From Elementary to Perfection

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in essence

Let us be brought to the state of 'we carry the nature'. Let us leave the elementary word, for it is the beginning of the teaching of Christ. Let us be led forward to perfection, so that having become perfect in this way, we may be able to be perfect hearers of Christ; for 'we speak wisdom among the perfect' (1 Cor 2:6).

Sometimes the soul is called, as I have already said, a sheep. When it is a sheep, it grazes on pasture, not on flesh, not on the flesh of Jesus, nor on bread. It is not yet able to have desire for these foods or to manage them, even if they are presented to it. It grazes on herbs; and herbs are spiritual. Sometimes it is also called a plant and needs rain; it grazes on the art of agriculture, so that having grown, it may bring forth perfect fruit somehow; 'but I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God'. And here, therefore, the sheep-like state, which is as it were more irrational, along with gentleness and stability, signifies through the saying: 'The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want' (Ps 23:1). I am without wandering, and without wandering as a sheep. Just as even a baby says: 'The nurse feeds me, and I shall not want', making it clear that it is of infantile foods.

The interpreter says: 'Into a place of pasture, there He pitched His tent'. There is a pasture-like teaching suitable to sheep. And perhaps this is no other than this voice of Christ; for He says: 'My sheep hear my voice' (John 10:27). The disciples of Christ, having become perfect according to His training, being no longer sheep, do not hear a voice, but they use Him as Teacher; for 'you' 'call Me' the Lord and the Teacher, and you say well: 'I am'. Therefore, 'into a place' 'of pasture, there He pitched His tent'. Not 'He dwelt', but 'He pitched His tent'. And the tent signifies progress; 'I shall pass through to a place of a wonderful tent until the house of God'. The one making progress has a portable dwelling, which is virtue itself. But when he reaches the goal and the end of it, he no longer pitches a tent, but dwells. This one, the holy man, knowing the greatness and the progress...

