Divine Providence and the Shelter of Truth
The manifest works of providence can serve as his face, for through them we perceive God; but his secret, private words are the basis of all things, though we do not perceive them in the perfection of reality.
From the disturbance of men—those human doctrines promising things to men while causing disturbance, through which they trouble the uninstructed—God, making those who hope in him outside of this disturbance, hides them in the secrecy of his face in all the ways mentioned. He will cover them in a tent from the opposition of tongues. He who has reached the perfection of all progress, having withdrawn from it, understands the truth through which it is un-deceivable; but he who encounters it while still progressing needs the covering of God in a tent, that is, of various tongues, or rather various false doctrines. For it is said toward the perfect: 'And every voice that shall rise up against you for judgment shall defeat them all' (Isaiah 54:17). For every heterodox word rises up desiring to be judged alongside the ecclesiastical opinion. But he who thinks the things of the church will defeat them all.
Not such a great wonder is worthy of being shown by the mercy of God in the hostile and smoothed-over cities, which would be wondered at if it occurred in a city of dominion; just as for this reason God is most blessed, being praised by those who have been rescued from greater disturbance. And the name of ecstasy signifies madness, and also denotes the wonder occurring with astonishment; the present word signifies the second of these meanings. For he says such a thing: 'In ecstasy,' that is, having occurred in astonishment, 'I have been cast away far from the presence of your eyes' (Psalm 31:22), that is, far from the glory of your supervisory and inspecting powers; and since I have thus arranged, I pleaded not to remain cast away but that the face of the Lord might appear to me.
Ps 30:24: Since the truth that said 'I am the truth' (John 14:6) is one, many truths come to be in those who partake of the one, each soul having the truth, the type of which it received from the only-begotten truth.
Since, then, the Lord seeks out all these truths, he wishes to honor those who have them for these truths.
For this reason, his holy ones, seek him out, not without reward, resting upon the truth you have.
Ps 31:1a: And since the psalm has many hidden things, the one encountering it needs understanding, that he may be able to understand each of the things said obscurely.
Ps 31:1b-c: They say the difference between iniquities and sins is this: the sins of those who have not received any law at all are called iniquities, while those committed by transgression of the law are named sins.
Blessed, then, are those whose iniquities are forgiven, those now coming to the divine word; and blessed are those whose sins are covered, whenever, having disobeyed the law, they afterward repent.
For 'forgiveness' is said of iniquities, but 'covering' of sins, because iniquities are forgiven altogether.
For those who sin without law are pardonable; the hidden sins are not forgiven altogether but are overshadowed from love: 'For love covers a multitude of sins' (1 Pet 4:8).
And some apply the 'Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven' (Psalm 32:1; LXX 31:1) to those who have received the bath unto forgiveness of sins, and the 'And whose sins are covered' to those who from repentance have covered their sins.
And there are those who take the first of the believing nations, and the second of those of the circumcision who have received the Savior.
Ps 31:2: The sinless one is called not simply a human being but a man, on account of perfection.
Thus, then, God does not reckon sin to him, either by forgiving it or by its not having happened at all.
For this will be fitting [...].
Greek
