The Shaping of the Heart
He says that the hearts were formed by God in all ways, but 'only alone'. The hearts were formed 'only alone' to join heart to heart in companionship.
They certainly differ, and though many possess them, they possess them with some difference. This indeed is also said in Proverbs: 'Just as faces are not alike to faces, so also the hearts of men' are not alike (Proverbs 27:19). It is therefore difficult to find two similar faces. Even if the myth of Polydeuces and Castor is told, it stands only as a myth. They say the hemispheres are signified by these two names. Therefore they say day by day, living in parts; for the hemispheres are thus: when one semicircle becomes under the earth, the other becomes over the earth, because the semicircles are dissimilar in their likeness. If indeed you cut a circle in the middle, the semicircles are dissimilar. Let that remain a myth to me.
But let us grant that such men have also come to be. It is therefore difficult to join face to face in likeness. 'Just as faces are not alike to faces, so also the hearts of men' are not alike (Proverbs 27:19). For indeed 'no one knew the things of man except the spirit of the man which is in him' (1 Corinthians 2:11). If no one knew the things of man except the spirit in him, the things of men have been formed by God individually, each one.
Having formed there a kind of mixture, for he said that they do not fall to the more sensory understanding, just as a potter forms clay, the hearts, he knows all their works; for since one knows works in a certain way, if from the works themselves. We also say at other times that one who understands mechanical works is able to judge whether the parts of the clock are well or not. And upon an image, therefore, heart does not join to heart. Therefore he alone is called 'the knower of hearts of all' according to the prayer sent up by the apostles, when the disciples were making a selection. No one else is able to know the heart of...
A man to see. Therefore, one cannot separate heart from heart. And Job says, 'He who understands the mind of men' (Job 33:32). Even if another stood by... this is of God. He alone shapes the hearts. Each heart... the name of the shaping does not mean the creation of the heart... and indeed the elders, receiving its right which he... have said, 'Good is the shaping of your heart.' They do not say the essence of the heart is good, but the shaping, by which he skillfully worked. Toward the beautiful, he says, it has become... and it is possible to say by a second sense that the 'shaping of the heart' is then good, when it is protected from wickedness or ignorance, as it was in the beginning.
The man having become 'in the image and likeness' (Gen 1:26) of God is not said to have been shaped, but to have been made. But the man having become from clay and matter is said to be a shaping of God: 'Remember that you formed me of clay' (Job 10:9). And concerning both of the active powers of God it is said, 'Your hands shaped me and made me' (Ps 138:7). To fashion the heart... is a shaping of the heart, not to sustain it. So that you may know: the first making of our hearts had no difference; therefore it was not said then that each heart was shaped alone. There was no difference from the others. Here this is said after the subtext.
Regarding: 'one heart and one soul' (Acts 4:32) of the disciples? According to this, 'of those believing' according to being of one mind; for we do not take the whole from all. Regarding: so will the shaping ever cease? —the shaping alone, since this also took a beginning from us. And it took the beginning from us and an end it will reach, when it becomes—just as the Father and the Son are one (John 17:21), so all rational things are. I want it to be in this: 'that just as I and you are one, Father, so may we all be one' (John 17:21). Regarding: does making differ from creation? —it differs. To make signifies bringing into being from non-being, not to fashion; and for some, the name of creation also denotes the adornment of that which has become. The name of creation suffices even for the soulless: 'making...'
Greek
