The Altar of Virtue and Calling upon the Lord
Above all things the end is evident: that for which the tent has been pitched, having advanced through progress and remaining toward perfection, and for which the one persuaded by the word, despite being dissuaded, will arrive: 'Watch your foot, lest when you go into the house of God and draw near, you hear' (Ps 119:10). For thus he will be able to dwell in the house, saying, 'That I may dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days' (Ps 27:4). It must be known that through these things the divine citizenship is symbolically shown, even if the persona of Abraham is not yet fully completed, for he has not yet been called away.
And he pitches the tent 'by the sea,' being firm and unshakeable because of holding fast to virtue perfectly, so as to say: 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution?' (Rom 8:35) and the following, regarding which he says 'sea,' would not be sins. For whenever a saint is, even in perfection, he has a dizziness pressing upon him and the instability of created nature, which the perfect man, as a charioteer, prevents from the activity of evil by remaining in its power, which is blessed; for this is good even while existing in virtue, since even the evil man exists in the power of virtue, having turned to this by his own intention, though he did not guard himself as one who has become good.
And he himself also pitches the tent 'in winds from the south' in a way suitable to reaching the mountain of the house of God and being illuminated through all things from the east, which are the virtues according to their kind, and making no care for any of the opposing things—for even the waves from the sea do not overturn his well-established structure—which transforms the words of Jesus into works by becoming a feast; for this is interpreted as 'winds.' For the great feast is the perfection of virtue. For this is also what the psalmist says: 'Hear the voice of rejoicing and confession of those celebrating' (Ps 100:1); for he who rejoices at the presence of the Spirit and confesses, not as one sinning and repenting, but as one giving thanks, celebrates—for the name of confession lies in place of thanksgiving, as in 'We confess to You, O Lord Father of the heavens...'
For they say, 'the thought of a man' Eccl 2:2, which makes it clear that of the one rejoicing, 'he shall confess to you and a treasure of thought shall celebrate for you.' And he built there an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.
Appropriately, the one who crossed over and upon the given mountain built the house of God; and having been illumined by the rising suns and having struck down the opposing things in such a way that no one would stir up indignation, he raised up an altar, upon which he completes the sacrifice of pleasingness and righteousness according to what was said before concerning the spiritual sacrifice, which is the system of virtues. 'And he called upon the name of the Lord,' which someone taking hastily might say means that the altar, which he built, he named 'of the Lord'; but it is possible to say it more mystically and more sublimely, that he called upon the name of the Lord not by a mere word, but truly, the mind making its petition to God, not performing the virtues through something else, but through the good itself. For according to this understanding, even the Savior, while teaching, instructed to pray and to say, 'Our Father,' not to do this by mere utterance, but so that they might present themselves as sons and no longer call upon God the Father in vain; thus we hear: 'No one says Lord Jesus except in the Holy Spirit' 1 Cor 12:3, and this does not apply to those who say this by mere utterance and in vain.
Therefore, Abraham was doing the building of the altar of virtues for the Lord, through it and not through something else. And Abram took it and having gone, he campaigned in the wilderness. Since the spoken word is not manifest, it must be spoken toward the understanding. For even if someone is perfect, he is not released from those who fight, even if he is a child, just as to the Corinthians, to whom Paul writes: 'You have not received a temptation which is not human; but God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will make the way of the escape to endure' 1 Cor 10:13. And to the Ephesians, as if already perfect, he writes and counts himself: 'For our struggle is not against blood and flesh' Eph 6:12; he does not say 'not...
