Knowledge and the Inner Heart
He teaches, and he rebukes in a similar way. He does not forbid by one rebuke or a second, but he also approaches health in another way. This long-suffering one is therefore better than the proud and the 'high in spirit'. Indeed, some say that if he speaks more slowly, it is a lesson, saying: 'Ah, a cleansing, go away, you are able to do nothing.' But what of the lifting up? The lifting up is that itself.
Because you desire this: the one believing in the Savior from among the Gentiles is long-suffering, but the people from the circumcision who say, 'We have no king but Caesar' sic and 'We are disciples of Moses' are high in spirit. Regarding this one who is high in spirit from the Hebrew people, the one from the Gentiles who became long-suffering because he has known the things concerning him—that 'having no hope and being without God in the world' (1 Thess 4:17; Eph 2:12)—is a precursor there. Do not hasten in a spirit of anger, for anger rests in the foolishness of a mind in a rage.
Text is heavily corrupted with gaps... He who sins in the spirit... Gaps... For they are from the remaining... Gaps... and also having stood and... Gaps... they go about under pleasure... Gaps... do not hasten with a thought to be angry, for God is angry and says to me... Gaps... man is composed of soul and body... Gaps... becoming of soul alone... Gaps... wisdom is the presence of this spirit... Gaps... thus, thinking he bestows... Gaps... and if something is sent by God... Gaps... this 'psychic man' does not receive it, and so it is said of the one 'who does not receive the things of the Spirit'; it is not nature... Gaps... the things of the Spirit are considered 'folly' (1 Cor 1:18). For he seems not to want to be a fool. The foolish things do not receive him, as you think.
demonstrating. This one, then, does all things in the soul; but the one having ascended above this and doing with divine reasoning or sometimes with mere reasoning, this one does all things in the spirit.
This, then, I call knowledge, not being knowledge in the strict sense, but that which appears to those using it to be becoming bad. For a fool's passion rests in the heart. The one who is not a fool, but wise and attentive to prudence, even if something is ever seen or heard or moves the passion, it remains only until a passion occurs.
For the heart signifies the ruling principle in many of the divine lessons, as if it says: 'Their folly is in the land of Egypt in their heart' (Ps 106:27). So also it is said in other places that 'all things come into the heart of the unjust' (Prov 14:13). What he says is this: that he touches evils, and against his own ruling principle he brings harm and plague.
Again, if the holy man says: 'My prayer shall turn back into my heart,' the diligent man asks for that, sending a prayer to God, which is both beneficial for him to receive and proper for God to give. And his prayer turns back into his heart, bringing what he asked for. For he asks for nothing more than bodily strength or wealth, but for that which improves the mind.
If, therefore, it happens that what he asks for—since the things given do not remain outside of him, but in his disposition and in the ruling principle—his prayer turns back into his heart. Do not say: 'What happened that the former days were better than these?' (Phil 3:13). 'Better than these' is not merely said, but also reasoned: he who is beginning virtue and 'the illumination of the knowledge of truth' and being shone upon by the 'sun of righteousness' (Mal 4:2) always receives by the light; and just as the diligent man 'stretches toward the prize of the higher calling' (Phil 3:14).
The things being given are left behind, forgetting those from whom they have come, so that he no longer turns back and returns; 'stretching forward to those that are before' (Phil 3:14), he is made distant, he who began to be enlightened by the 'sun of righteousness' (Mal 4:2) and always receives by the light, as if to say that 'the first days were better than these' (Phil 3:13). And we say this somewhat poorly, but perhaps...
