Christ in Paul and the distinction of being
As in the Cup in the hand of the Lord, the mind is uncontrolled. But the hard things are homonymous with the hard ways spoken of; in the Psalm it says: 'Through the words of your lips I have kept hard ways' (Ps 50:11). For indeed, hard ways are those called according to virtue because they are made straight through much sweat and toil, but here it is when the people, having been tested by hard things, are afflicted.
What is the sign that God gives, which is the illumination by which it is possible to discern spirits and good and evil? For having this knowledge existing, we flee from the malicious, becoming far from the evil of work and the evil spirit. But the sign is given not to those who happen to be, but to the God-fearing pious.
'That your beloveds, remaining unhurt, may be washed away from the face of the bow, you gave the said sign' (Ps 59:6). It must be said also: then they will be washed away from unseen enemies, whom your only-begotten Son shall save with your right hand. For the right of God has been interpreted many times, especially where it was foretold: 'I have strengthened you with my right, just, and with my right I have established the heavens' (Isa 51:9).
One must supervise how the order of thought precedes the order of utterance. For previously, having heard, God saves, and thus the unharmonious harmony, the word having the sequence 'Save' then 'Hear my' after it, unless it is thought otherwise: 'Having saved by the right, hear my prayer,' the prayer of the one being saved is not about being saved (for that is what is said) but about asking for divine goods, for the gifts of the divine Spirit are such.
But those who through goodness-and-beauty become gods' beloveds are worthy to be loved by him; men made according to the image of God, even if they have fallen most deeply into sin, yet they are nonetheless, because of the soul's spiritual and rational essence, his beloveds. God speaks to everyone participating in holiness.
Indeed, Christ spoke also in the holy Paul and in every prophet. But if the voice is seized regarding the Father, the holy one in whom the Savior speaks is he who is in agreement with the one: 'The Father who abides in me does the works,' and 'The Father has given me a commandment, what I must say and what I shall speak'; these things fit the economy.
Ps 60:3ab: He who prays here, knowing himself to be far off, sends up his prayer from the ends of the earth and says that he has cried out to God in his distress; for as it is said in Ecclesiastes: 'God is in the heaven above and you are in the earth below.' And it is signified by the word not a local distinction but a difference of uncreated essence and created things, of the existence of God being said to be above in heaven through the superiority of honor, and of the man being below in the earth by having come from non-being into being. Regarding this difference, the Baptist also, having observed the Savior, says that he is in heaven from above, and that the man is from the earth and speaks; for he declares it possible to say by means of a creature.
Ps 60:3c–5: We shall accept 'Rock' to signify the Christ, the flowing spiritual drink. He who becomes in this rock to partake of it (for wisdom and righteousness and holiness exist) is lifted up according to the mind, being raised by God. And those intending to fall toward the Savior, according to his exhortations saying, 'Come after me,' and again to Philip, 'Follow me,' using him as a guide, partake of that same lifting up, not hoping to find any other leader of the way which rushes toward the cause of all. Having obtained this gift, David also says with his mouth to the Lord: 'You have guided me to what became my hope'; and not only a guide but you have become a tower for me from the face of the enemy. For I remained unharmed, having you as a tower of strength and power, even though the enemy was an adversary and wished to fight me.
Greek
