Councils of the Impious and the Law

Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὅς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, κ. τ. ἑ  Βουλὴ ἀσεβῶν ἐστι λογισμὸς ἐμπαθὴς αἰσθητοῖς πράγμασι τὸν νοῦν προσδεσμῶν. Οὐκ εἶπε δὲ, «ἄνθρωπος,» ἀλλ' «ἀνὴρ,» ὅτι πρὸς ἀγῶνας καὶ πάλας καὶ μάχας τὰς ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς καλεῖ· καὶ βούλε ται καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἀῤῥενώπους καὶ ἀνδρείας εἶναι. Μακαριότης δὲ, ψυχῆς ἀπάθεια μετὰ γνώσεως τῶν ὄντων ἀληθοῦς. Καθέδρα λοιμῶν ἐστι λογικῆς ψυχῆς ἕξις χειρίστη, καθ' ἣν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους διδάσκει· καὶ νομικοὶ, οἳ καὶ κληθεῖεν ἂν ἀσεβεῖς καὶ λοιμοὶ, καὶ ἁμαρτωλοί. Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

Blessed the male who does not go into the council of the impious, etc 1 The council of the impious is agitated thought taking to sensible deeds for the binding of a mind. It does not say, ' 'Blessed the man,' but  'Blessed the male' because to battles and struggles and fights one is called to take up virtue, and he wishes both women and men to be strong in this. And blessed the soul inured to suffering with the knowledge of the truth. The seat of pestilence is of him who possessing a degenerate soul teaches others, and those who by use of the law call others to be impious, pestilential and sinners. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.1

The Reward of the Impious

'Non sic impii.' Illa universa genera praemiorum quae de justo diximus, impius non accipiet. 'Non sic impii.' Non dixit, non sic peccatores; si enim de peccatoribus dixisset, omnes alieni eramus. 'Non sic impii.' Inter impium et peccatorem hoc interest: qui impius est, negat Deum: qui peccator est, confitetur et peccat. 'Non sic impii. In quibusdam legitur, 'non sic' hoc secundo. 'Non sic impii, non sic.' Sed sciamus quia in Hebraico semel positum est. Diximus de sancto viro, et comparationem ejus. 'Et erit tamquam lignum, quod pantatum est secus decursus aquarum.' Nunc contrario de impio dicitur. Sicut justus vir comparatur ligno: sic impius comparatur pulveri, quam projicit ventus a facie terrae. Pulvis licet de terra sit, tamen desinit esse terra. 'sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae.' Videte quid dicitur, tam infelix erit impius, ut nec terrens quidem sit pulvis. Videtur quidem non habere substantiam, sed habet terrae suam substantiam. Nihil habet substantiam, sed habet suam substantiam. Nihil habet solidum; sed quod habet, ad poenam habet. Huc illucque dispergitur. Numquam in uno loco est. Quocumque ventus traxerit, illuc impetus ejus dirigitur. Sic et impius qui semel negaverit Deum, quecumque illum aura diaboli traxerit, illuc errore perducitur. Quoniam diximus quid sit justus, et cui comparetur: quid sit impius, et cui comparetur: et de praesenti caecute diximus; nunc debemus de futuro et aeterno cognoscere. Sanctus Hieronymous, Liber De Expositione Psalmorum, Psalmus Primus

'Not so the impious.'1 All the rewards the righteous man will receive which we have spoken of, the impious shall not have: 'Not so the impious' It does not say, 'not so the sinners,' for if it did speak about sinners we would all have been denied. 'Not so the impious'  Between the impious and the sinner this is the difference: he who is impious denies God, he who is a sinner confesses God and sins. 'Not so the impious.' In this reading 'not so' is repeated but we know that in the Hebrew it is written just once. We have spoken concerning the holy man and his comparison, ' And he shall be like a tree which is planted near flowing waters.' Now of the impious let it be said that as the righteous man is compared to a tree so the impious man is compared to dust which is blown forth by the wind from the face of the earth. Dust does come from the earth, however it is not the earth. 'But as dust which the wind blows forth from the face of the earth.' See what is said, how unhappy the impious shall be, that not earth is what is dust. He seems not to have any substance, but he has the substance of the earth. He has no substance but he has his own substance. There is nothing solid but what he has for punishment. Hither and thither he is blown. He is in no one place. Wherever the wind has dragged him, by that force he is drawn. So even the impious who once has denied God, the breath of the devil buffets him and leads him into error. And because we have spoken of the righteous man and to what he is comparable, so it may be with the impious man and to what is comparable, and having spoken of his present blindness, now we may know his future and eternity. Saint Jerome, Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.4