καὶ τὰ προφανῆ ε ργα τῆς προνοίας πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ει ναι δύναται· δι' αὐτῶν γὰρ θεὸν φανταζόμεθα· ἀπόκρυφον δὲ αὐτοῦ οἱ ἀπόρρητοι λόγοι καθ' ου ς γίνεται τὰ γινόμενα, ου ς ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν πραγμάτων εἰσόμεθα ̓Απὸ ταραχῆς ἀνθρώπων. οἱ ἀνθρώπινα δόγματα ἐπαγγελλόμενοι α νθρωποί εἰσιν ταραχὴν προβαλλόμενοι, δι' η ς ταράττουσιν τοὺς ἀνερματίστους. ταύτης τῆς ταραχῆς ἐκτὸς ποιῶν τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς κατακρύπτει αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ κατὰ πάντας τοὺς εἰρημένους τρόπους. Σκεπάσεις αὐτοὺς ἐν σκηνῇ ἀπὸ ἀντιλογίας γλωσσῶν. ὁ τέλειος πάσης προκοπῆς ἀναχωρήσας αὐτὴν κατανοεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν δι' ο ἀνεξαπάτητός ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ ἐν τῷ προκόπτειν ἐπιτυγχάνων χρῄζει σκεπάζοντος θεοῦ ἐν σκηνῇ τουτέστιν τῶν διαφόρων γλωσσῶν η τοι διαφόρων ψευδοδοξιῶν. πρὸς γὰρ τὸν τέλειον λέγεται· Καὶ πᾶσα φωνὴ η ἀναστήσεται ἐπὶ σὲ εἰς κρίσιν, πάντας αὐτοὺς ἡττήσεις. πᾶς γὰρ λόγος ἑτερόδοξος ἀνίσταται κρίνεσθαι βουλόμενος μετὰ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς γνώμης. πάντας δὲ αὐτοὺς ἡττήσει ὁ τέλειος τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας φρονῶν. 278 Ps 30,22.23 Οὐ τοσοῦτον θαύματος α ξιον ο τ' α ν ἐμφαίνηται ὁ ε λεος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ταῖς ἀνετικαῖς καὶ ἡπλωμέναις πόλεσιν, ο σον θαυμαστούμενος τότε ο τ' α ν ἐν πόλει περιοχῆς γένηται· ὡς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐλογητὸν ει ναι τὸν θεὸν πάνυ εὐλογούντων τῶν ἐκ πλείονος περιστάσεως ῥερυσμένων. Τὸ δὲ τῆς ἐκστάσεως ο νομα σημαίνει τὴν παραφροσύνην, δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν θαυμασμὸν μετ' ἐκπλήξεως γινόμενον· σημαίνει ἡ παροῦσα λέξις τὸ δεύτερον τῶν σημαινομένων. ο γὰρ λέγει 66 ε στιν τοιοῦτον· ̓Εν ἐκστάσει, τουτέστιν ἐν ἐκπλήξει γεγενημένος, ει πα ̓Απέρριμμαι α ρα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου, τουτέστιν μακρὰν ε δοξα ει ναι τῶν ἐποπτικῶν καὶ ἐπισκοπευτικῶν σου δυνάμεων, καὶ ἐπεὶ ου τω διατεθεὶς παρεκάλεσα μὴ ἀπερριμμένος μεῖναι ἀλλ' ἐπιφανῆναί μοι τὸ πρόσωπον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰσήκουσας τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεώς μου ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς σέ. 279 Ps 30,24ab Μιᾶς ἀληθείας ου σης τῆς εἰπούσης ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια, πολλαὶ συνίστανται ἐν τοῖς μετέχουσιν τῆς μιᾶς ἑκάστης ψυχῆς ἀλήθειαν ἐχούσης, ο ν ἐδέξατο τύπον ἐκ τῆς μονογενοῦς ἀληθείας. ἐπεὶ ου ν πάσας τὰς ἀληθείας ταύτας ἐκζητεῖ κύριος, τιμῆσαι ἐπ' αὐτὰς βούλεται τοὺς ε χοντας αὐτάς. τούτου χάριν, οἱ ο σιοι αὐτοῦ, ἐκζητήσατε αὐτόν, οὐκ ἀμισθὶ καταλύοντες ἐφ' ῃ ε χετε ἀληθείᾳ. 280 Ps 31,1a Καὶ ἐπεὶ πολλὰ κεκρυμμένα ὁ ψαλμὸς ε χει, συνέσεως χρεία τῷ ἐντυγχάνοντι, ι να συνιέναι δυνηθῇ ε καστα τῶν ἀσαφῶς εἰρημένων. 281 Ps 31,1bc ̓Ανομιῶν καὶ ἁμαρτιῶν διαφορὰν ει ναί φασιν τοιαύτην· αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν μηδὲ ο ντιν' ου ν νόμον προσηκαμένων ἀνομίαι καλοῦνται, τῶν κατὰ παράβασιν νόμου πραττομένων ἁμαρτιῶν ὀνομαζομένων. Μακάριοι ου ν εἰσιν ω ν ἀφίενται αἱ ἀνομίαι, α ρτι τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ προσερχομένων· Μακάριοι δὲ καὶ ω ν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ο τ' α ν παρακούσαντες τοῦ νόμου υ στερον μετανοήσωσιν. α φεσις μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνομιῶν, ἐπικάλυψις δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ει ρηται τῷ τὰς ἀνομίας πάντῃ ἀφίεσθαι. συγγνωστοὶ γὰρ οἱ δίχα νόμου ἁμαρτάνοντες τῶν ἐπικρυπτομένων ἁμαρτιῶν οὐ πάντῃ ἀφιεμένων ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγάπης ἐπισκιαζομένων· ̓Αγάπη γὰρ καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν. Χρῶνται δέ τινες τῷ μὲν Μακάριοι ω ν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι ἐπὶ τῶν τὸ λουτρὸν εἰς α φεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐσχηκότων, τῷ δὲ Καὶ ω ν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ μετανοίας ἐπικρυψάντων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. εἰσὶν δὲ οι λαμβάνουσιν τὴν μὲν προτέραν ἐπὶ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐθνῶν, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν σωτῆρα προσηκαμένων. 282 Ps 31,2 ̔Ο ἀναμάρτητος οὐχ ἁπλῶς α νθρωπος ἀλλ' ἀνὴρ διὰ τὴν τελειότητα λέγεται. ου τω γοῦν ὁ θεὸς οὐ λογίζεται ἁμαρτίαν η τοι τῷ ἀφίεσθαι αὐτὴν η τῷ μηδ' ο λως γεγονέναι. ἁρμόσει γὰρ τοῦτο