PSALM 1.

1a.^[156] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the impious, etc.

What other kind of beginning could there be for the Psalms than that which contains the blessedness of the man^[32] according to the Savior, and the praises that are his because of his abstention from the worst sort of things, and because of his contemplation and practice of the best sort of things, and in becoming like unto the Only-begotten? He, being wisdom, was called the “tree of life” by Solomon in the Proverbs ^[157], but now [he is called] a tree that has been planted “by the passage-ways of waters,” which are words using discursive reasoning,^[33] or [words] distinguished by a law of dialectic. The “fruits” from the tree are the principal dogmas, while the “leaves” are the [literal] readings and the sayings.

Of the same. “Counsel of the impious” is an impassioned thought which binds the nous to sensible things. It did not say “human,” but “man,” for it calls to contests and battles and fights for the sake of virtue. It also wants women to be manly and courageous. “Blessedness” is apatheia of soul with true knowledge of existing things. “Seat of pestilential” is the worst state of the rational soul, according to which he also teaches others; and lawyers are those who are called “impious,” “pestilential,” and “sinners.”^[34]

1b.^[158] And in the way of sinners does not stand, and on the seat of the pestilential does not sit, etc.

There are three types, for either someone does not profess truth at the beginning, but as it happens, having given himself over altogether to vain and unexamined reasonings of his heart, he carries on in the manner of irrational cattle, not standing, nor being firmly fixed to something, and for this reason does not sit—this is the person who is said to walk in the counsel of the impious. In those whom the impious take counsel, they go forth without an appearance of hesitation, hunting such things as are deemed good by the uninstructed. Or he who appears to stand in the truth, while not living according to the true teaching, is a sinner with sinners, seeking the worst things with those who are deemed to be in truth, and for this reason standing in their way. Or, according to the third of the [groups] in the present text of Scripture, it says that he who supposes those things in certain false doctrines are the truth, comes to rest, and no longer makes use of journeying or standing, which provides a certain pattern of one who has at no time whatsoever been fully satisfied concerning the Letters.^[35] And this one who comes to rest is sitting in the seat of ruinous people. It is not at random that these for whom the term “pestilential” is used, are referred to as “mocker” by the other [versions]. For those who are wise in their own estimation, and are experts in their own eyes, mock everyone else, and especially those who believe according to sound reason.

2.^[159] But in the law of the Lord is his will, and in his law he will meditate day and night, etc.

He meditates on the law of the Lord “day and night,” who does not call to remembrance the texts of the law apart from^[36] the works that go along with those [texts], but also he who comes with careful attention [μεμελετηκώς]^[37] to the works that correspond with them, until there comes a continual easy mediation with the works according to the law, which yields forth all the things that contribute to living perfectly according to the law. For it is in this way that he will be able to meditate on the law of God through the whole day and night. For whether he is eating or drinking, or doing any other sort of thing, as the divine Apostle said, this person does all to the glory of God ^[160], so that even in the time of sleep there is a needful care that comes to the person, and to the fantasies that occur in him. Through this is explained that difficult saying of the Apostle, “Pray without ceasing” ^[161]. For how can someone who is sleeping pray, and practice something of what is appropriate for men, except healing his own body? But we will also say about this: that the perfect person has cried out to God, and asked him, calling on him to provide the best things, doing all things according to reason, so that his every action is a prayer. *Just as while meditating on the law one must not neglect what is particular to it, in the same way one must not neglect what is particular to praying, since to meditate and to pray is indeed to practice everything according to the law of the Lord.*^[38] And someone will understand if, according to the laws of anagogy, “day” is able to be called the state when we are unaffected by circumstance,^[39] but “night” is the [state] of adverse circumstance^[40] on account of being more gloomy. It is necessary to be experienced in the law not only when things external to us do not oppose [us], but also when we fall in with what are called trials.

3.^[162] And he will be as the tree that has been planted by the passage- ways of waters, which will give its fruit in its season; and its leaves will not fall off; and all such things he does, he will prosper, etc.

