Divine Mercy and Human Likeness
Something like this is said. Since the Lord spoke peace upon his people, the justice of the people going before him will set his steps upon the way leading to blessedness; and the Lord himself, who is justice, goes before the people and will set his steps into a way. To whom, indeed, is it said, 'Before you I will go and I will make the level places'?
And likewise: the justice operating according to the law in Moses and the prophets, having come forward before the end of John from the Savior, having been placed into the way of his crossings in us, to dwell and walk among us, has cried out: 'Prepare the ways of the Lord straight, make his paths'; for he alone cries: 'Make straight for him who is stepping upon the mountains, the Lord, his name.' Care also regarding John, it is said: 'He will go before the Lord in spirit and in power like Elijah,' and 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'
If even the Savior is justice going before the Father into the minds of the God-bearers, consider with understanding in what way it was said: 'He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me' (Matt 10:40). Psalm 85:2b,3: 'All the saints cry out as if upon a great command concerning the servant of God.' Jonah, indeed, when asked from what land he is and from what people, said: 'I am a servant of God, and I fear the God of heaven.'
And the apostles, indeed, are testified by the Savior well through works and words, confessing him as Lord: 'For you call me Lord and Teacher, and you say well: for I am both your Lord and Teacher always, learning from me and serving me sincerely' (Matt 23:36). And concerning their own letters, they set forward this significance, as if being refreshed by a greatest command: 'James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,' and 'Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.' Just as the men of the world in the writings of life-transactions wish to be designated by the honors concerning them, so the apostles in the beginnings of their writings are worthy to be designated servants of God and of Christ. David, doing the similar, and...
To the King, he says, 'Save, O God, your servant who hopes in you; save me in your abundant mercy, because as I say all the time of my life, I cry out to you' (Ps 85:5a). But leniency is not spoken of as being upon God; for leniency is a human virtue. If it is said about it to be more human, as are the other things, such as rejoicing, being glad, or remembering.
And 'gods' is said not only there to be taken for idols and demons, but also for the saints (Ps 85:8). For in these no one is entirely and unchangeably the equal of the Lord. For He himself alone is likewise God to the Father; but each of these has become a god by participation, having received the Word of God according to 'They shall be gods' (Ps 82:6) and 'The Word of God became' (Jn 1:1). For even if they have become the image and likeness of God, none of them is in essence the equal of the Lord, being those who shall be made like Him but not being Him. 'You shall be holy because I am holy' (Lev 11:44), He who is holy, so that they may become holy. To speak the truth concerning those who shall become holy: 'Who is holy like you, Lord?' (Ps 86:15). For it has not been written, 'Who shall be equal to you among the gods, Lord?', but 'Who is your equal?'. For they shall be like, according to what was said: 'We shall be like him, what we shall see him to be.' No one is the equal of the Lord among the gods mentioned, nor does anyone among them attain it according to His works. Therefore also in the Gospel it is said, 'If I have not done the works which I did in them, no other man has done; he has no sin' (Jn 10:38). For even if the saints once did the same things as the Savior, it differs greatly in the manner: some working by prayer and faith toward God, others by exercising authority; therefore it is said that none of the gods are gods according to the works of the Savior. And it is said to us also in the beginning of the Second Book how it was said, 'Lord God, who shall be equal to you?', which we also ought to apply to the one encountering the prescribed word.
To partake blamelessly of the knowledge of the truth is impossible not through moral instruction and active deeds having been passed through (Ps 85:11ab). For one is first led by God through prayer in the way; but this second way is that of practical progress. For the beginning of a good way is doing what is just, and so on.
Greek