Knowing the Way

Ὅτι γινώσκει ὁ Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Οὐδὲν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γινώσκεται φαῦλον, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν δικαίων ὁδός. «Ἔγνω» γὰρ «Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ.». Ὁδὸς δὲ δικαίων ὁ εἰ πών· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς,» περὶ οὗ λέλεκται· «Ἴδετε δὲ ποία ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀγαθή.». Ὁδὸς δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἣν ὁδεύουσιν οἱ κακολογοῦντες τὸν Δημιουρ γόν. Ἀγνοεῖ δὲ καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τὰ κακὰ, οὐ τῷ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν περιδράξασθαι πάντων, καὶ περιλαβεῖν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτοῦ (τοῦτο γὰρ ἀθέμιτον καὶ λογίζεσθαι περὶ Θεοῦ)· ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀνάξια εἶναι τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ. Τάχα διὰ τοῦτο (τολμηρότερον δὲ αὐτὸ ἐρεῖ ὁ λόγος) πυνθάνεται περὶ ὧν οὐκ οἶδεν· ὅταν γὰρ ἁμάρτῃ ὁ Ἀδὰμ, οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ τὸν τόπον εἰς ὃν ἐκ πέπτωκε φεύγων ἀπὸ Θεοῦ. Διό φησιν· «Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ;» Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ πυνθάνεται περὶ ὧν οὐκ οἶδεν, οὐκ ὄντων ἀξίων τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδε τὸ δαιμόνιον, οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὑτοῦ, πυνθάνεται τί τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, ὅτε ἐκεῖνο ἀποκρίνε ται, ὅτι, «Λεγεὼν ὄνομά μοι.». Καὶ πρὶν τὴν ἄφεσιν τὴν περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας λαβεῖν τὴν αἱμοῤῥοοῦσαν, πυνθάνεται λέγων· «Τίς μου ἥψατο;» Τὴν ὁδὸν οὖν τῶν ἀδίκων ὁ Θεὸς ἀγνοεῖ, τὴν δὲ τῶν δικαίων γινώσκει. Τίς δὲ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν δικαίων ἢ ὁ εἰπών· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς,» ὃν γινώσκει ὁ Πατήρ; «Οὐ δεὶς γὰρ ἔγνω τὸν Υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ.». Ἁρμόσει δὲ τοῖς περὶ γνώσεως καὶ ἀγνωσίας Θεοῦ τὰ συνεχῶς κείμενα ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις ὀνόματα, μνήμη καὶ λήθη Θεοῦ. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἐν εὐχαῖς εἴρηται τό· «Μνή σθητί μου·» καὶ, «Ἵνα τί ἐπιλανθάνῃ τῆς πτωχείας ἡμῶν;» Ἀποῤῥίπτει γὰρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μνήμης τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας· ὥσπερ πάλιν προσίεται τοὺς μετα νοοῦντας, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνει τούτων τὴν μνήμην. Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

God knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish.1 Nothing of the wicked is known by God but only the way of the righteous. For, 'The Lord knows those who are his.'2 The way of the righteous is that One who says, 'I am the way, '3 of which indeed it is said 'See that it may be a good way,'4 The way of the impious is the way in which they walk who speak ill of the creator. He is unaware nor does he know of the wicked, not that he is unable to comprehend everything and understand in his mind, ( for this indeed would be wicked to think of God.) but that they are unworthy of his thought. Therefore even boldly it might be said that He asks about those whom he does not know. For when Adam sinned, he did not know him, nor the place to which he had fallen fleeing from God. Thus he said, 'Adam, where are you?' 5 Likewise in the Gospel He asks about those whom he did not know, those who were unworthy of his thought. Because he did not know the demon, nor the name, he asked him for his name and he was told. 'My name is Legion.' 6 And before this he asked about the woman suffering with a flow of blood who obtained forgiveness of sins, saying, 'Who touched me?' 7 Therefore God does not know the way of the iniquitous  but he knows the way of the righteous. And who is the way of the just but he who said, 'I am the way,' whom the Father knows? 'For no one knows the Son unless the Father.'8 And of the rest of this concerning the knowledge and ignorance of God, look to all that has been said in the prophets about the memory and the forgetfulness of God. For often in prayer it is said, 'Be mindful of me,' and 'Why have you forgotten the poor'? 9 For as sinners are removed from his mind, so again penitents return and are taken up into memory. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.6 2 Tim 2.19  3 Jn 14.6 4 Jer 6.16 5 Gen 3.9 6 Mk 5.9 7 Lk 3.43 8 Mt 11.27 9 Ps 43.24

The Fate of the Impious

Non sic impii, non sic: sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae  Non est impiis comparativae hujus beatitudinis spes relicta, sed vagum os, obtritum, bentilatum, dispersum et inquietum manet, ut ex illa corporalis soliditatis firmitate decussi, ludibrio pulveris differantur in poenam: non in nihilum dissoluti, ut sit in his materies poenae; sed in inane ac leve aridumque pretriti, it ludibriosa poenae mobilitate jactentur. Cujus poenae et loco altero idem propheta meminit, dicens: 'Comminuam eos ut pulverem ante faciem venti, it lutum platearum delebo illos.' Comparatio itaque ut beatitudiniis, ita et poenae est contituta. Quomodo enim nullus labor est vento pulverem dissipare, et quomodo lutum in plateis ingredientes se prope calcasse non sentiunt: ita poenae illi inferni facile est impios delere atque dispergere, quos peccatorum ratio et in lutum solverit, et comminuerit in pulverem, non relicta neque substantia firmitatis, cum pulvis et lutm sint; et per id quod pulvis et lutm sunt, in naturam tantum poenalis substantiae reservati. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum Primum

