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Homiliae super Psalmos

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS, BASIL, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, HOMILY ON THE FIRST PSALM.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable, for this reason it was written by the

Spirit, so that, as in a common dispensary of souls, all of us men might choose the cure for our own particular passion. For a cure 29.212, it says, will make great sins to cease. Now, the prophets teach some things, the historians others, the law other things, and the form of proverbial exhortation still others. But the book of Psalms has embraced what is profitable from all of them. It prophesies future events; it recalls histories; it gives laws for life; it suggests what is to be done; and, in short, it is a common treasury of good doctrines, finding what is suitable for each according to his need. For it heals the old wounds of souls, and brings swift correction to the newly wounded, and it treats what is diseased, and preserves what is sound; and in general it removes the passions, as far as is possible, which in various ways dominate the souls in the life of men; and this with a certain melodious soul-guiding and pleasure that produces sober reasoning. For since the Holy Spirit saw that the race of men is hard to lead to virtue, and that we neglect the upright life because of our inclination toward pleasure; what does He do? He mixed the delight of melody with the doctrines, so that by the pleasantness and smoothness of the hearing we might receive the benefit of the words without noticing it; like the wise physicians who, when they give the more bitter medicines to drink to the squeamish, often smear the cup with honey. For this reason these harmonious melodies of the psalms have been devised for us, so that children in age, or in general those who are young in character, might seem to sing melodies, but in truth might be educating their souls. For no one from among the many and slothful ever easily went away having retained in memory an apostolic or prophetic command; but the sayings of the psalms they both sing at home and carry about in the marketplace; and even someone who is utterly brutalized by anger, when he begins to be charmed by the psalm, immediately departs, having lulled to sleep the wildness of his soul by the melody. A psalm is stillness of souls, the dispenser of peace, calming the noisy and surging thoughts. For it softens the anger of the soul, and it disciplines the licentious. A psalm is a convener of friendship, a union for those separated, a reconciliation for those at enmity. For who can still consider him an enemy with whom he has sent up one voice to God? So that psalmody also provides the greatest of goods, love, having devised the singing in harmony as a kind of bond for unity, and fitting the people together into the symphony of one choir. A psalm is a means of driving away demons, a summoner of angelic help; a weapon in nighttime fears, a repose from daytime labors; for infants a safeguard, for those in their prime an adornment, for the elderly a comfort, for women a most fitting ornament. It makes deserts 29.213 inhabited, it brings soberness to marketplaces; for beginners an elementary lesson, for the advancing an increase, for the perfected a support, the voice of the Church. This makes the feasts bright, this creates sorrow according to God. For a psalm calls forth a tear even from a heart of stone; a psalm is the work of angels, the heavenly way of life, the spiritual incense. O the wise invention of the Teacher, contriving for us to sing and at the same time to learn profitable things! whence also the teachings are somehow more deeply impressed upon our souls. For a lesson learned by force is not wont to remain, but those things learned with pleasure and

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Homiliae super Psalmos

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΥ, Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Καισαρείας Καππαδοκίας, ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ.

Πᾶσα Γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος, διὰ τοῦτο συγγραφεῖσα παρὰ τοῦ

