The Return of the Soul and the New Man

the voluntary application of rebuke and instruction through the word

The same. When such a vision is presented: since my soul, sinning, had turned away toward its own evil, having turned back to itself, calling itself back according to the Psalm, 'Turn back, you sons who have gone away' (Ps 6:7), to ransom itself from the sins that have grown distant and from the evil powers working them.

Those who imply that the upcoming words refer to common death err, but rather they act impiously. For the holy men do not have remembrance of God and the common life only then, but much more so, as they are separated from the corruptible body.

What do you say? Since no one, having remembered you, becomes in death—for sin does not die (and he is not the one separating the sinning soul from a virtuous life)—but I desire to have remembrance of you; for this purpose, having poured out your goodness: save me, so that I may not be overcome by the weakness and trouble that is present against me, and be crushed by death. For it is not said, 'He does not remember God in death' (Ps 6:5), but rather, 'He who remembers him is not in death,' as the Savior says, 'He who hears my word does not see death for eternity' (John 8:51).

Look if it is possible to be made new against all my enemies (Ps 6:8) and to have another mind. He who lives with righteousness, always living in renewal according to the newness of the spirit and the new covenant; because, having departed from the praiseworthy life through our inattention, having become old according to the antiquity of that man, whom Paul advises to strip off (for his life is vain), that we may put on the new man created according to God in holiness and knowledge of the truth (Eph 4:22-24); such is the unblemished life.

You will understand that these things are said also regarding the invisible enemies and evil powers who have prepared a device against him, who are envious of his progress according to God, and who, after sin, speak wickedly, 'There is no salvation for him in his God' (Ps 6:10).

He prays with good intention for the enemies; for he wants them to be ashamed because of what I do, since they became enemies of the righteous and of God. And this will be beneficial to them; for he who, being ashamed and troubled by the evil working through him, having recognized it...

