84

my glory, and I shall not be pierced with sorrow. Some place a comma, saying: "I shall not be pierced with sorrow"; when my glory sings psalms to you, I am not pierced with sorrow. But this reading does not please me. But many in the church read it this way. "Compunction" often signifies a kind of repentance. For example, when Ahab repented: "Have you seen how Ahab was humbled?"; and: "you have given them to drink a spirit of compunction," a spirit of repentance. So this is what it says: my glory sings psalms to you, I act according to your will, and I do not repent, I am not pierced with sorrow. I am not pierced with sorrow as over something evil, so as to act no longer. Therefore he connects it 137 and says: "O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever." 13 O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Since, therefore, I give thanks to you forever, singing psalms with your glory, I am not pierced with sorrow, I do not repent. 1 For the end; a psalm of David; of ecstasy. The name "ecstasy" is homonymous; for it signifies many things, one of which is distraction or madness; one who is delirious is in ecstasy. But the name "ecstasy" also signifies astonishment; for one who is astonished is said to be in ecstasy: "I considered your works and was astonished," having seen their greatness, the art by which they came to be. And there are many sayings that show that astonishment is revealed by the name of ecstasy. Thus, for example, Isaac "was seized with a great ecstasy," when he received the blessing from Esau. And again "ecstasy" signifies someone becoming outside of his former state, as when it says: "But I said in my ecstasy, Every man is a liar." When I was outside of myself and no longer a man, but became a god, having made room for the divine Word which came to me, then I said that: "every man is a liar"; for if we were to take this simply, he lies. If every man is a liar and he himself is one of men, he lies. But if he lies that "every man is a liar," then they are not all liars. The things of men are uncertain, inconsistent. Such also is what the apostle says: "what eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man." He is not, therefore, himself a man, but adds: "but God has revealed them to us through the Spirit," to us who are no longer men, who are able to say with boldness: "we are beside ourselves for God, we are of sound mind for you." So he who says these things in the psalm was also in ecstasy; he became other than himself, he became a god by partaking of the divine Word; he has ceased from being a man. At any rate, then, consider that he does not say human things, but proclaims and sings what is fitting for a deified man. 2 In you, O Lord, have I hoped; may I not be put to shame forever. For I am not put to shame when the things of my request are granted; for then one who prays suffers shame, when he does not obtain what he expected. And if we were to take "forever" more simply, it says this: in all the time of my life may I not be put to shame, always obtaining what I ask to receive from you; for it has often been said that the time extending through a man's life is called "3aeon"3, as in: "I will not eat meat forever." But it is also possible to say it this way: since you are eternal and your existence and your kingdom extend into all ages, and I too am immortal in my soul, "may I not be put to shame forever"; for I am always with you. Now I know in part and I prophesy in part, but that which is in part will be succeeded by that which is perfect, so that my hope has rather become greater, having henceforth the expectation of greater things. Therefore, he who hopes in the Lord is not put to shame. 2 In your righteousness rescue me and deliver me. The beginning of the seventieth and of this one have a certain kinship and similarity. And in the seventieth is found "deliver me," for it is he, about whom it is said: "righteousness has looked 138 down," when he bowed the heavens and came down. He has come to destroy unrighteousness; for the world that came to be around the earth was full of unrighteousness; for "the earth was filled with unrighteousness," just as also before the

