David's Prayer and Divine Testing

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From these syllables, it is most clearly shown that the Lord became man; for his soul, the flesh having been laid in the tomb, was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, having risen with the flesh, having severed the soul from the body. It is said that the flesh tabernacled in hope because of the resurrection that is to come; for it was not dissolved, suffering any corruption, but having remained unharmed, it was joined again to the soul which was not abandoned to Hades. But if the destined soul, being separated from flesh, stands existing even in Hades, then it is clear that the rational souls of men are not being; for the rational soul, being separated from flesh, does not stand existing, nor does it go into Hades. But truly the soul of Jesus has experienced both; for it has become both in the place of human souls, and having become outside of the flesh, it lives and stands; it is indeed rational and of the same essence as the souls of men, just as the flesh, having come forth from Mary, is of the same essence as the flesh of men. Even if it seemed to have suffered because of the cross, it was not destroyed; the fact that both soul and flesh remained unharmed, having been joined together again, was demonstrated. Again, the holiness of God has not seen corruption, but is also the cause of the resurrection of the others, the dead; for having become the firstborn from the dead, he, our corruptible and mortal being, having clothed himself in incorruption, undergoes death together with the holy of God who has not seen corruption.

The incarnate Word of God, having risen from the dead, sings praises (Ps 15:11), in that he has become man without abandoning even his being as God, having revealed to him the paths leading to eternal life, so that he may be filled with perfect joy, filling the saints with all spiritual joy. His image is the face of God and the character of his substance. And what follows the one who has walked the known paths of life, to have divine delight in the truth and wisdom of God's right hand? And this is the only-begotten Son of God. And since the delight in the right hand of God is found to be unsurpassed, it will be an end that is not sought by any other; for all things have come to pass not for the sake of another, but for its own sake (Ps 15:11).

Some people, acting with arrogance, judge the one praying as being of moderate character; no one would say, 'Hear, O Lord, my righteousness, and let my judgment come forth from your face' (Ps 16:3). But David, not being arrogant, while doing all the will of God, but desiring to be judged with goodness, prayed that his judgment might come forth from the divine face. 'Let my eyes see straightness' (Ps 16:3). One prays to see straightness with the eyes of a man, by which God judges, bringing the judgment forth from his own face; one prays to behold the virtue of straightness. If, however, he prays to see it, he does not yet possess it; thus he is advised not to be arrogant by the way he offers the prayer. These things regarding perfect virtue should be considered, if anyone ever becomes greater than those previously foretold.

And through these things, much boldness of the speaker is manifest (Ps 16:3). For if he says these things concerning God, he manifests much of his own purity; for the heart of everyone who endures in obscurity is tested, and he who is afflicted in everything is not distressed, but enduring until the end, he is proven righteous; such as Job, to whom God said: 'If perhaps I may prove you, you shall be more righteous than I' (Job 2:9). [Or: If it is possible that I may prove you, that you may appear righteous, in the testing of your heart by the Lord and being refined and no iniquity being found in you?]. It is worth following to see what is meant by 'I visited in the night' (Ps 16:3); and indeed, if he calls the state of those in obscurity 'night' because of the dimness and having nothing propitious, in which God, having visited him, left him proven and, having refined through afflictions, showed him clean from all iniquities. It is said, 'I visited in the night' (Ps 16:3) and not thus: because the hidden things of the heart are not manifest to anyone except to Him to whom it is said, 'You alone know the hearts of men'; it was named night, and even those things, although they are dark to others because of the inscrutable, to you, who tested me by visiting me in the night, have been revealed. To this, 'If I had considered iniquity in my heart, do not hear me, Lord' (Ps 16:3) is conjoined.

To declare the works of men and dispositions, even in word, is evil (Ps 16:4a). But what are these works, those about which the apostle writes: 'For where there is jealousy among you...'