Not so the impious, not so, but they are as dust which the wind drives away from the face of the earth. The impious have no possible hope of having the image of the happy tree applied to them; the only lot that awaits them is one of wandering and winnowing, crushing, dispersion and unrest. Shaken out of the solid framework of their bodily condition, they must be swept away to punishment in dust, a plaything of the wind. They shall not be dissolved into nothing, however, for punishment must find in them some stuff to work on, but rather ground into particles, and so weightless, unsubstantial and dry they shall be tossed to and fro the amusement of ceaseless punishment. And their punishment is recorded by the same Prophet in another place where he says: 'I will beat them small as the dust before the wind, like the mire of the streets I will destroy them.'1 Thus as there is an appointed type for happiness, so is there one for punishment. For as it is no hard task for the wind to scatter the dust, and as men who walk through the mud of the streets are hardly aware that they have been treading on it, so it is easy for the punishment of hell to destroy and disperse the ungodly, the logical result of whose sins is to melt them into mud and crush them into dust, bereft of all solid substance, for dust and mud they are, and being merely mud and dust are good for nothing else than punishment. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 17.43

Dust and Earth and Pride

Non sic impii, non sic: sed tamquam pulvis quem proicit ventus a facie terrae. Terra hic accipienda est ipsa stabilitas in Deo, secundum quam dicitur: Dominus pars haereditatis meae, etenim haereditas mea praeclara est mihi; secundum hanc dicitur: Sustine Dominum, et observa vias eius, et exaltabit te, ut possideas terram; secundum hanc dicitur: Beati mites, quia ipsi haereditate possidebunt terram. Similitudo autem hinc ducta est; quia ut haec terra visibilis exteriorem hominem nutrit et continet, ita illa terra invisibilis interiorem hominem. A cuius terrae facie proicit ventus impium, id est superbia, quia inflat. Quam cavens ille qui inebriabatur ab ubertate domus Dei, et torrente voluptatis eius potabatur, dicit: Non veniat mihi pes superbiae. Ab hac terra proiecit superbia eum qui dixit: Ponam sedem meam ad Aquilonem, et ero similis Altissimo. Ab huius terrae facie proiecit etiam eum qui, cum consensisset et gustasset de prohibito ligno, ut esset sicut Deus, abscondit se a facie Dei. Hanc terram ad interiorem hominem pertinere, et inde superbia hominem proici, maxime intellegi potest in eo quod scriptum est: Quid superbit terra et cinis? quoniam in vita sua proiecit intima sua; unde enim proiectus est, non absurde se dicitur proiecisse. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarratio in Psalmum I

Not so the impious, not so, but they are like the dust which the wind blows forth from the face of the earth 1 The earth is here to be understood as that steadfastness in God, accordingly it is said, 'The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, mine is indeed a wondrous inheritance.'2 And on account of this it is said, 'Wait on the Lord and keep His ways, and He shall exalt you to inherit the earth.' 3 And on account of this it is said, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' 4 A comparison also is drawn from this, for as this visible earth supports and contains the outer man, so does that invisible earth the inner man. From the face of that earth the wind blows forth the impious man, that is, the pride by which he is inflated. Which on guard against, he who was inebriated by the richness of the house of the Lord, and who drank of the rushing stream of its delights, says, 'Let not the foot of pride come against me.' 5 From this earth pride cast forth him who said, 'I will place my seat in the north, and I will be like the Most High.' 6 From the face of the earth it cast forth him also who, after he had consented and tasted of the forbidden tree that he might be as God, hid himself from the Face of God.7 That this earth pertains to the inner man, and that pride blows forth the man, may be especially understood in that which is written: 'Why is earth and ashes proud? Because in his life he cast forth his bowels.' 8 Because he cast forth, it is not unreasonably said that he has cast forth himself. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Commentary on Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.4 2 Ps15.5 3 Ps 36.34 4 Mt 5:5 5 Jn 4.10, 13 -14  6 Is 14:13-14 7 Gen 3:8 8 Sir 10:9-10

The Impious And Judgement

Διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει. Διὰ τοῦτο μὲν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν, ἀλλ' ὁμοίους εἶναι χοϊ γῆς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου ῥιπιζομένῳ· ἄνεμον δὲ νοήσεις τὴν πειλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν λέγουσαν· Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον. Οἱ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀκούσαντες φωνὴν καταπεσοῦνται δικαίως· οὐ γὰρ ἐστήκασιν εἰς Χριστὸν, ὅς ἐστι πιστευόντων στήριγμα καὶ θεμέλιος· τὸ γὰρ εἰς κρίσι φησὶν, οὐκ εἰς ἐρώτησιν. Ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ δικαίων, λέγει· ἀφορίζει γὰρ τοὺς δικαίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶ. Ψευδό Ἀθανάσιος, Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Α'

