Fragments on the Psalms · §80

The Ears of the Saints and the Horns of Strength

not righteous

They are not the ears of God but the ears of men themselves, just as musicians are said to be men. Musical instructions are heard by the ears of musical men. Therefore, when they say 'to our ears' (Ps 43:11), they are not saying it for any other reason but by distinguishing the common things, they say 'to our ears.' The command 'let the one who hears, let him hear' agrees with this.

Our fathers announced to us; those fathers according to instruction announced the divine things, and the ancestors announced what was done through them. 'Your hand has destroyed and planted them' (Ps 43:3b). Regarding the thought of Israel, after the betraying of the Savior from the hand of God, those from the nations, having been destroyed, were planted by divine instruction in the God-breathed writings. God, having maltreated the people of the circumcision, cast them out from the holy training of the law. But the ones from the nations, having conquered not by a law of war, inherited the land spoken of as peaceful. Nor did their own arm save them, that is, their own work. For they have obtained salvation by grace under your right hand and the arm, that is, of the only-begotten Son. 'And the light that finds your face is illumination' (Ps 43:5b); what you have been pleased to save in them by grace, not by their work, so that they should not boast.

The salvation of Jacob, which shakes off the worthless things, is commanded by God to the holy spirits sent for ministry, for those intending to inherit salvation, so that they may quickly arrive at understanding and give help through themselves. Just as God has granted a horn of protection to certain irrational animals so that they may escape those able to harm them, so the horns of Jesus are powers for the saints, goring their enemies. Therefore, also all animals using horns are considered clean, and the food is brought up upon the divine altar.

'God has turned away from himself' (Ps 43:10), not entirely because of sin, but also because of other things for which He is not the cause. And not everyone turning toward the things behind experiences this; for if someone, leaving the worthless things, flees far away by withdrawing from them, not everyone having turned toward the things behind has left what he left behind.

