Interpretation of the Psalms preface–1.7
Greek text: PG 80.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Preface (Prothéōria)
0PG 80 80:857
Ἐμοὶ μὲν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων θείων λογίων καταθύμιον ἦν τοῦ μεγάλου Δαβὶδ ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὴν προφητείαν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας οἱ τρόφιμοι, καὶ ἀστοὶ καὶ χωρικοί, διαφερόντως ταύτῃ προσέχειν ἐσπουδάκασιν ἅπαντες. Οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ οἱ τὸν ἀσκητικὸν ἀσπαζόμενοι βίον νύκτωρ ταύτην καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν διὰ τῆς γλώττης προφέρουσι · τὸν τῶν ὅλων ὑμνοῦντες Θεὸν, καὶ τὰ τοῦ σώματος κατευνάζοντες πάθη. Τῇ γὰρ ἡδονῇ τῆς μελωδίας τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἡ θεία χάρις κεράσασα, τριπόθητόν τε καὶ ἀξιέραστον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διδασκαλίαν προτέθεικε. Καὶ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τῶν μὲν ἄλλων θείων Γραφῶν ἢ οὐδαμῶς, ἢ ὀλίγα, τῶν ἀνθρώπων μεμνημένους τοὺς πλείστους · τῶν δὲ πνευματικῶν τοῦ θεσπεσίου Δαβὶδ κρουμάτων πολλοὺς πολλάκις κάν ταῖς οἰκίαις, κὰν ταῖς ἀγυιαῖς, κὰν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἀπομεμνημένους, καὶ τῇ τοῦ μέλους ἁρμονίᾳ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καταθέλγοντας, καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς θυμηδείας καρπουμένους τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Διὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πρώτην ταύτην ἐβουλόμην ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ ὠφέλειαν προθεῖναι τοῖς φρονίμοις ἐμπόροις · ἵν᾿ ἄδοντες ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀδομένων ὁρῶντες, διπλοῦν θερίζωνται κέρδος. Ἀλλὰ ταύτην ἡμῶν πέρας λαβεῖν τὴν προθυμίαν ' οὐκ εἴασαν οἱ τῶν ἄλλων θείων Γραφῶν παρ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἑρμηνείας αἰτήσαντες. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Ἄσματος τῶν ἀσμάτων ἐπήγγειλαν τὴν σαφήνειαν, οἱ δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν· ἐπεθύμησαν διαγνῶναι τὴν προφητείαν· ἄλλοι δὲ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἰεζεκιήλ, καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν δώδεκα προφητῶν τὰς τῇ ἀσαφείᾳ κεκρυμμένας προῤῥήσεις σαφεῖς αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι καὶ δήλας ἐζήτησαν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν δέδωκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ὁ σοφίζων τοὺς τυφλοὺς, καὶ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια, ὁ δοὺς στόμα ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ ποιήσας δύσκωφον καὶ κωφὸν, καὶ βλέποντα καὶ τυφλὸν, τούτων αὐτοῦ τῶν θείων λόγων συμπεράναι τὴν ἑρμηνείαν· φέρε τὴν θείαν ἐπικαλεσάμενοι χάριν, τὴν ἄγουσαν τυφλοὺς, κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν, ἐν ὁδῷ ᾗ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, καὶ τρίβους, ἃς οὐκ ἐπίσταντο, ὁδεῦσαι παρασκευάζουσαν, καὶ τοῖς πάλαι κωφοῖς τὸ τῶν θείων λογίων ἐπαΐειν παρέχουσαν, καὶ τοῖς ἐν σκότῳ καὶ ὁμίχλῃ διάγουσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς χορηγοῦσαν τὸ βλέπειν, καὶ τῆσδε τῆς προφητείας κατατολμήσωμεν. ᾿Αλλὰ μηδεὶς περιττὸν ἡμῶν τοῦτον ἡγείσθω τὸν πόνον, τῷ καὶ ἄλλους πρὸ ἡμῶν τήνδε προθεῖναι τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. Διαφόροις γὰρ ἐντυχὼν ὑπομνήμασι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν εἰς ἀλληγορίαν μετὰ πολλῆς χωρήσαντας ἀπληστίας εὑρὼν, τοὺς δὲ τισιν ἱστορίαις τὴν προφητείαν ἁρμόσαντας, ὡς Ἰουδαίοις μᾶλλον τὴν ἑρμηνείαν συνηγορεῖν, ἢ τοῖς τροφίμοις τῆς πίστεως προὔργου νενόμικα καὶ τούτων κάκείνων τὴν ἀμετρίαν φυγεῖν · ὅσα μὲν ταῖς παλαιαῖς προσῆκεν ἱστορίαις, ταύταις ταῦτα προσαρμόσαι καὶ νῦν· τὰς δὲ περὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ προῤῥήσεις, καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας, καὶ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν κηρυγμάτων, μὴ ἑτέροις ἀναθεῖναί τισιν, ὅπερ Ἰουδαίοις φίλον ποιεῖν κακουργίᾳ συζῶσι, καὶ τῆς σφῶν ἀπιστίας ἀπολογίαν ὑφαίνουσιν. ἱκανὴ γὰρ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ μαρτυρία ποδηγῆσαι πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς ἑρμηνείας τοὺς ταύτην ἐφιεμένους εὑρεῖν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν οὐδὲ λίαν ἐπίπονος ἡμῖν ἡ τῆς προῤῥήσεως ἑρμηνεία· δήλην γὰρ ταύτην ποιεῖ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ θεωρία. Σπουδάσομεν δὲ ὡς οἷόν τε φυγεῖν μὲν τοῦ λόγου τὸ μῆκος, σύντομον δὲ προθεῖναι τοῖς βουλομένοις τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Πρότερον δέ γε τῶν ψαλμῶν δηλώσαντες τὸν σκοπὸν, οὕτω τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἁψόμεθα. Ἰστέον μέντοι, ὡς ἴδιον προφητείας οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐσόμενα προαγορεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ παρόντα, καὶ τὰ ἤδη γεγενημένα λέγειν · καὶ γὰρ ὁ θεσπέσιος Μωσῆς τὰ πάλαι καὶ πρόπαλαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων κτισθέντα, καὶ τὸ εἶναι λαβόντα, σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἐξεπαίδευσεν, οὐ παρ' ἀνθρώπων ταύτην τὴν διδασκαλίαν δεξάμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος. Προεῖπε δὲ καὶ τὰ παρόντα, ὡς τῷ Φαραὼ τὰς ἐπενεχθείσας παιδείας, καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ μάννα τὴν χορηγίαν, καὶ τῶν κρεῶν τὴν μετάληψιν. Προεθέσπισε δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα, τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν, τὴν Ἰουδαίων διασποράν, τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος Δαβίδ, μετὰ τοῦτον πρῶτος προφητείαν συγγράψας, καὶ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων εὐεργεσιῶν ποιεῖται τὴν μνήμην, καὶ τὰ μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἐσόμενα προσημαίνει. Οὐ μόνον δὲ προαγορευτικοῖς κέχρηται λόγοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραινετικοῖς καὶ νομοθετικοῖς · καὶ νῦν μὲν ἠθικὴν, νῦν δὲ δογματικὴν προσφέρει διδασκαλίαν· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τὰς Ἰουδαίων ὀλοφύρεται συμφορὰς, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν σωτηρίαν προᾴδει. Πολλαχοῦ δὲ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ καὶ τὸ πάθος, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν προθεσπίζει · καὶ τῇ ποικιλίᾳ τῆς προφητείας πολλὴν τοῖς προσέχειν ἐθέλουσι προσφέρει τὴν ἡδονήν. Τοὺς δὲ ψαλμοὺς οὐχ ἅπαντας αὐτοῦ τινες ἔφασαν εἶναι τοῦ Δαβὶδ , ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρων. Ὅθεν καὶ τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς οὕτω νενοηκότες, τοὺς μὲν τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ, τοὺς δὲ τῷ Αἰθὰμ , ἄλλους δὲ τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ, καὶ ἑτέρους τῷ Ἀσὰφ ἀνέθεσαν, προφήτας καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστορίας εἶναι μεμαθηκότες. Ἐγὼ δὲ περὶ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν ἰσχυρίζομαι. Ποίαν γάρ μοι προστίθησιν ὠφέλειαν, εἴτε τούτου πάντες, εἴτ' ἐκείνων εἶέν τινες, δήλου γε ὄντος, ὡς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας συνεγράφησαν ἅπαντες; καὶ τὸν θεσπέσιον γὰρ Δαβὶδ προφήτην ἴσμεν, κἀκείνους προφήτας τῶν · Παραλειπομένων ἡ ἱστορία καλεῖ. Προφήτου δὲ ἴδιον, · τὸ τὴν γλῶτταν ὑπουργὸν παρέχειν τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτι, κατὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς φερομένην φωνὴν, « Ἡ γλῶσσά μου, φησὶ, κάλαμος γραμματέως ὀξυγράφου. » Κρατείτω δὲ ὅμως τῶν πλειόνων ἡ ψῆφος· τοῦ Δαβὶδ δὲ οἱ πλείους τῶν συγγραφέων τούτους ἔφασαν εἶναι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς τῶν Ψαλμῶν ψευδεῖς τινες ἀπεκάλεσαν, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγοῦμαι καὶ περὶ τούτου βραχέα διεξελθεῖν. