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In inscriptiones Psalmorum

OF GREGORY, BISHOP OF NYSSA, ON THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS

I I received your command with all eagerness, O man of God,

which bestows zeal equally upon me and you, and I have paid attention to the inscriptions of the psalms. For this you commanded us to investigate the meaning contemplated in them, so that what in them is able to guide us toward virtue might become clear to all. Having, therefore, conversed with the whole book of the Psalms with greater attention, I thought it necessary not to begin the examination from the inscriptions, but concerning all of the psalmody together to set forth beforehand a certain systematic approach to the understanding of the thoughts, through which, in consequence, the discourse concerning the inscriptions will also be clarified for us. It is necessary, therefore, first to understand the purpose of this writing, 5.25 to what it looks, then to perceive the consequential constructions of the thoughts toward the proposed subject, which are indicated both by the order of the psalms, well-arranged for the knowledge of the purpose, and by the sections of the whole book, defined by their own particular divisions, with all the prophecy in the psalms being divided in five ways. When these things have been moderately understood beforehand, the benefit from the inscriptions will become more knowable to us, being revealed through the understanding of what was previously examined. We must, therefore, begin the study from this point.

CHAPTER 1

The end of the life according to virtue is blessedness. For everything earnestly

accomplished has reference to something. And just as medicine looks to health, and the purpose of agriculture is the preparation for living, so also the possession of virtue looks to the one living according to it becoming blessed. For this is the sum and end of everything conceived as good. Therefore, that which is truly and properly contemplated and conceived in this lofty thought would rightly be called the divine nature. For so the great Paul names God, placing "the blessed" before all theological names in one of the epistles, writing thus with these words: The blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling 5.26 in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to whom be honor and eternal might. For all these lofty thoughts about the divine, according to my word at least, would be a definition of blessedness. For if someone were asked what blessedness is, he would not err from the pious answer if he followed the voice of Paul and said that blessed is what is properly and primarily called the nature beyond the universe. But blessedness in humans comes to be and is named to some extent by participation in that which truly is, which is what the nature of the participated is. Therefore, the definition of human blessedness is likeness to the divine. Since, therefore, the truly good, or that which is beyond the good, this alone is both blessed and desirable by nature, by which everything that partakes becomes blessed, the divine writing of the psalmody well points out to us the way to this through a certain systematic and natural sequence, in its apparently simple and unadorned teaching, artfully explaining in various and manifold ways the method for the acquisition of blessedness. It is possible, then,

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In inscriptiones Psalmorum

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΑΣ ΕΠΙΓΡΑΘΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΨΑΛΜΩΝ

I Ἐδεξάμην σου τὸ ἐπίταγμα μετὰ προθυμίας πάσης, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ,

κατὰ τὸ ἴσον ἐμοί τε καὶ σοὶ τὴν σπουδὴν χαριζόμενον, καὶ προσέσχον ταῖς τῶν ψαλμῶν ἐπιγραφαῖς. τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐπέταξας διερευνήσασθαι τὴν ἐνθεωρουμένην ταύταις διάνοιαν, ὡς πᾶσι γενέσθαι δῆλον τὸ διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὁδηγῆσαι δυνάμενον. πάσῃ τοίνυν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν Ψαλμῶν μετὰ πλείονος τῆς προσοχῆς καθομιλήσας ἀναγκαῖον ᾠήθην μὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιγραφῶν ἄρξασθαι τῆς ἐξετάσεως, ἀλλὰ περὶ πάσης ὁμοῦ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἔφοδόν τινα πρὸς τὴν τῶν νοημάτων κατα νόησιν τεχνικὴν προεκθέσθαι, δι' ἧς ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου καὶ ὁ περὶ τῶν ἐπιγραφῶν ἡμῖν σαφηνισθήσεται λόγος. χρὴ τοίνυν πρῶτον μὲν τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς γραφῆς ταύτης 5.25 πρὸς ὅ τι βλέπει κατανοῆσαι, εἶτα τὰς δι' ἀκολούθου πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον τῶν νοημάτων κατασκευὰς συνιδεῖν, ἃς ὑποδείκνυσιν ἥ τε τάξις τῶν ψαλμῶν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σκοποῦ γνῶσιν εὖ διακειμένη καὶ τὰ τμήματα παντὸς τοῦ βιβλίου ἰδίαις τισὶ περιγραφαῖς ὁριζόμενα, πενταχῇ πάσης τῆς ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς προφητείας διαιρεθείσης. ὧν μετρίως προκατανοηθέντων γνωριμωτέρα ἡμῖν ἡ ἐκ τῶν ἐπιγραφῶν ὠφέλεια γενήσεται διὰ τῆς τῶν προεξετασθέντων κατανοή σεως φανερουμένη. ἀρκτέον τοίνυν ἐντεῦθεν τῆς θεωρίας.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Αʹ

