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from your face, and take not your holy Spirit from me." Clearly through these words we have learned that he was not stripped of the grace of the all-holy Spirit. For he does not supplicate to receive it back as one who has been stripped, but entreats that he not be deprived of it, nor become far from the divine care. For here he called the care "face". 80.1249 ιδʹ. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a governing Spirit." What he had not lost, he entreated to keep, that is, the grace of the Spirit. But what he had cast away, he supplicates to receive back; and this was gladness in God. I enjoyed all gladness, he says, when I had much confidence toward you, Master; but now, stripped of this, I am also deprived of cheerfulness. The servitude to pleasure stripped me of my confidence. Therefore I supplicate that my mind receive back its former governance, and, having been enslaved by the passions, to receive again authority over them. For here again he called the sovereign reason "governing spirit". ιεʹ. "I will teach transgressors your ways, and the ungodly will return to you." Enjoying again your philanthropy, I will be an archetype of repentance for those who embrace a lawless life; and I will be a herald of your goodness, and I will exhort ungodly and lawless men to run to your supplication. ιʹ. "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God of my salvation." He continually turns over in his memory the murder of Uriah. This he also declared in the preface, "for my sin is ever before me." -"My tongue will rejoice in your righteousness." Symmachus translated this thus: My tongue will proclaim your mercy. For I will not be silent, having enjoyed forgiveness, but I will continue to hymn you and recount your graces. ιζʹ. "You will open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise." For sin is wont to bind the tongue, to stop the mouth, to choke, to compel to be silent. The prophet therefore entreats, through forgiveness, to partake of his former confidence, and to move his tongue to hymnody. ιηʹ. "For if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings." These things also are in harmony with the things said in the preceding psalm. For there we have heard the God of all saying: "I will not accept calves from your house, nor goats from your flocks." Therefore the most divine David, having heard this from the divine voice, reasonably said: "For if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings." For you, he says, have said that the sacrifices of irrational animals are not pleasing to you; for which reason I will offer the sacred rite that is pleasing to you. 80.1252 ιθʹ. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise." A pleasing and acceptable victim to you, our God, he says, is modesty of mind. Therefore, having greatly humbled my heart, and as it were broken it, and made it very fine, I will offer the sacrifice pleasing to you. The blessed children in the furnace also used these words; "For," they said, "in a contrite heart and a spirit of humility may we be accepted before you, as in whole burnt offerings of rams and fat bulls." So that from this it is also clear that the psalm contains a prophecy of the events in Babylon, and a teaching suitable to them. For from here also those noble children, having learned the sacrifice pleasing to God, offered humility of mind and contrition of heart to the Master. κʹ, καʹ. "Do good, O Lord, in your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then you will be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole burnt offerings; then they will offer calves upon your altar." More clearly from these words we have been taught that the psalm is full of prophecy. For the words are fitting for those who were compelled to dwell in Babylon, and who long for release from slavery, and who lament the desolation of the city. For they supplicate