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τολμηρὸν εἶναι τὰς ἀνέκαθεν ἐμφερομένας ἐπὶ Πτολεμαίου, τοῦ τῆς Αἰγύπτου μετὰ τὸν ᾿Αλέξανδρον βασιλεύσαντος, ἀνατρέπειν ἐπιγραφὰς, ἂς οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα πάντες πρεσβύτεροι μετέθεσαν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν θείαν Γραφήν. Πρὸ πεντήκοντα δὲ καὶ ἑκατὸν τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἐνιαυτῶν θείας ἀναπλησθεὶς χάριτος ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἔσδρας τὰς ἱερὰς ἀνέγραψε βίβλους, ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀμελείας, καὶ τῆς τῶν Βαβυλωνίων δυσσεβείας, πάλαι διαφθαρείσας. Εἰ δὲ κἀκεῖνος ὑπὸ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος τὴν τούτων ἀνενεώσατο μνήμην, καὶ οὗτοι, μὴ δίχα τῆς θείας ἐπιπνοίας, μετὰ πολλῆς συμφωνίας μετήνεγκαν ταύτας εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν, πρὸς δὲ ταῖς ἄλλαις θείαις Γραφαῖς καὶ τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς ἡρμηνεύκασιν· τολμηρὸν οἶμαι καὶ λίαν θρασὺ, ψευδεῖς ταύτας προσαγορεύειν, καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους λογισμοὺς τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας σοφωτέρους ὑπολαμβάνειν. Τοῦτο δὲ δείξει σαφέστερον καὶ ἡ κατὰ μέρος τῶν Ψαλμῶν ἑρμηνεία. Καὶ τὸ διάψαλμα δὲ διαφόρως ἡρμήνευσαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας παῦλαν ὑπέλαβον εἶναι, οἱ δὲ προφητείας ἐναλλαγὴν, οἱ δὲ τοῦ μέλους μεταβολήν. Εἷς δὲ, τῇ τοῦ ᾿Ακύλα χρησάμενος έρμηνείᾳ, τὸ ἀεὶ τέθεικεν ἀντὶ τοῦ διαψάλματος, τῷ ἡγουμένῳ στίχῳ τοῦτο συνάπτεσθαι φήσας. Οἷον ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ψαλμῷ μετὰ τὸ, « Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου ἐξ ὄρους ἁγίου › αὐτοῦ, › προσκείμενον εὑρίσκομεν τὸ διάψαλμα. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ακύλας οὕτως συνῆψε, « Καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου ἐξ ὄρους ἁγίου αὑτοῦ ἀεὶ. » Καὶ οὕτω δὲ ἐφεξῆς τῷ ἡγουμένῳ στίχῳ συνάπτει, μίαν διάνοιαν ἐργαζόμενος. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἑρμηνευτὰς τῷ διαψάλματι κεχρημένους εὑρίσκων, οὐ δίκαιον ἡγοῦμαι τοσούτων μὲν καὶ τοιούτων καταφρονῆσαι, ἑνὸς δὲ μόνου διανοίᾳ πιστεῦσαι. Οὗ δὴ χάριν μέλους ἐναλλαγὴν ὑπολαμβάνω σημαίνειν τοῦ διαψάλματος τὴν γραφήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ χορούς συστησάμενος ὁ μέγας Δαβὶδ τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν προσέφερεν, οὐκ αὐτῷ χρείαν τινὰ πληρῶν, ἀλλὰ τῷ λαῷ προξενῶν ὠφέλειαν, δηλονότι μετά τινος ἁρμοδίας καὶ τοὺς χοροὺς ἄδειν, καὶ τοὺς τοῖς ὀργάνοις κεχρημένους σύμφωνον παρεσκεύασε παρέχεσθαι τὴν ἠχήν. Πολλὰς δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄσματα τοῦ μέλους ἔχει μεταβολὰς, καὶ αἱ λύραι δὲ, καὶ μέντοι καὶ κιθάραι, τῶν κρουμάτων ἐναλλαγάς· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αὐλῶν πολλὴν τοιαύτην ἰδεῖν διαφοράν. Τὸ τοίνυν διάψαλμα δοκεῖ μοι σημαίνειν, ὡς ἔφην, τὴν τοῦ μέλους μεταβολήν. Τὸ δὲ ἀκριβὲς τῆς ἑρμηνείας οἶδεν ὁ τοιαύτην τεθεικὼς τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν, καὶ εἴ τις κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος τὴν αἴγλην ἐδέξατο. Εἰδέναι δὲ προσήκει τοὺς φιλοπόνως τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς ἐντυγχάνοντας, ὡς τοῦ χρόνου τὴν τάξιν οὐ διασώζουσιν· ἀλλ᾽ οἱ μὲν τὰς πρεσβυτέρας περιέχοντες ἱστορίας ἔστιν ὅτε τὴν δευτέραν ἔλαχον τάξιν, οἱ δέ γε τὰς νεωτέρας, ἐτάχθησαν πρότεροι. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τρίτος ψαλμὸς τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ διηγήματος τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχει, ὁ δὲ γε ἑκατοστὸς τεσσαρακοστὸς πρῶτος τοῦ Σαούλ. Ὅσῳ δὲ προγενέστερα τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σαούλ τῶν κατὰ τὸν ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ , παντί που δῆλον τῷ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐπισταμένῳ. Οἶμαι δὲ αὐτὸν μὲν τὸν θεῖον Δαβὶδ τοὺς Ψαλμοὺς εἰρηκέναι · τινὰς δὲ τῶν ὕστερον γενομένων τὴν τούτων ποιήσασθαι σύνταξιν. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐπεσημηνάμην, ἵνα μὴ διακόπτω τὴν ἑρμηνείαν περὶ τούτων μεταξὺ γράφειν ἀναγκαζόμενος. Ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν τὴν προθεωρίαν συμπεράναντες, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνείας ἁψώμεθα.
Emoi men pro tōn allōn theiōn logiōn katathymion ēn tou megalou Dabid hermēneusai tēn prophēteian; epeidē kai tēs eusebeias hoi trophimoi, kai astoi kai chōrikoi, diapherontōs tautę̄ prosechein espoudakasin hapantes. Ouch hēkista de hoi ton askētikon aspazomenoi bion nyktōr tautēn kai meth' hēmeran dia tēs glōttēs propherousi ; ton tōn holōn hymnountes Theon, kai ta tou sōmatos kateunazontes pathē. Tę̄ gar hēdonę̄ tēs melōdias tēn ōpheleian hē theia charis kerasasa, tripothēton te kai axieraston tois anthrōpois didaskalian protetheike. Kai estin idein tōn men allōn theiōn Graphōn ē oudamōs, ē oliga, tōn anthrōpōn memnēmenous tous pleistous ; tōn de pneumatikōn tou thespesiou Dabid kroumatōn pollous pollakis kan tais oikiais, kan tais aguiais, kan tais hodois apomemnēmenous, kai tę̄ tou melous harmonią sphas autous katathelgontas, kai dia tautēs tēs thymēdeias karpoumenous tēn ōpheleian. Dia tauta men oun prōtēn tautēn eboulomēn hermēneusai tēn prophēteian, kai tēn en tǭ bythǭ ōpheleian protheinai tois phronimois emporois ; hin᾿ adontes homou kai tēn dianoian tōn adomenōn horōntes, diploun therizōntai kerdos. Alla tautēn hēmōn peras labein tēn prothymian ' ouk eiasan hoi tōn allōn theiōn Graphōn par' hēmōn tas hermēneias aitēsantes. Hoi men gar tou Asmatos tōn asmatōn epēngeilan tēn saphēneian, hoi de tou andros tōn epithymiōn; epethymēsan diagnōnai tēn prophēteian; alloi de tou thespesiou Iezekiēl, kai heteroi tōn dōdeka prophētōn tas tę̄ asapheią kekrymmenas prorrhēseis sapheis autois genesthai kai dēlas ezētēsan. Epeidē toinyn dedōken ho tōn holōn Theos, ho sophizōn tous typhlous, kai apokalyptōn mystēria, ho dous stoma anthrōpǭ, kai poiēsas dyskōphon kai kōphon, kai bleponta kai typhlon, toutōn autou tōn theiōn logōn symperanai tēn hermēneian; phere tēn theian epikalesamenoi charin, tēn agousan typhlous, kata tēn prophēteian, en hodǭ hę̄ ouk ę̄deisan, kai tribous, has ouk epistanto, hodeusai