Fragments on the Psalms · §235

The Inaccessibility of Divine Wisdom

Not only concerning the Father, but also concerning the Son, these things are to be spoken, since He holds all things made through Him and they exist in Him, and above all things He is. Thus also the almighty rule is ordered upon Him, as in the prophet Zechariah (Zech 4:6). Even if the High Lord sees someone among the lowly, He is high to the heavenly and is of a nature that has ascended far above, but He does not only know these things from a distance as being far from Him by a change of existence.

In this way, the apostolic word is like it: 'Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord' (Rom 12:19; Deut 32:35).' That is, do not hand us men over to invisible enemies intent on killing us. By which I press forward, striving to reach the prize of the high calling (Ps 138:7).

And it is nothing wonderful if He knew all things concerning me, He says (Ps 138:5); for knowing all things, He does not merely observe them, but also the beginnings and the ends of them, and the causes by which they came to be, and what will be about them after the cosmic variety. Having formed me with knowledge of all things, You placed Your hand upon me, which is said first. Having placed Your hand upon me, and having formed me from dust and clay as a man, it is as if a wise one said: 'Your hands made me and formed me,' and likewise, 'Remember what clay You formed me from.'

And it is also not so; having formed me, You were not satisfied with having made me, but You also placed Your hand upon me in order to improve and guard me and to lift me up by it. Therefore, let him who understands this gift and advises others be careful, saying, 'Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may lift you up in due time' (1 Pet 5:6), so that, being secured by it, you may not have any insolence or scheme occur. For no one snatches from the hand of the Father; for the invisible enemies only tear apart those who have been cast away from it. Having understood how You have knowledge of all things, I have come to a marvel. But even if, having understood, I marveled at Your knowledge, it is not that my will understands it on my behalf, having been made by You.

It has been strengthened so that I might not be able to reach it. This is consistent with what is in Ecclesiastes: 'I said, I will be wise, but wisdom has departed from me, and it was made far from me, beyond my reach; who can find it?' (Eccl 8:17). And also Paul left the same voices, saying: 'O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and untraceable are his ways!' (Rom 11:33). And he himself says this, since he is not able to reach the knowledge of God having been strengthened beyond him.

It is also possible for that which is near me to show that your wisdom, which is wonderful, was not revealed to me, because once it is strengthened, I will no longer be able to oppose or strike at it. And if even concerning the knowledge of God, the saint himself has words about it as one who is grasping it, discussing the things set forth, having visited it. Having theologized about the things concerning the foreknowledge of God, that He is, and has the knowledge and understanding of all things, he moves on to say that He is everywhere.

He indeed says toward the one being theologized about: 'If your spirit has filled the inhabited world, where shall I go from it? But since your face also observes and looks upon all things, where shall I flee from it? For ascending into heaven, with you present, I receive a vision; if I become in Hades, I see you present' (Ps 138:7-12). And if in heaven and in Hades your presence is known, and in the intermediate places it is evident that you are there; 'Do I not fill the heaven and the earth?' says the Lord, as the prophet says (Jer 23:24). But also in the sea itself, he manifests himself to those seeking him, as the following word presents.

Therefore also, one of the theologians says to one of those listening: 'And he shall know by intellect what God is in the heaven above and on the earth below, and there is nothing besides Him.' But He presents Himself everywhere, not locally dwelling, but creatively and providentially entering into all things. For he says concerning the only-begotten Word that all things consist in him; and if all things have been established in him, nothing of those established in him is left out from him. And we learn also from the things set forth the theologized Trinity. For the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, has often been demonstrated to be a person, his only-begotten Son being an image of him.

