Blessing the Name and the Crown of Mercy
Your ages will not end, for your generations are from age to age (Ps 102:1b). But one should not take the ages of the wills chronologically, for time is not spoken of in this way. Nor does His being end, since His nature remains incorruptible, being alone possessing immortality.
One must not take 'sons of God' entirely according to the flesh, but according to instruction and the imitation of a way of life. For in this way some were called sons of the prophets, because they had perhaps become like them according to the prophetic manner. And Paul, a slave of Christ, has sons: Silvanus and Timothy and those near to them. And it happened that those benefiting from these were their seed. The children previously mentioned will dwell with Paul in the heavenly tabernacles, as will those being directed with them and their seed forever.
Others say that the composite man often speaks of himself as if he were others, saying, 'My soul' or 'My body.' And Paul, indeed, uses this practice, sometimes saying, 'I call God to witness upon my soul,' and sometimes implying, 'My body.' They say this by taking the parts as we say a people, rulers, and overseers of a city are not always different from the city itself (for it is filled from among them), but are a different rank of the whole city (for the rulers alone are not the city, nor the councilors privately, nor the people by themselves), but together they are the city—not so, even if the composite man is not another from the soul and the body (for from these two he is composed), but the soul of the whole is called as another of it.
Thus, the one who exhorts his own soul to bless the Lord is not 'uncomposite.' And those saying the soul is the spirit do not say it is such, but that it is under it, having its care. Within it, he calls upon every rational power of man. For it is not to be heard of the Savior saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is within you' (Luke 17:21). And do not view the 'internal' things as something else; for the powers we have, which are resting, are said to be able to act well within us. It is necessary to stir these up and turn them toward activity.
Through which we bless the name of the Lord. For the holy name blesses not powers, but good activities. Even the Savior says to those partaking of virtue and divine knowledge: 'The kingdom of God is within you' (Luke 17:21), saying only once: 'Seek the foundations of faith and virtue within yourselves, being rational and having become according to the image of God; seek not the good outside yourselves.'
Sins are diseases of the soul. For he says, 'My soul, what harm hast thou done to thee?' (Ps 102:3b). He redeems life from corruption, so that you may no longer live a life according to corruption and passion, but in incorruption, loving the Lord Jesus. And providing you an incorruptible body in the resurrection, he redeems your life from corruption.
And he crowns you also in mercy and compassion, the material of this crown being almsgiving and compassion. Just as others receive the crown of righteousness and the incorruptible crown of glory, woven from righteousness and upright glory, so also you, through mercy and compassion which you have worked, shall be crowned, according to 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy' (Matt 5:7).
And not thus is the better: not so much that I shall be emboldened in the struggling, but because you are being merciful and pitied by the Lord, you shall be crowned, the Lord returning to your intellect the crown of graces. For by the grace of God and not of our own works we are saved, and we do not deserve sufferings in this present time for the sake of the glory to be revealed to us; so also he crowns us, not looking toward our own striving, but toward his own mercy and compassion.
And fill your desire also with good things. For he gives good things to those asking him. Since even the desiring of good things happens to be asking for them, giving to you all things, he fills your desire with good things through longing; for every desire of the righteous is good.
And since you are becoming according to the image and likeness of God and have become fit to enter into the essence in advance of the good, but having flown away from heedlessness, you cast away virtue both practical and intellectual; without which, being suspended, you would rise to the height, know that you have the power to grow wings, if you should wish it.
Greek