Greek

57 1–2 Κύριος ποιμανεῖ με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει. εἰς τόπον χλοῆς, ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν. ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴ διὰ πολλῶν ὀνομάτων σημαίνεται· λέγεται γὰρ εἶναι καὶ πρόβατον καὶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ φυτὸν καὶ ἄλλα πολλά, ὡς καὶ λίθος· ἐὰν γὰρ γράφῃ ὁ Πέτρος· "καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡς λίθοι ζῶντες ἀνοικοδομεῖσθε", λίθους λέγει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων κατ' οὐσίαν ὑπάρχει ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὥστε ἀλληγορικῷ τρόπῳ πάντα περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐκλαβεῖν προσήκει. αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐξάνει καὶ πληθύνεται οὐ κατ' οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πρακτικὸν καὶ θεωρηματικὸν βίον. διανοητικὴν ἔχει ἀρετήν, πρακτικὴν δύναται κατορθῶσαι. λέγεται γοῦν προκοπὴ τῆς ψυχῆς ὡς ἀνθρώπου· ὁτὲ μὲν γὰρ ὀνομάζεται νήπιον, ὁτὲ παῖς, ὁτὲ νεανίσκος, ὁτὲ ἀνήρ. καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν χαρακτήρων τοῦ σώματος ἢ τῶν ἡλικιῶν λαμβάνομεν· ψυχὴ γὰρ οὐ μεθηλικιοῦται εἰ μὴ κατὰ ἀρετήν, κατὰ προκοπήν, κατὰ βελτίωσιν. εἰσίν τινες οὖν νήπιοι οὐκ ἄλλῃ τροφῇ δυνάμενοι βελτιοῦσθαι ἢ γάλακτι. γράφει γοῦν ὁ ἀπόστολος· "γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα". καὶ Πέτρος· "ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τὸ λογικὸν ἄδολον γάλα ἐπιποθήσατε". λογικὸν δὲ γάλα οὐ τὸ αἰσθητόν ἐστιν, οὐ τὸ σωματικόν, ἀλλ' ἡ κατάλληλος τῇ λογικῇ οὐσίᾳ τροφή. καὶ Ἑβραίοις οὖν ἐπιστέλλει ὁ ἀ πόστολος λέγων· "καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον"–πολλῷ γὰρ χρόνῳ ἦσαν ἀνατραφέντες ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς–"πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκεσθαι ὑμᾶς, τίνα τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ". ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι αὐτοὶ ἄλλοις προσάγειν τελείαν διδασκαλίαν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐσμικρύνθητε κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ὡς νήπιοι εἶναι γάλακτος. γάλα δὲ λέγει τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ, τοὺς εἰσαγωγικοὺς λόγους, τοὺς στοιχειώδεις. καὶ λέγει· "πᾶς ὁ μετέχων γάλακτος ἄπειρος λόγου δικαιοσύνης, νήπιος γάρ ἐστιν". οὐκ ἔχει τὸν λόγον τῆς δικαιοσύνης. "διὸ ἀφέντες τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγον ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα φερώμεθα". ἄφετε τὸν στοιχειώδη λόγον· ἀρχὴ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας ἐστίν. ἐνεχθῶμεν ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα, ἵν' οὕτω τέλειοι γεγενημένοι τέλειοι Χριστοῦ ἀκροαταὶ δυνώμεθα εἶναι· "σοφίαν" γὰρ "λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις". λέγεταί ποτε ἡ ψυχή, ὡς εἶπον ἤδη, καὶ πρόβατον. ὅταν πρόβατον ᾖ, χλοῆς χρῄζει, οὐ κρεῶν, οὐ τῶν σαρκῶν Ἰησοῦ, οὐκ ἄρτου. οὔπω δὲ δύναται τούτων τῶν τροφῶν ἢ ὄρεξιν ἔχειν ἢ διοικεῖν αὐτάς, κἂν προσαχθῶσιν αὐτῷ. χρῄζει βοτάνης· βοτάνης δὲ πνευματικῆς. ποτὲ καὶ φυτὸν λέγεται καὶ δεῖται ὑετοῦ, χρῄζει γεωργικῆς τέχνης, ἵνα αὐξήσασα τέλειον καρπὸν ἀγάγῃ καὶ εἴ58 πῃ· "ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ ἐλαία κατάκαρπος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν τὴν προβατώδη κατάστασιν τὴν ὡσανεὶ ἀλογωτέραν μετὰ πραότητός τε καὶ εὐσταθείας σημαίνει διὰ τοῦ φάναι· "κύριος ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει". ἀκαθυστέρητός εἰμι, ἀκαθυστέρητος δὲ ὡς πρόβατον. ὡς εἰ καὶ βρέφος λέγοι ὅτι· "τρέφει με ἡ τροφός, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει", δηλονότι τῶν νηπιωδῶν τροφῶν. ἑρμηνεύων λέγει· "εἰς τόπον χλοῆς, ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν". ἔστιν διδασκαλία χλοώδης προβάτοις ἁρμόζουσα. καὶ τάχα οὐκ ἄλλη ἐστὶν αὕτη τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ φωνῆς· λέγει γάρ· "τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς ἀκούουσιν". οἱ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ οἱ τέλειοι κατὰ τὴν παίδευσιν αὐτοῦ 38 γεγενημένοι οὐκέτι πρόβατα ὄντες οὐ φωνῆς ἀκούουσιν, ἀλλὰ διδασκάλῳ αὐτῷ χρῶνται· "ὑμεῖς" γὰρ "φωνεῖτέ με· ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ καλῶς λέγετε· εἰμὶ γάρ". "εἰς τόπον" οὖν "χλοῆς, ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν". οὐ "κατοίκισεν", ἀλλὰ "κατεσκήνωσεν". ἡ σκηνὴ δὲ προκοπὴν σημαίνει· "διελεύσομαι ἐν τόπῳ σκηνῆς θαυμαστῆς ἕως τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ". ὁ προκόπτων οἰκίαν ἔχει φορητήν, αὐτὴν τὴν ἀρετήν. ὅταν δὲ ἐπ' αὐτὸ τὸ τέρμα καὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτῆς φθάσῃ, οὐκέτι κατασκηνοῖ, ἀλλὰ κατοικεῖ. ταύτην ὁ ἅγιος ἐπιστάμενος τὴν μεγαλειότητα καὶ τὴν προκοπὴν

About this text

Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.

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Khazarzar scan

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