Remembrance and the Image of God
It is possible to fail to remember those things which were previously described as having precise and complete knowledge, following the command: 'To the end, into remembrance, to save me, Lord, you are' (Ps 69:3-4). This is the saving of everyone who has cast away the use and knowledge of the good through forgetfulness.
For all, having been made straight according to the image and likeness of God, have the thoughts concerning God scattered within them. For sin always enters through negligence; if it happens that after its practice one repents, he remembers the good, for his thought is rational and having become according to the image of God.
Since sin is led by insensitivity and ignorance of the good, and because of this one acts with pleasure and boldness, it is said concerning some that they have glory upon which they ought to be ashamed; for he says, 'The glory is in their shame' (Ps 69:3). And the prophet says, 'Be ashamed of your boasting' (Ps 69:3), for it brings mockery and destruction.
Those running toward evil without feeling, if they were to receive feeling and thought of it, would cease to desire to do it; the good turns them from the evil to do the good. He says that this very thing happens to those destined for various things: 'They would have been ashamed, knowing they are evil, having been ensnared and having failed to remember what they did; for they sought to lead my soul into the same wickedness as theirs, or to kill me, because I do not run with them into the apostasy in which they are outside of God' (Ps 51:13).
Saying this, he reproaches them, saying, 'They would have turned back, no longer desiring to hasten toward evil, and they would have been ashamed, regarding those things on which they acted wickedly, desiring that which harms me to be for me' (Ps 51:14). The one repenting turns back, running again toward what he left, desiring to be with the good and to be ashamed, even though before the repentance he spoke arrogantly against the one being persecuted, saying, 'Well done, well done,' that is, 'Let us prevail, as you flee from us' (Ps 51:15).
One must watch those who desire evil toward me; until they have the power to intend to do evil and harm, they will not be able to bring about evil, unless God delivers them (Ps 51:16). Not those who plot against money, but those who plot against the soul.
But the assault on the soul from God is alienation.
Greek
ἀναμνήσεως ἀναπολῆσαί ἐστιν ἐκεῖνα α πρότερον ἐπιλέλῃστο ὡς ἀκριβῆ καὶ τελείαν γνῶσιν ε χειν, ἀκολούθως Εἰς τὸ τέλος εἰς ἀνάμνησιν εἰς τὸ σῶσαί με κύριον ει πεν, σῳζομένου παντὸς τοῦ τὴν λήθην τῶν καλῶν ἀποβαλόντος ὡς χρῆσιν καὶ γνῶσιν αὐτῶν ε χειν. πάντες γὰρ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ καὶ εὐθεῖς γεγενημένοι ἐσπαρμένας ε χουσι τὰς περὶ θεοῦ ἐννοίας. κα ν ποτε γοῦν ἐξ ἀμελείας ἡ ἁμαρτία παρείσδυσιν λάβῃ, εἰ συμβαίνει μετὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτῆς μετανοῆσαι, ἀναμιμνῄσκεται τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ου κατὰ φύσιν τὴν ε ννοιαν ει χε λογικὸς καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ γεγονώς. 726 Ps 69,3.4 ̓Επεὶ ἡγεῖται τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀναισθησίᾳ καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν καλῶν ὡς διὰ τοῦτο σὺν ἡδονῇ καὶ παρρησίᾳ πράττειν αὐτά, ει ρηται γοῦν περί τινων ὡς δόξαν ε χουσιν ἐφ' οι ς αἰσχύνεσθαι ε δει· ω ν γάρ φησιν ̔Η δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν· πρὸς ου ς καὶ ἡ προφητεία φησὶν Αἰσχύνθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν· ψόγον γὰρ καὶ ἀπώλειαν φέρει. οἱ ου τως ἀναισθήτως ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν τρέχοντες, εἰ αι σθησιν καὶ ε ννοιαν αὐτοῦ λάβοιεν, πεπαύσεσθαι τοῦ ποιεῖν αὐτὸ θελήσαιεν· ῳ 137 ε πεται ἐκκλίναντας αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι. τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὑπαρχθῆναι τοῖς ἐπικειμένοις διαφόροις εὐχόμενός φησι περὶ αὐτῶν Αἰσχυνθείησαν γνόντες οι κακῶν