Greek

θεοῦ. 97 Ps 15,9c.10 Καὶ ἐκ τούτων τῶν συλλαβῶν δηλοῦται μάλιστα τελείως ἐνηνθρωπηκέναι τὸν κύριον· τῆς γὰρ σαρκὸς ἀποτεθειμένης ἐν τῷ μνημείῳ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, μεθ' ο ἀναστὰς ε λαβε τὴν σάρκα η ν τέως διαζεύξας η ν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος. ει ρηται δὲ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι κατεσκηνωκέναι ἡ σὰρξ διὰ τὴν ἐσομένην παρ' αὐτὰ ἀνάστασιν· οὐ γὰρ διαλυθεῖσα η φθοράν τινα παθοῦσα ἀλλ' ἀβλαβὴς διαμείνασα συνεζεύχθη πάλιν τῇ μὴ ἐγκαταλειφθείσῃ εἰς τὸν ᾳ δην ψυχῇ. εἰ δὲ ἡ προκειμένη ψυχὴ καὶ σαρκὸς χωριζομένη ὑφέστηκεν καὶ ἐν τῷ ᾳ δῃ γίνεται, ε νθα αἱ λογικαὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχαί, δῆλον ο τι οὐ δύναται α λογος ει ναι· ἡ γὰρ α λογος ψυχὴ χωριζομένη σαρκὸς οὐχ ὑφίσταται οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν ᾳ δην πορεύεται. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἡ τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ ψυχὴ ἑκατέρων πείραν ε σχεν· γέγονε γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν, καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκτὸς γενομένη ζῇ καὶ ὑφίσταται· λογικὴ α ρα καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁμοούσιος, ω σπερ καὶ ἡ σὰρξ ὁμοούσιος τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σαρκὶ τυγχάνει ἐκ τῆς Μαρίας προελθοῦσα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ε δοξεν πεπονθέναι διὰ τὸν σταυρόν, ἀλλ' ου ν οὐκ ει δεν διαφθοράν, ἀβλαβῶν διαμεινάντων τῆς τε ψυχῆς καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐξ ω ν συντεθέντων ἀνεδείχθη. πάλιν ὁ ο σιος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ἑωρακὼς διαφθορὰν ἀλλὰ καὶ αι τιος τῆς τῶν α λλων νεκρῶν ἐγέρσεως· δι' αὐτὸν γὰρ πρωτότοκον ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν γεγενημένον τὸ φθαρτὸν καὶ θνητὸν ἡμῶν ἀφθαρσίαν ἐνδυσάμενον συναπαθανατίζεται τῷ μὴ ἑωρακότι διαφθορὰν ὁσίῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. 98 Ps 15,11 ̓Εκ νεκρῶν ἀναστὰς ὁ σαρκωθεὶς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ὑμνεῖ, καθὸ α νθρωπος γέγονε μὴ ἀπολειπὼν καὶ τοῦ ει ναι θεός, τὸν φανερώσαντα αὐτῷ τὰς ἀγούσας ὁδοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν, ι να καὶ εὐφροσύνης πληρωθῇ τελείας ὁ πάσης εὐφροσύνης πνευματικῆς ἐμπιμπλῶν τοὺς ἁγίους. θεοῦ δὲ πρόσωπον ἡ εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. τί δὲ ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ ὁδεύσαντι τὰς γνωσθείσας ὁδοὺς τῆς ζωῆς η τὸ θείαν τέρψιν ε χειν ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ ου σῃ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ; αυ τη δέ ἐστιν ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ υἱός. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀνυπέρβλητος τυγχάνει ἡ ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ τέρψις, τέλος ε σται ε σχατον ὀρεκτὸν ου σα· οὐ γὰρ α λλου χάριν ἀλλ' αὐτῆς ε νεκα τὰ πάντα. 