Greek
διδασκαλίαν· καὶ ἐπιτιμῶν ὁμοίως ποιεῖ. οὐκ ἀπὸ μίας ἐπι τιμίας ἢ δευτέρας ἀπαγορεύει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλως προσάγει τὴν ὑγείαν. οὗτος οὖν ὁ μακρόθυμος τοῦ ὑψαυχένου καὶ "ὑψηλοῦ τῷ πνεύματι" ἀγαθότερός ἐστιν. πολλοὶ γοῦν λέγοντές τισιν μάθησιν, ἐὰν βραδύτερον λέγῃ, λέγου σιν· "ἆ, κάθαρμα, ὕπαγε, οὐδὲν δύνῃ". ἐπερ· τὴν ἀναγωγήν; ἀναγωγή ἐστιν αὐτό. ε᾿̣π̣ειδὴ δὲ θέλεις τοῦτο· μακρόθυμός ἐστιν ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύων τῷ σωτῆρ̣ι̣, ὑψηλὸς δὲ πνεύματί ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ περιτο μῆς λαὸς ὁ λέγων· "οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλε´̣α ε̣ι᾿̣ μὴ Καίσαρα"· "τοῦ Μωϋσέως μαθηταί ἐσμεν". τούτου τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ τῷ π̣ν̣εύματι τ̣οῦ ἐξ Ἑβραίων λαοῦ ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν μ̣α̣κρόθυμος γενόμενος διὰ τ̣ὸ ἐγνωκέναι τὰ καθ' ἑ αυτόν, ὅτι "ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχων καὶ ἀ´̣θεος ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ", προ̣κριτ̣ε´̣ος ἐκεί νου. μὴ σπεύσῃς ἐν πνεύματι τοῦ θυμοῦσθαι, ὅτι θυμὸς ἐν κόλ πῳ ἀφρ̣όνων ἀναπαύεται. 206 ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· τοῦ πνεύματος οὕτω ἐκεῖνο τὸ μο ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ε᾿̣κεῖνος ε᾿̣ν̣ π̣νεύματι ἁμαρτάνει ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·····ε̣ν̣. εἰσὶν γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ παριστα μένου ·········· ····· ····· ····· ····· ···· δὲ καὶ σ̣υ̣νσ̣τήσαντες καὶ ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ··περ̣ιποιοῦσιν η ὑπὸ ἡδονῆς ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ···· μὴ σπεύσῃ σὺν λογισμῷ θυ μοῦσθαι ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ··ν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὀργίζεται καὶ ἐμοὶ λέγει ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· σύνκειται ο῾̣ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·····τ̣ο ψυχῆς μόνης γινομέ νης ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· σοφία τ ἡ παρουσία πνεύματος οὗτος ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ··· οὑ´̣τ̣ω̣ χαριζόμενος νομίζει ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ···· καὶ ἐὰν θεόπεμπτόν τι ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····μ̣ενος οὐ δέχεται αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὁ "ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος" ··············· ··λέγεται οὕτω καὶ τὸ "οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος"· οὐ φύσιν ··λ̣ο̣ι̣ απ̣·ν̣·ι̣····· ····· ···· "μ̣ωρίαν" η῾̣γ̣εῖται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. δοκεῖ γὰρ μὴ θέλειν μῶρος εἶναι. οὐ δέχεται τὰ μῶρον αὐτόν, ὡς οἴεται, ἀπο̣δεικ̣νύντα. οὗτος οὖν ἐν ψυχῇ πάντα ποιεῖ· ὁ δὲ ὑπεραναβεβηκὼς τοῦτο̣ καὶ σὺν θείῳ λογισμῷ πράττων ἢ ἁπαξα πλῶς λογισμῷ, οὗτος ἐν πνεύματι ποιεῖ. ταύτην