Commentary on the Psalms · §56 · Didymus the Blind

The Meaning of Only-Begotten and Tribulation

If you take a man, he was not an only-begotten.

He had six other brothers.

Therefore, it must be avoided to say 'only-begotten' in this way, as in the verse: 'And I myself was left alone, and they seek my soul to take it' (1 Kgs 19:10).

By what logic they say the sun is only-begotten, by the fact that there is no other sun; so when the saint is made solitary and separated from other men by life and contemplation, he is only-begotten. 'Only-begotten' therefore means 'I am and I am poor.'

Yet he who is thus poor is rich; for he 'is rich' in every sense and in all knowledge.

But toward the God who looks upon him and bestows gifts, he is poor; just as Abraham said: 'Since I have begun to speak to the Lord, I am indeed dust and ashes' (Gen 18:27)—for he did not say 'dust and ashes' all at once, but 'since I have begun to speak to the Lord'—so also Moses, though trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and possessing sufficiency regarding speech,

called himself 'heavy-tongued and slow of speech' (Ex 4:10) from the time he began to speak to your servant.

And this man, therefore, even if he is rich—for nothing is richer than he who has his eyes always toward the Lord—yet toward the one looking upon him and showing mercy, he saw himself as poor.

And it is also possible to say 'only-begotten' meaning 'I have only one soul.'

This soul, having been caught, you will draw out from the snare; for to me it is only-begotten.

The tribulations of my heart have widened.

Not in every case, I say, do tribulations widen, but for the one bearing them bravely.

The apostle writes this: 'In all things being afflicted, but not in anguish' (2 Cor 4:8).

Those knowing the Hebrew dialect say that to be in anguish, when it is named after tribulation, signifies the intention of being afflicted, the being in anguish from not bravely bearing the afflictions, such as Job, who 'in all things being afflicted was not in anguish' (Job 1:21); for how could he be in anguish, he who says: 'As it pleased the Lord, so it happened;

let the name of the Lord be blessed'?

And the apostles coming out from the council, because they were dishonored for the name (Acts 5:41), were not being afflicted according to the disposition, but were rejoicing.

And regarding sensible things, the one contending for the crown of expectation, seeing it lying before his eyes, bravely bears the wounds, and rejoices that, being struck, he does not falter.

Therefore the name of tribulation, when one is afflicted but not in anguish, signifies the brave bearing.

The martyrs of the truth, being afflicted, were not in anguish.

'and bring me out of my necessities' (Psalm 25:17; LXX 24:17).

Here he calls the afflictions necessities.

And in other places:

'and they cried to the Lord, and he delivered them from their necessities' (Psalm 107:6; LXX 106:6).

For we must not attend to those who introduce nativity-astrology;

for those say this: that fate apportions something to men.

But if one is godly and becomes wise according to God, he becomes outside the things suspended by fate.

And the learned among the Egyptians, of whom is the thrice-great Hermes, say that the wise man is no longer subject to fate; he becomes outside the world.

As the Savior says it is possible, being in the world, to be no longer of it, when one has the mind above and a heavenly citizenship, so those, babbling from our scriptures, say that the wise man looses fate.

Some of those occupied with nativity-astrology thus hear such sayings, namely:

'There are fateful crises to which I am subject. Make me outside these; loose fate.'

We do not take the saying thus; rather, he calls the demonstrations necessities.

And this is also found in Job:

'Six times he shall deliver you from necessities, and in the seventh no evil shall touch you' (Job 5:19).

What he says is this:

the [...].