'Therefore the impious will not rise in judgement.' 1 Because of this: they have no root, but like dust from the earth they are swept away, and you should understand the warning of God who says, 'Begone from me, you accursed ones, to everlasting fire.' 2 And having heard this, it is rightly said that they fall away, for they have not stood with Christ, who is the foundation and support of the faithful. In judgement he has spoken and not as a question. 'In the council of the the righteous,' it says. For the righteous shall be separated from sinners. Pseudo Athanasius, Expositions of the Psalms, from Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.5 2 Mt 15.41

The Fruit of The Impious

Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἢ ὡσεὶ χοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς.   Ὁ μὲν μακάριος τοιοῦτος οἷον ὁ λόγος διέγραψεν· σπάνιος δὲ οὗτος καὶ ἐν ὀλίγοις εὑρισκόμενος. Πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οἵτινες ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες τῷ μακαρίῳ διαβέβληνται. Καρπὸν γὰρ πρόσκαιρον καὶ σκεδαστὸν, καὶ ἀπολλύμενον κτησάμενοι, γεγόνασιν ὡς ὁ χοῦς ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους. ψαλμος Α' Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος

Not so with the impious, not so, but they are as dust with the wind blows forth from the face of the earth. 1 The type of the blessed man has been described, and indeed men like this are few and rare. But the impious are numerous, who, having nothing of what is blessed, are condemned. Their fruit is only for a moment and scattered and being born it is destroyed, and they are as the dust which the wind drives forth from the face of the earth. Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1, Eusebius of Caesarea 1 Ps 1.4

