The Divine Calling and the Protection of Angels
We wait for a protector upon it with the soul, that is, from the depth of the intellect. Perhaps even those unable to benefit themselves before the arrival will wait with expectation for the coming helper and protector Savior. And in him our heart will rejoice.
Others are gladdened by something temporary, pouring out the soul, while others of these are absent; but we possess divine and eternal joy in the Lord, having not a bodily well-being but of mind and heart. Therefore we also hope in his holy name, praying that he might take part in sanctifying us, becoming a cause for us.
Just as those cast into the furnace in Babylon (Ps 33:4), praising God for not being burned by the fire, received all creation into this, knowing they were not sufficient for something so far off (for great is the praising of God); so also he who says 'Magnify the Lord with me' (Ps 34:3) wants all creation to join in this with the gentle ones. But to magnify God is not to increase his magnitude (for he is immeasurable; this is a matter of bodies, but God is incorporeal), but to think of the great things not as being toward him, but toward us, and to speak about him.
And those prepared with the same mind and the same purpose exalt his name. And the approach of God is exalted toward the created things, not rising from the lowly, but rather those who think of it do not fall to the ground, but contemplate high and heavenly things. For as they profane the name of God, not by the name itself becoming unholy, but by those surrounding it acting and thinking profanely, so also it is sanctified from our actions; for God the Savior says this also, teaching in the prayer 'Hallowed be thy name' (Matt 6:9), not of his name itself becoming holy by itself from being not holy. For it is necessary that it be hallowed in us by those who think and act holily. And so also the discourse concerning God...
The calling of God is a precise thing according to the thought of God. We possess it being sanctified, performing all things according to holiness. For most sons of men are in error and ignorance, the calling of God seems in a way to be pulling them in a way they should not. Some have called idols gods and their own belly.
Since 'I sought and He answered me' (Ps 33:5a) is given, it is clear what seeking and calling implies; since not only in name does one fulfill the things of a prayer, but also having sought the Lord with right mind and pure life through all these things, He found him answering. 'And from all my troubles He rescued me' (Ps 33:5b) is carried as 'And from all my wanderings He rescued me.'
Since 'The Lord is true light, he who approaches Him partakes of His light' (Ps 33:6), having been enlightened, having taken on much boldness, he possesses an unashamed face. The Spirit commands one to approach the Lord volitionally, so that having been enlightened, we may cast away all shame from the face of the soul.
Here he calls 'poor' the one not able to save himself from the present troubles (Ps 33:7). And all of us possess this poverty, so that he speaks very much about one needing salvation from God.
If he here denotes those fearing the Lord who have the spirit of slavery (Ps 33:8), we shall not say that angels are not surrounding them to rescue them from those intending to harm, just as even the little ones of those believing upon the Savior have angels, seeing the face of the Father in the heavens, having God, the perfect, in communion. If we take the perfect ones who fear God to have an angel placed around them to rescue them, we shall say nothing other than the angel of the great purpose of God the Savior. Following this is that which is said by Jacob: 'The angel who rescues me from all my evils; from all...'
Greek
ὑπερασπιστὴν ο ντα ἐπ' αὐτῷ ὑπομένομεν τῇ ψυχῇ τουτέστιν ἀπὸ βάθους διανοίας. 70 τάχα δὲ καὶ οἱ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ἑαυτοῖς ἀρήγειν μὴ δυνάμενοι ὑπομενοῦσιν τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τὸν ἐσόμενον βοηθὸν καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν σωτῆρα. Καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ εὐφρανθήσεται ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν. α λλοι ἐπί τινι τῶν προσκαίρων εὐφραίνονται διαχεόμενοι τὴν ψυχὴν ο τ' α ν τι τούτων παρῇ, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ τὴν θείαν καὶ αἰωνίαν εὐφροσύνην ε χομεν, οὐ σωματικὴν εὐπάθειαν ἀλλὰ νοῦ καὶ καρδίας ε χοντες. διὸ Καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ ἐλπίζομεν, εὐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ μεταλαβεῖν ἁγιασμοῦ ἡμῖν αἰτίου ἐσομένου. 