εἰσιν, ἐντραπείησαν ἀναπολήσαντες α ε πραξαν· τὴν γὰρ ψυχήν μου εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτοῖς κακίαν ἀγαγεῖν ἐζήτησαν, η ἀποκτεῖναί με, ἐπεὶ μὴ συντρέχω αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἀποστασίαν καθ' η ν ἐκτὸς θεοῦ εἰσιν. Τοῦτο αὐτὸ συμφέρον αὐτοῖς προσλιπαρεῖ λέγων ̓Αποστραφείησαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, μηκέτι ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν ἐπείγεσθαι ποθοῦντες, καὶ καταισχυνθείησαν, ἐφ' οι ς ε δρασαν κακῶς βουλόμενοι ὑπαρχθῆναί μοι τὰ βλάπτοντα. ̓Αποστρέφεται εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ὁ μετανοῶν, πάλιν δρομῶν ἐφ' ο καταλέλοιπεν ἀγαθὸν μετὰ τοῦ αἰσχύνεσθαι θέλειν, καίτοι πρὸ τῆς μετανοίας ἀλαζονικῶς κατὰ τοῦ διωκομένου λέγων Ευ γε ευ γε, τουτέστιν Κρατήσομέν σου φεύγοντος ἀφ' ἡμῶν. ̓Επιστατέον τὸ Οἱ βουλόμενοί μοι κακά· μέχρι τοῦ βουληθῆναι κακῶσαι καὶ βλάψαι ε χουσι δύναμιν· α ἐπαγαγεῖν βούλονται κακὰ οὐχ οι οί τε ο ντες, εἰ μὴ θεὸς παραδῷ. 727a Ps 69,3a Οὐ κατεύχεται τῶν εἰς χρήματα ἐπιβουλευόντων η περὶ τῆς † ἀλλὰ τῶν εἰς ψυχὴν ἐπιβουλευόντων. ἡ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιβουλὴ ἡ ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐστιν ἀλλοτρίωσις. ει η δ' α ν αυ τη ἐκ παθῶν καὶ δαιμόνων καὶ ἐμπαθοῦς διαθέσεως καὶ τῶν τούτοις συνεργούντων κακοήθων ἀνθρώπων. 728a Ps 69,5 Πιστεύσας ο τι πάντως εὑρήσει τὸν βοηθήσαντα αὐτῷ περὶ πάντων τῶν ὡσαύτως διακειμένων ο τε περιστάσεις διάφοροι πάρεισιν, φησὶν ὑμνῶν ̓Αγαλλιάσονται καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται οἱ ζητοῦντές σε, κύριε. κα ν γὰρ σὺν πόνῳ καὶ ἱδρῶτι τὸ ζητεῖν τὸν κύριον γίνηται, ἀλλ' ου ν αὐτοῦ ἐπιφαινομένου ἀγαθότητι πολλῇ οι ς ποθοῦσιν ἰδεῖν ἀγαλλίασις θεία καὶ εὐφροσύνη διαδέχεται τὸν ἐν τῷ ζητεῖν πόνον. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς χάριτος τυχόντες διαπαντὸς ε ργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ διαθέσει πιστῇ ἐροῦσι Μεγαλυνθήτω ὁ κύριος, ἀεὶ μέγεθος νοήσεως αὐτοῦ εὐχόμενοι δέχεσθαι. ̔Υμνοῦσι δὲ ου τως οἱ πεῖραν λαβόντες τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ σωτηρίας ὡς ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὴν σωτήριον ὀνομαζομένην, η ἀγαπῶσι τὸ σωτήριον· τοῦτο δ' ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ αι τιος αὐτοῖς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας ω ν· τοῦτο τὸ σωτήριον ο ψεται πᾶσα σάρξ. 729a Ps 69,5b Καὶ τὰ μὲν εἰρημένα ἐκεῖνοι πείσονται, οἱ δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς μερίδος η τοι οἱ τὴν παρὰ σοῦ σωτηρίαν ἐλπίζοντες καὶ οὐχὶ πλήθει καὶ δυνάμει θαρροῦντες θυμηδίας τῆς ἀπὸ σοῦ ἐμπλησθεῖεν, ι να σε μεγαλύνωσιν. 730a Ps 69,6a Πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος ἀφορῶν τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ θεοῦ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα διὰ τῶν προκειμένων ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει· καὶ ἀρχόμενος δὲ τοῦ λόγου ὡς μηδενὸς αὐτῷ αὐτῷ συμβαλλομένου, μὴ πλούτου μὴ βασιλείας μὴ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς ε θνους βοηθείας μηδὲ τῆς ἐξ ἀσκήσεως πορισθείσης αὐτῷ δικαιοσύνης, τὴν παρὰ μόνου τοῦ θεοῦ βοήθειαν ἐκζητεῖ. 731a Ps 69,6b Μὴ εἰς μακρούς, φησίν, χρόνους πολεμούμενόν με καταλείψῃς, ι να μὴ μεγάλην ἀπενέγκωμαι βλάβην· ἀλλὰ βοήθειαν ο ρεξον, ι να ταύτῃ σκεπόμενος ὡς ο πλῳ εὐδοκίας μὴ βληθῶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν. 732a Ps 70,1b.2a ̔Ο ε χων τὴν ἐπὶ θεὸν ἐλπίδα ἀκαταίσχυντον ε χει τέλος, μέχρι τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος παρρησιαζόμενος ἐφ' ῃ ε σχεν προσδοκίᾳ, παντὸς τοῦ ἐπὶ ε τερόν τι τὴν πεποίθησιν ε χοντος καταισχυνομένου, ο ταν διαμάρτῃ τῆς ἐλπίδος. ̔Ο πεποιθὼς γάρ φησιν ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, ου τος πεσεῖται· καὶ Μὴ ἐλπίζετε, φησίν, ἐπ' α ρχοντας, ἐπὶ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων οι ς οὐκ ε στι σωτηρία· καὶ ̓Επικατάρατος ο ς τὴν
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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