The Pit and the Works of God
Acting excessively, standing by the door, they receive through deception those who do not stand by the distinction of moderation and excess. If you say that the path of true dogmas is a straight way, be careful that, not being led by God, the adjacent false dogmas are enemies of this age, who are its rulers; so that we may not fall into their deception, we pray to be led by the Lord on the straight way.
Since I have chosen to walk the straight way, all the wicked have set to trouble me (Ps 26:12); but You, Lord, my guardian, do not deliver me into their hands. He prays not to be delivered to them or to be numbered with their souls; those troubling him are witnesses that they are unrighteous. But injustice attributed it to themselves; being unstable and unsure, it lied about itselfor it is not promised to be such, such was found. For the voice of a lie does not always signify the opposite of truth, as in the prophet Aloinos, who lied to them instead of as he promised; according to the finding of Aloinos, they lied having been diminished.
The land of promises was called the land of the living, according to eternal life (Ps 26:13), since no one in it participates in the following death of sin. But this land is in the unseen and eternal things, and upon it are the truly and properly good things of God. Therefore the saint says such a thing: I believe to participate in eternal life, so that by it, living, I may be transplanted into the land of the living, to see the Lord's good things which lie according to the promises for those living holily. And it is possible to say both to see and not to eat or taste something else; for the whole benefit is provided in contemplating the divine good things.
He says this, reasoning with himself, or to everyone hearing him (Ps 26:14). And such an exhortation may be brought to him from above by the Spirit, since, having believed to see the good things in the coming age, wait for the Lord, or wait for the descent of the Savior here; for through it he will be able to ascend to the vision of the good things. Be manly, that is, take up manliness, not by the strength of the body but...
while your heart is being held firm. For you will not be able to endure the Lord according to all the ways previously foretold (Ps 27:1c). The name of the pit and the place that guards the condemned signifies this.
Since you are not lacking in many things, that you might be able to have these things replenished toward you (Ps 27:2a), I am worthy to cry out to you, that you might hear the voice of my prayer when I am praying to no one else; for no one else is able to replenish what I lack. The temple of God is the one, and the super-heavenly space and the powers within it, hosting the presence of God as much as is possible (Ps 27:2b). And the Word of God is also the one who declares: 'The Father who dwells in me performs the works.'
He prays, not saying: 'Since destruction certainly comes to the wrongdoer (Ps 27:3b), do not let me, providing justice to me, fall into becoming an unrighteous one, lest I perish with those practicing it.'
The discerning one, approaching things with scientific knowledge, turns away from the harmful useless things, choosing the good and profitable ones (Ps 27:4). But the foolish one, being enticed by pleasure, performs evils, not seeing their harmfulness. Since he does not rationally perceive the harmful things, the saint prays that the foolish one might be repaid according to his painful works, so that through those pains he might turn away from the evils having become causes of punishment for him.
A man does, his works indeed, but they are the works of his hands; for he works according to a disposition (Ps 27:5). And the active powers, being called his hands, perform the practical aspects of sins. They deserve to receive a retribution in kind, because they did not comprehend the works of the Lord and the works of his hands; they turn out to be the visible works and the invisible works of God. For those who do not comprehend the works of God and the works of his hands, he wishes to receive the retribution of them; for they themselves having chosen the non-comprehending, the punishment followed them to fall into it.
Hoping in the Lord, the helper and defender, my heart was helped (Ps 27:7), so that there is nothing in it of a shameful remembrance or a foolish opinion. For the helping of the heart is to agree with what is necessary and to renew toward the opposites. But not like that of the...
