The Illumination of the Night
It is said to be the being of the invisible God, and also the character of his own subsistence. From this we learn that the Spirit of God is not a creature, but is joined to the God himself and to his person. For it has often been shown that He is never with the creation, but always united to the Father and the Son. Only this is presented as a contrast: that I must pass locally and ascend, while it is your case to be present and to be established there, in having made him and turning him, and also to descend into the sea similarly passing, by your presence of providence there.
Therefore, God is not in a place; for if he is everywhere, not passing from one place to another, nor being limited by each one, nor being circumscribed by all the places, it is evident that by a creative and providential presence he moves through all, upon all, through all, and exists in all, according to apostolic philosophy (Ps 138:9-10). 'I searched,' he says, 'whether by using the wings of thought I might have gone far beyond the sea and the ocean's end, whether I would be able to go from your spirit and flee from your face, and there also to have seen your active and providential hand, and that very right hand of yours surpassing, working; as this very thing, that to have dwelt with me, would be established for me in a predicted sequence at the ends of the sea, your hand guiding me and holding me with your right hand.' For even if the ocean is boundless, yet even the worlds with it are driven through by the commands of the Lord; for all things having been made toward him, whatever they ever are, are straightened for me by the commands of his own providence (Ps 138:11-14a).
Since being enlightened by the knowledge of the Lord, I have become in the morning at the beginning of the daytated on glories with the intellectual wings through which every rational nature is lifted up to be far off and beyond the ocean, he also knew this: that he could not go from the spirit of God or its guidance, to seek another way, by which to go from the spirit and flee from the face of God who is, lest perhaps by darkness...
I will be able to speak this having happened. Therefore I say, 'Alas, darkness will tread upon me,' that is, it will cover me. For just as the floor that is being trodden upon is hidden, not being hidden underneath, if the darkness happens to tread much around me and upon me.
If indeed the glory is a luxury regarding the attainment of what is labored for, immediately even the night and the gloomy darkness is illumination, nothing of that darkness being darkened by God illuminating it just as also all other things. For among us, those using the distinction see the difference between night and day, and those seeing in the day, but in the night they neither see nor are seen; but with God, the night is illuminated as the day, seizing for himself those in darkness and night as those in light and day, since the night is illuminated as the day by God himself.
The righteous man applies all these things to himself, having intended to teach those having wrong opinion about God that it is not possible to flee from God. For are those thinking these things about God, to say even the God himself, 'Will someone not be hidden in secret places, and I will not find him?' (Ps 139:12), for God is approaching all, and I am not God from a distance. Cain has become a father of this ill-reputation, having said to God, 'If you cast me out from the face of the earth today, and from your face I will be hidden' (Gen 4:14).
And another, through surpassing foolishness, sinning in a dim and gloomy place and night, says, 'Darkness covers me from every side, and the walls cover me; who sees me?' (Eccl 10:3); 'The Most High will not remember my sins' (Ps 139:12), saying only once, 'Since in darkness and in the midst of the gloom I sin, with no one present, I elude everyone, and even the Most High would not know my sins.'
But stop, for if someone becomes further than the word concerning darkness, he will be able to behold mysteries, if the division of the things being said is such: 'Will I indeed be able to flee from God, having become evil and trivial, as to become under the darkness and to be trodden upon by it?' But having thought this, he immediately knew that even the night is illuminated in the day, that is, in the luxury of the rational animal; for illumination from virtue and knowledge is truly and appropriately a luxury for the rational animal.
Greek
