The Spiritual Zion and the Glory of Christ
That I might be defeated and not rejoice in any hope, enduring tribulations and boasting in them. For tribulation works endurance, and endurance testing, and testing hope, and hope does not put one to shame. Ps 101:4–6 It is customary for those who are shivering to wrap themselves tightly because they are always being chilled. The smoke fails when the fire is being extinguished, and having descended into the gap, the fire itself works gap. Even the days shall not fail (for it will not be good for me if the light of my days is extinguished), bring the afflictions; for if they remained, what would become of the cessation of my days, but also my bones would rather be frozen by remaining. It is often said that the bones of the inner man are the strengths of the dogmas and the powers of the soul, and they are frozen by the burning of the passions of the soul. And he says that his heart has become dry, with nothing cheerful or upon which he has acquired joy. For it has become in the coming circumstances such that it is no longer possible to feed the bread which is appropriate and fitting to his most precious essence. For to receive this bread is impossible without being surrounded and clouded by those from without. He says, moreover, that this bread has not been nourished and he has forgotten that he once tasted it. But, groaning so much because of the present painful things, I leave a fully extended and continuous groan, as if from his voice, with a wailing occurring, that my bone might be joined and in some way united to my flesh through the much approaching dryness, casting off all the moisture scattered to my body from the coming harm. For that moisture was present to me, enjoying the bone, and it draws it away from the flesh, from the middle flesh and the place having bones. Ps 101:14 For you will have compassion on those who have suffered, since you are God, the compassionate, and long-suffering, and full of mercy, and true. And there will be a time in which the things promised concerning Zion will be fulfilled; but who is not the most blessed and most desired time, the time of the resurrection, O Lord? And I prophesy this in these words of God, of Him, the Lord...
and of our Savior Jesus Christ, the theophany into men being the cause of the rebuilding of Zion. Once having become so, do not suppose for me the city upon the earth, nor consider the earthly Jerusalem to be signifying it, but rather the renewal of the citizenship of piety.
Why has he remembered Zion alone? (Ps 101:14) For what previously had not come except toward the lost sheep of Israel. For having come into the world once for his own (for his people were being used through the fathers), he will not present any of those in the world, but with his own he will vivify the whole world. (Ps 101:16-17) When the fearing of the name of the Lord is being brought in, and the fearing of the same Lord having been perfected (for there is no lack to those fearing him), they begin even with piety, believing in his name. For after the faith into his appellation, they believe in God himself and in his Christ, a faith reckoned as righteousness, through which everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ will be born from God. And it is perfect to be born from God; therefore also sinlessness follows the being born from him.
And the Gentiles, having feared the name of the Lord, having surpassed the Gentiles, being intellectually kings by having received foolishness to reign for an eternity, fear the glory of the Lord more than his name, as it is between those fearing the name of the Lord and the Lord himself, those fearing his glory are kings reigning accordingly; as Paul writes to the Corinthians, 'For you reigned without us; and indeed you reigned, so that we also might reign with you.' (1 Cor 4:8). And perhaps according to the first visitation the Lord built Zion, but according to the second he will appear with his glory.
And not only thus: the Word having become flesh and having tabernacled among us (John 1:14), he built the church spiritually, called Zion; and he will appear in his glory, so that having tabernacled among us, we might behold his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Ps 101:19b, 20a) For the Gentiles were built up having believed in the Lord according to the having come to piety.
Greek
ἡττηθῶ καὶ ο πως τῂ ἐλπίδι χαίρω ὑπομένων τὰς θλίψεις καὶ καυχώμενος ἐν αὐταῖς. ̔Η γὰρ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. 968 Ps 101,4–6 Φρύγιον ε νθα εἰώθασι τὰ φρυγόμενα ἐπιτιθέναι σφόδρα πεφρυγμένῳ διὰ τὸ ἀεὶ ὑποκαίεσθαι. ἐκλείπει δὲ καπνός, πυρὸς σβεννυμένου, ὑφεστηκὼς εἰς ο σον ἐνεργεῖ τὸ πῦρ ῳ αὐτός τις α ρα ἀκολουθεῖ. ι ν' ου ν καὶ αἱ ἡμέραι μὴ ἐκλείπωσιν (οὐ γάρ μοι πρὸς καλοῦ ε σται τὸ σβεσθῆναι τὸ φῶς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποιητικὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν μου), παράγαγε τὰ θλιβερά· εἰ γὰρ ἐπιμένοιεν, αι τια γενήσεται τῆς ἐκλείψεως τῶν ἡμερῶν μου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ε τι μᾶλλον συμφρύξειε παραμένοντα. ει ρηται δὲ πολλάκις ὀστᾶ ει ναι τοῦ ε σω ἀνθρώπου τὰ ευ τονα τῶν δογμάτων καὶ αἱ στερρόταται τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις α καὶ συμφρύγεται ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ψυχικῶν παθῶν πυρώσεως. Ξηρανθῆναι δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν φησὶν οὐδὲν ἱλαρὸν οὐδ' ἐφ' ῳ ε στιν ε χειν θυμηδίαν κεκτημένην. γέγονε γὰρ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις περιστατικοῖς τοσοῦτον ὡς μηκέθ' οι όν τε ει ναι τὸν κατάλληλον καὶ ἁρμόδιον τῷ τιμιωτέρᾳ οὐσίᾳ αὐτοῦ α ρτον τρέφεσθαι. τούτου γὰρ τοῦ α ρτου μεταλαμβάνειν ε στι μὴ περιελκόμενον μηδὲ θολούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκτός. εἰς τοσοῦτον δέ φησι μὴ τετράφθαι τοῦτον τὸν α ρτον καὶ λήθην ε χειν τοῦ ποτε αὐτοῦ γεγεῦσθαι. Πάνυ δὲ στενάζων διὰ τὰ παρόντα ἐπίπονα τοσοῦτον ἀφίημι ἐπιτεταμένον καὶ συνεχῆ στεναγμὸν ὡς ἐκ τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ μετὰ ὀλολυγῆς γινομένης κολληθῆναι καὶ τρόπον τινὰ ἑνωθῆναι τὸ ὀστοῦν μου τῇ σαρκί μου διὰ τὴν πολλὴν προσγινομένην ξηρασίαν, ἀναποθείσης πάσης τῆς παρεσπαρμένης τῷ σώματί μου ὑγρότητος ἐκ τῆς ἐπελθούσης κακώσεως. αυ τη γὰρ ἡ ὑγρότης ο τε μοι παρῆν πιαίνουσα τὸ ὀστοῦν, διῄρει αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν μέσην σαρκὸς καὶ ὀστέων ε χουσαν χώραν. 969 Ps 101,14 Οἰκτειρήσεις γὰρ τὰ πεπονθότα, ἐπεὶ θεὸς ὑπάρχεις ὁ οἰκτίρμων καὶ μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος καὶ ἀληθινός. ε σται δὲ καιρός τις τούτων ἐν ῳ πληρωθήσεται τὰ περὶ τῆς Σιὼν ἐπηγγελμένα· τίς δὲ ου τος ὁ πολύευκτος καὶ τριπόθητος καιρὸς ὁ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ω κύριε; προφητεύειν δ' αὐτὸν οι μαι ἐν τούτοις τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου, αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους θεοφάνειαν αἰτίαν ἐσομένην τῆς ἀνοικοδομῆς τῆς Σιών. ε νθα δὴ γενόμενος, μή μοι τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς πόλιν ὑπολάμβανε μηδὲ τὴν ἐπίγειον ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ νόμιζε δηλοῦσθαι ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας πολιτεύματος τὴν 206 ἀνανέωσιν. 970 Ps 101,14 ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μόνης μέμνηται τῆς Σιών; ο τι προηγουμένως οὐκ ἐλήλυθεν εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὰ ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οι κου ̓Ισραήλ. α παξ δὲ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων ἐλθών (λαὸς γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐχρημάτιζον διὰ τοὺς πατέρας), οὐδένα τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ παρόψεται, ἀλλὰ σὺν τοῖς ἰδίοις α παντα τὸν κόσμον ζωοποιήσει. 971 Ps 101,16.17 Εἰσαγομένων τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸ ο νομα κυρίου, τελειωθέντων δὲ τὸ αὐτὸν φοβεῖσθαι τὸν δεσπότην (Οὐκ ε στι γὰρ ὑστέρημα τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν), ἀμέλει καὶ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀρχόμενοι πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν εἰς τὴν προσηγορίαν αὐτοῦ πίστιν αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ πιστεύουσι καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ αὐτοῦ, πίστιν εἰς δικαιοσύνην λελογισμένην καθ' η ν ἐκ θεοῦ γεννηθήσεταί τις πᾶς προπιστεύων ο τι ̓Ιησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται. τέλειον δὲ τὸ ἐκ θεοῦ γεγεννῆσθαι· διὸ καὶ ἀναμαρτησία ε πεται τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννήσει. Τῶν δὲ ἐθνῶν φοβηθέντων τὸ ο νομα κυρίου, οἱ ὑπεραναβεβηκότες τὰ ε θνη, νοητῶς τυγχάνοντες βασιλεῖς τῷ ἀπολεληφέναι ἀφροσύνην ι να εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα βασιλεύσωσι, φοβοῦνται τὴν δόξαν τοῦ κυρίου πλεῖον ου σαν η τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ, ὡς ει ναι μεταξὺ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸ ο νομα κυρίου καὶ τὸν κύριον αὐτὸν τοὺς φοβουμένους τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ βασιλεῖς κατὰ αὐτὰ βασιλεύοντας Κορινθίοις οι ς γράφει ὁ Παῦλος Χωρὶς ἡμῶν ἐβασιλεύσατε· καὶ ο φελόν γε ἐβασιλεύσατε, ι να καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν συμβασιλεύσωμεν. Καὶ τάχα κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐπιδημίαν ᾠκοδόμησε κύριος τὴν Σιών, κατὰ δὲ τὴν δευτέραν ὀφθήσεται σὺν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ. η καὶ ου τως· γενόμενος σὰρξ ὁ λόγος καὶ σκηνώσας ἐν ἡμῖν ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν πνευματικῶς Σιὼν ὀνομαζομένην· ὀφθήσεται δὲ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ, ο ταν σκηνώσαντος ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῦ θεασώμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, ∆όξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. 972 Ps 101,19b.20a ̓Εκτίσθη γὰρ τὰ ε θνη πιστεύσαντα τῷ κυρίῳ κατὰ τὸ προσεληλυθέναι τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ·
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.