After these things let us set alongside what is said by Aquila, “transplanted.” For from where does the tree come, which features in the passage, that has been transplanted [to be] at the divisions of waters? For either, He who is rooted firmly in the Father, has been transplanted so as to be of benefit to many, so that others may partake of his image, which is received by being transplanted—not that He is not in the Father (for He is!), but that He has come to be alongside others; or according to another point of view, the soul of the Savior, which he assumed, is transplanted to paradise as a result, to where in fact the Gospel says that it^[42] has come to be after the passion, as he is recounted to have said to the repentant thief, “Today you will be with me in the paradise of God” ^[163]. And he has been transplanted there, so that the worthy ones who are with Christ might be enlightened by Him with the light of knowledge, advancing in the contemplation of existing things, according to the wisdom of God.

We have set out these things in this way, since it is properly said of trees that they “bear fruit,” but “to give” is better suited for beings with souls, and these with rational [souls]. One must inquire if there is a season of fruit for the tree of life, for to say that there is a time when wisdom does not have fruit is not pious. Wherefore it did not say, “which brings forth its fruit in its season,” but rather, “which will give its fruit in its season.” “Its season” for giving is what is expedient for the one receiving.^[43] For in relation to itself, it is forever prepared to give its fruit. For if the Logos wants stewards that are faithful and prudent, who do not simply give a measure of grain to fellow slaves, but give in season ^[164], how much more does wisdom manage the fruits themselves both faithfully and prudently? There is a particular time for giving, just as there is for the one receiving to receive.

It is worthy to consider why the leaf of [the tree of] life—that is, of wisdom—does not fall off; and one is not to receive this from another place than those who spend time with nature in even a moderate degree. Now, it is clear that, for the sake of fruit, the Creator commanded fruit- bearing trees to bloom, on account of which He made the things needful for those things [to occur] with a particular sequence. As the fruits needed shelter, for this purpose [he gave] protection from the leaves. Let us consider these things also in reference to the wisdom concerning the universe, in which the Creator of all made all things ^[165], for some things come into existence principally, and others [come to be] consequentially on account of the principal things. For the rational living being [came to be] principally, and because of his need [there came to be] cattle and the things that grow from the earth. Perhaps, then, the logoi of the things that came to be principally are the fruits of the tree of life, but the things created on account of these are the leaves, of which nothing is vain, nor at all worthy to be disdained as useless, such that, not being guarded, it might proceed to fall and fall off.

And still more with what comes next: “And all such things as he does, he will prosper.” The fruit of Christ would be the principal teaching which is nourishment for those more honorable, but leaf is the nourishment of those more irrational, just as men make use of fruits, but cattle [use] the leaves. One might also say that there are certain fruits of the Scripture, which the more rational folk partake of, but the more simple folk nourish themselves with the leaves. The fruit of him who is blessed and likened to the tree of life might also be called the principal works, such as well- doing, and the occupation of wisdom, while “leaves” are the movements of his natural life, which are not worthy to be despised, nor [be allowed] to fall off, by doing all things with attention and for the glory of God. For in this way every sort of thing that he practices will prosper.

4.^[166] Not so the impious, but as the chaff which the wind drives away from the face of the earth, etc.

Neither the Hebrew text nor any of the translations duplicate the text.^[44]

5.^[167] For this reason the impious will not rise in the judgment, etc.

As a result [of this passage], those more simple folk among the believers who are eager beginners think that the impious will not participate in the resurrection, as the [simple folk] have some understanding of the resurrection, and imagine some form of judgment, yet they do not at all clearly explain [these matters]. For even though they seem to give an opinion concerning these things, the examination will expose that they are unable to maintain them in turn with any consistency. If then we might inquire, To what part of them does the resurrection happen?, they answer, “to the bodies which we now have around us.” Then, when we ask besides “whether [the resurrection relates to] their essence as a whole, or not?,” before close examination they say that [it relates] to the whole. But if we propose a further difficulty, involving ourselves with their simplemindedness, as to whether the blood flowing in veins will be raised, and the flesh, and the hair which has ever yet existed, or only those things compressed for the departure, they run to [the position] that it is for God to do what he wants. But those more noble than them, so that they might not be forced to give a cogent account of how the blood itself relates to what they often answer, “it happens to our bodies,” they say that “at the end our bodies will be raised.” We proposed a further difficulty on account of the change that happens to the bodily nature, and that just as things such as the foods are assimilated into our body, and they change [their] likenesses, in the same way our bodies are also changed, and in carnivorous birds of prey and beasts they become members of those bodies. And again when those are eaten by men or other animals they change again, and become the bodies of men or other animals. And because of the amount that this happens it must be that the same body would become party [μέρος] to a great many humans. Whose body will this be, then, in the resurrection? And in this way it will occur that we [would be] irrational to fall into a depth of silliness.^[45]