Fruit and Leaves

Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ·  καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται·  καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ, κατευο δωθήσεται, Μετὰ ταῦτα παραληψώμεθα τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀκύλα λεγόμενον, «μεταπεφυτευμένον.». Πόθεν γὰρ τὸ ξύλον, περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος, μεταπεφύτευται ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν ὑδάτων διαιρέσεσιν; Ἢ γὰρ ἐῤῥιζωκὸς ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ πολλῶν μεταπεφύτευται, εἰς τὸ καὶ ἄλλους μεταλαβεῖν αὐ τοῦ τῆς εἰκόνος, τῆς κατὰ τὸ μεταπεφυτεῦσθαι λαμβανομένης· οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ (ἔστι γὰρ), ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ παρ' ἑτέροις γεγένηται· ἢ καθ' ἑτέραν ἐπιβολὴν ἡ ψυχή ἐστι τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἣν ἔλαβεν, ἐντεῦθεν μεταπεφυτευμένη ἐπὶ τὸν παράδεισον, ὅπου καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιόν φησιν αὐτὸν μετὰ τὸ πάθος γεγονέναι, διηγούμενον αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι τῷ μετανοήσαντι λῃστῇ· «Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.». Μεταπεφύτευται δὲ ἐκεῖ, ἵνα οἱ ἄξιοι σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι φωτίζωνται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τῷ τῆς γνώσεως φωτισμῷ, προκόπτοντες ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων θεωρίᾳ, κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ οὕτως ἐξειλήφαμεν, ἐπειδὴ κυρίως ἐπὶ δένδρων λέγεται τὸ «φέρειν καρπόν·» τὸ δὲ «διδόναι,» μᾶλλον ἐμψύχοις ἁρμόζει, καὶ ταῦτα λογικοῖς. Ζητητέον δὲ εἰ ἔστι καιρὸς τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ καρποῦ· λέγειν γὰρ τὴν σοφίαν καρπόν ποτε μὴ ἔχειν, οὐχ ὅσιον· διὸ οὐκ εἴρηται, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ ἐνέγκει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' «ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ.». Καιρὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ διδόναι ἡ τοῦ λαμβάνοντός ἐστιν ἐπιτηδειότης.Ὅσον γὰρ τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ἕτοιμόν ἐστιν ἀεὶ διδόναι τὸν καρπὸν αὐ τοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς οἰκονόμους ὁ Λόγος θέλει πιστοὺς εἶναι καὶ φρονίμους, οὐχὶ ἁπλῶς διδόντας τὸ σιτο μέτριον τοῖς συνδούλοις, ἀλλ' ἐν καιρῷ διδόντας, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ σοφία πιστῶς ἅμα καὶ φρονίμως τοὺς ἰδίους οἰκονομήσει καρπούς; Ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ καιρός ἐστι τοῦ διδόναι, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ λαμβάνοντι τοῦ λα βεῖν. Τί δὲ τὸ φύλλον τῆς ζωῆς, τουτέστι τῆς σο φίας, οὐκ ἀποῤῥεῦσον, κατιδεῖν ἄξιον· οὐκ ἄλλοθεν δὲ λαβεῖν αὐτὸ ἔστιν ἢ μετρίως τοῖς φυσικοῖς ἐπι διατρίψαντας. Δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι διὰ τοὺς καρποὺς τὰ καρποφόρα δένδρα, ὁ Δημιουργὸς ἐκέλευσε βλαστῆσαι, δι' οὓς τὰ ἐκείνοις χρειώδη κατ' ἐπακολούθησιν πεποίηκε. Χρεία δὲ σκέπης τοῖς καρποῖς τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν φύλλων φυλακῆς ἕνεκεν. Ταῦτα οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς περὶ τῶν ὅλων σοφίας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἐν ᾗ τὰ πάντα ὁ τῶν ὅλων Δημιουργὸς πεποίηκεν. Ἃ μὲν γὰρ προη γουμένως γίνεται, ἃ δὲ κατ' ἐπακολούθησιν διὰ τὰ προηγούμενα. Προηγουμένως μὲν γὰρ τὸ λογικὸν ζῶον, διὰ δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ χρείαν κτήνη καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα. Μήποτε οὖν οἱ μὲν λόγοι τῶν προη γουμένως γεγονότων οἱ καρποί εἰσι τοῦ δένδρου τῆς ζωῆς· τῶν δὲ διὰ ταῦτα κτισθέντων τὰ φύλλα, ὧν οὐδὲν μάταιόν ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἐξουθενεῖσθαι πάντη ἄξιον ὡς εὐτελὲς, ἵνα ἔλθῃ πίπτειν καὶ ἀποῤῥεῖν μὴ φρουρούμενον. Καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τὸ ἑξῆς· «Καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται.». Ἔστι γὰρ εἴς τινα ἀναγκαῖα καταχρήσασθαι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολουθήματος γενομένοις. Καρπὸς δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἴη ἂν προηγουμένως ἡ διδασκαλία, ἡ τῶν τιμιωτέρων τροφὴ, φύλλον δὲ ἡ τῶν ἀλογωτέρων τροφή· ὥσπερ τοῖς καρποῖς χρῶνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι, φύλλοις δὲ τὰ βοσκήματα. Δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τῆς Γραφῆς καρπούς τινας λέγειν, οὓς ἐκλαμβάνουσιν οἱ λογικώτεροι· φύλλα δὲ οἷς τρέφονται οἱ ἁπλούστεροι. Τοῦ δὲ μακαριζομένου καὶ ὡμοιωμένου τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς καρπὸς μὲν λέγοιτο τὰ προηγούμενα ἔργα, οἷον εὐ ποιία, καὶ περὶ τὴν σοφίαν ἀσχολία·φύλλα δὲ τὰ βιωτικὰ αὐτοῦ κινήματα, οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἄξια κατα φρονεῖσθαι, οὐδὲ ἀποῤῥεῖν τῷ μετὰ προσοχῆς καὶ εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ πάντα ποιεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν πραττομένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατευοδοῦται.  Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

And he shall be like a tree planted by flowing waters which gives fruit in its time and his leaf shall not wither and in whatever he shall do he shall prosper. 1 Here we shall note that Aquila translated ' transplanted' for planted. What then of the tree, to which the text refers, planted in the division of waters? In the Father it is rooted, and it has been transplanted for the benefit of many, that others also participate in the image which by its transplantation it has received, not that it is only in the Father, which it is, but that to others also it may be. Or if you wish to interpret it another way, it is the soul of the Saviour taken up, which into paradise is translated, whence the Evangelist tells us that during the passion he spoke to the penitent thief, saying, ' Today you shall be with me in paradise.' 2 For there transplanted , they are worthy to be with Christ, who are lit by the same bright knowledge of insight according to the wisdom of God. And so we may elucidate these things: that 'to bear fruit' is said to be the proper of trees, 'to give' pertains more to the ensouled and rational. Certainly it must be wondered what time the fruit of the tree of life comes forth, for to assert that at some time it does not have wise fruit is wicked. It did not say, that it 'bears' fruit in its time but it 'gives' fruit in its time. The time of giving is an opportunity for receiving. What belongs to itself it is always  prepared to give. If the keepers of the word wish to be faithful and prudent then let them not simply conserve the word, but let them give a measure, and let them give at the right time, for doing so will they not more faithfully and prudently administer their fruit? The favourable time is the same for the one who gives and to the one who receives. And why it may be that the leaf of the tree of life, that is of wisdom, does not wither, it is worthy to consider. One cannot receive anything from that which has suffered physical destruction. On account of the fruit is the fruit bearing tree is manifest, the creator calling to growth, by which those things which are required are produced. And to be conserved the fruit require a covering of leaves. These things happen then everywhere wisdom is seen, in which the Creator of all is at work. Other things certainly may occur, other things on consequence of peculiarity. Particular is the rational animal, acquiring what is needful from beasts and things that grown from earth. Never then are these fruits of the tree of life produced but reasonably, and so the leaves along with them cannot be worthless, nothing of the tree being able to be condemned as having no value, and so they do not  fall and wither. And so next it is said: 'And everything which he does, he prospers'. And this is so by a certain necessity, everything coming to be as a consequence. The fruit of Christ is the teaching of doctrine, which is food for the stronger, and the leaves are the food of the more simple. Thus the fruits have their use for men, the leaves for beasts. For what Scripture calls fruit is that which is able to be received by rational beings, and leaves that which nourish simple things. The blessed man is judged to be like the tree of life and one can name his works its fruit, and whatever he does he does well, and he works according to wisdom. And his studies are his living moving leaves, which being of great value are not to be spurned, nor should they be allowed to fall away, so that without error he might do everything to the glory of God. So indeed in whatever he does he prospers. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.3 2 Lk 23.43

