73

makes the just man a friend to God, because indeed likes are dear to likes. Therefore it is said, The Lord is just and has loved righteousnesses. And trusting in his own righteousness, the just man would say, Judge me, O Lord, and plead my case. Therefore, the Lord, in judging the unjust, destroys the injustice within them. And so he also wars against those who war against the just man, doing this for the good of those who are warred against, so that they might someday cease from doing things hostile to righteousness. 325 Ps 34,1b And "to do injustice" signifies harm in the passage: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm you. 326 34,1c Since many through false opinion and other wickedness have set out to war against me, for this reason you fight them instead of me; for they will be indisputably destroyed, since you are the Lord who shatters wars. 327 Ps 34,2.3a Taking up your fitting shield and the weapon of truth, Arise to my help, that is, become my defender. You will understand the sword in the same way. 328 Ps 34,8 It should be noted that in the preceding verses, he used imperative verbs instead of optatives; for Let their way become is instead of "may it become," and Let it come is instead of "may it come," and the rest similarly. And in the snare he shall fall into it; for each one is punished according to his deed. 329 Ps 34,9 When these things happen to them, my soul will rejoice, seeing by providence the wicked punished and the virtuous benefited; but it will also have delight, having experienced the salvation of God himself. 330 Ps 34,10a Let those who desire to take everything from the bare letter and nothing allegorically be refuted also from the preceding verse. For nothing is so foolish as to think that perceptible bones have a conception of God, so as to hymn him and to know that no one is like him. For concerning the bones of the inner man (and these are his powers and true doctrines) is it said, All my bones; for through every true conception and doctrine I was confirmed that nothing of the created things is like the Lord; for he alone is the image of the invisible God and the character of the divine substance. 331 Ps 34,10c But you will observe whether the "poor" is different from the "needy," and whether in substance or in concept, since it is possible for the same person to be both poor, having become impoverished by having fallen away from the wealth which he had, and needy, by providing for his livelihood with labor. 332 Ps 34,11 Witnesses not of righteousness but of injustice, having risen up and roused themselves, sophistically ask me things I do not know. For the virtuous man knows nothing of wicked things, that is, he is mixed with none of the evil things; and the proof is: He who keeps the commandment will not know an evil word. For here also, He will not know is instead of "he has not been made of the same quality nor is he mixed with an evil word." For it is a falsehood to think that he who keeps the divine commandment does not understand an evil word; for having the discernment of evil and good, having turned away from all other words, he came to keep the commandment. What he says, therefore, is this: although I had no experience nor knowledge or concept of evil things, they provoked me, questioning me about them, just as the Egyptian woman did to Joseph and the elders to Susanna. 333 Ps 34,12 While I was striving to desire to perform blamelessly my duties towards all, to be at peace with all men if possible, they in return for these good things repaid me with evil things, showing themselves enemies and malevolent in all things; and, as far as it was in their power, they attempted to destroy the fruitfulness of my soul in good things. For if, persuaded by their questions, I had become such as they wished to make me, my soul would have been made childless, no longer receiving the divine seeds of the bridegroom. But if the disciples are called the children of the one who taught them, in this way also the soul of the teacher is made childless, having fallen into errors by its own scandal, destroying those who were born from it through discipleship. 334 Ps 34,13b 334 Since the

