Desiring the Face of God and the Coming of the King

the diligent one

They want to make a child of you; but desires produce a child of the devil. Again, those having the same desires are one generation. It is thus also with: 'The generation of the upright shall be blessed' (Ps 112:3). Jacob was seeking the face of God. Everyone praying sincerely for the appearance of God prays to receive it, and this is to seek the face of God. The saints indeed send up a prayer saying: 'Let your face shine upon us and we shall be saved' (Ps 27:8).

And this is also possible because: we have received the inscription of the psalm 'into one of the Sabbaths', and we call the resurrection of the Savior 'the Lord's Day', sometimes as the eighth day and sometimes as the first of the week according to various thoughts. They 'seek the face' of the one about to arrive, having heard that 'bending the heavens, he shall descend' (Ps 18:13), because 'a Savior is coming' (Ps 98:1). For the heralds of the truth, those running ahead of the one arriving, hear: 'Say to the daughter of Zion: behold, a Savior is coming to you' (Zeph 3:14), and: 'Say to the cities of Judah: behold, our God comes with might' (Isa 60:1), to shake off evil, so that we may learn to strike down the adversaries, those working evil, 'the one working in the sons of disobedience' (Ps 2:9).

Finally, having enjoyed the economy—for 'still' 'it shall say of your word: I am present' (Ps 105:4)—immediately the ascent of the Savior is signified after the arrival; for the word says through the psalms: 'Lift up your gates, O rulers of yours' (Ps 24:7). Your rulers, lift up the gates. Or thus: your gates, O rulers, lift up, which you preside over, which you guard. 'And be lifted up, O eternal gates' (Ps 24:9). The word says 'and be lifted up', presenting the greatness of the one about to descend and enter through the gates. If you remain here, you will not be able to contain his ascent. To lift up and to lift up further can also mean to make them through the middle; for he who is the very distant King does not need an entrance. And again: 'And the King of glory shall enter' (Ps 24:10). The heralds, angels, announce the Savior.

