The Follower of Virtue and the Loan of God
Sin is a follower of virtue. The rational animal has become capable of virtue. Yet this capability is not an essence of any kind. Humans are not good by essence; for they were created so that they might become good through participation in the truly good. But the capacity for evil follows the capacity for virtue. Just as the bad always follows the good, bad art follows art, and mishearing follows hearing. Sin, therefore, is a follower of virtue; the sinning animal would not exist if it were not capable of virtue.
Similarly, wax is a follower. For this substance does not turn into non-existence, but changes into something better. And sinners become smoke because of this very evil; for lawlessness is in a certain way like a harmful eye or smoke to the eyes. You see that lawlessness becomes to those using it like smoke to the eyes. Smoke does not need great force to be overturned, for it is quickly overturned. Therefore, sinners are 'as wax melts from the presence of fire,' and 'as smoke vanishes, so let them vanish.' Smoke is, as I have said, a follower of fire; for it exists because fire exists or comes to be.
Thus the enemies of the Lord, even if they blaze brightly and are praised as capable or promising, are extinguished like smoke at the very moment they are exalted. It is ours to see their vanishing; for even if they remain for a time, being glorified and praised and thinking great things, those able to see that which they think great find them instantly vanishing. 'The borrower does not repay' (Psalm 36:28).
What God gives for the benefit of humans and the soul, those receiving do not take as a debt; for no one receives anything in this age as a debt, but giving as a gift, the good man gives a loan so that, having worked with it, he may gain and give interest. I take the word concerning righteousness. If I give back and also provide interest, I offer the works of righteousness to God. But if, having received the word concerning righteousness, I do nothing according to righteousness, having borrowed from God, I have not repaid; for God gives so that we may act, and God provides so that we may turn words into deeds. His divine silver is lent, concerning which it is said, 'silver refined is a test for the earth' (Psalm 66:3). The borrower therefore pays back interest and also that which he received. But the righteous man shows mercy and gives.
Greek
κυρίῳ παρακολούθημά ἐστιν. γέγονεν δὲ τὸ λογικὸν ζῷον, ἵνα δεκτικὸν ᾖν ἀρετῆς. τὸ δὲ δεκτικόν τινος οὔκ ἐστιν κατ' οὐσίαν τοιοῦτο. οὐ κατ' οὐσίαν δὲ ἀγαθοί εἰσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκτίσθησαν, ἵνα γένωνται ἀγαθοὶ μετουσίᾳ τοῦ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθοῦ. παρακολουθεῖ δὲ τῷ δεκτικῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ δεκτικὸν τῆς κακίας. καὶ ὥσπερ ἀεὶ μετὰ τὰ καλὰ τὰ κ̣ακά ἐστιν, μετὰ τὴν τέχνην ἡ κακοτεχνία, μετὰ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἡ παρακοήν. παρακολούθημα οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία τῆς ἀρετῆς· οὐκ ἂν συνίστατο, εἰ μὴ δεκτικὸν ἦν ἀρετῆς τὸ ζῷον τὸ ἁμαρτάνον. ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ κηρὸς παρακολούθημά ἐστιν. τήκε̣ται γοῦν οὗτος καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν καταστρέφει, ἀλλ' εἴς τι κρεῖττον μεταβάλλει. καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ οὖν καπνὸς γίνονται δ̣ι' αὐτὴν τὴν κακίαν· ἡ γὰρ κακία οὕτως οὕτως ανομια "ὥσπερ ὄμφαξ βλαβερὸς ὀδοῦσιν καὶ καπνὸς ὄμμασιν, οὕτω παρανομία τοῖς χρωμένοις". ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὄμμασιν καπνὸς ἡ παρανομία γίνεται τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτήν. οὐ μεγάλης δὲ δεῖται βίας ὁ καπνὸς ἵνα ἀνατραπῇ· ταχέως γὰρ ἀνατρέπεται. διὰ τοῦτο "ὡς τήκεται κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς" οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί εἰσιν, καὶ "ὡς ἐκλείπει καπνός, ἐκλιπέτωσαν". παρ̣ακολούθημά ἐστιν, ὡς εἶπον, 239 πυρὸς ὁ καπνός· ἢ ὄντος γὰρ πυρὸς συνίσταται ἢ γενομένου. οἱ ἐχθροὶ οὖν τοῦ κυρίου κἂν βρενθύωνται ἔκπαγλα, κἂν ἐπαίρωνται ὡς ἱκανοί, ὡς ἐπίδοξοι, κατὰ τὸν καπνὸν σβέννυνται ἅμα τῷ ὑψωθῆναι αὐτούς. ἡμῶν ἐστιν τὸ ὁρᾶν τὴν ἔκλειψιν αὐτῶν, ἐπεὶ κἂν μένωσιν μέχρι τινὸς χρόνου δοξαζόμενοι καὶ ἐπαιρόμενοι μεγάλα φρονοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τῷ δυναμένῳ ὁρᾶν ἐφ' ᾧ μέγα φρονοῦσιν, εὐθέως ἐκλιπόντες εὑρίσκονται. 21 δανείζεται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ οὐκ ἀποτείσει. ἃ δίδωσιν θεὸς ἐπ' ὠφελίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, οὐ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν λαμβάνουσιν οἱ δεχόμενοι· οὐδεὶς γὰρ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν δέχεταί τι ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ χαριζόμενος δανείζει, προχρείαν δίδωσιν τὸ καλόν, ἵνα κατεργασάμενος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κερδήσῃ καὶ δοῖ τόκους. λαμβάνω τὸν περὶ δικαιοσύνης λόγον. ἐὰν ἀποδιδοὺς καὶ τοὺς τόκους παρέχω, τὰ ἔργα τῆς δικαιοσύνης̣ τῳ῀̣ θεῷ προσκομίζω. ἐὰν δὲ λαβὼν τὸν περὶ δικαιοσύνης λόγον μηδὲν κατὰ δικαιοσύνην ἐνεργήσω, δανεισάμενος παρὰ θεοῦ οὐκ ἀποδέδωκα· δίδωσιν γὰρ ὁ θεός, ἵν' ἐνεργῶμεν, παρέχει θεός, ἵν' εἰς πράξεις τοὺς λόγους μεταβάλλωμεν. δανείζει δὲ τὸ θεῖον αὐτοῦ ἀργύριον, περὶ οὗ λέγεται· "ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ". ὁ δανειζόμενος οὖν ἀποδίδωσιν τόκους καὶ αὐτὸ ὃ ἐδέξατο. 21 ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οἰκτίρει καὶ δίδωσιν. 240
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.