Tears as Food and Drink
They were going and weeping, lifting up their seeds. Coming, they shall arrive in joy, lifting up their gleanings (Ps 126:5). They sow the seeds of virtue and the Spirit in tears and sweat, casting them down. When therefore they have harvested, they no longer labor; for they have attained the end of the one striving. When 'going, we were going,' 'we were weeping, lifting up their seeds.' When we were still sowing, having cast down the seed, we were awaiting the perfection of the fruit. When 'we come in joy,' we lift up the gleanings, not yet the seeds. These, therefore, the tears become food for the one desiring to see God and to be gazed upon by Him. Therefore he says: 'My tears became to me bread of days and of night' (Ps 42:3).
I do not weep casually, nor in pleasures, so that at times I might occupy myself with luxury and at times with the weeping of repentance, but also in the dark times; for the dark times are called night. You also find a voice in another psalm that says this: 'You feed us bread of tears and you give me to drink in tears in measure' (Ps 56:8). It is necessary to bring forth the tears of repentance in a measured way, so that they may become bread and drink. And besides, there will be other things that succeed the labor, the offspring produced from the tears.
In that which is said to me every day, 'Where is your God?'; for this reason also I offered so many tears to become food for me, because I heard them saying: 'Where is your God?' (2 Kings 18:33); this also Sennacherib and Rapsakes said: 'Where is the God your God?' And you, Israelite, 'Where is the God your God, that he may save you?' Tears therefore became food for me, but 'in measure,' and I drank them and I ate them; for I knew that the tears and the labor of these things succeed something making joy.
These things I remembered and I poured out upon myself my soul. When in recollection and memory I became of the insults of these ones who were speaking, these my enemies, I did not go out, I did not pour my soul out outside, but upon myself I poured it out. It is like the words: 'I was troubled and I did not speak' (Ps 22:14) 22:14), and what Paul says: 'But we have received the sentence of death within ourselves, so that we may not be trusting in ourselves' (2 Cor 4:8). This also is said concerning Job: previously he says that 'Job did not sin,' and secondly: 'with the lips.'
the intellect
Greek
ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἔκλαιον αἴροντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν. ἐρχόμενοι ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν". σπ̣ε̣ι´̣ρ̣ο̣υσιν ἐν δάκρυσιν 299 σὺν ἱδρῶτι τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς σπέρματα, τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, καταβαλλόμενοι. ὅταν οὖν θερίσουσιν, οὐκέτι πονοῦσιν· τετυχήκασιν γὰρ τοῦ τέλους τοῦ σπουδαζομένου. ὅτε δε`̣ "πορευόμενοι ἐπορευόμεθα", "ἐκλαίομεν αἴροντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν". ὅτε προεκόπτομεν ἔτι, τὸν σπ̣όρον καταβεβλημένοι ἐξεδεχόμεθα τὴν τοῦ καρποῦ τελείωσιν. ὅτε δε`̣ η᾿̣ρχόμε̣θα ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, τὰ δρ̣άγματα ᾔρομεν, οὐκέτι τὰ σπέρματα. ταῦτα οὖν τὰ δάκρυα τροφὴ γίνεται τοῦ ποθοῦντος θεὸν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐφορᾶσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. διὸ λέγει· "τὰ δάκρυά μου ἐγενήθη μοι ἄρτος ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός". οὐκ ε᾿̣πιπολαίως κλαίω οὐδ' ἐν τοῖς ἡδέσιν̣ ὥστε ὁτὲ μὲν τρυφῇ σχολάζειν ὁτὲ δὲ κλαυθμῷ μετανοίας, ἀλλὰ κ̣αὶ ἐν τοῖς σκυθρωποῖς· καλεῖται γὰρ τὰ σκυθρωπὰ νύξ. ἔχεις γοῦν καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ ψαλμῷ φωνὴν τοιαύτην λέγουσ̣αν· "ψωμιεῖς ἡμᾶς ἄρτον δακρύων καὶ ποτιεῖς με ἐν δάκρυσιν ἐν μέτρῳ". μεμετρημένως δεῖ καὶ τὰ τῆς μετανοίας προφέρειν δάκρυα, ὅπως̣ ἄρτος καὶ ποτὸν γένωνται. καὶ λοιπὸν ἄλλα τινὰ ὑπάρξει τὰ δ̣ιαδεχόμενα τὸν πόνον, τὰ ἐκ τῶν δακρύων ἐπιγενόμενα γενήματα. 