Angelic Protection and Spiritual Warfare
He was scourged while being led to the cross, fulfilling what was foretold through the prophet about himself: 'I gave my back to lashes' (Ps 38:7).
Therefore, of the race of evils, the second kind—which applies indiscriminately to the excellent and the vile—does not approach the one who makes the Most High his refuge. For, clinging to Him and becoming a partaker of the good things, it is said: 'But for me, to cling to God is good.' For this good thing, possessing it, is a cessation from opposing evils, conquering evil through the good and thus doing the good. He who is fulfilled in goodness, in doing and working the good, is not a partaker of true evils.
But since the aforementioned evils do not approach the one who makes the Most High his refuge, neither does the scourge brought upon them approach his dwelling, since he is not a sinner; for only the sinner is scourged in this way. For many are the lashes of the sinner; and it has been said to us in other places that the same circumstances are lashes to the sinners, but contests to the righteous. Never do the burdensome and evil things come upon the pious as a scourge, but as a testing, just as it happened to Job, that the righteous might be revealed (Job 5:7). And also it is said: 'No evil shall come near you' (Ps 90:10). For the nature of wickedness comes from without, having the pretext of virtue; for God made man upright, who, having sought evil thoughts, drew wickedness from without.
These words, spoken as if concerning the Savior, the devil took, as it is carried in the Gospel; but the Psalm is said from the perspective of every righteous person being helped and covered by the Most High, being the God of heaven (Ps 90:11-12). And even if it is said concerning Christ, it is manifest that he is not God but is a man; for all things concerning him are announced to him as a man, and this will also apply to every holy person who imitates him and follows him. And these things continue until now.
Let us also see the intention of these words. God gives a command to his angels, that they may guard and protect the righteous, who are ministering spirits sent for service for those about to inherit salvation (Heb 1:14).
Do not worry, for angels intervene around those who fear Him, to rescue them from unseen enemies and foes. Indeed, do not worry, even Jacob the patriarch, when about to face greatest enemies, sees the intervention of God being fulfilled by angels fighting for him, and thus he thanks: 'For God is the one nourishing me from my youth, the angel who rescues me from all my evils.' Likewise also Elisha saw a multitude of angels surrounding him, seen by him, but not by his servant; thus he prays for the eyes of the child to be revealed to see what is greater than those fighting against them.
Having received a command from the Lord, the angels guard the diligent from all deeds and activities, and they lift him up so that his ways may not stumble on a stone (these are the angelic energies) so that the foot of his soul may not trip on a stone. For he who is carried by angels meets the blessing of that which is said: 'He shall not stumble at any stone' (Ps 90:13). For when the light of the true one has risen and the intelligent day has dawned, he who walks in this day will not stumble on what the light sees. But the stone upon which those not lifted up by angels stumble is foolishness and most hard sin. And they also stumble upon the cornerstone, an elect one, through unfaithfulness, as if it were a stone of stumbling to them.
Four signifies opposing powers, through the four names of the fallen and cast-out animals. And Paul, surpassing the struggle against flesh and blood, wages struggles against four opposing unseen powers: against principalities, against authorities, against the rulers of the darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil (Eph 6:12). And he who now praises excellence, riding on a shield and a basilisk, having received authority from Jesus to tread upon the lion and the scorpion (Luke 10:19); and trampling, he will also trample all the power of the enemy, the lion and the dragon. And even from a parallel passage, the lion and the dragon are our adversary, the devil; for as a lion he walks seeking someone to devour; he himself is the serpent and the dragon, the ancient Satan (Rev 12:9), according to the...
Greek
ἐμαστίχθη ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀγόμενος, πληρῶν ο προεῖπε διὰ τοῦ προφήτου περὶ ἑαυτοῦ Τὸν νῶτόν μου δέδωκα εἰς μάστιγας. διττοῦ τοίνυν τοῦ γένους τῶν κακῶν ο ντος θατέρου γινομένου ἀδιαφόρως σπουδαίοις καὶ φαύλοις, τὸ ε τερον οὐ προσεγγίζει τῷ θεμένῳ τὸν υ ψιστον καταφυγὴν ἑαυτοῦ. προσκολλώμενος γὰρ αὐτῷ 186 ἐν μετοχῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν γινόμενος λέγει ̓Εμοὶ δὲ τὸ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ θεῷ ἀγαθόν ἐστι. τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ε χων α ψαυστός ἐστι τῶν ἐναντίων κακῶν, νικῶν ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακὸν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιῶν. ̔Ο πληρωθεὶς ου ν ἀγαθότητος τῷ ποιεῖν καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀμέτοχός ἐστι τῶν κυρίως κακῶν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ συνεγγίζει τῷ θεμένῳ τὸν υ ψιστον καταφυγὴν ἑαυτοῦ τὰ προειρημένα κακά, οὐδὲ κόλασις ἡ ἐπὶ τούτοις μάστιξ προσαγορευομένη ἐγγίζει τῷ σκηνώματι αὐτοῦ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἁμαρτωλός ἐστι· μόνου γὰρ τούτου τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις μαστίζεσθαι· Πολλαὶ γὰρ αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ· καὶ ἐν α λλοις ει ρηται ἡμῖν ο τι αἱ αὐταὶ περιστάσεις τοῖς μὲν ἁμαρτωλοῖς μάστιγες, τοῖς δὲ δικαίοις ἀγῶνές εἰσι. κα ν ποτ' ου ν τῶν ἐπιπόνων καὶ κακωτικῶν προσέλθοι τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, οὐχ ὡς μάστιξ ἀλλ' ὡς δοκίμιον παραγίνεται, ω σπερ τῷ ̓Ιὼβ ἐπὶ τῷ δίκαιον ἀναφανῆναι ἐπελήλυθεν. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι Οὐ προσελεύσεται πρὸς σὲ κακά. ἡ γὰρ τῆς κακίας φύσις ε ξωθεν ἐπέρχεται, τῆς ἀρετῆς οι κοθεν τὴν πρόφασιν ἐχούσης· εὐθῆ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὸν α νθρωπον πεποίηκεν, ο ς ζητήσας λογισμοὺς πονηροὺς ε ξωθεν ἐπεσπάσατο τὴν κακίαν. 906 Ps 90,11.12 Ταῦτας τὰς λέξεις ὡς πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα εἰρημένας ἐξείληφεν ὁ διάβολος, ὡς ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ φέρεται· ε στι δὲ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐκ προσώπου παντὸς δικαίου λεγόμενος βοηθουμένου καὶ σκεπαζομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑψίστου ο ντος θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ Χριστοῦ λέγεται, φανερὸν ο τι οὐχ ῃ θεὸς ἀλλ' ῃ α νθρωπός ἐστι· πάντα δὲ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ῃ πρὸς αὐτὸν ῃ α νθρωπος ἀπαγγέλλεται, ἁρμόσει καὶ πρὸς πάντα α γιον τὸν μιμητὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἑπόμενον αὐτῷ. καὶ ταῦτα μέχρι τούτου. Ιδωμεν δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν λέξεων τὸ βούλημα. ἐντολὴν δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἑαυτοῦ, ο πως φρουρῶσι καὶ σκέπωσι τὸν δίκαιον, πνεύμασι λειτουργικοῖς ου σιν εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλομένοις διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. ἀμέλει παρεμβάλλουσιν οἱ α γγελοι κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ῥύεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων ἀοράτων. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ̓Ιακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης, μέλλων προσβάλλειν πολεμίοις μεγίστοις, ὁρᾷ παρεμβολὴν θεοῦ συμπληρουμένην ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ὑπερμαχησόντων αὐτοῦ, ο θεν εὐχαριστῶν ει πεν ̔Ο θεὸς ὁ τρέφων με ἐκ νεότητός μου, ὁ α γγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν μου. ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ ̓Ελισσαῖος πλῆθος ἀγγέλων ει χε περικυκλούντων αὐτόν, αὐτῷ μὲν ὁρωμένων, οὐ μὴν καὶ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ· ευ χεται γοῦν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ παιδαρίου ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδεῖν ο τι πλείους ει χεν ὑπερμαχοῦντας τῶν ἀντιπαλαιόντων αὐτοῖς. ̓Εντολὴν δὲ λαβόντες οἱ α γγελοι ὑπὸ κυρίου διαφυλάξαι τὸν σπουδαῖον ἐκ πασῶν πράξεων καὶ ἐνεργειῶν α ς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ ει πεν αι ρουσι μετεωρίζοντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν (αυ ται δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ ἐνέργειαι) ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν πόδα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ μὴ προσπταῖσαι λίθῳ. τυγχάνει γὰρ ὁ ὑπ' ἀγγέλων βασταζόμενος εὐλογίας τῆς λεγούσης ̔Ο δὲ ποῦς σου οὐ μὴ προσκόψει. ἀνατείλαντος γὰρ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ νοητὴν ἡμέραν καταυγάσαντος, ὁ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ περιπατῶν οὐ προσκόψει, ο τι τὸ φῶς βλέπει. ε στι δὲ ὁ λίθος εἰς ο ν προσκόπτουσιν οἱ μὴ μετεωριζόμενοι ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ἠλίθιος καὶ σκληρωτάτη ἁμαρτία. προσκόπτουσι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀκρογωναῖον λίθον ἐκλεκτὸν ε ντιμον δι' ἀπιστίας ὡς λίθον προσκόμματος αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι. 907 Ps 90,13 Τέσσαρα ει δη ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων σημαίνει διὰ τῶν ἐγκειμένων τεσσάρων ὀνομάτων τυγχανόντων ἰοβόλων καὶ ἐκτεθηριωμένων ζῴων. καὶ Παῦλος δὲ ὑπερβὰς τὴν πρὸς αι μα καὶ σάρκα πάλην πρὸς τεσσάρας διαφορὰς ἀντιπάλων ἀοράτων, πρὸς ἀρχὰς πρὸς ἐξουσίας πρὸς κοσμοκράτορας σκότους πρὸς πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ε χει τοὺς ἀγῶνας. Καὶ ὁ νῦν ου ν ἐπὶ ἀριστείας ἐγκωμιαζόμενος ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβαίνει, λαβὼν ἐξουσίαν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ο φεων καὶ σκορπίων· καταπατῶν δὲ καὶ πᾶσαν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καταπατήσει λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα. δύναται καὶ ἐκ παραλλήλου 187 λέων καὶ δράκων ει ναι ὁ ἀντίδικος ἡμῶν διάβολος· ̔Ως γὰρ λέων περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τίνα καταπίει· αὐτὸς ω ν καὶ ὁ ο φις καὶ ὁ δράκων, ὁ ἀρχαῖος σατανᾶς, κατὰ τὴν
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.