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in deserts and mountains, and caves, and holes of the earth, training himself in the labors of longsuffering, and he sang the following psalm, dedicating his leisure in the desert to the philosophy that is according to God; and stirring up his own love for divine things, he is acknowledged to thirst for the drink of immortality; wherefore he cried out to God, saying: "O God, my God, to you I rise early. My soul has thirsted for you, how simply my flesh for you." But instead of, "how simply my flesh for you," Aquila translated, "my flesh has been stretched out to you;" and Symmachus, "My flesh longs for you;" so that not only David's soul was stretched out toward God, but also his very flesh and body, since he was making himself chaste and pure by devoting his leisure to God. And to say, "O God, my God, to you I rise early," was indicative of his nighttime purity. For no one who has defiled his own soul in beds and licentiousness, and whose body is polluted and unclean, would be able to utter such words. But the great David, with a confident conscience, did not simply call upon God, saying, "O God;" but a second time he claimed him as his very own; wherefore he adds, saying: "My God." Then, since he has dared to proclaim him his own God, he teaches the reason for his boldness, saying, "To you I rise early. My soul has thirsted for you, how simply my flesh for you." For I have called you my God for these reasons, since desire for no earthly thing, nor for things seen by fleshly eyes, draws me away. And just as the Apostle says, "I no longer live; but Christ lives in me;" with such a thought 23.605 David also said to God: "To you I rise early. My soul has thirsted for you." As when a certain land, not receiving its usual rain, might be said to thirst for it; in the same way has my very flesh, along with my soul, thirsted for you, or longed for you, as thirsting many times over. For just as we say in natural terms that the earth itself thirsts for water, so also, he says, my flesh has thirsted for you; wherefore he adds: "In a desert and pathless and waterless land," or according to Symmachus: "As in a thirsty and fainting land where there is no water." And through these words he can also signify the desert itself, in which he was spending his time while fleeing Saul. For being somewhere in this place, and having been settled far from the ark of God and the tent of the sanctuary, in which they performed the worship according to the law, he longed for the sight of these things. And just as a thirsty land yearns for water, so also, he says, my soul thirsts for the things pleasing and dear to you, O God; so that it faints and wastes away, if it should not partake of the fountain with you; concerning which it is said, "For with you is the fountain of life. Therefore my soul has thirsted for you." But how it thirsted, he interprets, saying next: "So in the holy place have I appeared to you," as if he were saying this: My soul has thirsted to appear to you in your sanctuary, "to see your power and your glory." And such also is what was said before: "My soul has thirsted for God, the strong, the living; when shall I come and appear before the face of God." For being in your holy place, concerning which it is said in another place, "Once I have sworn by my holy one," I myself will first appear to you, to be tested whether I might be worthy of the sight of you. Then, having appeared worthy, I shall see your power and your glory; of which it is impossible to come to the contemplation, without first being in the holy place, and first having appeared worthy of the good things of God. For after these things one shall see, as having already been tested, the power of God and his glory. And the end of good things would be this: to be in contemplation of these things; wherefore it has been said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." For this, therefore, the soul of David thirsted; wherefore he said: "O God, my God, to you I rise early. My soul has thirsted for you." "Because your mercy is better than lives, my lips shall praise you." He who has understood the nature of mortal life, and the

