The Law as Light and the Progression of Knowledge

those who followed him

Turn away from evil and do good; for he who turns away from evil from every wicked way restrains his feet, so that having done good, he may guard the words of God (Ps 118:105).

The law is a lamp to those walking in the night before the rising of the sun of righteousness (Ps 118:106); just as the night has passed and the day has approached, they are illuminated not by a lamp but by the sun of the true light, so that it is possible to walk decorously during the day.

And to set it here and to define firmly signifies to stand fast, and to swear is not merely to name God, but to set this thing unchangeably and to guard it without transgression, performing the work of an oath by power (Ps 118:124).

Not as if, not having attained the petition, he approaches it again, but as having learned the ordinances of God according to a prior worthiness; as one who is spending time with them, desiring to contemplate them more greatly, he needs and always does this, so that he may reach the goal of their understanding (Ps 118:125).

Since, however, regarding the learning of the ordinances, various things are becoming different, I will say this also concerning the knowledge of the testimonies: that through progress, their knowledge is always becoming ascended for the one spending time with their comprehension (Ps 118:127).

'Your mouth's law is more precious to me than ten thousands of gold and silver' (Ps 118:127), and 'Take instruction and do not forsake knowledge, which is tested above silver' (Prov 8:10); for wisdom is more excellent than precious stones, and every precious thing is not of equal value to it. Therefore it is also said to companions concerning it to Job: 'The balance of Ethiopia shall not equal it' (Job 28:15). These things are not said by comparison but in relation to the value of men.

He who has come to fulfill the law and all the prophets, making manifest the words contained in them (Ps 118:130), does this by fulfilling the prophecies, and does this by uncovering the law, so that it is seen no longer as letter and shadow but as spiritual. For thus the manifestation of the divine words that has occurred will prove the prophet to be sensible and will enlighten those called from the nations after Israel, who are infants in their weakness and have late or tardy come to a generation from faith. But even before the descent of him who fulfilled the...

