The Tabernacle, Divine Protection, and the One Thing
Hoping, I shall not be weak; for I am contained by the hope toward God, being strengthened by it, I shall not be weak. Scripture is carried forth saying: 'I shall not be shaken.' And through this it is not made manifest: because the hope toward God provides for me something firm and immovable, 'Hoping in the Lord, I shall not be shaken' (Ps 25:2).
Since it is not the one recommending himself who is proven, but the Lord establishes, having testified to himself that one should walk in integrity and desiring that one should not be weak, he wants one to be tested and tried by struggles, so that the righteous may be revealed, and one may be tried so that, having received a trial, he might have endurance that is proven. And previously, having an analogy between the kidneys and the heart, it is said. That these two things should be purified through painful struggle, so that they might be shown as proven gold (Ps 25:3).
I would not have been worthy to suffer the aforementioned painful things, unless your mercy had considered me, coinciding with me so as to enable me to endure them. Your mercy, which has been seen by me in front of my eyes, works together to please in your truth; for God's mercy makes one please according to truth and not by affectation (Ps 25:6,7).
One washes the practical powers of the soul, called hands tropically, in innocence, doing nothing trivial but something significant in them. Perhaps also the one who stains them in the work of evils washes and cleanses them, using good works instead of water. Having become outside of all the aforementioned evils and having washed my hands in innocence, I shall surround with the justice of an innocent priest the spiritual altar of the Lord, upon which someone offers up spiritual sacrifices, namely the pure prayers or the lawful acts. To have heard the voice of angels, souls, and spirits of the righteous praising you, to have become around the altar, to have washed my hands in innocence and to have abstained from all those leading astray, but also to perform the narrating of all your wonders in a vast and paradoxical way (Ps 25:8,9).
He who loves the Lord from his whole soul and all the things of God, to whom also the decency of his house belongs, loves; and the decency of God's house is the truth of the dogmas and the command of the canons of the church, being considered his house. Toward these...
And he says that even the tabernacle of the glory of God is loved. Perhaps the tent of witness which Moses constructed in the wilderness is the tabernacle of the glory of God; this is a symbol of progress. But that which Solomon built after the journey to Jerusalem is the temple, bearing a type of the beauty of perfection.
However, he does not wish for the ungodly to possess it, lest his soul be destroyed along with them; for one possessing a pious intention will not be persuaded by this. He also exhorts one not to become a murderer, so that his life may not be destroyed along with men of blood; for in the practice of these things there is injustice and total wickedness.
Even if he is conscious of the most beautiful things foretold to him, fearing to sin, he is not justified by this alone, through many hidden sins; he deserves to be redeemed and to receive mercy (Ps 25:11b). God our Savior is the one rescuing us from sins and from death, and a light that dissolves the darkness of wickedness and ignorance, and illuminating with the light of knowledge (Ps 26:1bc). He who has thus been united and enlightened by the Lord, whom shall he fear? For no one is able to harm such good ones who have attained security. The Lord is the defender of my life; from whom shall I dread? (Ps 26:3,4). These things shall be said, and concerning perceptible enemies and concerning a phalanx of invisible enemies; for if he says, 'war rises up against me,' in this heart which does not fear them, I hope, having become bold, in a God who fights for me. It is also requested and sought to dwell in the house of the Lord, that is, in the church, through thinking on ecclesiastical matters all the days of his enlightened life. 'One thing I asked, which I sought: to dwell on earth, even if I should find many good things, I beseech you, before all things I asked this one thing, to dwell in the house of the Lord (Ps 27:2) in order, and not in confusion, in all the good things that become one;' perhaps the 'One thing I asked' is to be heard as the exceptional or the great. Since he also says in the beforehand that he has loved the beauty...
