Stages of Development and the Priority of Virtue
Those performing priestly services seem to profane the Sabbath. Or perhaps, according to the assumption of those saying, 'your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath' (Matt 12:2), he shows by this word that the priestly things are not transgressions, for they are not considered so, but are without fault; for he who does these things does not break the Sabbath.
one finds rest from the world, its activity, and its desires, for 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matt 11:28). There is a higher lifting up, which the divine ones call the Sabbath-rest to be spoken of. Just as someone walking on earth has his citizenship in heaven, so someone being in the world yet doing his work from above, he sabbathizes. The Sabbath did not simply renounce work, but service. And the priestly exaltation, being supra-cosmic, makes one free.
These are not works of God as works of service, nor are they things God works, but things He commands to be worked by those who obey Him. And he shall receive not something else instead of the corruptible, but the corruptible itself changing into incorruption, and the very psychic becoming spiritual. See then what he says: the other of the body is incorporeal. If anyone says we will receive a different body, he does not understand what is said; for he has arranged 'body' regarding both: 'a corruptible body is sown, an incorruptible body is raised; a weak and dishonorable body is sown, a strong and glorious body is raised; a psychic body is sown, a spiritual body is raised' (1 Cor 15:42-44). In a certain way, then, it is both something different and the very thing being raised is different from the fallen one. If he says that if there is a psychic body, there is also a spiritual body, he says in his thought that...
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There is no difference, and he says: 'not first the spiritual but the psychic, then the spiritual'. The first and the second seem to be two, but I say two as if I say the man is first an infant, then a child, and not first a child but an infant, and I do not say two hypostases of a human, I do not say two men but one; but two ages. Just as the ages do not make the one growing up to maturity a different substance, but by way of manner and mind and change or transition occurs, so also from the child a man is made and the man is not a different man from the child, but the same man.
Someone truly and bodily becomes in heaven and sabbathizes, no longer walking upon the earth and having his citizenship in the heavens, but already having settled in those heavenly regions, already abiding there under the 'great high priest who has passed through the heavens' (Heb 4:14). And that he did not begin the things concerning men from wickedness, but from virtue, 'for remembrance' he says 'concerning the Sabbath'. When someone becomes in virtue, he is reminded that he once was in it.
Therefore I wish to hint at a deep word. If the beginning of men and of the soul is from this living, then wickedness is before virtue, but virtue is to be taken up. We have life with the body, we have life even without it. And that having cast off the body we become in incorporeal life, is evident everywhere. Let it be sought, whether this too was before the body. It is not manifest, but let it be sought and examined.
If, therefore, the life of the rational is from the entering-in life, then wickedness is before virtue; for we see that being filled from wickedness, the Word begins. But if, as it is the truth, virtue is before wickedness—for 'God has made man upright, but they sought out evil counsels' (Wis 1:13)—and see that the seeking of evil counsels is after the uprightness. And virtue prepares the uprightness. 'A man being in honor did not understand, he was cast down with the irrational animals' (Ps 49:20). It did not come from a beastly manner to the man, but from the human to the beastly it came. And in every way the beautiful things are always before the false things. It is necessary for skill to be before bad skill; to know something erroneously is after knowing it correctly; for how can we...
Greek
