293

saying: My God, make them like a wheel, like stubble before the wind, as fire that will burn up a forest, as a flame will burn up mountains, and what follows. Being there, you will necessarily observe that wherever it mentions Assur—and these were the Assyrians—it makes a supplication against them and the aforementioned nations, and in sequence prophesies their destruction; and similarly in the 78th, in which it proclaimed in advance the things concerning Antiochus, who was forcing the Jews to Hellenize and to transgress their ancestral customs. For again there too it foretold the destruction of the enemies. But no longer in the 73rd, in which their final rejection was declared. These then are the eleven connected psalms of Asaph. The 23.836 twelfth is placed before the 50th psalm for the reason we have given when describing the places. But indeed, after this summary, come, let us take up the first one again and examine its meaning part by part. A PSALM OF ASAPH. 72. How good is God to Israel, to the upright in heart! The third part of the book of Psalms begins from the present one, and ends at the 88th, so as to contain seventeen psalms in all; of which eleven in a row happen to be of Asaph; then four of the sons of Kore, and one of David, and the last of Ethan the Ezrahite. However, the one at hand of Asaph (for he was a prophet contemporary with David) is inscribed a Psalm, because it contains at the conclusion of the words the destruction of the impious, but the good end stored up with God for the pious; which indeed he presents, saying: For behold, those who remove themselves far from you shall perish; you have destroyed everyone who commits fornication against you. But for me it is good to cling to God; but it begins from a dogmatic teaching, through which he gives the reason for the prosperity of the impious at certain times; for he says that God's being good and long-suffering is the cause. This indeed the divine Apostle also teaches, saying: Or do you despise the riches of His goodness and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? and elsewhere it has been said: God is a righteous judge, and good and long-suffering, not bringing on wrath every day. As being good, therefore, He makes His sun rise on the just and the unjust, and sends rain on the evil and the good. From this the Savior also delivered a definitive statement concerning the Father, saying: No one is good except God alone. And if you examine concerning the Son, you will learn how He Himself is also good; since He is the radiance of eternal light and a spotless mirror of the Father's working, and an image of His goodness. Such, then, is God by nature; but He is not known to all, but only to Israel, that is, to the discerning and gnostic man, whom indeed He presents, connecting it in sequence and saying, to the upright in heart. For he who possesses nothing crooked in his own soul, but applies right reasonings to the principles of providence, he would be Israel, to whom it is known that God is good, bearing with all through an excess of goodness. But God is such. But I, wishing to be a man who loves truth, narrate the sluggishness of my own soul. For my stance and my footing were nearly—and, as one might say metaphorically, the feet and supports of my soul—turned aside from the hope in God on account of the prosperity of godless and impious men. But I suffered this by a little; yet through the grace of God I was not shaken, nor did the aforementioned reasoning overpower me; for otherwise I would have been lost, and all my steps would have been poured out; for my steps were almost poured out, 23.837 but they were not poured out. You will understand how the steps of a soul are poured out, if you pay attention, how some, having progressed in the practice of piety, in

