Authenticity of Voice and the Guarding of the Heart
He is able to be made manifest from the prayer, 'Cleanse me from my secret sins.' If one does not even imply something regarding the non-existence of sin, a confession might not occur; consequently, the remnant of the man's inner mind is celebrated having been found outside of all evil. Or, when the doubt concerning him is taken away by the manifestation of purity, the saint celebrates—not sometimes and sometimes not, but steadily and always knowing the truth and acting according to righteousness. For this is truly the feast according to the apostle who said, 'Let us celebrate, not in leaven of malice and wickedness, but in unleavened bread of sincerity and truth' (1 Cor 5:8).
He is terrible before the kings of the earth, who struck down Pharaoh, and pursued Nebuchadnezzar of men, altering his thinking as if his life were among beasts (Ps 76:13); he deprived Saul of the spirit, who, despising the covenant of God, was rejected by Samuel; for it is said, 'The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul' (1 Sam 16:14), and he was oppressed by an evil spirit from the Lord, sent upon him by judgment and vote. And if even concerning ecclesiastical leaders these things are to be considered, hold fast to the God-breathed Scripture. For Paul, having called the elders of Miletus, says to them, 'Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit of God has made you overseers, and with Him, and also from among yourselves some will arise speaking twisted things, that is, the divine Spirit of the terrible ones being taken away' (Acts 20:28-30).
When the one speaking has departed far off, speaking with a strained voice (Ps 76:2).Ps 76:2). Since, therefore, the begotten essence is separated from the One who made all, a cry according to the intellect is necessary. He is called God because He made all things, and Lord because He rules over those things which come from Him. And it is said, God indeed the Father, and Lord the Son. But to the one speaking, the day is one of affliction, his whole life, indeed, the age which has come upon him, in which he seeks God as one would seek a physician for a disease, calling out. He seeks Him through deed and disposition, not being deceived like those who are ignorant of the end regarding circumstances, just as Saul went to a medium and was deceived. But the saint, who is not troubled, seeks God in the night called the ignorance of circumstances, according to the...
According to Isaiah, my soul became attached to a mortal, not being self-sufficient for all the consolation of the memory concerning God. To this, what is in Isaiah also applies: 'In trouble of the Lord I remembered' (Isa 26:3). According to the common habit of many, a wandering voice indicates something superficial, but according to the Scripture and being placed upon one who is praised, it is authentic.
For Anna, praying genuinely toward God, being called by the priest's child to persist in prayer, answers: 'From a multitude of wanderings I have wasted away until now.' And concerning Isaac, that which says: 'He went out to wander in the field.' But you will receive something superficial if you receive the one who explained to me unlawful wanderings.
If indeed the word were ever said by the divine scholars, having understood the sequence and the speaking person, we would receive the voice either for the better or for the evil. Now, therefore, both the person and the word are praised; the spirit did not faint, which indicates the soul. For even Stephen did not say, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' (Luke 22:43), but, having been faint-souled because of the enemies lying in wait, he gave himself to God.
My eyes preceded the guards (Ps 76:5). Another scripture is brought forward, not saying: 'I have preceded the guards,' but: 'All my enemies preceded the guards.' Concerning many guards happening against me, he was guarding the saying: 'With all vigilance, keep your heart.' They preceded them, those which were about to make me faint-souled, all my enemies; for they were not few, but rather all, and they were filled against me.
Therefore, also, they having become more dominant, I have seen in a certain foreknowledge that I would undergo trouble, but I did not utter anything troubling, nor in any disposition have I become disturbed; for the things of judgment and foreknowledge were not at all heavy upon me, nor had I been made in a passionate fear. For indeed I uttered nothing, whereas those who have shrunk in courage love to speak.
If the guards were to speak in a masculine way, he would say that all the thoughts, that I ought to stand regarding myself to guard me, all my enemies reached me instead of those guarding, casting unlawful and harmful thoughts. Let these things be said concerning invisible enemies. And if the divisions of the night are also called guards (if it should happen, he says, to lose the night being filled according to...)
