Fragments on the Psalms · §3

The Contemplative Aim and the Endurance of the Righteous

The epidemic at the end of the ages. Ps 3:6. To sleep signifies a reclining, after which sleep immediately follows. Since Jesus voluntarily laid down his soul, for this reason, having slept, he slumbered; for he would not have died if he had not given himself to this, and having been raised from the dead, being grasped by God, he has become the firstborn from the dead. Ps 3:8b. Vainly does one have enemies if he does not provide a pretext of hatred and enmity; such are all those persecuted for living piety in Christ Jesus, to whom it is said by the Savior, 'Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and lie every kind of evil against you on my account,' and the following. With this intention also David had many enemies in vain, such as Saul and Absalom and those with them; for having often shown much gentleness and goodness toward them for the holy one, they were enemies in vain. Ps 3:8c-9. Concerning such teeth, he often says to God, 'They have set their teeth against me,' and thanking that he was not harmed by them, he says, 'Blessed is the Lord, who did not give us into the prey of their teeth.' It is evident what he says concerning spiritual things. To those spoken of as 'biting,' who use the teeth badly, as the Galatians bite and devour one another, the teeth are called allegorically, being used vainly and sinfully with the powers of the soul. For when the petition is established, instead of enemies, friends and instead of sinners, diligent ones will be. The salvation of the Lord; therefore, let us not seek this from another, but from Him. And your good pleasure is upon your people; but what is the good pleasure coming upon the people, is it the will of the Father concerning the epidemic? Having shown the Savior who became man, he says, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' To this he will take the power, and in your good pleasure our horn shall be exalted. Ps 4:1. An ode is a triumphal song, being uttered with a single voice, but a psalm is a hymn being struck with the instrument called the psalter or the lyre. If the ode, for the sake of leading upward, is an ode having become composed by thought alone, the psalm is a hymn with actions being performed according to the right reason, as if one having the practical life were singing, but the spiritual...

The text ends abruptly mid-clause.

The contemplative. Since now David perceives God and His truth with a pure heart, he utters a song, and he says that things are in the psalms because he has achieved much in a practical way. This song is that which they are accustomed to call the end, the most desired of his own things, while all other things are to be chosen and desired, but not for the sake of another; for it is the perfection of all things, concerning which also Paul says, 'If one has become like God, he will see Him' (1 John 3:2).

What, then, does the author intend by saying the song is for David but not written by David? Some say, then, that the psalm or the song belongs to David, but that he himself, having been inspired by God, brought it forward, while the song or the psalm belongs to David, but the things said have a reference to him. And often what is announced belongs both to him and to him; either that which is being suggested was foretold by him through his ministry of the Spirit, or that the psalm being given to someone who sings was announced to David through them. Whichever it may be of those written in the Scriptures, it is known only to the one who is wise according to God.

But God is enlarged in affliction, not ceasing the pressure, not overthrowing the evildoers, but providing magnanimity to bear the circumstances bravely (Ps 4:2b). This is the mindset that should be heard. And many afflictions of the righteous, and from all of them He will rescue them, granting endurance (Ps 4:3). And he who also, even outside of circumstances, makes himself a magnanimous man, standing against the circumstances like Joseph and Job, but also himself standing against what lies ahead.

And many such things are borne also in the Scripture, for it is said, 'The mortal is born of a woman' (Ps 4:4a), and in John 'Among those born of women, none is greater than John' (John 1:23). For these words are spoken instead of 'man.' The saint of God is not to be wondered at if he bears afflictions magnanimously, which seem to be beyond man, but also if he, calling upon God, should immediately have a rebuke, whereas the heavy-hearted man ignores everything, that is, having a mindset with malice; if the word was spoken concerning Christ to the Jews, because the heavy-hearted are not children of God but of men, how...