Greek

ὑγιαίνειν καὶ εὐεκτεῖν οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνεται τῶν ἰατρικῶν ἐκείνων οι ς ἠκολούθησε τὸ ου τως αὐτὸν μετ' εὐεξίας ὑγιαίνειν, ου τως ὁ α γιος ου τος ὑπὸ θεοῦ ζωοποιηθεὶς ἐν οι ς ε σχε παρ' αὐτοῦ δικαιώμασι λέγει παρ' ο λον τὸν αἰῶνα μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι αὐτῶν, ἀποδιδοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐζηκέναι. 1120 Ps 118,96a Εἰ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ε ν τέλος διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ πάσῃ προκοπῇ ἐγγινόμενον, ἀλλ' ου ν γε καὶ ἑκάστης προκοπῆς ἐστι τὸ προσεχὲς πέρας. ὁ ου ν διὰ πάσης προκοπῆς ἀφιγμένος εἰς τὸ τέλος τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρεῖ Πάσης συντελείας ει δον πέρας, τοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον ἀγαθὸν διαβαίνοντος πολλὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τέλη καταβαλλομένου· ἡ γὰρ τῆς προτέρας βελτιώσεως περιγραφὴ ἀρχὴ τῆς ἐχομένης ἐστὶ καὶ ἐκείνης τέλος στοιχεῖον τῆς ἑπομένης· ο θεν ει ρηται τὸ Οτε συντελέσει α νθρωπος, τότε α ρχεται. 1121 Ps 118,96b Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐν ἐντολῇ θεοῦ περιπατῶν στενοχωρεῖται, μεγαλόψυχος καὶ μεγαλόνους γινόμενος ἐκ τοῦ περιέπειν αὐτήν. 1122 Ps 118,97 1122 Οὐ παραβολὴν δὲ καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει τὸ ̔Ως ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀληθῶς καὶ πρωτοτύπως καὶ οὐ δι' ε τερόν τι ἀγαπητὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ. ∆υνάμεθα δὲ νοεῖν τὸ Ολην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστι ἀντὶ τοῦ ̓Εν ο λῳ τῷ τῆς ζωῆς μου χρόνῳ· πολλαχοῦ γὰρ ὁ πᾶς χρόνος τῆς ζωῆς ἀνθρώπων ἡμέρα καλεῖται, ὡς ἐν τῷ Καὶ σὲ ὑπέμεινα ο λην τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ τὸ Ενεκά σου θανατούμεθα ο λην τὴν ἡμέραν. 1123 Ps 118,98 Οἱ ἐπικείμενοι ἐχθροὶ ἀόρατοι πειρῶνται διὰ πάσης σπουδῆς εἰς τὸ προτιμᾶν ἡδονὴν ἀγαγεῖν με· δι' η ς ἡδονῆς συμβαίνει πρὸς πάντα πόνον δυσχερῶς ε χειν, ὡς καὶ τὴν θείαν ἐντολὴν σὺν ἱδρῶτι κατορθουμένην παραιτεῖσθαι. κρείττων δὲ γίνεται τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῶν πρεσβευόντων αὐτὴν ἐχθρῶν ὁ τὴν θεοῦ ἐντολὴν σοφιζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ω στε εἰς αἰῶνα αὐτὴν ε χειν, προτιμήσας τῆς πρὸς ὀλίγον ου σης καὶ προσκαίρου ἡδονῆς. διὸ τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστικῶς ὑμνῶν ἐρεῖ ̓Εσόφισάς με τὴν ἐντολήν σου, ἐξ ου καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου γεγένημαι. 1124 Ps 118,101 ̓Εμφαίνει δὲ τὸ ἐλεύθερον τῆς προαιρέσεως τῷ ̓Εκώλυσα τοὺς πόδας μου· ὡς γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ο ντος τοῦ κινεῖν τοὺς πόδας εἰς τὸ βαδίζειν καὶ κωλῦσαι αὐτοὺς τὸ προκείμενον ει πε. τοῦτο συνᾴδει τῷ Εκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἐκκλίνων ἀπὸ κακοῦ ἐκ πάσης ὁδοῦ πονηρᾶς κωλύει τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, ι να ποιήσας τὸ ἀγαθὸν φυλάξῃ τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγους. 1125 Ps 118,105 Λύχνος ὁ νόμος ἐστὶ τοῖς πρὸ τῆς ἀνατολῆς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐν νυκτὶ βαδίζουσι, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς οὐ λύχνου ο ντος ἀλλ' ἡλίου φωτίζοντος ἐκείνοις, οι ς προέκοψεν ἡ νὺξ ἐγγισάσης τῆς ἡμέρας, καθ' η ν ἡμέραν εὐσχημόνως περιπατεῖν ε στιν. 1126 Ps 118,106 Τὸ δὲ στῆσαι ἐνταῦθα τὸ βεβαίως ὁρίσαι δηλοῖ, καὶ τὸ ὀμόσαι οὐ τὸν θεὸν ὀνομάσαι ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀμεταθέτως τοῦτο προθέσθαι καὶ ἀπαράβατον φυλάττειν, τὸ ε ργον τοῦ ο ρκου δυνάμει ποιῶν. 1127 Ps 118,124 Οὐχ ὡς μὴ τυχὼν δὲ τῆς αἰτήσεως πάλιν αὐτὴν προσάγει ἀλλ' ὡς μαθὼν τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ προτέραν ἀξίωσιν· ὡς οι όν τε η ν ε τι ἐπιδιατρίβων αὐτοῖς, μειζόνως η ε γνω θεωρῆσαι αὐτὰ βουλόμενος, δέεται καὶ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ε ως ἐπὶ τὸ τέρμα ε λθῃ τῆς νοήσεως αὐτῶν. 1128 Ps 118,125 Οπερ δὲ ει πον ἀρτίως περὶ τῆς μαθήσεως τῶν δικαιωμάτων διαφόρως γινομένων, τοῦτ' ἐρῶ καὶ περὶ τῆς γνώσεως τῶν μαρτυρίων, κατὰ προκοπὴν ἀεὶ ὑπεραναβεβηκυίας γνώσεως αὐτῶν γινομένης τῷ προσδιατρίβοντι τῇ κατανοήσει αὐτῶν. 1129 Ps 118,127 Ταῦτα συνᾴδει τῷ ̓Αγαθόν μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου 238 ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου, καὶ τῷ Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον· Κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ α ξιον αὐτῆς ἐστι. διὸ καὶ πρὸς ἑταίρους ει ρηται περὶ αὐτῆς τῷ ̓Ιὼβ Οὐκ ἰσωθήσεται αὐτῇ τοπάζιον Αἰθιοπίας. ταῦτα δὲ οὐ κατὰ σύγκρισιν ει ρηται ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων αι ρεσιν. 1130 Ps 118,130 ̔Ο ἐληλυθὼς πληρῶσαι τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας πάντας τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς λόγους ἐφανέρωσε, τοῦτο μὲν ἐκβάσει πληρῶν τὰς προφητείας, τοῦτο δὲ ἀνακαλύπτων τὸν νόμον ἐπὶ τῷ μηκέτι γράμμα καὶ σκιὰν ἀλλὰ πνευματικὸν αὐτὸν ὁρᾶσθαι. αυ τη τοιγαροῦν ἡ γεναμένη δήλωσις τῶν θείων λόγων συνετὸν τὸν προφήτην ἀποδείξει καὶ φωτίσει τοὺς μετὰ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ καλουμένους ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν νηπίους τῷ υ στερον καὶ ὀψέ ποτε τὴν ἐκ πίστεως ἐσχηκέναι γένεσιν. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς καθόδου τοῦ πληρώσαντος τὸν

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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.

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