The Sacrifice of Praise and the Discipline of Silence
Punishment is corruption, appearing from the corruption. 'With your corruption, O Jerusalem, who will help?' (Ps 79:9). And also the hand-operated disposition will be corrupted because of uncleanness; it will be corrupted by decay, as it is shown by 'Evil conversations corrupt good habits' (Ps 139:13-14).
He says 'judgment' is the examination of deeds and intentions, and 'justice' is the repayment according to merit. And even if the same subject is signified by both words in a parallel way, examine it yourself. The same must be said concerning the poor and the needy; for indeed, both names applied to the same thing must be taken according to different matters, such as being 'poor' if one has fallen greatly from wealth (for the rich have become poor and hungry), but 'needy' being one who has the necessary things for living through toil rather than through property.
The righteous confess either that they have not fallen into such things themselves, or that those who disregarded them and caused them much harm were subjected to such burdens by the judgment and justice of God. Regarding the confession of the righteous, the upright—others of the righteous—will dwell in the face of the Lord; those who confessed by the name, the righteous, confessed. Others of the righteous, the upright, if not entirely in substance, but in thought only, being righteous in one who performs moral virtues, and upright in one who has possessed the contemplation of truth.
Perhaps one who sometimes performs praiseworthy things may be called righteous, but while the practical man of the righteous confesses by the name of God, the upright one has acquired a city and a house through contemplation, dwelling in the face of God. For the character of the substance has been shown to be the face of God, Him dwelling in this face, concerning which it is said everywhere, 'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation' (2 Cor 5:17).
And if the 'upright who will dwell with your face' is to be explained, not thus: 'that your face they will dwell in, the upright, not going out from the face of the Lord God like Cain (Gen 4:16), or fleeing from it according to those things said concerning him, "And Adam and his wife fled from the face of the Lord God" (Gen 3:8).' But not thus: 'You are found upright, saving the image and likeness of you, having become conformed...'
They dwell in the likeness of the image of your Son, so that your Son may be found in them, the fulfillment of what the Savior said concerning such things: 'I am that I am, and they shall be with me, to behold my glory.' And this is to be heard not locally but in a God-befitting manner.
Ps 140:2b This sacrifice is offered by one who, having hurried to complete it, reaches the evening, while the one sacrificing in the morning offers according to the law the sacrifices that present the sensible things. But at noon, after this, he who has learned what is said by the Lord, 'You desire sacrifice, not burnt offerings, but the knowledge of God' Ps 140:3. And above all, an evening sacrifice is to be heard, the offering of the hands previously mentioned.
Ps 140:3-4 If the lips of the prophet approach with crushing, and a smooth-tongued man will not be directed upon the earth. May I also not fall into these things, O Lord; a guard to my mouth and a door of restraint around my lips. For I have set all things upon myself, having obeyed the exhortation of the one saying, 'With your words make a weight and a balance' Prov 16:11. For it is not advantageous for all to speak, nor even to be silent; for to the one able to open the mouth with the word of God, silence is not fitting, but to the one who brings forth a word that is idle and to those condemning words, silence will be for good. But those who practice silence differ from the one saying, 'He who keeps silence is found wise,' and 'He is keeping silence, for he has no answer,' and 'He is keeping silence, knowing the time.' For the one possessing the knowledge of the time to speak and the time when it is not necessary to speak, would ask that a guard and a door be present to his mouth and his lips from God, so that he might not bring forth anything unseasonably; and let the one who is not called to answer the questions being put forward be requested to remain silent, so that, having been shown to be unbridled toward God, he might not answer rashly instead of others; for indeed, let the one found wise through silence seek confirmation from God by that silence through which he is found wise. And since men who work iniquity make excuses, defending themselves ostensibly on behalf of those on whose behalf they work wickedly, I, having entreated you much, O Lord, deserve to be heard, that I might also entreat on behalf of not coming into such a disposition, or of having a heart flowing into words of wickedness upon the...
