致馬克利努論詩篇 第 1 章 第 2/2 段

And when you see yourself hated and persecuted for the truth's sake by all, both friends and kinsfolk, do not be dejected, considering neither them nor yourself, nor, if you see your acquaintances turning away from you, cower; but stepping back from these and looking to the things to come, sing the thirtieth.

And seeing those who are baptized and redeemed from corruptible birth, and marvelling at God's love for mankind, sing over them the thirty-first.

And whenever you wish to sing in company with many, having gathered righteous men and those upright in life, do you too say the thirty-second.

And having fallen among enemies, and wisely escaping them and turning aside from their plot, if you wish to give thanks, having called together the meek, sing over them the thirty-third.

And if you see the contentiousness of the lawless toward evil, do not suppose that wickedness is in them by nature, as the heretics say;

but say the thirty-fifth, and you will see that they themselves are the cause of their sinning.

And if you see the wicked doing many lawless things, and exalting themselves against the lowly, and you wish to admonish some not to give heed to these, nor to envy them, because they are quickly extinguished, say both to yourself and to the others the thirty-sixth.

Moreover, you also, having resolved to attend to yourself, if you see the enemy setting upon you (for it is then that he the more rises up against such people), and you wish to gird yourself against him, sing the thirty-eighth psalm.

And if, while the enemies set upon you, you endure the afflictions, and wish to learn the benefit that comes from endurance, sing the thirty-ninth psalm.

And seeing many poor and needy, and wishing them to be shown mercy, you can both welcome those who have already shown mercy and urge the others on to do so, by saying the fortieth.

Then if, having a great longing for God, you hear the enemies reproaching, do not be troubled;

but understanding the immortal fruit that comes from such longing, comfort your own soul with the hope in God, and by this lightening and soothing the griefs of your life, say the forty-first psalm.

And wishing to recall continually the benefits of God shown to the fathers, and concerning the exodus from Egypt and the sojourn in the wilderness—how God was good, but men ungrateful—you have the forty-third, and the seventy-seventh, and the eighty-eighth, and the hundred and fourth, and the hundred and fifth, and the hundred and sixth, and the hundred and thirteenth.

And having fled for refuge to God and been brought safely through the afflictions that came upon you, if you wish to give thanks to God and to recount the love shown to you, you have the forty-fifth.

But you have sinned, and being ashamed you repent and ask to be shown mercy: you have the words of confession and repentance in the fiftieth.

And if you have been slandered to a wicked king, and you see the devil boasting over it, withdraw, and do you too say the words in the fifty-first.

And if the persecutor should even come running and, not knowing it, enter into the very cave in which you too are hidden, even so do not cower;

for you have the oracles given in such necessity for comfort, and the words of inscription on a pillar, those in the fifty-sixth and those in the hundred and forty-first.

...the grace, as one writing it upon pillars in the soul, it being a memorial that you were not destroyed, and say the words in the fifty-eighth psalm.

And if the enemies should also reproach you in afflicting you, and those who seem to be friends should slander you with idle talk, and you be grieved for a little in your musing, yet you can be comforted, hymning God yourself also, and saying the words in the fifty-fourth.

And to those who play the hypocrite and boast in outward appearance, say, to their shaming, the fifty-seventh psalm;

and against those who rush savagely upon you and wish to take your soul, do you set in opposition your submission to your God, and take courage.

For the more those rage, the more do you submit yourself to the Lord, and say the words in the sixty-first.

And if, being persecuted, you go away into the desert, do not be afraid as though you were alone there, but having God there, and rising early to him at dawn, sing the sixty-second.

And when the enemies terrify you and do not cease from lying in wait, but even search out everything against you, even if they be a multitude, do not give way;

for their blows shall be as the arrows of children, when you sing the sixty-third, and the sixty-fourth, and the sixty-ninth, and the seventieth.

And whenever you wish to hymn the Lord, sing the words in the sixty-fourth.

And if you wish to instruct some concerning the resurrection, sing the words in the sixty-fifth.

And asking compassions from God, hymn him, singing the sixty-sixth.

And when you see the ungodly flourishing in peace and living according to their heart's desire, while the righteous are afflicted, lest you be made to stumble and be shaken, do you too say the words in the seventy-second psalm.

