Fragments on the Psalms · §94

Repentance and the Davidic Model

Having attached himself to the sin of the world, being washed in the blood from his own deathbove a pillar. And the things concerning David happened similarly; he was led astray by a fleece

Many times The doctrines and powers of the soul are like bones; they are humbled by sin and by deceptive influence. But having heard the joy and gladness of God, the humbled bones will rejoice (Ps 50:10). And sins are erased from the transformation of virtues (Ps 50:11b); for just as knowledge coming into the soul erases and makes the ignorance vanish, so also every sin is erased by the presence of perfect virtue.

If you will erase all my sins, the ones written through the impressions in my heart, you create a pure heart in me, lacking all evil (Ps 50:12), but also kindle a steadfast spirit within my indwellings. And the upright thoughts and earnest perceptions dwelling in the soul are those about which he says: 'And all that is within me, bless his name.' And the steadfast spirit is the Holy Spirit or the conscience, the upright one, which the spirit of a man within him says. It is to be noted that what the voice has created does not signify essential beings, but a certain relationship being established which has been produced.

Among those who constantly stand before God, only the one who sins is cast out and rejected. (Ps 50:13). But do not judge me, being contained by your divine comprehension, to be such a one as to be rejected from your face; but also do not take away the Holy Spirit whom you made to dwell in me, lest I be made naked of it (Ps 50:14). Expecting this descent of the Savior, by which it happens that he possesses perfect joy, he entreats the Father, saying: 'Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and with a ruling and perfect spirit support me.' And in these things, the Holy Spirit says 'ruling and leading' is either the man's internal principle or the soul of the man. And this ruling spirit desires support and confirmation according to the former interpretation.

We do not permit ourselves to ever overlook God, those who are diligent to do repentance and to demonstrate the teaching concerning repentance. Behold, indeed, even here what has been said is confirmed: for through the confession toward God, He promises to teach the lawless the ways of God himself, so that having stepped upon these, even if they were once impious, they might return to Him in a little while.

For those who have accomplished righteousness have the imitation and pattern of a good life, so also those who have erred concerning knowledge have to imitate the one coming into repentance, being impious ones returning toward God. 'Since by which I have done toward death, I am full of sins of blood' (Ps 50:16a), 'save me from these, the God who is once and our own.' Perhaps also David, from the sins of Uriah and if any others died with him, is worthy to be saved by God, being the God of his salvation.

'My tongue, called my own, in the always speaking concerning your righteousness, will rejoice in your righteousness' (Ps 50:17). From that, God opens the lips of the one having received the word in the opening of his mouth, so that his mouth shall proclaim the praises of God, always praising and giving thanks to Him.

'He who confesses concerning his own sin, what do you wish to discuss concerning Zion and Jerusalem?' (Ps 50:16b/20). But since we hope that he has not been entirely harmed by having stumbled in the short race, for this reason, possessing a prophetic thing and praying for and prophesying the communion of the Holy Spirit, he says: 'Doing good, saying that Zion was brought into being in your good pleasure for your son and approaching the Spirit'; but also the walls of Jerusalem are being built up. And these are guards of angels, a rooting out of incorruptible decrees.

He says righteousness, which is standing together through the faith of Jesus Christ for all those believing. But this righteousness turns out to be a lifting up and spiritual holocausts, and 'sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness' (Ps 51:19); but also upon the spiritual altar, they bring up oxen like tillers, not other souls, but having been seen as the souls of martyrs, being brought up upon the heavenly altar.