Greek
τιμωρία διαφθορά, παρίσταται ἐκ τοῦ Τῇ διαφθορᾷ σου, ̔Ιερουσαλήμ, τίς βοηθήσει; ο τι δὲ καὶ ἡ χειρίστη διάθεσις, ἐκ τοῦ Ενεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διαφθαρήσεται φθορᾷ, ὡς δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ Φθείρουσιν η θη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί. 1227 Ps 139,13.14 Κρίσιν δέ φησι τὴν ἐξέτασιν τῶν πράξεων καὶ προθέσεων, δίκην δὲ τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν τοῦ κατ' ἀξίαν. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐκ παραλλήλου τὸ αὐτὸ ὑποκείμενον ὑπ' ἀμφοτέρων τῶν λέξεων σημαίνεται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξέτασον. τὰ δ' αὐτὰ ῥητέον καὶ περὶ πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος· η τοι γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀμφότερα τὰ ὀνόματα λαβεῖν δεῖ η κατὰ διαφόρων πραγμάτων, ὡς πτωχὸν μὲν ει ναι τὸν σφόδρα πλούτου ἀποπεσόντα (Πλούσιοι γὰρ ἐπτώχευσαν καὶ ἐπείνασαν), πένητα δὲ τὸν μήπω ἐκ περιουσίας ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πονεῖν ε χοντα τὰ ἀναγκαίως πρὸς τὸ ζῆν συντείνοντα. ̓Εξομολογοῦνται δὲ οἱ δίκαιοι η τοι ο τι ἐκτὸς αὐτοὶ τοῦ τοιούτοις ὑποπεσεῖν γεγένηνται η ο τι οἱ προσπολεμήσαντες καὶ πολλὰ πορθήσαντες αὐτοὺς ὑπεβλήθησαν τοῖς ἐπιπόνοις κρίσει καὶ δίκῃ θεοῦ. πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τοὺς δικαίους οἱ εὐθεῖς, α λλοι τῶν δικαίων ο ντες, κατοικήσουσιν ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ κυρίου, ου τῷ ὀνόματι ἐξομολογήσαντο οἱ δίκαιοι. α λλους δὲ τῶν δικαίων τοὺς εὐθεῖς ει πον οὐ πάντως τῇ ὑποστάσει, ἀλλ' ε στιν ο τε τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ μόνον, δικαίου μὲν ο ντος τοῦ κατορθοῦντος τὰς ἠθικὰς ἀρετάς, εὐθοῦς δὲ τοῦ τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσχηκότος. η τάχα δίκαιος ει ναι δύναται ὁ ο πως ποτὲ πράττων τὰ ἐπαινετά, πλὴν ὁ μὲν πρακτικὸς τῶν δικαίων ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ δὲ εὐθὴς κατοικεῖ διὰ θεωρίας ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ πόλιν καὶ οἰκίαν αὐτὸ κεκτημένος. πρόσωπον δὲ θεοῦ ἀποδέδεικται ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως, αὐτοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν τούτῳ τῷ προσώπῳ παντὸς περὶ ου λέγεται Ει τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις. Εἰ δὲ ει η τὸ Κατοικήσουσιν εὐθεῖς σὺν τῷ προσώπῳ σου, ἐξηγητέον ου τως· ε νθα τὸ πρόσωπόν σου οἰκήσουσι καὶ οἱ εὐθεῖς, οὐκ ἐξερχόμενοι κατὰ τὸν Κάϊν ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ η φεύγοντες αὐτὸ κατὰ τοὺς περὶ ω ν ει ρηται Καὶ ε φυγεν ο τε ̓Αδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ. Η ου τως· ο σοι εὐθεῖς τυγχάνουσι σῴζοντες τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσίν σου σύμμορφοι γεγονότες τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ υἱοῦ σου, σὺν τούτῳ κατοικοῦσιν, ε νθα α ν ὁ υἱός σου τυγχάνῃ, πληρουμένου τοῦ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένου Θέλω ι να ο που εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ αὐτοὶ ω σι μετ' ἐμοῦ, ι να θεωρῶσι τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἐμήν. τοῦ δὲ ε νθα καὶ ο που θεοπρεπῶς ἀλλ' οὐ τοπικῶς ἀκουστέον. 1228 Ps 140,2b Ταύτην τὴν θυσίαν προσάγει ὁ τῷ τετελειῶσθαι φθάσας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν, τὸ πρωῒ θύοντος τοῦ τὰς αἰσθητὰς προσάγοντος κατὰ νόμον θυσίας. μεσημβρίᾳ δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον θύει ὁ μαθὼν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λεγόμενον Ελεον θέλω η θυσίαν, ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ η ὁλοκαυτώματα. ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ προσακτέον ἑσπερινὴν θυσίαν τὴν τῶν προειρημένων χειρῶν ε παρσιν. 1229 Ps 140,3.4 Ει ρηταί που ̔Ο προπετὴς χείλεσιν ἐγγίζει συντριβῇ, καὶ ̓Ανὴρ γλωσσώδης οὐ κατευθυνθήσεται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ι ν' ου ν κἀγὼ μὴ παραπέσω τούτοις, Θοῦ, κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου καὶ θύραν περιοχῆς περὶ τὰ χείλη μου. πεποίηκα γὰρ τὰ ἐπ' ἐμοὶ πάντα, πεισθεὶς τῇ 260 προτροπῇ τοῦ εἰπόντος Τοῖς λόγοις σου ποίησον ζυγὸν καὶ σταθμόν. οὐ πᾶσι γὰρ τὸ λαλεῖν ω σπερ οὐδὲ τὸ σιωπᾶν συμφέρει· τῷ γὰρ δυναμένῳ ἀνοίγειν τὸ στόμα λόγῳ θεοῦ οὐ καθήκει σιωπᾶν, τῷ δὲ προφερομένῳ ῥῆμα ἀργὸν καὶ τοὺς καταδικάζοντας λόγους πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ ε σται ἡ σιωπή. οι δε διαφορὰν τῶν σιωπὴν ἀγόντων ὁ λέγων Εστι σιωπῶν εὑρισκόμενος σοφός, καὶ Εστι σιωπῶν, οὐ γὰρ ε χει ἀπόκρισιν, καὶ ε στι σιωπῶν εἰδὼς καιρόν. ὁ γὰρ ἐπιστήμην ε χων καιροῦ τοῦ εἰπεῖν καὶ καιροῦ καθ' ο ν οὐ δεῖ τι λέγειν αἰτήσοιτο φρουρὰν καὶ θύραν τῷ στόματι καὶ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ὑπαρχθῆναι θεόθεν, ο πως μηδὲν ἀκαίρως προφέρῃ· καὶ ὁ μὴ ε χων πρὸς τὰς προαγομένας ἐρωτήσεις ἀποκρίνασθαι παρακαλείτω, ο πως ἐχέθυμος ει ναι πρὸς θεοῦ ἀποδειχθεὶς μὴ ε τερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ἀποκρίνεσθαι· ε τι μὴν καὶ ὁ διὰ τοῦ σιωπᾶν εὑρισκόμενος σοφὸς βεβαίωσιν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀπαιτείτω τῇ σιωπῇ καθ' η ν εὑρίσκεται σοφός. Καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζόμενοι α νθρωποι προφάσεις πλάττουσιν ἀπολογούμενοι δῆθεν ὑπὲρ ω ν ἐνεργοῦσι κακῶς, ἐγὼ ὁ περὶ πολλῶν παρακαλέσας σε, ω δέσποτα, ἀξιῶ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ εἰς τοιαύτην διάθεσιν ἐλθεῖν, ω στε ἁμαρτάνοντα εἰς λόγους πονηρίας ῥέπουσαν ε χειν τὴν καρδίαν ἐπὶ τῷ
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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