73

τὸν δίκαιον φίλον ποιεῖ τῷ θεῷ, οτι δὴ τὰ ισα τοῖς ισοις φίλα. διὸ λέλεκται ∆ίκαιος κύριος καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγάπησεν. θαρρῶν τε τῇ αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνῃ ὁ δίκαιος ειποι αν Κρῖνόν με, κύριε, καὶ δίκασον τὴν δίκην μου. δικάζων τοίνυν ὁ κύριος τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀδικίαν ἀπόλλυσιν. ουτω δὲ καὶ πολεμεῖ τοὺς πολεμοῦντας τὸν δίκαιον, ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ τῶν πολεμουμένων τοῦτο ποιῶν ὡς αν παύσαιντό ποτε τὰ ἐχθρὰ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ πράττοντες. 325 Ps 34,1b Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ἀδικεῖν βλάβην ἐν τῷ ̓Ιδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν πατεῖν ἐπάνω οφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς οὐ μὴ ἀδικήσῃ. 326 34,1c ̓Επεὶ πολλοὶ οἱ διὰ ψευδοδοξίας καὶ τῆς αλλης κακίας πολεμεῖν μοι προύθεντο, τούτου χάριν σὺ ἀντ' ἐμοῦ πολέμησον αὐτοῖς· ἀναντιρρήτως γὰρ καταλυθήσονται, ἐπεὶ Κύριος συντρίβων πολέμους ὑπάρχεις. 327 Ps 34,2.3a ̓Επιλαβόμενος τοῦ καταλλήλου σου θυραιοῦ καὶ τοῦ οπλου τῆς ἀληθείας ̓Ανάστα εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου, τουτέστιν ὑπέρμαχός μου γενοῦ. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν ῥομφαίαν νοήσεις. 328 Ps 34,8 Σημειωτέον οτι ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις στίχοις ἀντὶ εὐκτικῶν προστακτικοῖς ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν· τὸ γὰρ Γενηθήτω ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν ἀντὶ τοῦ γενηθείη καὶ τὸ ̓Ελθέτω ἀντὶ τοῦ ελθοι, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὁμοίως. Καὶ ἐν τῇ παγίδι πεσεῖται ἐν αὐτῇ· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν πρᾶξιν εκαστος τιμωρεῖται. 329 Ps 34,9 Τούτων συμβάντων περὶ ἐκείνους, ἡ ἐμὴ ψυχὴ ἀγαλλιάσεται ὁρῶσα κατὰ πρόνοιαν τοὺς μὲν φαύλους τιμωρουμένους, τοὺς δὲ σπουδαίους εὐεργετουμένους· ἀλλὰ καὶ τέρψιν εξει, πεῖραν λαβοῦσα τοῦ σωτηρίου αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. 330 Ps 34,10a Οἱ πάντα ἐκ ψιλῆς τῆς λέξεως καὶ οὐδὲν ἀλληγορικῶς ἐκλαμβάνειν ποθοῦντες ἐλεγχέσθωσαν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου στίχου. οὐδὲν γὰρ ουτως ἠλίθιόν ἐστιν ὡς νομίσαι τὰ αἰσθητὰ ὀστᾶ εννοιαν εχειν θεοῦ, ωστε ὑμνεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ εἰδέναι οτι οὐδεὶς ομοιος αὐτῷ. περὶ γὰρ τῶν ὀστῶν τοῦ εσω ἀνθρώπου (δυνάμεις δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ δόγματα ἀληθῆ ταῦτα) ειρηται τὸ Πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου· διὰ πάσης γὰρ ἐννοίας καὶ δόγματος ἀληθινοῦ ἐβεβαιώθην μηδὲν τῶν γεννητῶν ομοιον ειναι τοῦ κυρίου· μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου καὶ χαρακτὴρ θεϊκῆς ὑποστάσεώς ἐστιν. 331 Ps 34,10c ̓Επιστήσεις δέ, εἰ ετερός ἐστιν ὁ πτωχὸς παρὰ τὸν πένητα καὶ πότερον τῇ ὑποστάσει η τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ, τῷ ἐγχωρεῖν τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ πτωχὸν ειναι πτωχεύσαντα τῷ ἀποπεπτωκέναι ου εσχεν πλούτου καὶ πένητα τῷ μετὰ πόνου περιποιεῖν τὰ πρὸς τὸ διαζῆν. 332 Ps 34,11 Οἱ μὴ δικαιοσύνης ἀλλ' ἀδικίας μάρτυρες διαναστάντες καὶ διεγείραντες ἑαυτοὺς σοφιστικῶς ἐπερωτῶσιν α οὐ γινώσκω. οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν φαύλων γινώσκει ὁ σπουδαῖος, τουτέστιν οὐδενὶ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνακέκραται· μαρτύριον δέ· ̔Ο φυλάσσων ἐντολὴν οὐ γνώσεται ῥῆμα πονηρόν. καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὸ Οὐ γνώσεται ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐ πεποίωται οὐδὲ ἀνακέκραται κατὰ ῥῆμα πονηρόν. ψεῦδος γὰρ τὸ νομίζειν μὴ ἐπίστασθαι ῥῆμα πονηρὸν τὸν φυλάττοντα τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν· διάκρισιν γὰρ εχων πονηροῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, ταλλα πάντα ἀποστραφεὶς ῥήματα ἐπὶ τὸ τηρεῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν ηλθεν. ο ουν λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· πεῖραν οὐκ εχοντα οὐδὲ γνῶσιν η εννοιαν τῶν κακῶν διερεθίζοντές με, ἐπηρώτων με περὶ αὐτῶν ωσπερ ἡ Αἰγυπτία τὸν ̓Ιωσὴφ καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τὴν Σουσάνναν. 333 Ps 34,12 ̓Εμοῦ φιλοτιμωμένου τὰ πρὸς πάντας καθήκοντα ἀμέμπτως ἐπιτελεῖν βούλεσθαι, εἰ δυνατὸν μετὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰρηνεύειν, αὐτοὶ ἀντὶ τούτων τῶν καλῶν πονηρὰ ἀνταπεδίδουν μοι, ἐχθροὶ καὶ δυσμενεῖς διὰ πάντων ἀναφαινόμενοι· τὸ οσον δ' ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐν καλοῖς εὐτεκνίαν τῆς ψυχῆς μου ἀναιρεῖν ἐπεχείρουν. εἰ γοῦν πεισθεὶς αὐτῶν ταῖς ἐρωτήσεσιν τοιοῦτος ἐγεγόνειν οιον ηθελόν με ποιῆσαι, ἠτεκνώθη αν ἡ ψυχή μου μηκέτι δεχομένη τὰς θείας τοῦ νυμφίου γονάς. εἰ δὲ τέκνα λέγοιντο οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ διδάξαντος, καὶ ουτως ἀτεκνοῦται ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ διδασκάλου, σφάλμασιν περιπεσοῦσα τῷ ἑαυτῆς σκανδάλῳ, ἀναιροῦσα τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς γεναμένους διὰ μαθητείας. 334 Ps 34,13b 334 ̓Επειδὴ ἡ