The Spirit and the Soul in God's Hands

The prayer remains, and does not ascend to him if it does not incline toward him; but it inclines by descending together. When you incline your ear to me, receive me and quickly take me out from those holding me, from those attacking me. Even if enemies are, 'quickly let me be delivered' (Ps 145:14). Did he say these things in amazement? He did not say that foolishness is shown here, but rather the wonder of becoming outside of himself. You are ignorant of this, that there is not one single perfection. For the one having been perfected says: 'I have seen the end of every arrangement' (Ps 71:20); for he does not say these things having an end that is beyond all.

Become for me, O God, a protector and a house of refuge to save me (Ps 18:2). Become for me an invincible fortress, an unpierceable wall; become for me also a protector, your shield, your weapon. When you become my protector, none of my enemies can harm me. A beast cannot overcome me, the very one snatching, about whom we were sending a prayer: 'never snatch my soul like a lion' (Ps 18:48). 'And into a house of refuge' (Ps 18:49). Become for me that which is called a stronghold, where one fleeing enters within walls; for a building is a guard by means of salvation.

For you are my strength and my refuge (Ps 18:2). You are everything to me, both strength and refuge. I flee to no one, not to a ruler, nor to wealth. And my strength: from you I have the power to hold fast, participating in you, just as a king holds fast. For the sake of your name, you will guide me and nourish me (Ps 143:8). He says this because since your name is called upon me, because of this name of yours which I wear, grant both to me; and guide me, so that I may finish the race without fault and be able to say: 'I have run without lawlessness and I have directed my course' (2 Tim 4:7), and: 'I have run the path of your commandments' (Ps 119:30). And let me be nourished by you. Your way and bread is your Son. 'Way' is he saying, 'I am the way' (John 14:6). He himself is both way and bread. Therefore, 'for the sake of your name,' which you granted to me, so that I may have salvation; for I grew and said: 'O God, in your name save me.'

Bring me out of this snare which you hid for me (Ps 124:7), because you are my protector. Enemies are many, some deceivers, they have prepared a snare for me, so that they may hunt me. I do not only entreat that you may not let me depart there, but also...

Unless they enter, so that you might lead me out from it. One must examine and thus see 5–6: 'for you are my protector, into your hands I will commit my spirit' (Psalm 31:5). I do not commit my spirit to another, but into your hands.

And if a holy man is the one saying these things, his spirit is that which is joined to the soul, concerning which it is said: 'your whole spirit and soul and body.' Some say the spirit is something other than the soul, others say it is its mind, and others say its will. But in all these interpretations, God preserves the spirit. If it is the soul, it is committed into the hands of God so that, being covered, it might remain unharmed, not being struck by enemies, not being destroyed.

Because it is sometimes said that the soul is spirit, Stephen teaches; for as he was about to die, and he exhorted them not to let the sin of those murdering him stand, he says: 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' (Acts 7:59), instead of 'my soul.' And James writes: 'just as the body without spirit is dead' (James 2:26), calling the soul spirit. And it is said, as I have said, that something rational is also joined to it, like an inseparable thing, so that it might be a teacher of the soul, namely spirit.

And since this belongs to the soul when it possesses God, he says this: 'may such a thing not happen to me, so that my spirit might be outside your hands, but may all virtue be made straight for me, so that my spirit might be in your hands.' It is also possible to call one's will 'spirit,' so that he also wants it to be guarded in the hands of God.

Therefore, also the interpretative points: the two covenants can be the hands of God. Into these, then, I commit my spirit, wanting to understand both the old, that is, those things protected there, and the new. May both your hands contain my spirit. And it is possible also to say not only two hands of God; for it was not spoken in the dual, but in the plural; and there is no difference between the plural and the dual. However, if the two covenants exist, the hands are spoken of in the dual. But if all the power of God is named his hand—for we say 'the hand of a king' regarding military power—into your military power, finding it to be a guarding hand, I commit my spirit. Toward the...