The Circle of the Lord and the Stability of Jerusalem
High doctrines of truth, distinct laws and ecclesiastical canons, and with these all the saints—not only those before the epidemic but also those after it—for each of these is a circle concerning the church, so that from all of them a continuous and inseparable circle has come to be in the midst of the church.
And with these the announcements can be made, placing around those who fear the Lord the mountains that surround Jerusalem. But greater than the security of the mountains exists for the people dwelling in Jerusalem, through whom especially the one dwelling in it is not shaken for ever, the Lord becoming a circle around him. And the Lord becomes a circle not locally and bodily, limiting himself within certain bounds, but participating with them and being with all of them, not only according to the present age but also the coming one.
Regarding the rod, indeed there is a purpose to strike, to stretch out the hands of the righteous against lawlessness; but the will of the Lord is for the righteous to stretch out their hands toward righteousness, lifting them up piously without anger or inner deliberation (Ps 124:3). Good are those who have been benefited by the mindset of virtue and are straight in heart, those who truly and rightly think the things of piety (Ps 124:4). Yet these differ not in their essence but in their way of thinking. For those dwelling in Jerusalem unshakeably are all good and straight in heart, being both active and knowing. And God does good to them, giving them good things as they ask him: an addition of faith and of the rest of virtue, along with the provision of participation in divine gifts, in order to bring them into the heavenly promises and the kingdom of heaven (Ps 124:5a-b). 'He will deliver,' he says, meaning to have let go of desires toward uncleanness and toward passions of dishonor, and to stop making an unproven mind do what is not fitting. And he says also in the Psalms...
according to the inclinations of their hearts
Greek
ὑψηλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας δόγματα καὶ οἱ διῃρημένοι θεσμοὶ καὶ κανόνες ἐκκλησιαστικοί, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις οἱ α γιοι πάντες, οὐχ οἱ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας μόνοι ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταύτην· ε καστος γὰρ τούτων ο ρος ἐστὶ περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τυγχάνων, ὡς ἀπὸ πάντων αὐτῶν ε να κύκλον συνεχῆ καὶ ἀδιάστατον γενόμενον ἐν μέσῳ ε χειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις α γγελοι ει ναι δύνανται, παρεμβάλλοντες κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον, τὰ κύκλῳ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ο ρη. Μεῖζον δὲ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ὀρῶν ἀσφαλείας ὑπάρχει τῷ λαῷ τῷ κατοικοῦντι τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ δι' η ν μάλιστα οὐ σαλεύεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὁ κατοικῶν αὐτῇ, τοῦ κυρίου κύκλῳ γινομένου αὐτοῦ. κύκλῳ δὲ γίνεται ὁ κύριος οὐ τοπικῶς καὶ σωματικῶς ε νδον τινὰς περιορίζων, ἀλλὰ μετεχόμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι συνὼν αὐτοῖς, οὐ κατὰ μόνον τὸν παρόντα αἰῶνα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα. 1163 Ps 124,3 1163 Καὶ σκοπὸς μὲν τῇ ῥάβδῳ ταύτῃ βιάσασθαι ἐπὶ ἀνομίαν ἐκτεῖναι τὰς χεῖρας τοὺς δικαίους, θέλημα δὲ τοῦ κυρίου τὸ ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐκτείνειν τοὺς δικαίους τὰς χεῖρας ἐπαίροντας αὐτὰς ὁσίως χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ. 1164 Ps 124,4 ̓Αγαθοί εἰσιν οἱ τὴν γνώμην ἐξ ἀρετῆς 243 ὠφελημένοι καὶ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ οἱ ἀληθῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας φρονοῦντες. διαφέρουσι δὲ ου τοι οὐ τῇ ὑποστάσει ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ. οἱ γὰρ κατοικοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἀκλονήτως πρακτικοὶ καὶ γνωστικοὶ α μα ο ντες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ εἰσίν. ἀγαθύνει δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεός, διδοὺς ἀγαθὰ αἰτοῦσιν αὐτὸν προσθήκην πίστεως καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀρετῆς σὺν μετουσίᾳ θείων χαρισμάτων παρεχομένοις ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐπουρανίους ἐπαγγελίας καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτούς. 1165 Ps 124,5a.β Τὸ ̓Απάξει τὸ παραδώσει φησίν, αι ς ει λαντο ε χειν ἐπιθυμίας εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας καὶ εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα. ε φη δὲ καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν, πορεύσονται ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν. ἀπάξει τοίνυν τοὺς ἐκκλίνοντας εἰς τὰς στραγγαλιὰς μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐπὶ τῷ δειχθῆναι φανερῶς τίνες ο ντες ἐλάνθανον, ὡς δοκεῖν τὴν ἀνομίαν μὴ ποιεῖν, καίτοι κατ' αὐτὴν διακείμενοι. δηλοῦται τὸ ψεκτὸν τῶν στραγγαλιῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ, τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος τῷ εἰς νηστείαν ἐρχομένῳ ∆ιάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, ο πως ὀρθῶς ἐπιτελῇ αὐτὴν καὶ μετὰ τῆς ὀφειλούσης ε ξεως. 1166 Ps 124,5c ̔Η δὲ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν εἰρήνη ἡ μετὰ θείας χάριτος διδομένη ὑπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπάρξεται παντὶ καὶ μόνῳ νοῦν ε χοντι χρηματίζοντι ̓Ισραήλ, ἐπευχομένου τοῦ ὑμνοῦντος. 1167 Ps 126 αργ ̓Ογδόη τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν ᾠδή· αἰνιττόμενος τὰ μυστήρια τῆς ἐν ὀγδοάδι ἀναστάσεως τοῦ κυρίου * τῷ Σολομῶν ἀναγέγραπται, τῷ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα γεγενημένῳ εἰρηνικῷ ἀληθῶς * ο ντι. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν τῶν σῳζομένων, φάσκων Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. * τὰ κατάλυσιν παντὸς ἐχθροῦ καὶ πολεμίου εἰρηνι * ειν καὶ τὸν οι κον τοῦ θεοῦ θεμελιοῦντι καὶ οἰκοδομοῦντι, ου τὸ σύμβολον φέρων ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γεννηθεὶς Σολομῶν, πολλῆς εἰρήνης γενομένης ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ, τὸν ἐν τῇ ̓Ιουδαίᾳ ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ᾠκοδόμησεν. 1168 Ps 126,1 Οὐχ η ττον δὲ τῶν α λλων γραφῶν καὶ οἱ προκείμενοι στίχοι προνοητὴν ἁπάντων τὸν κύριον τέθεινται, τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σπουδῶν ματαίων γινομένων, εἰ μὴ τύχοιεν τὸ κατάλληλον τέλος ἐκ θεοῦ ἀπολαβοῦσαι· ο θεν τι ποιοῦντες μὴ τὸ ο λον ἑαυτοῖς δῶμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τελειοῦντι θεῷ, μηδ' αὐτῷ τὸ πᾶν ἐάσαντες α πρακτοι διατελῶμεν. ἑκάτερα γὰρ αἱ προκείμεναι δηλοῦσι λέξεις, τότε ἐξ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ματαίως λέγουσαι τὸν οἰκοδομοῦντα α νευ θεοῦ, οὐ τὸν μηδ' ο λως ἐνεργοῦντα. 1169 Ps 126,2 Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ου τως· οἱ καταξαινόμενοι ταῖς
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.