The Tree By the Waters

Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων.  Ἐξομολογήσεως, ἤτοι παραβολῆς ξύλον ὁ Χριστὸς ἀναγέγραπται ἐν τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον·  Ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς.  Λέγει οὖν, ὅτι οἱ πιστεύσαντες τῷ Χριστῷ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἔσονται·  μετασχηματίσει γὰρ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸ γενέσθαι σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.  Διεξόδους δὲ τῶν ὑδάτων τὰς θείας φησὶ Γραφάς·  ἐν αἷς ἁπανταχοῦ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν Χριστὸν κηρυσσόμενον.  Ξύλον ζωῆς ὁ Χριστὸς, κλάδοι οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καρπὸς αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς· ὧν τὸ μὲν εἰς ὑποτύπωσιν μαρτυρίου, τὸ δὲ βαπτίσματος.  Φύλλα οἱ λόγοι·  καρπὸν τοῦ ξύλου νοήσεις τὴν ὀρθὴν πίστιν·  φύλλα δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν πλήρωσιν τῶν ἐντολῶν. Καρπὸς καὶ οἱ σωζόμενοι, ῥίζα τὸ βάπτισμα· γεωργὸς ὁ Πατήρ. Ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ. Καρπὸν τοῦ ξύλου νοήσεις τὴν πίστιν· φύλλα δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν πλήρωσιν τῶν ἐντολῶν. Καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται, οὐκ ἀποπεσεῖται. Καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι πρᾶξις τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν γινομένων ἀνωφελής. Καιρὸς τοῦ διδόναι ἡ τοῦ λαμβάνοντος ἐπιτηδειότης ἐστίν. Ψευδό Ἀθανάσιος, Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Α',

'And he shall be like a tree planted by flowing waters' 1 Truly Christ is described as a tree in the divinely inspired Scriptures, that is: 'A tree of life to all those who embrace it.' 2 It says therefore that those who have believed in Christ shall be his body, for He shall transform our body of humility, shaping it into his own glorious body. The 'flowing waters' the Divine Scriptures speak of everywhere Christ is reported preaching. The tree of life is Christ, the Apostles the branches, the fruit his blood and the water from his side, of which he is as a form and example of martyrdom, and even of baptism. Leaves are the words, the fruit of the tree one should understand as correct faith; the same leaves are observance of precepts, the fruits the consequence of them; the root, baptism; the planter, the Father. 'And it's fruit it shall give in its time.' The fruit understand as faith, the leaves as fulfillment of the commandments. 'And his leaf shall not fall away,' That is, he does not fall. 'And everything which he does he prospers.' For action in harmony with God is never profitless. The time of giving is the opportunity of receiving.   Pseudo Athanasius, Expositions of the Psalms, Psalm 1, 1 Ps 1.3 2 Prov 3.18

