The Light of Knowledge and the Strength of the Heart
This person was humbled and was utterly crushed; because of this, I am consumed, and my groaning comes from soul and heart, since I have come to know that every bad desire I possessed is manifest to you, and no desire is outside of your presence. The term 'moreover' is more appropriate. 10 And my groaning was not hidden from you. Having a good desire and longing to be in goodness and virtue, I groan as much as I see myself failing. This groaning, however, comes from a desire for beauty, from the expectation of something better. Even if I often hide my groaning from many, so that I might not seem to be self-indulgent and appear to be repenting only outwardly, my groaning is 'moreover' to you; it was not hidden from you. The Egyptians indeed oppressed the Hebrews. When the 'sons of Israel' (Exodus 2:23) rejoiced in the works of the Egyptians, their groaning was hidden from the face of God. But when they began to groan over the works, when they perceived that the Pharaonic works were destroying both the land and, even more, were doing evil outside of God, then they groaned, and the groaning was not hidden from God; for He immediately set them free. When they were rejoicing, they were held there, and they did not attain freedom. This groaning corresponds to 'the sorrow that works repentance unto salvation' (2 Corinthians 7:10). This sorrow is another from that of the world, which works death. If, indeed, you see a man groaning because he does not attain what he desires, even if they are bad things, this groaning is destructive.
11 My heart was troubled, and my strength left me. When the heart is troubled, that is, the mind, then strength becomes distant. Strength is that which is appropriate to the peace and stability of the heart. He who learned from Jesus 'that He is gentle and humble in heart' (Matthew 11:29) does not have a troubled heart; for he imitates Jesus. And he who imitates Jesus is outside of all trouble. Until he does not have this trouble, strength remains with him, so as to say: 'I can do all things in Him who strengthens me' (Philippians 4:13), and: 'I will love you, Lord, my strength' (Psalm 18:1). 11 And the light of my eyes is not with me. The light of my eyes has become distant from me. But the light of the true eyes...
For those seeing sharply, the knowledge of truth is present; for it has been said: 'light up for yourselves a light of knowledge' (Ps 119:130). For the word is not about these eyes nor about sensible light; listen to the one saying: 'the commandment of the Lord is far-reaching, enlightening eyes' (Ps 119:105). Indeed, the keeping of the far-reaching commandment enlightens the eyes of the inner man; for many are those seeing sharply, yet they are transgressors of the commandment of the Lord, and they guard it in a different way, and being encompassed by it, they are dull according to the appearance.
It is not, therefore, at all about the eyes that it is said: 'and the light of my eyes is not with me' (Ps 38:11). He has left me, because I turned away from it, because I myself did not guard it to remain with me. 'My heart was troubled, my strength left me' (Ps 38:10). When the intellect is troubled, if it endures, strength becomes far-reaching; for when the intellect is strengthened and the mind is made precise, strength is present to one thus disposed, as to say: 'I am strong in all things in the one empowering me' (Phil 4:13). 'I will love you, Lord, my strength.' But one is left behind by this strength if, when troubled, he endures in the heart, if he has troubling thoughts. Therefore, it must be guarded not to give 'a place to the devil' to the one casting disturbances, so that our strength may remain and we may be able to say: 'The Lord is my strength and my song, and he became for me salvation' (Ps 28:7).
'And the light of my eyes is not with me' (Ps 38:11). When the heart is troubled, the strength appropriate to the heart leaves it, and that very light is not with the one having suffered these things; for it is necessary to 'sow into righteousness and reap into a fruit of life' (Gal 6:7), so that, 'having lightened for themselves a light of knowledge' (Ps 119:130). Therefore, when the heart is troubled, the strength that empowers the inner man becomes distant, and that very light of the eyes which enlightens the inner man leaves him, having delivered himself to darkness and ignorance.
'My friends and my neighbors drew near and stood opposite me' (Ps 41:9). Such things happen in circumstantial times. And Job, having been born in distress, said such things: 'My friends have become merciless, they have known others as three times more than I' (Job 19:14). And in the Wisdoms it has been written that friends only then fail and the goodness of friends...
