Commentary on the Psalms · §41

The Table Set Before Opponents

To be more watery. The part of the humanization overflows. When someone 'beholds his glory, a glory as of the only-begotten from the Father' (John 1:14), the wine overflows. Therefore, he prepared this table not near the one being called, nor far from him, but before him and in front of those distressing him.

The apostle, turning this enigma to something clearer, writes: 'For a large and effective door has been opened to me, and many are standing against me' (1 Cor 16:9). When someone has a word and a door of a word strong and effective, he has many standing against him. And the devil himself stands against, wishing to prevent the benefit from the effectiveness of the word, as do sophist men and other evil men. Not so much, indeed, do they stand against, as having once attacked the one working well.

'In front of those distressing me' he prepared the table. He once said concerning that saying about the infant Jesus: 'For before knowing how to call father or mother, he will receive power over Damascus and the curs of Samaria in the presence of the king of the Assyrians' (Isa 7:6). It was not a great thing if the curs took things while the king of kings was absent, but in front of him, while he was present, they snatched what he had under himself. Or did he not plunder the magi in front of the king of the Assyrians? For they were in the act of practicing magic. They did not come to the child having previously repented, but while the demons were still active.

Such a thing, indeed, has been seen ecclesiastically, that those, having done their usual things in calling demons, not sparing them, recognized that the magic was dissolved from the child signified by the appeared star. Having come, therefore, to me, such a thing, these distressing ones were present, and in their very faces the things of the blessing happened. The 'in front of' can also be thus: they were present in opposition of will, wishing to prevent what is for them, or wishing to harm him. 'I anointed my head with oil' (Ps 23:5). You showed me Christ; according to what signifies...

