The Pillars of the Ordered Earth
It must be said that the clouds of iniquity have filled those who are darkened in the earth; for they do not walk upon the earth as citizens of heaven, but because of this they have an earthly veil of life, their intellect being darkened by ignorance. (Ps 74:1)
If to corrupt and to be corrupted is often, according to the Divine Scripture, to sin, then incorruption and to possess it signifies virtue; for it is said, 'The grace is with those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption.' And since it is necessary for Him who began the good work to bring it to completion, that is to say, to lead it to an end, 'Lest you be corrupted' is said, fleeing corruption until the end, so that no one remains in it but remains in incorruption. And this achievement is great, so a Psalm of song is sent up regarding its fulfillment. Having reached the end so as not to be corrupted, with incorruption having been achieved, we shall thankfully confess to you, God, as the cause of the good things that have existed and are being achieved; for with you and from you these are made firm. And we desire to receive even more upon the good things having been achieved; for we are not yet perfect. We shall indeed confess concerning the things that have existed, but we shall call upon your favor in order to receive more. And if those who confess and call upon you are perfect, they confess on behalf of those who have received in fullness, calling upon you for their protection, so that what was given by the heavenly Father might remain with those asking for it. (Ps 74:4b)
And Didymus similarly explained this. (Ps 74:4,5a)
To dwell in the earth as a resident instead of a speck is taken as being a sojourner upon praise; for it is said, 'Woe to all those who dwell in the earth,' (Ps 74:4) and 'From the face of the north shall the evils be burned upon those who dwell in the earth.' (Isa 15:2) Truly, being one who dwells in the earth, it happens to become fat from thinking of earthly things and doing the works prescribed of the flesh, and to be subject to its intellect happens to become filth toward God because of dwelling in the earth. This thickness coming from evil, through which the heart of the burning people was thickened, the piercing teaching of the Savior stretched out, concerning which it is said, 'What Fire came to be cast upon the earth.' (Luke 12:49) And since it is necessary not only to be consumed from the thing falling away, but the evil...
Because of the predetermination of those being held, the spirit commands the deeds of the body to die and the spirit to walk, so that we do not fulfill the desire of the flesh. Regarding the pillars of this ordered earth, those having a well-tuned and true mindset, the heralds of truth say, the Savior, establishing them in the house of God, does not make them unsteady (Ps 74:4,5a).
Having strengthened the pillars of the church, he grants to the rest not to deviate. He says this regarding the established order and the completed work of Christ, through whom the earth and all who dwell in it were ordered. Furthermore, to the inhabitants of the whole inhabited world, it was testified through the apostles not to deviate nor to speak injustice against God, paying heed to the many errors. But to dwell on the earth is from above as if being received in praise, whereas to reside as a sojourner is as if being received in mockery. For he says, 'Woe to all those dwelling on the earth' (Luke 12:53), and 'From the face of the north shall the evils be burned upon those dwelling on the earth' (Isa 7:4).
For the one thinking of the things on the earth and doing the works of the flesh, his mindset is made fat toward God because of dwelling on the earth, according to the saying: 'He was made fat, enlarged, and left empty.' Such were those whose covering they closed up in the earth, concerning whom it has been said, 'Their iniquity shall come out like the scent of a covering.' The piercing teaching of the Savior, having said, 'Fire has come to be cast upon the earth' (Luke 12:49), has stretched out such a fatness of wickedness.
But since even by predetermination wickedness must be consumed, and not by the one commanding alone, we are commanded to let the deeds of the body die and to walk by the spirit, so that we may not fulfill the desire of the flesh. The Savior strengthens the pillars of this ordered earth, those having a well-tuned life and a true mindset; rather, regarding the heralds of truth, it has been said, 'Pillars of heaven were stretched out,' having been winged with heavenly wings, as it is said concerning them, 'He who is heavenly, such also are the heavenly ones.' It has also been written concerning all of the glorious church, to which Christ presented himself as a 'pillar and foundation of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15). The Savior, establishing all these pillars in the house of God, does not make them unsteady, saying, 'I will lay the foundation of my holy house' (Ps 74:7b).