And after these difficulties, they seek refuge in the fact that all things are possible for God, and they proffer the texts of Scripture that they suppose can, according to the plain sense, support their understanding, for example, what is in Ezekiel: “And the hand of the Lord came upon me, and the Lord brought me forth by the Spirit, and set me in the midst of the plain, and it was full of men’s bones. And he led me all around them, around and around: and, behold, there were very many on the face of the plain; and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, will these bones live?’ and I said, ‘O Lord God, you know this.’ And he said to me, ‘Prophesy, son of man, and say to them, “O these dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord to these bones; ‘Behold, I will bring upon you the breath of life: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and will spread skin upon you, and will put my Spirit into you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord’”’” ^[168].

So, they make use of this more plausible saying, but they also mention others from the Gospels, such as, “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” ^[169], and “Fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” ^[170], and that in Paul, “He will give life to your mortal bodies, because his Spirit is indwelling you” ^[171].

Every lover of truth should struggle in his own mind to understand these things concerning the resurrection, to preserve the tradition of the ancients, and to beware of succumbing to the nonsense of impoverished thinking, which is at the same time incapable and unworthy of God. One must discuss this, then, about the topic, that every body is composed by nature from assimilating into it something from outside like food, and from rejecting other things instead of those things drawn in, just as [in the case] of plants and animals, the underlying material reality at no time stands on its own. Wherefore it is not for ill that the body has been called a river, since, in the precise nature of the matter, there are no two days where the underlying reality in our bodies is the same; and further with, say, either Paul, or Peter, they are always themselves, not only with regard to the soul—the essence of which is neither in flux according to us, nor does it have anything ever introduced anew—but also because, even though the nature of the body is in flux, the characteristic form of the body is the same, such that the exemplars [τοὺς τύπους] remain the same, presenting Peter and Paul in their particular bodily quality. According to this particular quality indeed scars from childhood, spots, and certain other characteristics, remain continually in [their] bodies.

In addition to this, if there is some similarity of bodily form, according to which Peter and Paul are given particular form, [then the bodily form] which in the resurrection is again set about the soul [will be] changed to something better, but not altogether the same still as the underlying reality assigned at first.^[46] Just as the form is until the end, even though the characters seem to have much change, so also one must understand in the present case, the form to be the same as what is future, with a fullness of change such as will be for the better. For it is necessary that the soul, existing in bodily places, make use of bodies corresponding to those places. And just as to live in the sea we would have to be aquatic, it would be completely necessary to have another constitution similar to fish, so also when we come to inherit the kingdom of heaven, and we will be in different places, it will be necessary to make use of spiritual bodies, not of the form that at first was invisible, even though the change resulted in something more noble than it, just as the form of Jesus, and of Moses, and of Elijah, was not something different in the Transfiguration than what it was [otherwise]. Do not be scandalized, then, if someone might say that the first underlying reality will not be the same then, wherever the word/reason demonstrates to those able to understand, that the first underlying reality is not now able to be [the same] two days.

It also worthy to note that that which is sown is one thing, but what is raised is another, for “the natural body is sown, [and] a spiritual body is raised up” ^[172]. Indeed the Apostle refers to all, teaching us, generally, that it is the earthy sort that we are going to set aside, for the form that is saved according to the resurrection, “This I say, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor corruption that which is incorrupt” ^[173]. For it will be the same way regarding the saint who is supported by that which gives particularity then with the flesh. But it will no longer be flesh, but what received its characteristic form in the flesh then, this will receive its characteristic form in the spiritual body.

And let us speak to the sayings of the Scriptures, which our brothers employed, starting in Ezekiel. Because it is on the basis of these texts [in Ezekiel] that the more simple folk profess that there will not be a resurrection of flesh, but only^[47] of bones, and skins, and sinews. Likewise one must indicate to them, that they have come to a hasty conclusion, as not having understood what is written. For if bones are named, certainly one must not understand bones themselves [literally], just as [one would] not in the case of, “All my bones have been scattered” ^[174]. And, “Heal me, for my bones were troubled” ^[175], clearly indicating that “bones” are not being mentioned in the customary usage.

