The Method of Accommodation and Forgiveness
They perform this by asking a king, presenting the sins of those for whom they pray before his face, requesting a benefit and forgiveness for the wrongs done to them. For the saints have this habit in their confessions regarding others, saying: 'We have sinned, we have acted lawlessly, we have been impious.'
If even the king's messengers and friends of God ask on behalf of others, seeking grace as before a king's face, it is not at all paradoxical to demand, through an exceeding care for us, the confession of grace and forgiveness on behalf of others from Him who is the Advocate with the Father for the sins of the whole world. He explains regarding our own sins, though He has done nothing wrong at all. For it is unseemly to ask anything of the Savior, the provider of all good things. Indeed, He takes away the sin of the world and desires the forgiveness of sins for those coming to Him.
Since therefore the Lord did not reach that place because of sin, but accepted death on our behalf, he says: 'A storm sank me into the depths of the sea' (Ps 69:2). A storm signifies the trials, just as the 'Storm passed through the wilderness,' and 'I waited for God who saves me from despair and from the storm.' You may consider the present text to be like 'No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself' (John 10:18), having voluntarily accepted death. Because it is not said that he gave his life through sickness or simply by the usual end, but having endured the cross, he is said to be sunk by a storm, even if he endured this not consciously, becoming obedient to the Father unto death.
This is a demonstration of the silencing of the Jews. For if, even when praying not because one ought to despair but crying out day and night to God, one has become weary in crying out in harmony with 'a loud cry and tears' (Ps 69:3), visit him. And he who turns all his expectation toward God will say, 'My eyes have failed' (Ps 69:1), clearly as those of the heart. But the benefactor doing these things is pursued and hated, just as the Savior, healing all infirmity among the Jews and raising the dead, became a city of scrutiny through these things. That the hairs of the head of the hated one should be multiplied by those hating him...
He is said to be excessively speaking. For both the manner and the excess are constantly guarded, and in the Scriptures, if it did not strike, then they were being cut off. Even if he gave back without striking, he did not redeem us—that is, to cut off—by erasing the hand-written document that we were compelled to cut off. And this was also lacking from the middle, of the forgiveness of sins being given.
No one is indeed a sinner who has folly or shortcomings added to him by God, remaining in lawlessness before His eyes (Ps 68:6). Why is someone disturbed hearing of folly? For the word is not far from him to have him confess ignorance when he says to someone, 'Never did I know you'; and he asserts as if he does not know anything concerning the day and the hour of the judgment. How these things are piously understood, and the things concerning his folly will find clarity when piously understood. For a teacher possessing perfect knowledge appears to be knowing through accommodation to those to whom these things are introduced, as if he were of the kind who are capable, in a way, resembling them; everyone accepted such an accommodation, as if possessing ignorance or folly. For since he was rich in wisdom, he became poor through us, as if some thought wisdom was not present, so that through his folly we might become rich. In every word and in all knowledge, it is fitting to receive in a manner consistent with the folly not being taken as literal, and the shortcomings not being hidden from God.
And what do those who are superstitious about these words have to say, saying such things are spoken concerning God, in which rather there is a turning away? For how is it not worse than the forgetting of folly and shortcomings—to have repentance, passion, and anger—when all these and more are said concerning God? Did they not also let these words be said as if not concerning God, or let them be placed in accommodation with the things set forth? This, spoken by the Savior, the apostle speaking in Christ took up, writing thus: 'Let each of us please our neighbor for good' (Rom 15:2). For Christ did not please himself, just as it is written: 'The reproaches of those reproaching you have fallen upon me' (Ps 68:9). Someone asserts this much: that Jesus abstained from fasting, as if he were compelled to bring glory as a glutton and a drunkard.