Planting Trees

Et erit tamquam lignum, quod plantatum est juxta decursus aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo. Et folium ejus non defluet. Ridiculum hoc forte et ineptum comparatae beatitudinis credetur exemplum: in quo ligni plantatio, decursus aquarum, fructuum datio, suum tempus, et folium non defluens praedicatur. Haec quidem secundum homines saeculi nulla forte existimabuntur. Sed videamus secundum propheticam doctrinam, quanta in his ipsis rebus ac verbis comparatae beatitudinis gloria collecetur. In libro Geneis II, IX et X, ubi plantatum a Deo paradisum legislator ostendit, omne quoque lignum specie pulchrum et ad esam bonum productum esse monstravit; esse quoque et in medio paradiso lignuum vitae, et lignum sciendi boni et mali exposuit; irrigari deinde paradisum divisum sit. Quod autem esset hoc lignum vitae, propheta Salomon docuit, dicens, de adoratione sapientiae: Lignum vitae est omnibus qui complectuntur eam, et qui incumbunt in eam sicut in Domino, secura' Lignum ergo hoc vivens est: neque solum vivens, sed etiam rationale; rationale autem in tantum ut fructus det; det vero non confuse, non importune, sed tempore suo, Et plantatum hoc lignum est 'juxta decursus aquarum,' in possessione scilicet regni Dei, id est, in paradiso, et unde flumen exiens in quatuor principia dividitur. Non enim ait: Post decursus aquarum, sed: 'Juxta decursus aquarum, unde primum decursum aquarum divisiones sortiuntur. Illic enim plantatum hoc lignum est, quo latronem illum, se Dominum confitentem, Dominus qui Sapientia est introduxit, dicens, 'Amen dico tibi, hodi mecum eris in paradiso', Et quia sapientiam, qui Christus est, lingum vitae congnominari de sacramento futurae corporationis et passionis, prophetica auctoritate docuimus: etiam ex Evangelliis intelligentiae cujus est proprietas, adstruenda. Dominus namque ipse se arbori comparavit, cum in Beelzebub daemonia cum Judaei ejicere dixissent: Aut facite, inquit, arborem bonam et fructus ejus bonos, aut facite arborem malam, et fructus ejus malos; ex fructu enim arbor cognoscitur. Quia cum fructus est et optimus, daemonia ejicere; Beelzebub eum, cujus fructus pessimi sunt, esse dicebant. Hujus quoque beati ligni non dedignatus est, in se docere virtutem, cum pergens ad crucem ait: Quia si in humido ligno haec faciunt, in arido quid fiet? per humidi ligni exemplum, nihil in se ariditati mortis obnoxium esse significans. Huic itaque ligno beatus ille vir similis fiet; cum, translati latronis in paradisum modo, secundum decursus aquarum et ipse plantetur: et fiet beata illa, et non eradicanda novella plantatio, quam in Evangeliis Dominus significat, cum de aliena plantatione conqueritur, dicens: Omnis plantatio quam non plantavit Pater meus coelestis, eradicabitur. Hoc ergo lignuum dabit fructus suos. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum Primum

And he shall be like a tree planted beside flowing waters, which shall yield its fruit in its own season, and his leaf shall not fall.1 This may perhaps be deemed an absurd comparison of blessedness, in which a planted tree, flowing waters, the giving of fruit, its own time, and the leaf that does not fall, are esteemed. All this may be judged to be nonsense by men of the world. But let us look at the teaching of the Prophet and see how much wonder is to be found in the objects and words used for these comparisons of blessedness. In the book of Genesis where the lawgiver shows us the paradise planted by God, we are told that every tree is fair to see and good for food 2, and also that in the midst of paradise is the tree of Life and a tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and next that the garden is watered in divisions. What this tree of Life is The Prophet Solomon teaches us  in his praise of Wisdom, when he says of Wisdom: 'She is a tree of life to all those who embrace her and those who rest on her do so securely as on the Lord.' 3 This tree therefore is living, and not only living, but even having reason, reason inasmuch that it may put forth fruit not randomly nor inappropriately but in its season. And this tree is beside the flowing waters in the domain of the Kingdom of God, that is, in Paradise, and where the stream issues forth it is divided into four heads. For he does not say, 'Behind the flowing waters,' but, 'Beside the flowing waters,' at the place where first the flowing waters are divided. There the tree is planted where the Lord, Who is Wisdom, led the thief who confessed Him to be the Lord, replying: 'Truly I say unto you, today shall you be with Me in Paradise.'4 And now that we have taught on prophetic warrant that Wisdom, which is Christ, is named the tree of Life in accordance with the mystery of the coming Incarnation and Passion, we must seek support for this particular understanding in the Gospels. The Lord compared Himself to a tree when the Jews said that He cast out devils by Beelzebub, and He said,  'Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.'5; Because although the casting out of demons is an excellent fruit, they said He was Beelzebub, whose fruits are the worst. Nor did He refuse to teach that the power that makes the tree blessed was in His Person, for on the way to the Cross He said: For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry tree ?'6  Declaring by this image of the green tree that there was nothing in Him that was subject to the dryness of death. That blessed man, then, will become like this tree when he, like the thief, is brought into paradise and planted beside the flowing waters, and it will be a blessed planting, a new planting which cannot be uprooted, which the Lord mentions in the Gospels when He deplores any other planting, saying, 'Every planting which is not planted by my heavenly Father shall be uprooted.'7 This tree, therefore, will yield its fruits. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.3 2 Gen 2:9-10  3 Prov 3:18 LXX 4 Lk 23:43  5Mt 12:33  6 Lk 23:31  7 Mt 15:13

