Fragments on the Psalms · §91

The Integrity of the Heart and Speech

They have become previously unfruitful, for the grove is a symbol of this. But also the cattle, being like the sheep of Christ, and the oxen who have gone up over your fence—that is, trampling the shadow of the law in the dogmas of the gospel (because of the height they do not reach)—are our own possession. Does Paul say that the care of the oxen matters to God, he who sets forth the law concerning the ox in the books? Or is he speaking certainly about us? But also the souls that have become lofty, being winged by right thoughts and activities, are being called things of the heaven; for I know them, for I know those who belong to me.

The good land that has received the seed, that is, a right heart, having cast the seed thrown by Jesus and having borne fruit, a hundred and sixty, thirty, possessing a full and ripe fruit, is the beauty of the field, not far from the sower; for he says, 'The beauty of the field is with me' (Ps 49:11b). The Savior hungers for the salvation of some; as for the lack of concern for the salvation of the Samaritan woman, he says to the disciples, 'I have food to eat which you do not know' (John 6:32), and 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me' (John 4:34). Since those coming from circumcision approach him with the sensible worship of the shadow as one starving, he says, 'If I hunger, it is not for you'; for the glorious church, which has become mine, is inhabiting the world and its fullness. And the fullness of it is the gospel, not the type, the shadow. Being nourished by the fullness of the Gentiles, I will not demand from you food according to the shadow; but if you wish to have me as your God who heals with the Spirit, sacrifice to me a sacrifice of praise, of thanksgivings and theologizing; for these I receive as offerings; for I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Ps 49:14).

He is the same God who is both Most High and a deliverer from distress (Ps 49:14). Regarding praise, he says to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving that befit you, and regarding prayers, the promises; for he says both in the first and twentieth Psalm, 'I will render my thanksgivings in the presence of those who fear him' (Ps 49:12). Since praise is not beautiful in the mouth of a sinner (Ps 49:16), God strikes the one sinning, saying, 'Why do you not recount my righteous decrees, so that you may fulfill them, and why do you take up the...'

Did you receive my covenant in your mouth? For it is necessary that, having received it in your heart and having imprinted the thoughts according to it upon yourself, you would not utter the words of my covenant in this way. To this, the one proclaiming 'do you steal?' agrees, and the following (Ps 49:18–21).

And regarding the mind, 'you will think and not thus'; if ever you were observing someone stealing the will of the truth with heterodox opinion, you were agreeing and running together with him; but also those attempting to commit adultery with the bride of Christ, to draw the ecclesiastical souls toward them, by being of like mind with them or not turning away from those committing adultery, you are placing your part with them. You say this word is fitting for those who are indeed ecclesiastical, but for those coming into fellowship who are not ecclesiastical men.

'Your mouth has increased wickedness.' He who is ignorant of the good but does the evil, he sins; but he who, after knowing the good, sins, is rebuked for wickedness; therefore also the servant who knew the will of his master and does not do it will be beaten much. And it can be 'not thus'; because having taken up the covenant of God through the mouth, if the heart is full of sin, from the abundance of a wicked heart, being in the mouth, it increases in wickedness, just as through his tongue he is wise to entangle with deceits the heretical words that are sophisms.

'Sitting against your brother you have spoken, and against the son of your mother you have set a stumbling block.' Regarding the word 'brother', one can be of like mind and of the same fatherland; but regarding 'son of a mother', one is of the same womb and not from the father. He who is not thus toward brothers, what other can he be able to love?

And regarding the mind: since the word is toward a Jew, perceptibly offering burnt offerings and sacrifices to God, regarding this it must be said to be spoken in the presence of God, 'Sitting'. O you, regarding the letter of the law, you speak against your brother who is according to the spirit of the law and living by it; and you are also against the one who is the son of your mother; for from the same intention the spirit and the letter of the law were issued. And you scandalize the son of the mother, having set a stumbling block and a scandal, the circumcision which is a way of shadow and flesh. Having done these things, and