Greek
α ε πραξεν, βασιλέως δεόμενοι, εἰς ι διον πρόσωπον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν ὑπὲρ ω ν δέονται ἀναφέροντες εὐεργεσίαν καὶ συγχώρησιν τῶν κακῶς πραχθέντων αὐτοῖς αἰτοῦνται. ε θος γοῦν ε χουσιν οἱ α γιοι ἐν ταῖς ἐξομολογήσεσι ταῖς περὶ α λλων λέγειν ̔Ημαρτήκαμεν ἠνομήσαμεν ἠσεβήσαμεν. Εἰ δὴ τοῦτο δορύφοροι βασιλέως καὶ φίλοι θεοῦ ὑπὲρ α λλων παρακαλοῦσιν ὡς ι διον πρόσωπον χάριν αἰτούμενοι, παράδοξον οὐδὲν δι' ὑπερβάλλουσαν κηδεμονίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐξομολογεῖσθαι χάριν καὶ συγχώρησιν ἀπαιτοῦντα ὑπὲρ α λλων τὸν ο ντα πρὸς πατέρα παρακλητὸν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων τοῦ ο λου κόσμου. Περὶ γοῦν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων ἐξηγεῖται ω ν οὐδ' ο λως τι πεποίηκεν. ἀνοίκειον γὰρ αἰτεῖσθαί τι τὸν σωτῆρα ο ντα χορηγὸν πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν. αι ρει γοῦν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ α φεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν ὀρέγει τοῖς προσερχομένοις. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ὁ κύριος εἰς τὸν χῶρον ἐκεῖνον ε φθασεν ἀλλὰ διὰ θάνατον ο ν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνεδέξατο, φησὶ Καταιγίς με εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης κατεπόντισεν. Καταιγίδα δὲ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς δηλοῖ καθάπερ τὸ Καταιγὶς δι' ἐρήμου διέλθοι, καὶ τὸ Προσεδεχόμην τὸν θεὸν τὸν σῴζοντά με ἀπὸ ὀλιγοψυχίας καὶ ἀπὸ καταιγίδος. ** νομίσῃς τὸ προκείμενον τῷ Οὐδεὶς αι ρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, αὐθαιρέτως ἀναδεξαμένου τὸν θάνατον. ἐπειδὴ οὐ νόσῳ οὐδ' ἁπαξαπλῶς τῷ εἰθισμένῳ τέλει ἰδίῳ λέγεται τὴν ψυχὴν δεδωκέναι ἀλλ' ὑπομείνας σταυρόν, ταύτῃ λέγεται ὑπὸ καταιγίδος καταποντίζεσθαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀκουσίως ὑπέμεινε τοῦτο ὑπήκοος τῷ πατρὶ μέχρι θανάτου γενόμενος. 708a Ps 68,4.5 Τοῦτο δὲ παραστατικόν ἐστι τῆς τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων κωφώσεως. εἰ γοῦν καὶ πρὸς μὴ δεῖν ἐκκακεῖν προσευχόμενον ἀλλὰ βοᾶν ἡμέρας τε καὶ νυκτὸς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ει πε κεκοπιακέναι ἐν τῷ κράζειν συμφώνως τῷ Μετὰ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ δακρύων, συνεπίσκεψαι. καὶ ὁ πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν προσδοκίαν τείνας εἰς τὸν θεὸν ἐρεῖ τὸ ̓Εξέλιπον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, δῆλον ὡς οἱ τῆς καρδίας. Μάτην δὲ διώκεται καὶ μισεῖται ὁ τῶν ταῦτα ποιούντων εὐεργετικός, ὡς ὁ σωτὴρ πᾶν ει δος ἀσθενείας ἐν ̓Ιουδαίοις ἰώμενος καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείρων δι' α περίβλεπτος ἡ τούτων ἐγίνετο πόλις. Τὸ ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς τοῦ μισουμένου πεπληθῦνθαι τοὺς μισοῦντας αὐτὸν ὑπερβολικῶς ει