The Continuity of Knowledge and the Eternal Light
They desire this long life, because they consider no other good than such a state. Just as life now is praiseworthy and forthcoming, so also 'length of days' for this age, so that each doctrine of truth may be known and illuminating, having great light. A praiseworthy day is each practical virtue being made straight.
Since, therefore, just as perfect and complete knowledge will receive here the partial knowledge, so also regarding practical virtue, those who have been proven righteous through practical virtue from there—for they have righteousness now and forthcoming—will be differently eager for 'length of days' for this age, not this common one, but the one capable of having come into being, about which they say: 'This is the day which the Lord has made' (Ps 118:24); for they are pointing to it. But no one points to the future, but to that which is already present and has established itself. The future, when that time comes through which it comes, is no longer future. Again, that too will fall under pointing.
Thus, if you take the king, and even the holy man, and even him who has come forth from Mary, they do not pray about that life or length of perceivable days, but about those already spoken of. They receive long-age life and offer thanks concerning this. And the long-age life is not the life of one age. Appropriately, each age receives life, sometimes as beginning and introductory, sometimes as intermediate, and sometimes as complete.
But after all these spoken days—each doctrine illuminating the soul, being shone upon by the sun of righteousness (Mal 4:2), we have called a day. After these, there is a certain complete state of light in the flashes of progress. That day is not interrupted by night, nor does it become a multitude of days. And it is possible to receive it thus; since the virtues have affinity with one another—for each is luminous—one length of days...
It happens from their following, and it is not interrupted. I say: each scientific principle is separated from the others; for the scientist knows many things. For example, as if it were in medicine, a surgical principle or a dietary one; as if it were in grammar, this or that. When someone is perfected, he no longer possesses these different things; for now it is perhaps more possible to possess the surgical, and less the dietary. But when he presents to me a perfect physician having all the principles perfectly and without excess, they are no longer poured out distinctly, nor do they have difference even in matter.
Suppose for me a man having complete health according to the body. He no longer needs diet alone, nor incision. He has cast away those things for the sake of which he needed these, and instead he has health that no longer produces anything else. And for his sake all these things are labored for. And the maintenance of it is labored for with a certain desire; for they are just as if they were producing health, so also things protective, such as the gymnasium or such food.
That long day, therefore, is uninterrupted; for it will be a long time before that time is fulfilled: 'The Lord will be to you an eternal light' (Isa 60:19), when the sun no longer fails, 'nor shall the rising of the moon light the night' (Rev 21:23). And these things are not said about the sensible luminaries; for 'immediately' 'after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light' (Matt 24:29). But these lights will no longer give light to those who are friends of this world; for the sun will be sevenfold and the moon like the sun. Generally, it is said concerning the heavens that 'they shall be changed.' And when he says heavens being changed, and the stars and luminaries in them, just as, if we speak concerning the earth: 'all the earth worships,' we say those dwelling in the earth. 'Sing to the Lord, all the earth' (Ps 96:1). 'Great is your glory in your salvation.' If we receive the glory truly, we do not call the most pleasant state glory. For example, we do not call a human beginning glory, nor a dignity; for all these things are...
Greek