λεγόμενον τοιοῦτον. ἐπεὶ ἐλάλησε κύριος εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, η τοῦ λαοῦ δικαιοσύνη ε μπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πορευομένη θήσει τὰ διαβήματα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἀνάγουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν μακαριότητα, η αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ω ν ἡ δικαιοσύνη προπορεύεται τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ θήσει εἰς ὁδὸν τὰ διαβήματα αὐτοῦ. πρός τινα γοῦν ει πεν Εμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι καὶ ο ρη ὁμαλιῶ. Η καὶ ου τως· ἡ κατὰ νόμον δικαιοσύνη ἐν Μωυσεῖ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἐνεργοῦσα η ς τέλος ̓Ιωάννης προελήλυθε τοῦ σωτῆρος, τεθεῖσα εἰς ὁδὸν τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν τὰς διαβάσεις αὐτοῦ, ι ν' ἐνοικῇ καὶ ἐμπεριπατῇ ἡμῖν, κέκραγεν ̔Ετοιμάσατε τὰς ὁδοὺς κυρίου εὐθείας, ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ· μονουχὶ βοῶν ̔Οδοποιήσατε τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ δυσμῶν, κύριος ο νομα αὐτῷ. ἀμέλει καὶ περὶ ̓Ιωάννου λέγεται τὸ Καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει ̓Ηλίου, καὶ τὸ ̓Ιδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν α γγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου ο ς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου ε μπροσθέν σου. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δικαιοσύνη ἐστὶ προπορευομένη τοῦ πατρὸς εἰς τὰς διανοίας τῶν θεοφορουμένων, ἐπίστησον νοῶν τίνα τρόπον ει ρηται τὸ ̔Ο δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με. 858 Ps 85,2b.3 Αὐχοῦσιν ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλῳ ἀξιώματι οἱ α γιοι πάντες ἐπὶ τῷ δοῦλοι θεοῦ ει ναι. ̓Ιωνᾶς γοῦν ἐρωτώμενος ἐκ ποίας χώρας ει η καὶ ἐκ ποίου λαοῦ, ̓Εγὼ δοῦλος θεοῦ εἰμι ε φη, καὶ τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ σέβομαι. καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι γοῦν μαρτυροῦνται ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος καλῶς δι' ε ργων καὶ λόγων κύριον αὐτὸν ὁμολογοῦντες· ̔Υμεῖς γὰρ φωνεῖτέ με ̔Ο κύριος καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ καλῶς λέγετε· εἰμὶ γὰρ ὑμῶν καὶ κύριος καὶ διδάσκαλος ἀεὶ 170 μανθανόντων παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δουλευόντων μοι γνησίως. καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων γοῦν ἑαυτῶν προτάττουσι ταύτην τὴν σημασίαν ὡς ἐπὶ μεγίστῳ ἀξιώματι ἐναβρυνόμενοι· ̓Ιάκωβος γὰρ θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος, καὶ Παῦλος δοῦλος ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ὡς γὰρ οἱ τοῦ κόσμου α νθρωποι ἐν ταῖς συγγραφαῖς τῶν βιωτικῶν συναλλαγμάτων ἐκ τῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀξιωμάτων χρηματίζειν θέλουσιν, ου τως οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τῶν συγγραμμάτων αὐτῶν δοῦλοι θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ χρηματίζειν ἀξιοῦσι. τὸ παραπλήσιον ποιῶν ὁ ∆αυίδ, καίτοι βασιλεὺς ω ν, Σῶσον, ε φη, τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ὁ θεός, τὸν ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ σέ· σῶσον δέ με ἐλέῳ τῷ σῷ, ἐπειδήπερ ο λην ἡμέραν, λέγω δὴ πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς μου, πρὸς σὲ βοῶ. 859 Ps 85,5a Τὸ δὲ ἐπιεικὴς ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ κυριολεκτεῖται. ἀνθρωπίνη γὰρ ἀρετὴ ἡ ἐπιείκεια. ει ρηται δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωπικώτερον ὡς καὶ τὰ α λλα, τὸ χαίρειν τὸ εὐφραίνεσθαι τὸ μνημονεύειν. 860 Ps 85,8 Θεοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγεσθαι οὐ τὰ ἀγάλματα καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας ληπτέον ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους. ἐν τούτοις γὰρ οὐδεὶς πάντῃ καὶ ἀπαραλλάκτως ο μοιός ἐστι τῷ κυρίῳ. μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ὡσαύτως τῷ πατρί ἐστι θεός, τούτων δὲ ε καστος μετουσίᾳ θεὸς γέγονε δεξάμενος τὸν θεὸν λόγον κατὰ τὸ ̓Εκείνους ει πε θεοὺς πρὸς ου ς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο. εἰ γὰρ καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ γεγένηνται, ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν κατ' οὐσίαν ο μοιός ἐστι τῷ κυρίῳ, αὐτῶν ὁμοιωθησομένων ἀλλ' οὐκ ο ντων· Εσεσθε γὰρ α γιοι διότι ἐγὼ α γιός εἰμι, αὐτοῦ ο ντος ἁγίου, αὐτῶν δ' ἐσομένων. περὶ τῶν ἐσομένων ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν Τίς α γιός ἐστιν ὡς σύ, κύριε; οὐ γὰρ γέγραπται Τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι ἐν θεοῖς, κύριε, ἀλλὰ Τίς ο μοιός σοι. ο μοιοι γὰρ ε σονται κατὰ τὸ ῥηθὲν Ομοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ο τι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν. Οὐδεὶς ου ν ο μοιος τῷ κυρίῳ τῶν προκειμένων θεῶν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰ ε ργα αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει τις αὐτῶν. διὸ καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ φησὶν Εἰ μὴ τὰ ε ργα ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτοῖς α οὐδεὶς α λλος ἐποίησεν, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ει χον. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ αὐτά ποτε τῷ σωτῆρι ἐποίησαν κατὰ τὸ ὑποκείμενον οἱ α γιοι, ἀλλά γε τῷ τρόπῳ πολὺ διαλλάττει, τῶν μὲν εὐχῇ καὶ πίστει τῇ εἰς θεὸν ἐργαζομένων, τοῦ δὲ ἐξουσιαστικῶς ἐπιτελοῦντος· ο θεν ει ρηται μηδένα τῶν θεῶν ει ναι κατὰ τὰ ε ργα τοῦ σωτῆρος. ει ρηται δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ ΠΒ πῶς ἐλέχθη τὸ Κύριε ὁ θεός, τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι, α περ ἀξιοῦμεν καὶ τῇ προκειμένῃ λέξει ἐφαρμόζειν τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα. 861 Ps 85,11ab Τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας ἀμέμπτως μεταλαβεῖν ἀδύνατον μὴ διὰ τῶν ἠθικῶν παιδευμάτων καὶ ἐνεργημάτων διαβεβηκότα. ὁδηγηθῆναι γοῦν ὑπὸ θεοῦ πρότερον ευ χεται ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ. αυ τη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ ἐν πρακτικοῖς προκοπή· ̓Αρχὴ γὰρ ὁδοῦ ἀγαθῆς τὸ ποιεῖν τὰ δίκαια, ι ν' ου τω
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.