Greek

ἑκούσιον ἐχούσης τῆς διὰ λόγου προσαγωγῆς ἐλέγχου καὶ παιδεύσεως. Τὰ πάντα, φησίν, ἐλεγχόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται, γράφει Παῦλος. ὁ διὰ φωτὸς ε λεγχος φανέρωσίς ἐστιν ἀποδείξεως τρόπῳ γινομένη οὐχ ἁμαρτωλῶν μόνων ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαίων, φωτίζοντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν (δι' α γνοιαν καὶ κακίαν σκότος ὠνομασμένων) καὶ φανεροῦντος τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν τῶν δικαίων. πλὴν εἰ καὶ ἐπίπονα ἐπάγει ὁ θυμὸς καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ προθέσει ἀγαθῇ ἐπὶ τῷ κωλῦσαι κακίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν γίνεται. ἀμέλει ὁ τοῦ χρησίμου τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ πειραθεὶς εὐχαριστεῖ λέγων· Εὐλογήσω σε, κύριε, ο τι ὠργίσθης μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν· ἀπέστρεψας τὸν θυμόν σου καὶ ἠλέησάς με. καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς φανερῶν τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἀγαθότητα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ φησὶν Οτ' α ν ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου γένηται, πάλιν ἰάσομαι· ἐπιφέρει γὰρ αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ βλάψαι ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλ' ἀφανίσαι α προαιρετικῶς ε σχον κακά. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ̓Αποκαλύπτεται ὀργὴ θεοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἀλλά γε ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων ἐπάγεται, ι να ἀφανισθῇ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀδικία καὶ ἀσέβεια α ς ε σχον πρὶν πειραθῆναι ὀργῆς. Οτι δὲ οὐ πάθος θεοῦ ἐκ τούτων τῶν λέξεων παρίσταται, μανθάνομεν καὶ ἐκ τῶν Μωϋσέως πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λόγων φερομένων ου τως· ̓Απέστειλας τὴν ὀργήν σου καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτοὺς ὡσεὶ καλάμην. ει ρηται δὲ τὰ ἐπίπονα τὰ καθαπτόμενα τῶν πονηρῶν ἐν τούτοις ὀργῇ θεοῦ κρίσει αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς ἀξίους ἐρχόμενα. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ 7 ὀργὴ τὸ πάθος τῶν ἐξαποστελλομένων ἐστίν· ε χει γὰρ τὸ ει ναι ἐν μόνῃ τῇ θυμικῇ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμει, η ς ε ξω γενομένη οὐδ' ο λως ὑφίσταται· ε στι γὰρ τῶν ἐν α λλοις τὸ ει ναι ἐχόντων. 33 Ps 6,3–4a Ιασις δὲ ἀσθενείας ψυχῆς ἡ ἐκ θεοῦ δύναμις, ὡς λέγειν τὸν ταύτης τυχόντα Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι με Χριστῷ. Οτι δὲ οὐκ ει που τῆς γραφῆς ει ρηται ̓Οστᾶ, οὐ πάντως περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐστιν τὸ δηλούμενον, ἐπιστατέον τῷ Πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσιν Κύριε κύριε, τίς ο μοιός σοι; καὶ τῷ ∆ιεσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν παρὰ τὸν ᾳ δην. 34 Ps 6,5a Τὸ ̓Επίστρεψον διττῶς νοεῖται. δηλοῦται γὰρ ὁτὲ μὲν νόησις τοιαύτη· ἐπεὶ ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπ' ἐμοῦ, διὰ τί μοι χρήσιμον παρακαλῶ, ο πως ἐπιστρέψῃς καὶ ἐπιφάνῃς μοι αὐτό. ὁτὲ δὲ παρίσταται θεωρία τοιαύτη· ἐπεὶ ἡ ψυχή μου ἁμαρτάνουσα ἀπεστράφησεν ἐπὶ κακῷ τῷ ἑαυτῆς, ἐπιστρέψας αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακαλούμενος κατὰ τὸ ̓Επιστράφητε, υἱοὶ ἀφεστηκότες, λυτρῶσαι αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῶν μακρυνάντων ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τῶν ἐνεργουσῶν αὐτὰ πονηρῶν δυνάμεων. 35 Ps 6,6–7 Οἱ περὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ θανάτου ὑπονοοῦντες εἰρῆσθαι τὰ προκείμενα σφάλλονται, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀσεβοῦσιν. οἱ γὰρ α γιοι α νδρες οὐ τότε μόνον μνήμην ε χουσι θεοῦ, ο τε τὴν κοινὴν ζωὴν ε χουσιν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ο τε χωρίζονται τοῦ φθαρτοῦ σώματος. τί ου ν φησιν; ἐπεὶ οὐδεὶς μεμνημένος σου ἐν θανάτῳ γίνεται ο ν ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀποτίκτει (ου τος δέ ἐστιν ὁ χωρίζων ἐναρέτου ζωῆς τὴν ἁμαρτάνουσαν ψυχήν), ποθῶ δὲ μνήμην σου ε χειν· εἰς τοῦτ' αὐτὸ ῥέψας τὴν ἀγαθότητά σου· σῶσόν με, ι να μὴ ἰσχυσάσης κατ' ἐμοῦ τῆς προσούσης ἀσθενείας καὶ ταραχῆς καταποθῶ ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου. οὐ γὰρ ει ρηται Οὐ μέμνηται θεοῦ ὁ ἐν θανάτῳ, ἀλλ' ̔Ο μνημονεύων αὐτοῦ οὐκ ε στιν ἐν θανάτῳ, περὶ ου φησιν ὁ σωτὴρ ̔Ο τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων θάνατον οὐ θεωρεῖ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 36 Ps 6,8b Ορα εἰ δύναται τὸ ̓Επαλαιώθην ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου καὶ ἑτέραν νόησιν ε χειν. ο τε σὺν δικαιοσύνῃ ε ζων, ἐνέαζον ἀεὶ ζῶν κατὰ τὴν καινότητα τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας ἡμετέρας μετέστην τοῦ ἐπαινετῶς ζῆν παρὰ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γενάμενος, πεπαλαίωμαι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκείνου παλαιότητα, ο ν ἐκδύσασθαι Παῦλος παραινεῖ (φαῦλος δὲ βίος ου τος), ι ν' ̓Ενδυσώμεθα τὸν νέον α νθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ γνώσει τῆς ἀληθείας, ου τος δέ ἐστιν ὁ βίος ὁ ἀκηλίδωτος. 37 Ps 6,9 Νοήσεις δὲ ταῦτα λέγεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τὴν συσκευὴν αὐτῷ κατεργασαμένους ἀοράτους ἐχθροὺς καὶ πονηρὰς δυνάμεις τὰς διαφθονουμένας τῇ κατὰ θεὸν αὐτοῦ προκοπῇ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιχαιρησικάκως λεγούσας Οὐκ ε στιν σωτηρία αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ. 38 Ps 6,11 ̓Αγαθῆ προθέσει ευ χεται ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν· θέλει γὰρ αὐτοὺς αἰσχυνθῆναι ἐφ' οι ς ε πραττον, δι' α καὶ ἐχθροὶ τῶν δικαίων καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ η σαν. ε σται δὲ τοῦτ' αὐτοῖς ἐπωφελές· ὁ γὰρ ἐξ αἰσθήσεως αἰσχυνθεὶς καὶ ταραχθεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ ἐνεργουμένῃ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κακίᾳ, καταγνοὺς αὐτῆς,

About this text

Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.

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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.