Greek
τοῦτο ἐταπεινώθην καὶ ἕως σφόδρα κατεκάμφθην, διὰ τοῦτο ὀλοφύρομαι καὶ ὁ στεναγμός μου ἀπὸ ψυχῆς καὶ καρδίας γίνεται, ἐπεὶ ἔγνων, ὅτι πᾶσα̣ ἐπιθυμία ἣν ἔσχον φαύλην, φανερά σοί ἐστιν, οὐδεμία ἐπιθυμία ἔξω τοῦ προσώπου σού ἐστιν. τὸ δὲ "ἔνπροσθεν" εὐπρεπέστερόν ἐστιν μᾶλλον. 10 καὶ ὁ στεναγμός μου ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐκ ἀπεκρύβη. ἐπιθυμίαν ἀγαθὴν ἔχων καὶ ποθῶν εἶναι ἐν ἀγαθοῖς καὶ ἀρετῇ ὅσον ὁρῶ ἐμαυτὸν ἀπολειπόμενον, στενάζω. ὁ στεναγμὸς δὲ οὗτος ἀπὸ ἐπιθυμίας κάλλους γίνεται, ἀπὸ προσδοκίας ἀμείνονος. εἰ καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς πολλάκις λανθάνω στενάζων, ὅπως μὴ δοκῶ περιαυτίζεσθαι καὶ δῆθεν μετανοῶν φαίνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπίπροσθεν σοῦ ἐστιν ὁ στεναγμός μου, οὐκ ἀπεκρύβη ἀπὸ σοῦ. οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι γοῦν κατεπόνουν τοὺς Ἑβραίους. ὅτε ἥδοντο ἐπὶ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἔργοις "οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ", κέκρυπτο ὁ στεναγμὸς αὐτῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ. ὅτε δὲ ἤρξαντο στενάζειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις, ὅτε αἴσθη̣σιν ἔλαβον τῶν Φαραωτικῶν ἔργων ὅτι κατασπῶντά εἰσιν καὶ γήινα καὶ μᾶλλον ἔξω τοῦ θεοῦ ποιο̣ῦν̣τα, τότε ἐστέναξαν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκρύβη ὁ στεναγμὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ· εὐθέως γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐλευθέρωσεν. ὅτε δὲ ἥδοντο, ἐκρατοῦντο ἐκεῖ, ἐλευθερίας οὐκ ἐτύγχανον. ὁ στεναγμὸς οὗτος καταλλήλως ἔχει "τῇ λύπῃ τῇ μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν κατεργαζομένῃ". ἄλλη δέ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ λύπη παρὰ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου, ἥτις θάνατον κατεργάζεται. ἐὰν γοῦν ἴδῃς ἄνθρωπον στενάζοντα ὅτι μὴ τυγχάνει ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖ, κἂν φαῦλα ὦσιν, ὁ στεναγμὸς οὗτος ὀλέθριός ἐστιν. 11 ἡ καρδία μου ἐταράχθη, ἐνκατέλιπέν με ἡ ἰσχύς μου. ὅτε ταράττεται ἡ καρδία, τουτέστιν ὁ νοῦς, τότε ἡ ἰσ χὺς μακρὰν γίνεται. ἡ ἰσχὺς δὲ ἡ κατάλληλος τῇ εἰρήνῃ καὶ τῇ εὐσταθείᾳ τῆς καρδίας. ὁ μαθὼν παρὰ Ἰησοῦ "ὅτι 176 πραύς ἐστιν καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ", οὐκ ἔχει τεταραγμένην τὴν καρδίαν· μιμεῖται γὰρ τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ὁ δὲ μιμούμενος τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔξω πάσης ἐστὶν ταραχῆς. ἕως δὲ οὐκ ἔχει τὴν ταραχὴν ταύτην, παραμένει αὐτῷ ἡ ἰσχὺς, ὥστε λέγειν· "πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με", καί· "ἀγαπήσω σε, κύριε, ἡ ἰσχύς μου". 