Greek

ο σιον ἐρεῖ τὸ ̓Ιουδαϊκόν, α νθρωπον δὲ α δικον καὶ δόλιον τὸν ̓Ιούδαν. ἐπιστατέον διὰ τί μὴ ἀνόσιον ἀλλ' οὐχ ο σιον ει πε τὸ ε θνος. τάχα γὰρ μὴ ἀποκόπτων τὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς μετανοίας καὶ διὰ τοῦ οὐχ ο σιον εἰπεῖν αἰνιττόμενος ο τι, εἰ διὰ μετανοίας ἐπιστραφείη, γενήσεται ο σιον. Ps 42,1 Αλλος δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ σωτῆρος παρεισήγαγεν λέγον πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τὰ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ, καὶ ε θνος μὲν οὐχ ο σιον τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους ὀνομάζων, α δικον δὲ καὶ δόλιον τὸν ̓Ιούδαν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐδυνήθη συναρμόσαι τοῖς ἑξῆς τὰ λεγόμενα· πῶς γὰρ οι όν τε η ν αὐτὸν λέγειν· ̓Εξαπόστειλον τὸ φῶς σου καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; 435 Ps 42,3 ̓Επεὶ φῶς ἀληθινὸν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡ ἀλήθεια ει ναί φησιν, οἱ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας α νθρωποι ἐκ τῶν προφητευομένων μαθόντες, ὡς ἐπιλάμψει τὸ φῶς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ, παρεκάλουν ἀποσταλῆναι διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τὸ φῶς καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ο πως ὁδηγηθῶσιν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ο ρος τὸ α γιον, τὸν περὶ τῆς τριάδος ὑψηλότερον λόγον, καὶ τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς. οὐχ ε τερον δὲ τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας κατ' οὐσίαν (ἀμφότερα γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς) ἀλλ' ἐπινοίᾳ μόνῃ· ῃ γὰρ σκιᾶς καὶ ψεύδους ἐλευθεροῖ ἀλήθεια, ῃ δὲ πλάνης καὶ ἀγνοίας φῶς ἐστιν. 436 Ps 42,4a Τὸ Εἰσελεύσομαι οὐ παρέργως ει ρηται· ὁ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ θυσιαστηρίου φαντασίαν τοῦ νοητοῦ λαβὼν ει σεισι πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν θεόν, ἀοράτως ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἀναφέρων θυσίας. 437 Ps 42,4b Πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν εὐφραίνοντα τὴν νεότητά μου, ἀντικειμένως ε χουσαν πρὸς τὸν παλαιὸν α νθρωπον· μόνος γὰρ ὁ πνεύματι καὶ φρονήματι νεάζων συγγενῶς τῷ καινῷ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ τῇ καινότητι τοῦ πνεύματος ει σεισιν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν εὐφραίνοντα τὴν τοιαύτην νεότητα. 438 Ps 43,2.3a Οἱ διαβάλλειν βουλόμενοι τὴν θείαν γραφὴν ὡς οὐκ ἀκριβοῦσαν τὰς φωνὰς καὶ τὰ σημαινόμενα καὶ τῇ παρούσῃ λέξει χρώμενοι τῇ λεγούσῃ ̔Ο θεὸς, ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἡμῶν ἠκούσαμεν, φασίν· Τίς γὰρ ἀκούων οὐχὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἑαυτοῦ ἀκούει; ἐξ αὐτῶν δὲ ω ν διαβάλλειν ἐθέλουσιν τὸν ε λεγχον τῆς σφῶν ἀβελτερίας ε χουσιν. ο γὰρ λέγουσιν οἱ ψάλλοντες τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οἱ λογικῶς ἀκούοντες οὐ τοῖς κοινοῖς ὀργάνοις τῆς αἰσθήσεως ὠσὶν ὀνομαζομένοις ἀκούουσιν ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἰδίοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὠσίν, ὡσεὶ καὶ μουσικοὶ α νδρες ε φασκον· Τοῖς ὠσὶν τῶν μουσικῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ μουσικὰ παιδεύματα ἀκούεται. διὸ κα ν λέγωσιν Τοῖς 87 ὠσὶν ἡμῶν, οὐ πρὸς α λλο τι ἀλλὰ τὰ κοινὰ ἀντιδιαστέλλοντες λέγουσιν τὸ Τοῖς ὠσὶν ἡμῶν. συνᾴδει τούτοις τὸ ̔Ο ε χων ω τα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀνήγγειλαν ἡμῖν. η οἱ κατὰ παίδευσιν πατέρες τὰ θεῖα ἀπήγγειλαν η οἱ πρόγονοι τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς πραχθέντα. ̔Η χείρ σου ε θνη ἐξωλόθρευσεν καὶ κατεφύτευσεν αὐτούς. πρὸς διάνοιαν τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ μετὰ τὸ προδοῦναι τὸν σωτῆρα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ χειρὸς ὀλοθρευθέντες οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν κατηχήσει θείᾳ ἐν ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις γραφαῖς κατεφυτεύθησαν. 439 Ps 43,3b.4 Κακώσας τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς λαοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τῆς ἱερᾶς τοῦ νόμου παιδεύσεως. οὐ νόμῳ δὲ πολέμου νικήσαντες οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύσαντες ἐκληρονόμησαν τὴν ε ναγχος εἰρημένην γῆν. οὐδὲ ὁ βραχίων αὐτῶν ε σωσεν αὐτούς, τουτέστιν ἡ ἐργασία αὐτῶν. χάριτι γὰρ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐσχήκασιν ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς δεξιᾶς καὶ τοῦ βραχίονος, τουτέστι τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ. φωτισμὸς δὲ ὁ φωτίζων πρόσωπόν σου τυγχάνον, ο τι ηὐδόκησας ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῦ σῶσαι αὐτοὺς τῇ χάριτι, οὐκ ἐξ ε ργων αὐτῶν, ι να μὴ καυχήσωνται. 440 Ps 43,5b Τὰς τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ σωτηρίας τοῦ πτερνίζοντος τὰ φαῦλα καθ' α σῴζεται ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἁγίοις πνεύμασιν τοῖς εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλομένοις διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν εἰς ἀντίληψιν χωρῆσαι ταχὺ καὶ τὴν δι' ἑαυτῶν ἐπικουρίαν διδόναι. 441 Ps 43,6a Ωσπερ τισὶν ἀλόγοις ζῴοις ἀμυντήριον κέρας ἀναδέδωκεν ὁ θεὸς ο πως α ν ἀπαλλάξωσιν τὰ βλάπτειν αὐτὰ δυνάμενα, ου τω τοῖς ἁγίοις κέρατα αἱ τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ δυνάμεις εἰσὶν καθ' α ς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν κερατίζουσιν. διὸ καὶ πάντα τὰ ζῷα τὰ κέρασι χρώμενα καθαρὰ ο ντα η ἐπὶ τὸν θεῖον βωμὸν ἀνάγεται η τροφὴ τῇ μερίδι τοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνει. 442 Ps 43,10.11 ̓Απωθεῖται ὁ θεὸς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ πάντως δι' ἁμαρτίας ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' α λλας α ς οι δεν αὐτὸς αἰτίας. οὐ πᾶς δὲ ὁ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀποστρεφόμενος ψεκτῶς τοῦτο ὑφίσταται· εἰ γάρ τις τὰ φαῦλα καταλιπὼν μακρὰν φύγοι ἀποχωρῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ου τος εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω στραφεὶς ἐφ' α καταλέλοιπεν

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.

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  • Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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