The Covering of Shame and the Poverty of Sin
They were in all evil; they did not have a garment covering the reasoning faculty, and the word was not being hidden by irrational passions. But when sin has happened, both the remaining feeling, thought, and life, and shame have increased.
If therefore we approach the light, by which we ceased sinning, our faces are not being shamed, and we have much boldness; for he says: 'if our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness toward God' (1 John 3:20). If someone sees himself as uncondemned by heart and conscience, he has much boldness toward God, as to say: 'the Lord lives, to whom I stood before him'. Having spoken with boldness: 'in the morning I will stand before you and I will watch; I will see many things, but even more I will observe; I will observe things to be seen'. 'And your faces will by no means be shamed' (Psalm 5:12).
We say that when sin exists, the face of the soul is covered by shame so that its beauty and the proportion of its melodies can no longer be seen. But when illumination comes, the remaining 'with an unveiled face, the glory of the Lord is reflected' (2 Cor 3:18). No one having a covered face reflects the glory of God, but rather if someone has cast off the coverings that came upon him. Those, indeed, having received perception, that evils have become by themselves, say: 'dishonor has covered our face'. Dishonor has become a covering for us, the shame, of our face.
7 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him (Psalm 34:6). Il. If someone, having become without evil, having cast off the wealth of ignorance, cries to God from this evil, he has Him listening. Perhaps, as they implied locally regarding the time, that which belongs to the lesser and the greater, encouraging those already illuminated and blessing 'the Lord at all times' (Psalm 34:8) to be rich, he says: and if the poor man approaches and cries, he is heard.
And it is possible also to say this concerning the people from among the Gentiles, that: the people 'not having hope and being godless in the world' (1 Thess 4:17) approached and cried and had Him listening to them. For he says with other things in the same psalm: 'the rich have become poor and hungered' (Psalm 39:7), saying those from the circumcision have become poor by having cast away the law and the prophets. Because of this, he also says pointedly: 'this poor man'; worthy.
a poverty that produces wealth
Greek
ἦσαν πάσης κακίας, οὐκ εἶχον ἔνδυμα καλύπτον τὸ λογιστικόν, οὐκ ἦν ὁ λόγος ἐπικρυπτόμενος ὑπὸ παθῶν ἀλόγων. ὅτε δὲ ἁμαρτία γέγονεν, καὶ ἐνπαθὴς λοιπὸν καὶ νόησις καὶ ζωή, καὶ αἰσχύνη ὑπῆρκται. ἐὰν τοίνυν προσέλθωμεν τῷ φωτί, ᾧ κατελείψαμεν ἁμαρτάνοντες, τὰ πρόσωπα ἡμῶν οὐ καταισχύνεται, πολλὴν παρρησίαν ἔχομεν· λέγει γάρ· "ἐὰν μὴ καταγιγνώσκῃ ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία, παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεόν". ἐὰν ἀκατάγνωστόν τις ἀπὸ καρδίας καὶ συνειδήσεως ἑαυτὸν ὁρᾷ, πάνυ παρρησίαν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἔχει ὡς λέγειν· "ζῇ κύριος, ᾧ παρέστην ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ". παρρησιασαμένου φωνὴ καί· "τὸ πρωὶ παραστήσομαί σοι καὶ ἐφόψομαι". εἶδον πολλά, ἀλλ' ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπιθεωρήσω υ̣···· ἐφοπτικὰ θεωρήσω. "καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ". ἐλέγομεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίας οὔσης καλύπτεται τὸ πρ̣όσωπον τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπὸ αἰς̣χύνης ὡς μηκέτι τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῶν μελω῀̣ν αὐτῆς θεωρεῖσθαι. ὅταν δὲ φωτισμὸς̣ γένηται, λοιπὸν "ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου καθοπτρίζεται". οὐδεὶς κεκαλυμμένον ἔχων πρόσωπον τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ καθοπτρίζεται, ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἀπέβ̣αλεν τὰ ἐπιγενόμενα καλύμματα. οἱ γοῦν αἴσθησιν λαβόντες, οἷ κακῶν̣ παρ' ἑαυτοὺς γεγόνασιν, λέγουσιν· "κατεκάλυψεν ἀτιμία τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν". κάλυμμα ἡμῖν ἡ ἀτιμία γέγονεν, ἡ αἰσχύνη, τοῦ προσώπου ἡμῶν. 7 οὗτος ὁ πτωχὸς ἐκέκραξεν, καὶ ὁ κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ. 