55

Just as among runners, the one who outruns the victor of the others wins greater glory than the former, having shown himself better than the one who ran before, so the fifty-seventh psalmody, since the one previously completed was shown to be great in conception, seems to conquer it in genius with its own thoughts. For as that one held the victory over the others, so this one holds the advantage over the one that surpasses the others; and indeed for this one the inscription *To the end* testifies to the victory. But it seems that on the occasion of this victory the word testifies not so much to the defeat of the opponents, but to the abundance in good things. The wording of the inscription is as follows: *To the end, do not destroy, for David, for an inscription on a pillar.* How many times is the champion of long-suffering proclaimed for the crown of this victory by the judge of the contest himself? And perhaps the Holy Spirit itself often takes up this exclamation in wonder, as it is greater than human power and surpasses the limits of nature. For it was for the incorporeal and immaterial nature alone to say such a thing, to which none of the human passions attaches. But being a man, and having anger con-substantial with his nature, and suffering evil from one who had received no pretext for evil, but was deemed worthy of many and great goods, both for the sake of the common rule and for what was done for that man himself, this man becomes an exile and a fugitive from his own hearth by the very one who had received his benefaction, being pursued to death by the one who had been treated well. At one time going to one place, at another to another, out of helplessness, 5.160 dwelling in deserts, fleeing to mountain tops, becoming a suppliant of foreigners, suffering hardship in want of necessities, for the most part enduring in the open air, having often endured from him the danger of death, now with his own hand rushing to murder him with a spear, and again taking over the house where he lived with his guards, so that he might not escape death, then meddling everywhere in the places where he was lodging and where he was taking refuge and to whom he was going and to whom he was moving; and when the opportunity to kill his enemy presented itself to him twice, now in the cave when Saul unexpectedly fell into David's hands; and again in the tent, when the one was overcome by sleep, and David stood over him sleeping, when it was possible for him to satisfy all his anger in the murder of the one pursuing him, he neither laid a hand on him himself and to the one hastening to the slaying he says, *Do not destroy*. This is clearly the voice of God, forbidding the destruction of the man. For this reason, just as those who make inscriptions in stones more prominent cut the characters deep with the carving of the letters, often applying the stylus to the impressions, so through continuous repetition the Holy Spirit prepares this great saying to become clearer and more evident on the pillar of our memory, so that this text, impressed upon us clearly and distinctly, might be read at the time of our sufferings. For I think I see the economy of the Holy Spirit directed to this end, so that the preceding 5.161 good deeds of holy men might be set forth for guidance for the life that follows, with imitation leading us toward the same and like good. For when the soul swells up for defense against the one provoking it and the blood around the heart boils with anger against the one who has caused pain, then one, looking up at this pillar which the Holy Spirit set up for David, and reading the voice in it which David uttered on behalf of his murderer, will surely quell the disturbance of thoughts in the soul, calming the passion with a desire for the imitation of similar things. And it is possible to perceive the greatness of the one who through progress has ascended to the level of this psalmody, even through the words of the psalmody themselves, how much he has risen above the greatness that has passed. For no longer does he complain either of being trampled by his enemies or of the

