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is of this sort: In ecstasy, that is, being in a state of astonishment, I said, "I am cast out then from the sight of your eyes," that is, I seemed to be far from your watchful and supervisory powers, and since, being so disposed, I entreated not to remain cast out but that the sight of your eyes might appear to me. For this reason you heard the voice of my supplication when I cried to you. 279 Ps 30,24ab Since there is one truth, the one that said, "I am the truth," many truths consist in those who partake of the one, with each soul having a truth, a type which it received from the only-begotten truth. Since, therefore, the Lord seeks all these truths, he wishes to honor those who have them on their account. For this reason, O his holy ones, seek him, not ending up unrewarded for the truth which you have.

280 Ps 31,1a And since the psalm has many hidden things, there is need of understanding for the one

who encounters it, so that he may be able to understand each of the things spoken obscurely. 281 Ps 31,1bc They say that the difference between lawlessnesses and sins is of this sort: the sins of those who have not accepted any law at all are called lawlessnesses, while those committed in transgression of a law are named sins. Blessed therefore are they whose lawlessnesses are forgiven, as they have just come to the divine word; and blessed are they also whose sins are covered, whenever, having disobeyed the law, they later repent. Forgiveness is spoken of in the case of lawlessnesses, but covering in the case of sins, because lawlessnesses are completely forgiven. For those who sin without the law are excusable, while the sins that are covered are not completely forgiven but are overshadowed out of love; "For love covers a multitude of sins." Some use "Blessed are they whose lawlessnesses are forgiven" for those who have received the washing for the forgiveness of sins, and "And whose sins are covered" for those who have covered their sins through repentance. But there are those who take the first for the believing Gentiles, and the second for those from the circumcision who have accepted the Savior. 282 Ps 31,2 The sinless one is called not simply a human but a man on account of his perfection. In this way, then, God does not reckon sin, either by forgiving it or because it did not happen at all. For this will fit Christ best according to the economy; and the phrase "There is no deceit in his mouth" should be understood similarly, either because he cast it out or because he did not have deceit. But there is no deceit in the mouth of one who has a true and irreproachable word. 283 Ps 31,3 Being illumined by the true light, I passed my time in the day, and in this whole day I cried out, praising and praying. Since, therefore, from this cry I fell silent out of inattention, the strong and vigorous parts of the doctrines, called my bones, grew old. And it signifies the change of the one saying these things by the fact that his bones had grown old and were not old by nature. 284 Ps 31,4 And it has been said in what precedes that in many places of scripture the punishing power of God is called his hand. He says, therefore, that this lay heavily upon him day and night, that is, continuously, because of his change for the worse. Indeed, the Savior interpreted the cares of life and the pleasures and deceits of this age as thorns. Whenever, then, such a thorn is stuck in someone, he is immediately turned to misery. It should be known that a person becomes miserable by a change and a turn, not being so by nature. And the word signifies the pitiable and wretched. And the being stuck by a thorn shows that it is not by nature but enters from without. Being pricked, therefore, by this, "I was turned to misery," that through repentance and the instructive admonition from the Lord; "For whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives." And we have known in the books of Kings how many things he endured on account of this sin, being disciplined by the Lord because of his former righteousness, so that, having been freed from that sin and the punishment for it,

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εστιν τοιοῦτον· ̓Εν ἐκστάσει, τουτέστιν ἐν ἐκπλήξει γεγενημένος, ειπα ̓Απέρριμμαι αρα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου, τουτέστιν μακρὰν εδοξα ειναι τῶν ἐποπτικῶν καὶ ἐπισκοπευτικῶν σου δυνάμεων, καὶ ἐπεὶ ουτω διατεθεὶς παρεκάλεσα μὴ ἀπερριμμένος μεῖναι ἀλλ' ἐπιφανῆναί μοι τὸ πρόσωπον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰσήκουσας τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεώς μου ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς σέ. 279 Ps 30,24ab Μιᾶς ἀληθείας ουσης τῆς εἰπούσης ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια, πολλαὶ συνίστανται ἐν τοῖς μετέχουσιν τῆς μιᾶς ἑκάστης ψυχῆς ἀλήθειαν ἐχούσης, ον ἐδέξατο τύπον ἐκ τῆς μονογενοῦς ἀληθείας. ἐπεὶ ουν πάσας τὰς ἀληθείας ταύτας ἐκζητεῖ κύριος, τιμῆσαι ἐπ' αὐτὰς βούλεται τοὺς εχοντας αὐτάς. τούτου χάριν, οἱ οσιοι αὐτοῦ, ἐκζητήσατε αὐτόν, οὐκ ἀμισθὶ καταλύοντες ἐφ' ῃ εχετε ἀληθείᾳ.

