The misuse of the Word and the judgment of the unfaithful
Being cast down from the existence of the ages. But it is necessary to hear from the ages how the creatures are being diminished. And the Savior is eternal, being from eternity, before the ages, so that even the ages themselves have come to be through him. And Paul says, 'And he himself is before all things' (2 Cor 5:19). The one existing is the same as the one before all things; for it is not that he has come to be before all things. And regarding the Savior, 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58), not 'I was' or 'I have been', but 'I am'.
Regarding sins, some are difficult and incurable, others are curable (Ps 54:20). Concerning the curable, there is found an exchange: the sacrifice brought up for sins, but also almsgiving and fasting with prayer (for these things rescue from death). But for the incurable of those who have sinned, there is no exchange to lay down as a ransom and a savior. For if a man sins against a man and they pray for him, there is an exchange for these; but if he sins against the Lord God, who will pray for him? For there is no exchange for such things.
He stretched out his hand to repay those who worked what was deserved (Ps 54:21). Since traitors and murderers of Christ have become unchangeable and madmen, they are worthy to fall under punishment as those who failed. They were captured by the Romans so that they might be stripped of their manhood and driven out of the nurtured land which they had never belonged to any other. Nor were they accepted back to their fatherland. For they profaned the covenant of God, not only by not adhering to it but also by rejecting the one prophesied under it. Perhaps also, even though the covenant was destined to be kept according to the sensible until the time came when it had to pass from the one according to the flesh to the one according to the spirit, by remaining in the typical worship, they profaned his covenant. Therefore, also, stretching out his punishing hand, he repaid them so that his wrath might reach them to the end, by which they were divided, no longer gathered together in his land, but scattered in every land. These things the wrath of the face of God brought upon them, since when his face shone and appeared, they did not receive it (Ps 54:22). For they were considered to be smooth and without fault because of their hypocrisy...
To seek out missiles like destructive ones and full of gall. For those interpreting even concerning God do not do so correctly; God has drawn near to their own heart, coming down with men, bringing forth words like oil being poured out and loosening the pains of those who suffer. But for those who despise them, the words concerning oil are found to be missiles, striking those who despise them. Often, regarding the striking, there is the metaphor of the arrow, and arrow and missile are the same according to the subject.
Regarding Psalm 54:24a, God does not give a stable place to the righteous, but those who have profaned his covenant he casts into a pit of destruction, contrary to the wells from which the Word protects life and incorruption from drinking. Perhaps 'pit of destruction' means the abyss into which those having been corrupted in their mind are brought down by his vote and are handed over by his judgment.
Regarding Psalm 54:24b–d, He does not wish that the Jews, who exist from before the ages, should be humbled by God. For they fell against the will of the Only-begotten, not fearing God but also profaning his covenant. And he says 'men of blood' concerning those saying, 'His blood is upon us and upon our children,' being guilty of all the blood of the righteous poured out upon the earth. And they themselves are men of guile, always approaching the Savior and the saints deceitfully. He does not wish that for these, even for half of their days, they should overtake death. For after they turned away from the day consisting for themselves from the brightness of the true light, having conceived a day of illumination through mythical traditions, it is evil that in this their days be filled; he intercedes that, in the intervening of their days, lest they should reach even half of their days, the sun of righteousness should set for them, so that they might become in the day of the Lord. And regarding the word 'let him force such things'; since in life the impious, dwelling in unrepentant resolve, do many evils, fearing them, it is worthy that, as human life is in the middle, they snatch away life so that for a few sins and not many they might be punished. Of these, he says, not being divided, 'I lay my expectation and hope upon you, O Lord.'
Greek