ρηται. φυλάττεται γὰρ καὶ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τρόπος συνεχῶς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς Α οὐχ η ρπασα, τότε ἀπετίννυον. εἰ καὶ ἀπέδωκεν α μὴ η ρπασεν, ἀλλ' ου ν ἡμᾶς ἐλυτρώσατο τουτέστιν ἀποτιννύναι ἐξαλείφων τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον ο ἠναγκάσμεθα ἀποτιννύναι ἐπιφερόμενον καθ' ἡμῶν. 133 ἐξήλειπται δὲ τοῦτο καὶ η ρται ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων δοθείσης. 709a Ps 68,6 Οὐδείς γε μὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ε χει γινωσκομένην ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἀφροσύνην η πλημμελείας ἐπίπροσθεν αὐτοῦ μενούσας, οὐ διαμενόντων παρανόμων ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Τί ταράττεταί τις ἀκούων ἀφροσύνην; οὐ γὰρ μακρὰν αυ τη ἡ λέξις τὴν α γνοιαν ε χειν αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖν ἐν τῷ πρός τινας λέγειν Οὐδέποτε ε γνων ὑμᾶς· καὶ φάσκει ὡς οὐκ ε γνω τι περὶ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ω ρας τῆς κρίσεως. ὡς ου ν ταῦτα εὐσεβῶς ἐκλαμβάνεται, καὶ τὰ περὶ ἀφροσύνης αὐτοῦ σαφηνείας τεύξεται εὐσεβῶς νοούμενα. καὶ γὰρ διδάσκαλος τελείαν ε χων ἐπιστήμην διὰ συγκαταβάσεως τοῖς εἰσαγομένοις ταῦτα φαίνεται γινώσκων ω ν εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι χωρητικοί, τρόπον τινὰ συνομοιούμενος αὐτοῖς· τὴν τοιαύτην συγκατάβασιν ἀπεδέξατο πᾶς α γνοιάν πως καὶ ἀφροσύνην ὑπάρχουσαν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πλούσιος ω ν ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐπτώχευσε δι' ἡμᾶς ὡς ὑποληφθῆναί τισι μὴ ει ναι σοφία, ε σχεν ἀφροσύνην δι' η ς πλούσιοι γενησόμεθα ̓Εν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει. καταλλήλως τῇ ου τω ληφθείσῃ ἀφροσύνῃ καὶ τὰς πλημμελείας τὰς ἀπὸ θεοῦ μὴ κρυπτομένας ἐκδέξασθαι προσήκει. Τί δὲ καὶ ε χουσιν εἰπεῖν οἱ περὶ τὰς λέξεις ταύτας δεισιδαιμονοῦντες, λεγομένων περὶ θεοῦ τοιούτων ἐν οι ς μᾶλλον ἀπέμφασίς ἐστι; πῶς γὰρ οὐ χεῖρον ἀφροσύνης καὶ πλημμελειῶν λήθη μεταμέλεια θυμὸς ὀργή, α περ πάντα καὶ ε τι τούτων πλεῖστα περὶ θεοῦ λέγεται; η ου ν καὶ ταύτας τὰς λέξεις φασκέτωσαν μὴ περὶ θεοῦ εἰρῆσθαι, η καὶ ταῖς προκειμέναις συγκαταθέσθωσαν. 710a Ps 68,10b Ταύτην ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένην ἐξείληφεν ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν ἀπόστολος, γράφων ω δε· Εκαστος ἡμῶν τῷ πλησίον ἀρεσκέτω εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτῷ η ρεσεν, καθάπερ γέγραπται Οἱ ὀνειδισμοὶ τῶν ὀνειδιζόντων σε ἐπέπεσον ἐπ' ἐμέ. 711a Ps 68,11.12a ̓Ενστήσεταί τις φάσκων τοσοῦτον· ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς ἀπείχετο νηστείας, ὡς φάγου καὶ οἰνοπότου ἀπενέγκασθαι δόξαν
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.
Catalogue & scope
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.