Greek

ἄνθρωπον λάβῃς, οὐκ ἦν μονογενής. εἶχεν ἄλλους ἓξ ἀδελφούς. οὕτω τοίνυν ἐκλημπτέον τὸ μονογενὲς ὧδε εἰρῆσθαι ὡς τό· "κἀγὼ ὑπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ ζητοῦσιν τὴν ψυχήν μου τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτήν". οἵῳ δὲ λόγῳ λέγουσιν τὸν ἥλιον 58 μονογενῆ τῷ ἄλλον ἥλιον μὴ εἶναι, ὅταν ὁ ἅγιος μονωθῇ καὶ χωρισθῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων βίῳ καὶ θεωρίᾳ, μονογενής ἐστιν. "μονογενὴς" οὖν "εἰμι καὶ πτωχός". καίτοι ὁ οὕτω πτωχὸς πλούσιός ἐστιν· "πλουτεῖ" γὰρ "παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει". ἀλλὰ ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἐφορῶντα θεὸν καὶ τὰς δωρεὰς χαριζόμενον πτωχός ἐστιν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ εἶπεν· "ἐπεὶ ἠρξάμην λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον, ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός"–μὴ γὰρ καθάπαξ ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν "γῆ καὶ σποδός", ἀλλ' "ἐπεὶ ἠρξάμην πρὸς τὸν κύριον λαλῆσαι"–, οὕτω καὶ Μωυσῆς καίτοι πεπαιδευμένος πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ ἱκανῶς ἔχων περὶ λόγους, "ἰσχνόφωνον καὶ βραδύγλωσσον" ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν, "ἀφ' οὗ ἤρξω λαλεῖν τῷ θεράποντί σου". καὶ οὗτος οὖν εἰ καὶ πλούσιός ἐστιν– οὐδὲν γὰρ πλουσιώτερον τοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἔχον τος– , ἀλλ' ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἐπιβλέψαντα καὶ ἐλεῶντα εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν πτωχόν. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ "μονογενὴς" εἰπεῖν ὅτι μίαν ἔχω μόνην ψυχήν. ταύτην παγιδευθεῖσαν ἐκσπάσεις ἐκ τῆς παγίδος· μονογενὴς γάρ μοί ἐστιν. 17 αἱ θλίψεις τῆς καρδίας μου ἐπλατύνθησαν. οὐ παντός, λέγω, αἱ θλίψεις πλατύνονται, ἀλλὰ τοῦ γενναίως αὐτὰς φέροντος. τοῦτο ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει· "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι". λέγουσιν οἱ τὴν Ἑβραίων εἰδότες διάλεξιν ὅτι τὸ στενοχωρεῖσθαι, ὅτε μετὰ θλίψεως ὀνομάζεται, τοῦτο δηλοῖ τὸ προαιρέσει θλίβεσθαι, τὸ στενοχωρῆσαι τῷ μὴ γενναίως φέρειν τὰ θλιβηρά, οἷον ὁ Ἰὼβ "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενος οὐκ ἐστενοχωρεῖτο"· πῶς γὰρ ἐστενοχωρεῖτο ὁ λέγων· "ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου εὐλογημένον"; καὶ οἱ ἐξερχόμενοι δὲ ἀπόστολοι "ἀπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου, ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἀτιμασθῆναι", οὐκ ἐθλίβοντο κατὰ τὴν διάθεσιν, ἀλλὰ ἔχαιρον. καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν δὲ ὁ προσδοκίᾳ στεφάνου ἀγωνιζόμενος ὁρῶν αὐτὸν πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν κείμενον γενναίως φέρει τὰς πληγάς, χαίρει ὅτι τυπτόμενος οὐκ ἐνδίδει. τὸ τῆς θλίψεως οὖν ὄνομα ὅτε μετὰ στενοχωρίας συνέζευκται, τοῦτο σημαίνει τὸ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν μὴ θλίβεσθαι, ἀλλὰ γενναίως φέρειν. ὅταν χωρὶς ἕκαστον αὐτῶν κεῖται ἐν τῇ γραφῇ, ὃ σημαίνει ἡ θλῖψις, τοῦτο ἡ στενοχω ρία δηλοῖ· "ἐν θλίψει καὶ στενοχωρίᾳ ἐκεῖθεν λέων καὶ σκύμνος λέοντος καὶ ὄφεις καὶ ἔκγονα ἀσπίδων". ὅταν θλῖ88 ψις καὶ στενοχωρία γένηται, τουτέστιν ὅταν τὰ ἔξωθεν θλιβηρὰ ᾖ, θλίβηται δὲ καὶ ἡ διάθεσις, θλίβηται καὶ ἡ προαίρεσις ἑκάστου, καὶ ἤθη φανερὰ γίνεται, ὁ λέων λέων φαίνεται–ἤτοι ὁ γενναῖος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἢ ὁ θυμώδης· ἀμφότερα δὲ φανεροῖ· ὅταν ὁ δίκαιος ὡς λέων πεποιθὼς γενναίως ἐνέγκῃ τὰ θλιβηρά, τότε ἐπαινετῶς λέων ὤφθη. ὅταν δὲ σὺν τῇ θλίψει στενοχωρῆταί τις θυμώδης, ἀναδείκνυται ὠμόθυμος καὶ "σκύμνος λέοντος". ἐπὶ τῶν λεόντων οἱ μέν εἰσιν τέλειοι, οἱ δὲ ἀτελεῖς καὶ ὡσανεὶ σκύμνοι τῶν λεόντων καὶ γεννήματα τῶν λεόντων. οὕτω καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀνθρώπων προαιρέσεσιν εὑρήσεις· οἱ μέν εἰσιν ἄκρως λέοντες, οἱ δὲ ἄρτι λαμβάνοντες τοῦ γεννᾶσθαι. οἱ μάρτυρες τῆς ἀληθείας θλιβόμενοι οὐκ ἐστενοχωροῦντο. 17 καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν μου ἐξάγαγέ με. ἀνάγκας ὧδε τὰς θλίψεις λέγει. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· "καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς κύριον, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν αὐτῶν ἐρύσατο αὐτούς". οὐ γὰρ προσεκτέον τοῖς εἰσηγουμένοις γενεθλιαλογίαν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι λέγουσιν ὅτι ἐπιμετρεῖ τινα ἡ εἱμαρμένη τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. ἐὰν δέ τις θεοσεβήσῃ καὶ κατὰ θεὸν σοφὸς γένηται, ἔξω γίνεται τῶν ἐπηρτημένων. καὶ Αἰγυπτίων οὖν οἱ λόγιοι, ὧν ἐστιν ὁ τριςμέγιστος Ἑρμῆς, λέγουσιν ὅτι ὁ σοφὸς οὐκέτι ὑπόκειται τῇ εἱμαρμένῃ, ἔξω γίνεται τοῦ κόσμου. ὡς λέγει ὁ σωτὴρ δυνατὸν εἶναι ὄντα ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ μηκέτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ εἶναι, ὅταν ἄνω ἔχῃ τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν οὐράνιον, οὕτω ἐκεῖνοι ψελλίσαντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων λέγουσιν ὅτι ὁ σοφὸς λύει τὴν εἱμαρμένην. τινὲς γοῦν τῶν περὶ γενεθλιαλογίαν ἐχόντων οὕτως 59 εἰσακούονται τὰ τοιαῦτα ῥητὰ ὅτι· "κρισσαί εἰσιν αἷς ὑπόκειμαι. ἔξω τούτων με ποίησον, λῦσον τὴν εἱμαρμένην". οὐχ οὕτως ἐκλαμβάνομεν τὸ ῥητόν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἀνάγκας λέγει. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ φέρεται· "ἑξάκις ἐξ ἀναγκῶν σε ἐξελεῖται, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ οὐδὲν ἅψεταί σου κακόν". ὃ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὁ

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About this text

Didymus the Blind reads the Psalms as the voice of Christ, explaining God's unchanging nature, the Son's divinity and humanity, and the life of virtue.

Didymus the Blind (c. 313–c. 398) was a Christian teacher in Alexandria. He lost his sight at the age of four, before he learned to read, and he remained a layman all his life. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, made him head of the Alexandrian school. He taught there for about half a century, followed Origen, and opposed Arianism.

This English is his commentary on the Psalms, the work stored as Commentarii in Psalmos. It is not his separate book of fragments on the Psalms. He explains the biblical text from his teaching in Alexandria.

A reader meets discussions of the power of God and the nature of the Word, the distinction of divinity and humanity, the eternity of Christ's reign, the precious stones of virtue, hope, and the psalm as the voice of the Savior. Terms such as Word, right hand, and face of God carry theological weight in this commentary.

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