The Way and the Salvation of God
This is what is taken by Paul: 'I do no favors to myself, but I am not justified by this; for God sees the injustice in me, and my heart does not perceive it.' To this, who will understand the transgressions? 'Cleanse me from my secret sins' (Ps 65:20). This has happened to me, not so much because of my sinlessness, but because of His mercy, which did not depart from me, the divine mercy not withdrawing because of not asking good things, but things pleasant and sweet to men.
The Psalm (Ps 66) is not in need of much interpretation because it has a clear mind. For it proclaims the becoming-man of the Word of God, and the saving appearance, and the salvation of all the Gentiles; 'Unto the end it is written.' And since the accomplished things are not human works, it is not written in panegyrics or praises, but in hymns; for to hymn is God's, but to panegyrize through praise is of men. Therefore, pay attention, the divine hymn, being a Psalm of song, and declaring the deeds of the Savior and their greatest contemplation, is arranged not by chance but in a beautiful containing number; for the number 26 has perfection in both units and tens.
Men are filled with mercies and blessings when the face of Him shines upon those wishing to experience this (Ps 66:2). And the face of the Creator of all shines when the character of His subsistence, having become man, arrives and reveals Himself to those worthyas He says, 'I will manifest myself to him.' Since this exists, the one saying these things is an image of the invisible God; the one approaching Him with a pure mind sees the Father; for He says, 'He who has seen me has seen the Father' (John 14:9). In this way, the divine face having appeared, those being benefited are pitied and are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Your face having appeared, the way leading to You toward the Father is known (Ps 66:3). And who is this who said, 'I am the way and no one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6)? In agreement with the being known on the earth the way of God and His salvation, not...
The way of the Lord will be known among all the nations when all flesh is filled with the sight of the salvation of God. It is possible, when the way of God is made known in the land, to receive his commandments, according to 'I have run according to your commandments' (Ps 66:4).
Salvation, being in harmony with this way, is what has come to be known by all the nations and is what has come to provide. Regarding Psalm 66:4, in ancient times, a people of the Hebrews was confessing to the one saying to God, 'I am the one who blots out your sins; therefore first confess your sins (uttering them in a manner of repentance) so that you may be justified'—the holy one, bearing the face of this people, says, 'I made my lawlessness known and I did not cover my sin'. But since the arrival of the Savior, all the peoples from the believing nations, being fulfilled, are called to repentance in order to obtain the forgiveness of sins by having confessed to God. How then could it not be a willing following for all the peoples to confess, when the face of God has appeared to them?
Regarding Psalm 66:5, when the way is known in the land and the salvation of God among all the nations, the nations rejoice, having been freed from all evil and the deceit of the many-minded, as they establish moral virtue, and they exult having received the knowledge of God, having learned how the Lord will judge peoples in uprightness and will guide the nations in the land. 'Peoples' and 'nations' are used in a parallel sense: the peoples are those of the circumcision, and the nations are those from the Gentiles.
Regarding Psalm 66:6-7, for how is it not destined that all the earth, that is, the humans upon it, should be filled with praise and bear the fruit of piety, in every place offering incense and pure sacrifice among the nations, as the name of the Lord is magnified, according to what is carried forth in one of the twelve prophets?
Regarding Psalm 67:2, prayer is a word sent forth through imperative words; for instead of 'let him arise' (ἀνασταίη) and 'let them flee' (φύγοιεν), it was written (as 'let him arise' and 'let them flee' in the imperative). For this form is found most continuously in the Scriptures; I mean instead of what is said in a merely direct imperative way. It is possible to say that enemies will be scattered: those who are impious concerning the knowledge of truth, those who hate God, and those who flee from his face having practical wickedness. For if he who loves him keeps...
Greek