ὑπάρξεως τῶν αἰώνων καταβαλλόμενος. δεῖ δὲ Τῶν αἰώνων ἀκούειν ὡς παρεκτάσεων οὐσῶν τῶν κτισμάτων. Καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δὲ ἀΐδιος ἐξ ἀϊδίου τυγχάνων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐστὶν τῷ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς αἰῶνας δι' αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι. καὶ Παῦλος δὲ Καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν, φησί, πρὸ πάντων· ι σον δὲ τὸ ̔Υπάρχων τὸ αὐτό ἐστι Πρὸ πάντων· οὐ γὰρ ει πεν Καὶ αὐτὸς γέγονε πρὸ πάντων. καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ Πρὶν ̓Αβραὰμ γενέσθαι οὐκ ει πεν ἐγὼ η μην ἀλλ' ἐγώ εἰμι. 579 Ps 54,20δ Τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ μὲν δυσίατα η καὶ ἀνίατα, τὰ δὲ ἰάσιμα. καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν ἰασίμων ε στιν ἀντάλλαγμα εὑρεῖν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσαγομένην θυσίαν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ νηστείαν μετὰ προσευχῆς (ταῦτα γὰρ ῥύεται ἐκ θανάτου), τῶν δὲ ἀνίατα ἡμαρτηκότων οὐκ ε στιν ἀντάλλαγμα λύτρον καὶ σῶστρον καταθέσθαι. ἐὰν γὰρ ἁμαρτῶν ἁμάρτῃ ἀνὴρ εἰς α νδρα καὶ προσεύξωνται περὶ αὐτοῦ, ε στι τούτων ἀντάλλαγμα· ἐὰν δὲ εἰς κύριον τὸν θεόν, τίς προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ; οὐκ ε στι γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ἀντάλλαγμα. 580 Ps 54,21.22a ̓Εξέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἀποδιδόναι τὰ ἀντάξια ω ν εἰργάσαντο. ἐπεὶ γὰρ προδόται καὶ φονεῖς Χριστοῦ γεγένηνται ἀκατάλλακτα ἠνομηκότες, α ξιοι ὑποπεσεῖν τιμωρίᾳ ω φθησαν. ἑάλωσαν ου ν ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίων ὡς ἐξανδραποδισθῆναι καὶ τῆς θρεψαμένης χώρας ἐξωσθῆναι ο οὐπώποτε α λλῳ ε θνει γεγένηται. ου τοι δ' α ν ἐπάνακτοι τῆς πατρίδος ἀπερρίφησαν. ̓Εβεβήλωσαν γὰρ τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐ προσηκάμενοι ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναιρήσαντες τὸν ὑπ' αὐτῆς προφητευόμενον. τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐπεὶ μέχρι καιροῦ ω ριστο τηρεῖσθαι κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἡ διαθήκη, πληρωθέντος τοῦ χρόνου καθ' ο ν ε δει ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ἐπὶ τὸ κατὰ πνεῦμα αὐτὴν μεταβαλεῖν, ἐμμείναντες τῇ τυπικῇ λατρείᾳ ̓Εβεβήλωσαν τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ. διὸ καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα τὴν κολαστικὴν ἀπέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὡς φθάσαι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ εἰς τέλος ὑφ' η ς καὶ διεμερίσθησαν οὐκέτι ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ χώρᾳ συστρεφόμενοι ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ ε θνει ἐσκορπισμένοι. ταῦτα δ' αὐτοῖς προυξένησεν ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ ἐπιλάμψαντος καὶ ἐπιφανέντος τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐδέξαντο. 581 Ps 54,22b–δ ̓Απαλοὶ γὰρ νομιζόμενοι ει ναι καὶ λεῖοι διὰ τὸ μεθ' ὑποκρίσεως αὐτοὺς προφέρεσθαι βολίδες η σαν ἀναιρετικαὶ καὶ ἰοῦ πλήρεις. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ καὶ περὶ θεοῦ ἑρμηνεύοντες ου τως· τὴν καρδίαν ἑαυτοῦ θεὸς η γγισεν συγκαταβαίνων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις λόγους τε προφέρων ἐλαίου δίκην ἰωμένους καὶ λύοντας τὰς ἀλγηδόνας τῶν καμνόντων. ου τοι δὲ οἱ ὑπὲρ ε λαιον ἀπαλοὶ λόγοι τοῖς καταφρονοῦσιν αὐτῶν εὑρίσκονται βολίδες, κολάζοντες τοὺς καταφρονοῦντας. πολλαχοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κολάσεων κεῖται ἡ βέλους προσηγορία, βέλος δὲ καὶ βολὶς ταὐτὸν καθ' ὑποκείμενον. 582a Ps 54,24a Τῷ δικαίῳ οὐ διδοὺς σάλον ὁ θεὸς τοὺς βεβηλώσαντες τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ κατάξει εἰς φρέαρ διαφθορᾶς, ἐναντίως ε χον τοῖς φρέασιν ἀφ' ω ν πίνειν ζωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν προστάττει ὁ λόγος. η τάχα Φρέαρ διαφθορᾶς τὸν ᾳ δην λέγει εἰς ο ν οἱ διαφθαρέντες τὴν γνώμην κατάγονται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ψήφῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ κρίσει παραδιδόμενοι. 583 Ps 54,24b–d Ου ς ευ χεται ταπεινωθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑπάρχοντος πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους ει ναι νοήσομεν. ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ τῷ θελήματι ἀντέπιπτον τοῦ μονογενοῦς, οὐ φοβηθέντες τὸν θεὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ βεβηλώσαντες τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ. α νδρας δὲ αἱμάτων λέγει τοὺς εἰπόντας Τὸ αι μα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν, ο ντας καὶ ἐνόχους παντὸς αι ματος 108 ἐκκεχυμένου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τῶν δικαίων. οἱ δ' αὐτοὶ καὶ δολιότητός εἰσιν α νδρες, δολερῶς ἀεὶ τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις προσερχόμενοι. Τούτους ου ν ευ χεται μηδ' ἐπὶ τὸ η μισυ τῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτῶν φθάσαι. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἀποστραφέντες τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐκ τῆς λάμψεως τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς συνισταμένην ἑαυτοῖς ἡμέραν δῆθεν φωτισμοῦ διὰ μυθικῶν παραδόσεων ἐπενόησαν, πονηρὸν δὲ τὸ ἐν τούτοις ἀναπληρωθῆναι αὐτῶν τὰς ἡμέρας παρακαλεῖ, μεσολαβηθεισῶν τῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτῶν μήποτε ἐπὶ τὸ η μισυ αὐτῶν τῶν ἡμερῶν φθάσασιν ἀνατεῖλαι αὐτοῖς τὸν η λιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης ι να ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κυρίου γένωνται. Καὶ πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν δὲ βιάσοιτό τις τοιαῦτα· ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς διαμένοντες ἀμετανοήτῳ προαιρέσει πολλὰ κακὰ δρῶσιν, φειδόμενος αὐτῶν ἀξιοῖ ο πως μεσούσης τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ζωῆς ἁρπαγῶσι τοῦ βίου ι να ὑπὲρ ὀλίγων ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ μὴ πολλῶν τιμωρηθῶσιν. Τούτων, φησίν, ου τω διακειμένων, ἐγὼ τὴν προσδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα ἐπὶ σὲ ε χω, κύριε.
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.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- 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.