307 Ps 33,4 Ωσπερ οἱ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ βληθέντες ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ βεβλάφθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς θεὸν ὑμνοῦντες, πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν παρέλαβον εἰς τοῦτο, εἰδότες μὴ αὐτάρκεις ει ναι πρὸς τηλικοῦτον (μέγα γὰρ τὸ θεὸν ὑμνεῖν)· ου τω καὶ ὁ λέγων Μεγαλύνατε τὸν κύριον σὺν ἐμοὶ η πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν η τοὺς πραεῖς συνδραμεῖν τούτῳ βούλεται. τὸ δὲ μεγαλύναι τὸν θεὸν οὐκ αὐξῆσαι μέγεθός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ (ἀμεγέθης γάρ· σωμάτων ι διον τοῦτο, ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἀσώματος), ἀλλὰ τὸ μεγάλα οὐχ ὡς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς φρονῆσαι καὶ εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ. ̔Υψοῦσι δὲ τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ οἱ κατηρτισμένοι τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ. ὑψοῦται δὲ πρὸς τῶν γενητῶν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ προσηγορία οὐκ ἐκ ταπεινοῦ μετεωριζομένη, ἀλλ' ο ταν οἱ φρονοῦντες αὐτὴν μηδὲν χαμαιπετὲς ἀλλὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ οὐράνια διανοῶνται. ὡς γὰρ βεβηλοῦσιν τὸ ο νομα τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ αὐτοῦ χραινομένου ὀνόματος ἀλλ' ο σον ἐπὶ τοὺς περικειμένους βέβηλα πράττοντας καὶ φρονοῦντας, ου τω καὶ ἁγιάζεται ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐνεργημάτων· ο θεν ὁ σωτὴρ πρὸς ἑτέροις καὶ τοῦτο λέγει, ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ διδάσκων τὸ ̔Αγιασθήτω τὸ ο νομά σου, οὐκ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὀνόματος καθ' ἑαυτὸ ἐκ μὴ ἁγίου ἁγίου γινομένου. εὐκτέον γὰρ ἁγιασθῆναι αὐτὸ ἐν ἡμῖν ω ν ἁγίως νοοῦσι καὶ πράττουσι. καὶ ου τως ἡ περὶ θεοῦ διάληψις η ν κατ' ε ννοιαν θεοῦ ἠκριβωμένην ε χομεν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ προσηγορία ἐστίν. ταύτην ἁγιαζομένην ε ξομεν, ο ταν καθ' ἁγιότητα πάντα ἐπιτελῶμεν. ο σον γὰρ ἐν πλάνῃ καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ ε νιοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰσίν, ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ προσηγορία τρόπον τινὰ χραίνεται, ἑλκομένη ἐφ' α μὴ δεῖ. θεοὺς γοῦν ἀγάλματα καὶ τὴν σφῶν κοιλίαν ἐκάλεσάν τινες. 308 Ps 33,5a ̓Επεὶ τῷ ̓Εξεζήτησα τὸ ̓Επήκουσέν μου ἀνταπεδόθη, σαφὲς ο τι τὸ ἐκζητῆσαι καὶ παρακαλέσαι δηλοῖ· η ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνῳ ὀνόματι ἐπιτελεῖ τὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀλλὰ καὶ φρονήσει ὀρθῇ καὶ βίῳ καθαρῷ διὰ πάντων τούτων ἐκζητήσας τὸν κύριον, ε σχεν αὐτὸν ἐπινεύοντα. 309 Ps 33,5b Καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων ἐρρύσατό με. φέρεται Καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν παροικιῶν μου ἐρρύσατό με. 310 Ps 33,6 ̓Επεὶ φῶς ἀληθινὸν ὁ κύριος, ὁ προσερχόμενος αὐτῷ μεταλαμβάνων αὐτοῦ φωτίζεται· φωτισθεὶς δὲ πολλὴν παρρησίαν ἀναλαβὼν ἀκαταίσχυντον ε χει τὸ πρόσωπον. προστάττει δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα προαιρετικῶς προσελθεῖν τῷ κυρίῳ, ι να φωτισθέντες τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς πρόσωπον πᾶσαν αἰσχύνην ἀποβάλωμεν. 311 Ps 33,7 Πτωχὸν ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ τὸν μὴ δυνάμενον ἐκ τῶν παρουσῶν θλίψεων ἑαυτὸν σῶσαι. πάντες δὲ ταύτην τὴν πτωχείαν ε χομεν, ω στε περὶ παντὸς λέγει χρῄζοντος ἐκ θεοῦ σωτηρίας. 312 Ps 33,8 Εἰ φοβουμένους τὸν κύριον τοὺς τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς δουλείας ε χοντας ἐνταῦθα δηλοῖ, ἀγγέλων ου τοι περικυκλούντων αὐτοὺς δέονται ῥυομένων αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν βλάπτειν βουλομένων, ω σπερ καὶ οἱ μικροὶ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἀγγέλους ε χουσιν συνόντας ὁρῶντας τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς πατρός, τῶν τελείων τὸν θεὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐχόντων συνόντα. εἰ δὲ τελείους ἐκλαμβάνοιμεν τοὺς θεὸν φοβουμένους, παρεμβαλόντα κύκλῳ αὐτῶν α γγελον ἐπὶ τῷ ῥύεσθαι αὐτοὺς οὐκ α λλον ἐροῦμεν η τὸν τῆς μεγάλης βουλῆς α γγελον τοῦ θεοῦ σωτῆρα. τούτῳ ἀκόλουθον καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ ̓Ιακὼβ λεγόμενον· ̔Ο α γγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν μου· ἐκ πάντων
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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- 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.