paraskeuazousan, kai tois palai kōphois to tōn theiōn logiōn epaïein parechousan, kai tois en skotǭ kai homichlę̄ diagousin ophthalmois chorēgousan to blepein, kai tēsde tēs prophēteias katatolmēsōmen. ᾿Alla mēdeis peritton hēmōn touton hēgeisthō ton ponon, tǭ kai allous pro hēmōn tēnde protheinai tēn hermēneian. Diaphorois gar entychōn hypomnēmasi, kai tous men eis allēgorian meta pollēs chōrēsantas aplēstias heurōn, tous de tisin historiais tēn prophēteian harmosantas, hōs Ioudaiois mallon tēn hermēneian synēgorein, ē tois trophimois tēs pisteōs prourgou nenomika kai toutōn kakeinōn tēn ametrian phygein ; hosa men tais palaiais prosēken historiais, tautais tauta prosarmosai kai nyn; tas de peri tou Despotou Christou prorrhēseis, kai tēs ex ethnōn Ekklēsias, kai tēs euangelikēs politeias, kai tōn apostolikōn kērygmatōn, mē heterois anatheinai tisin, hoper Ioudaiois philon poiein kakourgią syzōsi, kai tēs sphōn apistias apologian hyphainousin. hikanē gar kai tōn pragmatōn hē martyria podēgēsai pros tēn alētheian tēs hermēneias tous tautēn ephiemenous heurein. Hou dē charin oude lian epiponos hēmin hē tēs prorrhēseōs hermēneia; dēlēn gar tautēn poiei tōn pragmatōn hē theōria. Spoudasomen de hōs hoion te phygein men tou logou to mēkos, syntomon de protheinai tois boulomenois tēn ōpheleian. Proteron de ge tōn psalmōn dēlōsantes ton skopon, houtō tēs hermēneias hapsometha. Isteon mentoi, hōs idion prophēteias ou monon ta esomena proagoreuein, alla kai ta paronta, kai ta ēdē gegenēmena legein ; kai gar ho thespesios Mōsēs ta palai kai propalai hypo tou Theou tōn holōn ktisthenta, kai to einai labonta, saphōs hēmas exepaideusen, ou par' anthrōpōn tautēn tēn didaskalian dexamenos, all᾽ ek tēs tou Pneumatos charitos. Proeipe de kai ta paronta, hōs tǭ Pharaō tas epenechtheisas paideias, kai tǭ Israēl tou manna tēn chorēgian, kai tōn kreōn tēn metalēpsin. Proethespise de kai ta esomena, tou Despotou Christou tēn parousian, tēn Ioudaiōn diasporan, tēn tōn ethnōn sōtērian. Houtō kai ho theios Dabid, meta touton prōtos prophēteian syngrapsas, kai tōn ēdē gegenēmenōn para tou Theou tōn holōn euergesiōn poieitai tēn mnēmēn, kai ta makrois hysteron chronois esomena prosēmainei. Ou monon de proagoreutikois kechrētai logois, alla kai parainetikois kai nomothetikois ; kai nyn men ēthikēn, nyn de dogmatikēn prospherei didaskalian; kai pote men tas Ioudaiōn olophyretai symphoras, pote de tēn tōn ethnōn sōtērian proądei. Pollachou de tou Despotou Christou kai to pathos, kai tēn anastasin prothespizei ; kai tę̄ poikilią tēs prophēteias pollēn tois prosechein ethelousi prospherei tēn hēdonēn. Tous de psalmous ouch hapantas autou tines ephasan einai tou Dabid , alla kai heterōn. Hothen kai tas epigraphas houtō nenoēkotes, tous men tǭ Idithoum, tous de tǭ Aitham , allous de tois huiois Kore, kai heterous tǭ Asaph anethesan, prophētas kai autous ek tēs tōn Paraleipomenōn historias einai memathēkotes. Egō de peri toutōn men ouden ischyrizomai. Poian gar moi prostithēsin ōpheleian, eite toutou pantes, eit' ekeinōn eien tines, dēlou ge ontos, hōs ek tēs tou theiou Pneumatos energeias synegraphēsan hapantes? kai ton thespesion gar Dabid prophētēn ismen, kakeinous prophētas tōn ; Paraleipomenōn hē historia kalei. Prophētou de idion, ; to tēn glōttan hypourgon parechein tę̄ tou Pneumatos chariti, kata tēn en tois Psalmois pheromenēn phōnēn, « Hē glōssa mou, phēsi, kalamos grammateōs oxygraphou. » Krateitō de homōs tōn pleionōn hē psēphos; tou Dabid de hoi pleious tōn syngrapheōn toutous ephasan einai. Epeidē de kai tas epigraphas tōn Psalmōn pseudeis tines apekalesan, anankaion hēgoumai kai peri toutou brachea diexelthein. Emoi dokei tolmēron einai tas anekathen empheromenas epi Ptolemaiou, tou tēs Aigyptou meta ton ᾿Alexandron basileusantos, anatrepein epigraphas, as hoi hebdomēkonta pantes presbyteroi metethesan eis tēn Hellada phōnēn, hōs kai tēn allēn hapasan theian Graphēn. Pro pentēkonta de kai hekaton tēs hermēneias eniautōn theias anaplēstheis charitos ho thaumasios Esdras tas hieras anegrapse biblous, hypo tēs tōn Ioudaiōn ameleias, kai tēs tōn Babylōniōn dyssebeias, palai diaphthareisas. Ei de kakeinos hypo tou panagiou Pneumatos tēn toutōn aneneōsato mnēmēn, kai houtoi, mē dicha tēs theias epipnoias, meta pollēs symphōnias metēnenkan tautas eis tēn Hellada phōnēn, pros de tais allais theiais Graphais kai tas epigraphas hērmēneukasin; tolmēron oimai kai lian thrasy, pseudeis tautas prosagoreuein, kai tous oikeious logismous tēs tou Pneumatos energeias sophōterous hypolambanein. Touto de deixei saphesteron kai hē kata meros tōn Psalmōn hermēneia. Kai to diapsalma de diaphorōs hērmēneusan. Hoi men gar tēs tou Pneumatos energeias paulan hypelabon einai, hoi de prophēteias enallagēn, hoi de tou melous metabolēn. Heis de, tę̄ tou ᾿Akyla chrēsamenos ermēneią, to aei tetheiken anti tou diapsalmatos, tǭ hēgoumenǭ stichǭ touto synaptesthai phēsas. Hoion en tǭ tritǭ psalmǭ meta to, « Phōnę̄ mou pros Kyrion ekekraxa, kai epēkouse mou ex orous hagiou › autou, › proskeimenon heuriskomen to diapsalma. Ho de ᾿Akylas houtōs synēpse, « Kai epēkouse mou ex orous hagiou hautou aei. » Kai houtō de ephexēs tǭ hēgoumenǭ stichǭ synaptei, mian dianoian ergazomenos. Egō de kai tous Hebdomēkonta, kai tous allous hapantas tēs theias Graphēs hermēneutas tǭ diapsalmati kechrēmenous heuriskōn, ou dikaion hēgoumai tosoutōn men kai toioutōn kataphronēsai, henos de monou dianoią pisteusai. Hou dē charin melous enallagēn hypolambanō sēmainein tou diapsalmatos tēn graphēn. Epeidē gar chorous systēsamenos ho megas Dabid tǭ Theǭ tēn hymnǭdian prosepheren, ouk autǭ chreian tina plērōn, alla tǭ laǭ proxenōn ōpheleian, dēlonoti meta tinos harmodias kai tous chorous adein, kai tous tois organois kechrēmenous symphōnon pareskeuase parechesthai tēn ēchēn. Pollas de kai ta asmata tou melous echei metabolas, kai hai lyrai de, kai mentoi kai kitharai, tōn kroumatōn enallagas; esti de kai epi tōn aulōn pollēn toiautēn idein diaphoran. To toinyn diapsalma dokei moi sēmainein, hōs ephēn, tēn tou melous metabolēn. To de akribes tēs hermēneias oiden ho toiautēn tetheikōs tēn epigraphēn, kai ei tis kat᾿ ekeinon tou theiou Pneumatos tēn aiglēn edexato. Eidenai de prosēkei tous philoponōs tois Psalmois entynchanontas, hōs tou chronou tēn taxin ou diasōzousin; all᾽ hoi men tas presbyteras periechontes historias estin hote tēn deuteran elachon taxin, hoi de ge tas neōteras, etachthēsan proteroi. Kai gar ho tritos psalmos tou kata ton ᾿Abessalōm diēgēmatos tēn epigraphēn echei, ho de ge hekatostos tessarakostos prōtos tou Saoul. Hosǭ de progenestera ta kata ton Saoul tōn kata ton ᾿Abessalōm , panti pou dēlon tǭ tēn historian epistamenǭ. Oimai de auton men ton theion Dabid tous Psalmous eirēkenai ; tinas de tōn hysteron genomenōn tēn toutōn poiēsasthai syntaxin. Tauta de epesēmēnamēn, hina mē diakoptō tēn hermēneian peri toutōn metaxy graphein anankazomenos. Entautha toinyn tēn protheōrian symperanantes, syn Theǭ phanai, tēs kata meros hermēneias hapsōmetha.
