Ways And Paths

Quoniam novit Dominus viam justorum et iter impiorum peribit. Averte sensum: Non resurguunt impii in judicio: quoniam novit Dominus viam justorum. Vias eorum utique novit, quorum dirigit gressus; sunt enim gressus hominum, qui a Domino diriguntur. Diriguntur a Domino et viae viri. Has novit Dominus vias, quae sunt rectae, quae ad illam vitam tendunt dicentis: Ego sum via, veritas, et vita. Haec bona est via: tortuosa autem est via saeculi. Non dignatur illam viam nosse. Illos enim agnoscit, qui sunt ipsius, qui operantur opera ejus: qui autem operantur iniquitatem, his dicit Dominus: Discedite a me, omnes operarii iniquitatis non novi vos. Non per ignorantiam, sed per id quod indigni sint scientia Dei, nesciuntur. Pulchre autem ait: Et iter impiorum peribit. Separavit Latinus, ut iter diceret, et tamquam discrevit iter a via; Graecus autem in utroque viam dixit. Non otiose tamen Latinus, quia et Dominus: Ego sum via, dixit, non dixit: Ego sum iter. Perire autem iter impiorum dixit, non impios. Servat eorum substantiam, qui si convertantur, solum iter impietatis amittent, quod nec ab initio fuit, nec eritr. Quod accidens igitiur est perit: quod susbtantivum, manet. Pereunt autem ita impii, quomodo dicitur: Anima qua peccat, ipsa morietur: ut peccati aculeo, non omni substantiae suae dissolutione moriantur. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, In Psalmum I Enarratio Source: Migne PL 14.952b-d

The Lord knows the way of the righteous but the path of the impious shall perish. 1 Attend to the meaning: 'The impious shall not rise in judgement,' 2 because the Lord knows the way of the righteous. And He knows their way, whose steps He directs, those steps of men which are directed by the Lord. The ways of upright men are directed by the Lord. The Lord knows these ways, which are straight, which lead to that life of which it is said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.' 3 This is the good way, the way of the world twists and turns, which latter way is not worthy to know the former. For He knows them, those who are His, those who perform His works. And those who work iniquity, about these the Lord says: 'Begone from me all you who are workers of iniquity; I do not know you.' 4 It is not by ignorance but by that which has made them unworthy of the knowledge of God, that they do not know. And beautifully it is said, 'The path of the impious will perish.' The Latin uses seperate terms, speaking of a path and distinguishing the path from the way. The Greek calls both a way. But the Latin is not otiose, because the Lord has said, 'I am the way,' and did not say, 'I am the path.' And it says that path of the impious shall be destroyed, not the impious themselves. He conserves their substance, that they might turn to Him; only the path of impiety shall be dismissed, that which was not in the beginning, nor shall it be always. So if it happens that it perishes, so the substance persists. And how the impious perish is given as: 'The soul which sins, it dies.' 5 So with the sting of sin, not with all their substance dissolving, do they die. Saint Ambrose, Commentary on the First Psalm 1 Ps 1.6 2 Ps 1.5 3 Jn 14.6 4 Lk 13.7 5 Ezek 18.4