Greek
πεπληρῶσθαι δὲ οι κων ἀνομιῶν ῥητέον τοὺς ἐσκοτισμένους ἐν τῇ γῇ· ου τοι γὰρ ἐν τῇ γῇ προσπελάζουσι· διὸ ε χουσι σκῆνος γήϊνον βίον, πολυφρόντιδα νοῦν σκοτισθέντες δι' α γνοιαν. 778a Ps 74,1.2 Εἰ τὸ φθεῖραι καὶ διαφθεῖραι πολλαχοῦ παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐστίν, ἀφθαρσία καὶ τὸ ε χειν αὐτὴν ἀρετὴν σημαίνει· ̔Η χάρις γάρ φησι μετὰ τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸν ἀρξάμενον ε ργου ἀγαθοῦ ἐπιτελέσαι αὐτὸ δεῖ τουτέστιν ἀγαγεῖν αὐτὸ εἰς πέρας, Εἰς τὸ τέλος μὴ διαφθείρῃς ει ρηται, μέχρι τέλους φεύγων τὴν φθοράν, ι να μὴ μείνῃ τις ἐν αὐτῇ ἀλλ' ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ μείνῃ. μέγα δὲ τοῦτο τὸ κατόρθωμα, ο θεν Ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς ἐπὶ τῇ συμπληρώσει αὐτοῦ ἀναπέμπεται. Εἰς τὸ τέλος φθάσαντες τοῦ μὴ διαφθεῖραι, κατωρθωμένης ἀφθαρσίας, εὐχαρίστως ἐξομολογησόμεθά σοι, θεέ, ὡς αἰτίῳ τῶν ὑπαρξάντων καὶ κατορθουμένων ἀγαθῶν· σὺν σοὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκ σοῦ βεβαιοῦται ταῦτα. καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς κατορθωθεῖσιν ἀγαθοῖς προσλαβεῖν καὶ ε τερα βουλόμεθα· ου πω γάρ 148 ἐσμεν τέλειοι· ἐξομολογησόμεθα μὲν περὶ τῶν ὑπαρξάντων, ἐπικαλεσόμεθα δὲ τὴν προσηγορίαν σου ὑπὲρ τοῦ α λλα λαβεῖν. ̓Εὰν δὲ ω σι τέλειοι οἱ ἐξομολογούμενοι καὶ ἐπικαλούμενοι, ἐξομολογοῦνται ὑπὲρ ω ν πλήρη εἰλήφασιν ἐπικαλούμενοι ὑπὲρ φυλακῆς αὐτῶν, ο πως παραμένῃ αὐτοῖς μέχρι τέλους τὰ δοθέντα παρὰ τοῦ οὐρανίου πατρὸς τοῖς αἰτήσασιν αὐτόν. 779a Ps 74,4b Καὶ ∆ίδυμος δὲ ὁμοίως τούτοις ἐξηγήσατο. 780a Ps 74,4.5a Τὸ κατοικεῖν τὴν γῆν ὡς ἐπίπαν ἀντὶ ψόγου λαμβάνεται ω σπερ τὸ παροικεῖν ἐπὶ ἐπαίνου· Οὐαὶ γάρ φησιν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν, καὶ ̓Απὸ προσώπου βορρᾶ ἐκκαυθήσεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν. φαύλου τοιγαροῦν ο ντος τοῦ κατοικεῖν τὴν γῆν, παχύνεσθαι συμβαίνει ἐκ τοῦ φρονεῖν τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ ποιεῖν τὰ κατηριθμημένα τῆς σαρκὸς ε ργα καὶ τὸ ὑποκεῖσθαι τῷ φρονήματι αὐτῆς τυγχάνοντι ε χθρᾳ εἰς θεὸν διὰ τὸ κατοικεῖν τὴν γῆν. ταύτην τὴν ἐκ κακίας προσγενομένην παχύτητα καθ' η ν ἐπαχύνθη ἡ καρδία τοῦ ἐγκαλουμένου λαοῦ ἐκτήκει ἡ διάπυρος τοῦ σωτῆρος διδασκαλία, περὶ η ς ει πεν ο τι Πῦρ η λθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνον ἐκ τοῦ τήκοντος ἀναλωθῆναι δεῖ τὴν κακίαν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ προαιρέσεως τῶν ἐνεχομένων, προστάττεται πνεύματι πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦν καὶ πνεύματι περιπατεῖν, ι να Σαρκὸς ἐπιθυμίαν μὴ τελέσητε. Στύλους δὲ αὐτῆς τῆς τακείσης γῆς τοὺς ευ τονον καὶ φρόνημα ἀληθὲς ε χοντας λέγει η τοὺς κήρυκας τῆς ἀληθείας, ου ς στερεοῖ ὁ ἐν τάξει τῇδε ου σῃ ἱδρύων αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ οι κῳ τοῦ θεοῦ σωτήρ. 