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ON THE 44TH PSALM. A triumphal song for the flowers of the sons of Kore. Another, To the giver of victory upon the lilies of the sons of Kore. But the Hebrew, instead of, Lilies, says Al-shoshanim; A song of instruction for the beloved. Another, A song of a skilled one for friendships. Another, For the beloved ones; but the Hebrew says, Jedidoth. But the Septuagint, To the end, for those who shall be changed, for the sons of Kore, for understanding, a song for the beloved. 55.183 My heart has belched forth a good word. Another, It has crept forth. Another, My heart was moved with a good word. 1. I wished that all Jews and Greeks were present now, and having taken this book from the Jews, to read the psalm thus. For you surely know this, that both in the law courts and everywhere, the testimony of things becomes most unsuspected when it is brought forth by enemies. So that this might also happen today, we offer the testimony from the Old Testament, so that both Jews and Greeks may be put to shame: the Jews, for reading and not understanding; and the Greeks, for seeing that the books are brought to us by our enemies. For they will surely not be able to say that they have been forged by us, since not we, but those who crucified Christ provide us with the books that discourse on his power. But whether they are present or not, let us do our part and take up the interpretation. For this psalm has been written about Christ; which is why it has the inscription, For the beloved, and, For those who shall be changed. For he has worked a great change for us, and a transformation and transition of things. Paul, indicating this change, also said: So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. This is why at the beginning he does not say thus: My heart said. For since nothing of what was being said was human, but he was about to relate heavenly and spiritual things, and not from his own discovery but from divine energy, he represents this with the word belching. For we do not belch when we wish; for this word we utter when we want, and we speak it, and we restrain it; but a belch not likewise. Showing therefore that what is said is not of human effort, but of a divine inspiration that moves him, he called the prophecy a belch. For just as in the case of a belch, what occurs is from the quality of the food, so also in the case of spiritual teaching. Therefore, such things were belched forth as were also eaten. See also elsewhere another prophet comparing this energy to a perceptible image, and eating the scroll of the book, and eating it with pleasure. For it became, he says, in my body like sweetening honey. Since, therefore, they received spiritual grace, such things they also belched forth. For that the word is not about this perceptible belching, nor about food, hear what is belched forth, and who it is that belches. Not the stomach that receives the food, but the heart. For, it says, my heart has belched forth. And what is belched forth? Not food, nor drink, but things related to that table, a good Word, the one concerning the Only-begotten; for he is especially good. For I came, he says, not to judge the world, but to save the world. All things are gentle, all things are freed from punishment. And such things are belched forth, because he has cleansed his heart. For just as the stomach, when it is full of foul humors, belches forth things akin to them, but when it happens to be healthy, it makes a fitting belch; so also the heart of the Prophet, since it was freed from sins, received the grace of the Spirit, and belches forth a good word. 55.184 From this we also learn something else, that the prophets were not like the seers.

