The Precious Stones of Virtue

However, we speak of what has come to us. Those who say that it signifies a change of face are lying; for we have found changes of faces in the psalms even without the diapsalma. Again, they say that the diapsalma signifies a certain interval—for example, saying 'he ceased and at another time he began'—and this diapsalma signifies a chronological interval. But we cannot say this; for there is no indication that he spoke these verses of the psalm after another time.

But those who have conversed with the Hebrew readings say that this is a musical rhythm, just as they say rhythms and melodies in musical matters. Therefore, these things are not for us to know, but for those who have conversed with the dialect. In every dialect, indeed, it is possible to be appropriate to music. There is no music or rhythm when sounds are arranged unharmoniously. Sometimes I think I know the letters and can comment on the readings. And if we see something in a garden, which a farmer names because we do not know it, we learn from him, and not already, not devaluing learning, we remain uneducated from this. So, even if we do not know the Hebrew dialect, we have heard that it signifies a musical rhythm according to the Hebrew dialect.

'For you have preceded him in blessings of goodness' (Psalm 21:3). God has preceded the king in all interpretations in blessings of goodness. The 'you have preceded in blessings' is equal to: 'While you are still speaking I will say: behold, I am here' (Psalm 40:2). For example, suppose a certain prayer is being sent up concerning living well, concerning having virtue; it says: 'while you are still speaking,' not yet having fulfilled the word of the prayer, because of the giving, I say I am present.

The 'of goodness' we take here as 'of kindness'; for often we take the 'good' as if toward slander: 'evil characters make the conversations bad,' instead of the pleasant, the kind. And the pleasant itself is taken even regarding praise, when someone has a good character, and regarding the pleasant. Likewise also the innocent: 'for through the good-speaking they deceive the hearts of the innocent.' And also: 'the innocent believes every word.' 'You have set upon his head a crown of precious stone.' If this is said concerning the Lord's man, this crown is that which is placed upon the head...

A crown is woven from his precious stones, that is, from virtues or those possessing virtues. Within the weaving of this crown lie those stones being built up with gold and silver upon the foundation, Christ. It is clear, however, that neither gold, nor silver, nor the stones are taken according to physical sense.

Even regarding each king, such as Abraham was, or as the other saints are, we say this: just as the ruler of Tyre, when he lived well, was placed among the Cherubim in the holy mountain of God, when it was a 'seal of likeness' and a 'crown of beauty,' he was not bound by perceptible stones; rather, one is crowned from such stones. For instance, Joseph contended regarding temperance. Temperance is a precious stone. These virtues crowned him, as well as Susanna and the martyrs. And since virtues follow one another, and he who has one has all, the woven crown is not a single stone. Therefore, 'from a precious stone you placed a crown upon his head.' The 'precious' pertains to that which the precious thing is. We call these stones here, such as pearls and hyacinths and the others, precious, because they are also stones distinct from those. Since, therefore, these great stones are kinds of virtue, behold, these stones are precious and surpass all those appearing to be so in the world.

And that the disciples of the teachers are crowns, Paul taught: 'my joy and crown,' addressing the church that discipled him. 'On that day the Lord of Sabaoth will be the crown of hope.' The material of this crown is the Lord of Sabaoth; for 'the Lord of Sabaoth will be the crown of hope.' And since anyone being there cannot yet have a perfect participation in God, but this will happen when 'God becomes all in all,' becoming a fire perfected in all, in the final desired one; for this reason he called it a crown of hope. For if we are to know Him then, when we see Him as He is, and when we see Him by seeing Him as He is, when we have reached the end, this crown is of hope. It is of end-hope, it is that which we await. 'She sought life from you, and you gave it to him.' We say that the Savior acts according to the man—if indeed