310
having governed, he rightly said: "Lord, you have tested me, and you have known me. [2.] You have known my sitting down and my rising up." All things, he says, you have learned precisely, what I did while sitting, what I did while standing. For through sitting down and rising up, he indicated his whole life. These are the words of a pure soul and a strong conscience. And since he said, "You have tested me and you have known me," so that no one might suppose that God learns what happens after the events are completed, he very fittingly added: 3. "You have understood my thoughts from afar." For from above, and from the beginning, and many generations before my formation, you not only foresaw my actions, but you also foresaw the thoughts I would have. "You have traced out my path and my line." But Theodotion has it thus: You have traced out my path and my way. He calls his actions "way" and "path," but their straightness "line"; from the meta 80.1936 phor of builders who straighten walls with a cord. You knew, he says, my actions precisely, and nothing of mine escaped your knowledge. 4. "And you foresaw all my ways, for there is no deceit in my tongue." Not only did God of all foresee, but he also foretold through the prophets, and to Jeroboam while he was sacrificing and offering divine worship to the heifers, he prophesied that a son would be raised up for David, Josiah his name, and he would deliver the priests of the idols to death, and would burn their bones on that altar. 5. "Behold, Lord, you have known all things, the last and the first." Through the events themselves I have learned that you have all knowledge, both of things that have happened long ago, and of things that have not yet happened. "You formed me, and laid your hand upon me." For how is it possible for any of my affairs to escape my maker, who formed me inside my mother's womb, and deemed me worthy of all providence? And the phrase, "You laid your hand upon me," is like, "Your hands have made me and formed me." It signifies at the same time also the providence after formation. 6. "Your knowledge has been made wonderful from me, it has been strengthened, I cannot attain to it." From the things that have happened to me I have known your power; and wishing to praise your wisdom, then failing to do so worthily, I confess defeat. Thus, having marveled at the knowledge and foreknowledge of the God of all, and that nothing has escaped him, neither of things that have happened, nor of things that will be, he moves on to another topic, recounting these things: 7. "Where shall I go from your Spirit? And where shall I flee from your presence?" How is it possible for one who is fleeing to escape one who knows all things so clearly? It is proper to note that he taught that both God and the all-holy Spirit have the same energy: "Where shall I go, he says, from your Spirit, and where shall I flee from your presence?" And those who have one energy, certainly have one power; and those who have one power, have one nature; therefore, the nature of God and of the Spirit is one. 8. "If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I descend into Hades, you are present." All things, he says, you fill, both things above and things below. For the one is the extremity of height, the other of depth. And he well paired with heaven, "You are there," and with Hades, "you are present." For he rests upon the angels who dwell in heaven. But he is present everywhere, and stands by all things; "and in him we live, according to the divine Apostle, and move, and have our being." 80.1937 9, 10. If I should take up my wings in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. For even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." He called the east "morning," and the west "the uttermost parts of the sea." For to the height and the depth he added the length and the breadth, teaching the uncircumscribable nature of the divine. And Jonah the prophet had experience of this power. For having attempted to flee from the God of all, he was caught, and bound by the waves, and was delivered as if to a prison to the great fish, and was guided to the city to which he had been sent. Therefore the words of the prophecy are shown to be true here also;
310