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ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ Μ∆ʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Ἐπινίκιος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθῶν τῶν υἱῶν Κορέ. Ἄλλος, Τῷ νικοποιῷ ἐπὶ τοῖς κρίνοις τῶν υἱῶν Κορέ. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος ἀντὶ τοῦ, Κρίνοις, Ἀλ σω σανεὶμ, λέγει· Συνέσεως ᾆσμα εἰς τὸν ἀγαπητόν. Ἄλλος, Ἐπιστήμονος ᾆσμα πρὸς φιλίας. Ἄλλος, Τοῖς ἠγαπημένοις· ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος, Ἰδοθὼθ, φησίν. Οἱ δὲ Ἑβδομήκοντα, Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ, εἰς σύνεσιν, ᾠδὴ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ. 55.183 Ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν. Ἄλλος, Ἐξείρπυσεν. Ἄλλος, Ἐκινήθη ἡ καρδία μου λόγῳ ἀγαθῷ. αʹ. Ἐβουλόμην παρεῖναι νυνὶ Ἰουδαίους ἅπαντας καὶ Ἕλληνας, καὶ τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο παρὰ Ἰουδαίων λαβὼν, οὕτως ἀναγνῶναι τὸν ψαλμόν. Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου τοῦτο, ὅτι καὶ ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις καὶ πανταχοῦ τότε μάλιστα ἀνύποπτος ἡ μαρτυρία τῶν πραγμάτων γίνεται, ὅταν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὕτη φέρηται. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ σήμερον τοῦτο συμβαίη, ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς παρεχόμεθα τὴν μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες καταισχύνωνται· Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν, ἀναγινώσκοντες, καὶ οὐ γινώσκοντες· Ἕλληνες δὲ, ὁρῶντες παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὰ βιβλία ἡμῖν φερόμενα. Οὐ γὰρ δήπου πεπλάσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν αὐτὰ δυνήσονται λέγειν, οὐχ ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν τὸν Χριστὸν σταυρωσάντων τὰ βιβλία παρεχομένων ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως διαλεγόμενα. Ἀλλ' εἴτε πάρεισιν, εἴτε μὴ πάρεισιν οὗτοι, ἡμεῖς τὸ ἡμέτερον ποιήσωμεν, καὶ τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἁψώμεθα. Εἰς γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν ὁ ψαλμὸς οὗτος ἀναγέγραπται· διὸ καὶ, Εἰς τὸν ἀγαπητὸν, καὶ, Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, τὴν προγραφὴν ἔχει. Ἀλλοίωσιν γὰρ μεγάλην ἡμῖν οὗτος εἰργάσατο, καὶ πραγμάτων μεταβολὴν καὶ μετάστασιν. Ταύτην τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν δηλῶν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀρχόμενος οὐχ οὕτω φησίν· Εἶπεν ἡ καρδία μου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον ἦν τῶν λεγομένων, ἀλλ' οὐράνια καὶ πνευματικὰ διηγεῖσθαι ἔμελλε, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ οἰκείας εὑρέσεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ θείας ἐνεργείας, τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς ἐρυγῆς τοῦτο παρίστησιν. Ἐρευγόμεθα γὰρ οὐχ ὅτε βουλόμεθα· τὸν μὲν γὰρ λόγον τοῦτον φθεγγόμεθα ὅτε θέλομεν, καὶ λέγομεν, καὶ κατέχομεν· τὴν δὲ ἐρυγὴν οὐχ ὁμοίως. ∆εικνὺς τοίνυν ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης σπουδῆς ἐστι τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ θείας ἐπιπνοίας τῆς κινούσης αὐτὸν, ἐρυγὴν τὴν προφητείαν ἐκάλεσεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρυγῆς, τῆς τῶν σιτίων ποιότητός ἐστι τὸ γινόμενον, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας. Τοιαῦτα τοίνυν ἠρεύγετο, οἷα καὶ ἐσιτεῖτο. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ἕτερον προφήτην αἰσθητῇ εἰκόνι ταύτην παραβάλλοντα τὴν ἐνέργειαν, καὶ ἐσθίοντα τὴν κεφαλίδα τοῦ βιβλίου, καὶ μεθ' ἡδονῆς ἐσθίοντα. Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ σώματί μου ὡς μέλι γλυκάζον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐδέχοντο τὴν πνευματικὴν χάριν, τοιαῦτα καὶ ἠρεύγοντο. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ περὶ ἐρυγῆς ὁ λόγος τῆς αἰσθητῆς ταύτης, οὐδὲ περὶ σιτίων, ἄκουσον τί ἐρεύγεται, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐρευγόμενος. Οὐχ ὁ στόμαχος ὁ τὰ σιτία δεχόμενος, ἀλλ' ἡ καρδία. Ἐξηρεύξατο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ καρδία μου. Καὶ τί ἐρεύγεται; Οὐ σῖτον, οὐδὲ ποτὸν, ἀλλὰ τὰ συγγενῆ τῇ τραπέζῃ, Λόγον ἀγαθὸν, τὸν περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς· οὗτος γὰρ μάλιστα ἀγαθός. Ἦλθον γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐχ ἵνα κρίων τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσω τὸν κόσμον. Πάντα προσηνῆ, πάντα κολάσεως ἀπηλλαγμένα. Ἐρεύγεται δὲ τοιαῦτα, ἐπειδὴ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐξεκάθαρεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ γαστὴρ, ὅταν μὲν ῥυπαρῶν γέμῃ χυμῶν, συγγενῆ τούτοις ἐρεύγεται, ὅταν δ' ὑγιεινή τις οὖσα τυγχάνῃ, κατάλληλον ποιεῖται τὴν ἐρυγήν· οὕτω καὶ ἡ καρδία τοῦ Προφήτου, ἐπειδὴ ἁμαρτημάτων ἦν ἀπηλλαγμένη, Πνεύματος ἐδέξατο χάριν, καὶ λόγον ἐρεύγεται ἀγαθόν. 55.184 Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἕτερόν τι μανθάνομεν, ὅτι οἱ προφῆται οὐχ ὡς οἱ μάντεις ἦσαν.