Of all the divine oracles it was my heart's desire to interpret the prophecy of the great David first, since all the nurslings of true religion, townspeople and country folk alike, have been especially eager to attend to it. Not least those who embrace the ascetic life recite it with the tongue night and day, singing hymns to the God of all and lulling the passions of the body to sleep. For divine grace has mixed benefit with the pleasure of melody and set before people a teaching thrice longed-for and most lovable. One can see that most people remember either nothing at all or little of the other divine Scriptures, but many often recite the spiritual strains of the inspired David by heart, at home, in the streets, and on the roads, charming themselves with the harmony of the song and through this delight reaping its benefit. For these reasons I wished to interpret this prophecy first, and to set before prudent merchants the profit that lies in the depths, so that, singing and at the same time seeing the sense of what is sung, they may reap a double gain. But those who asked us for interpretations of the other divine Scriptures did not allow this eagerness of ours to reach its goal. Some demanded the explanation of the Song of Songs; others desired to understand the prophecy of the "man of desires"; others asked that the predictions of the inspired Ezekiel, and others that those of the Twelve Prophets, hidden in obscurity, be made clear and plain to them. Since, then, the God of all, who makes the blind wise and reveals mysteries, who gave man a mouth and made the deaf and the dumb, the seeing and the blind, has granted us to complete the interpretation of these his divine words, come, let us call on divine grace, which, according to the prophecy, leads the blind in a way they did not know and prepares them to walk paths they did not understand, which grants those long deaf to hear the divine oracles and supplies sight to eyes that live in darkness and mist; and let us venture upon this prophecy too.
Let no one think this labor of ours superfluous because others before us have published an interpretation of it. I have come across various commentaries. Some, I found, had run into allegory with great excess; others fitted the prophecy to certain past histories, so that their interpretation pleads the case of the Jews rather than that of the nurslings of the faith. I thought it worthwhile to avoid the excess of both: to apply to the ancient histories whatever belongs to them, but not to assign to anyone else the predictions about Christ the Lord, the church from the nations, the gospel way of life, and the apostolic preaching. That is what the Jews like to do, living in their perversity and weaving a defence of their own unbelief. For the testimony of the events themselves is enough to guide those who desire to find the true interpretation. For this reason the interpretation of the prophecy is not very laborious for us: the observation of events makes it plain. We shall try, as far as possible, to avoid length and to set out the benefit concisely for those who want it. But first we shall indicate the aim of the psalms, and so take up the interpretation.
It must be understood that it belongs to prophecy not only to foretell things to come but also to speak of things present and things already past. The inspired Moses clearly taught us what was created by the God of all and received its being long, long ago, and he received this teaching not from men but from the grace of the Spirit. He also foretold present things, such as the chastisements brought upon Pharaoh, the supply of manna to Israel, and the giving of meat. And he prophesied things to come: the coming of Christ the Lord, the dispersion of the Jews, the salvation of the nations. So too the divine David, the first after him to write prophecy, both recalls the benefits already conferred by the God of all and foretells what would happen long ages later. Nor does he use only words of prediction, but also of exhortation and legislation; now he offers moral teaching, now doctrinal; sometimes he laments the calamities of the Jews, sometimes he sings in advance of the salvation of the nations. In many places he foretells the passion and the resurrection of Christ the Lord; and by the variety of his prophecy he gives great delight to those willing to attend.
Some have said that not all the psalms are David's, but that some are by others. Understanding the titles in this way, they assigned some to Idithun, some to Ethan, others to the sons of Korah, and others to Asaph, having learned from the history of the Chronicles that these too were prophets. For my part I make no firm claim about this. What benefit does it bring me whether all are his or some are theirs, since it is plain that all were written by the working of the divine Spirit? We know that the inspired David was a prophet, and the history of the Chronicles calls those men prophets too. It is the mark of a prophet to offer his tongue as a servant to the grace of the Spirit, as the word in the Psalms says: "My tongue is the pen of a swift scribe." Still, let the vote of the majority prevail: most writers have said that these psalms are David's.
Since some have also called the titles of the psalms false, I think it necessary to discuss this briefly too. It seems to me rash to overturn titles that have stood in the text from the beginning, since the time of Ptolemy, who reigned over Egypt after Alexander: titles which the seventy elders all together translated into Greek, as they did all the rest of divine Scripture. A hundred and fifty years before that translation the wonderful Ezra, filled with divine grace, wrote out again the sacred books, which had long since been destroyed by the negligence of the Jews and the impiety of the Babylonians. If he renewed the memory of them by the all-holy Spirit, and these men, not without divine inspiration, translated them into Greek in great agreement, and translated the titles along with the other divine Scriptures, I think it rash and very bold to call them false and to suppose one's own reasonings wiser than the working of the Spirit. The interpretation of the psalms one by one will show this more clearly.
The diapsalma too has been interpreted in various ways. Some took it to be a pause in the working of the Spirit, others a change of prophecy, others a change of melody. One writer, following Aquila's version, put "always" in place of the diapsalma, saying that it is joined to the preceding verse. For example, in the third psalm, after "With my voice I cried to the Lord, and he heard me from his holy mountain," we find the diapsalma; but Aquila joined it thus: "And he heard me from his holy mountain always." And so in the following cases he joins it to the preceding verse, making a single sense. But I, finding that the Seventy and all the other translators of divine Scripture have used the diapsalma, think it not right to despise so many men of such quality and to trust the opinion of one alone. Therefore I take the writing of the diapsalma to signify a change of melody. For since the great David formed choirs and offered hymnody to God (not supplying any need of his, but procuring benefit for the people), he clearly arranged that the choirs should sing with a fitting order and that those using instruments should produce a harmonious sound. Songs have many changes of melody, and lyres and citharas changes of strain; one can see much of this variety on pipes as well. The diapsalma, then, seems to me, as I said, to signify a change of melody. But its exact meaning is known to him who set such a title, and to anyone who, like him, has received the radiance of the divine Spirit.
Those who read the Psalms diligently should know that they do not keep chronological order. Some that contain older histories have sometimes received a later place, while those with more recent ones have been placed earlier. The third psalm has the title of the story of Absalom, but the hundred and forty-first that of Saul; and how much earlier the events of Saul are than those of Absalom is plain to anyone who knows the history. I think that the divine David himself spoke the psalms, but that some later persons arranged them. I have noted these things here so as not to interrupt the interpretation by being forced to write about them along the way. Having completed the introduction here, let us, God willing, take up the interpretation of the psalms one by one.
Ps 146:8 (145:8 LXX) (allusion, medium confidence) · Dan 2:28 (allusion, medium confidence) · Exod 4:11 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 42:16 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 9:23 (allusion, medium confidence) · Ps 45:1 (44:2 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 3:4 (3:5 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 142:1 (141:1 LXX) (echo, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret explains why he comments on the Psalms, rejects both excessive allegory and purely Jewish-historical readings, and discusses the authorship of the psalms, their titles, the diapsalma, and their order.
- The "man of desires" is Daniel (Dan 9:23; 10:11 in the Greek). The OCR displaced a line in the passage on the psalm titles; the order is restored by logged corrections. Psalm 141 in the Greek numbering is Ps 142. The account of Ezra rewriting the lost Scriptures is a tradition also found in 4 Ezra 14. Theodoret's remarks on Jewish interpretation are given as written.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR misreading of προὔργου; line displaced by the OCR restored to its place; margin letter (OCR); margin letter inside word (OCR); marginal heading (OCR); marginal heading inside word (OCR); split word (OCR); stray letter (OCR); stray mark (OCR)): διὰ τῆς ὁ γλώττης → διὰ τῆς γλώττης; μεμνημέ νους → μεμνημένους; ἀγυιαῖς ὅ, → ἀγυιαῖς,; παρ' ἡμῶν ὁ τὰς → παρ' ἡμῶν τὰς; πανούργου νενόμικα → προὔργου νενόμικα; ικαὶ τῶν → καὶ τῶν; ἠθικὴν! → ἠθικὴν; τοῦ ΠνεύΗ ματος → τοῦ Πνεύματος; φερομένην ὀξυγράφου. » → φερομένην φωνὴν, « Ἡ γλῶσσά μου, φησὶ, κάλαμος γραμματέως ὀξυγράφου. »; περὶ φωνὴν, « Ἡ γλῶσσά μου, φησὶ, κάλαμος γραμματέως τούτου → περὶ τούτου; τολμηΔιάψαλμα διάψαλμα ρὸν → τολμηρὸν; Ὁ Διάψαλμα δὲ ᾿Ακύλας → Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ακύλας; καὶ ὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα → καὶ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα; καὶ τοὺς Η τοῖς → καὶ τοὺς τοῖς; δευτέ ραν → δευτέραν.
