The Enemy and the Disturbance of the Soul

Presenting a meditation to you decorously and priestly, listen to the words which I send from a pure conscience.

The same enemy can be to the sinner, differing only in the lack of distinction. When the sinner is distressed by those through whom he acts wickedly, and when the enemy speaks the truth, 'I was grieved in my iniquity and was troubled' (Ps 54:3b,4a). Here iniquity signifies prayer, as also in the first of the Kingdoms, Anna says, 'Out of the multitude of my iniquity I have stretched out to you until now'; for concerning prayer itself she says this. The saint says: seeing the enemy speaking proudly and seeing the sinner distressed, he was grieved toward God through a prayer of iniquity; seeing those of the same kind and of the same race fallen into the depth of wickedness, he was also troubled by the instability of nature, lest even I should undergo this same turn. Perhaps he is also deeply grieved and troubled seeing the wicked going astray, just as a father grieves for a son who remains behind. For some say that this psalm is reported to have been spoken from the face of Christ according to the human nature, and it is fitting to be grieved concerning those being harmed.

Every serious person understands that to sin in thoughts is neither tolerable nor so, and in deed and word it is both dangerous and heavy. Therefore, if it ever happens in thoughts to cause a stumbling block and harm, guarding these within oneself and not uttering a word, according to the sin committed in secret, and not acting effectively, knowing that the thought is both healing and yet incurable; therefore he says, 'My heart was troubled within me' (Ps 54:5). For I did not interpret the trouble as having done something through it, but also, as the fear of death was falling upon me following the sin, I seized it within myself. For it happens that fear appears from the outside and becomes a stumbling block to others for the one who has been revealed. Fear and trembling came (Ps 54:6,7).

