The Pillar and the Womb
They say the law: 'You shall not make for yourself a pillar' (Exodus 20:4), signifying that everyone who practices forbidden things raises up a life like a pillar. Therefore, one may also rightly say that the one doing good things is setting up a pillar, as a symbol of the contests through which he has struggled.
For such is the fruit of righteousness (Psalm 57:3), and in Proverbs: 'To perceive true justice and to direct judgment' (Proverbs 21:15). But injustice entangles, joining sin by acting without distinction in evil. This is equal to the binding of one's own sins in a knot. It is not in vain that you work iniquity in the land (Jeremiah 23:24); for if someone makes iniquity in the heart, he works it in the land, that is, concerning material things.
Those daring to slander the Scriptures and dragging this word into error, saying that those who are led astray from the stomach and speak lies are not true, say that the fulfillment of the word is sinning. It is not right to say that those who have not perceived the habit of the Scripture have thought these things; the newborn infant is receptive to virtue and to wickedness in power, then receiving by operation whichever of these two it encounters, it will know good and evil. For then also the word is fulfilled, when it begins to act according to virtue. It is said that the good has been made from the mother's womb. Such is what Job says: 'Even if I ate my morsel alone and did not share with the orphan' (Job 31:32); for from the mother's womb they guided them and I nourished them as a father. And those who, failing regarding the word, rushed to the fulfillment of the word from error, began to act. And the expression 'to speak' signifies 'having spoken lies.' Perhaps also, as in the preceding verse, to be a shepherd and to be of another birth: those born from a bad teaching, from the very stomach that bore them, referring to the being led astray and the speaking of lies.
They say that the ears of an ox, the so-called 'palms,' are carrying a shield. For if ever a singer, according to his own wisdom, were able to carry a song capable of lulling it to sleep, if it were to hear, the ox would lay its ears upon the non-hearing of the singer's voice, as if a medicine being prepared by a wise man. And they also lay their ears, not the ears of sensation but the ears of intellect, so that they might not hear the wise songs being proclaimed...
preparing a logical medicine
Greek
φησιν ὁ νόμος Οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ στήλην α ἐμίσησεν ὁ κύριος, δηλῶν ο τι πᾶς ὁ τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα πράττων φαῦλον βίον στήλης δίκην ἐγείρει. διὸ καὶ τὸν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιοῦντα εἰκότως ἐρεῖς στήλην ἀνατιθέναι ου σαν σύμβολον ω ν διήθλησεν ἀγώνων. 602a Ps 57,3 Ου τος γὰρ καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐν Παροιμίαις· Νοῆσαί τε δικαιοσύνην ἀληθῆ καὶ κρίμα κατευθύνειν. συμπλέκει δὲ ἀδικίαν ὁ ἁμαρτίας συνάπτων ἐν τῷ ἀδιαστάτως ἐνεργεῖν τὸ κακόν. τούτῳ ἰσοδυναμεῖ τὸ Σειραῖς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ε καστος σφίγγεται. Οὐ μάτην πρόσκειται τῷ ̓Ανομίας ἐργάζεσθε τὸ ̓Εν τῇ γῇ· κα ν γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ τις ἀνομίαν ποιήσῃ, ̓Εν τῇ γῇ τουτέστι περὶ τὰ ὑλικὰ ἐνεργεῖ αὐτήν. 603a Ps 57,4 Οἱ διαβάλλειν δὲ τὰς γραφὰς ἀποτολμῶντες καὶ ταύτην τὴν λέξιν διέσυραν, λέγοντες μὴ ει ναι οι όν τε ἀπὸ γαστρὸς πλανηθῆναι καὶ ψεῦδος λαλῆσαι· συμπεπληρωκότων γὰρ τὸν λόγον φασὶ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν. πρὸς ου ς ῥητέον μὴ νενοηκότας τὴν συνήθειαν τῆς γραφῆς ταῦτα· τὸ ἀρτίτοκον βρέφος δεκτικὸν ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας ἐστὶ δυνάμει, τότε δεχόμενον κατ' ἐνέργειαν ὁποτέραν τούτων τῶν ε ξεων ο ταν γνῶσιν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ σχῇ· τότε γὰρ καὶ συμπληροῦται ὁ λόγος ο ταν κατ' ἀρετὴν α ρξηται ἐνεργεῖν. ̓Εκ κοιλίας μητρὸς λέγεται τὸ ἀγαθὸν πεποιηκέναι. τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ο φησιν ὁ ̓Ιώβ· Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν ψωμόν μου ε φαγον μόνος καὶ ὀρφανῷ οὐ μετέδωκα· ἐκ κοιλίας γὰρ μητρὸς ὡδήγουν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξέτρεφον ὡς πατήρ. καὶ ου τοι ου ν περὶ ω ν ὁ λόγος φθάσαντες ἐπὶ συμπλήρωσιν τοῦ λόγου ἀπὸ πλάνης η ρξαντο ἐνεργεῖν. Καὶ σημαίνει τὸ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν λέξιν φθέγγεσθαι τὸ λελαληκέναι ψευδῆ. τάχα δὲ καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ προάγοντος στίχου ει ποιμεν καὶ α λλην ει ναι γέννησιν· οἱ τεχθέντες ἀπὸ φαύλης διδασκαλίας ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς γαστρὸς τῆς αὐτοὺς τεκούσης ει χον καὶ τὸ πεπλανῆσθαι καὶ τὸ ψευδῆ λελαληκέναι. 604a Ps 57,5b.6 ̓Ασπίδα βύουσαν τὰ ω τα αὐτῆς τὴν καλουμένην παλαμναίαν φασίν. ει ποτε γὰρ ἐπαοιδὸς κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπῳδήν τινα προφέροι δυναμένην κατακοιμίσαι αὐτήν, εἰ ἀκούσοι, βύει τὰ ω τα ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ ἐπᾴδοντος ου σαν φάρμακον παρὰ σοφοῦ σκευαζόμενον. βύουσι δὲ καὶ ου τοι, οὐ τὰ τῆς αἰσθήσεως ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς νοήσεως ω τα, ο πως μὴ ἀκούσωσι τῶν τὰς σοφὰς ἐπῳδὰς προφητικὰς καὶ ἀποστολικὰς προφερόντων. τούτων γὰρ ε καστος σοφός ἐστι φαρμακεύων, τουτέστι σκευάζων φάρμακον λογικὸν ἀλεξοῦν τὴν τῆς ἀσπίδος 111 ὁρμήν. Φαρμάκου δὲ ἀναγνωστέον ἐν παραθέσει ο ντος, τουτέστι συνοδῶς καὶ οὐ ῥηματικῶς φαρμακοῦται. 605a Ps 57,7.8a Τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς ποιεῖ εὐεργετῶν ι να μὴ κατεσθίοντες τοὺς ὑπὸ σφῶν ἀπατωμένους ἀνθρώπους ὑπερβαλλούσῃ τιμωρίᾳ ὑπεύθυνοι γένωνται, καὶ τὰς μύλας γοῦν αὐτῶν συνέθλασεν ο πως μὴ δάκνωσι μηδὲ κατεσθιῶσιν. σημειωτέον δὲ ο τι κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν διαφέρουσι μύλαι ὀδόντων· οἱ γὰρ τομεῖς καὶ διαιροῦντες τὴν τροφὴν ὀδόντες, αἱ δὲ μασώμεναι καὶ λεαίνουσαι μύλαι. Ωσπερ δὲ τὸ διαπορευόμενον διά τινος πόρου υ δωρ οὐ παραμένον ἀλλὰ διασκεδαννύμενον ἐξουδενεῖται καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον γίνεται, ου τω καὶ ου τοι ἐξευτελισθήσονται οὐδὲν βέβαιον καὶ παράμονον ε χοντες ἀλλ' ὑδαρῆ καὶ ὑγρὸν βίον προσκαίρως ὑποδεξάμενοι. 606a Ps 57,8b–10 Καὶ πρότερον ει πομεν τὰ βέλη σημαίνειν αὐτοῦ τὰς κολάσεις, τόξον δ' ἐστὶν ἀφ' ου ἀφίεται τὰ βέλη· ταῦτα ἡ κριτικὴ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις. τοῦτο ου ν τὸ τόξον ἐντενεῖ, οὐκ ἀνιεὶς αὐτὸ ε ως ου ἀσθενήσωσιν οἱ βαλλόμενοι· πρὸς ἀγαθὸν δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀσθενῆσαι, καθαιρουμένης η ς ει χον ἰσχύος περὶ τὴν κακίαν. Ωσπερ δὲ ὁ τηκόμενος κηρὸς ἀναιρεῖται καθὸ τηκτὸς καὶ παχύτητα ε χων τοῦ πρώτου ὑποκειμένου εἰς πῦρ μεταβαλόντος, ου τως οἱ φαῦλοι κολάσεως πεπειραμένοι τὴν ἐκ μοχθηρᾶς ε ξεως παχύτητα τηκόμενοι ἀποβάλλουσι. πρὸ κολάσεως δ' ἐστὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν τυγχάνον δικαιοσύνης η λιος· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν κόλασιν οὐχ οι όν τε προσβάλλειν τῇ λαμπηδόνι τοῦ νοητοῦ ἡλίου. ο θεν ἐνταῦθα ει ρηται· ὡς α ρα ἐπιπεσόντος τοῦ κολαστικοῦ φωτὸς οὐκ ει δον τὸν η λιον οἱ τῇ κολάσει περιπεσόντες. οἱ δὲ συνέντες τὰ ι δια πάθη ἀλληγορικώτερον ἀκάνθας ὀνομαζόμενα οὐ πειρασθήσονται κολαζούσης ὀργῆς, πρὸ τοῦ δὲ συνιέναι τὰς πνευματικῶς λεγομένας ἀκάνθας καὶ ῥάμνον ὡσεὶ ζῶντες ὑπ' ὀργῆς καταποθήσονται· οὐ γὰρ ζῶντες ἀλλὰ ζῶσιν ο μοιοι τυγχάνοντες ὑπ' ὀργῆς συλληφθήσονται. τὸ γὰρ καταπιεῖν κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν τὸ κρατῆσαι καὶ νικῆσαι σημαίνει, τοῦ καταποθέντος η δη κεκρατημένου καὶ νενικημένου. καταπίνεται γοῦν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς, κρατούσης καὶ νικώσης
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- 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.