Greek

γεγένηνται τὸ πρότερον ἀκαρπίᾳ συνόντες· ταύτης γὰρ σύμβολον ὁ δρυμός. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κτήνη οἱονεὶ πρόβατα Χριστοῦ καὶ οἱ βόες οἱ ὑπεραναβάντες σου τὸν οι κον, τουτέστιν τὴν τοῦ νόμου σκιὰν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι τοῦ εὐαγγελίου (διὰ τὸ υ ψος ο ρεσιν ου σι) διατρίβοντες κτῆμα ἡμέτερόν εἰσιν. Παῦλος ου ν βοῦς ω ν τῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ο ρη τὸν περὶ βοὸς ἐκθέμενος νόμον ἐπήγαγεν τὸ Μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ θεῷ; η πάντως περὶ ἡμῶν λέγει; ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ ὑψιπέτεις γενόμεναι ψυχαί, ἑπτερωμέναι νοήσεσι καὶ ἐνεργείαις ὀρθαῖς, πετεινὰ οὐρανοῦ χρηματίζουσιν α ε γνωκα ἐγώ· γινώσκων γάρ εἰμι τοὺς ο ντας ἐμούς. 525 Ps 49,11b ̔Η δεξαμένη ἀγαθὴ γῆ, τουτέστι καρδία ὀρθή, τὸν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ βαλλόμενον σπόρον καὶ καρποφορήσασα ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα τριάκοντα τὸν πλήρη καὶ ω ριμον καρπὸν ε χουσα ὡραιότης ἐστὶν ἀγροῦ, οὐ μακρὰν ου σα τοῦ σπορέως· αὐτὸς γάρ φησιν ̔Ωραιότης ἀγροῦ μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστιν. 526 Ps 49,12 Πεινᾷ ὁ σωτὴρ τήν τινων σωτηρίαν, ω σπερ ἀμέλει περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς Σαμαρείτιδος πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς φησιν ̓Εγὼ βρῶσιν ε χω φαγεῖν η ν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οι δατε, καὶ ̓Εμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν ι να ποιήσω τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με. ἐπεὶ ου ν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐρχόμενοι τῆς σκιᾶς ὡς πεινῶντι αὐτῷ προσάγουσι τὰς αἰσθητὰς λατρείας, φησὶν ̓Εὰν πεινάσω, οὐ μή σοι ει πω· ε χω γὰρ κτῆμά μου γεγενημένην τὴν ε νδοξον ἐκκλησίαν οἰκουμένην χρηματίζουσαν καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. πλήρωμα δ' αὐτῆς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ου τύπος ἡ σκιά. τρεφόμενος ου ν τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν, οὐκ ἀπαιτήσω σε κατὰ σκιὰν τροφήν· εἰ δὲ θέλεις με τῷ ο ντι θεραπεύειν θεόν σου τυγχάνοντα, θῦσόν μοι θυσίαν αἰνέσεως αἰνῶν καὶ θεολογῶν· ταύτας γὰρ δέχομαι τὰς προσφοράς· Ελεον γὰρ θέλω η θυσίαν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ η ὁλοκαυτώματα. 527 Ps 49,14 ̔Ο αὐτός ἐστι θεός τε καὶ υ ψιστος καὶ ῥυόμενος ἀπὸ θλίψεως. αἰνέσεως δὲ λέγει θυσίαν τοὺς δικαίους πρέποντας υ μνους, εὐχὰς δὲ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις· ου τω γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ καὶ εἰκοστῷ λέγει ψαλμῷ Τὰς εὐχάς μου ἀποδώσω ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν. 528 Ps 49,16 ̓Επεὶ οὐχ ὡραῖος αι νος ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ, τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι ἐπιπλήττει ὁ θεὸς φάσκων Ινα τί διηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου α ἐπιτελεῖν οὐ θέλεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ινα τί ἀναλαμβάνεις τὴν διαθήκην μου διὰ στόματος; ε δει γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ σου αὐτὴν δεξάμενον καὶ τυπώσαντά σου κατ' αὐτὴν τὰς νοήσεις ου τω προφέρειν τοὺς λόγους τῆς διαθήκης μου. τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ ̔Ο κηρύττων μὴ κλέπτειν κλέπτεις; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 529 Ps 49,18–21 Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν νοήσεις καὶ ου τως· ει ποτε ἐθεώρεις ἑτεροδόξῳ γνώμῃ κλέπτοντα τὸ βούλημα τῆς ἀληθείας, συναινῶν συνέτρεχες αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μοιχεύειν πειρωμένους τὴν Χριστοῦ νύμφην τῷ περισπᾶν εἰς αὐτοὺς 99 τὰς ἐκκλησιαστικὰς ψυχὰς ὁμογνωμονῶν αὐτοῖς η μὴ ἐκτρεπόμενος αὐτοὺς μετὰ τῶν μοιχῶν ο ντων τὴν μερίδα σου ἐτίθεις, ἁρμόζειν ἐρεῖς τὴν λέξιν ταύτην τοῖς ἐπαγγελλομένοις μὲν ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς ει ναι, εἰς κοινωνίαν δὲ ἐρχομένοις μὴ ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς ἀνδράσιν. Τὸ στόμα σου ἐπλεόνασεν κακίαν. ὁ ἀγνοῶν τὸ ἀγαθόν, πράττων δὲ τὸ κακὸν η ττον ἁμαρτάνει· ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὸ γνῶναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἁμαρτάνων ἐπιτεινομένην ε χει κακίαν· διὸ καὶ ὁ ἐγνωκὼς δοῦλος τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ποιῶν δαρήσεται πολλάς. δύναται δὲ καὶ ου τως· ἐπεὶ διὰ στόματος ἀναλαβὼν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διαθήκην τὴν καρδίαν πλήρης ει χεν ἁμαρτίας, ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας φαύλου ο ντος ἐν τῷ στόματι πλεοναζομένην ει χεν κακίαν, ὡς καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ δι' ω ν σοφίζεται περιπλέκειν δολιότητας τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς λόγους ο ντας σοφίσματα. Καθήμενος κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου κατελάλεις καὶ κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς μητρός σου ἐτίθεις σκάνδαλον. ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν ἀδελφὸς ει ναι δύναται ὁμογνήσιος καὶ ὁμοπάτριος, υἱὸς δὲ μητρὸς ὁ ὁμογάστριος κα ν ἐξ α λλου ει η πατρός. ὁ ου ν ου τω πρὸς ἀδελφοὺς διακείμενος τίνα α λλον ἀγαπῆσαι δυνήσεται; πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· ἐπεὶ πρὸς ̓Ιουδαῖον ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν αἰσθητῶς ὁλοκαυτώματα τῷ θεῷ προσάγοντα καὶ θυσίας, πρὸς τοῦτον ῥητέον ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ λέγεσθαι Καθήμενος, ω ου τε, περὶ τὸ γράμμα τοῦ νόμου καταλαλεῖς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου τοῦ κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ νόμου φρονοῦντος καὶ πολιτευομένου· ι σθι δὲ ο τι καὶ υἱὸς μητρός σού ἐστιν ου τος· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς αὐτῆς προθέσεως ἐκυήθη τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ γράμμα τοῦ νόμου. σκανδαλίζεις δὲ τὸν τῆς μητρὸς υἱὸν πρόσκομμα καὶ σκάνδαλον τιθεὶς τὴν κατὰ σκιὰν καὶ σαρκίνην περιτομὴν πολιτείαν. Ταῦτα ἐποίησας, καὶ

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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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