Topics: Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Interp. Ps. pref. (PG 80 80:857; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/0). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/0
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 1
1.1PG 80 80:865
᾿Ανεπίγραφος παρ' ῾Εβραίοις. « Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἔστη, καὶ ἐπὶ καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν οὐκ ἐκάθισεν. » Ἐντεῦθεν ῥάδιον συνιδεῖν, ὡς πάλαι παρ' Ἑβραίοις τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς εὑρόντες οἱ τὰς θείας ἡρμηνευκότες Γραφὰς, ταύτας μετέθεσαν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνήν. Τοῦτον γὰρ καὶ τὸν μετ᾿ αὐτὸν ψαλμὸν ἀνεπιγράφους εὑρόντες ἀνεπιγράφους κατέλιπον · οὐ τολμήσαντές τι προσθείναι παρ' ἑαυτῶν τοῖς λογίοις τοῦ Πνεύματος. Τινὲς μέντοι τῶν τὰς ὑποθέσεις τῶν ψαλμῶν συγγεγραφότων ἠθικὴν τοῦτον ἔφασαν τὸν ψαλμὸν περιέχειν διδασκαλίαν · ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐχ ἧττον δογματικὸς ἢ ἠθικὸς ἔδοξεν εἶναι. Περιέχει γὰρ οὐχ ἁμαρτωλῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβῶν κατηγορίαν, καὶ παραινεῖ τοῖς θείοις λόγοις προσέχειν διηνεκῶς· ἐξ ὧν οὐκ ἠθικὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δογματικὴν ὠφέλειαν καρπούμεθα. ᾿Αρμοδίως δὲ λίαν ὁ μέγας Δαβὶδ μακαρισμὸν τῆς οἰκείας αὐτου προτέθεικε συγγραφῆς, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ Δεσπότην μιμούμενος, τὸν Σωτῆρα λέγω Χριστόν· ὅστις πρὸς τοὺς ἱεροὺς μαθητὰς διδασκαλίας ἀπὸ μακαρισμῶν ἤρξατο, « Μακάριοι, λέγων, οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. » Υἱὸς δὲ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς ὡς ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων φωνήν· « Βίβλος γὰρ γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ ᾿Αβραάμ. » Κύριος δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ ποιητὴς, ὡς Θεός. Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ φωνή· « Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου. » Μακαρίζει τοίνυν τὸν μήτε τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ὁδοῦ κοινωνήσαντα, μήτε βεβαίαν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν δεξάμενον τὴν βουλήν· τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ στάσιν ἐκάλεσε· καὶ τὴν μόνιμον τῶν λοιμῶν φυγόντα διαφθοράν. Τὸ δὲ μακάριος ὄνομα θεία μὲν ὑπάρχει προσηγορία· καὶ μάρτυς ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος βοῶν· « ῾Ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων, καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων. » Μετέδωκε δὲ καὶ ταύτης τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὁ Δεσπότης Θεός· καὶ γὰρ πιστὸς καλούμενος · « Πιστὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς, δι' οὗ ἐκλήθητε εἰς κοινωνίαν τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. › Καὶ ὁ μακάριος Μωσῆς, « Θεὸς, φησὶ, πιστὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀδικία ἐν αὐτῷ. » Ἐκάλεσε καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πιστοὺς τοὺς ἀναμφι«βόλως δεχομένους αὐτοῦ τοὺς λόγους. Οὕτω Θεὸς ὢν καὶ καλούμενος μετέδωκε καὶ ταύτης τῆς κλήσεως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ μεγαλόδωρος, καὶ βοᾷ· · Ἐγὼ εἶπον, Θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες, ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε. » Τὸ οὖν μακάριος ὄνομα τῆς κατ᾿ ἀρετὴν τελειώσεως ὑπάρχει καρπός. Ωσπερ γὰρ καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐπιτηδευμάτων εἰς τὸ τέλος ὁρᾷ · ἀθλητικὴ μὲν οὖν εἰς τοὺς ἐκ κοτίνου στεφάνους, στρατηγική τε εἰς νίκας καὶ τρόπαια, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἰατρικὴ εἰς ὑγίειαν καὶ νόσων ἀπαλλαγὴν, καὶ ἐμπορικὴ εἰς συλλογὴν χρημάτων καὶ πλούτου περιουσίαν· οὕτως καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιστήμη καρπὸν ἔχει καὶ τέλος τὸν θεῖον μακαρισμόν. Μηδεὶς δὲ ἄνδρα μόνον ὁρῶν ἐνταῦθα μακαριζόμενον, ἐστερῆσθαι νομίσῃ τοῦδε τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ τῶν γυναικῶν τὸ γένος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς ἀῤῥενικῶς τοὺς μακαρισμοὺς σχηματίσας ἀπηγόρευσε ταῖς γυναιξὶ κτῆσιν τῆς ἀρετῆς. Συμπεριλαμβάνει γὰρ τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ὁ λόγος · κεφαλὴ γὰρ γυναικὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ, ᾗ φησιν ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος. Συνάπτεται δὲ τῇ κεφαλῇ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος, καὶ κεφαλῆς στεφανουμένης ἀγάλλεται το· οὕτω καὶ πρός τινα διαλεγόμενοι, καὶ φίλην αὐτὸν κεφαλὴν ὀνομάζοντες, οὐ χωρίζομεν τῶν μορίων τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπὸ μέρους τὸ πᾶν προσφθεγγόμεθα. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ πρῶτον ὁδοῦ, εἶτα στάσεως, εἶτα καθέδρας ἐμνημόνευσεν· ἀλλ᾽ εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς, ὡς κίνησιν μὲν πρῶτον ὁ λογισμὸς ὑπομένει, εἴτε φαῦλος, εἴτε σπουδαῖος εἴη· εἶτα στάσιν, εἶτά τινα ἑδραίαν βεβαίωσιν. Παραινεῖ τοίνυν, μήτε τῷ νῷ παραδέξασθαι δυσσεβῆ τινα ἔννοιαν, μήτε ἐπὶ πρᾶξιν ὀδεῦσαι παράνομον. ᾿Ασεβεῖς δὲ φίλον τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ καλεῖν τοὺς ἀθεῖαν, ἢ πολυθεΐαν θρησκεύοντας · ἁμαρτωλοὺς δὲ, τοὺς παρανομίᾳ συζῇν προαιρουμένους, καὶ βίον διεφθαρμένον ἀσπαζομένους· λοιμοὺς δὲ, τοὺς μὴ μόνον σφᾶς αὐτοὺς λυμαινομένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις τῆς λύμης μεταδιδόντας, κατὰ τὴν ἐπισκήπτουσαν καὶ ἀνθρώποις καὶ κτήνεσι νόσον, ἧς μεταλαγχάνουσιν οἱ τοῖς νοσοῦσι πελάζοντες. Διὸ φεύγειν ὁ λόγος παρακελεύεται καὶ τὰ τούτων συνέδρια. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἀπόχρη εἰς ἀρετῆς τελείωσιν τῆς κακίας φυγή · « Ἔκκλινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· · καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἡσαΐας· « Παύσασθε, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε ποιεῖν καλόν· » μάλα εἰκότως ἐπήγαγεν ὁ μακάριος Δαβίδ ·
᾿Anepigraphos par' ῾Ebraiois. « Makarios anēr, hos ouk eporeuthē en boulę̄ asebōn, kai en hodǭ hamartōlōn ouk estē, kai epi kathedrą loimōn ouk ekathisen. » Enteuthen rhadion synidein, hōs palai par' Hebraiois tas epigraphas heurontes hoi tas theias hērmēneukotes Graphas, tautas metethesan eis tēn Hellada phōnēn. Touton gar kai ton met᾿ auton psalmon anepigraphous heurontes anepigraphous katelipon ; ou tolmēsantes ti prostheinai par' heautōn tois logiois tou Pneumatos. Tines mentoi tōn tas hypotheseis tōn psalmōn syngegraphotōn ēthikēn touton ephasan ton psalmon periechein didaskalian ; emoi de ouch hētton dogmatikos ē ēthikos edoxen einai. Periechei gar ouch hamartōlōn monon, alla kai asebōn katēgorian, kai parainei tois theiois logois prosechein diēnekōs; ex hōn ouk ēthikēn monon, alla kai dogmatikēn ōpheleian karpoumetha. ᾿Armodiōs de lian ho megas Dabid makarismon tēs oikeias autou protetheike syngraphēs, ton heautou huion homou kai Despotēn mimoumenos, ton Sōtēra legō Christon; hostis pros tous hierous mathētas didaskalias apo makarismōn ērxato, « Makarioi, legōn, hoi ptōchoi tǭ pneumati, hoti autōn estin hē basileia tōn ouranōn. » Huios de tou Dabid ho Despotēs Christos hōs anthrōpos kata tēn tōn hierōn Euangeliōn phōnēn; « Biblos gar geneseōs Iēsou Christou huiou ᾿Abraam. » Kyrios de autou kai poiētēs, hōs Theos. Autou gar estin hē phōnē; « Eipen ho Kyrios tǭ Kyriǭ mou, Kathou ek dexiōn mou. » Makarizei toinyn ton mēte tois asebesin hodou koinōnēsanta, mēte bebaian tōn hamartōlōn dexamenon tēn boulēn; touto gar dē stasin ekalese; kai tēn monimon tōn loimōn phygonta diaphthoran. To de makarios onoma theia men hyparchei prosēgoria; kai martys ho theios ᾿Apostolos boōn; « ῾Ho makarios kai monos dynastēs, ho basileus tōn basileuontōn, kai Kyrios tōn kyrieuontōn. » Metedōke de kai tautēs tois anthrōpois, hōsper kai tōn allōn, ho Despotēs Theos; kai gar pistos kaloumenos ; « Pistos gar, phēsin, ho Theos, di' hou eklēthēte eis koinōnian tou Huiou autou. › Kai ho makarios Mōsēs, « Theos, phēsi, pistos, kai ouk estin adikia en autǭ. » Ekalese kai tōn anthrōpōn pistous tous anamphi«bolōs dechomenous autou tous logous. Houtō Theos ōn kai kaloumenos metedōke kai tautēs tēs