Greek
καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐνεργοῦντες παρὰ θύραν ἱστάμενοι τῆς ἀρετῆς δι' ἀπάτης λαμβάνουσιν τοὺς μὴ ἐφιστάνοντας τῇ διαφορᾷ μεσότητος καὶ ὑπερβολῆς. εἰ δὲ καὶ εὐθείαν ὁδὸν τὴν τῶν ἀληθῶν δογμάτων πορείαν λέγοις, ι σθι ο τι μὴ ὁδηγοῦντος θεοῦ οἱ τὰ παρακείμενα ψευδῆ δόγματα τῆς ἀληθείας α γοντες α ρχοντες τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐχθροί εἰσιν, ω ν ε νεκα, ο πως μὴ ἐμπέσωμεν εἰς τὴν ἀπάτην αὐτῶν, παρακαλοῦμεν ὁδηγηθῆναι ὑπὸ κυρίου τὴν εὐθείαν ὁδόν. 241 Ps 26,12 ̓Επεὶ εἱλόμην ὁδεύειν τὴν εὐθείαν ὁδόν, πάντες οἱ πονηροὶ θλίβειν με προτέθεινται· σὺ δέ, κύριε, κηδόμενός μου Μὴ παραδῷς με εἰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν· η τοι εὐχόμενος μὴ παραδοθῆναι αὐτοῖς η μὴ συναριθμηθῆναι ταῖς ψυχαῖς αι ς ει χον οἱ θλίβοντες αὐτὸ τοῦτο μάρτυρες α δικοι ει ναι ἑλόμενοι. ἀλλ' ἡ ἀδικία ῃ ἑαυτοὺς προσῳκείωσαν ἀσύστατος καὶ ἀβέβαιος ου σα ἐψεύσατο ἑαυτήν· οὐχ οι α γὰρ ει ναι ἐπαγγέλλεται, τοιαύτη εὑρέθη. ἡ γὰρ ̓Εψεύσατο φωνὴ οὐκ ἀεὶ τὸ ἐναντίον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σημαίνει, ὡς τὸ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ Αλων καὶ οι νος ἐψεύσατο αὐτοὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐχ ὡς ἐπηγγέλλετο· κατ' ε τος ἡ α λων καὶ οι νος εὑρεθέντα ἐψεύσαντο ἐλαττωθέντα. 242 Ps 26,13 Γῆ ζώντων ἐκλήθη ἡ ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις γῆ κατὰ τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν, ἐπεὶ οὐδεὶς ἐν αὐτῇ μετέχει τοῦ ἑπομένου τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ θανάτου. αυ τη δὲ ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς μὴ βλεπομένοις καὶ αἰωνίοις ι δρυται, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐστιν τὰ ἀληθῶς καὶ κυρίως τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαθά. ο τοίνυν λέγει ὁ α γιος τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· πιστεύω ζωῆς αἰωνίου μετασχεῖν, ι να κατ' αὐτὴν ζῶν μετοικισθῶ εἰς τὴν τῶν ζώντων γῆν, ω στε ἰδεῖν τὰ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τοῦ κυρίου ἀγαθὰ τὰ κατὰ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀποκείμενα τοῖς ὁσίως βεβιωκόσιν. ευ δὲ εἰπεῖν καὶ τὸ ̓Ιδεῖν καὶ μὴ φαγεῖν καὶ α ψασθαι η ε τερόν τι· τὸ γὰρ ο λον ἐν τῷ θεωρεῖσθαι τὰ θεῖα ἀγαθὰ παρέχει τὴν ὠφέλειαν. 243 Ps 26,14 Ητοι πρὸς ἑαυτὸν διαλεγόμενος τοῦτό φησιν η παντὶ ἀκούοντι αὐτοῦ. δύναται δὲ καὶ α νωθεν προτροπὴ αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος φέρεσθαι τοιαύτη, ἐπεὶ ἐπίστευσας τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ὑπόμεινον τὸν κύριον η ὑπόμεινον τὴν δεῦρο τοῦ σωτῆρος κάθοδον· δι' αὐτῆς γὰρ ἀνελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν δυνήσῃ. ̓Ανδρίζου τουτέστιν ἀνδρείαν ἀνάλαβε μὴ κατ' ἰσχὺν σώματος ἀλλὰ κραταιουμένης τῆς καρδίας σου. ου τω γὰρ ὑπομεῖναι τὸν κύριον δυνήσῃ κατὰ πάντας τοὺς προειρημένους τρόπους. 