Fragments on the Psalms · §230

The Spiritual Zion and the Davidic Promise

Observe, examining iniquities; for if he were to do this, no one would stand. For all have strayed, all have sinned. Therefore, since no one stands before the judgment from you, there is need of the propitiation from you, being propitiated for the salvation of all.

And what is the propitiation, the Savior? John writes: 'And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, a righteous Lord Jesus Christ' (1 John 2:1); and he himself is the propitiation for our sins, not only concerning ours but also concerning the sins of the world. But also Paul: 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation through faith in his blood' (Romans 3:23-25), and the following. A symbol of this propitiation was constructed in the law, concerning which also now the one praying to God says: 'That from you is the propitiation'; from you, as a generation from the only good Father, is the propitiation. Not every rational creature needs, not with a god to be upheld, observing the iniquities of each of the created ones.

Always and at all times it is necessary to hope in the Lord, not only the one standing openly but also the one standing in gloom. From the morning watch, the one with the bright things present, and until night, the one with the dreary and darker things surrounding; and what is from the morning watch, the rising of the true light and making the beginning of a mental day, the discerning mind, Israel, called by the Hebrew voice, let him hope in the Lord (Ps 129:6-8), expecting from him an addition of the bright things and a deliverance from the gloomy things, what is from him as in a fountain and from him the mercy which those hoping in him need; but also much redemption from him, the propitiation from him is not another; for he himself from all iniquities will redeem him. For even if the iniquities of Israel are many, from all he will redeem him.

David, having perfected gentleness, says the following: 'Remembering me,' he says, 'upon these things you will give me an inheritance, the land of the gentle' (Ps 131:1). And those with these priests, not by chance, but they shall rejoice, they shall rejoice, of the only perfect and from the beginning rejoicing, from the most perfect rejoicing of this thing. And it is possible that the...

The person and the saint are the same, though distinguished by relations, for one is priest and the other is a saint of God, being the same in substance as the subject. Who is the cause of them putting on righteousness and rejoicing? It is David, the holy one, who is capable by hand. For the Lord brought forth for David his servant. He who became God's servant according to the flesh from the seed of David, having taken the form of the servant, emptied himself.

Understand thus Ps 131:10b: intending by your grace to shine upon men the face of your Christ, O Lord, do not turn it away, so that they may remain unhidden from his appearance, having been benefited. The cause of the certain fulfillment is the one having brought forth, saying, 'The Lord swore truth to David and will not deny it' Ps 131:11.

The 'certainly shall be' regarding what was sworn in truth to David, concerning the coming of the Lord, is that the fruit of the womb of David shall sit upon his throne Ps 131:11. He will fulfill it as he swore; for the oath of God is truth, according to what was said by Gabriel to Mary concerning him being genealogically from David: 'And God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever' Luke 1:32; Ps 131:12-13.

If someone takes the earthly Zion, how could he understand 'that my resting place for ever and ever' Ps 131:14, since passing to the end of this age, the heaven and the earth pass away? For if the whole earth passes away, then the Zion which is upon the earth will also pass by. Regarding the spiritual Zion, concerning which it is written, 'Sing to the Lord who dwells in Zion' Ps 87:1, that is the most holy Church, which he desired for a dwelling place for himself, he who said, 'I will dwell, what I have desired' Ps 131:14.

Another text instead of 'the widow' says 'the huntress' and says: 'The unprotected and the brave guardian they do not have, I will bless all the poor to whom he provides an abundance of bread,' he says, 'I will fill her poor with bread' Ps 131:15, since each of such poor people, being the seed of the righteous, is not diminished by bread. It is carried in copies as 'Blessing her huntress, I will bless.' And being blessed with the blessing of the Lord, she was a huntress hunting on every high mountain and...