11 καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου καὶ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἔστιν μετ' ἐμοῦ. τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου μακράν μου γέγονεν. φῶς δὲ τῶν ἀληθινῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν ὀξὺ καθορώντων ἡ γνῶσις τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστίν· εἴρηται γ̣άρ̣· "φωτίσατε ἑαυτοῖς φῶς γνώσεως". ὅτι οὐ περὶ τούτων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν οὐδὲ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ φωτὸς ὁ λόγος, ἄκουε τοῦ λέγοντος· "ἡ ἐντολὴ κυρίου τηλαυγής, φωτίζουσα ὀφθαλμούς". πάντως ἡ τήρησις τῆς τηλαυγοῦς ἐντολῆς τοὺς τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου φωτίζει ὀφθαλμούς· πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν ὀξὺ καθορῶντε̣ς καὶ π̣αραβάται τῆς ἐντολῆς εἰσιν τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ ἄλλως φυλάττουσιν αὐτὴν καὶ περιεχόμενο̣ι αὐτὴν ἀμβλεῖς εἰσιν κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν. οὐ πάντως οὖν περὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν λέγεται ὅτι· "καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου οὐκ ἔστιν μετ' ἐμοῦ". ἀφῆκέν με δέ, ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸ ἀπεστράφην, ἐπεὶ αὐτὸ ἐγω`̣ οὐκ ἐφύλαξα παράμονόν μοι. 266 "ἡ καρδία μου ἐταράχθη, ἐνκατέλιπέν με ἡ ἰσχύς μου". ὅταν τάραχον τὸ διανοητικὸν ὑπομείνῃ, ἡ ἰσχὺς μακρὰν γίνεται· ἐρρωμένης γὰρ τῆς διανοίας καὶ τοῦ νοῦ ἠκριβωμένου ἰσχὺς πρόσεστιν τῷ οὕτω δι̣α̣τεθέντι, ὡς εἰπεῖν· "πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με". "ἀγαπήσω σε, κύριε, ἡ ἰσχύς μου". ἐνκαταλείπεται δέ τις ὑπὸ ταύτης τῆς ἰσχύος, ἐὰν τάραχον ὑπομείνῃ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἐὰν λογισμοὺς σχῇ ταραχώδεις. διὸ φυλακτέον μὴ διδόναι "τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ" τῷ ὑποβάλλοντι τὰς ταραχάς, ἵνα ἰσχὺς ἡμῶν παραμείνῃ καὶ δυνηθῶμεν εἰπεῖν· "ἰσχύς μου καὶ ὕμνησίς μου κύριος καὶ ἐγένετό μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν". "καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου οὐκ ἔστιν μετ' ἐμοῦ". ὅταν ἡ καρδία ταραχθῇ, καὶ ἡ κατάλληλος τῇ καρδίᾳ ἰσχὺς ἐνκαταλείπει, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς οὐκ ἔστιν μετὰ τοῦ ταῦτα παθόντος· δεῖ γὰρ "σπεῖραι εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ τρυγῆσαι εἰς καρπὸν ζωῆς", ἵνα "φωτίσαντες ἑαυτοῖς φῶς γνώσεως" . ὅταν τοίνυν ταραχθῇ ἡ καρδία, καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς ἡ ἐνδυναμοῦσα τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον πόρρω γίνεται, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν φῶς τὸ φωτίζον τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ἐνκαταλείπει τοῦτον ἑαυτὸν σκότῳ καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ παραδεδωκότα. 12 οἱ φίλοι μου καὶ οἱ πλησίον μου ἐξ ἐναντίας ἤγγισαν καὶ ἔστησαν. συμβαίνει τοιαῦτα γίνεσθαι ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς καιροῖς. καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ γοῦν γενάμενος ἐν περιστάσει ἔλεγεν τοιαῦτα· "φίλοι δέ μου ἀνελεήμονες γεγόνασιν, ἔγνωσαν ἀλλο τρίους ἢ ἐμέ". καὶ ἐν ταῖς σοφίαις γέγραπται ὅτι οἱ φίλοι τότε μόνον πάρεισιν καὶ τὰ φίλων
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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