Expositions on the Psalms 1 part 23/23

As to the deeper sense, the text signifies that eternal life too is part of the inheritance.

For this is what it means to add days upon days to the years of the king.

For by 'days' he signifies certain periods of time and ages.

Do not suppose that he says such things concerning some single king;

rather, know that it is concerning everyone who has been called to the kingdom of heaven;

of whom he also says that he abides forever before God.

For those who have been conformed to his sufferings will also reign with him continually.

Having said beforehand, however, 'Thou, O God, hast heard my prayers,' the Prophet, by way of hyperbaton, joined to it the words:

'Thou shalt add days unto the days of the king.'

'For thou hast heard,' he says, 'my prayers;'

'thou hast added days unto days.'

since prophecy has also promised the inheritance to them.

The statement is by inversion, so that it reads thus:

'If anyone shall seek out his mercy and truth, he shall abide forever, in the unending ages, before God.'

Symmachus rendered this more clearly:

'Mercy and truth shall preserve him.'

For these—the mercy of God and his truth—shall be for him the causes of immortality.

According to the Seventy:

'Who,' he says, 'is sufficient to comprehend accurately the judged and just mercy of God? For his judgments are a great abyss.'

As to the deeper sense, he says this because they, blaspheming Jesus, said to the apostles:

'Did we not strictly charge you not to speak in this name to anyone?' He called the words of slander a 'sharpened sword,' in order to show their keenness for destruction;

and he likened the tongue of the slanderer to a bow, because it harms even those who are far off.

For the reviler and slanderer spares no one, whether present or absent.

'Those who beheld,' he says, 'so many such men failing and missing their mark in their undertakings, were filled with tumult and dread, and marveled at the divine providence.'

For coming to a full realization of God's watchful care, they feared the divine tribunal, and all understood that the frustration of their treachery was brought about by God, because the vain schemes against me were exposed.

For who would not fear, seeing visitation coming from God upon the impious, and vindication on behalf of those who are wronged? — Athanasius

Mingled with the prediction concerning these things is also the prophecy of the salvation of the Gentiles.

Moreover, he offers up a prayer on their behalf, who were once unfruitful, but have become fruitful through faith in Christ.

It has been said before that the psalm signifies practice, while the ode signifies contemplation. Whenever, then, the good is accomplished through both, moral philosophy running together with contemplative philosophy, a 'psalm of an ode' comes to be.

For the contemplative life, when brought to perfection together with the practical life, proves a man to be perfect.

As to the deeper meaning, he hints at the new people, chosen from the Gentiles as an inheritance for Christ.

By 'courts' one must understand the churches throughout every region.

In another sense, the Prophet also calls blessed the one who has been made perfect in virtues.

For God chooses the one who is fit to contend and to run the race;

but him who has already conquered, and has brought his life to a close with a good end, he takes up into heaven, where he also allots to him a tent among his own courts;

'Many mansions are with the Father.'

So that to be taken up by the one who chose him is more perfect than merely to be chosen.

For when the one chosen has done everything according to the will of God, then he is taken up with glory into the promises, and having been removed from his earthly place, he dwells there, in the courts of him who chose him.

'My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.'

So that these words, I mean, 'Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen and taken to thyself,' are fittingly uttered by those who admire and call blessed those who have departed from this life.

The 'good things of the house of God' are the various gifts of the Spirit.

Paul calls the church 'the house of God.'

And in this house is wondrously accomplished the virtue called righteousness.

He, then, who believes and is filled with good works has the Lord within himself.

For it is said that Christ dwells, through faith, in the inner man, and that, coming with the Father to the one who keeps his word, he makes his abode with him.

And such a person becomes a temple, (according to the word:

'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?') who also wondrously achieves the righteousness that is established through faith.

He is indeed holy as being pure, and marvelous on account of his righteousness.

'Thou,' he says, 'art he who preparest the mountains,' that is, the opposing powers, for punishment (for the abyss has been prepared for them);

'and this thou shalt do, being mighty.'

Christ throws into confusion the multitudes of the Gentiles, like the hollow and breadth of the sea, not allowing them to remain at rest in their ancient deceptions;

but having rather moved them to a knowledge of his own power, and having stirred up, as it were, certain sounds of waves, the doxologies offered to him by all.

Or here he calls 'the sea' the multitude of unclean spirits, which is thrown into confusion by the presence of Christ.

'Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?'

Or he calls the multitude of tyrants 'the sea,' on account of the brininess of their idolatry, and 'the sounds of the waves' the plots and tortures against the martyrs,

which who could have endured, had he not been strengthened and established by the power of Christ? — Athanasius

He also indicated the preaching of the holy apostles;

which, because it was unaccustomed, and because it dissolved the ancestral reverence of the Gentiles and changed their way of life, immediately stirred up tumult and storm among men, in accordance with the word of the Lord, dividing the bride from the mother-in-law, and the father from the son.