117 δείκνυσίν τινα πτωχὸν τῇ ἁμαρτ̣ίᾳ ὄντα, πτ̣ωχὸν πάσης κακίας. ἐὰν ἄνευ κακίας τις γενόμενος ἀποβαλὼν τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἀγνοίας και`̣ τη῀̣ς κακίας πρὸς θεὸν βοήσῃ, ἔχει αὐτὸν ἐπακούοντα. τάχα δέ, ὡς υ῾̣φ̣εῖπον τοπικῶς τῆς ὥρας ὅτι τὸ τῷ ἐλάττονι καὶ τῷ μείζονι ὑπάρχει, προτρεπόμενος τοὺς ἤδη πεφωτισμένους καὶ εὐλογοῦντας "τὸν κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ" πλουσίους ὄντας, λέγει· καὶ ὁ πτωχὸς ἐὰν προσέλθῃ καὶ βοήσῃ, ἐπακούεται. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν λαοῦ εἰρῆσθαι τοῦτο ὅτι· ὁ "ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχων καὶ ἄθεος ὢν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ" λαὸς προσελθὼν ἐβόησεν καὶ ἔσχεν ὑπήκοον αὐτόν. λ̣έγει γοῦν μεθ' ἕτερα ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ψαλμῳ῀̣· "πλούσιοι ἐπτώχευσαν καὶ ἐπείνασαν", λέγων τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς πτωχεύσαντας ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἀποβεβληκέναι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ δεικτικῶς λέγει· "οὗτος ὁ πτωχός"· ἄξιος γέγονεν τοῦ δείκ ν̣υσθαι ὑφ' ἁγίων̣ ἀνδρῶν καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ καθόλου περὶ πάντων τοῦτο λέγ̣εσθαι· ὡς 194 πρὸς τὸν πλουτοδότην θεὸν τὸν μεγάλα χαριζόμενον πάντες πτωχοί ἐσμεν. ἐπερ · οὐκ "ἐπτώχευσεν" Ἰησοῦς "δι' ἡμᾶς"; –θεώρει γὰρ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἀκρίβειαν· "ὅτι πλούσιος ὢν δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν". οὐκ ἐπλο̣υ̣τίσθη. "ὢν πλούσιος δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν", ἵνα τί γένηται; "ἵνα τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμ̣εν"· ποιητικ̣ὴ γὰρ πλούτου πτωχεία οὐχ ἡ ἀληθῶς πτωχεία ἐστίν. καὶ ὥσπερ γίνεται "κατάρα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν", ἵν' εὐλογίαν λάβωμεν, κατάρα δὲ ποιητικὴ εὐλογίας οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐστιν κατάρα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο κατάρα εὐλογίας̣ ποιητική, οὕτω καὶ πτωχός· "ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών". ἰδοὺ ἡ πτωχεία ἣν ἐπτώχευσεν· πλούσιος ὢν ἀληθῶς ἀεὶ ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων καὶ ὠ`̣ν "χαρακτὴρ τῆς θεοῦ ὑποστάσεως", "τὴν τοῦ δούλου λαβὼν μορφὴν" πάντα ὑπέστη τὰ τῆς πτωχείας. "ἁμαρτία" γέγονεν "ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ γενώμεθα", κατάρα, ἵνα εὐλογίαν κληρονομήσωμεν, θάνατον ὑπέστη καὶ νενέκρωται, ἵνα ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἀπολάβωμεν. "ἐπτωχεύσαμεν σφόδρα". οὕτως συνκατέβημεν φθάσαντες μέχρι τῆς κ̣αταστάσεως τῆς ὑμετέρας, ἵνα τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ προκαταλαβόντων ἀναβιβάσωμεν ὑμᾶς. ὡς εἴρηκάν τ̣ινες παράδειγμα τοιοῦτο περὶ τῶν ἁγίων ὅτι· ἐν τῷ σκάφει τοῦ βίου τούτου πλέοντες εἶδον πολλοὺς ἐκπεσόντας ἐκ τοῦ σκάφους καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀκολύμβους εἶναι κατενεχθέντας εἰς τὸν βυθόν, καὶ ἥλαντο εἰς τὸν βυθὸν̣ καὶ ἔδοξαν τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχειν τοῖς βυθισθεῖσιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκείνων βοηθείας τοῦτο πεποιήκασιν, ἵνα ἀναβιβάσωσιν τοὺς μὴ δυναμένους δι' ἑαυτῶν ἀναβῆναι. 7 καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ ἐρύσατο αὐτόν. τ̣ὸ ῥύσεσθαι ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων ἤδη πολλάκις ἀποδέδοται ἡμῖν ὅτι τὸ μὴ ἡττηθῆναι, οὐ τὸ ἔξω γενέσθαι τῶν θλιβηρῶν. 8 παρεμβαλεῖ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς. ἄγγελος παρεμβάλλων κύκλῳ τῶν τὸν θεὸν φοβουμένων καὶ ῥύεται αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς πολεμίου, ἀπὸ πάσης θλίψεως, ἀπ̣ὸ παντὸς τραύματος. λέξει τις οὖν ὅτι· "εἷς ἄγγελος αὐτάρκης ἐστὶν πρὸς τὸ τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν θεὸν πάντας σῶσαι ἀπὸ τοῦ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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.