369

and his achievements are his poverty and indigence. And you will say otherwise, that, just as Moses, having heard the voice of God, confessed himself to be of a weak voice, saying this in comparison with the divine voice; so also David, although he was great and rich and wise when compared to men, yet having raised his eyes to God, he sees himself as being nothing; and since he was not yet able to name God as Father, he calls him Lord, signifying that he himself holds the position of a servant. Then as he himself remains somewhere below and in the deep, while God is on high, he beseeches God to incline his ear; since he is not able to cry out so much, because of his own weakness, as to send up on high and extend his own voice to God. Therefore he asks God to incline His ear, and that the divine hearing might condescend to his own humility. Preserve my soul, for I am holy; save your servant, O God, who hopes in you. In the state in which he was, in this he asks to be preserved by God, so that his soul might not be stripped of the virtues it had acquired; which he first declared by saying, For I am poor and needy; second, For I am holy; for which reason he also says elsewhere: Let not the foot of pride come against me. But since he was conscious that he was not yet a son, he reasonably confesses himself a servant and says: Save your servant, O God, who hopes in you. And a servant of God is one who does not serve sin, nor is subject to any passion, but is subject only to the Word of God, and 23.1032 one who hopes in no other but in God alone. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I will cry all the day long; make glad the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. Even if I am holy, he says, even if I am poor and needy in spirit; still I do not yet send up my prayer with confidence in myself. But I pray and beseech to obtain mercy from you, and this is my continual prayer. For instead of, all the day long, Symmachus has rendered it, For I cry to you each day. For one must not devote oneself to prayer for one day, but for all of one's life. And since he did not greatly rejoice in any human affairs, he asked that through prayer it be granted to him by God; and this was that his own soul be deemed worthy of the gladness which is with God Himself; for he knew that his own body and flesh rejoice in bodily things. Therefore he renounces these things; but he asks only for the gladness from God, claiming the delight that is of the soul. But knowing that it is not possible for all to obtain this, but only for those who distance themselves from mortal life and from bodily desires, and who draw near to God alone with their mind and thoughts, he reasonably adds, For to you, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. For you, Lord, are good and merciful and of great mercy to all who call upon you. Instead of, and merciful, Aquila and Theodotion have said, and propitious; but Symmachus, and forgiving. And these things were also usefully said by David, healing the saying thought to be burdensome; such was the one, to you I have lifted up my soul; and again above, the one, For I am holy. For these things, he says, were not provided to me from my own power, but from your grace. For you led me to these things, being good and forgiving of sins, not only to me, but also to all who call upon you; for you are of great mercy. And having made the word common by means of, and to all who call upon you, he exhorts us all to pray for and hope for the same things as he did. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplication. In the day of my trouble I cried to you, for you heard me. And from this it is established that the psalm is a prayer, as also through the superscription. But since it is said in the past tense, I cried, and, you heard, you will note that Aquila says, I will call upon