Greek

τὴν ἐπιδημίαν ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων. 13 Ps 3,6 Τὸ κοιμηθῆναι σημαίνει τὴν ἀνάκλισιν, μεθ' ην εὐθέως ὁ υ πνος ἐπιγίνεται. ἐπεὶ ουν ἑκουσίως ̓Ιησοῦς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ εθηκεν, κατὰ τοῦτο κοιμηθεὶς υπνωσεν· οὐ γὰρ αν ἐτεθνήκει, εἰ μὴ αὑτὸν εἰς τοῦτο ἐδεδώκει, ἐξεγερθεὶς δὲ ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀντιλαβομένου θεοῦ, πρωτότοκος ἐκ νεκρῶν γεγένηται. 14 Ps 3,8b Ματαίως ἐχθροὺς ε χει ὁ μὴ παρέχων μίσους καὶ ε χθρας πρόφασιν· τοιοῦτοι δέ εἰσιν Πάντες οἱ διωκόμενοι διὰ τὸ ζῆν εὐσεβῶς ἐν Χριστῷ ̓Ιησοῦ, πρὸς ου ς λέγεται ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος Μακάριοί ἐστε ο τ' α ν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ ει πωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν ψευδόμενοι ε νεκεν ἐμοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ταύτης τῆς προθέσεως ω ν καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ πολλοὺς ει χεν ματαίως ἐχθροὺς ὡς τὸν Σαοὺλ καὶ τὸν ̓Αβεσσαλὼμ καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς· τοῦ γὰρ ἁγίου πολλὴν πραότητα καὶ ἀγαθότητα εἰς αὐτοὺς πολλάκις ἐνδειξαμένου, μάτην η σαν ἐχθροί. 15 Ps 3,8c.9 Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὀδόντων πολλάκις ει πεν τῷ θεῷ Εβρυξαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐχαριστῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτῶν μὴ βλαβῆναί φησιν Εὐλογητὸς κύριος, ο ς οὐκ ε δωκεν ἡμᾶς εἰς θήραν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν. δῆλον δὲ ο τι περὶ νοητῶν ταῦτά φησιν. τοῖς ου τω λεγομένοις ὀδοῦσιν κακῶς χρώμενοι Γαλάται κακῶς ε δακνον ἀλλήλους καὶ κατήσθιον, ματαίως καὶ ἁμαρτητικῶς χρώμενοι ταῖς δυνάμεσι τῆς ψυχῆς αι ὀδόντες ἀλληγορικῶς καλοῦνται. βεβαιωθείσης γὰρ τῆς αἰτήσεως ἀντ' ἐχθρῶν φίλοι καὶ ἀντὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν σπουδαῖοι γενήσονται. Τοῦ κυρίου ἡ σωτηρία· μὴ α λλοθεν τοίνυν η παρ' αὐτοῦ ταύτην ζητῶμεν. Καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου ἡ εὐδοκία σου· τίς δὲ ἡ εὐδοκία ἡ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐρχομένη η ἡ βούλησις τοῦ πατρὸς ἡ περὶ τῆς ἐπιδημίας; δείξας γοῦν τὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα σωτῆρα Ου τός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ε φη, ἐν ῳ ηὐδόκησα. εἰς τοῦτο λήψῃ τὸ Καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐδοκίᾳ σου ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας ἡμῶν. 16 Ps 4,1 ̓Ωιδή ἐστιν ἐπινίκιος η χαριστήριος αι νος μόνῃ φωνῇ προφερόμενος, ψαλμὸς δὲ υ μνος ὀργάνῳ τῷ καλουμένῳ ψαλτηρίῳ η καὶ κιθάρᾳ κρουόμενος. ει η δὲ πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν ᾠδὴ ἡ θεωρία τῆς ἀληθείας μόνῃ νοήσει μεμουσωμένη γενομένη, ψαλμὸς δὲ πράξεις κατὰ λόγον τὸν ὀρθὸν ἐπιτελούμεναι, ὡς ψάλλειν μὲν τὸν πρακτικὸν βίον ε χοντα, ᾳ δειν δὲ τὸν θεωρητικόν. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ ∆αυὶδ θεωρεῖ καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὴν ἀληθείαν αὐτοῦ, ᾠδὴν προφέρει, η ν ει ναι ἐν ψαλμοῖς λέγει διὰ τὸ πολλὰ πρακτικῶς αὐτῷ κατωρθῶσθαι. Αυ τη ἡ ᾠδὴ Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν ἐκεῖνο, ο καλεῖν εἰώθασιν ε σχατον ὀρεκτὸν τῷ αὐτοῦ ε νεκα τὰ α λλα πάντα ει ναι αἱρετὰ καὶ ὀρεκτά, αὐτὸ δὲ οὐκ α λλου χάριν· ο περ ἐστὶν ἡ πάντων τελείωσις, περὶ ου καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν Ει τα τὸ τέλος, καθ' η ν ο μοιός τις τῷ θεῷ γεγενημένος ο ψεται αὐτόν. Κατὰ τί δὲ βούλεται καὶ τὸ Τῷ ∆αυὶδ τὴν ᾠδὴν ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἀναγεγράφθαι; φασὶν τοίνυν τινὲς τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ει ναι τὸν ψαλμὸν η τὴν ᾠδήν, ο τ' α ν αὐτὸς ῃ προενεγκὼν θεοπνευσθείς, τῷ ∆αυὶδ δὲ ει ναι τὴν ᾠδὴν η τὸν ψαλμόν, ο τ' α ν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ λεγόμενα ἀναφορὰν ε χῃ. συνπίπτει δὲ πολλάκις καὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτῷ ει ναι τὸ ἀπαγγελλόμενον, ο τ' α ν 3 αὐτοῦ διακονησαμένου τῷ πνεύματι τὰ ὑποβαλλόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προελέχθη, ει τα δοθέντος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τινι τῶν ᾀδόντων ἀπηγγέλθη δι' ἐκείνων Τῷ ∆αυίδ· ὁποτέρως δ' ε χει ε καστον τῶν ἐν γραφαῖς κειμένων, μόνου τοῦ κατὰ θεὸν σοφοῦ εἰδέναι † 17 Ps 4,2b Πλατύνει δὲ ἐν θλίψει ὁ θεὸς οὐ παύων τὴν περίστασιν, οὐκ ἀνατρέπων τοὺς κακοῦντας ἀλλὰ παρέχων μεγαλοψυχίαν γενναίως φέρειν τὰ περιστατικά. κατὰ ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν ἀκουστέον καὶ τὸ Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτούς, ὑπομονὴν χαριζόμενος. ε στι δ' ο τε καὶ ε ξω τῶν περιστάσεων ποιεῖ τὸν μεγαλοψύχως πρὸς τὰς περιστάσεις στάντα ὡς τὸν ̓Ιωσὴφ καὶ τὸν ̓Ιὼβ ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν περὶ ου τὰ προκείμενα. 18 Ps 4,3a Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα φέρεται καὶ ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ω ν ε ν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ Βροτὸς γὰρ γεννητὸς γυναικός, καὶ τὸ ̓Εν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ̓Ιωάννου οὐδεὶς μείζων ἐστίν. καὶ αυ ται γὰρ αἱ λέξεις ἀντὶ τοῦ α νθρωποι ει ρηνται. 19 Ps 4,4a Η οὐ θαυμαστοῦται ὁ ο σιος τοῦ θεοῦ ο τ' α ν θλίψεις φέρῃ μεγαλοψύχως δοκούσας ὑπὲρ α νθρωπον ει ναι ἀλλὰ καὶ ο τ' α ν ἐπικαλούμενος θεὸν ἐπινεύοντα εὐθέως ε χῃ, α περ πάντα ἀγνοεῖ ὁ βαρείαν καρδίαν, τουτέστι νόησιν μετὰ κακίας, ε χων; εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ει ρηται πρὸς ̓Ιουδαίους ὁ λόγος διὰ τὸ βαρυκάρδιον οὐκ ε τι θεοῦ ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπων υἱούς, πῶς

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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.

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