The Spiritual Inheritance and the Measuring Line
It will not be so, with myriads of heretics and hypocrites saying it is mere utterance and not having the Holy Spirit of God. For the Savior himself says: 'Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord' (Matt 7:22); and I, he says, will confess to them, 'Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I never knew you' (Matt 7:23). And again: 'Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?' (Luke 6:46). Therefore, the one saying 'Lord Jesus' in the Holy Spirit, not in mere utterance but in diligent work and true disposition, is truly a servant, just as when you hear with the apostles, 'You call me Lord and Teacher, and you say well, for I am so.'
Thus, the one announcing the foregone things by a practical and contemplative life has established an unshakeable pillar crying out, 'If you are my Lord' (Ps 15:2). And since you turn out to be my Lord, I offer you gifts from your own dogmas, not as to one in need; for they, as not having need of our good things, receive them in order to grant back something far more excessive and greater. And not only through things presented sensuously, but also through spiritual things must the voice be presented.
For we perform virtues, as we manage our own bodies through complete temperance. We are what God accepts, not for our own benefit, but as those who ask him to give us the good things from heaven; for for whose grace does God seek human virtue, if not so that he might grant higher things instead of those which we offer to him? The holy ones of God dwell upon his earth (Ps 15:3a). And this heavenly Jerusalem is that in which they have a citizenship in heaven, even as they dwell on earth.
He never says 'not to gather their assemblies,' but 'out of blood' (Ps 15:4bc); nor does he say 'not to remember their names,' but 'through my lips' (Ps 15:4bc). Perhaps, when there are some gathering assemblies out of blood, pouring them out to harm those gathered, he is himself benefiting, rather vivifying those who are called, gathering them not out of blood but out of immortality, remembering their characteristics, not out of superficiality but having depth of disposition. It will also be said thus: even if many prophets and apostles were killed, their blood being poured out, it is not in these many blood-offerings that the truth lies.
I will gather the assemblies of them, but only into the one single eye of the spotless and unblemished Christ; for this honor is given, so that they might be liberated from their vain, ancestral conduct. Concerning those who have been thus liberated, he will remember not by word alone, but by deep insight. Ps 15:5a He who has become above all the world possesses no other portion and inheritance than God; for everyone must renounce all things, so that one might be able to say, 'My portion is God unto the age of ages.' And as for the seed of the inheritance, it is also the cup that brings joy to the righteous portion, the Lord.
It is worth observing how the Lord becomes a cup for someone. Never does he provide moral instruction and thereby nourish the man in secret, becoming bread, supporting the heart of the eater; but he is also a cup according to the theory of truth, providing joy to the one drinking through the agreement of the illumination of knowledge. This cup is provided by the true vine so that the mind might be made to drink and be made glad, as one might graciously say, 'Esau has taken joy into my heart.' Ps 15:6 And you will understand thus: he who has God harmoniously and his possessions will enjoy.
For he who has the Lord as a portion of the inheritance and his possessions will enjoy, saying, 'You are the one restoring my inheritance to me'; but he does not restore this, saying, 'Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you'; for if he is the same, he says, 'My portion is in the land of the living.' Regarding this spiritual inheritance, given by analogy to faith and excellent life to the heirs, it is fitting that the measuring line fell upon me among the best; for the cord is a symbol of measure and lot.
Indeed, concerning the sensible earth, into which the Hebrews were led by Joshua the son of Nun, being divided, it has been written many times: 'And the cord fell upon the tribe of Judah, and upon Reuben, the other of the twelve, upon this climate, the eastern one, and another past this.' Having observed these things, he who says, 'The measuring line fell upon me among the best,' demonstrates that good things were distributed to him, having entered into the best parts of the inheritance, which his lot shows through these spiritual geometric cords.