the passive, the irascible, and the desiring

Greek

διαλογισμοῦ κοσμίως καὶ ἱεροπρεπῶς παρισταμένῳ σοι, καὶ εἰσάκουσον τῶν λόγων ω ν ἐκ καθαρᾶς συνειδήσεως ἀναπέμπω. 572 Ps 54,3b.4a ∆ύναται ὁ ἐχθρὸς ὁ αὐτὸς ει ναι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, σχέσει μόνῃ τῆς διαφορᾶς ου σης. θλίβοντος ου ν τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ δι' ω ν πράττει κακῶς καὶ α θεα φθεγγομένου τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τῆς ἀληθείας, ̓Ελυπήθην ἐν τῇ ἀδολεσχίᾳ μου καὶ ἐταράχθην. ἡ ἀδολεσχία ἐνταῦθα τὴν εὐχὴν σημαίνει, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν τῆς Αννας λεγούσης ̓Εκ πλήθους ἀδολεσχίας μου ἐκτέτακα ε ως νῦν· περὶ γὰρ τῆς προσευχῆς ἑαυτῆς τοῦτο λέγει. ὁ α γιος ου ν φησιν· τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑπερήφανα φθεγγόμενον καὶ θλίβοντα τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ὁρῶν, πρὸς τὸν θεὸν δι' εὐχῆς ἀδολεσχῶν, ἐλυπήθην· τοὺς ὁμοουσίους καὶ ὁμογενεῖς μοι ὁρῶν εἰς βάθος κακίας πεσόντας ὡς καὶ ταραχθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ τρεπτῷ τῆς φύσεως, μήτι α ρα κἀγὼ ταύτην τὴν τροπὴν ὑποστῶ. τάχα δὲ καὶ κηδεμονικώτατα λυπεῖται καὶ ταράττεται ὁρῶν τοὺς φαύλους παραπαίοντας ὡσεί τις πατὴρ λυπεῖ τῷ ἐπιμανέντι υἱῷ. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν ψαλμὸν τοῦτον ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἀπαγγέλλουσί τινες εἰρῆσθαι ῳ καὶ ἁρμόζει περὶ τῶν βλαπτομένων λυπεῖσθαι. 573 Ps 54,5 ̓Επίσταται πᾶς σπουδαῖος ε τερον ει ναι τὸ ἐν λογισμοῖς ἁμαρτάνειν ο καὶ ἀνεκτόν ἐστι καὶ ε τερον ἐν πράξει καὶ λόγοις ο καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον καὶ βαρύ. διὸ καὶ ει ποτε ἐν λογισμοῖς συμβαίνει κλόνον καὶ βλάβην γενέσθαι, ἐν ἑαυτῷ φυλάττων αὐτὰ οὐδὲ προφέρει λόγον κατὰ τὸ ἐν κρυπτῷ ἁμάρτημα οὐδὲ πράττει ἀποτελεσματικῶς, εἰδὼς ἰάσιμον ει ναι τὸ ἐνθύμημα ε σθ' ο τε καὶ ἀνίατον· διό φησιν ̔Η καρδία μου ἐταράχθη ἐν ἐμοί. οὐ γὰρ ἡρμήνευσα τὴν ταραχὴν η ε πραξά τι κατ' αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δειλίας ἐπιπεσούσης θανάτου τοῦ ἀκολουθοῦντος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἐν ἐμαυτῷ αὐτὴν κατέσχον. συμβαίνει γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ε ξω τὴν δειλίαν φανῆναι καὶ ἑτέρων πρόσκομμα γενέσθαι τὸν δηλωθέντα. Ps 54,6.7 Τὸ δὲ Φόβος καὶ τρόμος η λθεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐκάλυψέ με σκότος, τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἐνυπάρχον ἐχούσης τὸ παθητικὸν ο καὶ θυμικὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμητικόν τινες καλοῦσι, κα ν κατ' ἀρετήν τις προκόπτῃ, οὐκ ἀφανιζομένου τοῦ παθητικοῦ, συμβαίνει ἐν τῇ λεγομένῃ προπαθείᾳ γενέσθαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ τὸ προκείμενον πρόσωπον ὠθούμενον ὑπὸ φωνῶν ἐχθροῦ καὶ θλίψεως ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἀναρριζόμενον ε σχεν τὸ ἐνυπάρχον παθητικόν, ὡς φοβηθῆναι καὶ τρόμῳ ὑποπεσεῖν καὶ καλυφθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ἀπορίας σκότους· τὴν γὰρ σκοτοδινίασιν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει ἡ σκότος φωνή. Πολλῶν δὲ τῶν περιεστηκότων αὐτὸν θλιβηρῶν τυγχανόντων, ευ χεται δοθῆναι αὐτῷ τὰς τοῦ πνεύματος νοήσεις μετεωριζούσας καὶ ἐπαιρούσας πτέρυγας περιστερᾶς ἀλληγορικώτερον ὀνομαζομένας. αυ ται αἱ πτέρυγες πετασθῆναι ποιοῦσιν εἰς υ ψος, ὡς καταπαύσαντα ἐκεῖ τὸν ἀναπτάντα ἀμερίμνως τοῦ λοιποῦ διάγειν σαββατίζοντα τὰ τρυφερὰ καὶ εὐλογημένα σάββατα τοῦ θεοῦ. Ps 54,8 ̔Η τοῦ φυγαδεύειν λέξις τὸ διώκειν καὶ εἰς φυγὴν τρέπειν τοὺς ἐλαυνομένους δηλοῖ. φησὶ γοῦν ὁ τὸν ψαλμὸν λέγων· ̓Ιδοὺ ἐμάκρυνα, τουτέστιν ἐπὶ πολὺ φυγαδεύων τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν, ὡς ἐκείνων ἐληλασμένων αὐλισθῆναί με ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τουτέστιν διαναπαύσασθαι ἐν καταστάσει εἰρηνικῇ. Εἰ δὲ τὸ φυγαδεύειν ἰδίως ἐνταῦθα τὸ φυγεῖν σημαίνοι, ἐρεῖ ὁ δίκαιος, τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς φεύγων καὶ μακρυνόμενος διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἀλαζονείαν· Καὶ ηὐλίσθην ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, νόμου καὶ προφητῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ. ̔Αρμόζει δὲ ταῦτα μάλιστα τῷ κατ' οἰκονομίαν Χριστῷ. ταῦτα γὰρ συμβολικῶς ποιῶν ἀνεγράφη ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· ̓Ακούσας γάρ φησιν ο τι ̓Ιωάννης παρεδόθη ἀνεχώρησεν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς ε ρημον τόπον. περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ τὸ Εὐφράνθητι, ε ρημος διψῶσα, καὶ τὸ Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Ps 54,10a ̔Η ἐπὶ κακῷ συμφωνία δεινόν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου μέγα ἀγαθὸν ἡ τῶν ἐπὶ κακῷ συμφωνησάντων διάλυσις. καὶ οἱ ὁμονοήσαντες γοῦν ἐπὶ τῇ

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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.

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