369

καὶ τὰ κατορθώματα προβάλλεται τὴν πτωχείαν καὶ πενίαν. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἐρεῖς, ὅτι, ὥσπερ Μωϋσῆς, φωνῆς ἀκούσας Θεοῦ, ἰσχνόφωνον ἑαυτὸν εἶναι ὡμολόγει, κατὰ παράθεσιν τῆς θείας φωνῆς τοῦτο φήσας· οὕτω καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, εἰ καὶ μέγας ἦν καὶ πλούσιος καὶ σοφὸς ἀνθρώποις συγκρινόμενος, ἀλλ' ἀνατείνας πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ὁρᾷ ἑαυτὸν τὸ μηδὲν ὄντα· καὶ ἐπεὶ μήπω ἦν δυνατὸς πατέρα τὸν Θεὸν ὀνομάζειν, Κύριον αὐτὸν καλεῖ, δούλου χώραν ἑαυτὸν ἐπέχειν σημαίνων. Εἶθ' ὡς αὐτὸς μένων κάτω που καὶ ἐν βυθῷ, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ ὄντος ἐν ὕψει, κλῖναι τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεύει τὸ οὖς ἑαυτοῦ· ἅτε μὴ τοσοῦτον βοᾷν δυνάμενος διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν, ὡς ἀναπέμπειν εἰς ὕψος καὶ τείνειν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φωνήν. ∆ιὸ δεῖται κλῖναι ἑαυτοῦ τὸ οὖς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ταπεινότητι συγκαταβῆναι τὴν θείαν ἀκοήν. Φύλαξον τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι ὅσιός εἰμι· σῶσον τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ὁ Θεὸς, τὸν ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ σέ. Ἐν οἷς ἦν, ἐν τούτοις φυλαχθῆναι ἀξιοῖ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς ἂν μὴ συληθείη αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ ὧν ἐκέκτητο ἀρετῶν· ἃς ἐδήλωσε πρῶτον εἰπὼν, Ὅτι πτωχὸς καὶ πένης εἰμὶ ἐγώ· δεύτερον, Ὅτι ὅσιός εἰμι· διὸ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φάσκει· Μὴ ἐλθέτω μοι ποῦς ὑπερηφανίας. Ἐπεὶ δὲ συνῄδει ἑαυτῷ μηδέπω ὄντι υἱῷ, εἰκότως δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖ καί φησι· Σῶσον τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ὁ Θεὸς, τὸν ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ σέ. ∆οῦλος δὲ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ μὴ δουλεύων ἁμαρτίᾳ, μηδέ τινι πάθει ὑποκείμενος, μόνῳ δὲ Θεοῦ Λόγῳ ὑποτεταγμένος, καὶ 23.1032 ὁ ἐπὶ μηδένα ἕτερον ἐλπίζων ἢ ἐπὶ μόνον τὸν Θεόν. Ἐλέησόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι πρὸς σὲ κεκράξομαι ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· εὔφρανον τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, τὴν ψυχήν μου ἦρα. Εἰ καὶ ὅσιός εἰμι, φησὶν, εἰ καὶ πτωχὸς καὶ πένης τῷ πνεύματι· ἀλλ' οὔπω θαρσῶν ἐμαυτῷ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπω. ∆έομαι δὲ καὶ ἱκετεύω ἐλέου τοῦ παρὰ σοῦ τυχεῖν, καὶ αὕτη μού ἐστιν ἡ διηνεκὴς προσευχή. Ἀντὶ γοῦν τοῦ, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν, Ὅτι πρὸς σὲ βοῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς μίαν ἡμέραν δεῖ τῇ προσευχῇ σχολάζειν, ἀλλὰ διὰ πάσης τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς. Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων ἔχαιρε μέγα, ἠξίου διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς παρασχεθῆναι αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ εὐφροσύνης τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ καταξιωθῆναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν σάρκα τοῖς σωματικοῖς χαίρειν ἠπίστατο. ∆ιὸ ταῦτα μὲν παραιτεῖται· μόνην δὲ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφροσύνην αἰτεῖ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν τρυφῆς μεταποιούμενος. Εἰδὼς δὲ, ὅτι οὐ πάντων ἐστὶ δύνασθαι ταύτης τυχεῖν ἀλλ' ἢ τῶν μακρυνόντων μὲν ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, μόνῳ δὲ αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς πλησιαζόντων, εἰκότως ἐπιλέγει, Ὅτι πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, τὴν ψυχήν μου ἦρα. Ὅτι σὺ, Κύριε, χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικὴς καὶ πολυέλεος πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις σε. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ ἐπιεικὴς, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων, καὶ ἱλαστὴς, εἰρήκασιν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, καὶ ἀφίων. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ χρησίμως ἐλέχθη τῷ ∆αυῒδ, θεραπεύοντι τὸ νομισθὲν φορτικὸν ῥῆμα· τοιοῦτον δὲ ἦν τὸ πρὸς σὲ τὴν ψυχήν μου ἦρα· καὶ πάλιν ἀνωτέρω τὸ, Ὅτι ὅσιός εἰμι. Καὶ ταῦτα γάρ μοι, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐξ ἐμῆς δυνάμεως ἐπορίσθη, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς σῆς χάριτος. Σὺ γάρ με ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἤγαγες, χρηστὸς ὢν καὶ ἀφίων ἁμαρτίας, οὐ μόνον ἐμοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις σε· πολυέλεος γὰρ τυγχάνεις. Κοινοποιήσας δὲ τὸν λόγον διὰ τοῦ, καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις σε, προτρέπει πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῷ τὰ ἴσα αὐτῷ προσεύχεσθαί τε καὶ ἐλπίζειν. Ἐνώτισαι, Κύριε, τὴν προσευχήν μου, καὶ πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς μου πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξα, ὅτι ἐπήκουσάς μου. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν παρίσταται, ὅτι προσευχὴ τυγχάνει ὁ ψαλμὸς, ὡς καὶ διὰ τῆς προγραφῆς. Ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ παρῳχηκότα χρόνον εἴρηται τὸ, ἐκέκραξα, καὶ τὸ, ἐπήκουσας, σημειώσῃ, ὅτι ὁ Ἀκύλας φησὶν, Ἐπικαλέσομαί