Greek
οὐκ ε σται, μυρίων αἱρετικῶν καὶ ὑποκριτῶν λεγόντων ψιλὴν τὴν προφορὰν καὶ οὐ δήπου πνεῦμα α γιον ἐχόντων. φησὶν γοῦν αὐτὸς ὁ σωτήρ· Πολλοὶ ἐροῦσίν μοι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ Κύριε κύριε· κἀγώ, φησίν, ὁμολογήσω αὐτοῖς ̓Αποχωρεῖτε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἐργάται ἀνομίας, οὐδέποτε ὑμᾶς ε γνων. καὶ πάλιν· Τί με λέγετε Κύριε κύριε καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε α λέγω; ὡς τοίνυν ὁ λέγων κύριον ̓Ιησοῦν ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ οὐ ψιλῇ προφορᾷ ἀλλ' ε ργῳ σπουδαίῳ καὶ διαθέσει ἀληθῶς δοῦλός ἐστιν, ὡς ἀκοῦσαι μετὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ̔Υμεῖς φωνεῖτέ με ̔Ο κύριος καὶ ̔Ο διδάσκαλος καὶ καλῶς λέγετε, εἰμὶ γάρ· ου τως ὁ τὰ προκείμενα ἀπαγγέλλων πρακτικῷ καὶ θεωρητικῷ βίῳ ῳ ε στησεν ἀκατάλυτον στήλην βοᾷ Ει πα τῷ κυρίῳ Κύριός μου ει σύ. Καὶ ἐπεὶ κύριός μου τυγχάνεις, ἐκ τῶν σῶν δογμάτων προσάγω σοι δῶρα οὐχ ὡς ἐνδεεῖ η χρῄζοντι· οι δα γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ε χων χρείαν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀγαθῶν δέχῃ αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τῷ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν πλείονα καὶ μείζονα χαρίσασθαι. οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶς προσαγομένων ἀλλὰ καὶ πνευματικῶς προσενεκτέα ἡ φωνή. καὶ γὰρ ἀρετὰς ἱερουργοῦμεν, κα ν τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα διὰ παντελῶς σωφροσύνης. ι σμεν ο τι δέχεται αὐτὰ ὁ θεός, οὐκ εἰς ἰδίαν ὠφέλειαν ἀλλ' ο πως ἡμῖν δῷ τὰ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἀγαθὰ αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν· τίνος γὰρ χάριν ζητεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀρετήν, οὐχ ι να τὰ ἐπάξια χαρίσηται ἀνθ' ω ν αὐτῷ προσηγάγομεν; 92 Ps 15,3a Οἱ θεοῦ α γιοι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ διατρίβουσιν. ε στι δὲ αυ τη ἡ ἐπουράνιος ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἐφ' η ν γίνονται ἐν οὐρανῷ τὸ πολίτευμα ε χοντες, κα ν ἐν γῇ ε τι διατρίβωσιν. 93 Ps 15,4bc Οὐ καθάπαξ λέγει μὴ συνάξειν τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν ἀλλ' ̓Εξ αἱμάτων· οὐδ' ἀπολελυμένως λέγει μὴ μνησθήσεσθαι τῶν ὀνομάτων αὐτῶν ἀλλ' η ∆ιὰ χειλέων μου. μήποτ' ου ν ἐπεί εἰσίν τινες συνάγοντες συναγωγὰς ἐξ αἱμάτων, ἐκχέοντες αὐτὰς διὰ τοῦ βλάπτειν τοὺς συναγομένους, αὐτὸς ὠφελῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ζωοποιῶν τοὺς προκαλουμένους, οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀθανασίας συνάγει αὐτούς, τῶν προσηγοριῶν αὐτῶν μεμνημένος οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς ἀλλ' διαθέσεως βάθος ἐχούσης. Λελέξεται καὶ ου τως· εἰ καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπεκτάνθησαν προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι, ἐκχυθέντος