A Tree of Wisdom

Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secundum decursus aquarum  Id est, aut secundum ipsam Sapientiam, quae dignata est hominem suscipere ad salutem nostram; ut ipse homo sit lignum plantatum secundum decursus aquarum: potest enim et hoc intellectu accipi, quod in alio psalmo dicitur: Fluvius Dei repletus est aqua. Aut secundum Spiritum Sanctum, secundum quem dicitur: Ipse vos baptizabit in Spiritu Sancto; et illud: Qui sitit, veniat, et bibat; et illud: Si scires donum Dei, et quis est qui a te aquam petit; petisses ab eo, et daret tibi aquam vivam, unde qui biberit non sitiet in aeternum; sed efficietur in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam. Aut secundum decursus aquarum, secundum populorum peccata, quia et aquae populi interpretantur in Apocalypsi; et decursus non absurde intellegitur lapsus, quod pertinet ad delictum. Lignum ergo illud, id est Dominus noster, de aquis decurrentibus, id est populis peccatoribus, trahens eos in via in radices disciplinae suae, fructum dabit, hoc est, constituet Ecclesias; in tempore suo, id est, postquam clarificatus est resurrectione et ascensione in coelum. Tunc enim Spiritu sancto misso Apostolis, et eis in fiducia sui confirmatis et directis in populos, fructificavit Ecclesias.  Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarratio in Psalmum I

'And he shall be like a tree planted beside flowing waters'1  That is, either Wisdom itself, which  assumed man's nature for our salvation, that as man He might be 'the tree planted by flowing waters', for in this sense it can also be understood which is said in another Psalm, 'The river of God is full of water,'2 or the Holy Spirit, of whom it is said, 'He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit,'3 and again, 'If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink,' 4 and again, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that asks water of you, you would have asked of Him and He would have given you living water, of which whoever drinks shall not thirst in eternity, but in him it shall be made a well of water springing up to everlasting life.'5 Or, ' the flowing waters' may be the sins of the people, because first the waters are called peoples in the Apocalypse,6  and by 'flowing waters' is not unreasonably understood 'fall,' which pertains to sin. That tree then, that is, our Lord, from the running streams of water, that is, from a sinful people, drawing them into the roots of His discipline, will 'bring forth fruit,' that is, will establish Churches; 'in His season,' that is, after He has been glorified by His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. For then, by the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and by the confirmation of their faith in Him and command to go to the peoples, He made the Churches bring forth fruit. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Commentary on Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.3 2 Ps 64.10 3 Mt 3.11  4 Jn 7.37  5 Jn 4.10, 13 -14  6 Rev 17.15  7 Is 40:6-8

Renunication Failure

Ἀδελφὸς ἀποταξάμενος τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ διαδοὺς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ πτωχοῖς, παρακατασχὼν δὲ ὀλίγα εἰς λόγον ἑαυτοῦ, παρέβαλε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ἀντωνίῳ. Καὶ τοῦτο μαθὼν, λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἐι θέλεις μοναχὸς γενέσθαι, ἄπελθε εἰς τήνδε τὴν κώμην, καὶ ἀγόρασον κρέας, καὶ περίθες τῷ σώματί σου γυμνῷ, καὶ οὕτως ἐλθὲ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ ποιήσαντος οὕτως τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, οἱ κύνες καὶ τὰ ὄρνεα τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ κατέτεμνον. Ἀπαντήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν γέροντα, ἐπύθετο εἰ γέγονεν ὡς συνεβούλευσεν. Ἐκείνου δὲ ἐπιδεικνυμένου τὸ σῶμα διεσπεραγμένον, λέγει ὁ ἅγιος Ἀντώνιος· Οἱ ἀποταξάμενοι τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ θέλοντες ἔχειν χρήματα, οὕτως ἀπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων κατακόπτονται πολεμούμενοι. Αποφθεγματα των Ἀγιων Γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

A brother renounced the world and gave his possessions to the  poor, but he kept back a little for himself, and so he went to Father Anthony. When he learned of what he had done, the elder said to  him, 'If you want to be a monk, go to this village, buy meat, cover your naked body with it and so come back here.' The brother did so, and the dogs and birds tore at his body. Having returned to the elder, he was asked if he had done as he advised. He showed him his wounded body and the blessed Anthony said, 'Those who renounce the world but want to keep something are torn to pieces by the demons battling against them.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Waters and Fruit

Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ.  Ὁ διὰ πάσης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ νυκτός τε καὶ ἡμέρας τῷ θείῳ σχολάζων νόμῳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ λογικοῖς νάμασιν ἀρδόμενος, σφόδρα οἰκείως φυτῷ παρ' ὕδασιν ἐῤῥιζωμένῳ παραβέβληται· διὸ καὶ μακάριος ὡς ἀληθῶς οὗτος, ἅτε μάλιστα ποτιζόμενος τοῖς θείοις μαθήμασιν, ὥριμον ἑαυτοῦ τὸν καρπὸν ἀποδίδωσιν.  Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ ξύλον ἐστὶ ζωῆς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα φήσαντα περὶ τῆς Σοφίας·  Ξύλον ἐστὶ ζωῆς πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς καὶ τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις ἐπ' αὐτὴν ὡς ἐπὶ Κύριον ἀσφαλῆ· εