Divine Knowledge and the Ascent from Depths
When his providence and creative order are understood as manifesting much propriety, it happens only by command. For such is also the providential order to the one capable of saying, 'I understood your works and was astounded' (Ps 70:9a); and it is consistent with the present context, 'He cast a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God' (Ps 70:9a). 'Upon you is my hope from my youth' (Ps 70:9a). I beseech you in this state to remain until old age, not being rejected from you, but one who does all vain things and acts lawlessly being rejected.
And let it be considered also toward thought; since old age is precious not because of long duration, but because of much divine wisdom of the inward man and old age of an unblemished life through supreme virtue; since I am at the peak of progressing, I beseech you not to reject me but to cooperate by your goodness, so that I may reach the time of unblemished life. For if Christ is the one saying, 'If being an enemy, let them shame me, I have lifted up my head' (Ps 70:10-11); for this is also what is said regarding these things about Judas.
Of my shameful enemies who hastened to my ruin (Ps 70:14-16), I add even now to triumphantly praise you with the praise that preceded me: 'In you is my memory forever' (Ps 70:14-16). And those saying, 'God has forsaken him,' were casting into his soul. For the greatest slander against the one forsaken is declared by the phrase 'God has forsaken him,' but 'I, however, through all things, hope,' he says, showing that he will not leave any place available. Toward 'God has forsaken him' and 'I, however, through all things, hope' is the contrast. And regarding the enemies unjustly killing, wanting to surround him as a destruction, remaining unharmed from them, he announces the life (the day called) the righteousness and salvation of the Lord. And since he did not know, he says, some writing of the law, for this reason not knowing, I will not enter upon the word and the shadow, according to the life-giving spirit and...
God has given the power to rule the mind of the written scriptures in a kingly way. Therefore I say, I will remember your righteousness alone, not being one who cares for the righteousness according to the shadow of the law, having become according to the righteousness in the law; Paul, blameless, writes that all those shadowy things, which previously were his gains, are to be counted as refuse because of the excellence of knowledge.
These things, as the great works of the Most High, and with them the wonders, have been lifted up, because a Savior man has come into being. For having been born of the virgin, a multitude of the heavenly host cried out, 'Glory to God in the highest,' say, 'and peace on earth, in men goodwill' (Luke 2:14). For because of the goodwill having come into being in men, much peace prevailed, the enemies of all those on earth having been destroyed; but also glory has become in the highest, of the saved men having the ascent unto the highest. For how will not those having become perfect, just as the heavenly Father is perfect, having become in unsurpassable holiness, have God within themselves, all in all becoming? And the Lord himself says in the Gospels to his own Father, 'I will, Father, that where I am, they also may be with me, so that they may see my glory' (John 14:3).
Since God, through goodness, permitted to be tested by afflictions and evil things for the sake of some benefit, turning back again to himself, he gives life, imparting life to those who have seen through trials and evils, just as one is lifted up from the abysses, that is, from the depth of circumstances, the one being driven down. And since we have received the evil things, the painful and evil ones, as appropriate to the afflictions, following this, life-giving will be called according to the common life, and the ascent from the abyss; for since the evil things, having been stretched out, seem to kill and to bring down into Hades, if one receives the end of these things, he is being made alive by God and is brought up from the abysses of the earth.
Greek
αὐτοῦ νοουμένης τῆς ἐν προνοίᾳ καὶ δημιουργίᾳ τάξεως ὡς πολὺ τὸ πρέπον ἐμφαινούσης, μόνῳ γινομένης κελεύματι. τοιαύτη γὰρ καὶ ἡ προνοητικὴ τῷ δυναμένῳ λέγειν Κατενόησα τὰ ε ργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην· σύμφωνον δὲ τῷ παρόντι τὸ ̓Ενέβαλεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου ᾳ σμα καινόν, υ μνον τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν. 741a Ps 70,9a ̓Επὶ σοὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐκ νεότητός μου. παρακαλῶ ἐν τῇ καταστάσει ταύτῃ μέχρι γήρως διαμεῖναι οὐκ ἀπορριπτόμενος ἀπὸ σοῦ, παντὸς τοῦ φαῦλα πράσσοντος καὶ ἀνομοῦντος ἀπορριπτομένου. Θεωρηθείη δὲ καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν· ἐπεὶ γῆρας τίμιον οὐ τὸ πολυχρόνιον, πολιᾶς ου σης τοῦ ε νδον ἀνθρώπου τῆς θείας φρονήσεως καὶ γήρως τοῦ δι' ἀκροτάτην ἀρετὴν ἀκηλιδώτου βίου· ἐπεὶ ἀκμὴν ἐν τῷ προκόπτειν εἰμί, παρακαλῶ μὴ ἀπορριφῆναι ἀλλὰ συνεργεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγαθότητός σου, ε ως φθάσω ἐπὶ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ ἀκηλιδώτου βίου. 742a Ps 70,10.11 Εἰ γὰρ Χριστὸς ὁ λέγων, ε πεται τῷ Εἰ ἐχθρὸς ὠνείδισέ με, ὑπήνεγκα α ν. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτων περὶ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα φησίν. 743a Ps 70,14–16 Τῶν ἐμῶν αἰσχυνομένων ἐχθρῶν τῷ κατ' ἐμοῦ μάτην ἐσπουδακέναι, προστίθημι καὶ νῦν ἐπινικίως αἰνῶν σε τῇ προλαβούσῃ αἰνέσει περὶ η ς ε φην ̓Εν σοὶ ἡ υ μνησίς μου διαπαντός. ἐνδιέβαλλον δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ οἱ λέγοντες ̔Ο θεὸς ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτόν. μεγίστη γὰρ δηλοῦται κατὰ τοῦ ἐγκαταλειπομένου διαβολὴ πρὸς ο τὸ ̓Εγὼ δὲ διὰ παντὸς ἐλπιῶ φησίν, δεικνὺς ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἐγκαταλείψει παρέσχετο χώραν. Πρὸς τὸ ̔Ο θεὸς ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτὸν τὸ ̓Εγὼ δὲ διαπαντὸς ἐλπιῶ ει πεν. καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀδίκως φονώντων ὡς ἀπωλείᾳ περιβαλεῖν αὐτὸν θέλειν, ἀβλαβὴς διαμείνας ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἐξαγγέλλει παρ' ο λον αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον (ἡμέραν ὀνομαζόμενον) τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ σωτηρίαν τοῦ κυρίου. Καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ ε γνων, φησί, γραμματείας τι τοῦ νόμου, τούτου χάριν οὐκ ε ξω μένων ἐπὶ τῆς λέξεως καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς εἰσελεύσομαι, κατὰ τὸ ζωοποιοῦν πνεῦμα καὶ τὸν θεῖον τῶν γεγραμμένων νοῦν δυναστεύων βασιλικῶς, θεοῦ δεδωκότος. διό φημι Μνησθήσομαι τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου μόνου, οὐκ ε τι φροντίζων τὴν κατὰ σκιὰν τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνην, περὶ η ς γενόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοσύνην α μεμπτος Παῦλος γράφει πάντα τὰ σκιώδη α η ν αὐτοῦ πρότερον κέρδη ἐζημιῶσθαι καὶ σκύβαλον ἡγεῖσθαι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως. 744a Ps 70,19a Ταῦτα ε ως ὑψίστων μεγαλεῖα καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς τὰ θαυμάσια ὑπῆρκται, τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀνθρώπου γεγενημένου. τεχθέντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου, πλῆθος οὐρανίου στρατιᾶς ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ, ε λεγε, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία. τῆς γὰρ γενομένης εὐδοκίας ἐν ἀνθρώποις εἰρήνη πολλὴ ἐκράτησεν, τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς πάντων πολεμίων καταλυθέντων· ἀλλὰ καὶ δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις γέγονεν, τῶν σῳζομένων ἀνθρώπων μέχρι τῶν ὑψίστων τὴν ἀνάβασιν ἐχόντων. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ε μελλον οἱ γενόμενοι τέλειοι, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν, ἐν ἀνυπερβλήτῳ ἁγιότητι γενόμενοι, ε χειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν θεὸν πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν γενόμενον; καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ κύριος ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ε φη πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα Θέλω, πάτερ, ι να ο που εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ου τοι ω σιν μετ' ἐμοῦ, ι να θεωρῶσι τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἐμήν. 745 Ps 70,20 ̓Επεὶ ἀγαθότητι ὁ θεὸς πειραθῆναι θλιβερῶν καὶ κακωτικῶν πρὸς σύμφορόν τι συνεχώρησεν, πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ζωοποιεῖ, μεταδιδοὺς ζωῆς τοῖς ἑωρακόσι διὰ πείρας θλίψεις καὶ κακά, ὡς καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀβύσσων τουτέστι τοῦ βάθους τῶν περιστατικῶν ἀνιμήσασθαι τὸν κατενεχθέντα. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰ κακὰ κατάλληλα ταῖς θλίψεσι τὰ ἐπίπονα καὶ κακωτικὰ ἐξειλήφαμεν, ἀκολούθως ἡ 141 ζωοποίησις κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν ζωὴν ἐκληφθήσεται καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου α νοδος· ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὰ κακωτικὰ ἐκταθέντα θανατοῦν δοκεῖ καὶ καταβιβάζειν εἰς ᾳ δην, ο ταν τέλος λάβῃ τὰ αι τια, ζωοποιεῖταί τις ὑπὸ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς ἀναβιβάζεται.
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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