τοῦ αι ματος αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτοις τοῖς πολλοῖς αι μασιν συνάξω τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν ἀλλ' ̣ μόνῳ ἑνὶ αι ματι ἀμνοῦ ἀμώμου καὶ ἀσπίλου Χριστοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ τιμὴ δέδοται, ι να λυτρωθῶσιν ἐκ τῆς ματαίας πατροπαραδότου αὐτῶν ἀναστροφῆς. τῶν ου τω λελυτρωμένων μεμνήσεται οὐ προφορᾷ μόνῃ ἀλλὰ βαθείᾳ νοήσει. 94 Ps 15,5a ̔Ο ἀνωτέρω παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου γεγονὼς διαθέσει οὐδὲν ε τερον μερίδα καὶ κληρονομίαν ε χει η τὸν θεόν· ο θεν πᾶσιν ἀποτακτέον ι ν' εἰπεῖν δυνηθῇ τις Μερίς μου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. ω σπερ δὲ τῆς κληρονομίας, ου τω καὶ τοῦ ποτηρίου τοῦ εὐφραίνοντος τὸν δίκαιον μερίς ἐστιν ὁ κύριος. α ξιον θεωρῆσαι πῶς ποτήριον ὁ κύριος γίνεταί τινος. μήποτ' ου ν ἠθικὴν διδασκαλίαν παρέχων καὶ ταύτῃ τρέφων τὸν ἐν κρυπτῷ α νθρωπον 26 α ρτος γίνεται, στηρίζων τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἐσθίοντος· ω ν καὶ ποτήριον κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας, παρέχων εὐφροσύνην τῷ πίνοντι διὰ συγκαταθέσεως τὸν φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως. τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον πρὸς τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀμπέλου χορηγεῖται ἐπὶ τῷ ποτισθῆναι καὶ εὐφρανθῆναι τὸν νοῦν, ὡς χαριστηρίως εἰπεῖν τὸν μετειληφότα Εδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς καρδίαν μου. 95 Ps 15,6 Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ου τως· ὁ θεὸν ε χων ἁρμονίως καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ ε ξει. ο θεν ὁ τὸν κύριον μερίδα τῆς κληρονομίας ε χων καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀπολαύσει, λέγων· Σὺ ει ὁ ἀποκαθιστῶν τὴν κληρονομίαν μου ἐμοί· η οὐκ ἀποκαθίστησιν ταύτην, φάσκων· ∆εῦτε, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν; ει ποι δὲ ὁ αὐτός· Μερίς μου ει ἐν γῇ ζώντων. τῆς ου τως πνευματικῆς κληρονομίας πρὸς ἀναλογίαν πίστεως καὶ ἀρίστου βίου διδομένης τοῖς κληρονόμοις, εἰκότως ἐπενήνεκται τὸ Σχοινία ἐπέπεσάν μοι ἐν τοῖς κρατίστοις· σύμβολον δὲ μέτρου καὶ κλήρου τὸ σχοινίον. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς γῆς, εἰς η ν εἰσήχθησαν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ τοῦ Ναυὴ οἱ ̔Εβραῖοι, μεριζομένης, πολλάκις ἀναγέγραπται· Επεσεν δὲ τὸ σχοινίον τῇ φυλῇ ̓Ιούδα η ̔Ρουβὶν η ἑτέρουτινὸς τῶν δώδεκα ἐπὶ τόδε τὸ κλίμα, τὸ ἀνατολικὸν φέρε η α λλο παρὰ τοῦτο. τούτων ω δε τεθεωρημένων ὁ λέγων· Σχοινία ἐπέπεσάν μοι ἐν τοῖς κρατίστοις, παρίστησιν ὡς ἀγαθὰ αὐτῷ ἐμερίσθη, εἰς τὰ κράτιστα τῆς κληρονομίας ἐλθόντος τοῦ κλήρου αὐτοῦ, ο ν δηλοῖ διὰ τῶν πνευματικῶν τούτων γεωμετρικῶν σχοινίων.
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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.