293

φάσκων· Ὁ Θεός μου, θοῦ αὐτοὺς ὡς τροχὸν, ὡς καλάμην κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀνέμου, ὡσεὶ πῦρ ὃ διαφλέξει δρυμὸν, ὡσεὶ φλὸξ κατακαύσει ὄρη, καὶ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα. Ἔνθα γενόμενος ἀναγκαίως ἐπιτηρήσεις, ὡς ὅπου μέμνηται τοῦ Ἀσσοὺρ, οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ Ἀσσύριοι, καὶ τῶν προλεχθέντων ἐθνῶν τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ποιεῖται δέησιν, καὶ τὴν καταστροφὴν αὐτῶν ἑξῆς θεσπίζει· καὶ ἐν τῷ οηʹ ὁμοίως, ἐν ᾧ τὰ κατὰ Ἀντίοχον προανεφώνει, ὃς Ἑλληνίζειν καὶ παραβαίνειν τὰ πάτρια ἠνάγκαζεν Ἰουδαίους. Πάλιν γὰρ κἀκεῖ τὴν καταστροφὴν τῶν πολεμίων προὔλεγεν. Οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ ογʹ, καθ' ὃν ἡ ἐσχάτη αὐτῶν ἐδηλοῦτο ἀποβολή. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν οἱ συνημμένοι τοῦ Ἀσὰφ ιαʹ. Ὁ δὲ 23.836 ιβʹ πρὸ τοῦ νʹ ψαλμοῦ κατατέτακται δι' ἣν ἀποδεδώκαμεν αἰτίαν τοὺς τόπους διηγούμενοι. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν τούτων ἐπιτομὴν φέρ' ἐπαναλαβόντες τὸν πρῶτον, τὴν κατὰ μέρος αὐτοῦ διάνοιαν ἐπιθεωρήσωμεν. ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ΑΣΑΦ. ΟΒʹ. Ὡς ἀγαθὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεὸς, τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ! Τὸ τρίτον μέρος τῆς βίβλου τῶν Ψαλμῶν ἄρχεται μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ παρόντος, περαιοῦται δὲ εἰς τὸν πηʹ, ὡς τοὺς πάντας περιέχειν ψαλμοὺς ἑπτὰ καὶ δέκα· ὧν ἐφεξῆς ιαʹ τυγχάνουσι τοῦ Ἀσάφ· εἶτα τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ δʹ, καὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἷς, καὶ Αἰθὰν τοῦ Ἐσδραίτου τελευταῖος. Ὁ μέντοι μετὰ χεῖρας τοῦ Ἀσὰφ (προφήτης δὲ ἦν οὗτος συγχρονίσας τῷ ∆αυῒδ), Ψαλμὸς μὲν ἐπιγέγραπται, διὰ τὸ περιέχειν ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν λόγων τῶν μὲν ἀσεβῶν τὴν καταστροφὴν, τῶν δ' εὐσεβῶν τὸ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ τεταμιευμένον ἀγαθὸν τέλος· ἃ δὴ παρίστη λέγων· Ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ μακρύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀπολοῦνται, ἐξωλόθρευσας πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ. Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ Θεῷ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν· ἄρχεται δ' ἀπὸ δογματικῆς διδασκαλίας, δι' ἧς αἰτίαν ἀποδίδωσι τῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν κατά τινας καιροὺς εὐπραγίας· τὸ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ μακρόθυμον τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦτό φησιν ὑπάρχειν αἴτιον. Ὃ δὴ διδάσκει καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος λέγων· Ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς, ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει; καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ εἴρηται· Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος μὴ ὀργὴν ἐπάγων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν Ὡς ἀγαθὸς γοῦν ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους, καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς. Ἔνθεν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ὅρον περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐξήνεγκεν εἰπών· Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός. Κἂν ἐξετάζῃς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, μαθήσῃ ὅπως ἐστὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀγαθός· ἐπείπερ ἀπαύγασμά ἐστι φωτὸς ἀϊδίου καὶ ἔσοπτρον ἀκηλίδωτον τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐνεργείας, καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ. Τοιοῦτος μὲν οὖν ὁ Θεὸς πέφυκεν· ἔγνωσται δὲ οὐ πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, τῷ διορατικῷ δηλαδὴ καὶ γνωστικῷ ἀνδρὶ, ὃν δὴ παρίστησι συνάπτων ἑξῆς καὶ λέγων, τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ὁ γὰρ μηδὲν σκολιὸν κεκτημένος ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ, λογισμοῖς δὲ ὀρθοῖς ἐπιβάλλων τοῖς τῆς προνοίας λόγοις, αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, ᾧ καὶ ἔγνωσται ἀγαθὸς ὢν ὁ Θεὸς δι' ὑπερβολήν τε ἀγαθότητος πάντων ἀνεχόμενος. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Θεὸς τοιοῦτος. Ἐγὼ δὲ, ἄνθρωπος φιλαλήθης εἶναι θέλων, τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ διηγοῦμαι τῆς ψυχῆς νωθρίαν. Μικροῦ γὰρ δεῖν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ στάσιν καὶ βάσιν, καὶ, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις μεταφορικῶς, τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς πόδας καὶ τὰ ἐρείσματα παρετράπην ἐκ τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδος διὰ τὰς τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν εὐπραγίας. Ἀλλὰ παρὰ μικρὸν μὲν τοῦτ' ἔπαθον· διὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν οὐκ ἐσαλεύθην, οὐδὲ κατεκράτησέ μου ὁ προλεχθεὶς λογισμός· ἢ γὰρ ἂν ἀπωλόμην, καὶ πάντα μου τὰ διαβήματα κέχυτο· παρ' ὀλίγον γὰρ ἐξεχύθη τὰ 23.837 διαβήματά μου, οὐ μὴν ἐξεχύθη. Νοήσεις δὲ ὅπως ἐκχεῖται ψυχῆς διαβήματα, ἐπιστήσας, ὡς ἤδη τινὲς, προκόψαντες ἐν ἀσκήσει θεοσεβείας, ἐν