οὖν λέγω τὴν ἐπιστήμην οὐ κυρίως οὖσαν ἐπιστήμην, ἀλλὰ τὴν φαινομένην τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτῇν κακοῦσθαι. ὅτι θυμὸς ἐν κόλπῳ ἀφρόνων ἀναπαύεται. ὁ μὴ ἄφρων, ἀλλὰ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιμελόμενος φ̣ρον̣ήσ̣εως, κ̣ἄν ποτε φανέντος τινὸς ἢ ἀκουσθέντος ἢ κινοῦντος θ̣υμόν, μέχρι προπαθείας γίνεται. πολ λαχοῦ γὰρ τῶν θείων παιδευμάτων ὁ κόλπος τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν σημαίνει, ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ· "οὗτος ὁ φαυλισμὸς αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτου εἰς κόλπον αὐτῶν". οὕ τω καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις λέγεται 20 ὅτι "εἰς κόλπ̣ον ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδί κοις". ὃ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὅτ̣ι κακῶν αὐτοῦ ἅπτεται, κατὰ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ἑαυτοῦ φέρει τὴν βλάβη̣ν καὶ τὴν πλ̣ηγήν. 207 πάλιν ἐὰν ὁ ἅγιος λέγῃ· "ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς κόλπον μου α᾿̣π̣οστραφή σετα̣ι̣", ὁ σπουδαῖος ἐκεῖνα αἰτεῖται εὐχη`̣ν̣ πρὸς θεὸν ἀναπέμπων, ἃ κ̣α̣ὶ α̣ὐτῷ συμφέρει λα̣βεῖν καὶ τῷ θεῷ πρέπει διδόναι. κα̣ὶ ἀνα̣κα´̣μ̣πτει ἡ προσευχὴ α̣υ᾿̣τοῦ εἰς τὸν̣ κόλπ̣ον αὐτοῦ φέρουσα, ἃ ᾐτήσατο. αἰτεῖται γ̣α`̣ρ οὐδὲν πλέον οὐκ ἰσχὺν σώματος, οὐ πλοῦτ̣ον, ἀλλὰ τὸν βελτιοῦντα τὸν νο̣ῦν. ε᾿̣ὰν̣ οὖν τύχῃ, ὧν αἰτεῖται, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔξω αὐτοῦ μένει τὰ δοθέν τα, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ δ̣ι̣α̣θέσει αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ, ἡ προσ̣ευχὴ αὐ τοῦ εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ ἐπ̣ι̣στρέφε̣τα̣ι̣. μὴ εἴπῃς· τί ἐγένετο ὅτι αἱ ἡμέρα̣ι̣ α̣ι῾̣ πρότεραι ἦσαν ἀγαθαὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτας; ὑπὲρ ταύτας κρεῖσσον τοῦτό ἐστιν οὐ μ̣ο´̣νον λεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λο γιζόμενον· ο῾̣ ἀρχο´̣μενος ἀρετῆς καὶ "τοῦ φωτισμοῦ τ̣η῀̣ς γνώσεως" καὶ τοῦ λάμπεσθαι ὑπὸ του῀̣ "η῾̣λ̣ι´̣ου τῆς δικαιοσύνης" ἀεὶ παραλαμβα´̣ν̣ω τῷ φω τισ̣μῷ· καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ σπουδαῖος "εἰς τὸ τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως βραβεῖον" τε̣ίνω. τὰ διδόμενα καταλέλοι̣π̣ε̣ν̣ ἐπιλαν̣θανόμενος ἐκείνων ὧν παρ ελ̣ήλυθεν τῷ μηκέτι ἀνακάμπτε̣ι̣ν καὶ ἀναστρέφειν· "τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσ̣θ̣ε̣ν ἐπεκτεινόμενος" μακρύνεται ὡ῀̣ν κατα̣λ̣ε´̣λοιπεν ὁ ἀρξάμενος φ̣ω̣τίζεσθαι ὑπὸ "τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης" καὶ ἀεὶ π̣ρ̣ο̣ς̣λαμβάνων τῷ φωτισμῷ ὡς μ̣η`̣ εἰπει῀̣ν ὅτι "αἱ πρῶται ἡμέραι ἦσαν α᾿̣γαθ̣αὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτας". καὶ προ χείρως αὐτὸ λέγομεν, τάχα δὲ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Ecclesiastes.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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