84

δόξα μου καὶ οὐ μὴ κατανυγῶ. ἔνιοι ὑποστιγμὴν λέγουσιν· "οὐ μὴ κατανυγῶ"· ψαλλούσης τῆς δόξης μού σοι οὐ κατανύγομαι. οὐκ ἀρέσκει μοι δὲ αὕτη ἡ ἀνάγνωσις. πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ οὕτως αὐτὴν ἀναγιγνώσκουσιν. μεταμέλειάν τινα σημαίνει ἡ κατάνυξις πολλάκις. ὅτε γοῦν μετεμελήθη ὁ Ἀχαάμ· "εἶδες, πῶς κατενύγη ὁ Ἀχαάμ"; καί· "ἐπότισας αὐτοὺς πνεῦμα κατανύξεως", πνεῦμα μετανοίας. τοῦτο οὖν λέγει· ἡ δόξα μου ψάλλει σοι, πράττω κατὰ τὸ βούλημά σου, καὶ οὐ μεταμελοῦμαι, οὐ κατανύσσομαι. οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ κακῷ κατανύττομαι, ὥστε μηκέτι ἐνεργῆσαι. διὸ συνάπτει 137 καὶ λέγει· "κύριε, ὁ θεός μου, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι". 13 κύριε, ὁ θεός μου, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι. ἐπεὶ οὖν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι ψάλλων τῇ δόξῃ σου, οὐ κατανύγομαι, οὐ μεταμέλομαι. 1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυίδ· ἐκστάσεως. τὸ τῆς ἐκστάσεως ὄνομα ὁμώνυμόν ἐστιν· σημαίνει γὰρ πολλά, ὧν ἕν ἐστιν ἡ παρακοπὴ ἢ παραφροσύνη· ὁ παραπαίων ἐξίσταται. σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ τῆς ἐκστάσεως καὶ θαυμαστότητα· ὁ θαυμάζων γὰρ λέγεται ἐξίστασθαι· "κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην" τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῶν θεασάμενος, τὴν τέχνην καθ' ἣν γεγόνασιν. καὶ πολλὰ δὲ ἔστιν ῥητὰ δηλοῦντα, ὅτι ἡ θαυμστότης φανεροῦται τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς ἐκστάσεως. οὕτω γοῦν κ̣αι`̣ Ἰσαὰκ̣ "ἐξέστη ἔκστασιν μεγάλην", ὅταν τὴν εὐλογίαν ἔλαβεν ὑπὸ Ἰσαῦ. καὶ πάλιν σημαίνει τὸ ἔκστασις τὸ ἔξω̣ τινὰ γενέσθαι τῆς προτέρας ἑαυτοῦ καταστάσεως, ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ· "ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης". ὅτε ἐξέστην ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ οὐκέτι ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ θεὸς γέγονα χωρήσας πρός με γεν̣όμενον τὸν θεὸν λόγον, τότε εἶπον ὅτι· "πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης"· εἰ γὰρ ἁπλῶς λαμβάνοιμεν τοῦτο, ψεύδεται. εἰ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ εἷς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν, ψεύδεται. ψευδομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ὅτι "πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύςτης", οὐ πάντως ψεῦσταί εἰσιν. τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀβέβαια, ἀσύνστατα. τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν καὶ ὃ λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος· "ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐχ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη". οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπιφέρει· "ἡμῖν δὲ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος", ἡμῖν τοῖς μηκέτι ἀνθρώποις, τοῖς δυναμένοις μετὰ παρρησίας εἰπεῖν· "συνεξέστημεν θεῷ, συνσωφρονοῦμεν ὑμῖν". ἐξέστη οὖν καὶ ὁ ταῦτα λέγων ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ· ἄλλος ἑαυτοῦ γέγονεν, θεὸς γέγονεν μετασχὼν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου· πέπαυται τοῦ εἶναι ἄνθρωπος. ἀμέλει γοῦν θεώρει, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρώπινα λέγει, ἀλλὰ ἃ ἁρμόζει θεοποιηθέντι ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπαγγέλλειν καὶ ᾄδειν. 2 ἐπὶ σοί, κύριε, ἤλπισα, μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. οὐ γὰρ καταισχύνομαι, ὅταν τὰ τῆς αἰτήσεως ὑπαρχθῇ· τότε γὰρ αἰσχύνην ὁ εὐχόμενος ὑφίσταται, ὅταν μὴ τύχῃ ὧν προσεδόκησεν. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἁπλούστερον λαμβάνοιμεν τὸν αἰῶνα, τοῦτο λέγει· ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς ζωῆς μου παντὶ μὴ καταιςχυνθείην, ἀεὶ ἐπιτυγχάνων ὧν δέξασθαι παρὰ σοῦ παρακαλῶ· πολλάκις γὰρ ἐλέχθη, ὅτι ὁ παρεκτείνων τῇ ζωῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου χρόνος "3αἰὼν"3 καλεῖται, ὡς τό· "οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως εἰπεῖν· ἐπεὶ αἰώνιος εἶ καὶ παρεκτείνει σου ἡ ὕπαρξις καὶ ἡ βασιλεία εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας, εἰμὶ δὲ κἀγὼ ἀθάνατος κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν, "μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα"· ἀεὶ γὰρ μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι. νῦν ἐκ μέρους γιγνώσκω καὶ προφητεύω, ἀλλὰ διαδέξεται τὸ ἐκ μέρους ὑπὸ τοῦ τελείου, ὥστε μᾶλλον ἡ ἐλπίς μου μείζω γέγονεν περὶ μειζόνων λοιπὸν ἔχουσα τὴν προσδοκίαν. ἀκαταίσχυντος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ἐλπί ζων ἐπὶ κύριον. 2 ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ῥῦσαί με καὶ ἐξελοῦ με. ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ καὶ τούτου ἔχουσίν τινα συγγένειαν καὶ ὁμοιότητα. καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑβδομηκοστῷ κεῖται τὸ "ἐξελοῦ με" αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν, περὶ ἧς λέγεται· "δικαιοσύνη δι138 έκυψεν", ὅτε κλίνας τὸν οὐρανὸν κατέβη. ἐλήλυθεν ἐπὶ τῷ λῦσαι ἀδικίαν· ἀδικίας γὰρ ἦν πλήρης ὁ κόσμος ὁ περὶ γῆν γενόμενος· "ἐπλήσθη" γὰρ "ἡ γῆ ἀδικιῶν", ὥςπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