Greek

παρατήρου ἐξετάζων ἀνομίας· εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιήσειας, οὐδεὶς ὑποστήσεται· Πάντες γὰρ ἐξέκλιναν, πάντες η μαρτον. διὸ μηδενὸς ὑφισταμένου τὴν παρὰ σοῦ κρίσιν, χρεία τοῦ παρὰ σοῦ ἱλασμοῦ ἱλασκομένου τῆς πάντων ε νεκα σωτηρίας. ο τι δὲ ἱλασμὸς ὁ σωτήρ, ̓Ιωάννης γράφει Καὶ ἐάν τις ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ε χομεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, κύριον ̓Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον· καὶ αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστι τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ο λου τοῦ κόσμου. ἀλλὰ καὶ Παῦλος Πάντες γὰρ η μαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ, δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ̓Ιησοῦ, ο ν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αι ματι, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τούτου τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου σύμβολον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κατεσκευάσθη, περὶ ου καὶ νῦν ὁ εὐχόμενος τῷ θεῷ φησιν Οτι παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἱλασμός ἐστι· παρὰ σοῦ ὡς ἐκ μόνου ἀγαθοῦ πατρὸς γέννημα ἱλασμός ἐστιν. οὐ πᾶσα λογικὴ δέεται κτίσις, οὐχ ὑποστησομένου τινὸς θεοῦ παρατηρησομένου τὰς ἀνομίας ἑκάστου τῶν πεποιηκότων. 1180 Ps 129,6–8 ̓Αεὶ καὶ κατὰ πάντα καιρὸν ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον δεῖ, οὐ μόνον ο τε προσηνῆ ἀλλὰ καὶ ο τε σκυθρωπὰ περιεστηκότα. ἀπὸ φυλακῆς γοῦν πρωϊνῆς ο τε λαμπρὰ τὰ παρόντα καὶ μέχρι νυκτὸς ο τε ἀηδῆ καὶ ζοφώτερα τὰ περιεστηκότα καὶ ε τι ἀπὸ φυλακῆς πρωΐας ἀνατέλλοντος τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἀρχὴν ἡμέρας νοητῆς ποιοῦντος ὁ διορατικὸς νοῦς, ̓Ισραὴλ καλούμενος ̔Εβραίων φωνῇ, ἐλπισάτω ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, προσθήκην τῶν φαιδρῶν καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν σκυθρωπῶν προσδοκῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ, ο τι παρ' αὐτῷ ὡς ἐν πηγῇ καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ ε λεος ου χρῄζουσιν οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ λύτρωσις τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ οὐχ ἑτέρα ου σα· ο θεν αὐτὸς ἐκ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν λυτρώσεται αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος. εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλαὶ αἱ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ἀνομίαι, ἀλλ' ἐκ πασῶν αὐτὸν λυτρώσεται. 1181 Ps 131,1 ̔Ο ∆αυὶδ πραΰτητα κατορθώσας λέγει τὰ προκείμενα· μνησθεὶς γάρ μου, φησίν, ἐπὶ τούτοις δώσεις μοι κληρονομίαν τὴν τῶν πραέων γῆν. 1182 Ps 131,9.10a Καὶ οἱ σὺν τούτοις δὲ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ο σιοι οὐχ ὡς ε τυχεν ἀλλ' ἀγαλλιάσει ἀγαλλιάσονται, μόνου τοῦ τελείου καὶ ἀπὸ ε ξεως ἀγαλλιῶντος ἀπὸ ἀγαλλιάσεως τῆς τελειωτάτης τοῦτ' ε χοντος. ἐνδέχεται δὲ τὸν ἱερέα καὶ ο σιον ει ναι τὸν αὐτόν, ὡς τῇ ὑποστάσει μὲν ε να ει ναι τὸν ὑποκείμενον, διαλλάττοντα δὲ ταῖς σχέσεσι καθ' α ς ἱερεὺς καὶ ο σιος θεοῦ ἐστι. τίς δὲ αὐτοῖς αι τιος τοῦ ἐνδύσασθαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀγαλλιάσει ἀγαλλιάσασθαι η ὁ τῇ χειρὶ ἱκανὸς ∆αυὶδ α γιος ὑπάρχων; ο θεν ἐπενήνεκται τὸ Ενεκεν ∆αυὶδ τοῦ δούλου σου. ὁ γὰρ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα γεγονὼς θεοῦ δοῦλός ἐστι, λαβὼν τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν, ο τε ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτόν. 1183 Ps 131,10b Νοήσεις καὶ ου τως· προθέμενος τῇ χάριτι τῇ σῇ ἐπιλάμψαι ἀνθρώποις τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ χριστοῦ σου, ω δέσποτα, μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς αὐτό, ω στε ἀφαντάστους αὐτοὺς διαμεῖναι ἐκ τῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ ὠφεληθησομένους. Τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν δι' η ν πάντως ε κλαμψις ε σται ἐπήνεγκεν εἰπὼν Ωμοσε κύριος τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτήν. 1184 Ps 131,11 Τὸ πάντως ε σται, η ν ω μοσε τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἀλήθειαν, περὶ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ κυρίου, ο ς καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ ∆αυίδ ἐστι καθήσειν ἐπὶ θρόνου αὐτοῦ. ὀμωμοκὼς πληρώσει· ἀλήθεια γὰρ θεοῦ ο ρκος κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ Γαβριὴλ πρὸς τὴν Μαριὰμ περὶ τοῦ ἐκ ∆αυὶδ γενεαλογουμένου Καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς τὸν θρόνον ∆αυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οι κον ̓Ιακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. 1185 Ps 131,13.14 Εἰ τὴν ἐπίγειον Σιὼν λαμβάνοι τις, 249 πῶς νοῆσαι δύναιτο Αυ τη ἡ κατάπαυσίς μου εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, παρερχομένης ἐπὶ τέλει τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος, ο ταν παρέρχηται ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ; εἰ γὰρ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ παρέρχεται, καὶ ἡ Σιὼν ἡ ἐπὶ γῆς τυγχάνουσα παρελεύσεται. περὶ α ρα τῆς πνευματικῆς Σιὼν τὰ προκείμενα, περὶ η ς γέγραπται Ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ κατοικοῦντι ἐν Σιών. αυ τη δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἁγιωτάτη ἐκκλησία η ν καὶ ᾑρετίσατο ε χειν εἰς κατοικίαν ἑαυτῷ ὁ εἰπὼν Ωδε κατοικήσω, ο τι ᾑρετισάμην αὐτήν. 1186 Ps 131,15–18 Αλλος ἀντὶ τοῦ Τὴν θήραν Τὴν χήραν ἐξέδωκε καί φησι· Τὴν ἀπροστασίαστον καὶ α νδρα κηδεμόνα οὐκ ε χουσαν εὐλογήσω α μα τοῖς πτωχοῖς οι ς εἰς πλησμονὴν α ρτους παρέχων λέγει Τοὺς πτωχοὺς αὐτῆς ἐμπλήσω α ρτων, ἐπείπερ ε καστος τῶν τοιούτων πτωχῶν δικαίου σπέρμα τυγχάνων οὐκ ἐλαττοῦται α ρτοις. Φέρεται δὲ ἐν ἀντιγράφοις Τὴν θήραν αὐτῆς εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω. εὐλογουμένη δὲ εὐλογίᾳ κυρίου θήρα η ν θηρεύουσιν ἐπὶ παντὸς ο ρους ὑψηλοῦ καὶ

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.

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