ο ντος θεοῦ ἀοράτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰρημένος. καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν μὴ κτίσμα ει ναι τὸ θεοῦ πνεῦμα, αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ συναπτόμενον. πολλάκις γὰρ ἀποδέδεικται ὡς οὐδέποτε μετὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἀλλ' ἀεὶ μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ συνάπτεται. Μονονουχὶ τοῦτο παρίστησιν ο τι, ἐμοῦ τυγχάνοντος γενητοῦ, τὸ μεταβαίνειν τοπικῶς καὶ ἀναβαίνειν, σοῦ δὲ τὸ τυγχάνειν καὶ ἱδρῦσθαι ἐκεῖ ἐν τῷ πεποιηκέναι αὐτὸν καὶ στρέφειν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ καταβῆναι εἰς τὸν ᾳ δην ὁμοίως μεταβατικῶς ε χω, σοῦ ο ντος ἐκεῖ προνοίας 255 παρουσίᾳ. διὸ οὐκ ἐν τόπῳ θεός· εἰ γὰρ πανταχοῦ ἐστιν, οὐ μεταβαίνων ἐξ ἑτέρου εἰς ε τερον τόπον οὐδ' αυ ὑφ' ἑκάστου περιοριζόμενος οὐδὲ ὑπὸ α μα πάντων τῶν τόπων περιγραφόμενος δηλονότι παρουσίᾳ δημιουργικῇ καὶ προνοητικῇ διὰ πάντων χωρεῖ, ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν ὑπάρχων κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν ἀποστολικήν. 1214 Ps 138,9.10 ̓Εσκόπησα, φησί, μὴ α ρα ταῖς πτέρυξι τῆς νοήσεως χρησάμενος ὑπερβὰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὸν ὠκεανὸν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις γεγενημένος δυνήσομαι πορευθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου καὶ φυγεῖν σου τὸ πρόσωπον, κἀκεῖ τὴν δραστήριον καὶ προνοητικήν σου χεῖρα καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν δεξιάν σου ἐνεργοῦσαν τεθέαμαι, ὡς αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ κατεσκηνωκέναι με προειρημένῃ ἀκολουθίᾳ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῆς θαλάσσης κατορθῶσθαί μοι, τῆς χειρός σου ὁδηγούσης με καὶ κατεχούσης με τῆς δεξιᾶς σου. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὠκεανὸς ἀπέραντος, ἀλλ' ου ν καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτὸν κόσμοι ταῖς τοῦ δεσπότου διαταγαῖς διϊθύνονται· πάντα γὰρ τὰ πρὸς αὐτοῦ γεγενημένα, ο ποι ποτ' ε στι, ταγαῖς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προνοίας διοικούμενά μοι ἰθύνεται. 1215 Ps 138,11–14a ̓Επεὶ φωτισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ο ρθρῳ ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς ἡμέρας γεγονέναι δόξας διενοήθην ταῖς πτέρυξι ταῖς νοηταῖς καθ' α ς ἐπτέρωται πᾶσα λογικὴ φύσις μετεωρισθῆναι ὡς μακρὰν γενέσθαι καὶ περαιτέρω τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ, ε γνων δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο μὴ ει ναι πορευθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, μετῆλθον ὁδὸν α λλην ζητῆσαι, καθ' η ν πορευθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ οι όν τέ ἐστι, μήπως α ρα ὑπὸ σκότος γεγονὼς διαλαθεῖν τοῦτο δυνήσομαι. διό φημι Αρα σκότος καταπατήσει με, τουτέστιν ἐπικρύψει με. ὡς γὰρ τὸ ε δαφος τὸ πατούμενον κρύπτεται, ου τω κρυβείην κάτω, εἰ καταπατήσει με τὸ σκότος πολὺ περὶ ἐμὲ καὶ ἐπ' ἐμὲ γεγονός. Ει τα, ο τε ε δοξα τρυφᾶν ἐπὶ τῷ τετευχέναι τοῦ σπουδαζομένου, εὐθέως ει δον ο τι καὶ αυ τη ἡ νὺξ καὶ τὸ κατακορὲς σκότος φωτισμός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ τοῦ σκότους σκοτιζομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καταλάμποντος αὐτὸ ω σπερ καὶ τὰ α λλα πάντα. παρ' ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς ο ψει χρωμένοις διαφορὰ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, ὁρῶσι καὶ ὁρωμένοις ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ἐν δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ μηδὲ βλεπομένοις μηδὲ βλέπουσι· παρὰ μέντοι τῷ θεῷ ἡ νὺξ ὡς ἡμέρα φωτίζεται, καταληπτῶν αὐτῷ τυγχανόντων τῶν ἐν σκότῳ καὶ νυκτὶ ὡς τῶν ἐν φωτὶ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ, ἐπείπερ ἡ νὺξ ὡς ἡμέρα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ φωτίζεται. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τῷ ἑαυτοῦ προσώπῳ ὁ δίκαιος προσάπτει, διδάξαι προελόμενος τοὺς μὴ ὀρθὴν περὶ θεοῦ διάληψιν ε χοντας ο τι διαδράναι θεὸν οὐκ ε στιν. εἰσὶ γὰρ οἱ ταῦτα περὶ θεοῦ διανοούμενοι, ὡς αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν εἰπεῖν Μὴ κρυβήσεταί τις ἐν κρυφαίοις, κἀγὼ οὐκ ο ψομαι αὐτόν; πᾶσι γὰρ ἐγγίζων θεός εἰμι καὶ οὐ θεὸς πόρρωθεν. ταύτης τῆς κακοδοξίας πατὴρ γέγονε Κάϊν εἰπὼν πρὸς θεὸν Εἰ ἐκβάλλῃς με ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς σήμερον, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι. καὶ ε τερος δὲ δι' ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἠλιθιότητα ἐν ἀφεγγεῖ καὶ ζοφερῷ οι κῳ καὶ νυκτὶ ἁμαρτάνων, Σκότος καλύπτει με πάντοθεν, ει πε, καὶ οἱ τοῖχοί με καλύπτουσι· τίς με ὁρᾷ; τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου οὐ μνησθήσεται ὁ υ ψιστος· μονονουχὶ λέγων ̓Επεὶ ἐν σκότῳ καὶ ε νδον τοῦ οι κου ἁμαρτάνω οὐδενὸς παρόντος, λανθάνω πάντας οὐδ' αὐτὸς ὁ υ ψιστος εἰδείη τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου. ̓Επίστησον δὲ εἰ καὶ περαιτέρω τῆς περὶ σκότους λέξεως γενόμενός τις δυνήσεται μυστήρια θεάσασθαι, ι ν' ῃ τῶν λεγομένων ἡ διαίρεσις τοιαύτη· α ρά γε δυνήσομαι θεὸν φυγεῖν πονηρὸς καὶ φαῦλος γεγονώς, ὡς ὑπὸ τὸ σκότος γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ καταπατεῖσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ; ἀλλὰ τοῦτο διανοηθεὶς εὐθέως ε γνων ο τι καὶ ἡ νὺξ φωτίζεται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τουτέστι τοῦ λογικοῦ ζῴου τρυφῇ· εὐωχία γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ κατάλληλος τῷ λογικῷ ζῴῳ τρυφὴ ὁ ἐξ ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώσεως φωτισμός. κα ν
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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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.