Τέλος τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου μακαριότης ἐστίν.Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ κατὰ σπουδὴν

κατορθούμενον πρός τι τὴν ἀναφορὰν πάντως ἔχει. καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ μὲν ἰατρικὴ πρὸς τὴν ὑγίειαν ὁρᾷ, τῆς δὲ γεωργίας ὁ σκοπὸς πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἐστι παρασκευή, οὕτω καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς κτῆσις πρὸς τὸ μακάριον γενέσθαι τὸν κατ' αὐτὴν ζῶντα βλέπει. τοῦτο γὰρ παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν νοουμένου κεφάλαιον καὶ πέρας ἐστί. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀληθῶς τε καὶ κυρίως ἐν τῷ ὑψηλῷ τούτῳ νοήματι θεωρούμενόν τε καὶ νοούμενον ἡ θεία φύσις λέγοιτο ἂν εἰκότως. οὕτω γὰρ ὁ μέγας Παῦλος τὸν θεὸν ὀνομάζει, πάντων τῶν θεολογικῶν ὀνομάτων προθεὶς τὸ μακάριον ἔν τινι τῶν ἐπιστολῶν οὑτωσὶ γράψας τοῖς ῥήμασιν· Ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων, ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φῶς 5.26 οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται, ᾧ τιμὴ καὶ κράτος αἰώνιον. ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα τὰ ὑψηλὰ περὶ τὸ θεῖον νοήματα κατά γε τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον ὁρισμὸς ἂν εἴη μακαριότητος. εἰ γάρ τις ἐρωτηθείη τί ἐστι τὸ μακάριον, οὐκ ἂν τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἀποκρίσεως ἁμάρτοι ἐπακολουθήσας τῇ Παύλου φωνῇ καὶ εἰπὼν ὅτι μα κάριόν ἐστιν ὃ κυρίως τε καὶ πρώτως λέγεται ἡ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπέκεινα φύσις· τὸ δὲ ἐν ἀνθρώποις μακάριον τῇ μεθέξει τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος ἐκεῖνο ποσῶς γίνεταί τε καὶ ὀνομάζεται, ὅπερ ἡ τοῦ μετεχομένου φύσις ἐστίν. οὐκοῦν ὅρος ἐστὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης μακαριότητος ἡ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ὁμοίωσις. ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὸν ἤτοι τὸ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ καὶ μακάριον καὶ ὀρεκτὸν τῇ φύσει, οὗ πᾶν τὸ μετέχον μακάριον γίνεται, καλῶς ἡ θεία τῆς ψαλμῳ δίας γραφὴ διά τινος τεχνικῆς τε καὶ φυσικῆς ἀκολουθίας τὴν πρὸς τοῦτο ἡμῖν ὁδὸν ὑποδείκνυσιν, ἐν ἁπλῇ κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον καὶ ἀκατασκεύῳ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ ποικίλως τε καὶ πολυειδῶς τὴν μέθοδον τῆς τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ κτήσεως τεχνολογοῦσα. ἔξεστι μὲν οὖν