99 Ps 16,2 ̓Αλαζονείαν καταψηφίζονταί τινες τοῦ εὐχομένου φάσκοντες ὡς τῶν μετρίων τὸ η θος· οὐδεὶς λέξει τὸ Εἰσάκουσον, κύριε, τῆς δικαιοσύνης μου, καὶ τὸ ̓Εκ προσώπου σου τὸ κρίμα μου ἐξέλθοι. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀλαζὼν ὁ ∆αυὶδ ποιῶν πάντα τὰ θελήματα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ σὺν ἀγαθότητι κριθῆναι θέλων παρεκάλει ἐξελθεῖν αὐτοῦ 28 τὸ κρίμα ἐκ τοῦ θεϊκοῦ προσώπου. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἰδέτωσαν εὐθύτητας. ευ χεται τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ ε σω ἀνθρώπου εὐθύτητα ἰδεῖν καθ' η ν κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς ἐξάγων τὸ κρίμα ἐκ προσώπου ἑαυτοῦ, η ευ χεται τὴν ἀρετὴν εὐθύτητας θεάσασθαι. εἰ δὲ ευ χεται αὐτὴν ἰδεῖν, ου πω παροῦσαν αὐτὴν ε χει, ῳ ε πεται τὸ μὴ ἀλαζονεύεσθαι αὐτὸν ου τω τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναφέροντα. ταῦτα περὶ τῆς παντελοῦς ἀρετῆς εἰρῆσθαι ἡγητέον, η τις ὀψέ ποτε παραγίνεται πλείστων ο σων προδιανυσθέντων. 100 Ps 16,3 Καὶ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων ἐμφαίνεται πολλὴ παρρησία τοῦ λέγοντος. εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐπὶ θεοῦ λέγει, πολλὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐμφαίνει καθαρότητα· δοκιμάζεται γὰρ ἡ καρδία παντὸς τοῦ σκυθρωπὰ ὑπομένοντος, ο τ' α ν ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενος μὴ στενοχωρῆται, ἀλλ' ὑπομένων εἰς τέλος ἀποδείκνυται δίκαιος· οι ος η ν ̓Ιὼβ ῳ ει πεν ὁ θεός· Οι ει με α λλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι η ι να ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος, πρὸς τῷ δεδοκιμάσθαι τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ πεπυρῶσθαι καὶ μὴ ηὑρᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ ἀδικίαν; ̓Ακόλουθον ἰδεῖν τί σημαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ ̓Επεσκέψω νυκτός· καὶ ο ρα εἰ τὴν κατάστασιν τῶν σκυθρωπῶν διὰ τὸ ἀφεγγὲς καὶ μηδὲν ἱλαρὸν ε χειν νύκτα καλεῖ, ἐν ῃ ἐπισκεψάμενος αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς δόκιμον ἀπέφηνεν καὶ πυρώσας διὰ τῶν θλιβερῶν καθαρὸν πάντων ἀδικημάτων ἀνέδειξεν. ῥηθείη τὸ ̓Επεσκέψω νυκτὸς καὶ ου τως· ἐπεὶ τῆς καρδίας τὰ κρύφια οὐκ εἰσὶν φανερὰ η μόνῳ τῷ πρὸς ο ν ει ρηται Σὺ μόνος γινώσκεις τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, νὺξ ὠνομάσθη, α καὶ αὐτά, καίτοι τοῖς α λλοις ο ντα σκοτεινὰ διὰ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον, σοὶ τῷ δοκιμάσαντί με διὰ τὸ ἐπεσκέφθαι με νυκτὸς πεφανέρωται. τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ Εἰ ἀδικίαν ἐθεώρουν ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, μὴ εἰσακουσάτω μου κύριος. 101 Ps 16,4a Τὸ ἀπαγγέλλειν τὰ ε ργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράξει καὶ διαθέσει, ε τι μὴν καὶ λόγῳ, φαύλων ἐστίν. τίνα δὲ τὰ ε ργα τούτων η ἐκεῖνα περὶ ω ν ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει· Οπου γὰρ ε ρεις καὶ ζῆλος ἐν ὑμῖν,

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

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