But after the storm, he brought it to rest, and dispensed peace to all.

'When, then,' he says, 'the nations shall be troubled,' that is, the confederacies of the demons, 'then, even then, shall men at the ends of the world fear thee,' having beheld the great signs that came to pass at thy coming.

Athanasius, Eusebius, and Cyril

And indeed, when those who inhabit the world, having beheld the great signs, fear with the good fear, then, at the outgoings of the mornings and of the evenings, that is, at every season, there shall be delight for them as they rejoice at the things which the coming of Christ accomplished.

And of Christ himself there are two 'goings forth,' that is, two comings forth:

the one 'of the morning,' which took place from the Father before all ages, according to the word:

'His goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.'

But the evening one is that from a virgin, which came to meet us at the completion of the ages.

And each of the two is delight and exultation.

Symmachus, however, in saying, 'They hymn the approaches of dawn and of evening,' seems to mean this: that both at the beginning and at the ending of the day, those who have abandoned error and have come to know God by nature will offer up hymnody pleasing to God.

You have satiated, he says, the whole earth with the good things from above;

you have filled with spiritual gifts those who are throughout the whole world under heaven;

and us, who were then wandering in error, being like some dry and waterless land, you have made fruitful, and most fertile, and truly holy.

But according to the spiritual sense, the river of God is the Only-begotten.

For as a river comes from a spring, so also he comes from the substance of the One who begot him, and is consubstantial with him;

since the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him.

And we beheld his glory;

full of grace and truth.

The Holy Spirit also might be understood as a river, full of the waters of the various gifts.

He says that the spiritual food has been prepared, because before the foundation of the world the mystery of Christ was ordained, who is the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world.

For thus, he says, is the preparation of the true food, just as you yourself have prepared it, and not otherwise.

That is, in place of saying, 'most providentially and in a manner befitting God.'

For it befits God to prepare such things, of which those who partake ascend, through repentance, to a dignity worthy of God.

so that the fruits of their righteousness might be multiplied, not only through the river (that is, the grace of the Spirit), but also through the falling drops, as from certain clouds—the teachers—that is, through the meanings of the divine Scriptures.

According to the literal sense, then, he called the fruitful year 'a year of goodness that is blessed,' as receiving prosperity through God's goodness, and being filled with blessing through abundance;

But the age to come might also be a crown of goodness, because the saints are crowned in it with much goodness.

But according to the spiritual sense, he compares the souls of believers to plains and lands.

which God enriches with divine and spiritual gifts, so that they may be able to bear the fruits of piety.

But according to the spiritual sense, by 'the goodly ones' he means the holy apostles and evangelists, who have been well-nourished with spiritual gifts.

He calls the Church 'the wilderness,' since it was formerly destitute of the knowledge concerning God.

With the goodness of God having appeared, the formerly desert land will bear fruit, and the hills, once defiled by idolatrous sacrifices, having received those who choose the angelic life, will rejoice.

Or, he likens to hills those who from time to time have been leaders of the holy Churches and presided over the peoples, that is, the shepherds and teachers.

For just as the mountains and hills rise above all the rest of the earth;

in the same manner also the dignity of the holy mystagogues is higher than that of others.

These also gird themselves with exultation, that is, with the consolation of the Spirit.

Of Gregory the Theologian and of Athanasius.

Those of the earth bear the sensible and short-lived fruit;

but those of souls well cultivated by the word bear the spiritual and eternal fruit.

For the souls of the nations, he says, which were formerly most barren and unfruitful, will be full of spiritual fruit.

All those aforementioned, he says, will hymn God with all eagerness, since he has granted such a transformation to human nature.

According to the contemplative sense, the shout is a victory hymn sung over fallen enemies.

Since, then, the rulers of this age have been destroyed through the coming of Christ, he exhorts all the nations to send up hymns of victory to God, the cause of the victory, and to his name, that is, to the Son.

For just as we are known through his name, so also the Father is known through the Son.

And this, then, according to the historical sense; but according to the spiritual understanding, the works of Christ are exceedingly fearsome—that is, the divine signs, and the fact that the multitudes of unclean demons were put out of the way.

And the multitude and abundance of power is his resurrection, which overthrows the dominion of death, and renews the whole of human nature unto incorruption.

they slandered him and called him a deceiver; rebuking them, the psalmist says:

Cease, and rather say to him, 'Your works are awesome.'

Then, since he saw them disobedient, leaving off conversing with them, he addresses Christ, who was being falsely accused, saying:

Great is your power, even though your enemies have lied against you, having willingly closed their eyes to your divine light that appeared to the world, and even though the surpassing greatness of your wonders did not bring them over to believing.

For when our Lord, by the abundance of his power, accomplished his own resurrection from the dead according to his humanity, his enemies the Hebrews lied against him;

that is, they slandered the resurrection.

Athanasius, Cyril, Gregory of Nyssa.

