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a'. It strongly seems to me that the introduction follows the end of the psalm before this one, and that it is like one continuous and connected body. For there it says, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; but here, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, teaching the fear of God with different words, but with the same thoughts. For there it said he is wise; but here, blessed; and this is truly blessed, since all other things are vanity and shadow, and mere things; whether you speak of wealth, or power, or beauty of body, or an abundance of possessions. For they are like falling leaves, and passing shadows, and fleeting dreams. But this is what is truly blessed. Then, since demons also fear him, and tremble, lest you think this alone is sufficient for salvation, what he has done above, this he also does here. For just as there, having said, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, he added, A good understanding have all they that do thereafter, connecting the appropriate way of life to the doctrines; so also here, having spoken of fear, he does not mean only that which comes from knowledge, which the demons also have; but he also adds this, saying, In his commandments he will delight greatly. And he said this, requiring a life and a precise conduct, and a philosophical soul. And he did not say, He will do his commandments, but, He will delight, seeking something more. What is this? To do them with eagerness; to be ardent lovers of them; to pursue their commands; to love them, not 55.291 for the reward laid up for them, but for the one who established them; to pursue virtue with pleasure; not from fear of Gehenna, nor the threat of punishment, nor the promise of the kingdom, but for the sake of the lawgiver. And elsewhere he does this, he says, showing the pleasure which he has in the commands of God. How sweet are thy words to my throat; yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Paul also seeks this, speaking enigmatically thus: As you have presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for holiness. That is, with as much zeal, with as much desire as you pursued wickedness, which indeed has no prize, but rather punishment and retribution; with so much pursue virtue. But yet, he said that even this was to demand a commensurate measure. For when he was about to say these things, he spoke thus: I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh; showing that we must not show much less desire for virtue than we showed for wickedness. And what he says is this: For if they do not show the same virtue, what defense or excuse could they have, who do not even approach it with the same desire? For this reason indeed this prophet also said: In his commandments he will delight greatly; for he who fears him as he ought, receives his commands with great desire. Wherefore the love for the lawgiver makes the law pleasing, even if it seems to have some difficulty. And let no one condemn my argument, if I use such an example; for Paul also used it, saying thus: As you have presented your members as slaves to uncleanness, so present them as slaves to righteousness. Therefore, one who loves a prostitute, even if he is insulted, even if he is reviled, even if he is beaten, even if he is disgraced, even if he is cast out of his fatherland, and his paternal inheritance, even from his father's favor, even if he suffers other more grievous things, he bears them with pleasure on account of his licentious love. If, then, they accept those things with pleasure, how much more should the decrees of God, which are salutary and full of glory, and provide us with much philosophy, and work to make the soul better, be accepted with great pleasure, and we should think nothing in them to be difficult? For the difficulty is not usually caused by the nature of the commandments, but by the indolence of the many. As if someone were to accept them with eagerness,

