The distinction between essence and accident in knowledge and soul
It accepts more and less. Therefore, it can sometimes be cast away and sometimes taken up. But that which is hot in fire does not accept more and less, for it is not essential. The knowledge of God is essential, so it is incommensurable with knowledge according to disposition. And the incommensurable things do not accept likeness.
These things are not said in vain; for since the Logos constructs the Son to be consubstantial with the Father and establishes the same divinity through the being known by the Father and knowing the Father, they wish to share his knowledge with ours, saying: 'Just as we know God, and he knows, that we know him perfectly, as he knows himself. And the Son likewise has the knowledge concerning him. Therefore he will not rule us.' 27 Their hearts shall live unto ages of ages.
Often things that have happened are called homonymously by those to whom they have happened. We say that there is an essence of the soul; when God says, 'Do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul' (Matt 10:28). Thus the name 'soul' denotes essence. And when he says, 'Spirits and souls of the righteous, bless the Lord' (Ps 146:20), it denotes essence. For the name of the soul often signifies something that has happened to the soul; for when it is said in Jesus Wisdom: 'An evil soul will destroy the one who has acquired it,' it names the disposition and the intellect 'soul'; for the one who has acquired it, the soul, is the man. And again: 'Having reached those near, in the obedience of the truth.' From this it is also nicknamed, 'You, man, are equal-souled to me,' the one having the same choice as me. And again, if it is said: 'And eat grapes as much as you will fill the soul,' it speaks of the appetitive power as 'soul' in this way.
Not all then the things said denote the underlying essences, but there is also when it signifies things that have happened to them. And it has happened to man to know God. Therefore, it is not said 'knowledge' of the man, but 'knowing.' Here the thing that happened is not homonymous with the underlying thing. But the Savior is called both wise and wisdom, and having knowledge and knowledge, and righteousness and righteous; and I do not say here 'happened' and 'underlying,' but through two parallel names, the same.
Greek
δέχεται τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον. διὸ καὶ ἀποβαλεῖν αὐτό ποτε δύναται καὶ ἀναλαβεῖν. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ πυρὶ θερμὸν οὐ δέχεται τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον· οὐσιῶδες γάρ ἐστιν. ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσις οὐσιώδης ἐστὶν ὥστε ἀσύνκριτός ἐστιν τῇ κατὰ διάθεσιν γνώσει. τὰ δὲ ἀσύνκριτα οὐ δέχονται ὁμοιότητα. ταῦτα δὲ οὐ ματαίως λέγουσιν· ἐπεὶ γὰρ κατασκευάζει ὁ λόγος ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ τὸν υἱὸν εἶναι καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς θεότητος ἐκ τοῦ γιγνώσκεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ γιγνώσκειν τὸν πατέρα, θέλουσιν κοινοποιῆσαι τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ λέγοντες ὅτι· "ὡς ἡμεῖς γιγνώσκομεν τὸν θεόν, καὶ ἐκεῖνος γιγνώσκει, ὅτι ἡμεῖς τελείως αὐτὸν ἐπιστάμεθα, ὡς αὐτὸς ἑαυτόν. καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὕτως ἔχει περὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν γνῶσιν. ὅθεν οὐ διοίσει ἡμῶν". 27 ζήσονται αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος. πολλάκις τὰ συμβεβηκότα ὁμωνύμως καλεῖται ἐκείνοις οἷς συμβέβηκεν. λέγομεν οὐσίαν εἶναι ψυχῆς· ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ θεὸς λόγος· "μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα, 53 τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι". τὸ ὄνομα οὖν τὸ ψυχὴ οὐσίαν ὧδε δηλοῖ. καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ· "πνεύματα καὶ ψυχαὶ δικαίων, εὐλογεῖτε τὸν κύριον", οὐσίαν δηλοῖ. σημαίνει γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς ψυχῆς πολλάκις συμβεβηκός τι τῇ ψυχῇ· ὅταν γὰρ λέγηται ἐν τῇ Ἰησοῦ Σοφίᾳ· "ψυχὴ πονηρὰ ἀπολεῖ τὸν κτησάμενον αὐτήν", τὴν διάθεσιν καὶ τὴν νόησιν "ψυχὴν" ὀνομάζει· ὁ γὰρ κτησάμενος αὐτὴν ἡ ψυχή ἐστιν, ὁ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν. καὶ ἔτι· "τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἐν ἠγγικόσιν ἡγνικότες ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ τῆς ἀληθείας". ἀπὸ τούτου παρωνόμασται κἀκεῖνο· "σὺ δέ, ἄνθρωπε ἰσόψυχέ μου", ὁ ἴσην μου ἔχων προαίρεσιν. καὶ πάλιν ἐὰν λέγηται ὅτι· "καὶ φάγῃ σταφυλὴν ὅσον ἐμπλήσεις ψυχήν", ψυχὴν ὧδε τὴν ὀρεκτικὴν λέγει δύναμιν. οὐ πάντα οὖν τὰ λεγόμενα τὰς ὑποκειμένας οὐσίας δηλοῖ, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐταῖς σημαίνει. συμβέβηκεν δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ γιγνώσκειν θεόν. διὸ γνῶσις οὐ λέγεταί ποτε ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ γιγνώσκων. οὐχ ὁμωνυμεῖ ὧδε τὸ συμβεβηκὸς τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ. ὁ δὲ σωτὴρ λέγεται καὶ σοφὸς καὶ σοφία, καὶ γνῶσις καὶ γνῶσιν ἔχων, καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ δίκαιος, καὶ οὐ λέγω ὧδε συμβεβηκὸς καὶ ὑποκείμενον, ἀλλ' ἐκ παραλλήλου διὰ δύο ὀνομάτων τὸ αὐτὸ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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