̣κ̣ ἐστιν· ὅθ̣ε̣ν̣ παρέλκει ἐπ' αὐτοῦ κα´̣θ̣ι̣σις, α᾿̣ν̣άστασις, περ̣ίπατ̣ος, ἀποστροφὴ προσω´̣που, φωτισ̣μ̣ο`̣ς̣ προσω´̣π̣ου. α᾿̣λ̣λ̣' ε᾿̣ν̣ τ̣ο̣ύτοις περὶ αὐτοῦ τ̣ε̣τα̣γ̣με´̣νοις σῴζειν τὴν πίστιν, θεοπρεπῶς αὐτὰ ε᾿̣κλαμβάνειν δεῖ. ἔνιοι γ̣ὰρ̣ ταῖς λέξεσιν καὶ τῃ῀̣ α῾̣δρ̣ότη̣τ̣ι̣ α̣ὐτῶν ὑποβάλλουσιν τὰ σημαινο´̣μενα. αὐτίκα γοῦν τινες ἐτόλμησαν εἰς τ̣ο̣σα̣ύτην̣ ε̣ὐη´̣θειάν τι̣ν̣α ἢ ἀσέβειαν̣ εἰσελαύνειν, ὥστε ἀν̣θρω̣πο´̣μ̣ο̣ρ̣φον νομίσαι τ̣ο`̣ν̣ θεὸν διὰ τ̣α`̣ τρ̣όπῳ γεγραμμένα. καὶ λέγουσιν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς χεῖρα̣ς ἔχ̣ει μέλη καὶ πόδας καὶ ε᾿̣π̣ι̣φ̣α´̣ν̣ε̣ι̣α̣ν̣ κ̣αὶ τὰ ἄλλα. εἰ δὲ ἑκάστοτε τοῦτο ἴσμε̣ν̣, π̣ερὶ τ̣ι´̣ν̣ος τ̣α̣ῦτ̣α λέγεται καὶ ἔτι ε᾿̣κ τίνος, δυνάμεθα εἰς τὸ σημαινόμενον τὰ πράγματα ἀγαγεῖν, εἰς̣ τὸ δηλούμενον. ἐὰν̣ μὴ θεοπρεπῶς ἐκλαμβάνωμεν, οὐ δυνα´̣μεθα̣ περὶ αὐτω῀̣ν̣ ἔχειν̣ εὐσεβῆν ὑπ̣ο´̣λημψιν κ̣αθ' ἑ´̣ν̣α τῶν δώδεκα πρ̣ο̣φητῶν. οὗτος δε`̣ ἐ´̣ν̣ τινι τόπῳ λέγει· "οὐχ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ καλοὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀρθοὶ πεπόρευνται"; ἐα`̣ν̣ μ̣η`̣ μετ' αὐτου῀̣ ὦσιν, μετ' ἐννοία̣ς αυ᾿̣τ̣ο̣υ῀̣, οὔκ ε̣ι᾿̣σ̣ι̣ν̣ καλοί. ἐὰν ἀκου´̣ῃ̣ς̣, φέρ̣ε, ὕπ̣ν̣ο̣ν καὶ ἐγρ̣η´̣γ̣ορσιν καὶ με̣τ̣α̣με´̣λ̣ειαν καὶ μὴ μετὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐννοίας λάβῃς τὰ τ̣οια̣ῦτα, οὐ τὰ λεγόμενα περὶ αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ ὀρθὰ π̣ε̣π̣όρευνται. ὅταν δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ λάβ̣ῃς̣ τ̣α`̣ τοιαυ῀̣τ̣α̣, οἱ λόγοι πορευόμ̣ενοι ὀρθοὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ, πνεύματι πεπλ̣ηρ̣ωμένοι, οὐδὲν ἔχουσιν σ̣καιὸν ου᾿̣δὲ σ̣χ̣ε´̣διον. τοῦτό τ̣ο̣ι̣ ε᾿̣ν ε̣ὐαγγελίῳ ὁ σωτὴρ ἔλεγεν· "πλανᾶσθε μὴ εἰδότες τὰς γραφὰς μηδὲ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ". πλα̣νᾶσθε λέγοντε̣ς̣ ὁ´̣τ̣ι̣ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ποιεῖ τὰ ὄντα· τοῦτ̣ο̣ γὰρ λέγουσιν ὅτι· "ὕστ̣ερόν ἐστιν τὸ ποιεῖν τοῦ εἶναι· δ̣εῖ γὰρ ὑπάρχειν τι ὑποκείμενον. ο̣ι῾̣ νε̣κ̣ρο̣ὶ ἀναστάσεώς εἰσ̣ιν ἄμοιροι". ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐ με̣τ̣α`̣ τ̣η῀̣ς̣ δυνάμ̣ε̣ως τοῦ θεοῦ λαμβάνουσιν αὐτά, διὰ τοῦτο προσκόπτουσιν. δύν̣ατα̣ι ὁ θεὸς ε᾿̣κ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἀγαγεῖν καὶ τὰ σώματ̣α τὰ φθαρτὰ ἀλλοιοῦν. λέγ̣ει με`̣ν 2 πρὸς Σαδδουκ̣αι´̣ους̣. πλανᾶται ὁ τὰς γραφὰς νομίζων εἰδέναι, ὅταν ἀγνοῃ῀̣ τὴν θ̣εου῀̣ δύναμιν τὴν περὶ ο̣ὑ῀̣ λε´̣γ̣ο̣ν̣τ̣α̣ι̣ καὶ ὑφ' οὗ εἴρηνται. τίνος δὲ χάριν ταῦτα ἐμοὶ λέλεκται, ἔξω τῆς μελλούσης γίνεσθαι πρ̣άξεως ἐρῶ. ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν θεὸς ἅμα̣ καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν· θεὸς μὲν ἀεί, οὐκ ἀεὶ δὲ ἄνθρωπος· πρὸ γὰρ τῆς κτίσεω̣ς θεὸς ἦν, ἄνθ̣ρωπος δὲ οὐχί. ἔμελλεν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὑφ̣ίσ̣τ̣ασθαι σωτηρίας ἕνεκα. καὶ τ̣ὸ μὲν ἄνθρ̣ωπος γενέσθ̣αι διά τι ἔχει, τὸ δὲ θεὸς ε̣ἶναι οὐ διά τι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὕπα̣ρ̣ξιν̣ καὶ τὴν τοῦ γε̣ννήμα̣τος οὐσίαν· οὕτω γὰρ ἤκουσ̣α̣ τοῦ· "ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα" μου. οὐ του῀̣το λ̣έγει, ὁ´̣τ̣ι ὁ π̣ατὴρ̣ ζ̣ω̣οπ̣οιεῖ μ̣ε̣, ω῾̣ς̣ β̣ο̣υ´̣λ̣ονται οἱ Εὐνομιανοί, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο λέγει, ω῾̣ς̣
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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