200
I will be shaken,” and, “I will not be moved.” For the one meant to be shaken, but not for long; but here there is a complete denial of the fall. “In God is my salvation and my glory, the God of my help, and my hope is in God.” And here “Salvation” is named Jesus in the Hebrew tongue, and is written with the same characters. And just as the divine Apostle wrote concerning our Savior, saying: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith;” and again: “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with God, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins;” in the same way it has been said here also: In God is my salvation and my glory, and my help and my hope. As if the meaning from the Hebrew tongue were set down more clearly in the interpretation, it would thus contain: Jesus, being my salvation in God, and in the bosom of the Father, He is my glory and my guardian, and the God of my help, and my hope which is in God. For the Word of God is all these things to those who hope in Him. Wherefore it is also said according to Aquila: “In God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength, my hope is in God. Hope in him, all the assembly of peoples; pour out your hearts before him. God is our helper. Diapsalma.” Having remembered the Salvation, he understood that it would not only be a cure for him, but would become a common good; wherefore he calls all to it, turning away from self-love, but showing philanthropy and love for his neighbors. Therefore he invites, as to a saving harbor, saying: “Hope in him, all the assembly of peoples;” or according to Aquila, “Be without anxiety in him at all times, O people.” And for those who are without anxiety in Him and hope, it is fitting to spread out their thoughts 23.596 and to bare to Him, as to a physician, the passions of the soul. Wherefore he adds: “Pour out your hearts before him. God is our helper.” For having a helper, he says, do not hold anything back, nor hide anything in your minds, but having thrown open the storehouses of the soul, reveal the thoughts hidden within, as entrusting yourselves to the only one who is good and able to heal all things. “But the sons of men are vain, the sons of men are false in the balances, to do injustice, they are altogether from vanity.” And in the 38th it was said: “But all things are vanity, every man living.” And again: “But they are troubled in vain;” and, “Surely man walks about in an image.” And here the preceding things have been said in agreement with those; through which we are taught to hope in the Savior alone, and to call upon Him as helper; since all the sons of men, even if they seem to be rulers, even if they are very powerful in life, are vain; or according to Symmachus, “a vapor,” who after a little while will be “like the chaff which the wind drives away from the face of the earth.” From this, Solomon, being helped by his father, wrote, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,” and as many such things. But the sons of men are false in two ways: in one, by speaking falsely and being cast far from the truth; in the other, by deceiving with deceits and falsehoods those who believe them. Wherefore it is not fitting to give oneself over to such men; for they are accustomed to lie, and there is no truth in them; but also the balances of their soul contain nothing just or well-balanced; but being inclined to one side, they do the opposite of what is just. Therefore, with these their unjust balances they attend to vanity, turning away from the truth and its God; wherefore it is not fitting to trust them; but only to call upon the aforementioned Savior as helper. “Do not hope in injustice, and do not desire plunder;
200
σφαλήσομαι,» καὶ, «οὐ μεταναστεύσω.» Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐδήλου σαλεύεσθαι μὲν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ πλεῖον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἄρνησίς ἐστι παντελὴς τοῦ πταίσματος. «Ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου καὶ ἡ δόξα μου, Θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ «Σωτήριον» ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ φωνῇ ὠνόμασται, καὶ τοῖς χαρακτῆρσι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐγγέγραπται. Ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λέγων ἔγραφε· «∆ικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὃν προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐάν τις ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον· καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἱλασμὸς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν·» τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέλεκται· Ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου καὶ ἡ δόξα μου, καὶ ἡ βοήθειά μου καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου. Ὡς εἰ λευκότερον τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑβραϊκῆς φωνῆς τέθειτο ἐν τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ, οὕτως ἂν περιεῖχεν· Ἰησοῦς τὸ σωτήριόν μου ἐν τῷ Θεῷ τυγχάνων, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς, αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ δόξα μου καὶ ὁ φύλαξ μου, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἡ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐστὶ τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίζουσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· «Ἐπὶ Θεῷ σωτήριόν μου καὶ δόξα μου, στερεὸς κράτους μου, ἐλπίς μου ἐν Θεῷ. Ἐλπίσατε ἐπ' αὐτὸν, πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαῶν· ἐκχέατε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. Ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν. ∆ιάψαλμα.» Μνημονεύσας τοῦ Σωτηρίου, συνεῖδεν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον αὐτοῦ θεραπευτικὸν ἔσται, κοινὸν δὲ γενήσεται ἀγαθόν· διὸ ἐπ' αὐτὸ συγκαλεῖ τοὺς πάντας, φιλαυτίαν μὲν ἐκτρεπόμενος, φιλανθρωπίαν δὲ καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πέλας ἀγάπην ἐνδεικνύμενος. Προσκαλεῖται τοίνυν ὡς ἐπὶ σωτήριον λιμένα φάσκων· «Ἐλπίσατε ἐπ' αὐτὸν, πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαῶν·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Ἀμεριμνᾶτε ἐν αὐτῷ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, λαός.» Ἀμεριμνῶντας δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐλπίζοντας, ἐξαπλοῦν προσήκει τοὺς λογισμοὺς 23.596 καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπογυμνοῦν αὐτῷ ὥσπερ ἰατρῷ τὰ πάθη. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· «Ἐκχέατε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. Ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν.» Ἔχοντες γὰρ, φησὶ, βοηθὸν, μηδὲν ὑποστέλλεσθε, μηδέ τι ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις ὑμῶν ὑποκρύπτετε, ἀναπετάσαντες δὲ τὰ ταμιεῖα τῆς ψυχῆς, τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κρυπτομένους λογισμοὺς ἀνακαλύπτετε, ὡς ἂν μόνῳ ἀγαθῷ καὶ δυνατῷ τὰ πάντα ἰᾶσθαι ἑαυτοὺς ἐμπιστεύοντες. «Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγῷ, τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό.» Καὶ ἐν τῷ ληʹ ἐλέγετο· «Πλὴν τὰ σύμπαντα ματαιότης, πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ζῶν.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Πλὴν μάτην ταράσσονται·» καὶ, «Μέντοιγε ἐν εἰκόνι διαπορεύεται ἄνθρωπος.» Κἀνταῦθα συμφώνως ἐκείνοις λέλεκται τὰ προκείμενα· δι' ὧν διδασκόμεθα ἐπὶ μόνον τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐλπίζειν, κἀκεῖνον βοηθὸν ἐπιγράφεσθαι· ἐπειδὴ πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κἂν ἄρχοντες εἶναι δοκοῖεν, κἂν πολλὰ δυνάμενοι κατὰ τὸν βίον, μάταιοι· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «ἀτμὸς,» μετ' ὀλίγον ἐσόμενοι «ὡσεὶ χνοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς.» Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Σολομὼν ὠφεληθεὶς τὸν πατέρα, «Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης,» καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ἔγραφε. Ψευδεῖς δέ εἰσι κατὰ δύο τρόπους οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καθ' ἕνα μὲν ψευδολογοῦντες καὶ μακρὰν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι· κατὰ θάτερον δὲ ἀπάταις καὶ ψευδολογίαις πλανῶντες τοὺς πιστεύοντας αὐτοῖς. ∆ιὸ οὐ προσήκει τοῖς τοιούτοις ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόναι· ψεύδεσθαι γὰρ εἰώθασι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀλήθεια· ἀλλὰ καὶ ζυγοὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ψυχῆς οὐδὲν δίκαιον οὐδὲ ἰσόῤῥοπον περιέχουσιν· ἑτεροκλινεῖς δὲ ὄντες, τἀναντία τῷ δικαίῳ πράττουσι. Τούτοις οὖν τοῖς ἀδίκοις αὐτῶν ζυγοῖς τὴν ματαιότητα περιέπουσι, τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὸν ταύτης Θεὸν ἀποστρεφόμενοι· διὸ οὐ προσήκει αὐτοῖς ἐμπιστεύειν· μόνον δὲ τὸν λεχθέντα Σωτῆρα βοηθὸν ἐπιγράφεσθαι. «Μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπὶ ἀδικίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε·