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more powerful than the many, the captives also stronger than the king, those who lost their homeland, but did not lose their faith, the naked and the clothed, the poor and the wealthy, the slaves and better than the free, those who made the furnace dew, and changed the elements, those who extinguished the power of the fire, whom the tyrant bound, and the fire loosed, they supplicated, and said: We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done unjustly, in departing from you. There is no prince, nor prophet, nor leader, nor place to bring forth fruit before you and to find mercy; but let us be accepted with a contrite soul and a spirit of humility. A sacrifice to God, a contrite spirit; a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then you will be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, an offering and whole burnt offerings; then they will offer bullocks upon your altar. [More clearly from these words we have been taught that the psalm is full of prophecy. For to those forced to dwell in Babylon, and who long for release from slavery, these words are fitting. For they supplicate that the city be deemed worthy of some pity, that its walls be rebuilt, and that the worship according to the law be performed. For now, he says, it is not possible for those living in a foreign land to offer the appointed sacrifices, since the law prescribes that sacrifice be made to you in that city alone. But if we should obtain our return, and rebuild the temple, then we will offer to you the sacrifices according to the law.] But the end of this psalm also has another prophecy. For since he placed the gifts of the all-holy Spirit above, then coming down he showed God is not pleased with the sacrifices according to the law, he supplicates for the new Zion to appear, and for the heavenly Jerusalem to be established as a city upon earth, and for the new commonwealth to be granted most quickly, which offers not irrational victims, but the offering and sacrifice of righteousness. Therefore, pay attention here, I beseech you; for I wish to make you all teachers, all solitaries; not in not having wives, but in showing reverence, reverent, breathing fire. What then is the question? It is this, he prayed, he confessed, he besought, he entreated, he supplicated, he poured out tears, he asked for a pure heart, he gave faith. The question is, if he succeeded. Great is the pleasure of the swell. A helmsman is not so delighted when the waves rise up behind him and push the ship forward, with the wind standing at the stern, as I, seeing this sea, exult and leap for joy. For I do not see only the waves being tossed, but also the multitude increasing and being moved; being tossed and being suffocated, and not withdrawing; being pressed, and not leaping away; being afflicted, and strengthening their minds. For the desire for the word stirs up eagerness. The question, then, is this: He prayed, he entreated, he besought, he supplicated, he put away the punishment, he was set right from the chastisement. The question is, if he returned to his former 55.588 confidence; if he received the grace of the Holy Spirit; if he received what he asked, a pure heart and a right spirit; if repentance was so strong as to restore him to his former nobility. Pay attention with exactness: This is the fiftieth psalm. Which one? The one concerning sin, the one concerning confession, the one concerning petition, the fiftieth. After this one he wrote a sixtieth, a seventieth, an eightieth, a ninetieth, a hundredth. So that no one may say: What of it, that he wrote psalms? He did not write them with the Holy Spirit; for he did not receive the Holy Spirit; but he simply wrote the ones after this with human understanding; for he was bereft of the Spirit