klēseōs tois anthrōpois ho megalodōros, kai boą; ; Egō eipon, Theoi este kai huioi Hypsistou pantes, hymeis de hōs anthrōpoi apothnēskete. » To oun makarios onoma tēs kat᾿ aretēn teleiōseōs hyparchei karpos. Ōsper gar kai hekaston tōn kata ton bion epitēdeumatōn eis to telos horą ; athlētikē men oun eis tous ek kotinou stephanous, stratēgikē te eis nikas kai tropaia, kai mentoi kai iatrikē eis hygieian kai nosōn apallagēn, kai emporikē eis syllogēn chrēmatōn kai ploutou periousian; houtōs kai hē tēs aretēs epistēmē karpon echei kai telos ton theion makarismon. Mēdeis de andra monon horōn entautha makarizomenon, esterēsthai nomisę̄ toude tou makarismou tōn gynaikōn to genos. Oude gar ho Despotēs Christos arrhenikōs tous makarismous schēmatisas apēgoreuse tais gynaixi ktēsin tēs aretēs. Symperilambanei gar tois andrasi kai tas gynaikas ho logos ; kephalē gar gynaikos ho anēr, hę̄ phēsin ho theios ᾿Apostolos. Synaptetai de tę̄ kephalę̄ ta melē tou sōmatos, kai kephalēs stephanoumenēs agalletai to; houtō kai pros tina dialegomenoi, kai philēn auton kephalēn onomazontes, ou chōrizomen tōn moriōn tou sōmatos, all᾽ apo merous to pan prosphthengometha. Ouch haplōs de prōton hodou, eita staseōs, eita kathedras emnēmoneusen; all᾽ eidōs akribōs, hōs kinēsin men prōton ho logismos hypomenei, eite phaulos, eite spoudaios eiē; eita stasin, eita tina hedraian bebaiōsin. Parainei toinyn, mēte tǭ nǭ paradexasthai dyssebē tina ennoian, mēte epi praxin odeusai paranomon. ᾿Asebeis de philon tę̄ theią Graphę̄ kalein tous atheian, ē polytheïan thrēskeuontas ; hamartōlous de, tous paranomią syzę̄n proairoumenous, kai bion diephtharmenon aspazomenous; loimous de, tous mē monon sphas autous lymainomenous, alla kai heterois tēs lymēs metadidontas, kata tēn episkēptousan kai anthrōpois kai ktēnesi noson, hēs metalanchanousin hoi tois nosousi pelazontes. Dio pheugein ho logos parakeleuetai kai ta toutōn synedria. Epeidē de ouk apochrē eis aretēs teleiōsin tēs kakias phygē ; « Ekklinon gar, phēsin, apo kakou, kai poiēson agathon; ; kai ho makarios Hēsaïas; « Pausasthe, phēsin, apo tōn ponēriōn hymōn, mathete poiein kalon; » mala eikotōs epēgagen ho makarios Dabid ;
Without title among the Hebrews. "Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the pestilent." From this it is easy to see that those who translated the divine Scriptures found the titles long ago among the Hebrews and transferred them into Greek. Finding this psalm and the one after it without titles, they left them without titles, not daring to add anything of their own to the oracles of the Spirit. Some who have written summaries of the psalms said that this psalm contains moral teaching; to me it seemed no less doctrinal than moral. For it contains an accusation not only of sinners but also of the ungodly, and it urges us to attend constantly to the divine words; from these we reap not only moral but also doctrinal benefit. Very fittingly the great David set a beatitude at the head of his writing, imitating the one who is at once his son and his Lord, I mean Christ the Savior, who began his teaching to the holy disciples with beatitudes, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Christ the Lord is David's son as man, according to the words of the holy Gospels: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son [of David, the son] of Abraham." But he is David's Lord and maker as God; for his is the voice: "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand." He calls blessed, then, the one who has neither shared the road with the ungodly nor firmly received the counsel of sinners (this is what he called "standing"), and who has fled the settled corruption of the pestilent. The name "blessed" is a divine title; the divine Apostle is witness, crying: "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords." But God the Lord shared this title too with human beings, as he did the others. He is called faithful: "God is faithful," it says, "by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son"; and the blessed Moses says, "God is faithful, and there is no injustice in him." Yet he also called faithful those human beings who receive his words without doubting. So too, being God and called God, the generous one shared this name also with human beings, and cries: "I said, You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High; but you die like men." The name "blessed," then, is the fruit of perfection in virtue. Just as each pursuit in life looks to its end (athletics to crowns of wild olive, generalship to victories and trophies, medicine to health and release from disease, commerce to the gathering of money and abundance of wealth), so the science of virtue has as its fruit and end the divine blessedness. Let no one, seeing that only a man is called blessed here, suppose that the female sex is deprived of this blessing. Christ the Lord, though he framed the beatitudes in the masculine, did not forbid women to acquire virtue. The word includes women with men, for "the head of the woman is the man," as the divine Apostle says. The members of the body are joined to the head, and when the head is crowned the [whole body] rejoices; so too when we speak to someone and call him "dear head," we do not separate him from the parts of his body, but address the whole by the part. Not without reason did he mention first the way, then standing, then the seat. He knew exactly that the mind, whether bad or good, first undergoes movement, then standing, then a settled confirmation. He urges us, then, neither to admit an impious thought into the mind nor to walk on into lawless action. Divine Scripture is accustomed to call "ungodly" those who practice atheism or polytheism; "sinners" those who choose to live in lawlessness and embrace a corrupt life; and "pestilent" those who not only ruin themselves but pass the ruin on to others, like the plague that falls on people and cattle, which those who come near the sick catch. Therefore the word commands us to flee their gatherings as well. But since flight from vice is not enough for perfection in virtue ("Turn away from evil and do good," it says; and the blessed Isaiah: "Cease from your wickedness, learn to do good"), the blessed David very fittingly added:
Ps 1:1 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:3 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 1:1 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 110:1 (109:1 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Tim 6:15 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 1:9 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 32:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 82:6 (81:6 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 82:7 (81:7 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 11:3 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 34:14 (33:15 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 1:16 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 1:17 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Psalm 1:1 blesses the one who avoids the ungodly, sinners and the pestilent; Theodoret explains the missing title, the word "blessed," that women are included, and the three steps of walking, standing, and sitting.
- The quotation of Matt 1:1 as printed lacks "son of David," which Theodoret's argument requires; it is supplied in brackets as a probable omission in the digital text. Where the text says the head is crowned, a word is lost after "rejoices"; translated by sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (margin letter (OCR); margin letters (OCR); repeated syllable (OCR); repeated word (OCR); split word (OCR); stray letters (OCR)): ἐπιγραφὰς φάς εὑρόντες → ἐπιγραφὰς εὑρόντες; ταύτας Αν μετέθεσαν σ᾽ εἰς → ταύτας μετέθεσαν εἰς; λόγοις δε προσέχειν → λόγοις προσέχειν; ᾿Αρμοδίως δὲ δὲ λίαν → ᾿Αρμοδίως δὲ λίαν; μαθητὰς στ διδασκαλίας → μαθητὰς διδασκαλίας; Ε Μακαρίζει → Μακαρίζει; κο νωνήσαντα → κοινωνήσαντα; ταύτης σε τοῖς → ταύτης τοῖς; σχη ματίσας → σχηματίσας; τοίνυν, Ο μήτε → τοίνυν, μήτε.