169 ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ··λην ἱερουργίαν ποιοῦντες δοκοῦσιν βεβηλοῦν τὸ σάββατον ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· · βεβηλοῦσιν. ἢ τάχα κατὰ τὴν ὑπόλημψιν τῶν ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· · λέγοντες ὅτι· ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ τίλλοντες στάχυας "οἱ μαθηταί σου ποιοῦσιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν ποιεῖν ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ", εἶ πεν τὴν λέξιν ταύτην δεικνὺς ὅτι ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· · τὰ ἱερατικά, καὶ οὔκ εἰσιν ὑπεύθυνοι παραβάσει ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·το νομίζοντας, ἀναίτιοι δέ εἰσιν· οὐ γὰρ κατὰ ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· · ὥστε ὁ ποιῶν αὐτὰ οὐ παραβαίνει τὸ σάββατον. ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ··ενος τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· άπαυσιν εὕρῃ· "δεῦτε" γὰρ "πρὸς ἐμὲ πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς". ····· ···ν ὑψηλοτέραν ἀναγωγήν, ἣν καλοῦσιν οἱ θεῖοι ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ·· κ̣αὶ ὁ σαββατισμὸς ὁ ῥηθησόμενος. 259 ὥσπερ ἐπὶ γῆς τις περιπατῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔχει τὸ πολίτευμα, οὕτως τις ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἔτι ὢν ἄνω τω῀̣ν̣ ἔρ̣γ̣ω̣ν αὐτοῦ γίνεται καὶ σαββατίζει. τὸ σάββατον οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἔργον παραιτήσατο, ἀλλὰ λατρευτόν. ἡ δὲ ἔπαρσις ἡ ἱερατικὴ οὖσα ὑπερκόσμιος ἐλευθέρους ποιεῖ. οὐχ ὡς ἔργα λατρευτὰ θεοῦ ἔργα εἰσίν, οὐχ ἃ ἐργάζεται ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' ἃ προστάττει ἐργάζεσθαι τοῖς πειθομένοις αὐτῷ. λήμψεται δὲ οὐκ ἄλλο ἀντὶ τοῦ φθαρτοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ φθαρτὸν εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν μεταβαλλὸν κ̣α̣ι`̣ αυ᾿̣τ̣ὸ τὸ ψυχικὸν γενόμενον πνευματικόν. ὅρα γοῦν τί λέγει· τὸ ἕτερον τοῦ σώματος ἀσώματόν ἐστιν. εἴ τις οὖν λέγοι, ὅτ̣ι ἕτερον σώμα τός ἐστιν ὃ ἀπ̣ολημψόμεθα, οὐκ οἶδεν τί λέγει· ἐπ' ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ ἔταξεν τὸ "σῶμα"· "σπείρεται σῶμα φθαρτόν, ἐγείρεται σῶμα ἄφθαρτον, σπείρεται σῶμα ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἄτιμον, ἐγείρεται σῶμα ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἔνδοξον, σπείρεται σῶμα ψυχικόν, ἐγείρεται σῶμα πνευματικόν". τρόπον τινὰ οὖν καὶ ἕτερόν ἐστιν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐγειρόμενον τῷ πεπτωκότι̣. ἐὰν λέγῃ δὲ ὅτι, εἰ ἔστιν σῶμα ψυχικόν, ἔστιν καὶ σῶμα πνευματικόν, τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ λέγει τὴν διαφορὰν καὶ λέγει· "οὐ πρῶτον τὸ πνευματικὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ ψυχικόν, ἔπειτα τὸ πνευματικόν". τὸ πρῶτον καὶ τὸ ἔπειτα δοκεῖ δύο εἶναι, ἀλλ' οὕτω λέγω δύο ὡς ἐὰν λέγω τὸν ἄνθρωπον πρῶτον βρέφος, εἶτα παῖδα, καὶ οὐ πρῶτον τὸ παῖς ἀλλὰ τὸ βρέφος, καὶ οὐ δήπου δύο ὑποστάσεις λέγω, οὐ δύο ἀνθρώπους λέγω ἀλλὰ ἕνα· ἡλικίας δὲ δύο. ὅνπερ οὖν τρόπον αἱ ἡλικίαι οὐχ ἑτεροούσιον τὸ ἀφη̣λικιούμ̣ενον ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τρόπῳ καὶ γνώμῃ καὶ μεταβολὴ γίνεται ἢ ἐξ̣αλλαγή, οὕτω καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀνὴρ γίνεται καὶ οὐχ ἕτερος ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ ἀνὴρ παρὰ τὸν παῖδα, ἀλλ' ὁ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπος. γίνεταί τις οὖν τότε ἀληθῶς καὶ σωματικῶς ἐν τ̣ῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ σαββατίζει, οὐκέτι ἐπὶ γῆς περιπατῶν καὶ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἔχων τὸ πολίτευμα, ἀλλ' ἤδη ἐν τοι῀̣ς̣ ἐπ̣ο̣υρανίοις καθεσθείς, ἤδη ἐκεῖ διατρίβων ὑπὸ τὸν "μέγαν ἀρχιερέα τὸν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς διεληλυθότα". καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἀπὸ κακίας ἤρξατο τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς, "εἰς ἀνάμνησιν" λέγει "περὶ σαββάτου". ὅτε τις γίνεται ἐν τῇ ἀρετῇ, ἀναμιμνήσκεται ὅτι ἦν ποτε ἐν αὐτῇ. λοιπὸν αἰνίξασθαι βαθὺν λόγον βούλομαι. ἐὰν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ ζῆν ᾖν, ἡ κακία πρὸ ἀρετῆς ἐστιν, ἀναλημπτὴ δὲ ἡ ἀρετή. ἔχομεν ζωὴν τὴν μετὰ σώματος, ἔχομεν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν ἄνευ τούτου. καὶ ὅτι ἀποβαλόντες τὸ σῶμα γινόμεθα ἐν ἀσωμάτῳ ζωῇ, παντί που δῆλον. ζητείσθω δέ, εἰ καὶ πρὸ σώματος αὕτη ἦν. οὔκ ἐστιν δὲ φανερόν, ἀλλὰ ζητείσθω καὶ ἐξεταζέσθω. ἐὰν οὖν ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ λογικοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐνύλου ζωῆς ᾖν, ἡ κακία πρὸ ἀρετῆς ἐστιν· ὁρῶμεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐκ κακίας συνπληρωθεὶς ὁ λόγος ἄρχεται. ἐὰν δέ, ὡς ἔχει ἀληθείας, πρὸ κακίας ᾖν ἡ ἀρετή–"πεποίηκεν" γὰρ "ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὐθῆ, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐξεζήτησαν διαλογισμοὺς πονηρούς". καὶ ὅρα ὅτι ἡ ζήτησις τῶν διαλογισμῶν τῶν πονηρῶν μετὰ τὴν εὐθύτητά ἐστιν. εὐθύτητα δὲ παρασκευάζει ἡ ἀρετή. "ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκεν, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσιν τοῖς ἀνοήτοις". οὐκ ἀπὸ κτηνώδους τρόπου 170 εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐλήλυθεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου εἰς τὸν κτηνώδην ἐλήλυθεν. καὶ ὅλως γε ἀεὶ τὰ καλὰ π̣ρὸ τῶν ψεγομένων ἐστίν. δεῖ τέχνην πρὸ κακοτεχνίας εἶναι, τὸ ἐσφαλμένως εἰδέναι τι μετὰ τὸ ὀρθῶς εἰδέν̣αι ἐστίν· πῶς γὰρ δυνάμεθα
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.