781a Ps 74,4.5a Στερεώσας τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοὺς στύλους τοῖς λοιποῖς παρῄνεσα μὴ παρανομεῖν. λέγοιτο δ' α ν πρὸς τὸ καταστασιάσαν τάγμα καὶ κατεπαρθὲν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' ου ς ἐτάκη αὐτῶν ἡ γῆ καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτήν. πλὴν καὶ τοῖς καθ' ο λης οἰκουμένης ε θνεσι διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐμαρτύρατο μὴ παρανομεῖν μηδὲ λαλεῖν ἀδικίαν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ πολυθέῳ προσέχοντας πλάνῃ. Ανωθεν δὲ τὸ κατοικεῖν τὴν γῆν ὡς ἐπίπαν ἐπὶ ψόγου λαμβάνεται ὡς ἐν ἐπαίνῳ τὸ παροικεῖν. Οὐαὶ γάρ φησιν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν, καὶ ̓Απὸ προσώπου βορρᾶ ἐκκαυθήσεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν. παχύνεται γὰρ ὁ φρονῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ποιῶν τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ε ργα η ς τὸ φρόνημα ε χθρα εἰς θεὸν διὰ τὸ κατοικεῖν τὴν γῆν, κατὰ τὸ ̓Επαχύνθη ἐπλατύνθη ἐλιπάνθη· ὁποῖοι η σαν οἱ τὸ στέαρ αὐτῶν συγκλείσαντες ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ περὶ ω ν ει ρηται ̓Εξελεύσεται ὡς ἐκ στέατος ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν. Τὴν δὲ τοιαύτην ἐκ κακίας παχύτητα ἐκτήκει ἡ διάπυρος τοῦ σωτῆρος διδασκαλία εἰπόντος Πῦρ η λθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκ προαιρέσεως ἀναλωθῆναι δεῖ τὴν κακίαν καὶ οὐκ ἐκ μόνου τοῦ τήκοντος, προσταττόμεθα τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦν καὶ πνεύματι περιπατεῖν, ι να σαρκὸς ἐπιθυμίαν μὴ τελέσωμεν. Στερεοῖ δὲ τῆς γῆς τῆς τακείσης τοὺς στύλους τοὺς ευ τονον βίον καὶ ἀληθὲς ε χοντας φρόνημα, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας τοὺς κήρυκας περὶ ω ν ει ρηται Στῦλοι οὐρανοῦ ἐπετάσθησαν, πτερωθέντες πτεροῖς οὐρανίοις ὡς λέγεσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν Οι ος ὁ ἐπουράνιος, τοιοῦτοι καὶ οἱ ἐπουράνιοι. γέγραπται δὲ καὶ περὶ πάσης τῆς ἐνδόξου ἐκκλησίας η ς παρέστησε Χριστὸς ἑαυτῷ Στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας. πάντας ου ν τοὺς στύλους τούτους στερεοῖ ὁ ἐν τάξει τῇδε ου σῃ ἱδρύων αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ οι κῳ τοῦ θεοῦ σωτὴρ λέγων Τὸν οι κον τὸν α γιόν μου θεμελιώσω. 782a Ps 74,7b Ερημον
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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.