Praise and the Meek
“Rejoice.” If you receive this by grace through operation, the one sleeping does not have this; by power he has it. “Pray without ceasing.” If you take this as praying in a demonstrative manner, it cannot be performed without ceasing. For indeed, if one is recorded historically, it is said that one prays “three times of the day,” at noon or around the ninth hour; let us grant also the evening. Therefore, to pray without ceasing is such a thing: there is no other prayer or petition for good things from God.
Whenever anyone, through all time, does what he does, he asks God for good things, he prays. Even if he does not do his own specific prayer, having desire to encounter the profitable things, he prays. The desire itself is prayer; for he has the desire. Whatever he may do, even if he is hindered from doing his own prayer, he has the asking of God. Thus also it is said in the Wisdom of Sirach: “Instruct the pious in wisdom through all time” (Sirach 24:23). How can one instruct wisdom through all time? If we take it this way—and such things are often taken this way by custom—as when we often seek something and desire to learn where we might encounter it; they say: “He always sits at this physician's office and is continuously there,” not taking the whole day, but rather, when he sits, he sits there. He did not therefore simply say “through all time is the praise,” but “of Him”; for he who thinks to praise without right thoughts, without the truly theological thoughts, does not praise Him, does not praise Him.
“My soul shall be praised in the Lord” (Psalm 34:1). My soul is not praised upon anything else previously than upon participating in God; for just as another seeks to be praised upon a skill, or upon knowledge, or upon a dignity or honor, so the saint wants his soul to be praised in the Lord. He knew no other praise of the soul except this; for even if, as I have said, someone is praised upon knowledge, this praise, being compared to another occurring upon God, is not praise at all. We say often: “Nothing is as sweet as honey.” There are indeed other sweet things, but they are not sweet as compared to honey. And in another psalm he says: “From you is my praise in a great assembly” (Psalm 22:5). Which praise, which He gives to me, is praise not occurring upon anything else...
Or upon you. 'My soul shall praise in the Lord.' 'In you,' he says, 'we shall praise all the day.' The whole time of our life is called a day. And 'in you' may mean 'upon you' or 'by you.' Both run toward the holy one. And upon you God is praised, and by God one receives the wine. 3 Listen, O meek, and be glad. Just as the foolish man wants to hide what he says and does when he is not known, so the diligent, reclining with God, wants what he says and does to be known by all. He wants his light to shine before men, so that they, seeing, might glorify God. He wants his words to go to others; for it has been said, 'talk in your perambulations' (Acts 8:31). He who talks to others talks, not to himself previously. Since therefore I have set before myself to praise the Lord at all times and to have his praise continually in my mouth, so that my soul may be praised in him, 'listen, O meek, and be glad' (Psalm 34:8). Imitate me, and you also become such. But if he calls the meek greater than himself, he says, 'listen, O meek,' because I, being educated toward you and having established you, am such; for the lesser exists and belongs to the greater. The disciples are praiseworthy and praising the Lord—much more the teachers, having established them. Therefore take it either way: that the greater than me, the meek, having heard, were glad because they had such a disciple or companion.