τοῦτο λήψῃ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ Παύλου Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι, τῷ ἐγχωρεῖν θεὸν ὁρᾶν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀδικίαν κα ν ἡ ἐμὴ καρδία μὴ θεωρεῖ αὐτήν. εἰς τοῦτο παραλήψῃ καὶ τὸ Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει; ἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με. 674a Ps 65,20 ̔Υπῆρκται δέ μοι τοῦτο, οὐ τοσοῦτον διὰ τὸ ἀναμάρτητόν μου ο σον διὰ τὸ ε λεος αὐτοῦ, ο οὐκ ἀπέστησέ μου, ἀφισταμένου τοῦ θεϊκοῦ ἐλέους ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακουομένου διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀγαθὰ αἰτεῖσθαι ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀνθρώποις φίλα τε καὶ ἡδέα. 126 675a Ps 66 αργ Ου τος ὁ ψαλμὸς σαφῆ τὴν διάνοιαν ε χει καὶ πολλῶν λόγων εἰς ἑρμηνείαν οὐ δεῖται. προκηρύττει γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν καὶ τὴν σωτήριον ἐπιφάνειαν καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων τὴν σωτηρίαν· ο θεν Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιγέγραπται. καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀνθρώπινα ε ργα τὰ κατορθωθέντα, οὐκ ἐν ἐγκωμίοις η ἐπαίνοις ἀλλ' ̓Εν υ μνοις ἐπιγέγραπται· θεοῦ γὰρ τὸ ὑμνεῖσθαι, ἀνθρώπων δὲ τὸ δι' ἐπαίνων ἐγκωμιάζεσθαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν ὁ θεῖος υ μνος Ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς τυγχάνων τῷ καὶ πράξεις δηλοῦν τοῦ σωτῆρος καὶ θεωρίαν αὐτῶν μεγίστην οὐκ ἐν τῷ τυχόντι ἀλλὰ κάλλη περιέχοντι ἀριθμῷ τέτακται· ὁ γὰρ ΞΣ τὸ τέλειος ει ναι ε χει καὶ ἐν μονάσι καὶ ἐν δεκάσιν. 676a Ps 66,2 Οἰκτιρμῶν καὶ εὐλογιῶν πληροῦνται οἱ α νθρωποι, ἐπιφαίνοντος τὸ πρόσωπον ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς τυχεῖν τούτου εὐχομένοις. ἐπιφαίνεται δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πάντων δημιουργοῦ, ο ταν ἐπιδημήσῃ ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ α νθρωπος γεγονὼς καὶ ἐμφανίσῃ ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ἀξίοις ῃ φησι περὶ τοῦ τηροῦντος τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ̓Εμφανίσω αὐτῷ ἐμαυτόν. τούτου ὑπάρξαντος ἐπεὶ εἰκών ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου ὁ ταῦτα λέγων, ὁ αὐτῷ προσβάλλων νῷ καθαρῷ ὁρᾷ τὸν πατέρα· ̔Ο ἐμὲ γάρ φησιν ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα. τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ τοῦ θεϊκοῦ προσώπου ἐπιφανέντος, οἰκτείρονται οἱ εὐεργετούμενοι καὶ εὐλογοῦνται πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ ̓Ιησοῦ. 677a Ps 66,3 ̓Επιφάναντος σοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον, γινώσκεται ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ πρὸς σὲ α γουσα τὸν πατέρα. τίς δὲ αυ τη η ὁ εἰπὼν ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ οὐδεὶς ε ρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι' ἐμοῦ; συμφώνως δὲ τῷ γνωσθῆναι ἐν τῇ γῇ τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ, οὐχ ε τερον ο ν τῆς ὁδοῦ, γνωσθήσεται ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ε θνεσιν, πληρωθέντος τοῦ Οψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ. ∆υνατὸν δὲ ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ γνωριζομένην ἐν τῇ γῇ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν, κατὰ τὸ ̔Οδὸν ἐντολῶν σου ε δραμον. σωτήριον ἁρμωνίως ταύτῃ τῇ ὁδῷ γνωσθὲν πᾶσι τοῖς ε θνεσιν ἡ σωτηρία ἐστὶν η ν ἐλήλυθε παράσχειν. 678a Ps 66,4 Πάλαι ἑνὸς λαοῦ τοῦ τῶν ̔Εβραίων ἐξομολογουμένου τῷ λέγοντι θεῷ ̓Εγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου· διὸ λέγε πρῶτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου (ἐξαγορεύων αὐτὰς μετανοίας τρόπῳ), ι να δικαιωθῇς– τούτου τοῦ λαοῦ πρόσωπον φέρων ὁ α γιος τῷ θεῷ φησι Τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγνώρισα καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μου οὐκ ἐκάλυψα· ἀφ' ου δὲ ἡ ἐπιδημία τοῦ σωτῆρος, πάντες οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐθνῶν συμπληρούμενοι λαοὶ ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν καλοῦνται ἐπὶ τῷ ἐξομολογησαμένους θεῷ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτιῶν τυχεῖν. πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἀκόλουθον εὐχαρίστως ἐξομολογεῖσθαι πάντας τοὺς λαούς, ἐπιφανέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ; 679a Ps 66,5 Γνωσθείσης τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ε θνεσιν, ἐλευθερωθέντα πάσης κακίας καὶ πολυθέου ἀπάτης τὰ ε θνη εὐφραίνεται κατορθοῦντα ἠθικὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶται λαβόντα θεοῦ γνῶσιν, μαθόντα καὶ ὡς ἐν εὐθύτητι κρινεῖ λαοὺς καὶ ὁδηγήσει ε θνη ἐν τῇ γῇ ὁ κύριος. λαοὶ δὲ καὶ ε θνη η ἐκ παραλλήλου οἱ αὐτοὶ η λαοὶ μὲν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ε θνη δὲ οἱ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν. 680a Ps 66,6.7 Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ε μελλε πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, τουτέστιν οἱ ἐπ' αὐτῆς α νθρωποι, αἰνέσεως πληροῦσθαι καὶ καρπὸν εὐσεβείας φέρειν, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ προσαγομένου θυμιάματος καὶ θυσίας καθαρᾶς ἐν τοῖς ε θνεσιν, μεγαλυνθέντος τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ κυρίου κατὰ τὸ φερόμενον ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν ΙΒ προφητῶν; 681 Ps 67,2 Προσευχή ἐστιν ἀναπεμπομένη ῥήμασι προστακτικοῖς ἐξενεχθεῖσα· ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἀνασταίη τὸ ἀναστήτω καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ φύγοιεν φυγέτωσαν ἐγράφη. συνεχέστατα γὰρ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς εὑρίσκεται τοῦτο τὸ ει δος, λέγω δὴ ἀντὶ τοῦ εὐκτικῶς προστακτικῶς λεγόμενα. ∆υνατὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν ἐχθροὺς σκορπισθησομένους τοὺς περὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀσεβοῦντας, μισοῦντας δὲ θεὸν καὶ φεύγοντας ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τοὺς περὶ πρακτικὴν κακίαν ε χοντας. εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἀγαπῶν αὐτὸν τηρεῖ 127
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.