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αʹ. Σφόδρα μοι δοκεῖ τῷ τέλει τοῦ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμοῦ ἕπεσθαι τὸ προοίμιον, καὶ ὥσπερ ἓν σῶμα εἶναι συνεχὲς καὶ συνημμένον Ἐκεῖ μὲν γάρ φησιν, Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον, ἑτέροις μὲν ῥήμασι, τοῖς δὲ αὐτοῖς νοήμασι παιδεύων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν σοφὸν ἔφησεν εἶναι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ μακάριον· τὸ δὲ ὄντως μακάριον τοῦτο, ὡς τά γε ἄλλα πάντα ματαιότης καὶ σκιὰ, καὶ ψιλὰ πράγματα· κἂν πλοῦτον εἴπῃς, κἂν δυναστείαν, κἂν σώματος ὥραν, κἂν χρημάτων περιβολήν. Φύλλοις γὰρ ἔοικε καταπίπτουσι, καὶ σκιαῖς παρατρεχούσαις, καὶ ὀνείρασιν ἀφιπταμένοις. Τὸ δὲ ὄντως μακάριον τοῦτο. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ δαίμονες δεδοίκασιν αὐτὸν, καὶ φρίττουσιν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς τοῦτο μόνον ἀρκεῖν εἰς σωτηρίαν, ὅπερ ἄνω πεποίηκε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ εἰπὼν, Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, ἐπήγαγε· Σύνεσις ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτὴν, τοῖς δόγμασι τὴν συμβαίνουσαν πολιτείαν ἀναρτῶν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εἰπὼν τὸν φόβον, οὐκ ἐκεῖνον μόνον λέγει τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως, ὃν καὶ δαίμονες ἔχουσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο προστίθησιν λέγων Ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ θελήσει σφόδρα. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε, βίον ἀπαιτῶν καὶ πολιτείαν ἠκριβωμένην, καὶ ψυχὴν φιλόσοφον. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ποιήσει, ἀλλὰ, Θελήσει, ἕτερόν τι πλέον ἐπιζητῶν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Τὸ μετὰ προθυμίας αὐτὰς ποιεῖν· τὸ ἐραστὰς αὐτῶν εἶναι σφοδρούς· τὸ μεταδιώκειν αὐτῶν τὰ ἐπιτάγματα· τὸ φιλεῖν αὐτὰς, μὴ 55.291 διὰ τὸν μισθὸν τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν κείμενον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν θέντα αὐτάς· τὸ μεθ' ἡδονῆς μετιέναι τὴν ἀρετήν· τὸ μὴ φόβῳ γεέννης, μηδὲ ἀπειλῇ κολάσεως, μηδὲ ἐπαγγελίᾳ βασιλείας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν νομοθετήσαντα. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, φησὶ, δεικνὺς τὴν ἡδονὴν, ἣν ἔχει περὶ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὡς γλυκεῖα τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου· ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἐπιζητεῖ, αἰνιγματωδῶς οὕτω λέγων· Ὥσπερ παρεστήσατε μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν· οὕτω παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς ἁγιασμόν. Τουτέστι, Μεθ' ὅσης σπουδῆς, μεθ' ὅσης ἐπιθυμίας τὴν κακίαν ἐδιώκετε, καίτοι μηδὲν ἔπαθλον ἔχουσαν, ἀλλὰ κόλασιν μᾶλλον, καὶ τιμωρίαν· μετὰ τοσαύτης διώξατε τὴν ἀρετήν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, καὶ τοῦτο σύμμετρον ἔφησεν ἀπαιτεῖν μέτρον. Μέλλων γὰρ ταῦτα λέγειν, οὕτως ἔφη· Ἀνθρώπινον λέγω διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν· δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ πολλῷ ἥττονα ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι χρὴ περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν, ἢ περὶ τὴν κακίαν ἐπεδειξάμεθα. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιδείξωνται ἀρετὴν, τίνα ἂν ἔχοιεν ἀπολογίαν ἢ συγγνώμην οἱ μηδὲ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιθυμίας πρὸς ταύτην ἰόντες; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης εἶπεν οὗτος· Ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ θελήσει σφόδρα· ὁ γὰρ φοβούμενος αὐτὸν ὡς χρὴ, τὰ ἐπιτάγματα αὐτοῦ μετὰ πολλῆς δέχεται τῆς ἐπιθυμίας. ∆ιόπερ ὁ περὶ τὸν νομοθέτην ἔρως προσηνῆ ποιεῖ τὸν νόμον, κἂν δυσκολίαν δοκῇ ἔχειν τινά. Καὶ μηδεὶς καταγνῷ τοῦ λόγου, εἰ τοιούτῳ κέχρημαι παραδείγματι· καὶ γὰρ καὶ Παῦλος ἐχρήσατο αὐτῷ οὕτως εἰπών· Ὥσπερ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, οὕτω παραστήσατε δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. Ὁ τοίνυν πόρνης ἐρῶν, κἂν ὑβρίζηται, κἂν λοιδορῆται, κἂν τύπτηται, κἂν ἀσχημονῇ, κἂν τῆς πατρίδος ἐκβάλληται, καὶ τῆς πατρῴας οὐσίας, κἂν τῆς εὐνοίας τοῦ πατρὸς, κἂν ἕτερα χαλεπώτερα πάσχῃ, μεθ' ἡδονῆς αὐτὰ φέρει διὰ τὸν ἔρωτα τὸν ἀκόλαστον. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνα μεθ' ἡδονῆς δέχονται, πῶς οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διατάγματα, τὰ σωτηριώδη καὶ δόξης γέμοντα, καὶ πολλὴν ἡμῖν παρέχοντα φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ ψυχὴν βελτίονα ἐργαζόμενα, μετὰ πολλῆς δεῖ δέχεσθαι τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ μηδὲν δύσκολον ἐν αὐτοῖς εἶναι νομίζειν; Τὴν γὰρ δυσκολίαν οὐχ ἡ τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων φύσις, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν πολλῶν ῥᾳθυμία ποιεῖν εἴωθεν. Ὡς εἴ τις μετὰ προθυμίας αὐτὰ δέχοιτο,