my anointed ones

Greek

ὑδαρέστερον εἶναι. πλεονάζει τὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως. ὅταν δέ τις "θεάσηται τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός", ὁ οἶνος πλεονάζει. ταύτην οὖν τὴν τράπεζαν ἡτοίμασεν οὐκ εἰς νῶτον τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου, οὐ μακρὰν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων αὐτόν. τοῦτο τὸ αἴνιγμα ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον ὁ ἀπόστολος μεταβαλὼν γράφει· "θύρα γάρ μοι ἀνέῳγεν μεγάλη καὶ ἐνεργής, καὶ ἀντικείμενοι πολλοί". ὅταν τις λόγον καὶ θύραν λόγου ἔχῃ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἐνεργῆ, ἀντικειμένους πολλοὺς ἔχει. καὶ αὐτὸς διάβολος ἀντίκειται κωλύειν θέλων τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ λόγου, καὶ ἄνθρωποι σοφισταὶ καὶ ἄλλοι κακοὶ ἄνθρωποι. οὐ τοσοῦτον γοῦν ἀντίκεινται ὡς ἐπιβουλεῦσαί ποτε τῷ εὐ εργετουμένῳ. "ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με" ἡτοιμάσατο τὴν τράπεζαν. ἔλεγόν ποτε εἰς ἐκεῖνο τὸ ῥητὸν περὶ τοῦ βρέφους Ἰησοῦ· "ὅτι πρὶν γνῶναι καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα λήμψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως 64 Ἀσσυρίων". οὐ μέγα ἦν, εἰ τὰ σκῦλα τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπόντος ἔλαβεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπέναντι αὐτοῦ, παρόντος αὐτοῦ ἀπέσπασεν ἃ εἶχεν ὑφ' ἑαυτόν. ἢ οὐκ ἀπέναντι τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐσκύλευσεν τοὺς μάγους; ἐν τῷ μαγεύειν γὰρ ἦσαν. οὐ μετανοήσαντες πρότερον ἦλθον πρὸς τὸ παιδίον, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἐνεργούντων τῶν δαιμόνων. τοιοῦτόν τι γοῦν τεθεώρηται ἐκκλησιαστικῶς, ὅτι τὰ συνήθη ἐκεῖνοι ποιήσαντες ἐπὶ τῷ καλέσαι δαίμονας, μὴ σχόντες αὐτοὺς ὑπηκόους ἔγνωσαν ὅτι κατελύθη ἐκ τοῦ παιδίου τοῦ σημαινομένου διὰ τοῦ φανέντος ἀστέρος ἡ μαγεία. ἐλθὼν γοῦν εἰς ἐμὲ τοιοῦτό τι οἱ θλίβοντες οὗτοι παρῆσαν καὶ ἐπ' ὄψε̣σιν αὐτῶν γέγονεν τὰ τῆς εὐεργεσίας. δύναται καὶ τὸ "ἐξ ἐναντίας" οὕτως· ἐναντίᾳ προαιρέσει παρῆσαν κωλῦσαι θέλοντες, τὸ ὅσον εἰς αὐτούς, ἢ βλάψαι αὐτὸν θέλοντες. 5 42 ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου. χριστόν με ἀπέδειξας· καθ' ὃ σημαινόμενον λέγεται· "μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου". καὶ οὗτος ὁ ἅγιος εἷς ἦν τῶν χριστῶν τῶν χρισθέντων "ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους" Χριστοῦ. αὐτὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐχρίσθη παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους, παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους χριστούς, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "ἔξελθε εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ λαοῦ σου τοῦ σῶσαι τοὺς χριστούς σου". "ἐλίπανας" οὖν "ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου". πολλαχοῦ ἡ κεφαλὴ τὸν νοῦν σημαίνει· ὡς ἐὰν λέγηται· "τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐν κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ". ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ἡ συνήθεια λέγει τοὺς μωροτέρους ἐνκέφαλον μὴ ἔχειν, κεφαλὴν μὴ ἔχειν. ὁ ἄρχων συνστήματος κεφαλὴ λέγεται τοῦ συνστήματος. ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ νοῦς τοίνυν ἄρχει καὶ ἡγεῖται πάσης τῆς συνστάσεως ἡμῶν, κεφαλὴ ὀνομάζεται. πολλαὶ δὲ γραφαὶ τοῦτο διδάσκουσιν, ἃς πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν. οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς "ἐλιπάνθη", ἀλλ' "ἐν ἐλαίῳ"· ἔστιν γὰρ καὶ φαῦλον ἔλαιον, περὶ οὗ ὁ ἅγιος ἀπεύχεται λέγων· "ἔλαιον δὲ ἁμαρτωλοῦ μὴ λιπανάτω τὴν κεφαλήν μου". 5 καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον ὡς κράτιστον. ἐπεὶ οὐ πᾶς τις δύναται ὅλον τὸν κρατῆρα, ὃν ἐκέρασεν ἡ σοφία, ἐκπιεῖν, ἑκάστῳ νέμει ποτήριον, ὃ δύναται δεξάμενος εὐφρανθῆναι. ἔνια τῶν γραφῶν ἔχει· "καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν μου"· ὃ ἐπιδέδωκάς μοι. πλὴν ἑκατέρως λέγεται. "μεθύσκον" οὖν ἐστιν "ὡς κράτιστον". κρατίστην μέθην ἐπιφέρει τῷ πίνοντι, νηφαλίαν μέθην. τὸ δὲ "μεθύσκον" ἀντὶ τοῦ "εὐφραῖνον". λέγομεν οὖν πολλάκις μέθυσον τὸν πολύοινον. καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ θιγεῖν καὶ γεύσασθαι μέθη λέγεται. καὶ ἐτυμολογοῦσιν τὴν μέθην οὕτως· κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν οὐκ ἦν πληθὺς οἴνου, ὅτε εὐθέως εὑρέθη τὸ γένημα τῆς ἀμπέλου ποιοῦν οἶνον, καὶ ἐν ταῖς εὐωχίαις καὶ ταῖς δημοτελέσιν πανηγύρεσιν μετὰ τὸ θῦσαι ἔπινον. οὐκ ἔπινον ἄλλῳ καιρῷ. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μέθη λέγεται. καὶ τὸ ἁπλῶς δὲ θιγεῖν σημαίνει ἡ μέθη πολλάκις· "μεθύσκονται ἀπὸ πιότητος τοῦ οἴκου σου", ἀντὶ τοῦ "εὐφραίνονται"· ἑτέρως γὰρ ἡ μέθη λέγεται μετὰ διαβολῆς· "οἱ

About this text

Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.

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