κυβερνήσας, εἰκότως ἔφη· "Κύριε, ἐδοκίμασάς με, καὶ ἔγνως με. [βʹ.] Σὺ ἔγνως τὴν καθέδραν μου, καὶ τὴν ἔγερσίν μου." Πάντα, φησὶ, μεμάθηκας ἀκριβῶς, τίνα εἰργαζόμην καθ ήμενος, τίνα ἔδρων ἀνιστάμενος. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς καθ έδρας καὶ τῆς ἐγέρσεως, πάντα τὸν βίον ἐδήλωσε. Καθαρᾶς δὲ ψυχῆς καὶ συνειδότος ἐῤῥωμένου τὰ ῥή ματα. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, "Ἐδοκίμασάς με καὶ ἔγνως με," ἵνα μή τις ὑπολάβῃ μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῶν πραγ μάτων μανθάνειν τὸν Θεὸν τὰ γινόμενα, ἁρμοδίως μάλα ἐπήγαγε· γʹ. "Σὺ συνῆκας τοὺς διαλογισμούς μου ἀπὸ μα κρόθεν." Ἄνωθεν γὰρ, καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ πρὸ πολ λῶν γενεῶν τῆς ἐμῆς διαπλάσεως, οὐ μόνον τὰς ἐμὰς προεώρακας πράξεις, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐσομένους μοι προεώρακας λογισμούς. "Τὴν τρίβον μου, καὶ τὴν σχοῖνόν μου σὺ ἐξιχνίασας." Ὁ δὲ Θεο δοτίων οὕτως, Τὴν τρίβον μου, καὶ τὴν ὁδόν μου ἐξιχνίασας. Ὁδὸν καὶ τρίβον τὰς πράξεις καλεῖ, σχοῖνον δὲ τὴν τούτων εὐθύτητα· ἐκ μεταφο 80.1936 ρᾶς τῶν οἰκοδομούντων, καὶ σπαρτίῳ τοὺς τοίχους διευθυνόντων. Ἔγνως, φησὶν, ἀκριβῶς μου τὰς πρά ξεις, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν ἐμῶν τὴν σὴν ἔλαθε γνῶσιν. δʹ. "Καὶ πάσας τὰς ὁδούς μου προεῖδες, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι δόλος ἐν τῇ γλώσσῃ μου." Οὐ μόνον προ εῖδεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προείρηκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τῷ Ἱεροβοὰμ θύοντι, καὶ ταῖς δα μάλεσι τὸ θεῖον σέβας προσφέροντι προεθέσπισεν, ὡς ἀναστήσεται υἱὸς τῷ ∆αβὶδ, Ἰωσίας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ τοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων ἱερέας παραδώσει θανάτῳ, καὶ τὰ τούτων ὀστᾶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ βωμῷ κατακαύσει. εʹ. "Ἰδοὺ, Κύριε, σὺ ἔγνως πάντα, τὰ ἔσχατα καὶ τὰ ἀρχαῖα." ∆ι' αὐτῶν μεμάθηκα τῶν πραγμά των, ὡς ἅπασαν ἔχεις τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τῶν πάλαι γεγενημένων, καὶ τῶν μηδέπω γεγενημένων. "Σὺ ἔπλασάς με, καὶ ἔθηκας ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν χεῖρά σου." Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε λαθεῖν τι τῶν ἐμῶν τὸν ἐμὸν ποιητὴν, τὸν ἔνδον ἐν τῇ μητρῴᾳ με διαπλάσαντα νηδύϊ, καὶ πάσης ἀξιώσαντα προμηθείας; Τὸ δὲ, "Ἔθηκας ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν χεῖρά σου," ἔοικε τῷ, "Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίη σάν με, καὶ ἔπλασάν με." Σημαίνει δὲ κατὰ ταυτὸν καὶ τὴν μετὰ τὴν διάπλασιν προμηθείαν. ʹ. "Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ, ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτήν." Ἐκ τῶν εἰς ἐμὲ γεγενημένων τὴν σὴν ἔγνωκα δύναμιν· καὶ ὑμνῆσαι τὴν σὴν θέλων σοφίαν, εἶτα τῆς ἀξίας διαμαρτάνων, τὴν ἧτταν ὁμολογῶ. Οὕτω καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τὴν πρόγνωσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων θαυ μάσας, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἔλαθεν, οὔτε τῶν γεγε νημένων, οὔτε τῶν ἐσομένων, ἐφ' ἕτερον μετα βαίνει ταῦτα διηγούμενος· ζʹ. "Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου; καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω;" Τὸν οὕτω πάντα σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενον πῶς δυνατὸν λαθεῖν δραπε τεύοντα; Ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὅτι τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνέργειαν ἔχειν ἐδίδαξε, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὸ παν άγιον Πνεῦμα· "Ποῦ πορευθῶ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύ ματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω;" Ὧν δὲ μία ἡ ἐνέργεια, μία πάντως καὶ ἡ δύναμις· ὧν δὲ μία ἡ δύναμις, μία ἡ φύσις· μία ἄρα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ φύσις. ηʹ. "Ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ· ἐὰν καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει." Ἅπαντα, φησὶ, πληροῖς, καὶ τὰ ἄνω καὶ τὰ κάτω. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ὕψους ἔσχατον, τὸ δὲ τοῦ βάθους. Καλῶς δὲ τῷ μὲν οὐρανῷ τὸ, "Σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ," συνέζευξε, τῷ δὲ ᾄδῃ τὸ πάρει. Τοῖς γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ διαιτωμένοις ἀγγέλοις ἐπαναπαύεται. Πανταχοῦ δὲ πάρεστι, καὶ τοῖς πᾶσι παρίσταται· "καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, καὶ κινούμεθα, καὶ ἐσμέν." 80.1937 θʹ, ι. Ἐὰν ἀναλάβοιμι τὰς πτέρυγάς μου κατ' ὄρθρον, καὶ κατασκηνώσω εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς θαλάσσης. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἡ χείρ σου ὁδηγήσει με, καὶ καθέξει με ἡ δεξιά σου." Ὄρθρον τὰς ἀνατολὰς ἐκάλεσε, δυσμὰς δὲ τῆς θαλάττης τὰ ἔσχατα. Τῷ γὰρ ὕψει καὶ τῷ βάθει τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὸ πλάτος προσ έθηκε, διδάσκων τὸ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἀπερίγραφον. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως τὴν πεῖραν ἔλαβε καὶ Ἰωνᾶς ὁ προφήτης. Φυγεῖν γὰρ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν ἐπι χειρήσας, καὶ ἥλω, καὶ τοῖς κύμασιν ἐπεδήθη, καὶ οἷον εἱρκτῇ τινι παρεδόθη τῷ κήτει, καὶ πρὸς ἣν ἀπεστάλη πόλιν ἐποδηγήθη. Ἀληθῆ τοίνυν καὶ ἐν ταῦθα δείκνυται τῆς προφητείας τὰ ῥήματα·