Even if the Jews, he says, will deny you, in their place all the earth will bow down to you and worship you, that is, the nations who dwell upon the earth.

For worship is no longer in Jerusalem, the shadow of the Law having ceased, according to the saying:

'They shall worship him, each one from his own place,' the worship taking place in spirit and in truth, with works fitting to the worship of God being done, and his name having been called upon them.

Here he introduces the person of the apostles, teaching the nations that this one who, in his coming according to the flesh, worked the divine signs, is himself the one who long ago dried up the Red Sea, and indeed also held back the streams of the Jordan, so that the sons of Israel might pass through on foot.

Apply your mind and consider each of the things done by the good God, how he is incomprehensible in his counsels;

and marvel at his ineffable wisdom, by which he guides the human race toward piety.

For he has employed fearsome and wondrous means for the salvation of mankind.

There we shall reign with Christ, when he reigns over the new age, and we shall rejoice in him.

And we rejoice in him who has made the difficult things easy.

But according to the spiritual interpretation, we shall understand the eyes of God to be the apostles;

and 'those who provoke' are the Jews, whom also the prophets called 'a house that provokes.'

For who, he says, is the one who provokes, but the house of Israel? Indeed, through the transgression of Israel, the Lord looked upon the nations.

Therefore let not the impious be exalted, as though able to destroy those who come to the Gospel;

nor let the disdainful people, that is, Israel, think great things of itself, nor raise a haughty brow against the multitude of the nations.

'I have become the firstborn among the children of God;'

but let it know rather that it has provoked the One who created it.

But according to the spiritual sense, the apostles say to those from the nations:

When you hear from us in what manner it is fitting to give glory, then bless together with us—no longer the falsely-named gods, but our God, the giver of life.

For the delight of paradise was life, in which God placed man to work it and to keep it.

But according to the spiritual sense, the Spirit foretells the afflictions that came upon the apostles because of their preaching, recounting these in their own voice.

For just as silver, melted by fire, is thoroughly purified, so also the souls of the saints are freed from every defilement, contending vigorously against the assaults of temptations.

And their good repute comes about through fiery trial, being tested as through fire.

Paul ascribes these words to the holy martyrs.

But also those who have passed through the fire and water of boiling wrath, and of dissolute pleasure and desire, and have not remained in these passions, find refreshment.

According to the spiritual sense, the apostles say:

We shall enter into the heavenly temple, not with sensible offerings, but with intelligible whole burnt-offerings.

They dedicated to God in the manner of whole burnt-offerings.

Athanasius, Cyril, Basil.

All things are spiritual — both the whole burnt-offerings, and the oxen, and the goats, which he promises to render.

And an offering is made with rams also.

The rams are the movements and impulses that have their impulse from the irascible part of the soul, or the ruling thoughts that butt against the passions.

He who through action offers himself as a living sacrifice performs the priestly office of the ox.

For the ox, being a tilling animal, corresponds to the body that was fashioned from the earth.

The goats are the works of repentance;

for they were offered concerning sin.

And incense is the fragrance breathed forth by pure souls.

The apostles, however, make mention not of ancient narratives;

but they marvel at the new achievements of our Savior, as many as he graciously bestowed upon the souls of us all.

Perhaps the sinners are the demons who are the inventors of sin;

who also vanish like smoke, being driven away and scattered by the Holy Spirit;

and like wax they melt, flowing away at the appearing of Christ, who is called a fire that consumes wickedness.

And thereafter, those justified by faith rejoice, the tyranny of the demons having been overthrown.

And the Sun of Righteousness, having taken the form of a servant, and having, as it were, drawn in the rays of his own divinity, and having set within the body, or even in death itself, drove away the darkness that had been poured out upon human souls.

Yet even though he entered upon our poverty, and by dispensation veiled his own glory, making his passage among men and his sojourn in the flesh, still 'the Lord' is his name.

For even having become man, he did not cast off being God.

The word, then, exhorts the holy apostles to run with dance and hymnody to the nations, and to prepare, through their preaching, the way of their souls for the King of all things.

The 'settings,' that is, the 'nights,' would be the souls that had fallen away from the Sun of Righteousness;

from which Christ drove away the gloom of error, by dwelling in them through faith.

According to the divine Athanasius: suspecting, he says, that I might come to know judgments so deep, I cast myself into toil, since they are unsearchable.

Yet I have procured for myself the time necessary for the knowledge of these things.

And this was the time of the tribunal, when you will render to each according to his works.

For then the fainthearted will know precisely what sort of thing virtue is, and what sort of thing vice is.

And according to the holy Athanasius:

Since, he says, I have nothing in heaven except you alone, of necessity I did not wish to receive from you anything of the things upon earth either, seeing that all such things are corruptible and temporary;

but I prayed to obtain one thing alone, and with longing for this I wore myself out upon the earth.

And this is that you alone should become my portion.

For my heart has failed;

seeking what? The dwellings above.