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τῶν πολλῶν δυνατώτεροι, οἱ αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἰσχυρότεροι, οἱ ἀπολέσαν τες πατρίδα, καὶ πίστιν μὴ ἀπολέσαντες, οἱ γυμνοὶ καὶ ἐνδεδυμένοι, οἱ πτωχοὶ καὶ εὔποροι, οἱ δοῦλοι καὶ ἐλευ θέρων ἀμείνους, οἱ τὴν κάμινον δρόσον ἐργασάμενοι, καὶ μεταβαλόντες τὰ στοιχεῖα, οἱ τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν ἐνέργειαν σβέσαντες, οὓς ἔδησεν ὁ τύραννος, καὶ ἔλυσε τὸ πῦρ, ἐλιτάνευον, καὶ ἔλεγον· Ἡμάρτομεν, ἠνομήσαμεν, ἠδι κήσαμεν, ἀποστάντες ἀπὸ σοῦ. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄρχων, οὐδὲ προφήτης, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος, οὐδὲ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιόν σου καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεος· ἀλλ' ἐν ψυχῇ συντετριμμένῃ καὶ πνεύματι ταπεινώσεως προσδεχθείημεν. Θυσία τῷ Θεῷ, πνεῦμα συντε τριμμένον· καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινω μένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Ἀγάθυνον, Κύριε, ἐν τῇ εὐδοκίᾳ σου τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ οἰκοδομηθήτω τὰ τείχη Ἱερουσαλήμ. Τότε εὐδο κήσεις θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, ἀναφορὰν καὶ ὁλοκαυ τώματα· τότε ἀνοίσουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριόν σου μόσχους. [Σαφέστερον ἐκ τούτων ἐδιδάχθημεν τῶν ῥη μάτων, ὅτι πλήρης ὁ ψαλμὸς προφητείας. Τοῖς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι γὰρ ἠναγκασμένοις οἰκεῖν, καὶ ποθοῦσι τὴν τῆς δουλείας ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἁρμόττει ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα. Ἱκετεύουσι γὰρ οἴκτου τινὸς ἀξιωθῆναι τὴν πόλιν, τῶν περιβόλων ἀνορθουμένων, τῆς κατὰ νόμον τελουμένης λατρείας. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν οἰκοῦντας τὰς ὡρισμένας θυσίας προσφέρειν οὐκ ἔνεστιν, ἐν ἐκείνῃ μόνῃ τῇ πόλει θύειν σοι τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος. Εἰ δὲ τῆς ἐπανόδου τύχοιμεν, καὶ τὸν νεὼν ἀνορθώσαιμεν, τηνικαῦτά σοι τὰς ἐννόμους θυσίας προσοίσομεν.] Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν προφητείαν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τοῦδε τὸ τέλος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἄνω τὰ δῶρα τέ θεικεν, εἶτα κατιὼν ἔδειξε τὸν Θεὸν ταῖς κατὰ νόμον θυ σίαις μὴ ἀρεσκόμενον, ἱκετεύει τὴν νέαν ἀναφανῆναι Σιὼν, καὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ γῆν πολισθῆναι, καὶ τάχιστα παρασχεθῆναι τὴν καινὴν πολιτείαν, τὴν οὐκ ἄλογα προσφέρουσαν θύματα, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῆς δι καιοσύνης ἀναφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν. Τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα προσ έχετε, παρακαλῶ· καὶ γὰρ πάντας ὑμᾶς διδασκάλους ποιῆσαι βούλομαι, πάντας μονάζοντας· οὐ τῷ μὴ ἔχειν γυναῖκας, ἀλλὰ τῷ εὐλάβειαν ἐνδείκνυσθαι, εὐλαβεῖς, πῦρ πνέοντας. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον; Τοῦτό ἐστιν, ηὔξατο, ἐξωμολογήσατο, παρεκάλεσεν, ἐδεήθη, ἱκέτευσε, δάκρυα ἐξέχεεν, ᾔτησε καρδίαν καθαρὰν, πίστιν ἔδωκε. Τὸ ζητούμενον, εἰ ἐπέτυχε. Πολλὴ ἡ ἡδονὴ τοῦ σάλου. Οὐχ οὕτω τέρπεται κυβερνήτης ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ τῶν κυ μάτων ἐγειρομένων, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσω συνωθούντων τὴν ὁλκάδα, κατὰ πρύμναν ἱσταμένου τοῦ πνεύματος, ὡς ἐγὼ τὴν θάλατταν ταύτην ὁρῶν ἀγάλλομαι καὶ σκιρτῶ. Οὐ γὰρ βλέπω κύματα μόνον σαλευόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πλῆ θος πλεονάζον καὶ κινούμενον· σαλευομένους καὶ πνιγο μένους, καὶ οὐκ ἀναχωροῦντας· βιαζομένους, καὶ οὐκ ἀποπηδῶντας· θλιβομένους, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν στηρίζον τας. Ἡ γὰρ ἐπιθυμία τοῦ λόγου διεγείρει τὴν προθυμίαν. Τὸ οὖν ζητούμενον, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Ηὔξατο, ἐδεήθη, παρ εκάλεσεν, ἱκέτευσεν, ἀπέθετο τὴν κόλασιν, ἀνωρθώθη ἀπὸ τῆς τιμωρίας. Τὸ ζητούμενον, εἰ εἰς τὴν προτέραν 55.588 παῤῥησίαν ἐπανῆλθεν· εἰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν ἐδέξατο· εἰ, ὅπερ ᾔτησεν, ἔλαβε, καρδίαν καθαρὰν καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθές· εἰ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσε ἡ μετάνοια, ὥστε εἰς τὴν προτέραν εὐγένειαν ἀποκαταστῆσαι αὐτόν. Προσέχε τε μετ' ἀκριβείας· Οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς ὁ πεντηκοστός ἐστι. Ποῖος; Ὁ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὁ περὶ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως, ὁ περὶ τῆς αἰτήσεως, πεντηκοστός. Μετὰ τοῦτον ἔγραψεν ἑξηκοστὸν, ἑβδομηκοστὸν, ὀγδοηκοστὸν, ἐνενη κοστὸν, ἑκατοστόν. Ἵνα οὖν μή τις λέγῃ· Τί γὰρ, ὅτι ἔγραψε ψαλμούς; οὐκ ἔγραψε δὲ αὐτοὺς Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ· οὐ γὰρ ἔλαβε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον· ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἔγραψε συνέσει ἀνθρωπίνῃ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα· ἔρημος γὰρ ἦν Πνεύματος