And when God is angry with the people, you have for consolation concerning this the wise words in Psalm 73.

But when you have need of confession, sing Psalms 9, 74, 91, 104, 105, 106, 107, 110, 117, 135, and 137.

And when you wish to confound the doctrines of the Greeks and the heretics—that the knowledge of God is not found among them but only in the catholic Church—you can, understanding it, sing and recite what is in Psalm 75.

But when the enemies have seized the ways of escape beforehand and you are greatly afflicted, even if you are troubled, do not despair, but pray;

and if, when you cry out, you are heard, give thanks to God, reciting what is in Psalm 76.

But if the enemies, persisting, break in and defile the house of God, slay the saints, and cast their bodies to the birds of heaven, then, lest you be dragged along and cower before their cruelty, suffer together with those who suffer, and entreat God, reciting Psalm 78.

On a feast, when you wish to sing to the Lord, call together the servants of God and sing what is in Psalms 80 and 64.

But when the enemies are again gathered together from every side, and threaten against the house of God, and make covenants against godliness, then, lest you lose heart because of their multitude and power, you have, as an anchor of hope, the words in Psalm 82.

And if, beholding the house of God and his eternal dwellings, you have a longing for them, as the Apostle had, then you too recite Psalm 83.

But when at last the wrath has ceased and the captivity has been loosed, if you wish to give thanks, you have for recitation what is in Psalms 84 and 125.

And if you wish to know the difference between the catholic Church and the schisms, and to put those schismatics to shame, you can recite what is written in Psalm 86.

When you wish to encourage yourself and others to godliness, and to show that hope in God neither puts to shame but also makes the soul fearless, praise God, reciting what is in Psalm 90.

Do you wish to sing on the Sabbath? You have Psalm 91.

Do you wish to give thanks on the Lord's Day? You have Psalm 23.

Do you wish to sing on the second day of the week? Recite what is in Psalm 47.

Do you wish to praise on Friday? You have the praise in Psalm 92.

For then, when the cross had taken place, the house of God was built up, even though the enemies attempted to hinder it;

and for this reason it is fitting then to sing to God the victory-song, the words spoken in Psalm 92.

But if also, when captivity has come, the house is pulled down and again rebuilt, sing what is in Psalm 95.

When the Lord has become king, if you wish to sing about this, you have Psalm 96.

Do you wish to sing on the fourth day of the week? You have Psalm 93;

for then the Lord, having been betrayed, began to exact the sentence against death, and to triumph openly.

So when, reading the Gospel, you see that on the fourth day of the week the Jews took counsel against the Lord, beholding him then speaking boldly in the vindication against the devil on your behalf, sing what is in that same Psalm 93.

Again, beholding the providence of the Lord over all things and his lordship, and wishing to instruct certain ones in faith and obedience to him, first persuading them to make confession, sing Psalm 99.

And if, having learned his power as judge, and that the Lord judges by tempering judgment with mercy, you should wish to draw near to him, you have for this the words in Psalm 100.

But since our nature is weak, if, because of the constraints of life, you should at some time become as a poor man and lose heart, and wish to be consoled, you have Psalm 101.

And since it is fitting that we give thanks to God through all things and in all things, when you wish to bless him, you have for this to exhort your own soul, and to recite Psalms 102 and 103.

Do you wish to praise God, and to know how and for what one ought to praise, and which psalms it is fitting to recite as praise? You have Psalms 104, 106, 134, 145, 146, 147, 148, and 150.

Have you faith, as the Lord said, and do you believe the things you utter in prayer? Recite Psalm 115.

But should you perceive yourself ascending in your deeds, so as to say:

"The things behind I forget, but to the things ahead I reach forward"—you have, for each stage of progress, to recite the fifteen Songs of Ascents.

Have you been taken captive by alien thoughts, and perceived yourself being led away, and repented? Then cease from henceforth, and remaining in the awareness of the things in which you found yourself sinning, sit down and weep, even as the people did at that time, reciting what is in Psalm 136.

And reckoning your trials to be a testing of you, if you should wish to give thanks after the trials, you have Psalm 138.

Are you again hard pressed by enemies, and do you wish to be delivered? Recite what is in Psalm 139.

Do you wish to sing to the Lord? You have for recitation Psalms 92 and 97.