Greek
ἐλπίζων οὐ μὴ ἀσθενήσω· ο σον περιέχομαι τῆς πρὸς θεὸν ἐλπίδος, ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἐνδυναμούμενος οὐκ ἀσθενήσω. φέρεται γραφὴ λέγουσα· Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ. καὶ διὰ ταύτης ου ν δηλοῦται· ἐπεὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡ πρὸς θεὸν ε δραν μοι βεβαίαν καὶ ἀμετακίνητον παρέχει, ̓Ελπίζων ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ. 231 Ps 25,2 ̓Επεὶ οὐχ ὁ ἑαυτὸν συνιστάνων δόκιμός ἐστιν ἀλλ' ο ν ὁ κύριος συνίστησιν, μαρτυρήσας ἑαυτῷ τὸ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ πεπορεῦσθαι καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀσθενῆσαι βούλεται ὑπὸ κυρίου δοκιμασθῆναι καὶ πειρασθῆναι μὲν δι' ἀγώνων, ι να ἀναφανῇ δίκαιος, πειρασθῇ δὲ ο πως πεῖραν δεδωκὼς καρτερίας ε χῃ τὸ δόκιμον. Καὶ πρότερον η δη ὡς ἀναλογίαν ἐχόντων τῶν νεφρῶν πρὸς τὴν καρδίαν ει ρηται. πυρωθῆναι ου ν ἑκάτερα ταῦτα ἀξιοῖ δι' ἐπιπόνου ἀγωγῆς, ι να ὡς χρυσὸς δόκιμος ἀναδειχθῇ. 232 Ps 25,3 Οὐκ α ν ἠξίωσα παθεῖν τὰ προειρημένα ἐπίπονα, εἰ μὴ κατανενοήκειν τὸν ε λεόν σου 58 συμβαλούμενόν μοι εἰς τὸ ἐνεγκεῖν αὐτά. ὁ ε λεος σοῦ ὁ τεθεωρημένος μοι τῷ κατέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου ει ναι συνεργεῖ πρὸς τὸ εὐαρεστῆσαι ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου· κατὰ ἀλήθειαν γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἐπιπλάστως εὐαρεστεῖν ποιεῖ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλεημοσύνη. 233 Ps 25,6.7 Τὰς πρακτικὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις χεῖρας τροπικῶς καλουμένας ἐν ἀθῴοις νίπτεταί τις οὐδὲν φαῦλον ἀλλ' ει τι σπουδαῖον ἐνεργῶν ἐν αὐταῖς. τάχα δὲ καὶ ὁ μολύνας αὐτὰς ἐν ἐργασίᾳ πονηρῶν νίπτεται καὶ ἀποπλύνει αὐτὰς ἀνθ' υ δατος χρώμενος τῇ ἀγαθοεργίᾳ. ̔Ο πάντων τῶν προειρημένων βλαβερῶν ἐκτὸς γεγονὼς καὶ νιψάμενος ἐν ἀθῴοις τὰς χεῖρας δίκην ἀθῴου ἱερέως κυκλώσει τὸ πνευματικὸν θυσιαστήριον τοῦ κυρίου, ἐφ' ο τὰς πνευματικὰς θυσίας τις ἀναβιβάζει η τοι τὰς καθαρὰς εὐχὰς η τὰς νομίμους πράξεις. Τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν αἰνούντων σε ἀγγέλων καὶ ψυχῶν καὶ πνευμάτων δικαίων φωνὴν η περικύκλῳ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου γεγένημαι η ἐνιψάμην ἐν ἀθῴοις τὰς χεῖράς μου καὶ πάντων τῶν προαγόντων ἀπεσχόμην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ∆ιηγήσασθαι πάντα τὰ θαυμάσιά σου α τεραστίως καὶ παραδόξως ἐπιτελεῖς. 234 Ps 25,8.9 ̔Ο τὸν κύριον ἐξ ο λης ψυχῆς ἀγαπῶν καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πάντα, ω ν ε ν καὶ ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ οι κου αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει, ἀγαπᾷ· εὐπρέπεια δὲ τοῦ οι κου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ τῶν δογμάτων ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ διαταγὴ τῶν κανόνων τῆς ἐκκλησίας οι κου νοουμένης. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὸ σκήνωμα τῆς δόξης τοῦ οι κου τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαπᾶν φησιν. καὶ τάχα μὲν ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου η ν Μωυσῆς κατεσκεύασεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ σκήνωμα τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν· σύμβολον δὲ προκοπῆς τοῦτο. ο ν δὲ ᾠκοδόμησεν Σολομῶν μετὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν εἰς τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ οι κός ἐστιν ου τὴν εὐπρέπειαν ἀγαπᾷ τελειότητος τύπον φέρων. Ευ χεται δὲ μὴ ὡσαύτως τοῖς ἀσεβέσι διαθεῖναι, ι να μὴ συναπόληται αὐτοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ· εὐσεβῆ γάρ τις γνώμην ε χων οὐ πείσεται τοῦτο. παρακαλεῖ δὲ μηδὲ φονικὸς γενέσθαι, ο πως ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ἀνδράσιν αἱμάτων μὴ συναπόληται· ἐν πράξεσιν γὰρ τούτων ἀδικία ἐστὶν ἡ καθόλου κακία. 235 Ps 25,11b Εἰ καὶ τὰ κάλλιστα συνειδὼς αὐτῷ τὰ προειρημένα ει πεν, εὐλαβούμενος μὴ οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωται λανθανόντων πολλάκις τῶν ἐν κρυπτῷ ἁμαρτημάτων, λυτρωθῆναι καὶ ἐλεηθῆναι ἀξιοῖ. 236 Ps 26,1bc Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ὁ θεός ἐστιν ῥυόμενος ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ τοῦ θανάτου, φωτισμὸς δὲ λύων τὴν ἀχλὺν τῆς κακίας καὶ τῆς ἀγνοίας καὶ ἐναυγάζων τῷ φωτὶ τῆς γνώσεως. ὁ ου τως ου ν ἑνωθεὶς καὶ πεφωτισμένος ὑπὸ κυρίου, Τίνα φοβηθήσεται; οὐδεὶς γὰρ οι ός τέ ἐστι βλάψαι τὸν ἀγαθῶν τοιούτων καὶ ἀσφαλείας τετυχηκότα. Κύριος ὑπερασπιστὴς τῆς ζωῆς μου· ἀπὸ τίνος δειλιάσω; θεοῦ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ζωῇ ὑπερμαχοῦντος τῆς ζωῆς ̓Απὸ τίνος δειλιάσω; τὸ ̓Απὸ τίνος ἐξευτελισμὸν δηλοῖ τοῦ ἐπανιστανομένου κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὑπὸ θεοῦ φρουρουμένου· Εἰ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς ὁ καθ' ἡμῶν; 237 Ps 26,3.4 ̔Ρηθείη ταῦτα καὶ περὶ αἰσθητῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ περὶ φάλαγγος ἀοράτων πολεμίων· ̓Εὰν γάρ φησιν ἐπαναστῇ ἐπ' ἐμὲ πόλεμος, ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μὴ φοβουμένῃ αὐτοὺς καρδίᾳ μου ἐλπίζω, ὑπέρμαχον θεὸν ε χειν θαρρήσας. Εστιν ο αἰτεῖται καὶ ἐκζητεῖ τὸ Κατοικεῖν ἐν οι κῳ κυρίου, τουτέστιν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ διὰ τοῦ φρονεῖν τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικὰ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς πεφωτισμένης ζωῆς ἑαυτοῦ. δύναται δὲ τὸ Μίαν ᾐτησάμην ου τως ἀκουσθῆναι· ἐπὶ γῆς τέως διατρίβων, εἰ καὶ πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν τυχεῖν παρακαλῶ, πρὸ πάντων ταύτην ᾐτησάμην τὴν αι τησιν, τὸ ̓Εν οι κῳ κυρίου κατοικεῖν τῷ κατὰ τάξιν καὶ μὴ ἀθρόως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς οι όν τε γενέσθαι· η τάχα προσυπακουστέον τῷ Μίαν ᾐτησάμην τὸ ἐξαίρετον η μεγάλην. ̓Επεὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ε μπροσθέν φησιν ἠγαπηκέναι τὴν εὐπρέπειαν
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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