The Danger of Listening to Sophists
For they say that it is not possible to be in my flesh, because my soul has been played with by the mockeries of the present; for the flesh, flowing and lacking self-control, is very weak, and so he who commits fornication in the body sins (Ps 37:9b,10).
From the depth of repentance, bringing forth groans through repentance, not from superficiality or pretension like the hypocrites of repentance; therefore also, daring, he says: 'To you, Lord, as truly the desire of my heart is before you' (Ps 37:9b,10); for indeed all the vile impulse is far from you and is hidden from you, but the desire of my heart, desiring to pass from wickedness into genuine virtue, possesses a good desire, which one does not find in dreams. He may also speak concerning the vile desire: since the evil desire lying within me has not eluded you, confessing concerning this I groan, as if the groan concerning it, being bold, would not be hidden from you; for it is praiseworthy to groan over evils (Ps 37:11–13).
Of my heart—that is, of my intellectual power—undergoing turmoil, my strength according to common understandings has abandoned me, but also the knowledge of the truths, the light of my eyes—that is, being the mind—is not with me; for having determined according to reason, I will not be able to conceive clearly or to think strongly. There may be strength in him saying this, and the light of his eyes is the right reason according to which it is rational. The right reason did not abandon him, and it no longer seems to be with him, the strength of the heart being called so according to the guidance of the practical sciences, and the light of the eyes according to the illuminating by the clarity of those seeing.
And he lived, he says, loving friends and neighbors, having found these standing warily and as enemies, having rushed to turn away from evil and to do the good. But also they were previously near me in relationship and disposition, from afar enemies...
One should speak thus: if anyone falls by various circumstances, he is abandoned by all those who were previously near him, both friends and neighbors, just as he is also accused by the one he formerly loved. These images are found in Job. And those who, seeking my soul harmfully and through strife, came forward and wished to surround me with violence, thought they were leading me down with coercive words as if they were proofs; but they hurried to subject me to the investigation of evils, through which vanity spoke to me. For the argument was not as a proof, but as a vain and deceptive sophistry. And the vanity through which they sophistically argue all day long, that is, through life, they practice deceit, not bringing proofs to the things, but deciding to seize the mind sophistically.
He who judges to guard himself will be deafened, not receiving vain hearing toward the deceitful and deceptive words, not wishing to have their sense from hearing (Ps 37:14-15); and much more, he would not wish to answer or to refute such words, like a senseless person. For it is said in other places that it is foolish to refute very gentle words. 'I became, he says, toward such men as if not hearing and not having reproaches in my mouth.' For there is much danger in hearing defamatory words and in conversing about proposed problems which lead to punishment. Therefore, it is blessed to be deaf to such things and to be considered as if one were not refuting them.
Since, having despised all others, I hoped in you alone, O Lord, and You being God, will hear me; having prayed, I began, O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger (Ps 37:16). For often those who associate with me, even if they sinned, bring the past deeds as insults, as if through this to hinder my repentance.
Greek