244 Ps 27,1c Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ο νομα τοῦ λάκκου καὶ τὸν τόπον τὸν φυλάττοντα τοὺς κατακρίτους. 245 Ps 27,2a ̓Επεὶ ου ν πολλῶν ἐνδεὴς ω ν ε γνων πρὸς σοῦ ταῦτα ἀναπληροῦσθαι δύνασθαι, πρὸς σὲ βοῶν ἀξιῶ εἰσακοῦσαί σε τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεώς μου ἐν τῷ δέεσθαι οὐ πρὸς α λλον τινὰ η σέ· οὐδὲ γὰρ α λλος ἀναπληρῶσαι δύναται τὰ ω ν ἐλλειπής εἰμι. 246 Ps 27,2b Ναὸς δὲ θεοῦ ει η α ν καὶ ὁ ὑπερουράνιος χῶρος καὶ αἱ ἐν αὐτῷ δυνάμεις χωροῦσαι παρουσίαν θεοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτόν. ει η δὲ καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ φάσκων· ̔Ο πατὴρ ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ ποιεῖ τὰ ε ργα. 247 Ps 27,3b Ευ χεται ου ν λέγων· ἐπεὶ πάντως τῷ ἀδικοῦντι ἀπώλεια ε πεται, δικαιοσύνην παρέχων μοι μὴ ἐάσῃς με ἐν ἀδικίᾳ γενέσθαι, ο πως μὴ ἀπόλωμαι μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων αὐτήν. 248 Ps 27,4 ̔Ο διορατικὸς ἐπιστημονικῶς τοῖς πράγμασιν προσερχόμενος ὡς βλαπτικὰ τὰ φαῦλα ἀποστρέφεται, αἱρούμενος τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὠφέλιμα ο ντα. ὁ δὲ φαῦλος ἡδονῇ θελγόμενος ἐργάζεται κακὰ οὐχ ὁρῶν αὐτῶν τὸ βλαβερόν. ἐπεὶ ου ν λογικῶς οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τῶν βλαβερῶν, ευ χεται ὁ α γιος ἀποτῖσαι τῷ φαύλῳ κατὰ τὰ ε ργα αὐτοῦ ἐπίπονα, ο πως κα ν διὰ τοὺς πόνους ἀποστραφῇ τὰ κακὰ αι τια κολάσεως αὐτῷ γεγενημένα. 249 Ps 27,5 Ων πράττει ὁ α νθρωπος, τὰ μὲν αὐτοῦ ε ργα, τὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ κατὰ διάθεσιν ἐργάζεται. αἱ δὲ ἐνεργητικαὶ δυνάμεις χεῖρες αὐτοῦ καλούμεναι ἐπιτελοῦσι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ 61 πρακτικά. ἀξιοῖ ου ν καθ' ε τερα ἀνταπόδοσιν γενέσθαι, Οτι οὐ συνῆκαν εἰς τὰ ε ργα κυρίου καὶ εἰς τὰ ε ργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. τῶν ε ργων τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ μὲν ὁρατά, τὰ δὲ ἀόρατα τυγχάνει. τοὺς γοῦν μὴ συνέντας τὰ ε ργα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ ε ργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀνταπολαβεῖν βούλεται τὸ ἀνταπόδομα αὐτῶν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ προαιρετικῶς ει λοντο τὸ μὴ συνιέναι τὰ ε ργα ῳ ἠκολούθησε τὸ τιμωρίας αὐτοὺς ὑποπεσεῖν. 250 Ps 27,7 ̓Επὶ τῷ βοηθῷ καὶ ὑπερασπιστῇ κυρίῳ ἐλπίσασα ἡ καρδία μου ἐβοηθήθη, ὡς μηδὲν ἐν αὐτῇ ει ναι ἐνθύμημα αἰσχρὸν η δόγμα φαῦλον. βοηθουμένης γὰρ καρδίας ἐστὶν τὸ συγκατατίθεσθαι οι ς δεῖ καὶ ἀνανεύειν πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία. ου τω δὲ τῆς
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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Khazarzar scan
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- 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.