4 Magnify the Lord with me. Having spoken about the meek to them, he turns the word further: 'and upon me magnify the Lord with me.' For someone magnifies God not by adding greatness to him from something small, but when he is able to take in his greatness. For the sun, rising, is not viewed as being of its actual size. Rather, it is seen as slightly greater; for it does not himself receive an increase, but the one viewing is improved, seeing him more clearly. 'Magnify God,' think great things about God, 'with me'; for 'magnify God' means to think great things about him. 4 And we shall exalt his name above the same. He—
Greek
χαίρετε". ἐὰν κατ' ἐνε´̣ργειαν λάβῃ̣ς̣ χάριν, ὁ κοιμω´̣μενος οὐκ ἔχει ταύτην. δυνάμει αὐτὴν ἔχει. "ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε". ἐὰν ἐπὶ τοῦ δεικτ̣ικῶς προσεύχεσθαι λάβῃς, οὐ δύναται ἀδιαλείπτως τελεῖσθαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν εἴ τις ἱστορικῶς ἀνεγράφη η, "τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας" λέγεται προσεύχεσθαι, μεσημβρινῆς ἢ περὶ ἐνάτην ὥραν, δῶμεν ὅτι καὶ ἑσπερινῆς. τὸ ἀδιαλείπτως οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ο̣ὐδ̣ε`̣ν̣ ἑ´̣τ̣ερ̣όν ἐστιν προσευχὴ ἢ αἴτησις ἀγαθῶν παρὰ θεοῦ. ὅταν τις τοίνυν διὰ παντὸς οὗ ποιεῖ, αἰτῆται ἀγαθὰ τὸν θεόν, προσεύχεται. κἂν τὸ ἰδικὸν μὴ ποιῇ, πόθον ἔχων τοῦ τυχεῖν τῶν ὠφελίμων, προσεύχεται. αὐτὸς ὁ πόθος προσευχή ἐστιν· ἔχει γὰρ τὸν πόθον. ὅ τι ποτὲ ἐὰν ποιῇ, κἂν ἐνποδίζηται τοῦ τὸ ἰδικὸν τῆς προσευχῆς ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἔχει τὸ αἰτεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ τοῦ Σιρὰχ λέγεται· "διήγη σις εὐσεβοῦς διὰ παντὸς σοφία". πῶς διὰ παντὸς δύναται τὴν σοφίαν διηγεῖσθαι; ἐὰν οὕτω λάβωμεν –λαμβάνεται δὲ πολλάκις ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ οὕτως–, ὡς καθόλου πολλάκις ζητοῦμέν τινα καὶ μαθεῖν ποθοῦμεν, ποῦ ἔστιν αὐτῷ συντυχεῖν· λέγουσιν· "εἰς τὸ ἰατρεῖον τοῦτο ἀεὶ κάθηται καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐκεῖ ἐστιν", οὐχ οὕτω λαμβάνων τὴν ἡμέραν ὅλην, ἀλλ' ὅτε κάθηται, οὕτω, μᾶλλον ἐκεῖ κάθηται. οὐκ εἶπεν οὖν ἁπλῶς "διὰ παντὸς ἡ αἴνεσις", ἀλλ' "αὐτοῦ"· ὁ γὰρ δοκῶν αἰνεῖν μὴ μετὰ φρονημάτων ὀρθῶν, μὴ μετὰ τῶν ἀληθῶς θεολογικῶν, οὐχ αὑτῷ αἰνεῖ, οὐκ αὐτὸν αἰνεῖ. 3 ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐπαινεθήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου. ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἐπαινεῖται ἐπ' ἄλλ̣ῳ̣ τ̣ι̣ν̣ὶ προηγουμένως ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ μετέχειν θεοῦ· ὡς γὰρ ἄλλος ἐπὶ τέχνῃ ἐπαινεῖσθαι ποθεῖ ἢ ἐπὶ ἐπιστήμῃ̣ ἢ ἐπὶ ἀξιώματι ἢ τιμῇ, οὕτως ὁ ἅγιος ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ 115 θέλει ἐπαινεῖσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ. οὐκ οἶδεν ἄλλον ἔπα̣ινον τῆς ψυχῆς ἢ τοῦτον· κἂν γάρ, ὡς ε̣ἶπ̣ον, ἐπὶ ἐπιστήμῃ τις ἐπαινεῖται, ἀλλὰ συνκρινόμενος οὗτος ὁ ἔπαινος π̣ρὸς ἀ´̣λλον ἐπὶ θεῷ γινόμενον οὐδὲ ἔπαινός ἐστιν ὅλως. λέγομεν οὖν πολλάκ̣ι̣ς· "οὐδὲν γλυκύ ἐστιν ἢ τὸ μέλι". εἰσὶν