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of soul-profiting teaching; but the more terrible thing is that even some clerics do this, both our brothers and fellow-ministers. And if we did not have the command from the Apostle which says, Reprove, rebuke, exhort, we would have put a door on our mouth, and have submitted to and borne their burdens. However, they are wise and understanding men, and can correct themselves. For it is written: The wise are judges of themselves. You have made me wiser than my enemies by your commandment, because it is mine forever. 4. The prophet, having confessed that he fervently loves the divine law, attributes the whole to divine grace. For from you, he says, having received wisdom and knowledge, I have loved your law. For you have given me more knowledge than my enemies; therefore while they are eager to destroy me, I do not endure to defend myself against those who wrong me; for I imagine the eternal gain of virtue. And the choir of the apostles cries these things; for their enemies were the scribes and the Pharisees. They, therefore, having been made wise by Christ the God, preached the evangelical word, and for ever their teaching has prevailed; that of the scribes and Pharisees was temporary. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the elders, because I have sought out your commandments. It is characteristic of kings to teach; but to be taught, of subjects. Saul reigned, and he was an elder also in age; but nevertheless neither the authority of the kingdom nor the length of his age prepared him to be prudent, but he desired to kill his benefactor. But the great David, still counted among the subjects and being of a young age, loved philosophy, and neither endured to lift up unjust hands, nor to defend himself against those who wronged him. The prophet, therefore, holds to the same idea. For the teachers of the law and the scribes, wishing to be called Rabbi by men, taught what was not lawful; but the apostles, understanding the true knowledge attested by the law and the prophets, preached. Therefore, these teachers of the Jews are called elders, because in time they were before the apostles; but the apostles understood both the law and the prophets, discerning these things spiritually. For this reason also the commandments of God were truly sought out by them. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep your words. For it is not possible to travel two ways at the same time, of licentiousness and of temperance, of righteousness and of unrighteousness, but one must flee the contrary ways, and travel the straight one; for thus it is possible to become keepers of the divine words. He, therefore, who keeps all the commandments, himself says, I have restrained my feet from every evil way. For neither the unrighteous man can say this, nor the reviler, nor the covetous, nor he who has envy or hatred of a brother, nor he who renders evil for evil. I have not departed from your judgments, because you have instructed me. The word teaches us never to turn aside from the commandments and the judgments of God. For knowing you to be the lawgiver of these, I embraced them with all my heart. Therefore he added: How sweet are your words to my throat, more than honey to my mouth. For honey is sweet as far as the throat, since it goes into the belly and into the latrine; but the words of God sweeten the heart and soul. For indeed in another psalm he says: More to be desired than gold and much precious stone, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. For the sweetness of honey does not so delight my sense of taste 55.695 as the study of your words delights my soul. For he has put the throat, as being an instrument of the voice; and through the voice is study; and the soul, having used these, reaps the benefit from it. From your commandments I have understanding; therefore

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διδασκαλίας ψυχωφελοῦς· τὸ δὲ δεινότερον, ὅτι καὶ κληρικοί τινες τοῦτο ποιοῦσι, καὶ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ συλλειτουργοὶ ἡμῶν. Καὶ εἰ μὴ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἴχομεν ἐντολὴν τὴν λέγουσαν, Ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον, θύραν ἐπὶ στόματος ἐπεθή καμεν ἂν, καὶ τὰ βάρη τούτων ὑπενεγκεῖν καὶ βαστά σαι. Πλὴν ἄνδρες σοφοὶ καὶ συνετοί εἰσι, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς δύνανται διορθῶσαι. Γέγραπται γάρ· Σοφοὶ ἑαυτῶν ἐπιγνώμονες. Ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐσόφισάς με τὴν ἐντολήν σου, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐμή ἐστι. δʹ. Θερμῶς τὸν θεῖον ἀγαπᾷν ὁ προφήτης ὁμολογήσας νόμον, τῇ θείᾳ χάριτι τὸ πᾶν ἀνατίθησι. Παρὰ σοῦ γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν δεξάμενος, τὸν σὸν ἔστερξα νόμον. Πλείονα γάρ μοι τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἴδησιν ἔδωκας· διὸ οἱ μὲν ἀνελεῖν με σπουδάζουσιν, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲ ἀμύ νασθαι τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἀνέχομαι· τὸ γὰρ αἰώνιον τῆς ἀρετῆς φαντάζομαι κέρδος. Καὶ ὁ χορὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων ταῦτα βοᾷ· ἐχθροὶ γὰρ αὐτῶν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι. Αὐτοὶ οὖν παρὰ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ σο φισθέντες, τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν λόγον ἐκήρυξαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἡ αὐτῶν διδασκαλία κεκράτηκε· τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων πρόσκαιρος ἦν. Ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς διδάσκοντάς με συνῆκα, ὅτι τὰ μαρτύριά σου με λέτη μού ἐστιν. Ὑπὲρ πρεσβυτέρους συνῆκα, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου ἐξεζήτησα. Βασιλέων ἴδιον τὸ δι δάσκειν· τὸ δὲ διδάσκεσθαι, τῶν ἀρχομένων. Ἐβασίλευ σεν ὁ Σαοὺλ, πρεσβύτερος δὲ ἦν καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὔτε ἡ ἐξουσία τῆς βασιλείας, οὔτε τῆς ἡλικίας ὁ χρόνος σωφρονεῖν αὐτὸν παρεσκεύασεν, ἀλλὰ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀνελεῖν ἐπεθύμει. Ὁ δὲ μέγας ∆αυῒδ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἔτι συντεταγμένος καὶ νέαν ἄγων τὴν ἡλικίαν, τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἠγάπησε, καὶ οὔτε ἄρξαι χειρῶν ἀδίκων ἠνέσχετο, οὔτε τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἀμύνασθαι. Τῆς αὐτῆς οὖν ἐννοίας ἔχεται ὁ προφήτης. Οἱ γὰρ νομοδιδάσκαλοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς θέλοντες καλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων Ῥαββὶ, ἐδίδασκον ἃ μὴ θέμις· οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι τὴν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν μαρτυρουμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν συνιέντες ἐκήρυττον. Αὐτοὶ οὖν οἱ διδάσκαλοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων πρεσβύτεροι ὀνομάζονται, διὰ τὸ ἐν χρόνῳ εἶναι αὐτοὺς πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων· οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι συν ῆκαν τόν τε νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας, πνευματικῶς ταῦτα νοοῦντες. Τούτου ἕνεκεν καὶ αἱ ἐντολαὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν τῷ ὄντι ἐξεζητήθησαν. Ἐκ πάσης ὁδοῦ πονηρᾶς ἐκώλυσα τοὺς πόδας μου, ὅπως ἂν φυλάξω τοὺς λόγους σου. Οὔτε γὰρ κατὰ ταὐτὸν δυ νατὸν δύο ὁδεύειν ὁδοὺς, ἀκολασίας καὶ σωφροσύνης, δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀδικίας, ἀλλὰ δεῖ τὰς ἐναντίας φυγεῖν, καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδεῦσαι· οὕτω γὰρ οἷόν τε γενέσθαι τῶν θείων φύλακας λόγων. Ὁ πάσας τοίνυν τὰς ἐντολὰς φυλάττων, αὐτὸς λέγει, Ἐκ πάσης ὁδοῦ πονηρᾶς ἐκώλυσα τοὺς πόδας μου. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ ἀδικητὴς τοῦτο δύναται λέγειν, οὔτε ὁ λοίδορος, οὔτε ὁ πλεονέκτης, οὔτε ὁ φθόνον ἔχων ἢ μισαδελφίαν, ἢ ὁ κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἀποδιδούς. Ἀπὸ τῶν κριμάτων σου οὐκ ἐξέκλινα, ὅτι σὺ ἐνομοθέτησάς με. ∆ιδάσκει ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος μὴ ἐκτρέπεσθαί ποτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντολῶν καὶ τῶν κριμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ. Σὲ γὰρ τούτων ἐπιστάμενος νομοθέτην, μετὰ πάσης αὐτὰ διαθέσεως ἠσπαζόμην. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· Ὡς γλυκέα τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου, ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου. Γλυκὺ μὲν τὸ μέλι ἕως τοῦ φά ρυγγος, ἐπεὶ εἰς κοιλίαν καὶ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα χωρεῖ· τὰ δὲ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ γλυκαίνουσι καρδίαν καὶ ψυχήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· Ἐπιθυμητὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολὺν, καὶ γλυκύτερα ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἡδύνει μου τὴν τοῦ στό 55.695 ματος αἴσθησιν ἡ γλυκύτης τοῦ μέλιτος, ὡς εὐφραίνει μου τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ τῶν σῶν λογίων μελέτη. Τὸν γὰρ λάρυγγα τέθεικεν, ὡς ὄργανον ὄντα φωνῆς· διὰ φωνῆς δὲ ἡ μελέτη· τούτοις δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ κεχρημένη, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὠφέλειαν καρποῦται. Ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου συνῆκα· διὰ