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ἐρημίαις καὶ ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις, καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς, τοῖς τε τῆς ἀνεξικακίας πόνοις ἐγγυμναζόμενος, καὶ τὸν μετὰ χεῖρας ᾖδε ψαλμὸν, τῇ κατὰ Θεὸν ἀνατιθεὶς φιλοσοφίᾳ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου σχολήν· καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ περὶ τὰ θεῖα ἔρωτα διεγείρων, ὁμολογεῖται διψῇν τοῦ τῆς ἀθανασίας πόματος· διὸ ἐβόα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν λέγων· «Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω. Ἐδίψησέ σοι ἡ ψυχή μου, πῶς ἁπλῶς σοι ἡ σάρξ μου.» Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, «πῶς ἁπλῶς σοι ἡ σάρξ μου,» ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, «ἐπετάθη σοι ἡ σάρξ μου,» ἡρμήνευσεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, «Ἱμείρεταί σε ἡ σάρξ μου·» ὥστε οὐχ ἡ ψυχὴ μόνη τοῦ ∆αυῒδ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τέτατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ σὰρξ καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, ἁγνεύοντος δηλαδὴ καὶ καθαρεύοντος διὰ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ σχολάζειν. Καὶ τὸ λέγειν δὲ, «Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω,» παραστατικὸν ἦν τῆς νυκτερινῆς καθαρότητος. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐν κοίταις καὶ ἀσελγείαις ῥυπάνας ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ τὸ σῶμα μιαρὸς ὢν καὶ ἀκάθαρτος, οἷός τ' ἂν εἴη τὰς τοιαύτας προσίεσθαι φωνάς. Πλὴν ὁ μέγας ∆αυῒδ πεπαῤῥησιασμένῃ συνειδήσει οὐχ ἀπλῶς τὸν Θεὸν ἀνεκαλεῖτο, λέγων, «Ὁ Θεός·» δεύτερον δὲ ὡς ἑαυτοῦ ἴδιον ὄντα ἐπεγράφετο· διὸ προστίθησι φάσκων· «Ὁ Θεός μου.» Εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ ἑαυτοῦ Θεὸν ἀναγορεῦσαι αὐτὸν τετόλμηκε, τῆς τόλμης τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει λέγων, «Πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω. Ἐδίψησέ σοι ἡ ψυχή μου, πῶς ἁπλῶς σοι ἡ σάρξ μου.» ∆ιὰ ταῦτα γὰρ Θεόν μου προσεῖπον, ἐπειδήπερ οὐδενὸς τῶν ἐπιγείων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν ὀφθαλμοῖς σαρκὸς ὁρωμένων περιέλκει με πόθος. Ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, «Ζῶ, φησὶν, οὐκέτι ἐγώ· ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός·» τοιαύτῃ διανοία 23.605 καὶ ∆αυῒδ τῷ Θεῷ ἔλεγε· «Πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω. Ἐδίψησέ σοι ἡ ψυχή μου.» Ὡσεὶ καὶ χώρα τις, μὴ τυχοῦσα τοῦ συνήθους ὑετοῦ, διψῇν λέγοιτο τούτου· τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον ἐδίψησέ σοι, ἢ ἱμείρεταί σε πρὸς τῇ ψυχῇ μου καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ σάρξ μου, πολυπλάσιον ὡς διψῶσα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ φυσικοῖς λόγοις τὴν γῆν αὐτήν φαμεν διψῇν ὕδατος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου ἐδίψησέ σοι, φησί· διὸ ἐπιφέρει· «Ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀβάτῳ, καὶ ἀνύδρῳ,» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Ὡς ἐν γῇ διψάδι καὶ ἐκλύσει μὴ ὑπάρχοντος ὕδατος.» ∆ύναται δὲ καὶ τὴν ἔρημον αὐτὴν σημαίνειν διὰ τούτων, ἐν ᾗ φεύγων τὸν Σαοὺλ τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιεῖτο. Πάντως γάρ που ἐν ταύτῃ τυγχάνων καὶ μακρὰν ἀπῳκισμένος τῆς κιβωτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἁγιάσματος σκηνῆς, ἐν ᾗ τὰς κατὰ νόμον ἐποιοῦντο λατρείας, τούτων ἐπόθει τὴν θέαν. Ὥσπερ δὲ γῆ διψῶσα ὕδατος ὀρέγεται, οὕτω, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ ἐμὴ ψυχὴ τὰ σοὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἀρεστὰ καὶ φίλα διψεῖ· ὡς ἐκλείπειν καὶ ἐκτήκεσθαι, εἰ μὴ μεταλάβοι τῆς παρὰ σοὶ πηγῆς· περὶ ἧς εἴρηται. «Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς. ∆ιὸ ἐδίψησέ σοι ἡ ψυχή μου.» Ἐδίψησε δὲ πῶς, ἑρμηνεύει λέγων ἑξῆς· «Οὕτως ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ὤφθην σοι,» ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε τοῦτο· Ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου τὸ ὀφθῆναί σοι ἐν τῷ σῷ ἁγιάσματι, «τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὴν δύναμίν σου καὶ τὴν δόξαν σου.» Τοιοῦτον δέ ἐστι καὶ τὸ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένον· «Ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ζῶντα, πότε ἥξω καὶ ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Γενόμενος γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ σου, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται ἐν ἑτέρῳ, «Ἅπαξ ὤμοσα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ μου,» πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸς ὀφθήσομαί σοι, δοκιμασθησόμενος εἰ ἄξιος εἴην τῆς σῆς θέας. Εἶτα ἄξιος ὀφθεὶς, ὄψομαι τὴν δύναμίν σου καὶ τὴν δόξαν σου· ὧν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν εἰς θεωρίαν ἐλθεῖν, μὴ οὐχὶ πρότερον ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ γενόμενον, καὶ πρῶτον ὀφθέντα ἄξιον τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθῶν. Μετὰ γὰρ ταῦτα ὄψεταί τις, ὡς ἂν ἤδη δεδοκιμασμένος, τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τέλος τῶν ἀγαθῶν τοῦτ' ἂν εἴη τὸ ἐν θεωρίᾳ τούτων γενέσθαι· διὸ λέλεκται· «Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται.» Τοῦτο οὖν ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· διὸ ἔλεγεν· «Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω. Ἐδίψησέ σοι ἡ ψυχή μου.» «Ὅτι κρεῖσσον τὸ ἔλεός σου ὑπὲρ ζωὰς, τὰ χείλη μου ἐπαινέσουσί σε.» Ὁ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου κατανοήσας, καὶ τὴν