Greek
ἐπὶ πᾶσιν τέλος δηλοῖ, εἰς ὃ ἔπηξε̣ν̣ τ̣ὴν̣ σκηνὴν διὰ προκοπῶν διεληλυθὼς καὶ τελειότητος λοιπὸν με̣τ̣α̣π̣ο̣ιούμενος, εἰς ὃ ἥξει ὁ πειθόμενος τῷ λόγῳ παραινοῦντι· "6Φυ´̣λ̣α̣ξ̣ο̣ν τὸν πόδα σου ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν ἀπέρχῃ εἰς οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐγγὺς τ̣ο̣υ῀̣ α᾿̣κοῦσαι"6· οὕτω γὰρ κατοικῆσαι τὸν οἶκον δυνήσεται λέγων· "6Τ̣ο̣υ῀̣ κα̣τοικεῖν με ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν"6. Εἰδέναι δε̣ι῀̣ ὁ´̣τ̣ι̣ δ̣ιὰ το̣ύτ̣ω̣ν συμβολικῶς ἡ πολιτεία ἡ θεία δηλοῦται, κἂν τὸ προ´̣σ̣ω̣π̣ο̣ν̣ τοῦ Ἀβ̣ρὰμ ἔτι τελείωσιν ἐπιδέχηται· οὔπω γὰρ μετακέκλη̣τ̣α̣ι̣. "6Κατὰ θάλασσαν"6 δὲ τὴν σκηνὴν πήγνυσιν βέβαιος ὢν καὶ ἄσ̣ε̣ι̣σ̣τ̣ο̣ς̣ διὰ τὸ τελείως ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς ἀρετῆς ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν· "6Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλῖψις ἢ στενοχωρία <ἢ> διωγμός;"6 καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἅπερ θάλασσαν λέγων οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις. Ὁπ̣ούποτε γὰρ ἂν ᾖ ὁ ἅγιος, κἂν ἐν τελειότητι, ἐφεδρεύουσαν ἔχει̣ τη`̣ν ζάλην καὶ τῆς γενητῆς φύσεως τὸ τρεπτόν, ὅπερ ἡνιοχῶν ὁ τέλειος κωλύει τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς κακίας ἐν δυνάμει αὐτῆς διαμένων, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μακάριον· ἀγαθοῦ γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ἀρετῇ ὑπάρχοντος, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ κακὸς ἐν δυνάμει ἀρετῆς ὑπάρχει, τῇ ἰδίᾳ προθέσει τραπεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦτο και`̣ μὴ φυλάξας ἑαυτὸν ὡς γέγονεν ἀγαθός. Ὁ δ' αὐτὸς καὶ ἐν "6Ἀγγαὶ κατὰ νότον"6 πήγνυσι τὴν σκηνὴν οἰκείως τῷ ἐφθακέναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ δι' ὅλων πεφωτισμένος ἐκ τῶν ἀνατολῶν, 223 αἵτινές εἰσιν αἱ κατ' εἶδος ἀρεταί, καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ἀντι- στα̣τ̣[ού]ν̣τ̣ω̣ν ἐστὶ φροντίδα ποιούμενος, –οὐδὲ γὰρ αἱ ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης τ̣ρ̣ι̣κ̣υ̣μ̣ι´̣αι ἀν̣ατρέπουσιν αὐτοῦ τὸ οἰκοδό- μημα καλῶς ἱδρύμενον, –ὁ´̣σ̣περ τοὺς λόγους Ἰησοῦ εἰς ἔργα μεταβέβληκεν ἐν ἑορτῇ γ̣ινο´̣μ̣ενος· τοῦτο γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται Ἀγγαί. Ἡ μεγάλη γὰρ ἑορτ̣ὴ η῾̣ τ̣ῆς ἀρετῆς ὑπάρχει τελείωσις. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδός̣ φ̣η̣σ̣ι̣ν· "6Φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως ἤχου ἑορτα̣ζ̣ο´̣ν̣των"6· ο῾̣ γὰρ ἀγαλλιώμενος ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος παρουσίᾳ καὶ ε᾿̣ξ̣ο̣μ̣ολογούμενος οὐχ ὡς ἁμαρτάνων καὶ μετανοῶν ἀλλ' ὡς̣ ε̣υ᾿̣χ̣α̣ριστ̣ω῀̣ν ἑορτάζει, –κεῖται γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἐξομο- λογήσεως ὄνομ̣α̣ α᾿̣ν̣τ̣ι`̣ εὐχ̣αρ̣ιστίας ὡς ἐν τῷ "6Ἐξομολο- γοῦμαί σοι Πάτερ Κύριε το̣υ῀̣ ο̣υ᾿̣ρ̣α̣ν̣οῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς"6· –φησὶν γὰρ "6ὅτι ἐνθύμιον ἀνθρώπου"6, δη̣λ̣ο̣ν̣ότι τοῦ ἀγαλλιωμένου, "6ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι καὶ ἐγκατα´̣λ̣ε̣ι̣μ̣μα ἐνθυμίου 89 ἑορτάσει σοι"6. χιι, 8. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ θυσι̣α̣σ̣τ̣η´̣ρ̣ιον τῷ Κυρίῳ κ̣α̣ι`̣ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Πρεπόντως ὁ διαβὰς καὶ ἐπὶ τ̣ο`̣ ἀποδοθὲν ὄρ̣ος και`̣ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνατολῶν̣ καταυγασθεὶς καὶ πατήσας τὰ ἀντικείμενα οὕτως ὡς μηδένα αὐτὰ δεδι´̣ττεσθαι εὐχαριστίας ἤγειρε θυσιαστήριον, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπιτελεῖ τῆς αἰνέσεως τὴν θυσίαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα περὶ πνευ<μα>τικῆς θυσίας, ἥτις ἐστὶ τὸ σύστημα τῶν ἀρετῶν. "6Καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου"6, ὅπερ προχείρως τις ἐκλαμβάνων λέξει ὅτι τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ὃ ᾠκοδόμησεν, ὠνόμασεν "3Κυρίου"3· δυνατὸν δὲ μυστηρι- κώτερον καὶ ὑπεραναβεβηκότως εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἐπικαλέσασθαι οὐ ψιλῇ συλλαβῇ ἀλλὰ πραγματικῶς, τοῦ νοῦ τὴν ἔντευξιν Θεῷ ποιουμένου, μὴ δι' ἄλλο τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐνεργοῦντ̣ο̣ς ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθόν. Κατὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ διδάσκων προσεύχε̣σθαι καὶ λέγειν "6Πάτερ ἡμῶν"6 οὐ κατὰ 224 προφορὰν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπαίδευσεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα παραστήσωσιν ἑα̣υ̣τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ μηκ̣ε´̣τ̣ι̣ ματαίως ἐπικαλῶνται τὸν Θεὸν πατέρα· ο̣ὕτως ἀκούομεν και`̣ ······ "6Οὐδεὶς λέγει Κύριον Ἰησοῦν εἰ μὴ ἐν Πνεύματι α῾̣γίῳ"6, τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ὑπ̣α´̣ρ̣χ̣ε̣ι̣ τοῖς κατὰ μόνην τὴν προφορὰν του῀̣τ̣ο λέγουσιν καὶ ματ̣α̣ι´̣ω̣ς̣. ῾Ο̣ οὖν Ἀβρὰμ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ ἐξ ἀρ̣ετῶν θυσια- στηρίου τ̣ῳ῀̣ Κυρίῳ καὶ δι' αὐτὸν καὶ οὐ δι' ἄλλον ἐποιεῖτο. χιι, 9. Καὶ ἐπῇρεν Ἀβρὰμ καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐστρατο- πέδευσεν ἐν τῇ ε᾿̣ρ̣η´̣μ̣ῳ̣. Τοῦ ῥητοῦ οὐκ ἀδήλου ὄντος, λεκτέον τὸ πρὸς διάνοιαν. Κ̣ἀ`̣ν̣ γ̣α`̣ρ̣ τ̣ε´̣λειός τις ᾖ, οὐκ ἀπαλλάττεται τῶν πολεμούντων, κἂν ἐ´̣τ̣ι̣ ν̣ήπιος καθὼς Κορίνθιοι, οἷς ἐπιστέλλων Παῦλός φησιν· "6Πει̣ρασμὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ εἴληφεν εἰ μὴ ἀνθρώπινος· πιστὸς δὲ ὁ Θεός, ὃς ο̣ὐκ ε᾿̣άσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ σὺν τῷ πειρα̣σ̣μ̣ῳ῀̣ ποιήσει τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν"6. Ἐφεσίοις δὲ ὡς ἤδη τελείοις ἐπιστέλλει καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀριθμῶν· "6Οὐ γάρ ἐστ̣ιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα"6· οὐ λέγει "3οὐ
About this text
Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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.