Topics: Ethics, Christology
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Interp. Ps. 1.1 (PG 80 80:865; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
1.2PG 80 80:869
« ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. » Προσήκει δὲ οὐ μόνον τὰ προειρημένα βδελύξασθαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν προσέχειν, κἀκεῖνα θέλειν ἃ ὁ θεῖος νόμος ὑπαγορεύει, καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνου σκοπὸν τὸν οἰκεῖον βίον εὐθύνειν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ Μωσέως ἐνομοθέτησε λέγων · « Ἔσται τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ νόμου τούτου διὰ παντὸς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου, καὶ μελετήσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς καθήμενος, καὶ διανιστάμενος, καὶ κοιταζόμενος, καὶ πορευόμενος ἐν ὁδῷ καὶ ἀπαρτήσεις αὐτὰ τῆς χειρός σου, καὶ ἔσται ἀσάλευτα πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν σου. » Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὸν καρπὸν τὸν ἐντεῦθεν φυόμενον. « Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων· ὅ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται. » Μιμεῖται γὰρ ὑδάτων ἄρδειαν τὰ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος νάματα · καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνα τὰ παραφυτευόμενα δένδρα τεθηλέναι ποιεῖ, οὕτω ταῦτα παρασκευάζει τοὺς θείους φέρειν καρπούς. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς ὕδωρ τὴν οἰκείαν διδασκαλίαν ὠνόμασεν. « Εἴ τις γὰρ, φησὶ, διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω, καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ ὁ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. » Καὶ πάλιν· « Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος.» Καὶ μέντοι καὶ πρὸς τὴν Σαμαρῖτιν· « Ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τούτου διψήσει πάλιν · ὃς δ᾽ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. • Οὕτω καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου φησίν· « Ὅτι ἐγὼ δώσω ἐν δίψει τοῖς πορευομένοις ἐν ἀνύδρῳ· καὶ ἀνοίξω ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων πηγὰς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν βουνῶν ποταμοὺς, ποτίσαι τὸ γένος μου τὸ ἐκλεκτὸν, τὸν λαόν μου ὂν περιεποιησάμην. › Εἰκότως τοίνυν καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ τὸν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἐσχολακότα δένδροις ἀπείκασε παρὰ τὰς τῶν ὑδάτων ὄχθας πεφυτευμένοις, καὶ ἀειθαλῆ μὲν ἔχουσι τὰ φύλλα, τὸν δὲ καρπὸν φέρουσιν εἰς καιρόν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθληταὶ τῶν μὲν πόνων κατὰ τὸν μέλλοντα βίον κομίσονται τοὺς καρπούς· οἷον δὲ τινα φύλλα, τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐλπίδα διηνεκῶς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς φέροντες τεθήλασι καὶ ἀγάλλονται, καὶ συλῶσι τῇ ψυχαγωγίᾳ τὴν τῶν πόνων βαρύτητα. Ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ τὸν μεγαλόδωρον Δεσπότην τῇ προθυμίᾳ συνεργοῦντα διηνεκώς· « Τοῖς γὰρ ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν, » φησὶν ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος, «πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν.» Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Δαβίδ · • Καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται· παρὰ Κυρίου γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ διαβήματα ἀνθρώπου κατευθύνεται, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ θελήσει σφόδρα » Τὸ δὲ πάντα οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέθεικεν, ἀλλὰ σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ πολλῇ. Πρότερον γὰρ ἅπαντα τῆς κακίας ἀπαγορεύσας τὰ εἴδη, καὶ τῶν θείων νόμων ὑποδείξας τὴν τελειότητα, οὕτως ἐπήγαγε, « Πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται·» εἰδὼς ὡς οὐδὲν ἐναντίον τοῖς νόμοις ὅ γε τοιοῦτος δρᾶσαι βουλήσεται, τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ τὸ οἰκεῖον θέλημα συναρμόττων. ( Ἐν γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ, φησὶ, Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ. » Οὕτω διὰ τοῦτο προτρέψας εἰς ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν τελείαν ἐκπαιδεύσας φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἀλείφει τοὺς ἀθλητὰς, καί φησιν·
« ᾿All᾽ en tǭ nomǭ Kyriou to thelēma autou, kai en tǭ nomǭ autou meletēsei hēmeras kai nyktos. » Prosēkei de ou monon ta proeirēmena bdelyxasthai; alla kai tǭ theiǭ nomǭ nyktōr kai meth' hēmeran prosechein, kakeina thelein ha ho theios nomos hypagoreuei, kai kata ton ekeinou skopon ton oikeion bion euthynein. Houtō gar kai ho tōn holōn Theos dia Mōseōs enomothetēse legōn ; « Estai ta rhēmata tou nomou toutou dia pantos en tǭ stomati sou, kai meletēseis en autois kathēmenos, kai dianistamenos, kai koitazomenos, kai poreuomenos en hodǭ kai apartēseis auta tēs cheiros sou, kai estai asaleuta pro ophthalmōn sou. » Eita deiknysi ton karpon ton enteuthen phyomenon. « Estai gar, phēsin, hōs to xylon to pephyteumenon para tas diexodous tōn hydatōn; ho ton karpon autou dōsei en kairǭ autou. Kai to phyllon autou ouk aporrhyēsetai, kai panta hosa an poię̄ kateuodōthēsetai. » Mimeitai gar hydatōn ardeian ta tou theiou Pneumatos namata ; kai kathaper ekeina ta paraphyteuomena dendra tethēlenai poiei, houtō tauta paraskeuazei tous theious pherein karpous. Hou dē charin kai ho Despotēs Christos hydōr tēn oikeian didaskalian ōnomasen. « Ei tis gar, phēsi, dipsą, erchesthō pros me kai pinetō, kai estai to hydōr ho egō dōsō autǭ pēgē hydatos zōntos allomenou eis zōēn aiōnion. » Kai palin; « Ho pisteuōn eis eme, kathōs eipen hē Graphē, potamoi ek tēs koilias autou rheusousin hydatos zōntos.» Kai mentoi kai pros tēn Samaritin; « Ho pinōn ek tou hydatos toutou dipsēsei palin ; hos d᾽ an pię̄ ek tou hydatos, hou egō dōsō autǭ, ou mē dipsēsei eis ton aiōna. • Houtō kai dia Hēsaïou tou prophētou phēsin; « Hoti egō dōsō en dipsei tois poreuomenois en anydrǭ; kai anoixō epi tōn oreōn pēgas, kai epi tōn bounōn potamous, potisai to genos mou to eklekton, ton laon mou on periepoiēsamēn. › Eikotōs toinyn kai ho makarios Dabid ton tois theiois logiois escholakota dendrois apeikase para tas tōn hydatōn ochthas pephyteumenois, kai aeithalē men echousi ta phylla, ton de karpon pherousin eis kairon. Kai gar hoi tēs aretēs athlētai tōn men ponōn kata ton mellonta bion komisontai tous karpous; hoion de tina phylla, tēn agathēn elpida diēnekōs en heautois pherontes tethēlasi kai agallontai, kai sylōsi tę̄ psychagōgią tēn tōn ponōn barytēta. Echousi de kai ton megalodōron Despotēn tę̄ prothymią synergounta diēnekōs; « Tois gar agapōsi ton Theon, » phēsin ho theios ᾿Apostolos, «panta synergei eis to agathon.» Dia toi touto kai ho makarios ephē Dabid ; • Kai panta hosa an poię̄ kateuodōthēsetai; para Kyriou gar, phēsi, ta diabēmata anthrōpou kateuthynetai, kai tēn hodon autou thelēsei sphodra » To de panta ouch haplōs tetheiken, alla syn akribeią pollę̄. Proteron gar hapanta tēs kakias apagoreusas ta eidē, kai tōn theiōn nomōn hypodeixas tēn teleiotēta, houtōs epēgage, « Panta hosa an poię̄ kateuodōthēsetai;» eidōs hōs ouden enantion tois nomois ho ge toioutos drasai boulēsetai, tǭ theiǭ nomǭ to oikeion thelēma synarmottōn. ( En gar tǭ nomǭ, phēsi, Kyriou to thelēma autou. » Houtō dia touto protrepsas eis aretēn, kai tēn teleian ekpaideusas philosophian, kai dia tōn enantiōn aleiphei tous athlētas, kai phēsin;
"But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he will meditate day and night." It is right not only to abhor what was mentioned before, but also to attend to the divine law night and day, to will what the divine law prescribes, and to direct one's own life by its aim. So the God of all legislated through Moses, saying: "The words of this law shall be always in your mouth, and you shall meditate on them sitting, rising, lying down, and walking on the road; you shall fasten them to your hand, and they shall be immovable before your eyes." Then he shows the fruit that grows from this: "For he shall be," it says, "like the tree planted by the channels of the waters, which will give its fruit in its season; its leaf shall not fall, and whatever he does shall prosper." The streams of the divine Spirit are like the watering of waters: as those make the trees planted beside them flourish, so these make people bear divine fruits. For this reason Christ the Lord too called his own teaching water: "If anyone thirsts," he says, "let him come to me and drink, and the water that I shall give him will be a spring of living water welling up to eternal life"; and again: "He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, rivers of living water will flow from his belly"; and to the Samaritan woman: "He who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst." So too through Isaiah the prophet he says: "For I will give in thirst to those who walk in a waterless land, and I will open springs on the mountains and rivers on the hills, to give drink to my chosen race, my people whom I have acquired." Fittingly, then, the blessed David likened the one who devotes himself to the divine oracles to trees planted on the banks of waters, which have evergreen leaves and bear their fruit in season. For the athletes of virtue will receive the fruits of their labors in the life to come; but meanwhile, carrying good hope continually within them like leaves, they flourish and rejoice, and with this comfort they take away the weight of their labors. They also have the generous Lord continually working together with their eagerness: "For to those who love God," says the divine Apostle, "all things work together for good." Therefore the blessed David too said, "And whatever he does shall prosper"; for "the steps of a man are directed by the Lord, and he will greatly delight in his way." He did not set down "whatever" at random but with great precision. Having first forbidden every form of vice and shown the perfection of the divine laws, he then added, "whatever he does shall prosper," knowing that such a man will wish to do nothing contrary to the laws, since he fits his own will to the divine law: "For his will," he says, "is in the law of the Lord." Having thus urged us to virtue and trained us in perfect philosophy, he also anoints the athletes by means of the opposite, and says:
Ps 1:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 6:7 (quotation, medium confidence) · Deut 6:8 (quotation, medium confidence) · Ps 1:3 (quotation, high confidence) · John 7:37 (quotation, high confidence) · John 4:14 (quotation, high confidence) · John 7:38 (quotation, high confidence) · John 4:13 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 43:20 (quotation, medium confidence) · Isa 41:18 (allusion, medium confidence) · Rom 8:28 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 37:23 (36:23 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Psalm 1:2–3: the one who meditates on God's law is like a well-watered tree; the water is the teaching of the Spirit, and God prospers those whose will agrees with his law.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (marginal verse numbers (OCR); stray letters (OCR)): πλην γ', δ'. → ; φησὶνει ὁ → φησὶν ὁ.