λέγει καθ' ἁπάσας πεπλάσθαι τὰς καρδίας ὑπὸ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ "κατὰ μόνας". "κατὰ μόνας" ἐπλάσθησαν αἱ καρδίαι τ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· καρδίαν πρὸς καρδίαν συντροχάσαι. διαφέρουσιν πάντως καὶ ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· 178 ····· ····· ····· ····· ···· ἔχωσιν πολλοί, κατά τινα διαφορὰν ἔχουσιν αὐτά. τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἐν Παροι μίαις λέγει· "ὥσπερ οὐχ ὅμοια πρόσωπα προσώποις, οὕτως οὐδὲ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων" ὅμοιαι. δύσκολον οὖν ἐστιν δύο ὅμοια πρόσωπα εὑρεῖν. κἂν μυθεύηται τὸ τοῦ Πολυδεύκους καὶ Κάστορος, ἀλλὰ μέχρι μύθου ἵσταται. λέγουσιν τὰ ἡμισφαίρια σημαίνεσθαι διὰ τῶν δύο τούτων ὀνομάτων. διὸ λέγουσιν ἡμέραν παρ' ἡμέραν ἐν μέρει ζῆν αὐτούς· τὰ γὰρ ἡμισφαίρια οὕτως εἰσίν· ὅταν γένηται τὸ ἓν ἡμικύκλιον ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν, τὸ ἄλλο ὑπὲρ τὴν γῆν γίνεται ····· ··· διὰ τὸ τὰ ἡμικύκλια ἀπαράλλακτα εἶναι τῇ ὁμοιότητι. ἐὰν γοῦν τέμῃς κύκλον ἐν μέσῳ, τὰ ἡμικύκλια ἀπαράλλακτά 105 εἰσιν. ἐκεῖνο οὖν μεμυθεύσθω. δῶμεν δὲ ὅτι καὶ γέγοναν ἄνθρωποι τοιοῦτοι ····· ····· ····· ····· ·····ο̣υσαν. δύσκολον οὖν ἐστιν συντροχάσαι πρόσωπον προσώπῳ ἐν ὁμοιότητι ····· ····· ····· ····· ··ε̣ιν ἐπιγιγνώσκουσιν. "ὥσπερ" οὖν "οὐχ ὅμοια πρόσωπα προσώποις, οὕτως οὐδὲ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων" ὅμοιαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν "οὐδεὶς οἶδεν τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ". εἰ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ, τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατ' ἰδίαν πέπλασται ἕκαστα. πλάσιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ὡσανεὶ κρᾶσιν καὶ ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· εἶπον γὰρ ὅτι οὐχ ὑποπίπτουσιν τῇ αἰσθητικωτέρᾳ πλάσει ὥσπερ πηλὸς κεραμικός ····· ····· ····· ··· τὰς καρδίας, οἶδεν πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν· ἐπεὶ γὰρ κυρίως ἔργα τις οἶδεν, ἐὰν ἐκ τῆς ····· ····· ····· ····· ····εν̣ αὐτά. ἐλέγομεν καὶ ἄλλοτε ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστάνων μηχανικοῖς ποιήμασιν τὸν νοῦν ····· ····· ····· ··· · ··· δύνασαι κρῖναι εἰ καλῶς ἢ οὐ καλῶς ἔχει τὰ μέρη τοῦ ὡρολογίου. καὶ ἐπὶ εἰκόνος ····· ····· ····· ·· οὐ συντροχάζει οὖν καρδία πρὸς καρδίαν. διὸ μόνος αὐτὸς "καρδιογνώστης πάντων" λέγεται κατὰ τὴν εὐχὴν τὴν ἀναπεμφθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὅτε ἐκλογὴν ἐποίουν οἱ μαθηταὶ δεσ····· ····· ····· ····· ·· οὐδ̣εὶς ἄλλος δύναται τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φωρᾶσαι. διὸ οὐ δύναται διαστεῖλαι καρδίαν ἀπὸ καρδίας. καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ λέγει· "ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων". εἰ καὶ ἄλλος παρίστατο ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·· τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦτο. κατὰ μόνας πλάττει τὰς καρδίας. ἑκάστη καρδία ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· τὸ τῆς πλάσεως ὄνομα οὐ δημιουργίαν τῆς καρδίας σημαίνει ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·· καὶ γὰρ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι οἱ ἀποδεχόμενοι αὐτῆς τὴν ἀριστείαν ἣν ἐπε····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·· εἰρη´̣κασιν· "ἀγαθὸν τὸ πλάσμα τῆς καρδίας σου". οὐ τὴν οὐσίαν τῆς καρδίας ἀγαθὴν λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν πλάσιν, καθ' ἣν ἐστρατήγησεν τεχ̣νικῶς. πρὸς καλοῦ, φησίν, γέγονεν ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· δυνατὸν δὲ κατὰ δεύτερον λόγον εἰπεῖν ὅτι τὸ "πλάσμα τῆς καρδίας" τότε ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, ὅταν βδελυχθῇ κακίαν ἢ ἄγνοιαν, ὅταν οὕτω ὡς ἐν α᾿̣ρχῇ γέγονεν, φυλαχθῇ. ὁ "κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν" θεοῦ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος οὐκ εἴρηται πεπλάσθαι, ἀλλὰ πεπ̣ο̣ιῆσθαι. ὁ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πηλοῦ καὶ τῆς ὕλης γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος λέγεται πλάσμα θεοῦ εἶναι· "μνήσθητι ὅτι πηλόν με ἔπλασας". καὶ ἐπὶ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν δραστηρίων δυνάμεων τοῦ θεοῦ εἴρηται· "αἱ χεῖρές σου ἔπλασάν με καὶ ἐποίησάν με". τὸ διατυπῶσαι τὴν καρδίαν ····· ····· ····· ·····ς πλάσις καρδίας ἐστίν̣, οὐ τὸ ὑποστῆσαι αὐτήν. ἵνα δὲ γνῷς· ἡ πρώτη ποίησις τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν οὐκ̣ εἶχεν διαφοράν· ὅθεν οὐκ ἐλέγετο τότε ὅτι κατὰ μόνας ἑκάστη καρδία ἐπλάσθη. οὐδεμία ἦν διαφορὰ τῶν ἄλλων. ὧδε τοῦτο λέγεται μετὰ τὴν ὑπόβασιν. 179 ἐπερ · τὸ "καρδία μία καὶ ψυχὴ μία" τῶν μαθητῶν; κατὰ τοῦτο "τῶν πιστευόντων" κατὰ τὸ ὁμοφρονεῖν· μὴ γὰρ λαμβάνομεν τὸ ὅλαι ἐξ ὅλων. ἐπερ · ὥστε ἐκλείψει ποτὲ τὸ τῆς πλάσεως; –τῆς κατὰ μόνας, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀρχὴν ἐ´̣λαβεν αὕτη ἐξ ἡμ̣ῶν. καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν ἐξ ἡμῶν καὶ πέρατος τεύξεται, ὅταν γένηται, ὥσπερ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἕν εἰσιν, οὕτω πάντα τὰ λογικά. ἐν αὐτῷ εἶναι θέλω, "ἵν' ὥσπερ ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, πάτερ, οὕτω ἓν ἡμεῖς ὦμεν πάντες". ἐπερ · διαφέρει ποίημα κτίσματος; –διαφέρει. οὐσίωσιν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος σημαίνει το`̣ ποιεῖν, οὐ διατύπωσιν δέ· τινὰ δὲ καὶ διακόσμησιν τοῦ γενομένου τὸ τῆς κτίσεως ὄνομα δηλοῖ. τὸ τῆς κτίσεως ὄνομα φθάνει καὶ ἐπὶ ἀψύχων· "ποιῶν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.