The corruption of the soul and the loss of divine knowledge
He has loftily enlightened the eyes, so that no one might see the death of the soul. He, having come to visit and having looked upon, ceased the pain; but when the psalmist has been made upright, the blessed gift is a victorious song, saying: 'I will sing to the Lord who has done good to me, and I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High' (Ps 109:1). Having truly learned what is said well by the Lord toward those who pray, while He is still speaking to you, I will say: 'Behold, I am here.' And He says these things to those who are present. Having happened to experience what I requested, therefore, through each goodness occurring to us, let us hymn, and let us also say the set hymn, not by contemplation alone but also by singing; for contemplation signifies the seeing, and singing signifies practical energy.
The foolish one lacks not common concepts, but the companionship of skill, rather the one of the virtues, wisdom, concerning which it is written: 'He who acquires wisdom loves himself, and he who guards wisdom will find good things' (Prov 3:7). But what is the natural companionship? The word declares, as if he is not obeying anyone but says in his own heart, 'There is no God' (Ps 10:4). For no one received the words concerning the denial of God. Almost all men, having an unswerving thought concerning God, the first verse has much familiarity, as has been said concerning the devil. For even he is not to anyone, but 'In his own mind': 'I will ascend to heaven, above the stars of heaven I will set my throne; I will be like the Most High' (Ps 108:21).
But as he who knows God keeps His word and turns His commandments into work, not so does everyone sinning, who comes to this by not knowing God; for John writes, that everyone sinning is far from having the knowledge of God, that everyone sinning has not seen Him nor known Him (1 John 3:9). Having cast out from the soul the piety which was preceding and ruling the virtues,. Text ends abruptly..
Having space for it, one possesses virtues. But if the intellect is weak, it would be clear if it were to happen from the writings concerning the sons of Eli (1 Sam 2); for they, not knowing the Lord, proven plagues, were sinning, but rather they were impious regarding the priestly service, corrupting the duties of both the law and godliness.
The following will be taken and what is announced in Jeremiah (Jer 31:37) likewise: Offspring upon offspring, deceit upon deceit; all are committing adultery, a gathering of those breaking covenants, what has come out from evil into evil; but 'me he did not fear,' says the Lord. For how will it not be that, having ignorance of God, they are transgressors of his laws? These things being considered generally, it persuades that one has God in memory, so that we may be praised in duties, pursuing them with incorruptible intention.
Among those who have been defiled by corrupting the duties, no one doing goodness is found; for all are wicked, all goodness having been cut off because of hardness of heart (Ps 13:4–5). As wisdom will not enter into a craftily-made soul, nor does it dwell in a body guilty of sin, likewise he who works lawlessness does not receive divine knowledge; for no one sinning sees or knows God, according to that which is written in the Epistle of John (1 John). But he who desires to be a knower sows into righteousness, reaps the fruit of life, and will thus enlighten himself with the light of knowledge.
And since the enemies of the people of God are workers of lawlessness, as if to devour him, they are deprived of the knowledge of God; and someone, preferring to devour and harm him, acts according to: 'Bite each other and devour each other; see that you are not consumed by one another' (Lev 26:22). And in Isaiah (Isa 9:5) it is written likewise: 'Syria from the rising of the sun and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, devouring Israel with a maw of mouth.' But if ever they are able to devour the people of God delivered to them, they shall suffer judgment through sin; for Holy Israel belongs to the Lord.
Greek