γάρ φησιν μηδὲ ι ασιν ει ναι ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου διὰ τὸ ᾐσθῆσθαι τὴν ψυχήν μου τῶν παρόντων ἐμπαιγμῶν· πάνυ γὰρ ἀσθενεῖ ἡ σὰρξ ῥέουσα καὶ μὴ σωφρονοῦσα, ο θεν καὶ ̔Ο πορνεύων εἰς τὸ ι διον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει. 378 Ps 37,9b.10 ̓Απὸ βάθους μετανοίας τοὺς ἐπὶ μετανοίᾳ στεναγμοὺς προφέρων, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς καὶ ἐπιπλάστως ὡς οἱ μετανοίας ὑποκριταί· διὸ καὶ θαρρῶν λέγει· Σοί, κύριε, ὡς α ρα ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς καρδίας μου ἐναντίον σού ἐστιν· πᾶσα μὲν γὰρ φαύλων ο ρεξις μακράν σου καὶ κέκρυπταί σε, ἡ δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας τῷ μετελθεῖν ἐκ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν γνησίαν μετάνοιαν ποθοῦσα ἀγαθὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ε χει, η τις ἐν ο ψεσιν οὐ τυγχάνει. ∆ύναται καὶ περὶ τῆς φαύλης ἐπιθυμίας λέγειν· ἐπεὶ ἡ ἐγκειμένη μοι πονηρὰ ο ρεξις οὐκ ε λαθέν σε, περὶ ταύτης ἐξομολογούμενος στενάζω, ὡς τὸν στεναγμὸν τὸν περὶ αὐτὸν εὐπαρρησίαστον ο ντα μὴ κεκρύφθαι ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἐπαινετὸν γὰρ τὸ ἐπὶ φαύλοις στένειν. 379 Ps 37,11–13 Τῆς καρδίας μου τουτέστιν τῆς διανοητικῆς μου δυνάμεως τάραχον ὑπομενούσης, ἡ ἰσχύς μου ἡ κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας ἐγκατέλιπέν με, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀληθῶν γνῶσις φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου τουτέστιν τοῦ νοῦ τυγχάνουσα 79 οὐκ ε στιν μετ' ἐμοῦ· διατεθεὶς γὰρ κατὰ τὰ α λογα οὐδ' ἐννοεῖσθαι φωτεινῶς η ἰσχυρῶς διανοεῖσθαι δυνήσομαι. ∆ύναται καὶ ἰσχὺς ει ναι τοῦ ταῦτα λέγοντος καὶ φῶς ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ ὁ ὀρθὸς λόγος καθ' ο ν ἐστιν λογικός. ου τος ου ν ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτόν, καὶ οὐκέτι ει ναι μετ' αὐτοῦ δοκεῖ, ταραχθείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς καρδίας ἰσχύος ὀνομαζομένης κατὰ τὴν τῶν πρακτικῶν ὑφήγησιν, φῶς δὲ ὀφθαλμῶν κατὰ τὸ φωτίζειν τῇ σαφηνείᾳ τῶν ὁρώντων. Καὶ ου ς δὲ ει χον, φησίν, φίλους καὶ πλησίον φιληδόνως ζῶν, τούτους πολεμικῶς ἀνθισταμένους καὶ πολεμίους ε σχον ῥέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἐκκλῖναι ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι. ου τοι δὲ καὶ Εγγιστά μου πρότερον ο ντες σχέσει καὶ διαθέσει ἀπὸ μακρόθεν πολεμίων τρόπαιον ε στησαν. ̔Ρητέον δὲ καὶ ου τως· ο τ' α ν τις περιστάσεσι περιπέσῃ, ἐγκαταλείπεται ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν πρότερον ἐγγιζόντων καὶ φίλων καὶ πλησίον ο ντων, ὡς ε σθ' ο τε καὶ κατηγορεῖν τὸν πάλαι ποθούμενον. τούτων εἰκόνας ευ ροις ἐν τῷ ̓Ιώβ. Καὶ οἱ βλαπτικῶς δὲ καὶ φιλονείκως ἐκζητεῖν τὴν ψυχήν μου προελόμενοι καὶ βίᾳ περιβαλεῖν με ἠθέλησαν, ἀναγκαστικοῖς λόγοις ὡς δῆθεν ἀποδεικτικοῖς ὑπαγαγεῖν με νομίζοντες· ἀλλὰ τὰ πρὸ τούτων λεγόμενα ἐπὶ ἐκζητήσει τῶν κακῶν οι ς ὑποβάλλειν με ε σπευδον ω φθησάν μοι ματαιότης. η κουον γὰρ οὐχ ὡς ἀποδείξεως ἀλλ' ὡς ματαίας καὶ ἀπατηλῆς σοφιστείας. ματαιότητα δὲ δι' ω ν σοφίζονται φθεγγόμενοι δι' ο λης ἡμέρας, τουτέστι διὰ βίου, δολιότητα μελετῶσιν ου τε ἀποδείξεις τότε τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπιφέροντες ἀλλὰ καὶ σοφιστικῶς συναρπάζειν κρίναντες. 380 Ps 37,14.15 ̔Ο κρίνας φυλάττειν τὸ Οὐ παραδέξῃ ἀκοὴν ματαίαν πρὸς τοὺς δολίους καὶ ἀπατηλοὺς λόγους κεκώφωται οὐδ' αι σθησιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐξ ἀκοῆς ε χειν βουλόμενος· πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ἀλάλου δίκην οὐδ' ἀποκρίνεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους η ἐλέγχειν αὐτοὺς βουληθείη· ει ρηται γὰρ ἐν α λλοις ἠλιθίου ει ναι τὸ ἐξελέγχειν τοὺς λίαν εὐήθεις λόγους. ̓Εγενόμην ου ν, φησίν, πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους ἀνθρώπους ὡς οὐκ ἀκούων οὐδ' ε χων ἐν στόματί μου ἐλεγμούς· κίνδυνον γὰρ ε χει πολλάκις τὸ δυσφήμων λόγων ἀκούειν καὶ τὸ διαλέγεσθαι περὶ προβλημάτων ὑποκειμένων κολάσει. διὸ μακάριον κεκωφῶσθαι πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ νομίζεσθαι μὴ οι όν τε ει ναι αὐτὰ ἐλέγχειν. 381 Ps 37,16 ̓Επεὶ πάντων τῶν α λλων καταφρονήσας η λπισα ἐπὶ μόνῳ σοί, ω κύριε, τυγχάνων μου καὶ θεὸς Σὺ εἰσακούσῃ, ῳ εὐξάμενος ει πον ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με. πολλάκις γὰρ οἱ συνόντες μοι, ο τε ἡμάρτανον, ἀλητήριοι δαίμονες ὀνειδίζουσι τὰ προπεπραγμένα εἰς μέσον φέροντες, ὡς διὰ τούτου ἐμποδίσαι τὴν μετάνοιάν μου
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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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