If, being small, you are preferred to some position of authority over your brethren, do not exalt yourself against them;

but if you wish to sing antiphonally those psalms that have the "Hallelujah," you have Psalms 104, 105, 106, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 134, 135, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150.

And when you wish privately to sing concerning the Savior, you find such things in almost every psalm;

but you have especially Psalms 45 and 110, which declare his genuine begetting from the Father and his coming in the flesh;

and Psalms 22 and 69, foretelling concerning the divine cross, and how great a plot he endured for our sake, and how many things he suffered;

and Psalms 2 and 108, signifying both the plot and wickedness of the Jews, and the betrayal by Judas Iscariot;

and Psalms 20, 49, and 71, declaring both his kingdom and his power as judge, and again his coming to us in the flesh, and the calling of the nations.

And Psalm 15 shows his resurrection from the dead;

and Psalms 23 and 46 announce his ascent into the heavens;

and reading Psalms 92, 95, 97, and 98, you will be able to contemplate the benefits that have come to us from the Savior through his sufferings.

...the prophecies concerning the coming in the body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ become more frequent, as I said before.

For some of the simpler ones among us, although they believe that the words are inspired by God, nevertheless suppose that the psalms are set to melody merely for the sake of euphony and for the delight of the ear.

But Scripture did not seek what is sweet and persuasive;

rather this too was patterned for the benefit of the soul, on account of all things indeed, but most especially on account of these two:

first, that it was fitting for divine Scripture to praise God not only with continuous speech, but also with the voice extended in breadth;

and "in breadth" is said of such as are the words of the psalms and odes and songs;

for thus also will be preserved that men should love God with their whole strength and power.

...so as to reason out the best things, but to do the base by reason of passion, like Pilate, who said indeed:

"I find no fault in him";

yet in his decision he ran along with the opinion of the Jews;

or to desire base things but be unable to do them, like the elders against Susanna;

or again, not to commit adultery, yet to steal;

or not to steal, yet to murder;

or not to murder, yet to blaspheme.

Therefore, lest any such disturbance arise in us, the Word wills that the soul, having the mind of Christ, as the Apostle said, should use him as guide, and by him master the passible elements within it, and rule the members of the body, that they may obey the Word;

so that, as the plectrum in a harmony, so the man himself, having become a psaltery and giving heed wholly to the Spirit, may with all his members and movements obey and serve the will of God.

And of such tranquility of thoughts and untroubled state, the melodious reading of the Psalms is an image and pattern.

For just as we make known and signify the thoughts of the soul through the words we utter, so likewise the Lord, willing the melody of the words to be a symbol of the spiritual harmony in the soul, ordained that the odes be sung melodiously, and that the psalms be read with song.

And this is the desire of the soul—that it be well-disposed—as it is written:

"Is any among you cheerful? Let him sing psalms."

Thus what is turbulent and rough and disorderly in it is smoothed out;

and what grieves it is healed, when we sing:

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why do you disquiet me?" And the soul will recognize what is amiss, saying:

"But as for me, my feet were almost gone";

and what is afraid it will strengthen with hope, in saying:

"The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do to me."

Now those who do not read the divine odes in this manner do not sing with understanding, but please only themselves, and they incur blame, for "Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner";

but those who sing in the manner aforesaid, so that the melody of the words is offered from the rhythm of the soul and from its accord with the Spirit—such as these sing indeed with the tongue, but singing also with the mind, they greatly profit not only themselves but also those who are willing to hear them.

...they invited [men] to join the choir of those who dance in the heavens.

Therefore the saying of the psalms with melody is not a zeal for fine sound, but a token of the harmony of the thoughts within the soul.

And the melodious reading is a symbol of the well-ordered and storm-free state of the understanding.

For indeed the praising of God on well-sounding cymbals and harp and ten-stringed psaltery was again a symbol and a sign that the members of the body should be set together lawfully like strings, and that the thoughts of the soul should become like cymbals, and that thereafter all these should be moved and live by the sound and the impulse of the Spirit;

so that, according to what is written, by the Spirit the man may live indeed, and put to death the deeds of the body.

