The Prayer of the Righteous and the Judgment of God
He has the knowledge of the hiding of all things (Ps 52:4). And from the present word we learn that sin consists in a transgression of the law by one who follows, if he is by nature evil. For all have turned aside; and this turning aside is sin, a failure not of the straight way. And those who turned aside were useless; saying it is useless, either according to the dominance of passions or according to the ignorance of one who, not thinking, is swept away into other things, does not have the knowledge of one thing. Of all those turning aside, it is rightly said, 'He does not do good' (Ps 52:5). According to each of the aforementioned, the 'until one' limit shows that neither is there one doing good, nor one not doing good.
Since wisdom will not enter a craftless soul, it must be known through divine knowledge. For it is not to be read according to a walk but according to a decision (Ps 52:6). There they will fear a fear that no fear can be brought up to the coming age; in that, fleeing from pain and sighing and grief, one must have courage. In this, not being in a state of fear, those approaching the things by which they will be punished will fear. Therefore, they will fear what God revealed there regarding those who became hypocrites, having the aim of pleasing men, scattering their bones, the doctrines and conveniences of laziness and greed, and the impulses of a vile soul. For if even there they were thought to be pleasing to men, deceiving them, but being nullified by God as if they were nothing, they were shamed. And perhaps those doing evil will encounter the previously spoken-of punishments. But those hypocritically acting the part of virtue will not be tried by another punishment, their hypocrisy having been exposed; for he who does almsgiving to be glorified by men will not be punished by fire or anything of that kind (for he did not show mercy), but will be shamed, having been shown to have shared in the poverty of existing things not through God but through men (Ps 52:7). For sin is that which takes captive those who do it. But the forgiveness of sins being given as a gift, the Lord rejoices.
Israel and Jacob rejoice with those rejoicing in the heavens, similarly with one sinner repenting. Christ is the power of the Father. Since He judges the hidden things of men, He entreats that they be handed over for examination not to other judges, but by the power of the good God; for those, seeking forgiveness for those they passed over, will have vengeance happen against those who do the same thing in vain.
It is necessary that his prayer become well-pleasing and that he receive the things for which he prayed. But also, having become near to God through good works, 'Enlighten with the words of my mouth' (Ps 52:9). For no one, uttering a word that is idle, shameful, or some other evil, wants God to enlighten his words, but only everyone speaking the true and pious.
He says that those having an opposing disposition to the earnest ones are strangers, and the wicked demons are strong. And he says: because they did not set God before them, turning away from Him and having given their backs to Him, they rose up against the righteous and sought his soul.
He confesses God as a helper, perhaps the Father and Lord sustaining his soul, so that He might somehow turn the Son; 'He will turn the evils toward my enemies; for they desire to bring evil upon me' (Ps 53:6), these things He turns toward them, this being judged by the Lord in this way. 'Do to him as he has done to his neighbor' (Ps 55:23) agrees with this. And the truth of God, reproving those who are liars, destroys them if they are such; for they are not to be refuted at all, but rather they are such as the holy one prays.
Having these things happened, coming to thanksgiving with a self-willed mind, 'I will offer to You a voluntary sacrifice, not by necessity or force, but by a self-commanded readiness' (Ps 54:6). Lifting up a prayer to God, he entreats Him to draw near to him so that He may receive the prayer which he has brought forward through his trials. For He is near to the one saying, 'to receive the word.' And since I entreat, I do not take courage from another that the things lacking me will be replenished from You; do not despise the plea for which I entreat You. Give to me, from those lifting up holy hands without anger and...
Greek
