True Calling and the Divine Will
He rules over all generations, being Lord of those within time and generation, but reigning over those who have ascended beyond the temporal by looking at the unseen and eternal things. 'But God is faithful in all his words' (Ps 144:13a). It is said not that they offer something from faith or by faith, but that it is fitting for the one who believes.
Indeed, everything he says becomes according to what is written: 'He said, and he will not do or speak, and he will not remain' [text is garbled/corrupt here]. For it is said, 'Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away' (Matt 24:35). Regarding being faithful in his words and holy in all his works, imparting to them the holiness from himself: just as one is holy among those participating in his holiness, and the Savior is wise among the wise according to him, so the Lord is holy in all his works becoming holy through communion with him.
Perhaps those who are in desires and bad thoughts without practice fall; but those who sin actively are shattered. However, he helps both sides, supporting some and restoring others. How does he support? By commanding each one, 'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife' (Ex 20:17), and the following, and 'Do not let beauty's desire overcome you' (Prov 21:9) by advising through a wise man. Those falling are those sinning in morals while being encompassed by Christianity, but those shattered are those turning away from it; those falling are those sinning in practice, but those shattered are those who embrace impious heresies of the ungodly.
In all his ways he causes to walk, providing and governing, judging, benefiting, granting, punishing; righteous he is found (Ps 144:17a); 'for God is faithful, and there is no injustice' (Ps 144:17). If someone says his ways are the virtues (for those traveling practically and intellectually bring them to him), and in these he appears righteous. No one living earnestly and according to virtue blames providence, but if someone has stood foolishly outside his ways: 'A man's folly ruins his paths' (Prov 14:12), yet he blames God in his heart. Regarding the saying of 'ways' and those given from him in...
If one dares, the righteous man will be known, having matched them in power to those who have received grace. But he who says that nature is an unproven virtue in men, or that fate is forcing them into sin, does not rightly say that God is in the ways He has legislated (Ps 144,18).
It is said that He is near to those who call upon His name. Therefore, those making progress pass on to calling upon Him in truth; for calling upon the name of the Lord is more introductory for those who are perfecting themselves in calling Him. For Moses says, and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those calling His name, they called upon the Lord, and He himself heard them—those doing this sincerely and not by chance.
It is possible to say that those living according to the letter of the law call upon the name of the Lord, whereas those following the novelty of the Spirit call upon Him in truth, appropriately worshiping Him in spirit and truth. Each of those having a pious disposition, having denied human will, wishes to have the will of God, saying, 'Teach me to do your will, O my God, for You are God' (Ps 51:17). Therefore, he who does the will of those fearing Him transforms his own will into action, he who wishes to have God as his will, revering Him.
And there is no difference, in the plural or the singular, between 'wills' and 'the will'; for His wills are the virtues according to each kind, but His will in general is the universal and common virtue. He who wishes to be guarded by Him, so that by no means the evil one may deceive him, let him love God with all his heart and soul and strength. To those thus guarded by Him because they love Him, the things promised without falsehood are made favorable, concerning which it has been said, 'An eye has not seen and an ear has not heard, nor has there risen upon the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him' (Ps 144,19a).
He says 'mouth,' not the sensible but the intelligible, as also in another psalm toward God: 'I will open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praises.' Yet, when His praises are being spoken, all flesh having heard Him shall bless His holy name.
Greek