55

ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς δρομεῦσιν ὁ τὸν νικητὴν τῶν ἄλλων παραδραμὼν μείζονα τοῦ προτέρου τὴν δόξαν ἤρατο κρείττων ἐπιδειχθεὶς τοῦ προτρέχοντος, οὕτως ἔοικεν ἡ ἑβδόμη τε καὶ πεντηκοστὴ ψαλμῳδία, μεγάλης ἐπιδειχθείσης κατ' ἔννοιαν τῆς προδιη νυσμένης, νικᾶν αὐτὴν τῇ μεγαλοφυΐα τοῖς ἰδίοις νοήμασιν· ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνη κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἶχε τὰ νικητήρια, οὕτως αὕτη τῆς ὑπερεχούσης τῶν ἄλλων τὸ πλέον ἔχει· καὶ ταύτῃ γὰρ μαρτυρεῖ τὴν νίκην ἡ Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιγραφή. ἀλλ' ἔοικε μὴ τοσοῦτον τὴν τῶν ἀντιπάλων ἧτταν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς πλεονασμὸν ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς νίκης ὁ λόγος διαμαρτύρεσθαι. ἔχει δὲ τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς οὕτως ἡ λέξις· Εἰς τὸ τέλος, μὴ διαφθείρῃς, τῷ ∆αβὶδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν. ποσάκις ὁ τῆς μακροθυμίας ἀγωνιστὴς ἐπὶ τῷ στεφάνῳ τῆς νίκης ταύτης ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου ἀνακηρύσσεται; καὶ αὐτοῦ τάχα τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου θαυμαστικῶς τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην πολλάκις ἀναλαμβάνοντος, ὡς κρείττονα οὖσαν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων δυνάμεως καὶ τῶν τῆς φύσεως ὅρων ὑπερεκπίπτουσαν. μόνης γὰρ τῆς ἀσωμάτου τε καὶ ἀΰλου φύσεως τὸ τοιοῦτον ἦν εἰπεῖν, ἧς οὐδὲν πάθος τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων προσάπτεται. ἄνθρωπος δέ τις ὢν καὶ θυμὸν συνουσιωμένον ἔχων τῇ φύσει, πάσχων τε κακῶς παρὰ τοῦ μηδεμίαν μὲν εἰληφότος εἰς τὸ κακὸν ἀφορμήν, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν ἠξιωμένου, ὑπέρ τε τῆς κοινῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον γεγενημένων, οὗτος μετανάστης ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τῆς εὐποιΐας τετυχηκότος καὶ φυγὰς γίνεται τῆς οἰκείας ἑστίας ἐπὶ θανάτῳ παρὰ τοῦ εὖ πεπονθότος συνελαυνόμενος. ἄλλοτε ἄλλον ὑπὸ ἀμηχανίας ἐπιὼν τόπον 5.160 ἐρήμοις ἐναυλιζόμενος, ἀκρωρείαις προσφεύγων, ἀλλοφύλων ἱκέτης γινόμενος, [ἐν] ἐνδείᾳ τῶν ἀναγκαίων κακοπαθῶν, ὕπαιθρος τὰ πολλὰ διακαρτερῶν πολλάκις παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸν μέχρι θανάτου κίνδυνον ὑποστάς, νῦν μὲν αὐτοχειρὶ διὰ τῆς λόγχης πρὸς τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ φόνον ὁρμήσαντος, πάλιν δὲ τὸν οἶκον, ἐν ᾧ διῆγεν, διὰ τῶν δορυφόρων διαλαβόντος, ὡς ἂν μὴ φύγοι τὸν θάνατον, εἶτα πανταχοῦ πολυπραγμονοῦν τος ἐν οἷς ηὐλίζετο καὶ οἷ κατέφευγεν καὶ παρὰ τίνας ᾔει καὶ πρὸς οὓς μετανίστατο· καὶ ἐπειδὴ δὶς αὐτῷ συνέδραμεν ἡ τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἐχθρὸν εὐκαιρία, νῦν μὲν ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ἀπροόπτως τοῦ Σαοὺλ ταῖς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐμπεσόντος χερσίν· πάλιν δὲ κατὰ τὴν σκηνήν, ὅτε ὁ μὲν τῷ ὕπνῳ πάρετος ἦν, ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ ἐφειστήκει καθεύδοντι, ὅτε πᾶσαν ἐξῆν αὐτῷ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐν τῷ φόνῳ τοῦ διώκοντος αὐτὸν ἀποπληρῶσαι, οὔτε αὐτὸς τὴν χεῖρα ἐπήγαγεν καὶ τῷ πρὸς τὴν ἀναίρεσιν σπεύδοντι Μὴ διαφθείρῃς λέγει. θεοῦ τις ἄντικρύς ἐστιν ἡ φωνὴ τὴν φθορὰν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κωλύουσα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καθάπερ οἱ ἐπισημότερα ποιοῦντες τὰ ἐν τοῖς λίθοις χαράγματα εἰς βάθος ἐντέμνουσι τῇ γλυφῇ τῶν στοιχείων τοὺς χαρακτῆρας πολλάκις ἐπάγοντες τὴν γραφίδα τοῖς τύποις οὕτως διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς ἐπαναλήψεως τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τρανότερον καὶ εὔδηλον ἐν τῇ στήλῃ τῆς μνήμης ἡμῶν τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην ῥῆσιν γενέσθαι παρασκευά ζει, ὡς ἂν τρανόν τε καὶ ἀσύγχυτον ἐντετυπωμένον ἡμῖν τοῦτο τὸ γράμμα ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν παθημάτων ἀναγινώ σκοιτο. πρὸς τοῦτο γὰρ οἶμαι τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος οἰκονομίαν ὁρᾶν, ὥστε τὰ προλαβόντα τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν 5.161 κατορθώματα εἰς ὁδηγίαν προκεῖσθαι τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα βίῳ, πρὸς τὸ ἴσον τε καὶ ὅμοιον ἀγαθὸν προαγούσης ἡμᾶς τῆς μιμήσεως. ὅταν γὰρ διοιδήσῃ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ παροξύνοντος ἄμυναν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ζέσῃ τῷ θυμῷ τὸ περικάρδιον αἷμα κατὰ τοῦ λελυπηκότος, τότε πρὸς ταύτην τις ἀναβλέψας τὴν στήλην, ἣν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀνεστήσατο, καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ φωνὴν ἀναγνούς, ἣν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ὑπὲρ τοῦ φονῶντος ἐφθέγξατο, καταστορέσει πάντως τὴν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τῶν λογισμῶν ταραχήν, πόθῳ τῆς τῶν ὁμοίων μιμήσεως καταπραΰνων τὸ πάθος. πάρεστι δὲ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ διὰ προκοπῆς ἐπὶ τὸν βαθμὸν τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ταύτης ἀναβεβηκότος καὶ δι' αὐτῶν κατιδεῖν τῶν τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ῥημάτων ὅσον τοῦ παρῳχηκότος μεγέθους ὑπερανέστηκεν. οὐκέτι γὰρ οὔτε τὸ πατεῖσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αἰτιᾶται οὔτε τὸν