Greek
151 δηλοῦσθαι δύναται ἐκ τοῦ ̓Απὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με. ̓Εὰν ου ν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ου τως ε χοντος ω σθ' ὑπονοεῖσθαι μὴ α ρα ὑπάρχῃ ἐξομολόγησις γένηται, ἑορτάσει λοιπὸν τὸ ἐγκατάλειμμα τοῦ ἐνθυμίου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εὑρεθὲν πάσης κακίας ἐκτός· η τῷ ἀπειλῆφθαι τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀμφιβολίαν, ἀναδειχθείσης καθαρότητος, ἑορτάζει ὁ α γιος, οὐ ποτὲ μέν, ποτὲ δὲ οὐ, ἀλλ' ἀδιαστάτως καὶ ἀεὶ γινώσκων τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ ἐνεργῶν κατὰ δικαιοσύνην. αυ τη γὰρ κυρίως ἑορτὴ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον εἰρηκότα Ωστε ἑορτάζωμεν μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας. 791a Ps 75,13 Φοβερὸς ω ν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς τὸν Φαραὼ κατεπόντισεν, τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐδίωξεν ἀλλοιώσας αὐτοῦ τὸ φρονοῦν ὡς μετὰ θηρίων τὴν διατριβὴν ε χειν, ἀφῄρηκε πνεῦμα ἀπὸ Σαοὺλ ο τε ἐξουθενήσας τὸν Σαμουὴλ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διαθήκην παρέβη· ει ρηται γὰρ ὡς ̓Απέστη πνεῦμα κυρίου ἀπὸ Σαούλ, καὶ ε πνιγεν αὐτὸν πνεῦμα πονηρὸν παρὰ κυρίου, κρίσει καὶ ψήφῳ ἐπιπεμφθὲν αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἀρχόντων ἐκδεκτέα ταῦτα, ἐπίστησον τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ γραφῇ. ε φη γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς Μιλήτου πρεσβυτέρους ὁ Παῦλος καλέσας αὐτοὺς Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ ἐν ῳ ὑμᾶς ε θετο τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ α γιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπισκόπους, καὶ μεθ' ε τερα Καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀναστήσονταί τινες λαλοῦντες διεστραμμένα, δηλαδὴ τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα τοῦ φοβεροῦ τούτους ἀφαιρουμένου κριτοῦ. 792a Ps 76,2–4 Οτε δὲ πόρρω διέστηκεν ὁ λέγων τοῦ πρὸς ο ν ὁ λόγος, ἐπιτεταμένης χρεία φωνῆς. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἡ γεννητὴ οὐσία κεχώρισται, κραυγῆς τῆς κατὰ διάνοιαν δεῖ. θεὸν δὲ καλεῖ τῷ πάντα πεποιηκέναι, κύριον δὲ τῷ δεσπόζειν τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγονότων. λέγοι δ' α ν καὶ θεὸν μὲν τὸν πατέρα, κύριον δὲ τὸν υἱόν. ̔Ημέρα δὲ τῷ λέγοντι θλίψεως η πᾶς ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ η γουν αἰὼν ὁ ἐνεστηκὼς ἐν ῳ πρὸς τὸ ῥυσθῆναι ζητεῖ τὸν θεὸν ὡς α ν τις ἰατρὸν ἐπὶ νόσῳ διενοχλούσῃ καλῶν. ζητεῖ δὲ πράξει καὶ διαθέσει, μὴ ἀπατώμενος κατὰ τοὺς τῶν περιστατικῶν ἀγνοοῦντας τὸ τέλος, ὡς ὁ Σαοὺλ πρὸς ἐγγαστρίμυθον ἀπελθὼν ἠπατήθη. ὁ δὲ α γιος ο σον ἐνοχλεῖται ζητεῖ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῇ τῶν περιστατικῶν ἀγνοίᾳ καλουμένῃ νυκτί, κατὰ τὸ παρ' ̔Ησαΐᾳ ... ̓Απηνήνατο πρός τινος θνητοῦ παρακληθῆναι ἡ ψυχή μου, αὐτάρκους ου σης πρὸς πᾶσαν παραμυθίαν τῆς περὶ θεοῦ μνήμης. εἰς τοῦτο λήψει καὶ τὸ ἐν ̔Ησαΐᾳ ̓Εν θλίψει τοῦ κυρίου ἐμνήσθην. Κατὰ μὲν τὴν τῶν πολλῶν συνήθειαν ψεκτόν τι δηλοῖ ἡ ̓Ηδολέσχησα φωνή, κατὰ δὲ τὴν γραφὴν καὶ ἐπὶ ἐπαινετοῦ κεῖται· η γουν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν γνησίως προσευχομένη Αννα, καλουμένη ἀπὸ παιδαρίου τοῦ ἱερέως ἐπιμένειν τῇ εὐχῇ, ἀποκρίνεται ̓Εκ πλήθους ἀδολεσχίας μου ἐκτέτηκα ε ως τοῦ νῦν· καὶ περὶ τοῦ ̓Ισαὰκ δὲ ο τι ̓Εξῆλθεν ἀδολεσχῆσαι εἰς τὸ πεδίον. ἐπὶ ψεκτοῦ παραλήψῃ δὲ τὸ ∆ιηγήσαντό μοι παράνομοι ἀδολεσχίας. ει ποτε γοῦν λέγοιτο ἡ λέξις αυ τη ἐν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις, τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ καὶ τῷ λέγοντι προσώπῳ ἐπιστήσαντες τὴν φωνὴν ληψόμεθα η ἐπὶ βελτίονος η ἐπὶ κακοῦ. νῦν τοίνυν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ἡ λέξις ἐπαινετὰ ου τὸ πνεῦμα ὠλιγοψύχησεν δηλοῦν τὴν ψυχήν· ου τω γὰρ καὶ Στέφανος ε λεγε Κύριε ̓Ιησοῦ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου· ὀλιγωρήσας δὲ διὰ τοὺς ἐπικειμένους ἐχθροὺς ἐπέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν τῷ θεῷ. 793a Ps 76,5 Προκατελάβοντο φυλακὰς οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου. α λλη γραφὴ φέρεται ου τω ε χουσα· Προκατελάβοντο φυλακὰς πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου. Πολλῶν φυλακῶν περὶ ἐμὲ τυγχανουσῶν, ἐφύλαττον τὴν λέγουσαν ἐντολὴν Πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν. προκατελάβοντο αὐτὰς τὸ ο σον ἐπὶ τῷ ὠλιγοψυχηκέναι με πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου· οὐ γὰρ ει ς ἀλλὰ πολλοί, μᾶλλον δὲ πάντες α μα ἐπλήσθησαν κατ' ἐμοῦ. διὸ καὶ ἐπικρατεστέρους αὐτοὺς γενομένους ἑωρακὼς ἐν προπαθείᾳ τινὶ γεγένημαι ὡς τάραχον ὑπομεῖναι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐφθεγξάμην τι ταραχῶδες οὐδ' ἐν διαθέσει τινὶ 152 τεθορυβημένῃ γεγένημαι· ε στη γάρ μοι τὰ τῆς κρίσεως τῆς προπαθείας οὐδ' ο λως ἐν τῷ παθητικῷ φόβῳ γεγενημένῳ. ἐφθεγξάμην γοῦν οὐδὲν ω ν οἱ δειλωθέντες φιλοῦσι λέγειν. Εἰ δὲ ἀρρενικῶς οἱ φύλακες λέγοιντο, ἐρεῖ ο τι πάντας τοὺς λογισμούς, ου ς ε δει με στῆσαι περὶ ἐμαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ φρουρεῖν με, ε φθασαν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου ἀντὶ τῶν φυλαττόντων ὀλεθρίους καὶ ἐπιβλαβεῖς ὑποβάλλοντες λογισμούς. ταῦτα δὲ περὶ ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν λεγέσθω. Εἰ δὲ καὶ φυλακαὶ οἱ τῆς νυκτὸς μερισμοὶ λέγονται (εἰ συμβαίη, φησίν, ο λην τὴν νύκτα υ πνου ἐμπλησθῆναι κατὰ
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.