βλέψεως τοῦ πάντων κρυπτοῦ γνῶσιν ε χει. 562 Ps 52,4 Καὶ ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης λέξεως μανθάνομεν κατὰ παράβασιν νόμου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν συνίστασθαι ῳ ἀκολουθεῖ μὴ ει ναί τινα φύσει πονηρόν· Πάντες γὰρ ἐξέκλιναν· αυ τη δὲ ἡ ε κκλισις ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, ἀποτυχία ου σα τῆς εὐθείας ὁδοῦ. α μα δὲ καὶ ἠχρειώθησαν οἱ ἐκκλίνοντες· ἀχρεῖον λέγων η κατὰ τὴν ἐπικράτησιν τῶν παθῶν η τὴν α γνοιαν τοῦ μὴ νοοῦντος συγχεομένου τῷ μετιέναι ἐξ ἑτέρων εἰς ε τερα πράγματα, τῷ μὴ κεκρατηκέναι ἑνὸς ου τὴν ἐπιστήμην ε χει. Πάντων ου ν ἐκκλινόντων, εἰκότως ει ρηται τὸ Οὐκ ε στι 104 ποιῶν ἀγαθόν. καθ' ἑκάτερον τῶν προειρημένων τὸ Εως ἑνὸς προσκείμενον δηλοῖ η τοι μηδὲ ε να ει ναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιοῦντα η τὸν μηδὲ ε ν ἀγαθὸν ποιοῦντα. 563 Ps 52,5a ̓Επεὶ εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία, οὐ γνώσονται α δεῖ εἰδέναι κατὰ θείαν γνῶσιν. οὐ γὰρ κατὰ πεῦσιν ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀπόφασιν ἀναγνωστέον. 564 Ps 52,6 Τὸ ̓Εκεῖ φοβηθήσονται φόβον ου οὐκ η ν φόβος δύναται ἀναφέρεσθαι εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα· ε νθα ἀποδράσης ὀδύνης καὶ στεναγμοῦ καὶ λύπης ε δει θάρσος ε χειν. ἐν τούτῳ ου ν τῷ καταστήματι οὐκ ο ντος φόβου, φοβηθήσονται οἱ ἐπιφερόμενοι τὰ ἐφ' οι ς κολασθήσονται. διὰ τοῦτο δὲ φοβηθήσονται ο τι τοὺς ὑποκριτὰς γενομένους ἐνταῦθα καὶ σκοπὸν ε χοντας ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσαι ἐφανέρωσεν ἐκεῖ ὁ θεὸς σκορπίσας αὐτῶν τὰ ὀστᾶ δόγματα καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα μοχθηρίας καὶ οἰήσεως ε κγονα καὶ φαύλης ψυχῆς ἐνθυμήσεις ο ντα. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ε δοξαν ει ναί τι ἀνθρώποις οι ς η ρεσκον, ἀπατῶντες ἀλλά γε ἐξουδενωθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς οὐκ ο ντες τι κατῃσχύνθησαν. καὶ τάχα οἱ τὴν κακίαν ἐνεργοῦντες καὶ ταῖς προαναφωνηθείσαις κολάσεσι περιτεύξονται. οἱ δ' ἀνθρωπαρέσκως ὑποκρινόμενοι τὴν ἀρετὴν κολάσεως α λλης οὐ πειραθήσονται, διελεγχθείσης αὐτῶν τῆς ὑποκρίσεως· οι ον ὁ ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνην πρὸς τὸ δοξασθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ κολασθήσεται ὑπὸ πυρὸς η α λλου τινὸς τοιούτου (ἠλέησε γάρ), καταισχυνθήσεται δὲ ἀποδειχθεὶς μὴ διὰ θεὸν ἀλλὰ δι' ἀνθρώπους κοινωνήσας τῶν ὑπαρχόντων πένησιν. 565 Ps 52,7 ̔Η γὰρ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ αἰχμαλωτίζουσα τοὺς ποιοῦντας αὐτήν. ἀφέσεως δὲ ἁμαρτημάτων δωρουμένης εὐφραίνεται ὁ ̓Ισραὴλ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶται ὁ ̓Ιακὼβ τοῖς χαίρουσιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς παραπλησίως ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. 566 Ps 53,3b ∆ύναμις τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ Χριστός. ου τος δὲ κρινεῖ τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, παρακαλεῖ δὲ μὴ α λλοις κριταῖς ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θεοῦ εἰς ἐξέτασιν παραδοθῆναι· οι δε γάρ, συγγνώμης τευξόμενος ἐφ' οι ς παρεῖδεν, ἐκδικίαν δὲ γενησομένην κατὰ τῶν αὐτὸν πορθούντων ματαίως. 567 Ps 53,4 ∆έεται ο πως εὐπρόσδεκτος ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτοῦ γενήσηται καὶ ι να λάβῃ τὰ περὶ ω ν ηυ ξατο. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἐγγὺς θεοῦ διὰ καλῶν ε ργων γεγενημένος ̓Ενώτισαι ε φη τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀργὸν προφερόμενος ῥῆμα η αἰσχρὸν η ε τερόν τι κακὸν φθεγγόμενος θέλει τὸν θεὸν ἐνωτίσασθαι αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα ἀλλὰ μόνος καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀληθῆ καὶ εὐσεβῆ λαλῶν. 568 Ps 53,5 ̓Αλλοτρίους φησὶ τοὺς ἐναντίαν προαίρεσιν τοῖς σπουδαίοις ε χοντας, κραταιοὺς δὲ τοῦς πονηροὺς δαίμονας. καὶ φησίν· ἐπεὶ οὐ προέθεντο τὸν θεὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ἀποστραφέντες αὐτὸν καὶ νῶτα αὐτῷ δεδωκότες, ἐπανέστησαν τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ ἐζήτησαν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. 569 Ps 53,6.7 Θεὸν βοηθὸν ε χειν ὁμολογεῖ, τάχα τὸν πατέρα καὶ κύριον ἀντιλαμβανόμενον τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ι να ει πῃ τὸν υἱὸν ο ς ̓Αποστρέψει τὰ κακὰ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου· α γὰρ ἐπαγαγεῖν μοι βεβούληνται κακωτικά, ταῦτα πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀποστρέφει, τοῦτο τοῦ κυρίου κρίναντος ου τω. συνᾴδει τούτῳ τὸ Ποιήσατε αὐτῷ ο ν τρόπον ἐπονηρεύσατο ποιῆσαι τῷ πλησίῳ. καὶ τοὺς δὲ ψεύστας ο ντας διελέγχουσα ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλήθεια ὀλοθρεύει εἰ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἀναιρεθῆναι καθάπαξ αὐτοὺς ἀλλ' ῃ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν ὁ α γιος ευ χεται. 570 Ps 53,8a Τούτων δὲ συμβεβηκότων αὐθαιρέτῳ γνώμῃ ἐπ' εὐχαριστίαν ἐρχόμενος ̔Εκουσίως θύσω σοι, οὐκ ἀνάγκης η βίας εἰς τοῦτο καλούσης ἀλλ' αὐτοκελεύστου προθυμίας. 571 Ps 54,2.3a Προσευχὴν ἀναφέρων θεῷ παρακαλεῖ αὐτὸν ἐγγίσαι αὐτῷ ο πως εἰς τὰ ι δια ω τα δέξηται η ν προσαγήοχεν προσευχήν. ἐνωτίζεται γὰρ ὁ ἐγγὺς ω ν τοῦ λέγοντος, εἰς τὰ ω τα δεχόμενος τὸν λόγον. καὶ ἐπεὶ δέομαι ω ν οὐκ α λλοθεν θαρρῶ τὰ λείποντά μοι ἀναπληρωθῆναι η ἐκ σοῦ, μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν ὑπὲρ 105 ω ν δέομαι παράκλησιν. πρόσχες δέ μοι ἐπαίροντι ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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