Greek

περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς μόνου ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ ταῦτα λεκτέον κρατοῦντος πάντων τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ συνεστηκότων ω ν καὶ πρὸ πάντων ἐστίν· ο θεν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τέτακται ἡ παντοκράτωρ προσηγορία ὡς ἐν Ζαχαρίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ. Εἰ καί τινα ου ν ἐν οι ς καθορᾷ ὁ ὑψηλὸς κύριος ταπεινοῖς ὑψηλά ἐστι τῷ οὐρανίῳ η καὶ ε τι ὑπεραναβεβηκυίας φύσεως ει ναι, ἀλλ' ου ν γε καὶ ταῦτα ἀπὸ μακρόθεν γινώσκει πόρρω αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντα τῇ τῆς ὑπάρξεως ἐξαλλαγῇ. 1208 Ps 137,8a Τούτῳ ο μοιον τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ε χον ου τως· Μὴ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδικοῦντες, ἀγαπητοί, ἀλλὰ δότε τόπον τῇ ὀργῇ· οι δαμεν γὰρ τὸν εἰπόντα ̓Εμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει κύριος. 1209 Ps 137,8c Τουτέστιν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μὴ παρίδῃς, ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν φονικῶς διακειμένων καθ' ἡμῶν. 1210 Ps 138,3a Καθ' η ν προκόπτων τοῖς ε μπροσθεν ἐπεκτείνομαι, μέχρι φθάσω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς α νω κλήσεως. 1211 Ps 138,5 Θαυμαστὸν δὲ οὐδὲν εἰ τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ πάντα ε γνως, φησί· καὶ γὰρ τὰ πάντα ἐπίστασαι οὐχ ἁπλῶς αὐτὰ θεωρῶν 254 ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰ τέλη αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς αἰτίας δι' α ς γέγονε καὶ τί περὶ αὐτὰς ε σται μετὰ τὴν κοσμικὴν ποικιλίαν. πάντων ου ν τὴν γνῶσιν ε χων πλάσας με, τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ε θηκας, ι ν' ῃ πρῶθ' υ στερον τὸ λεγόμενον. θεὶς ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν χεῖρά σου χοῦν καὶ πηλὸν ο ντα ε πλασάς με α νθρωπον, ὡς ε καστον τῶν συνετῶν τοῦτο λέγειν Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίησάν με καὶ ε πλασάν με, καὶ α λλως Μνήσθητι ο τι πηλόν με ε πλασας. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ ου τω· πλάσας με σὺ οὐκ ἠρκέσθης τῷ πεποιηκέναι με, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐπέθηκας ἐπὶ τῷ βελτιοῦν καὶ φρουρεῖν με καὶ ὑψοῦσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῆς. ἀμέλει γοῦν ὁ τὴν δωρεὰν ταύτην ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἑτέροις συμβουλεύει, Ταπεινώθητε, λέγων, ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ θεοῦ, ι να ὑψώσῃ ὑμᾶς ἐν καιρῷ, ω στε ὑπ' αὐτὴν ἠσφαλισμένων ὑμῶν μηδεμίαν ἐπήρειαν η ἐπιβουλὴν δύνασθαι γενέσθαι· Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἁρπάζει ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρός. μόνους γὰρ τοὺς ἀπωσθέντας ἀπ' αὐτῆς διαπάσουσιν οἱ ἀόρατοι ἐχθροί. 1212 Ps 138,6 ̓Επιστήσας ὡς πάντων γνῶσιν ε χεις εἰς θαυμαστὸν η λθον. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἐπιστήσας ἐθαύμασά σου τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀλλ' ου ν γε ε τι θέλοντός μου κατανοεῖν αὐτὴν ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ γεγενημένην κεκραταίωται, ὡς μὴ δυνηθῆναί με πρὸς αὐτήν. τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ ἐν τῷ ̓Εκκλησιαστῇ Ει πα Σοφισθήσομαι, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὑπὲρ ο η ν, καὶ βαθὺ βάθος, τίς εὑρήσει αὐτήν; ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τὰς αὐτὰς ἀφῆκε φωνὰς φάσκων Ω βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ· ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. καὶ αὐτὸς ταῦτ' ει πεν, ἐπείπερ οὐ δύναται πρὸς τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ κραταιωθεῖσαν ὑπὲρ αὐτόν. ∆ύναται καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἐμοῦ προσκείμενον δηλοῦν ο τι ἐξ ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν κατ' ἐμὲ πραγμάτων θαυμαστὴ ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἀνεφάνη μοι· καθὸ κραταιωθείσης αὐτῆς οὐκέτι ἀντισχεῖν η προσβαλεῖν αὐτῇ δυνήσομαι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ, η ς αὐτὸς ε χει ὁ α γιος περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς οι ός τέ ἐστι διαλαμβάνων, τὰ προκείμενα διαλέγεται, συνεπισκέψῃ. 1213 Ps 138,7.8 Θεολογήσας τὰ περὶ τοῦ προγνώστην ει ναι τὸν θεὸν καὶ πάντων ἐπιστήμην ε χειν καὶ σύνεσιν, μέτεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ πανταχοῦ ει ναι αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν. φησὶ γοῦν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν θεολογούμενον· Εἰ πνεῦμά σου πεπλήρωκε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ποῦ πορευθῆναι ἀπ' αὐτῆς δυνήσομαι; ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπισκοπεῖ καὶ ἐφορᾷ τὰ ο λα, ποῦ φυγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δυνήσομαι; ἀνελθὼν γὰρ εἰς οὐρανὸν παρόντος σου λαμβάνων φαντασίαν· α ν εἰς τὸν ᾳ δην γένωμαι, συνόντα σε βλέπω. εἰ δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν ᾳ δῃ ἡ παρουσία σου γνωρίζεται, καὶ ἐν τοῖς μεταξὺ χωρίοις δηλονότι τυγχάνεις· Οὐχὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐγὼ πληρῶ, λέγει κύριος, ω ς φησιν ὁ προφήτης· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ θαλάσσῃ τοῖς ζητοῦσί σε ἐμφανίζῃ, ὡς ἡ ἑπομένη παρίστησι λέξις. διὸ καὶ τῶν θεολόγων τις πρὸς ε καστον τῶν ἀκροωμένων ε φη Καὶ γνώσῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ ο τι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ α νω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω καὶ οὐκ ε στιν ε τι πλὴν αὐτοῦ. παρίστησι δὲ πανταχοῦ οὐ τοπικῶς διατρίβων ἀλλὰ δημιουργικῶς καὶ προνοητικῶς τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπιχωριάζων. ει ρηται γοῦν περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς λόγου ὡς α ρα πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν· εἰ δ' ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκε τὰ πάντα, οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ συνεστηκότων ἀπολείπεται αὐτοῦ. Μανθάνομεν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν προκειμένων τὴν τριάδα θεολογουμένην. πνεῦμα γὰρ θεοῦ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα πολλάκις ει ναι ἀποδέδεικται καὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ υἱὸς εἰκὼν τυγχάνων αὐτοῦ

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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