For in this way also he who sings well gives rhythm to his soul, and as it were leads it from inequality to equality;

so that, standing in its natural state, it may not be terrified by anything, but rather become more full of good imaginings, and may take to itself a greater longing for the good things to come.

For being attuned together to the melody of the words, it forgets the passions, and rejoicing it looks toward the mind that is in Christ, reasoning out the best things.

For I consider that in these words of the book the whole life of men, and the dispositions of the soul, and the movements of the thoughts, are measured out and comprehended;

and that nothing beyond these is to be found in men.

For whether there be need of repentance or confession, or affliction and trial has overtaken one, or one has been persecuted and, being plotted against, was delivered; if one has become deeply grieved and is troubled, and suffers something such as has been described above; or perceives himself making progress while the enemy is being brought to nothing; or wishes to praise and give thanks and bless the Lord—he has the teaching about these things in the divine psalms.

For let him choose out the things said in them concerning each of these matters, and thus reciting them as though written about himself, and entering into accord with the things written, he offers them up to the Lord.

Let no one, however, dress them up with the plausible words from without, nor attempt to alter the wording or to change it altogether;

rather let him recite and sing the things written simply as they have been stated, in order that the holy men who ministered them, recognizing them as their own, may pray together with us;

or rather, that the Spirit who spoke in the saints, seeing the words inspired by him in those men, may join in helping us.

For by as much as the life of the saints is better than that of others, by so much also one might justly say that the words from them are better and stronger than those composed by us.

For in these things they were well-pleasing to God, and saying these things, as the Apostle said:

"They subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, turned to flight the armies of the aliens; women received their dead by resurrection."

Therefore now too let everyone who says these things be of good courage, that through them God will quickly hearken to those who beseech him;

for whether one is afflicted while saying these things, he will see in them great consolation;

or whether one is tried and persecuted while singing thus, he will be shown more approved, and will be sheltered by the Lord, who sheltered also the one who spoke these things;

in these things he will overthrow the devil and put his demons to flight.

Saying these things, if indeed he has sinned, he will turn himself back and cease;

and he will convict those who attempt to lead astray;

and of this no man is the surety, but divine Scripture itself becomes such.

For God commanded Moses to write the great Song and to teach it to the people;

and King Josiah, when the book had been found and read in the hearing of all, no longer feared the enemies.

And whenever there was war for the people, the ark, bearing the tablets of the law, went before them all, and these sufficed in place of any battle array for their aid—unless there was among those who bore it, or prevailing among the people, some sin and hypocrisy.

For there is need of faith and a genuine disposition, in order that the law may work together for the things prayed for.

"I, at any rate," said the old man, "have heard also from prudent men, that of old in Israel, merely by reading the Scriptures, they drove out demons, and exposed the plots that these laid against men."

Wherefore he said that those were worthy of all condemnation who, abandoning these things, composed for themselves plausible words from without, and in these named themselves exorcists.

For rather do they make sport, and offer themselves to those [demons] to be mocked;

such as the Jews, the sons of Sceva, suffered, when they too attempted to exorcise in this manner.

For hearing these things from such men, the demons make sport;

but the words of the saints they fear, or rather they cannot even endure them.

For in the words of the Scriptures is the Lord, whom, not being able to endure, they cried out;

for they were burned merely by seeing the Lord present.

Thus also Paul gave command to the unclean spirits;

thus also to the disciples the demons were made subject.

And in the case of Elisha the prophet, the hand of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied concerning the waters to the three kings, when, at his command, the one who played the harp was playing.

So too now, if anyone cares for those who suffer, let him say these things; and he both profits the sufferer the more, and will show his own faith to be true and steadfast;

so that God, seeing this faith too, may grant perfect healing to those who beseech him.

For this also the holy man knew, saying in Psalm 118:

"In your statutes I will meditate; I will not forget your words";

"Your statutes were songs to me in the place of my sojourning."

For in these things they gained even salvation, saying:

"Unless your law had been my meditation, then I should have perished in my affliction."

Wherefore Paul also made his own disciple secure in these things, saying:

"Meditate on these things; be in these things, that your progress may be manifest."

You too, meditating on these things, and reading them with understanding;

thus, in the psalms, being guided by the Spirit, you will be able to grasp the meaning in each one.

And you too will be zealous for such a life as those holy men had who, borne along by God, spoke these things.