John Chrysostom, On Psalm 118

more than thousands of gold and silver. 11. For even if I was driven out of the kingdom by my son, yet through chastisement I have received your law, which I hold more precious than all wealth. And the same prophet says in the following verses, I will rejoice at your words, as one who finds great spoil; but here he says, 55.690 Your law is better to me than thousands of gold and silver, securing us, that we may keep it, that is, his commandments, and that we may guard them, and walk in them. In which may you be deemed worthy, brothers, to direct your life, so that you may arrive at the eternal good things laid up for you, and in the present age may be guarded from all malice and sin; by the grace and mercies of Christ our God, to whom is due glory and honor, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ON THE 118TH PSALM. Stasis 2.

Your hands have made me and formed me; give me understanding, and I will learn your commandments.

1. The prophet David, having experienced many things, princely authority, kingship, wealth, glory, honor, luxury, and the bravery of wars, considering all things as refuse, looked to that which is truly lovely and desirable and beloved, saying: The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver. And we, brothers (for these things were written beforehand for our instruction), considering all things as nothing, let us keep the law and the commandments of God. And wishing to show how much honor man has been deemed worthy of, he sang in melody: Your hands have made me and formed me. For by a word God established all things, and brought them out of non-existence into being. For having made the heaven and the earth he said, Let there be light, and there was light; and, Let there be a firmament, and let it be a separation between water and water; and, Let the earth bring forth grass; and, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven; and, Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls; and, Let the earth bring forth the living soul, cattle, creeping things, beasts according to their kind; but man, he took dust from the earth and formed him. The prophet, therefore, moved by the divine Spirit, reminds the creator of His tender love for human nature. For though he fashioned all things by a word, he is said to have formed the nature of men himself, not using hands (for he is incorporeal and without form; for God is Spirit, according to the voice of the Lord), but showing a greater disposition and affinity towards this creation, which we men have; for we were created in his image; wherefore also this living creature, man, alone is endowed with understanding. He therefore beseeches the one who formed him to supply his creation with understanding; for he added: Give me understanding, and I will learn your commandments, Those who fear you will see me and be glad, because I have hoped in your words. An occasion, he says, of gladness I will be to the pious, having hoped in you, and finding the end suitable to the hope. And since God rejoices over one sinner who repents, according to the Lord's voice, those

ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου. ιαʹ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ὑπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐξηλάθην, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς παιδείας τὸν σὸν νόμον ἀνελαβόμην, ὃν τοῦ πλούτου παντὸς τιμιώτερον ἔχω. Ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ προ φήτης ἐν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσι λέγει, Ἀγαλλιάσομαι ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τὰ λόγιά σου, ὡς εὑρίσκων σκῦλα πολλά· ὧδε δὲ λέ 55.690 γει, Ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου ἀγαθώτε ρός μοι ὁ νόμος σου, ἡμᾶς ἀσφαλιζόμενος, ἵνα τοῦτον τηρῶμεν, τουτέστι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταύτας φυ λάττωμεν, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἀναστρεφώμεθα. Ἐν αἷς ἀξιω θείητε, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸν βίον ὑμῶν διευθύνειν, ἵνα καταντή σητε ἐν τοῖς ἀποκειμένοις αἰωνίοις ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι φυλαχθείητε ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας καὶ ἁμαρτίας· χάριτι καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ᾧ πρέπει ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ τιμὴ, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΙΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Στάσις βʹ.

Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίησάν με καὶ ἔπλασάν με· συνέτισόν με, καὶ μαθήσομαι τὰς ἐντολάς σου.

αʹ. Ὁ προφήτης ∆αυῒδ πολλῶν ἐν πείρᾳ γεγονὼς πραγμά των, ἀρχοντικῆς ἐξουσίας, βασιλείας, πλούτου, δόξης, τιμῆς, τρυφῆς, καὶ πολέμων ἀνδραγαθίας, πάντα σκύ βαλα ἡγησάμενος, εἰς τὸ ὄντως ἐραστὸν καὶ ἐφετὸν καὶ ἀγαπητὸν ἀπέβλεψεν, εἰπών· Ἀγαθός μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου. Καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ (πρὸς νουθεσίαν γὰρ ἡμῶν ταῦτα προεγράφη), πάντα εἰς οὐδὲν λογισάμενοι, τὸν νόμον καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ φυλάξωμεν. ∆εῖξαι δὲ θέλων, ὅσης τιμῆς ἠξίωται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, μελῳδήσας ἔφη· Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίησάν με καὶ ἔπλασάν με. Λόγῳ γὰρ τὰ πάντα συνέστησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ παρήγαγεν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι. Ποιήσας γὰρ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν εἶπε, Γενηθήτω φῶς, καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς· καὶ, Γενηθήτω στε ρέωμα, καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος· καὶ, Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου· καὶ, Γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ, Ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν· καὶ, Ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ ψυχὴν ζῶσαν, κτήνη, ἑρπετὰ, θηρία κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν· τὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον, χοῦν λαβὼν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἔπλασεν. Ὁ τοίνυν προφή της Πνεύματι θείῳ κινούμενος, τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν φιλοστοργίας ἀναμιμνήσκει τὸν ποιητήν. Λόγῳ γὰρ ἅπαντα τεκτηνάμενος αὐτὸς λέγεται διαπλάσαι τῶν ἀν θρώπων τὴν φύσιν, οὐ χερσὶ χρησάμενος (ἀσώματος γὰρ καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος· Πνεῦμα γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνὴν), ἀλλὰ τὴν πλείονα περὶ τόδε τὸ ποίημα διάθεσιν ἐνδειξάμενος καὶ οἰκείωσιν, ἢν ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄνθρωποι· κατ' εἰκόνα γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐκτίσθημεν· διὸ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ζῶον ὁ ἄνθρωπος μόνος συνετίζεται. Ἱκετεύει τοίνυν τὸν διαπλάσαντα χορηγῆσαι τῷ ποιήματι σύνεσιν· ἐπήγαγε γάρ· Συνέτισόν με, καὶ μαθήσομαι τὰς ἐν τολάς σου, Οἱ φοβούμενοί σε ὄψονταί με, καὶ εὐφραν θήσονται, ὅτι εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου ἐπήλπισα. Πρό φασις, φησὶν, εὐφροσύνης τοῖς εὐσεβέσι γενήσομαι, ἐλπί σας εἰς σὲ, καὶ κατάλληλον εὑρὼν τῇ ἐλπίδι τὸ τέλος. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ χαίρει ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετα νοοῦντι κατὰ τὴν κυριακὴν φωνὴν, οἱ