It follows, then, with this word: Do they really say, “Our bones have become dry” because “they themselves say, that Our bones have become dry” ^[176], desiring that they be joined back together as they are raised? But this is impossible. They would say, “our bones have become dry,” after they came into captivity and had cast away all life-giving moisture. They continue, then, “Our hope has perished; we are lost” ^[177]. So, the promise of the people’s resurrection pertains to the fall, and from the deadness, as it were, which they died, having been handed over to their enemies because of their sins.^[48] And the sinners are said by the Savior to be graves full of bones and every impurity ^[178]. It is fitting for God to open the tombs of each person, and from the tombs to lead us out who are being given life, just as the Savior called Lazarus out. And this, “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” ^[179], one must raise the question to them that, since in this life the Creator prepared each member [of the body] for some use, so also teeth are for cutting solid food. What use, then, are teeth for those who are being punished? For those who are in hades are not eating for themselves. One must show that it is not necessary that all of this be admitted in the literal sense [κατὰ τὸ κείμενον]. [For example,] “You have crushed the teeth of sinners” ^[180], and “The Lord has smashed the molars of lions” ^[181]. Would someone be so silly as to suppose that when God takes the bodies of sinners, he crushes only their teeth? Just as, then, if someone, who wants to take these things in this way, is drawn to allegory under compulsion, so also one must inquire whether the gnashing of the teeth of those being punished is in fact a power of “chewing” that the soul has, which in the time of the reproof concerning sins, he will bite teeth, as one supposes, according to the collision of teeth. But this, “Fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” ^[182] likely teaches, that the soul [itself] is incorporeal, and perhaps it indicates that it will not be punished apart from the body. About which we offered an inquiry into the nature of the things concerning the form and first underlying reality. And this from the Apostle, “He will give life to our mortal bodies” ^[183], while the body is mortal, and does not partake of true life, it can be present, wherever the somatic form is—about which we said that it is by nature mortal—“when Christ our life will appear” ^[184], and he changes it from being a body of death to being a life-giving one, because the life-giving Spirit has given existence from the spirit. And this, “But he will say, ‘How are the dead raised up, and with what sort of body do they come?” ^[185]. presents nakedly, that it is not the first underlying reality that will be raised. For if we have received the point of the example, we must say that the seminal word [ὁ σπερματικὸς λόγος] in the grain of wheat, clutching the matter available, and penetrating it completely, grasping its very form, of which powers it has he sets on the earth, and water, and air, and fire, overcoming the qualities of those things, he changes to it what the Creator himself is. And in this way the ear of corn, differing from the grain at the beginning in an extreme way, is fulfilled with magnitude and pattern, and diversity.

Of the same [author]. Judgment of the righteous is the transition from the practical body to the angelic one; but for the impious it is a change from the practical body to bodies that are dark and gloomy. For the impious will be raised up not in the first judgment, but in the second.^[49]

6.^[186] For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the impious will perish.

Nothing worthless is known by God, but [only] the way of the righteous, for “The Lord knows those who are his,” it says ^[187]. The “way of the righteous” is He who says, “I am the way” ^[188], concerning which it reads, “Do see what sort is the good way” ^[189]. But He is ignorant of and does not know evil things, as He is not capable of grasping all these things, and to comprehend [them] with His intellect (for this is reckoned unlawful for God), but they are unworthy of his knowledge. Perhaps it is for this reason (and the passage [ὁ λόγος] will say something even more daring) that He makes inquiry concerning things which He does not know. For when Adam sinned, He did not know him, nor the place to which he had fallen when he fled from God. Wherefore He says, “Adam, where are you?” ^[190]. Likewise, in the Gospel, He made inquiry concerning things He did not know because they were not worthy of His knowledge. For when He did not know the demon, nor his name, He inquired as to his name, he then answered, “My name is Legion” ^[191]. And before the woman with the flow of blood [received] forgiveness she grasped the Savior, and He inquired, saying, “Who touched me?” ^[192].

God does not know the way of the unrighteous, then, but He knows that of the righteous. What is the way of the righteous except He who says, “I am the way” ^[193], whom the Father knows? For “no one knows the Son except the Father” ^[194]. The terms continually used in the prophets, the “remembrance” and “forgetting” of God, agrees with these things concerning the “knowledge” and “ignorance” of God. Many times it is said in the prayers, “Remember me” ^[195], and “Why do you forget our poverty?” ^[196]. For He casts away those who sin from His own memory, just as again He admits those who are repentant, and He takes up their memory.