Πνεύματος, ἵν', ὥσπερ ἐν κοινῷ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρείῳ, πάντες ἄνθρωποι τὸ ἴαμα τοῦ οἰκείου πάθους ἕκαστος ἐκλεγώμεθα. Ἴαμα 29.212 γὰρ, φησὶ, καταπαύσει ἁμαρτίας μεγάλας. Ἄλλα μὲν οὖν προφῆται παιδεύουσι, καὶ ἄλλα ἱστορικοὶ, καὶ ὁ νόμος ἕτερα, καὶ ἄλλα τὸ εἶδος τῆς παροιμια κῆς παραινέσεως. Ἡ δὲ τῶν Ψαλμῶν βίβλος τὸ ἐκ πάντων ὠφέλιμον περιείληφε. Προφητεύει τὰ μέλ λοντα· ἱστορίας ὑπομιμνήσκει· νομοθετεῖ τῷ βίῳ· ὑποτίθεται τὰ πρακτέα· καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς κοινὸν τα μιεῖόν ἐστιν ἀγαθῶν διδαγμάτων, τὸ ἑκάστῳ πρόσφο ρον κατὰ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐξευρίσκουσα. Τά τε γὰρ παλαιὰ τραύματα τῶν ψυχῶν ἐξιᾶται, καὶ τῷ νεο τρώτῳ ταχεῖαν ἐπάγει τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν, καὶ τὸ νενοσηκὸς περιποιεῖται, καὶ τὸ ἀκέραιον διασώζει· καὶ ὅλως ἐξαιρεῖ τὰ πάθη, καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε, τὰ ποι κίλως ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐν τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐνδυνα στεύοντα· καὶ τοῦτο μετά τινος ψυχαγωγίας ἐμμε λοῦς καὶ ἡδονῆς σώφρονα λογισμὸν ἐμποιούσης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον δυσάγωγον πρὸς ἀρετὴν τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ διὰ τὸ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἐπιῤῥεπὲς τοῦ ὀρθοῦ βίου καταμελοῦντας ἡμᾶς· τί ποιεῖ; Τὸ ἐκ τῆς μελῳδίας τερπνὸν τοῖς δόγμασιν ἐγκατέμιξεν, ἵνα τῷ προσηνεῖ καὶ λείῳ τῆς ἀκοῆς τὸ ἐκ τῶν λόγων ὠφέλιμον λανθανόντως ὑπο δεξώμεθα· κατὰ τοὺς σοφοὺς τῶν ἰατρῶν, οἳ, τῶν φαρ μάκων τὰ αὐστηρότερα πίνειν διδόντες τοῖς κακοσί τοις, μέλιτι πολλάκις τὴν κύλικα περιχρίουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὰ ἐναρμόνια ταῦτα μέλη τῶν ψαλμῶν ἡμῖν ἐπινενόηται, ἵνα οἱ παῖδες τὴν ἡλικίαν, ἢ καὶ ὅλως οἱ νεαροὶ τὸ ἦθος, τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν μελῳδῶσι, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐκπαιδεύωνται. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀπο στολικόν τις οὔτε προφητικὸν παράγγελμα τῶν πολ λῶν καὶ ῥᾳθύμων ῥᾳδίως ποτὲ τῇ μνήμῃ κατα σχὼν ἀπῆλθε· τὰ δὲ τῶν ψαλμῶν λόγια καὶ κατ' οἶκον μελῳδοῦσι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς περιφέ ρουσι· καί πού τις τῶν σφόδρα ἐκτεθηριωμένων ὑπὸ θυμοῦ, ἐπειδὰν ἄρξηται τῷ ψαλμῷ κατεπᾴδεσθαι, ἀπῆλθεν εὐθὺς, τὸ ἀγριαῖον τῆς ψυχῆς τῇ μελῳδίᾳ κατακοιμίσας. Ψαλμὸς γαλήνη ψυχῶν, βραβευτὴς εἰρήνης, τὸ θορυβοῦν καὶ κυμαῖνον τῶν λογισμῶν καταστέλλων. Μαλάσσει μὲν γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ θυμούμενον, τὸ δὲ ἀκόλαστον σωφρονίζει. Ψαλμὸς φιλίας συναγωγὸς, ἕνωσις διεστώτων, ἐχθραινόντων διαλλακτήριον. Τίς γὰρ ἔτι ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθαι δύναται μεθ' οὗ μίαν ἀφῆκε πρὸς Θεὸν τὴν φωνήν; Ὥστε καὶ τὸ μέγιστον τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀγάπην ἡ ψαλμῳδία παρέχεται, οἱονεὶ σύνδεσμόν τινα πρὸς τὴν ἕνωσιν τὴν συνῳδίαν ἐπι νοήσασα, καὶ εἰς ἑνὸς χοροῦ συμφωνίαν τὸν λαὸν συναρμόζουσα. Ψαλμὸς δαιμόνων φυγαδευτήριον, τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων βοηθείας ἐπαγωγή· ὅπλον ἐν φόβοις νυκτερινοῖς, ἀνάπαυσις κόπων ἡμερινῶν· νηπίοις ἀσφάλεια, ἀκμάζουσιν ἐγκαλλώπισμα, πρεσβυτέροις παρηγορία, γυναιξὶ κόσμος ἁρμοδιώτατος. Τὰς ἐρη 29.213 μίας οἰκίζει, τὰς ἀγορὰς σωφρονίζει· εἰσαγομέ νοις στοιχείωσις, προκοπτόντων αὔξησις, τελειου μένων στήριγμα, Ἐκκλησίας φωνή. Οὗτος τὰς ἑορτὰς φαιδρύνει, οὗτος τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν λύπην δημιουργεῖ. Ψαλμὸς γὰρ καὶ ἐκ λιθίνης καρδίας δάκρυον ἐκ καλεῖται· ψαλμὸς τὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἔργον, τὸ οὐρά νιον πολίτευμα, τὸ πνευματικὸν θυμίαμα. Ὢ τῆς σοφῆς ἐπινοίας τοῦ διδασκάλου, ὁμοῦ τε ᾄδειν ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ λυσιτελῆ μανθάνειν μηχανωμένου! ὅθεν καὶ μᾶλλόν πως ἐντυποῦται ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὰ διδάγματα. Βίαιον μὲν γὰρ μάθημα οὐ πέφυκε παραμένειν, τὰ δὲ μετὰ τέρψεως καὶ