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προσώπου σου, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." Σαφῶς διὰ τούτων μεμαθήκαμεν τῶν λόγων, ὡς οὐκ ἐγυμνώθη τῆς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος χάρι τος. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς γυμνωθεὶς ἀπολαβεῖν ἱκετεύει, ἀλλὰ μὴ στερηθῆναι ταύτης ἀντιβολεῖ, μηδὲ πόῤῥω γενέσθαι τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας. Πρόσωπον γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὴν κηδεμονίαν ἐκάλεσεν. 80.1249 ιδʹ. "Ἀπόδος μοι τὴν ἀγαλλίασιν τοῦ σωτηρίου σου, καὶ Πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ στήριξόν με." Ὃ μὴ ἀπώλεσεν, ἔχειν ἠντιβόλησε, τουτέστι, τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὃ δὲ ἀποβέβληκεν, ἀπολαβεῖν ἱκετεύει· τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἡ ἐν Θεῷ εὐφροσύνη. Πάσης, φησὶ, θυμηδίας ἀπήλαυον, ἡνίκα πολλὴν εἶχον πρὸς σὲ, ∆έσποτα, παῤῥησίαν· νῦν δὲ ταύτης γεγυμνωμένος, καὶ τῆς εὐθυμίας ἐστέρημαι. Ἐγύ μνωσε δέ με τῆς παῤῥησίας ἡ δουλεία τῆς ἡδονῆς. ∆ιὸ ἱκετεύω τὴν προτέραν ἡγεμονίαν ἀπολαβεῖν μου τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν δουλωθέντα, τὴν κατὰ τούτων αὖθις ἀπολαβεῖν ἐξουσίαν. Πάλιν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα πνεῦμα ἡγεμονικὸν τὸν αὐτοκράτορα λογισμὸν ἐκάλεσε. ιεʹ. "∆ιδάξω ἀνόμους τὰς ὁδούς σου, καὶ ἀσεβεῖς ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπιστρέψουσιν." Τῆς σῆς πάλιν ἀπολαύων φιλανθρωπίας ἀρχέτυπον ἔσομαι μετανοίας τοῖς τὸν παράνομον βίον ἀσπαζομένοις· ἔσομαι δὲ καὶ κήρυξ τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος, καὶ προτρέψω δυσσεβεῖς ἀν θρώπους, καὶ παρανόμους, τῇ σῇ προσδραμεῖν ἱκε τείᾳ. ιʹ. "Ῥῦσαί με ἐξ αἱμάτων, ὁ Θεὸς τῆς σωτη ρίας μου." Συνεχῶς ἐν τῇ μνήμῃ περιστρέφει τὸν τοῦ Οὐρίου φόνον. Τοῦτο κἀν τῷ προοιμίῳ δεδή λωκεν, "ὅτι ἡ ἁμαρτία μου ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστι διὰ παν τός." -"Ἀγαλλιάσεται ἡ γλῶσσά μου τὴν δικαιο σύνην σου." Τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσε· ∆ιαλαλήσει ἡ γλῶσσά μου τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην σου. Οὐ γὰρ σιγήσω τῆς ἀφέσεως ἀπολαύσας, ἀλλ' ὑμνῶν σε διατελέσω, καὶ τὰς σὰς διηγούμενος χά ριτας. ιζʹ. "Τὰ χείλη μου ἀνοίξεις, Κύριε, καὶ τὸ στόμα μου ἀναγγελεῖ τὴν αἴνεσίν σου." Ἡ γὰρ ἁμαρτία πέφυκε τὴν γλῶσσαν δεσμεῖν, ἐμφράττειν τὸ στόμα, ἄγχειν, σιωπᾷν ἀναγκάζειν. Ἀντι βολεῖ τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης, διὰ τῆς ἀφέσεως τῆς προ τέρας παῤῥησίας μεταλαχεῖν, καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν κινῆσαι. ιηʹ. "Ὅτι εἰ ἠθέλησας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἄν· ὁλοκαυ τώματα οὐκ εὐδοκήσεις." Συνᾴδει καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς ἐν τῷ προτεταγμένῳ εἰρημένοις ψαλμῷ. Ἀκηκόαμεν γὰρ ἐκεῖ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων λέγοντος· "Οὐ δέξομαι ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου μόσχους, οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων σου τράγους." Τοιγάρτοι τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς θείας ἀκού σας φωνῆς ὁ θειότατος ∆αβὶδ, εἰκότως ἔφη· "Ὅτι εἰ ἠθέλησας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἄν· ὁλοκαυτώματα οὐκ εὐδοκήσεις." Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἴρηκας μὴ θυμήρεις εἶναί σοι τὰς τῶν ἀλόγων θυσίας· οὗ δὴ χάριν τὴν ἀρέσκουσάν σοι ἱερουργίαν προσοίσω. 80.1252 ιθʹ. Θυσία τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον· καρ δίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει." Ἱερεῖον, φησὶν, ἀρεστὸν καὶ θυ μῆρές σοι τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν μετριότης φρονήματος. ∆ιὸ σφόδρα μου τὴν καρδίαν ταπεινώσας, καὶ οἱονεὶ συν τρίψας, καὶ λίαν αὐτὴν λεπτύνας, τὴν ἀρεστήν σοι θυσίαν προσκομιῶ. Τούτοις καὶ οἱ μακάριοι παῖδες ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τοῖς λόγοις ἐχρήσαντο· "Ἐν καρδίᾳ γὰρ, ἔλεγον, συντετριμμένῃ, καὶ πνεύματι ταπεινώ σεως προσδεχθείημεν ἐνώπιόν σου, ὡς ἐν ὁλοκαυτώ μασι κριῶν καὶ ταύρων πιόνων." Ὡς εἶναι δῆλον κἀντεῦθεν, ὅτι καὶ πρόῤῥησιν ὁ ψαλμὸς ἔχει τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συμβεβηκότων, καὶ διδασκαλίαν τὴν ἐκεί νοις ἁρμόττουσαν. Ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ καὶ οἱ γενναῖοι παῖ δες ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ἀρεστὴν τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν μεμαθηκό τες, τὴν ταπεινότητα τοῦ φρονήματος, καὶ τῆς καρδίας τὴν συντριβὴν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσήνεγκαν. κʹ, καʹ. "Ἀγάθυνον, Κύριε, ἐν τῇ εὐδοκίᾳ σου τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ οἰκοδομηθήτω τὰ τείχη Ἱερουσα λήμ. Τότε εὐδοκήσεις θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, ἀναφορὰν, καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα· τότε ἀνοίσουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριόν σου μόσχους." Σαφέστερον ἐκ τού των ἐδιδάχθημεν τῶν ῥημάτων, ὅτι πλήρης ὁ ψαλμὸς προφητείας. Τοῖς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι γὰρ ἠναγκασμένοις οἰκεῖν, καὶ ποθοῦσι τὴν τῆς δουλείας ἀπαλλαγὴν, καὶ ὀλοφυρομένοις τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἐρημίαν, ἁρμότ τει τὰ ῥήματα. Ἱκετεύουσι γὰρ