ποθοῦσιν τὴν μακροήμερον ζωὴν ταύτην, ἅτε δὴ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀγαθὸν ἢ τὴν τοιαύτην κατάστασιν ἡγοῦνται. ὥσπερ οὖν ἔστιν νῦν ζωὴ ἐπαινετὴ καὶ μέλλουσα, οὕτω καὶ "μακρότης ἡμερῶν" εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον, ἵνα τις ἔχει φωτισμὸν μέγαν ἕκαστον δόγμα τῆς ἀληθείας γιγνωσκόμενον καὶ φωτίζον. ἡμέρα ἐπαινετή ἐστιν καὶ ἑκάστη ἀρετὴ πρακτικὴ κατορθουμένη. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν, ὥσπερ τῆς γνώσεως ἐνταῦθα μερικῆς οὔσης διαδέξεται τελεία καὶ παντελὴς γνῶσις, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς ἑτέρως σπουδαῖοι ἔσονται οἱ ἀπεντεῦθεν κατὰ παρακτικὴν ἀρετὴν δίκαιοι ἀποδειχθέντες–πάλιν γὰρ ἔχουσιν δικαιοσύνην νῦν καὶ μέλλουσαν–, "μακρότητα ἡμερῶν" εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν ὧδε, οὐ ταύτην τὴν κοινήν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑπαρχθῆναι δυναμένην, περὶ ἧς λέγουσιν· "αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος"· δεικνύντες γὰρ αὐτὴν εἰρήκασιν. οὐδεὶς δὲ δείκνυσιν τὸ μέλλον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἤδη παρὸν καὶ ἐνεστηκός. τὸ μέλλον, ὅταν ἔστιν ἐκεῖνος ὁ καιρὸς καθ' ὃν ἔρχεται, οὐκέτι μέλλον ἐστίν. πάλιν καὶ αὐτὸ ὑπὸ δεῖξιν πεσεῖται. οἵως οὖν ἐὰν λάβῃς τὸν βασιλέα κἂν τὸν ἅγιον ἄνδρα κἂν αὐτὸν τὸν ἐκ Μαρίας προεληλυθότα, οὐ περὶ ἐκείνης τῆς ζω14 ῆς ἢ μακρότητος αἰσθητῶν ἡμερῶν εὔχονται, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἤδη εἰρημένων. μακραίωνα ζωὴν λαμβάνουσιν καὶ περὶ ταύτης ἀξίωσιν ἀναπέμπουσιν. ἡ δὲ μακραίων ζωὴ οὐχ ἑνός ἐστιν αἰῶνος ζωή. καταλλήλως δὲ ἑκάστῳ αἰῶνι καὶ τὴν ζωὴν λάμβανε ὁτὲ μὲν ἀρχηγικὴν καὶ εἰσαγωγικήν, ὁτὲ δὲ μεσάζουσαν, ὁτὲ δὲ τελείαν. ἐπερ · μετὰ πάσας ταύτας τὰς λεχθείσας ἡμέρας; –ἕκαστον δόγμα φωτίζον τὴν ψυχήν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης καταλαμπόμενον, ἡμέραν εἰρήκαμεν. μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ἐν προκοπαῖς φωτίσματα ἔστιν τις τελεία κατάστασις φωτός. ἐκείνη ἡ ἡμέρα οὐ 9 μεσολαβεῖται ὑπὸ νυκτός, οὐ πλῆθος ἡμερῶν γίνεται. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως λαβεῖν· ἐπεὶ συνάφειαν ἔχουσιν αἱ ἀρεταὶ πρὸς ἑαυτάς–ἑκάστη γὰρ φωτεινή ἐστιν–, μία μακρότης ἡμερῶν γίνεται ἐκ τῆς ἀντακολουθήσεως αὐτῶν, οὐ διακόπτεται. λέγω· ἕκαςτον θεώρημα ἐπιστημονικὸν διῄρηται ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων· πολλὰ γὰρ γιγνώσκει ὁ ἐπιστήμων. οἷον, ὡς ἐπὶ ἰατρικῆς εἶναι, χειρουργικὸν θεώρημα, διαιτητικόν, ἐπὶ γραμματικῆς εἶναι, τόδε. ὅταν τις τελειωθῇ, οὐκέτι διάφορα αὐτὰ ἔχει· νῦν μὲν γὰρ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν μᾶλλον ἔχειν τὸ χειρουργικόν, ἔλαττον δὲ τὸ διαιτητικόν. ὅταν δὲ τέλειον ἰατρόν μοι ὑποθῇ καὶ πάντα τὰ θεωρήματα τελείως καὶ ἀνυπερβλήτως ἔχοντα, οὐκέτι διακεχυμένα εἰσὶν οὐδὲ τῇ ὕλῃ ἔχουσιν τὴν διαφοράν. ὑποθοῦ μοι ἄνθρωπον παντελῆ ἔχοντα ὑγίειαν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα. οὐκέτι διαίτης μόνης χρῄζει, οὐ τομῆς. ἀπέβαλεν ἐκεῖνα ὧν ἕνεκα ἔχρῃζεν τούτων, καὶ λοιπὸν ὑγίειαν ἔχει οὐκέτι ποιοῦσαν ἄλλο τι. αὐτοῦ δὲ χάριν ταῦτα πάντα σπουδάζεται. σπουδάζεται δὲ πόθῳ τινὶ ἡ διακατοχὴ αὐτῆς· εἰσὶν γὰρ ὥσπερ ποιοῦντα ὑγίειαν, οὕτω καὶ φυλακτικά, οἷον γυμνάσιον ἢ τοιάδε τροφή. ἐκείνη οὖν ἡ μακραίων ἡμέρα ἀδιάκοπός ἐστιν· ὀψὲ γάρ ποτε παραγίνεται το ὅταν πληρωθῇ τό· "ἔσται σοι κύριος φῶς αἰώνιον", ὅτε οὐκέτι ἐκλείπει ὁ ἥλιος "οὐδὲ ἡ ἀνατολὴ τῆς σελήνης φωτίζει τὴν νύκταν". οὐ περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν δὲ φωστήρων ταῦτα λέγεται· "εὐθέως" γὰρ "μετὰ τὴν θλῖψιν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει φῶς αὐτῆς". ταῦτα δὲ τὰ φῶτα τὰ τοῖς ὧδε φίλα οὐκέτι δώσουσιν· ἔσται γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος ἑπταπλασίων καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὡς ὁ ἥλιος. καθόλου περὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν εἴρηται ὅτι "ἀλλαγήσονται". ὅταν δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἀλλαττομένους λέγῃ, 15 καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀστέρας καὶ φωστῆρας λέγει, ὥσπερ, ἐὰν ἐπὶ γῆς λέγωμεν· "ἡ γῆ πᾶσα προσκυνεῖ", τοὺς οἰκοῦντας ἐν τῇ γῇ λέγομεν. "ᾄσατε τῷ κυρίῳ, πᾶσα ἡ γῆ". 6 μεγάλη ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου. ἐὰν κυρίως τὴν δόξαν λαμβάνωμεν, οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν κατάστασιν ἡδίστην δόξαν λέγομεν. οἷον δόξαν οὐ λέγομεν ἀρχὴν ἀνθρω̣πίνην, οὐκ ἀξίωμα· ὅλα γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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