Greek

ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου προσηκάμενος, πλυνόμενος τῷ αι ματι τῷ ἐκ τῆς σφαγῆς αὐτοῦ, ὑπὲρ χίονα λευκαίνεται. ἑκάτερα δὲ περὶ τὸν ∆αυὶδ γέγονεν· ἐρραντίσθη γὰρ ὑσσώπῳ (τὸ αι μα τοῦ τυπικοῦ προβάτου) καὶ ἐπλύθη ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ ὡς ὑπὲρ χίονα λευκανθῆναι· χίονα δὲ νοητὴν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει. 542 Ps 50,10 Πολλάκις η δη δόγματα καὶ ψυχῆς δυνάμεις ει ναι ει ρηται τὰ ὀστᾶ· ταῦτα ταπεινοῦται ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίας καὶ σοφιστικῆς γοητείας. θεοῦ δὲ ἀκουτίσαντος ἀγαλλίασιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην, ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ τεταπεινωμένα ὀστᾶ. 543 Ps 50,11b ̓Εξαλείφονται δὲ ἁμαρτίαι ἀπὸ τῆς μετουσίας τῶν ἀρετῶν· ὡς γὰρ ἡ ἐπιστήμη εἰς ψυχὴν ἐλθοῦσα ἐξαλείφει καὶ ἀφανίζει τὴν α γνοιαν, ου τω παρουσίᾳ ἀρετῆς τελείας ἐξαλείφεται πᾶσα ἁμαρτία. 544 Ps 50,12 ̓Εὰν πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου ἐξαλείψῃς τὰς ἐγγεγραμμένας διὰ τῶν τυπώσεων τῇ καρδίᾳ μου, καρδίαν κτίζεις καθαρὰν ἐν ἐμοὶ πάσης κακίας στερομένην, ἀλλὰ Καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐγκαίνισον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις μου. Εγκατα δὲ ψυχῆς αἱ ὀρθαὶ ε ννοιαι καὶ σπουδαῖαι διαλήψεις περὶ ω ν φησιν· Καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου εὐλογεῖτε τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ. εὐθὲς δ' ἐστὶν πνεῦμα η τοι τὸ α γιον η ἡ συνείδησις ἡ ὀρθὴ η ο λέγει πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ. σημειωτέον ο τι ἡ ε κτισεν φωνὴ οὐκ οὐσίωσιν σημαίνει ἀλλὰ σχέσιν τινὰ ἐπιτεινομένην οι ς α ν παραγένηται. 545 Ps 50,13.14 Τῶν σπουδαίων ἀδιαστάτως παρισταμένων τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ προσώπῳ μόνος ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἐκβάλλεται καὶ ἀπορρίπτεται αὐτοῦ. ἐμὲ δὲ περιεχόμενον τῆς θείας κατανοήσεώς σου μὴ κρίνῃς ει ναι τοιοῦτον, ω στ' ἀπορριφῆναι ἀπὸ προσώπου σου· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ο ἐνῴκισάς μοι α γιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ω στε με γυμνωθῆναι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Προσδοκῶν τὴν δεῦρο κάθοδον τοῦ σωτῆρος, ἐφ' ῃ ἀγαλλίασιν τελείαν ε χειν συμβαίνει, παρακαλεῖ τὸν 102 πατέρα φάσκων ̓Απόδος μοι τὴν ἀγαλλίασιν τοῦ σωτηρίου σου, ο πως καὶ πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ καὶ τελείῳ στηρίσῃς με. ἑκατέρως δὲ καὶ ἐν τούτοις πνεῦμα λέγει η τοι τὸ α γιον α ρχον καὶ ἡγεμονεῦον η τὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ ε τερον ο ν τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ψυχῆς. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν πνεῦμα τὸ κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἐκδοχὴν στηριγμὸν καὶ βεβαίωσιν οι ς α ν παραγένηται ὀρέγει. 546 Ps 50,15 Καὶ ἐν τῇ προγραφῇ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἐφάσκομεν παρορᾶν ποτὲ τὸν θεὸν τοὺς σπουδαίους ω στε ἁμαρτίαν ποιεῖν, ι να μετανοοῦντες ε ργῳ καὶ τὴν περὶ μετανοίας διδασκαλίαν ἐπιδείξωνται. ἰδοὺ γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα βεβαιοῦται τὸ εἰρημένον· διὰ γὰρ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως τῆς πρὸς θεὸν διδάσκειν ὑπισχνεῖται ἀνόμους αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς ὁδούς, ι να τούτων ἐπιβάντες, εἰ καί ποτε ἠσέβησαν, ἐξ ὀλιγωρίας ἐπιστρέψωσιν πρὸς αὐτόν. 547 Ps 50,15 ̔Ως γὰρ ἀρίστου βίου μίμημα καὶ ὑπογραμμὸν ε χουσιν τοὺς κατορθώσαντας, ου τω καὶ οἱ περὶ γνῶσιν ἐσφαλμένοι ε χουσι μιμήσασθαι τὸν εἰς μετάνοιαν ἐρχόμενον, ἀσεβεῖς ο ντες πρὸς θεὸν ἐπιστρέφοντες. 548 Ps 50,16a ̓Επεὶ δι' ω ν ἐποίησα πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτιῶν πλήρης εἰμὶ αἱμάτων, ἐκ τούτων ῥῦσαί με ὁ καθάπαξ θεὸς ω ν καὶ ἡμέτερος. τάχα δὲ καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Οὐρίου καὶ ει τινες α λλοι συναπέθανον αὐτῷ ῥυσθῆναι ἀξιοῖ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ο ντος τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ. 549 Ps 50,16b.17 ̔Ο λόγος ὁ ἡμέτερος Γλῶσσά μου καλούμενος ἐν τῷ ἀεὶ περὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου φθέγγεσθαι ἀγαλλιάσεται τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου. ἐκείνου δ' ἀνοίγει τὰ χείλη ὁ θεὸς τοῦ λαβόντος λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, δι' ο καὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐξαγγελεῖ τὴν αι νεσιν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀεὶ αἰνοῦν καὶ εὐχαριστοῦν αὐτῷ. 550 Ps 50,20 ̔Ο περὶ ἁμαρτίας ἰδίας ἐξομολογούμενος τί βούλεται περὶ τῆς Σιὼν καὶ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ διαλέγεσθαι; ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ει πομεν μὴ πάντως αὐτὸν βεβλάφθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐπταικέναι ἐν τῷ συντόνῳ δρόμῳ, τούτου χάριν προφητικὴν ε τι ε ξιν ε χων καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κοινωνίαν ευ χεται καὶ προφητεύει ̓Αγαθύνον λέγων τὴν Σιὼν ἐν τῇ σῇ εὐδοκίᾳ τῷ υἱῷ σου γεγενημένην καὶ τῷ πνεύματι συνεγγίζουσαν· ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰκοδομεῖται τὰ τείχη τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλήμ. ἀγγέλων δὲ φρουραὶ ταῦτα η δογμάτων ἀκαταλύτων ι δρυσις. 551 Ps 50,21 ∆ικαιοσύνην φησὶν τὴν διὰ πίστεως ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας συνισταμένην. αυ τη δὲ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἀναφορὰ καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα πνευματικὰ τυγχάνει καὶ τὸ Θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ πνευματικὸν θυσιαστήριον ἀνοίσουσι μόσχους γεωπόνους ε λκοντας α ροτρα ψυχὰς οὐκ α λλας τυγχανούσας τῶν ψυχῶν τῶν μαρτύρων ὀφθείσας παρὰ τὸ ἐπουράνιον θυσιαστήριον ἀναφερομένας ἐπ' αὐτῷ

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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