ἐπιλείψει τὰ ε τη· ̓Εν γενεᾷ γὰρ καὶ γενεᾷ τὰ ε τη σου. ἀλλ' ο ρα μὴ χρονικῶς ἐκλαβεῖν τὰ ε τη θελήσεις· α χρονος γὰρ περὶ ου ταῦτα λέγεται. μὴ ἐκλείπειν δὲ αὐτοῦ ει πε τὰ ε τη τῷ ἐπ' α πειρον τὴν υ παρξιν αὐτοῦ μένειν ἀφθάρτου ο ντος καὶ μόνου ἀθανασίαν ε χοντος. Υἱοὺς δὲ δούλων τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ πάντως κατὰ σάρκα δεῖ λαβεῖν ἀλλὰ κατὰ παίδευσιν καὶ μίμησιν πολιτείας. ταύτῃ γὰρ καὶ υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν τινες ἐκαλοῦντο τῷ κατὰ προφητικὴν ε ξιν ι σως γεγενῆσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν. καὶ Παῦλος γοῦν Χριστοῦ δοῦλος ω ν υἱοὺς ει χε Σιλουανὸν καὶ Τιμόθεον καὶ τοὺς τούτοις παραπλησίους. Σπέρμα δὲ αὐτῶν τούτων οἱ πρὸς αὐτῶν ὠφελούμενοι ἐτύγχανον. κατασκηνώσουσιν ου ν σὺν Παύλῳ ἐν ταῖς σκηναῖς ταῖς ἐπουρανίαις οἱ προειρημένοι αὐτοῦ παῖδες, α μα αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατευθυνομένων. 977 Ps 102,1bc Αλλοι δέ φασιν τὸν σύνθετον α νθρωπον πολλάκις ὡς περὶ α λλων ἑαυτοῦ λέγειν ̔Η ψυχή μου Τὸ σῶμά μου. καὶ Παῦλος γοῦν οι δε τὴν χρῆσιν ταύτην, ο που μὲν λέγων ̓Εγὼ δὲ μάρτυρα τὸν θεὸν ἐπικαλοῦμαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχήν, ο που δὲ ὑπωπιάζων Τὸ σῶμά μου. φασὶ δὲ ου τως ἐκλαμβάνοντες ω σπερ λέγομεν δῆμον καὶ α ρχοντας καὶ ἐπιμελητὰς τῆς πόλεως οὐ πάντῃ ἑτέρους ο ντας αὐτῆς (ἐξ αὐτῶν γὰρ συμπληροῦται), ἀλλ' ο τι ε καστον τάγμα α λλο τῆς ο λης πόλεώς ἐστιν (οὐ γὰρ οἱ α ρχοντες μόνοι ἡ πόλις οὐδὲ ἰδίᾳ οἱ βουληταὶ αὐτῆς οὐδ' αυ ὁ δῆμος καθ' ἑαυτόν), τῷ α μα πάντας τὴν πόλιν ει ναι–ου τως, εἰ καὶ μὴ α λλος ὁ σύνθετος α νθρωπος παρὰ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα (ἐξ αὐτῶν γὰρ τούτων συντέθειται), ἀλλά γε τοῦ ο λου ἡ ψυχὴ λέγεται ὡς α λλη αὐτοῦ. ̓Ασύνθετος ου ν 209 ἐστιν ὁ παρορμῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τῷ εὐλογεῖν τὸν κύριον. καὶ οἱ τὴν ψυχὴν δὲ λέγοντες ει ναι τοῦ πνεύματος οὐχ ὡς χοῦν αὐτό φασιν ἀλλ' ὡς ὑπ' αὐτὸ καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ κηδεμονίαν τυγχάνουσαν. ̓Εντὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ καλεῖ πᾶσαν τὴν λογικὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου δύναμιν. ου τω γὰρ ἀκουστέον καὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγοντός τισιν ̔Η βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι. καὶ ου τω θεώρησον τὰ ἐντὸς κατὰ διάνοιαν α λλην· ο ταν τὰς δυνάμεις ε χωμεν ἡσυχαζούσας, ω ν δυνάμεθα ἐνεργῆσαι καλῶς ἐντὸς ἡμῶν ει ναι λέγονται. δεῖ ου ν ἀνακινῆσαι ταύτας καὶ τρέψαι πρὸς ἐνεργείας δι' ω ν εὐλογοῦμεν τὸ ο νομα κυρίου. οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῷ δυνάμεις ε χειν ἀλλ' ἐνεργείας ἀγαθὰς εὐλογεῖ τὸ α γιον ο νομα. ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς δύναμιν ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώσεως θείας μεταλαβοῦσιν ε φη ̔Η βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Ης ζητῶ παρ' ὑμῶν πίστεως καὶ ἀρετῆς τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ε χετε, λογικοὶ καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ γεγενημένοι· ο θεν μὴ ε ξω ἑαυτῶν ζητεῖτε τὸ ἀγαθόν. 978 Ps 102,3b–5 Νόσοι ψυχῆς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. ι ασαι γάρ φησι τὴν ψυχήν μου ο τι η μαρτόν σοι. Λυτροῦται δὲ ζωὴν ἐκ φθορᾶς, ι να μηκέτι κατὰ φθορὰν καὶ ἐμπαθῆ ζῇς ζωὴν ἀλλ' ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ ἀγαπῶν τὸν κύριον ̓Ιησοῦν. καὶ α φθαρτον δὲ ἀνθρώπου παρέχων σοι σῶμα ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει λυτροῦται ἐκ φθορᾶς τὴν ζωήν σου. Στεφανοῖ δέ σε καὶ ἐν ἐλέει καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς, τῆς υ λης τοῦ στεφάνου τούτου ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ οἰκτιρμοῦ τυγχανούσης. ὡς γὰρ α λλοι τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανον καὶ τὸν ἀμαράντινον στέφανον τῆς δόξης δέχονται ἐκ δικαιοσύνης καὶ δόξης ὀρθῆς πεπλεγμένον, ου τω καὶ σὺ ἐξ ἐλέου καὶ οἰκτιρμοῦ ω ν εἰργάσω στεφανοῦσαι κατὰ τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ο τι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται. η καὶ ου τως ο περ βέλτιον· οὐ τοσοῦτον δι' α ἠνδραγαθήσω ἐν τῷ ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ο σον διὰ τὸ ἐλεεῖσθαί σε καὶ οἰκτείρεσθαι ὑπὸ κυρίου στεφανοῦσαι, ἀναδοῦντος τοῦ κυρίου τῷ στεφάνῳ τῶν χαρίτων τὴν νοητὴν κεφαλήν σου. ὡς γὰρ χάριτι θεοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἡμετέρων ε ργων σῳζόμεθα καὶ οὐκ α ξια ε χομεν παθήματα ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι δόξαν ἡμῖν, ου τω καὶ στεφανοῖ ἡμᾶς οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν σκοπῶν α θλησιν ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ε λεον καὶ οἰκτιρμόν. ̓Εμπίπλησι δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν σου. διδοὺς γὰρ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ ου ν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐπιθυμεῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν αἰτεῖσθαι αὐτὰ τυγχάνει, διδούς σοι πάντα ω ν ὀρέγῃ ἐμπιπλᾷ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν σου· τοῦ γὰρ δικαίου πᾶσα ἐπιθυμία ἀγαθή ἐστι. Καὶ ἐπεὶ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ γινομένη καὶ α μα τῷ εἰς οὐσίαν ἐλθεῖν ἐν προχρείᾳ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ γέγονας, ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας δὲ πτερορρυήσασα ἀπέβαλες τὴν ἀρετὴν πρακτικήν τε καὶ διανοητικὴν ου σαν δι' η ς μετεωριζομένη εἰς υ ψος ἀνήρχου, ι σθι ο τι ε χεις δύναμιν τοῦ πτεροφυεῖσθαι, εἰ βουληθείης καὶ
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.