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CHAPTER 10

But one must not pass over the *diapsalma* without consideration. Now by those before us, the *diapsalma* was thought to signify a change of thought, or of person, or of matter; but we do not reject the opinions of the fathers, and we will not shrink from thinking out something also from ourselves toward the meaning of this term. We have therefore grasped some such idea of the *diapsalma*: that as the psalmody proceeded in sequence, if there occurred in the midst of David's prophesying another illumination of the Holy Spirit and some addition of the gift of knowledge for the benefit of those receiving the prophecy, holding back his voice he gave time to his mind to receive the knowledge of the thoughts that were coming to be in him from the divine illumination. And just as often certain people, either walking together on a road or at some symposia or in assemblies conversing with one another, if some sound should suddenly strike their ears from somewhere, having paused from their speech they focus their mind on the sound, providing leisure through silence for the hearing to discern the meaning of the sound, then when the sound that reached them has ceased, they again take up their conversation with one another; so also the great David, prophesying by the Spirit, went through with melody what he had already learned; 5.109 and if he was taught something further while speaking, submitting the hearing of his soul to the Spirit sounding within and silencing the melody, the thoughts with which he had become filled, these he would go through again, weaving the words into the melody. The *diapsalma* is, therefore, as one might say, putting it in a definition, a sudden quiet pause happening in the middle of the psalmody for the reception of the thought being introduced from God. Or rather one might define the *diapsalma* thus: an instruction from the Spirit occurring to the soul in a secret manner, the attention to this thought interrupting the continuity of the melody. And so that the silence might not be thought by the many to be a sign that the power of the Holy Spirit had failed the one prophesying, for this reason some of the interpreters write 'Always' in these pauses instead of *diapsalma*, so that through this we might learn that the instruction from the Holy Spirit in the soul was always present, but the word interpreting the thoughts arising in the soul from God was not always present, but at one time it was speaking forth from the mind, and at another receiving. So when he was uttering the thoughts impressed upon his mind, the psalmody proceeded in sequence; but if something more divine sounded about the hearing of his soul, he was wholly given to listening, silencing the melody. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was 'Always' speaking in him even during the time of silence, but the word was in intervals (and the interval was named *diapsalma* by the interpreters); and from the division observed by us in the whole book of 5.110 psalmody, it being divided into five parts, it is possible also from these things for the true cause which we have understood to be demonstrated, that through a certain approach always to what is higher, the one being guided by them is led by the hand through each of the sections; for only the last of the sections, for each psalm from beginning to end, has a continuous and unbroken hymnody, being divided nowhere by the *diapsalma*. For the song for each of the ascents has this character, and those of which the inscription is 'Alleluia'. For it is shown, I think, through such observation, that in the others, since they are indeed lower, there is room for the teaching of higher thoughts, and for inserting <something> in the middle of the sequence of the discourse of those things able to lead the mind up to what is better. But the perfection through the ascents and in those which have the inscription 'Alleluia', since it has attained the highest point of the things conceived toward the good, is in need of no addition, itself in itself through

35

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ιʹ

Χρὴ δὲ μηδὲ τὸ διάψαλμα παραδραμεῖν ἀθεώρητον. τοῖς μὲν οὖν πρὸ ἡμῶν

μεταβολὴν τοῦ νοήματος ἢ προσώπου ἢ πράγματος σημαίνειν ἐνομίσθη τὸ διάψαλμα· ἡμεῖς δὲ τάς τε τῶν πατέρων ὑπολήψεις οὐκ ἀποβάλλομεν καί τι καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐννοῆσαι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ῥητοῦ τούτου σημασίαν οὐ κατοκνήσομεν. τοιαύτην οὖν τινα τοῦ διαψάλματος κατελά βομεν τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅτι προϊούσης κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῆς ψαλμῳδίας, εἴ τις ἐγένετο μεταξὺ προφητεύοντος τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἑτέρα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἔλλαμψις καὶ προσθήκη τις τοῦ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν χαρίσματος ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τῶν δεχομένων τὴν προφητείαν, ἐπέχων ἑαυτοῦ τὴν φωνὴν καιρὸν ἐδίδου τῇ διανοίᾳ δέξασθαι τῶν νοημάτων τὴν γνῶσιν τῶν γινο μένων ἐν αὐτῷ παρὰ τῆς θείας ἐλλάμψεως. καὶ ὥσπερ πολλάκις τινὲς ἢ ἐν ὁδῷ συμβαδίζοντες ἢ ἐν συμποσίοις τισὶν ἢ ἐν συλλόγοις μετ' ἀλλήλων διαλεγόμενοι, εἴ ποθεν ἀθρόως ἤχησις ταῖς ἀκοαῖς προσβάλοι, παυσάμενοι τοῦ λόγου πρὸς τὸν ἦχον τῇ διανοίᾳ συντείνονται, σχολὴν παρέχοντες δι' ἡσυχίας τῇ ἀκοῇ τοῦ γνῶναι τοῦ ἤχου τὴν δύναμιν, εἶτα παυσαμένης τῆς προσηχούσης φωνῆς πάλιν τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχονται λόγων· οὕτως ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ ὑποφητεύων τῷ πνεύματι, ἅ τε φθάσας μεμαθήκει, 5.109 διεξῄει τῇ μελῳδίᾳ· καὶ εἴ τι μεταξὺ λέγων ἐπεδιδάσκετο, ὑπέχων τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἐνηχοῦντι τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκοὴν καὶ κατασιγάζων τὸ μέλος, ὧν ἂν πλήρης ἐγένετο νοημάτων, ταῦτα διεξῄει πάλιν ἐνείρων τῇ μελῳδίᾳ τοὺς λόγους. ἔστιν οὖν τὸ διάψαλμα, ὡς ἄν τις ὅρῳ περιλαβὼν εἴποι, μεταξὺ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας γενομένη κατὰ τὸ ἀθρόον ἐπηρέμησις πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τοῦ θεόθεν ἐπεισκρινομένου νοήματος. ἢ οὕτω μᾶλλον ἄν τις ὁρίσαιτο τὸ διάψαλμα εἶναι διδασκαλίαν παρὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τῇ ψυχῇ κατὰ τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἐγγινο μένην, τῆς περὶ τὸ νόημα τοῦτο προσοχῆς τὸ συνεχὲς τῆς μελῳδίας ἐπικοπτούσης. ὡς δ' ἂν μὴ νομισθείη τοῖς πολλοῖς σημεῖον γίνεσθαι τὴν σιωπὴν τοῦ ἐπιλελοιπέναι τὸν προφη τεύοντα τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος δύναμιν, τούτου χάριν τινὲς τῶν ἑρμηνέων ἀντὶ τοῦ διαψάλματος τὸ Ἀεὶ τοῖς διαλείμμασι τούτοις ἐγγράφουσιν, ὡς ἂν διὰ τούτου μάθοιμεν ὅτι ἡ μὲν παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ διδασκαλία πάντοτε ἦν, ὁ δὲ ἑρμηνεύων τὰ ἐγγινόμενα θεόθεν τῇ ψυχῇ νοήματα λόγος οὐ πάντοτε ἦν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἐξεφώνει τῆς διανοίας, τὸ δὲ ὑπεδέχετο. ἐν ᾧ μὲν οὖν ἐξηγόρευε τὰ ἐντυπωθέντα τῇ διανοίᾳ νοήματα, προῄει δι' ἀκολούθου ἡ ψαλμῳδία· εἰ δέ τι τῶν θειοτέρων αὐτοῦ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκοὴν περιήχησεν, ὅλος τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἦν κατασιγάζων τὸ μέλος. Ἀεὶ τοίνυν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ παρὰ τὸν τῆς σιωπῆς καιρὸν ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντος, ὁ λόγος ἐν διαλείμμασιν ἦν (τὸ δὲ διάλειμμα παρὰ τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων ὠνομάσθη διάψαλμα)· τῆς δὲ θεωρηθείσης ἡμῖν διαιρέσεως ἐν πάσῃ τῇ βίβλῳ τῆς 5.110 ψαλμῳδίας πενταχῇ διῃρημένης δυνατόν ἐστι καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἀληθῆ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀποδειχθῆναι, ἣν ἐνοήσαμεν, ὅτι διά τινος προσαγωγῆς ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ ὑψηλότερον δι' ἑκάστου τῶν τμημάτων χειραγωγεῖται ὁ δι' αὐτῶν ὁδηγούμενος· μόνον γὰρ τὸ τελευταῖον τῶν τμημάτων ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος ἐφ' ἑκάστου ψαλμοῦ συνεχῆ τε καὶ ἀδιάσπαστον τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν ἔχει, οὐδαμοῦ διαιρουμένην τῷ διαψάλματι. ἥ τε γὰρ ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν ᾠδὴ τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον καὶ ὧν ἐπιγραφή ἐστι τὸ Ἀλληλούϊα. δείκνυται γάρ, ὡς οἶμαι, διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης παρατηρήσεως, ὅτι ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἅτε δὴ κατωτέροις οὖσι, χώραν ἔχει ὁ τὰ ὑψηλότερα ἐπεκδιδάσκων νοήματα, καὶ μεταξὺ παρενείρων <τι> τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ τοῦ λόγου τῶν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον δυναμένων ἀναγαγεῖν τὴν διάνοιαν. ἡ δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν τελείωσις καὶ οἷς προγραφή ἐστι τὸ Ἀλληλούϊα, ἅτε δὴ τοῦ ἀκροτάτου τῶν πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν νοουμένων ἐπειλημμένη, οὐδεμιᾶς προσθήκης ἐστὶν ἐπιδεής, αὐτὴ ἐν ἑαυτῇ διὰ