Psalm 1:1–2 — blessing is not mere abstinence, but will in the law

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“Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat on the seat of pestilent ones. But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

Blessed, then, is the one who longs for the things that truly are. But how is the blessing in a taking-away of evils? For abstinence from evils is common also to the soulless and to the irrational. For this reason, then, he added: “But his will is in the law of the Lord.” For this belongs not only to a rational being, but is also the beginning of taking up the good things: the flight from evils. “Turn from evil,” he says, “and do good” (Psalm 34:14). For as on a ladder the first ascent is withdrawal from the earth, so in the progress according to God, the separation from evil.

But also in general every idleness is easier than even a chance action: such as “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not fornicate” (Exodus 20:14) and the rest, which need each person’s idleness and not-moving. But “You shall love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39), and “Sell your belongings and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21), and “If anyone conscripts you one mile, go with him two” (Matthew 5:41) are already deeds of a youthful soul and of athletes.

If he had set the perfect things before you at once, you would have shrunk from the undertaking; but now he trains you beforehand with the more easily grasped, so that you may dare the things next. As deeds fitting for athletes, we already need a youthful soul toward the achievement; so wonder at the wisdom of the one who leads us through the easier and more easily grasped toward perfection.

The “way of sinners” can be said to be the devil; the one who has come to be in it must not remain, according to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). For the one who has not stood in it will come to the Lord, who said “I am the way” (John 14:6); coming to be in it and running according to the mark, he will obtain the prizes. “Ungodly”: those who do not know God. “On a seat”: the working of evils, come about by succession. “But in the law”: the evangelical, clearly. “He will meditate”: by his counsel.

Greek

1.1,2 Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ο ς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ε στη, καὶ ἐπὶ καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν οὐκ ἐκάθισεν. ̓Αλλ' η ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέ ρας καὶ νυκτός. Μακάριος ου ν ὁ τὰ ο ντως ο ντα ποθῶν. ̓Αλλὰ πῶς ἐν ἀναιρέσει κακῶν ὁ μακαρισ μός; κοινὸν γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀψύχων καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἀποχή· διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐπήγαγεν· ̓Αλλ' η ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυ ρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ μό νον πέφυκεν λογικοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν καλῶν ἀναλήψεως καταρχὴ, τῶν κακῶν ἡ φυγή. Εκκλινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν. ̔Ως γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίμακος πρώτη ἀνάβασις ἡ τῆς γῆς ἀναχώρησις, ου τως ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν προκοπῆς, ὁ χω ρισμὸς τοῦ κακοῦ. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ο λως δὲ πᾶσα ἀργία καὶ τῆς τυχούσης πράξεώς ἐστιν εὐ μαρεστέρα, ο ποιον τό· Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ πορνεύσεις, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἀργίας ἑκάστου καὶ ἀκινησίας δεῖται. Τὸ δέ· ̓Αγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, καί· Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρ χοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καί· ̓Εάν τίς σε ἀγγαρεύσῃ μίλιον ε ν, υ παγε μετ' αὐτοῦ δύο, ψυχῆς η δη νεανικῆς καὶ ἀθλητῶν ἐνεργή ματα. –Εἰ γὰρ εὐθὺς προέβαλέ σοι τὰ τέλεια, ἀπώκνησας α ν πρὸς τὴν ἐγχείρησιν· νῦν δὲ τοῖς εὐληπτωτέροις σε προεθίζει, ι να κατατολμήσῃς τῶν ἐφεξῆς· ω σπερ ἐνεργή ματά ἐστιν ἀθληταῖς πρέποντα, ψυχῆς η δη νεανικῆς δεόμεθα πρὸς κατόρθωσιν· ω στε θαύμασον τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ διὰ τῶν εὐμα ρεστέρων καὶ εὐληπτοτέρων ἐνάγοντος ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὴν τελείωσιν. – Εστιν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁδὸν, τὸν διάβολον εἰπεῖν· ἐν ῃ ὁ γενόμενος, μὴ ἐμμενέτω, κατὰ τό· ̓Αντίστητε τῷ δια βόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ' ὑμῶν. ̔Ο γὰρ μὴ στήσας ἐν αὐτῇ, πρὸς Κύριον η ξει, τὸν εἰ πόντα· ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς, ἐν ῃ γινόμενος, καὶ κατὰ σκοπὸν δραμὼν, τεύξεται τῶν βραβείων. ̓Ασεβῶν, τῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἀγνοούντων. ̓Επὶ καθέδραν, τὴν κακῶν ἐργασίαν, κατὰ διάδοσιν γενομένην. ̓Αλλ' η ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ δη λονότι. Μελετήσει, τῷ βουλεύματι αὐτοῦ.

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New English from locked PG 12 / Khazarzar Greek of Fragmenta in Psalmos, Psalms 1–22.3. Earlier lemma-led SERIES-CLOSEOUT English was discarded.

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Copy-text PG 12 Fragmenta in Psalmos (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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