Topics: Scripture and canon, Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Interp. Ps. 1.2 (PG 80 80:869; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
1.5PG 80 80:871
« Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως. » Τῷ διπλασιασμῷ τῆς ἀπαγορεύσεως σαφέστερον τὴν ἐναντιότητα δείκνυσιν. « ᾿Αλλ' ἢ ὡσεὶ χνοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. » Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τῶν θείων λογίων ἀρδέμενοι, ἀειθαλεῖς τέ εἰσι, καὶ ὥριμον φέρουσι τὸν καρπόν · οὗτοι δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων πνευμάτων πατούμενοι μιμοῦνται τὸν χνοῦν τὸν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε ῥᾳδίως ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνέμων τῶν ἐναντίων φερόμενον..
« Ouch houtōs hoi asebeis, ouch houtōs. » Tǭ diplasiasmǭ tēs apagoreuseōs saphesteron tēn enantiotēta deiknysin. « ᾿All' ē hōsei chnous, hon ekriptei ho anemos apo prosōpou tēs gēs. » Ekeinoi men gar, phēsin, hypo tōn theiōn logiōn ardemenoi, aeithaleis te eisi, kai hōrimon pherousi ton karpon ; houtoi de hypo tōn enantiōn pneumatōn patoumenoi mimountai ton chnoun ton tę̄de kakeise rhądiōs hypo tōn anemōn tōn enantiōn pheromenon..
"Not so the ungodly, not so." By doubling the denial he shows the contrast more clearly. "But like the chaff which the wind drives away from the face of the earth." Those, he says, watered by the divine oracles, are evergreen and bear ripe fruit; but these, trampled by contrary spirits, are like chaff, easily carried this way and that by contrary winds.
Ps 1:4 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Psalm 1:4: the ungodly are like chaff driven by the wind.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR letter; split word (OCR)): Τῷ δι πλασιασμῷ → Τῷ διπλασιασμῷ; παρπόν → καρπόν.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Interp. Ps. 1.5 (PG 80 80:871; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-5
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
1.6PG 80 80:871
« Διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει, οὐδ᾽ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων. • Μετὰ πολλῆς ἀκριβείας διέξεισιν ἅπαντα τὸ πανάγιον " Πνεῦμα. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, « οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἀσεβεῖς, ἀλλ᾽, · εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἀναστήσονται· ὁ ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ εἰς κρίσιν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς κατάκρισιν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐλέγχων δέονται, προφανῆ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἔχοντες, ἀλλὰ τὴν τιμωρίαν μόνην προσδέχονται. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοὺς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοφώρῳ ἀλόντας ἀνδροφόνους οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸ διελέγξαι εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον εἰσάγουσιν οἱ δικάζοντες, ἀλλ᾽ ὥστε τὴν τοῖς νόμοις δοκοῦσαν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκεῖν κατ' αὐτῶν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀσεβείᾳ συνεζηκότες εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν την κόλασιν ὑπομένουσιν, οὐκ εἰς κρίσιν ἀγόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ψῆφον δεχόμενοι. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ οἱ τῶν δυσσεβῶν δογμάτων ἀπηλλαγμένοι, βίον δὲ βεβιωκότες παράνομον, πόῤῥω που τοῦ τῶν δικαίων συλλόγου γενήσονται. Τὴν γάρ τοι βουλὴν ὁ μὲν Ακύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων συναγωγὴν ἡρμηνεύκασι, συνέλευσιν δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος.
« Dia touto ouk anastēsontai hoi asebeis en krisei, oud᾽ hamartōloi en boulę̄ dikaiōn. • Meta pollēs akribeias diexeisin hapanta to panagion " Pneuma. Ou gar eipen, « ouk anastēsontai asebeis, all᾽, ; eis krisin ouk anastēsontai; ho anti tou, ouk eis krisin, all᾽ eis katakrisin. Oute gar elenchōn deontai, prophanē tēn asebeian echontes, alla tēn timōrian monēn prosdechontai. Kathaper gar tous ep᾿ autophōrǭ alontas androphonous ouk epi to dielenxai eis to dikastērion eisagousin hoi dikazontes, all᾽ hōste tēn tois nomois dokousan psēphon exenenkein kat' autōn; houtō kai hoi asebeią synezēkotes euthys meta tēn anastasin tēn kolasin hypomenousin, ouk eis krisin agomenoi, alla tēs timōrias tēn psēphon dechomenoi. Kai mentoi kai hoi tōn dyssebōn dogmatōn apēllagmenoi, bion de bebiōkotes paranomon, porrhō pou tou tōn dikaiōn syllogou genēsontai. Tēn gar toi boulēn ho men Akylas kai ho Theodotiōn synagōgēn hērmēneukasi, syneleusin de ho Symmachos.
"Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners in the council of the righteous." The all-holy Spirit goes through everything with great precision. He did not say "the ungodly shall not rise," but "they shall not rise for judgment," that is, not for judgment but for condemnation. They need no proofs, since their impiety is manifest; they await only punishment. Just as judges do not bring murderers caught in the act into court to prove their guilt, but to pronounce against them the sentence the laws decree, so those who have lived in impiety will undergo punishment immediately after the resurrection, not brought to judgment but receiving the sentence of punishment. And those who are free of impious doctrines but have lived a lawless life will be somewhere far from the assembly of the righteous. For "council" Aquila and Theodotion translated "congregation," and Symmachus "gathering."
Ps 1:5 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Psalm 1:5: the ungodly rise not to be tried but to be condemned, and lawless sinners will be far from the assembly of the righteous.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray letter (OCR); stray letters (OCR)): οἱ ὁ ἀσεβεῖς → οἱ ἀσεβεῖς; πολλῆς το ἀκριβείας → πολλῆς ἀκριβείας.
Topics: Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Interp. Ps. 1.6 (PG 80 80:871; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-6
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos-1-6) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
1.7PG 80 80:873
« Ὅτι γινώσκει Κυρίος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. » Οἶδε, φησὶν, ἅπαντα καὶ πρὸ κρίσεως ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς, καὶ οὔτε ἀποδείξεων, οὔτε ἐλέγχων προσδεῖται. Διόπερ τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ, τοὺς μὲν ἀναῤῥήσεων καὶ στεφάνων ἀξιώσει, τοὺς δὲ διηνεκεῖ παραπέμψει κολάσει. Τὸ δὲ, • Ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται, › ἔοικε τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς ἐκείνοις ῥητοῖς· « Εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζημιωθήσεται. » Τῶν μὲν γὰρ δικαίων ἀνδρῶν καὶ τὸ ἔργον μένει διαλάμπον· τοῖς δὲ ἀσεβέσι καὶ ἀνοσίοις ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἡ πονηρία συγκαταλύεται.
« Hoti ginōskei Kyrios hodon dikaiōn, kai hodos asebōn apoleitai. » Oide, phēsin, hapanta kai pro kriseōs ho dikaios kritēs, kai oute apodeixeōn, oute elenchōn prosdeitai. Dioper ta pros axian aponemōn hekastǭ, tous men anarrhēseōn kai stephanōn axiōsei, tous de diēnekei parapempsei kolasei. To de, • Hodos asebōn apoleitai, › eoike tois apostolikois ekeinois rhētois; « Ei tinos to ergon katakaēsetai, zēmiōthēsetai. » Tōn men gar dikaiōn andrōn kai to ergon menei dialampon; tois de asebesi kai anosiois anthrōpois kai hē ponēria synkatalyetai.
"For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the ungodly will perish." The just Judge, he says, knows everything even before the judgment and needs neither proofs nor refutations. Therefore, rendering to each according to desert, he will count some worthy of public praise and crowns, and send others away to unending punishment. "The way of the ungodly will perish" is like the apostle's words: "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss." For the work of righteous men remains shining, but with ungodly and unholy men their wickedness is destroyed too.
Ps 1:6 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 3:15 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Psalm 1:6: God knows the way of the righteous without proofs, while the way of the ungodly is destroyed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray letters (OCR)): ἀνθρώποις δε καὶ → ἀνθρώποις καὶ.
Topics: Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Interp. Ps. 1.7 (PG 80 80:873; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-psalmos/1-7
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.