Greek

ὀρέγει τὴν εὐλογίαν. ἴδε, τὸν σπουδαῖον, τὸν ἀ70 θῷον ταῖς χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸν τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ λαβόντα ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ "ὤμοσεν τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ δόλῳ", λέγει λήμψεσθαι εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου· οὐ παρὰ τοῦ τυχόντος αὐτὴν λαμβάνει· εἰσὶν γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωποι ἀλλήλους εὐλογοῦντες καὶ ἑαυτοὺς εὐλογοῦντες, 46 τουτέστιν ἐπαινετὰ περὶ αὐτῶν λέγοντες. "οὗτος" οὖν "παρὰ κυρίου λήμψεται". παραπλήσιον ἐν ταῖς παροιμίαις φέρεται· "εὐλογία κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου". οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τὴν εὐλογίαν ὁ δίκαιος ἐπισπᾶται, οὐκ ἄνθρωποι αὐτὴν αὐτῷ νέμουσιν, ἀλλὰ κυρίου ἐστὶν ἡ εὐλογία ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ καλούμενον ἀλληγορικῶς κεφαλήν. 5 καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ. κἂν γὰρ ἔχῃ τις ἔργα τὰ φέροντα τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἐπεὶ μείζω ἐστὶν τῶν πραχθέντων ἡ εὐλογία, ὑπὲρ ἃ φρονοῦμεν δὲ καὶ ποιοῦμεν ὁ θεὸς χαρίζεται, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ χρῄζει. καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ 6 αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτόν. ἐπεὶ ἑνικῶς τὸ πύσμα γίνεται· "τίς ἀναβήσεται καὶ τίς στήσεται"; καὶ ἡ ἀπόκρισις ὡς περὶ ἑνός· "ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ", οὐχ εἷς δέ ἐστιν μόνος ὁ πεφυκὼς τὴν ἀρετὴν κατορθοῖν, εὐθέως ἐπιφέρει· "αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτόν", γενεὰν λέγων πάντας τοὺς τῶν αὐτῶν κατορθωμάτων καὶ ἀρετῶν ἐνγεγενημένους. καὶ λύεται ἡμῖν εὐανγελικὸν ῥητὸν ἐκ τῆς θεωρίας ταύτης· ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· "πᾶν αἷμα δίκαιον ἐκκεχυμένον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκδικηθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης". καὶ λέγει ὅτι "ἀπὸ Ἅβελ τοῦ δικαίου". ἐὰν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους δεικνὺς λέγῃ "ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης", οὐ δικαία ἡ ἐκδίκησις. ὁ Κάιν ἀπέκτεινεν τὸν Ἅβελ καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλους πρὸ τῆς κλήσεως καὶ τῆς δόσεως τῆς χρονικῆς· ἀλλὰ λέγει ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς τοιαύτης, ἀπὸ τῶν γεννωμένων διὰ τοιούτων ἔργων ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου κατὰ τό· "ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν". αἱ δὲ ἐπιθυμίαι ποιοῦσιν τέκνον διαβόλου. πάλιν οἱ τὰς αὐτὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἔχοντες μία γενεά. ἐστὶν οὕτω καὶ τό· "γενεὰ εὐθείων εὐλογηθήσεται". 6 ζητούντων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ. πᾶς ὁ εὐχόμενος γνησίως ἐπιφάνειαν θεοῦ εὔχεται λαβεῖν, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ζητεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ. εὐχὴν γοῦν ἀναπέμπουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι λέγοντες· "ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ σωθησόμεθα". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὅτι· ἐλάβομεν τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ "εἰς τὴν μίαν τῶν σαββάτων", ἐλέγομεν δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ σωτῆρος τὴν κυριακὴν καλουμένην ὁτὲ μὲν ὀγδοάδα ὁτὲ δὲ μίαν σαββάτου κατὰ διαφόρους ἐπινοίας. "ζητοῦσιν τὸ πρόσωπον" τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐπιδημῆσαι ἀκούσαντες ὅτι "κλίνας οὐρανὸν καταβήσεται", ὅτι "σωτὴρ παραγίνεται"· οἱ κήρυκες γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ προτρέχοντες τοῦ 71 ἐπιδημοῦντος ἀκούουσιν· "εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών· ἰδοὺ παραγίνεταί σοι σωτήρ", καί· "εἰπὸν ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα· ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται", τοῦ πτερνίζοντος τὴν κακίαν, ἵνα μάθωμεν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πατεῖν τοὺς ἀντιπάλους, τοὺς ἐνεργοῦντας τὴν κακίαν, "τὸν ἐνεργοῦντα ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας". τέλος ἀπολαβούσης τῆς οἰκονομίας–"ἔτι" γὰρ "λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ· πάρειμι"– εὐθέως ἡ ἄνοδος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν σημαίνεται· διαψάλας γὰρ ὁ λόγος λέγει· "ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν". οἱ ὑμῶν ἄρχοντες, ἄρατε τὰς πύλας. ἢ οὕτως· τὰς ὑμῶν πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ἄρατε, ὧν ἐπιστατεῖτε, ἃς φυλάττετε. "καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι". τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀνιέναι καὶ εἰσιέναι διὰ τῶν πυλῶν παριστὰς ὁ λόγος λέγει· "καὶ ἐπάρθητε". ὧδε μένουσαι οὐ χωρεῖτε αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔπαρσιν. δύναται καὶ τὸ ἆραι καὶ ἐπᾶραι σημαίνειν καὶ τὸ ἐκ μέσου αὐτὰς ποιῆσαι· οὐ γὰρ εἰσόδου χρῄζει ὁ τηλικοῦτός που βασιλεὺς ὤν. καὶ πάλιν· "καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης". οἱ προτρέχοντες ἄγγελοι τὸν σωτῆρα

About this text

Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.

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Khazarzar scan

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Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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