μὲν καὶ ἄλλα γλυκέα, ἀλλὰ ὡς πρὸς τὸ μέλι οὔκ εἰσιν γλυκέα. καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· "παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ". ὃν δίδως μοι ἔπαινον οὐκ ἐπ' ἄλλῳ ἐστὶν γινόμενος ἢ ἐπὶ σοί. "ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐπαινεσθήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου". "ἐν σοί", φησίν, "ἐπαινεσθησόμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν". ὅλον τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἡμέραν καλ̣ούμενον. δύναται δὲ τὸ "ἐν σοὶ" ἤτοι τὸ "ἐπὶ σοὶ" ἢ τὸ "ὑπὸ σοῦ". ἀμφότερα δὲ συντρέχει ἐπὶ τοῦ ἁγίου. καὶ ἐπὶ τ̣ο̣ῦ θεου῀̣ ἐπαινεῖται καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἔχει τὸν αἶνον. 3 ἀκουσάτωσαν πραεῖς καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν. ὥσπερ ὁ φαῦλος βούλεται κρύπτειν ἃ λέγει καὶ ἐνεργεῖ, ὅταν μὴ ἀπεγνωσμένος ᾖν, οὕτως ὁ σπ̣ουδαῖος καὶ θεῷ ἀνακείμενος θέλει ἃ λέγει καὶ ἃ πράττει πᾶσιν γνώριμα εἶναι. θέλει τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ λάμπειν ἔνπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἵν' ἰδόντες ἐκεῖνοι δοξάσωσιν τὸν θεόν. β̣ούλεται τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ εἰς ἄλλους ἔρχεσθαι· εἴρηται γάρ· "ὁμιλεῖτε ἐν περιπάτοις". ὁ δὲ ὁμιλῶν ἄλλοις ὁμιλεῖ, οὐχ̣ ἑαυτῷ προηγουμένως. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ προεθέμην εὐλογεῖν τὸν κύριον καὶ ἔχειν διὰ παντὸς τὴν αἴνεσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου, ὥστε τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπαινεῖσθαι, "ἀκούσατε πραεῖς καὶ εὐφράνθητε". μιμήσασθέ με, καὶ ὑμεῖς τοιοῦτοι γένεσθε. ἐὰν δὲ τοὺς πραεῖς μείζονας ἑαυτοῦ λέγῃ, λέγει· "ἀκούσατε πραεῖς", ὅτι ἐγὼ ὁ πρὸς ὑμῶν παιδευόμενος καὶ ὑποβεβηκὼς ὑμᾶς τοιοῦτός εἰμι· τὸ γὰρ τὸ ἐλάττονι ὑπάρχον 190 καὶ τῷ μείζονι ὑπάρχει. οἱ μαθηταὶ αἰνετοὶ καὶ ἐπαινοῦντες τὸν κύριον–, πολλῷ πλέον οἱ διδάσκαλοι καὶ ὑπερβεβηκότες αὐτούς. ἑκατέρως οὖν λάβε· ἤτοι οἱ μείζονες ἐμοῦ πρᾶοι ἀκούσαντες εὐφράνθητε, ὅτι ἐσχήκατε τοιοῦτον μαθητὴν ἢ συνμέτοχον. 4 μεγαλύνατε τὸν κύριον σὺν ἐμοί. περὶ τῶν πράων εἰπὼν πρὸς αὐτοὺς λοιπὸν τρέπει τὸν λόγον· "καὶ ἐπ' ἐμὲ μεγαλύνατε τὸν κύριον σὺν ἐμοί". μεγαλύνει δέ τις τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἐκ μικροῦ μέγεθος αὐτῷ προστιθείς, ἀλλ' ὅταν δυνηθῇ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν. ὁ ἥλιος οὖν ἀλλ' ὅταν δυνηθῇ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν. ὁ ἥλιος οὖν ἀνατέλλων οὐχ, ὅσου ἐστὶν μεγέθους, παραυτὰ θεωρεῖται. καθ' ὁλίγον δὲ μείζω βλέπεται· οὐ γὰρ δήπου αὐτὸς αὔξησιν λαμβάνει, ἀλλ' ὁ θεωρῶν βελτιοῦται, κρειττόνως ὁρᾷ αὐτόν. "μεγαλύνατε τὸν θεόν", μεγάλ̣α φρονήσατε περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, "σὺν ἐμοί"· τὸ γὰρ "μεγαλύνατε τὸν θεόν", τὸ μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ φρονῆσαι. 4 καὶ ὑψώσομεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. ἡ
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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