πάσας τὰς γενεάς· καὶ δεσπόζει μὲν τῶν ὑπὸ χρόνον καὶ γενεὰν ο ντων, βασιλεύει δὲ τῶν ὑπεραναβεβηκότων τὰ πρόσκαιρα διὰ τὸ σκοπεῖν τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα καὶ αἰώνια. 1257 Ps 144,13a Πιστὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ. λέγεται οὐ τὸ ἀπὸ πίστεως η πίστει προσφέρειν αὐτοὺς ἀλλὰ τὸ α ξιος ει ναι τῷ πιστεύεσθαι. ἀμέλει 268 γοῦν πᾶν ο λέγει γίνεται κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον Αὐτὸς ει πεν, οὐχὶ ποιήσει η λαλήσει καὶ οὐχὶ ἐμμενεῖ· ο θεν ει ρηται καὶ τὸ ̔Ο οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ ει ναι πιστὸς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ο σιος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ε ργοις αὐτοῦ, μεταδιδοὺς αὐτοῖς τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ ὁσιότητος. ὡς γὰρ α γιός ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς μετέχουσι τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ σοφία ἐστὶν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς κατ' αὐτὸν σοφοῖς, ου τως ο σιος ὁ κύριος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ε ργοις αὐτοῦ γενομένοις ὁσίοις τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν κοινωνίᾳ. 1258 Ps 144,14 Τάχα καταπίπτειν οι οί τέ εἰσιν οἱ ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ φαύλοις λογισμοῖς α νευ πράξεως ο ντες· κατερραγμένοι δὲ οἱ ἐνεργητικῶς ἁμαρτάνοντες. πλὴν ἑκατέροις βοηθῶν, τοὺς μὲν ὑποστηρίζει, τοὺς δὲ ἀνορθοῖ. πῶς δὲ ὑποστηρίζει; ἐντελλόμενος ἑκάστῳ Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, καὶ τὸ Μή σε νικήσει κάλλους ἐπιθυμία παραινῶν διὰ σοφοῦ ἀνδρός. Καταπίπτοντες δὲ ει εν α ν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες μὲν ἐν ἠθικοῖς, περιεχόμενοι δὲ τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ, καταρραχθέντες δὲ οἱ ἀποστάντες αὐτοῦ· η καταπίπτοντες μέν εἰσιν οἱ πρακτικῶς ἁμαρτάνοντες, κατερραγμένοι δὲ οἱ τὰ τῶν δυσσεβῶν αἱρέσεων μετερχόμενοι. 1259 Ps 144,17a ̓Εν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ αι ς ἐπιπορεύεται προνοῶν καὶ διοικῶν κρίνων εὐεργετῶν χαριζόμενος κολάζων δίκαιος εὑρίσκεται· Θεὸς γὰρ πιστός, καὶ οὐκ ε στιν ἀδικία. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ λέγοι τις τὰς ἀρετάς (φέρουσι γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν πρακτικῶς καὶ διανοητικῶς ὁδεύοντα), καὶ ἐν ταύταις δίκαιος ἀναφαίνεται. οὐδεὶς γοῦν σπουδαίως καὶ κατ' ἀρετὴν βιῶν αἰτιᾶται τὴν πρόνοιαν, ἀλλ' ει τις φαῦλος ε ξω τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ βεβηκώς· ̓Αφροσύνη γὰρ ἀνδρὸς λυμαίνεται τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, τὸν δὲ θεὸν αἰτιᾶται τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. λεγομένων δὲ ὁδῶν καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ δοθεισῶν ἐντολῶν, δίκαιος γνωρισθείη α ν, συμμετρήσας αὐτὰς τῇ δυνάμει τῶν εἰληφότων. ̔Ο δὲ λέγων φύσιν ἀνεπίδεκτον ἀρετῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ει ναι η εἱμαρμένην βιαζομένην εἰς ἁμαρτίαν οὐ δίκαιον ἐρεῖ τὸν θεὸν ει ναι ἐν αι ς ἐνομοθέτησεν ὁδοῖς. 1260 Ps 144,18 ̓Εγγὺς ει ναι λέγεται τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ. διὸ καὶ προκόπτοντες μετίασιν ἐπὶ τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ· εἰσαγωγικώτερον γὰρ τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ο νομα κυρίου, τελείων ο ντων τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτόν· Μωυσῆς γάρ φησιν καὶ ̓Ααρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ο νομα αὐτοῦ ἐπεκαλοῦντο τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν, τῶν γνησίως καὶ μὴ ὡς ε τυχε τοῦτο πραττόντων διαστελλόμενοι. ∆υνατὸν τοὺς κατὰ τὸ γράμμα τοῦ νόμου βιοῦντας ἐπικαλουμένους τὸ ο νομα κυρίου εἰπεῖν, τῶν τῇ καινότητι τοῦ πνεύματος ἀκολουθούντων ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἁρμοδίως τὸ προσκυνεῖν αὐτὸν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. 1261 Ps 144,19a Εκαστος τῶν εὐλαβῶς διακειμένων ἀρνησάμενος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον θέλημα τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ευ χεται ε χειν, φάσκων ∆ίδαξόν με τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου, ο τι θεός μου ει σύ. διὸ καὶ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θέλημα εἰς ε ργον μεταβάλλει, ο περ ι διον ε χειν ει λατο θέλημα θεὸν εὐλαβούμενος. Οὐδὲν δὲ διαφέρει πληθυντικῶς η ἑνικῶς τὰ θελήματα η τὸ θέλημα φάναι· θελήματα γὰρ αὐτοῦ αἱ κατ' ει δος ἀρεταί, ε ν δὲ γενικὸν θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἡ καθόλου καὶ κοινὴ ἀρετή. 1262 Ps 144,20 ̔Ο θέλων φρουρηθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῦ, ο πως κατὰ μηδὲν ὁ πονηρὸς α ψεται αὐτοῦ, ἀγαπάτω τὸν θεὸν ἐξ ο λης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ ἰσχύος. τοῖς ου τω ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φυλαττομένοις διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ηὐτρέπισται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀψευδῶς ἐπηγγελμένα, περὶ ω ν ει ρηται Α ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ ει δε καὶ ου ς οὐκ η κουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, α ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. 1263 Ps 144,21ab Στόμα φησὶ οὐ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ νοητόν, περὶ ου καὶ ἐν α λλῳ ψαλμῷ πρὸς θεὸν ει πεν ̓Ανοίξεις τὰ χείλη μου, καὶ τὸ στόμα μου ἀναγγελεῖ τὴν αι νεσίν σου. ο μως αὐτοῦ αι νεσιν κυρίου φθεγγομένου, πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀκούσασα αὐτοῦ εὐλογήσει τὸ ο νομα τὸ α γιον 269
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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- 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.