4 ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαί μοι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεός σου; διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ τοσαῦτα προέφερον δάκρυα ὡς τροφήν μοι γενέσθαι, ὅτι ἤκουσ̣ά μοι αὐτ̣ῶν λεγόντων· "ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεός σου̣"; τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σενναχερὶ καὶ ὁ Ῥαψάκης εἴρηκαν· "3"ποῦ ὁ θεός" σου; καὶ σ̣ὺ οὖν, Ἰσραηλῖτα, "που῀̣ ὁ θεός" σου, ἵνα ῥύσηταί σε"3; τροφ̣ή μοι οὖν ἐγένετο τὰ δάκρυα, ἀλλὰ "ἐν μέτρῳ" καὶ ἔπινον αὐτὰ καὶ ἠ´̣σθιον· ᾔδειν γάρ̣, ὅτι διαδέχεταί τι χαρᾶς π̣οιητι̣κὸν τὰ δάκρυα καὶ τὸν πόνον τούτων. 5 ταῦτα ἐμνήσθην καὶ ἐξέχεον ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν ψυχήν μου. ὅτε ἐν ἀναπολήσει καὶ μνήμῃ ἐγενόμην τούτων τῶν λεγόντων τοὺς ὀνειδισμ̣ούς, τούτων τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου, οὐκ ἔξω ἐχώρησα, οὐκ ἐξέχεα τὴν ψυχήν μου ἔξω, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ε᾿̣μὲ ἐξέχεον. ἐστὶν τοιοῦτο· "ἐταράχθην καὶ οὐκ ἐ λάλησα", καὶ ὃ λέγει Παῦλος· "ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐσχήκαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς". τοῦτό τοι καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἴρηται· πρότερον λέγει ὅτι· "οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰώβ", δεύτερον δέ· "τοῖς χείλεσιν". ὧδε τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν διάνοιαν λέγει. ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ· "κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τοῖς πιστεύουσιν σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν", αὐτὰς τὰς οὐσίας τὰς ψυχούσας τὰ σώματα οὕτως ὠνόμασεν. ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ· "τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ἡγνικότες ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ τῆς ἀληθείας", τὰς διανοι´̣ας λέγει. οὕτω γοῦν εἰώθασιν λέγειν καὶ κ̣αλοψύχους ἀνθρώπους. καί· "σὺ δέ, ἄνθρωπε ἰσόψυχέ μου"· τὴν ἴσην διάν̣οιαν καὶ διάθεσιν̣ λέγει. 5 ὅτι διελεύσομαι ἐν τόπῳ σκηνῆς θαυμαστῆς ἕως τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ. εἴπομεν πολλάκις, ὅτι ἡ τελείωσις τῶν ἀρετῶν οἶκος θεοῦ ἐστιν, σκη̣νὴ δὲ η῾̣ προκοπή· προκοπτόντων γὰρ καὶ μεταβαινόντων ἐκ τόπου εἰς τόπον οἰκία ἐστὶν ἡ σκηνή. ὅτε γο̣ῦν ····· ····· ····· ····· · θεόν, ἐν σκηνῇ αὐτὸν ἐθεράπευον μαρτυρουμένῃ· "σκηνὴ" γὰρ "μαρτυρίου" ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· ἐπαινετόν ἐστιν. καὶ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ θεοῦ γοῦν 209 "3μαρτύριον"3 πολλάκις λέγομεν ····· ····· ····· ···· καὶ ἀποδεδειγμένα. διοδεύοντες οὖν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ το····· σκηνη μ····· ····· ····· ···· θεραπεύωσιν θεὸν ἐκεῖ, τὰς εὐχὰς ἀναπέμπωσιν, τὰς ἱερουργίας ε᾿̣κτελῶσιν ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· ἐκεῖθεν ἔχωσιν ἐπινεύοντα θεόν. ὅτε δὲ ἔφθασαν εἰς τὴν̣ ἁγίαν γῆν ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· γενέσθαι καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὐκέτι σκηνάς, ἀλλὰ οἴκους εἶχον τελειο····· ····· ····· ····· ἡ θεραπεία τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκέτι ἐν σκηνῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν οἴκῳ ἐγένετο. τέλος τοῦ φθαρτοῦ σώματος λαβόντος οὐκέτι χρεία σκηνωμάτων ἐστίν. ὅταν "ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἐν πᾶσ̣ιν" γένηται ····· ····· ····· ····· ·· 300 ····· · ἵν̣α μὴ καὶ ἐν ἀλόγοις ἄλογον γένηται, οὔκ εἰσιν φθ̣αρτὰ σώματα, ἵνα μὴ ἐν φθαρτοῖς φθαρτὸς γένηται, ἀλλὰ γίνεται "πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν". γίνεται δὲ ἐν πᾶσιν οὐ τοπικῶς, ἀλλὰ μετεχόμενος, οὐδὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ μετέχει οὐδὲ ἄλογον ζῷον οὐδὲ ἄψυχον πολλῷ πλέον. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ "3θαυμαστῆς"3 εἰπεῖν· ἐπεὶ θεία ἐστὶν ἐπεὶ θεία ἐστὶν α̣ὕτη ἡ σκηνή, θαύματος ἀξία ἐστίν. αἱ προκοπαὶ αἱ τῶν μεγάλων τελῶν ἄλλαις προκοπαῖς τέλη γινόμεναι ὑπὲρ τέλη εἰσὶν̣ καὶ θαυμαστόν τι ἔχουσιν, ὡς τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ σκηνὴν εἶναι καὶ οἶκον, προκοπὴν καὶ τέλος. 5 ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως ἤχους ἑορταζόντων. λοιπὸν λέγει· οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν οὐδὲ μετὰ τῆς τυχούσης κα̣ταστάσεως ἡ διάβασίς μοι γίνεται, ἀλλ' "ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ
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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