ὑπερηφάνως, ἐφώτισεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ι να μή τις ι δῃ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς θάνατον. ου τος ἐπιδημήσας ἐπιβλέψας η κουσεν, ὀδύνην ε παυσεν· ω ν κατορθωθέντων ὁ εὐπαθὼν χαριστήριον ἐπινίκιον ᾠδὴν ᾳ δει λέγων· Αισω τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ εὐεργετήσαντί με καὶ ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ὑψίστου. Πραγματικῶς μαθὼν τὸ πρὸς τοὺς εὐχομένους καλῶς λεγόμενον ὑπὸ κυρίου Ετι σοῦ λαλοῦντος ἐρῶ· ̓Ιδοὺ πάρειμι. λέγει δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς συνόντας η δη. εὐπέπονθα τυχὼν ω ν ᾐτησάμην, ο θεν Ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ὑψίστου. διὸ ἐφ' ἑκάστης εὐεργεσίας γινομένης εἰς ἡμᾶς ὑμνῶμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν προκείμενον υ μνον λέγοντες, μὴ θεωρίᾳ μόνῃ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ψάλλειν· θεωρίαν γὰρ τὸ ᾳ δειν, ἐνέργειαν δὲ πρακτικὴν τὸ ψάλλειν δηλοῖ. 82 Ps 13,1 Αφρων δὲ οὐ κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν λειπόμενος η τῆς σὺν δεινότητι ἐντρεχείας, ἀλλὰ τῆς μιᾶς τῶν ἀρετῶν φρονήσεως, περὶ η ς γέγραπται· ̔Ο κτώμενος φρόνησιν ἀγαπᾷ ἑαυτόν, καὶ ὁ φυλάσσων φρόνησιν εὑρήσει ἀγαθά. ο τι δὲ ει χεν τὴν φυσικὴν ἐντρέχειαν, παρίστησιν ἡ λέξις δηλοῦσα ὡς οὐκ εἰς ὑπήκοόν τινων ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῶν καρδίᾳ λέγει μὴ ει ναι θεόν. ῃ δει γὰρ ο τι οὐδεὶς ἐδέχετο τοὺς περὶ ἀρνήσεως θεοῦ λόγους. πάντων σχεδὸν ἀνθρώπων ἀδιάστροφον τὴν περὶ θεοῦ ε ννοιαν ἐχόντων, ε χει πολλὴν οἰκειότητα ὁ πρῶτος στίχος ὡς εἰρημένος περὶ διαβόλου. καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος οὐ τινὶ η τισιν ει πεν ἀλλ' ̓Εν διανοίᾳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ· Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν α στρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου· ε σομαι ο μοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ. ω σπερ δὲ ὁ γνῶσιν ε χων θεοῦ τηρεῖ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ εἰς ε ργα μεταβάλλει, ου τω πᾶς ἁμαρτάνων ἀγνοῶν θεὸν εἰς τοῦτο ε ρχεται· γράφει γοῦν ̓Ιωάννης, ὡς πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων μακράν ἐστιν τοῦ ε χειν γνῶσιν θεοῦ, ὡς Πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων οὐχ ἑόρακεν αὐτὸν οὐδ' ε γνωκεν αὐτόν. ἐκβαλὼν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν προύχουσαν καὶ βασιλεύουσαν τῶν ἀρετῶν εὐσέβειαν, συναναχωρούσας αὐτῇ ε χει τὰς ἀρετάς. ο τι δὲ αυ τη ἡ νόησις ε ρρωται, δῆλον α ν γένοιτο ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων περὶ τῶν υἱῶν ̓Ηλί· οὐκ εἰδότες γὰρ ου τοι τὸν κύριον, λοιμοὶ ἀποδεδειγμένοι, ἡμάρτανον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἠσέβουν περὶ τὴν ἱερουργίαν, διαφθείροντες ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν τοῖς τῆς νομοθεσίας τε καὶ θεοσεβείας. λήψει τὰ προκείμενα καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐν ̔Ιερεμίᾳ ἀπαγγελλόμενα ου τως· Τόκος ἐπὶ τόκον, δόλος ἐπὶ δόλον· πάντες μοιχῶνται, σύνοδος ἀθετούντων, ο τι ἐκ κακῶν εἰς κακὰ ἐξῆλθον· ἐμὲ δὲ οὐκ ῃ δεισαν, λέγει κύριος. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ε μελλον, α γνοιαν θεοῦ ε χοντες, παραβάται ει ναι τῶν νόμων αὐτοῦ; Ταῦτα καθόλου θεωρούμενα πείθει διὰ μνήμης ε χειν θεόν, ι να ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἐπαινετοὶ ἀποδειχθῶμεν, ἀφθάρτῳ προθέσει αὐτὰ μεταδιώκοντες. ̓Εν τοῖς βδελυχθεῖσιν τῷ διαφθείρειν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν οὐδεὶς ποιῶν χρηστότητα εὑρίσκεται· πάντες γάρ εἰσιν πονηροί, πᾶσαν χρηστότητα ἐκτμηθέντες διὰ σκληρότητα καρδίας. 83 Ps 13,4–5 ̔Ως Εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία οὐδὲ κατοικεῖ ἐν σώματι καταχρέῳ ἁμαρτίας, ου τως οὐ δέχεται γνῶσιν θείαν ὁ ε τι ἀνομίας ἐργαζόμενος· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἁμαρτάνων ὁρᾷ η γινώσκει θεόν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐν τῇ ̓Ιωάννου ἐπιστολῇ· ο θεν ὁ γνωστικὸς ει ναι ποθῶν σπείρει εἰς δικαιοσύνην, τρυγᾷ καρπὸν ζωῆς, ι ν' ου τω φωτίσῃ ἑαυτῷ φῶς γνώσεως. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐργάται ἀνομίας τυγχάνουσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς κατεσθίειν αὐτὸν οι α α ρτον, γνώσεως θεοῦ στεροῦνται· κατεσθίει δέ τίς τινα βλάπτειν αὐτὸν προτιθέμενος, κατὰ τὸ ̓Αλλήλους δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε· βλέπετε μὴ ὑπὸ ἀλλήλων ἀναλωθῆτε. καὶ ἐν ̔Ησαίᾳ δὲ γέγραπται ου τως· Συρίαν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν καὶ τοὺς Ελληνας ἀφ' ἡλίου δυσμῶν τοὺς κατεσθίοντας τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ο λῳ τῷ στόματι. πλὴν κα ν ποτε δυνηθῶσιν κατεσθίειν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λαὸν παραδοθέντα αὐτοῖς, δι' ἁμαρτίας δίκην ὑφέξουσι· Αγιος γὰρ ̓Ισραὴλ τῷ κυρίῳ,
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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