ὡς ἐν τῷ Ποτήριον ἐν χειρὶ κυρίου οι νου ἀκράτου. ὁμωνυμεῖ δὲ τὰ σκληρὰ καὶ ταῖς εἰρημέναις σκληραῖς ὁδοῖς· ἐν ις ψαλμῷ ου τως λέγει· ∆ιὰ τοὺς λόγους τῶν χειλέων σου ἐγὼ ἐφύλαξα ὁδοὺς σκληράς. ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὁδοὶ σκληραὶ αἱ κατ' ἀρετὴν ει ρηνται διὰ τὸ σὺν ἱδρῶτι πολλῷ καὶ πόνῳ κατορθοῦσθαι αὐτάς, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ει δεν ὁ λαὸς σκληρὰ πειραθεὶς κακωτικῶν. 619 Ps 59,6 Τίς ἡ σημείωσις η ν δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς η ὁ φωτισμὸς καθ' ο ν δυνατὸν διάκρισιν ε χειν πνευμάτων καὶ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ; ταύτης γὰρ τῆς γνώσεως ὑπαρξάσης φεύγομεν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων, μακρὰν κακοῦ 114 ε ργου καὶ πνεύματος πονηροῦ γινόμενοι. δίδοται δὲ οὐ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἀλλὰ τοῖς κατὰ θεὸν εὐσεβέσι σημείωσις. 620 Ps 59,7 Οπως ἀβλαβεῖς διαμείναντες ῥυσθῶσιν ἀπὸ προσώπου τόξου οἱ ἀγαπητοί σου, τὴν λεχθεῖσαν σημείωσιν ε δωκας. λεκτέον καὶ ω δε· τότε ῥυσθῆναι ἀπὸ πολεμίων ἀοράτων δυνήσονται, ο ταν σώσῃ ἡ δεξιά σου, μονογενής σου υἱός. ου τος γὰρ δεξιὰ θεοῦ ἡρμήνευται πολλάκις, μάλιστα ο τε προέκειτο τὸ ̓Ησφαλισάμην σε τῇ δεξιᾷ τῇ δικαίᾳ μου, καὶ Τῇ δεξιᾷ μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν. ̓Επιστατέον ὡς ε μπαλιν τῇ τάξει τῆς νοήσεως ε χει τὰ τῆς προφορᾶς. πρότερον γὰρ εἰσακούσας σῴζει θεὸς καὶ αυ τη ἡ ἀκόλουθος ἁρμονία, τῆς λέξεως μετὰ τὸ Σῶσον τὸ ̓Επάκουσόν μου ἐχούσης, εἰ μὴ α ρα ου τω νοηθείη· Σώσας τῇ δεξιᾷ ἐπάκουσόν μου, εὐχῆς ου σης ἐμοὶ τῷ σωθέντι οὐ περὶ τοῦ σωθῆναι (ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ει ρηται) ἀλλὰ περὶ θείων ἀγαθῶν αἰτουμένῳ α περ ἐστὶ τὰ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος χαρίσματα. ̓Αγαπητοὶ δὲ θεοῦ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ διὰ καλοκἀγαθίαν ο ντες, α ξιοι τοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· οἱ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ πεποιημένοι α νθρωποι, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ὑποπεπτώκασιν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλ' ο μως διὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς οὐσίαν νοερὰν ου σαν καὶ λογικὴν ει εν α ν ἀγαπητοὶ αὐτοῦ. 621a Ps 59,8a Θεὸς λαλεῖ ἐν παντὶ μετέχοντι ἁγιότητος. ου τω γοῦν καὶ ἐν Παύλῳ ἁγίῳ ο ντι ἐλάλει Χριστὸς καὶ ἐν παντὶ προφήτῃ. εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκλαμβάνεται ἡ φωνή, α γιος ἐν ῳ λαλεῖ ὁ σωτὴρ α ν ει η συμφώνως τῷ ̔Ο πατὴρ ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ ποιεῖ τὰ ε ργα, καὶ ̓Εντολὴν δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατὴρ τί ει πω καὶ τί λαλήσω· ἁρμόζει ταῦτα τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ. 622a Ps 60,3ab ̔Ο ἐνταῦθα εὐχόμενος πόρρω ἑαυτὸν τυγχάνοντα εἰδὼς τοῦ ῳ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει ἐκ τῶν περάτων ει ναι τῆς γῆς λέγει καὶ κεκραγέναι πρὸς θεὸν τότε ο τε ἀκηδιᾷ· καθὰ γάρ φησιν ἐν τῷ ̓Εκκλησιαστῇ ̔Ο θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ α νω καὶ σὺ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω. σημαίνεται δὲ διὰ τῆς λέξεως οὐ διάστασις τοπικὴ ἀλλ' οὐσίας ἀκτίστου καὶ κτισμάτων διαφορᾶς, τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπάρξεως δι' ὑπεροχὴν τιμῆς α νω ἐν οὐρανῷ λεγομένης, τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κάτω εἰς γῆν τυγχανούσης τῷ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ο ντος εἰς τὸ ει ναι ἐληλυθέναι. εἰς ταύτην τὴν διαφορὰν καὶ ὁ Βαπτιστὴς σκοπήσας τὸν σωτῆρα α νωθεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ει ναι λέγει, τὸν δὲ α νθρωπον ἐκ τῆς γῆς τυγχάνειν καὶ λαλεῖν· προφέρει γὰρ α κτίσματι δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν. 623a Ps 60,3c–5 Πέτραν σημαίνεσθαι ἐκδεξόμεθα ῥέουσαν πνευματικὸν πόμα τὸν Χριστόν. ὁ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ γινόμενος τῷ μετέχειν αὐτῆς (ὑπάρχει γὰρ σοφία καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἁγιασμός) μετεωρίζεται κατὰ τὸν νοῦν ὑψούμενος ὑπὸ θεοῦ. Καὶ οἱ ε πεσθαι δὲ τῷ σωτῆρι προθέμενοι κατὰ τὰς αὐτοῦ προτροπὰς λέγοντος ∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ πάλιν πρὸς Φίλιππον ̓Ακολούθει μοι, ὁδηγῷ αὐτῷ χρώμενοι, τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπάρσεως κοινωνοῦσιν, οὐκ α λλον ἐλπίσαντες ἡγεμόνα εὑρήσειν τῆς ἀγούσης πρὸς τὸν πάντων αι τιον ὁδοῦ. ταύτης τῆς δωρεᾶς τυχὼν καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ μεθ' υ μνου λέγει τῷ κυρίῳ ̔Ωδήγησάς με ο τι ἐγενήθης ἐλπίς μου· οὐ μόνον δὲ ὁδηγὸς ἀλλὰ καὶ πύργος γέγονάς μοι ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ. σὲ γὰρ ἰσχὺν ε χων καὶ ἰσχύος πύργον ἀβλαβὴς διέμεινα, καίτοι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τυγχάνοντος ἀντιπροσώπου καὶ πολεμεῖν με θέλοντος.
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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