280 Ps 31,1a Καὶ ἐπεὶ πολλὰ κεκρυμμένα ὁ ψαλμὸς εχει, συνέσεως χρεία τῷ

ἐντυγχάνοντι, ινα συνιέναι δυνηθῇ εκαστα τῶν ἀσαφῶς εἰρημένων. 281 Ps 31,1bc ̓Ανομιῶν καὶ ἁμαρτιῶν διαφορὰν ειναί φασιν τοιαύτην· αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν μηδὲ οντιν' ουν νόμον προσηκαμένων ἀνομίαι καλοῦνται, τῶν κατὰ παράβασιν νόμου πραττομένων ἁμαρτιῶν ὀνομαζομένων. Μακάριοι ουν εἰσιν ων ἀφίενται αἱ ἀνομίαι, αρτι τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ προσερχομένων· Μακάριοι δὲ καὶ ων ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, οτ' αν παρακούσαντες τοῦ νόμου υστερον μετανοήσωσιν. αφεσις μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνομιῶν, ἐπικάλυψις δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ειρηται τῷ τὰς ἀνομίας πάντῃ ἀφίεσθαι. συγγνωστοὶ γὰρ οἱ δίχα νόμου ἁμαρτάνοντες τῶν ἐπικρυπτομένων ἁμαρτιῶν οὐ πάντῃ ἀφιεμένων ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγάπης ἐπισκιαζομένων· ̓Αγάπη γὰρ καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν. Χρῶνται δέ τινες τῷ μὲν Μακάριοι ων ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι ἐπὶ τῶν τὸ λουτρὸν εἰς αφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐσχηκότων, τῷ δὲ Καὶ ων ἐπεκαλύφθησαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ μετανοίας ἐπικρυψάντων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. εἰσὶν δὲ οι λαμβάνουσιν τὴν μὲν προτέραν ἐπὶ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐθνῶν, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν σωτῆρα προσηκαμένων. 282 Ps 31,2 ̔Ο ἀναμάρτητος οὐχ ἁπλῶς ανθρωπος ἀλλ' ἀνὴρ διὰ τὴν τελειότητα λέγεται. ουτω γοῦν ὁ θεὸς οὐ λογίζεται ἁμαρτίαν ητοι τῷ ἀφίεσθαι αὐτὴν η τῷ μηδ' ολως γεγονέναι. ἁρμόσει γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα τῷ Χριστῷ κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν· καὶ τὸ Οὐκ εστιν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ δόλος ὁμοίως ἐκδεκτέον η τῷ ἀποβεβληκέναι η τῷ μὴ ἐσχηκέναι δόλον. οὐκ εστιν δὲ δόλος ἐν στόματι τοῦ λόγον ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀκατάγνωστον εχοντος. 283 Ps 31,3 ̓Απὸ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς καταυγαζόμενος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διῆγον καὶ ἐν ολῃ ταύτῃ εκραζον ὑμνῶν εὐχόμενος. ἐπεὶ ουν ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς κραυγῆς ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας ἐσίγησα, ἐπαιλαιώθη τὰ ἰσχυρὰ καὶ τὰ ευτονα τῶν δογμάτων, ὀστᾶ μου ὀνομαζόμενα. σημαίνει δὲ τὴν μετάπτωσιν τοῦ ταῦτα λέγοντος τῷ πεπαλαιῶσθαι καὶ μὴ φύσει παλαιὰ ειναι τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ. 284 Ps 31,4 Καὶ ἐν τοῖς προάγουσιν ειρηται, ὡς ἐν πολλοῖς τόποις τῆς γραφῆς ἡ κολαστικὴ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὀνομάζεται. ταύτην ουν βαρέως ἐπικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς τουτέστιν συνεχῶς λέγει διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον μεταβολήν. Τὰς βιωτικὰς μέντοι μερίμνας ἡδονάς τε καὶ ἀπάτας τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος ἀκάνθας ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ σωτήρ. οτ' αν ουν τοιαύτη ακανθα ἐμπαγῇ τινι, εὐθέως εἰς ταλαιπωρίαν στρέφεται. ἰστέον οτι κατὰ μεταβολὴν καὶ τροπὴν ταλαίπωρός τις γίνεται μὴ φύσει ων τοιοῦτος. σημαίνει δὲ ἡ λέξις τὸν οἰκτρὸν καὶ ἐλεεινόν. Καὶ τὸ ἐμπαγῆναι δὲ ακανθαν τὸ μὴ φύσει δηλοῖ ἀλλ' εξωθεν ἐπεισιοῦσαν. νυττόμενος ουν ὑπὸ ταύτης ̓Εστράφην εἰς ταλαιπωρίαν, τὴν διὰ τῆς μετανοίας καὶ τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου παιδευτικῆς νουθεσίας· Ον γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ κύριος παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ον παραδέχεται. εγνωμεν δὲ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις οσα ὑπέμεινεν διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὸ κυρίου παιδευόμενος διὰ τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνην, ιν' ἐκείνης τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τῆς δι' αὐτὴν τιμωρίας ἀπαλλαγεὶς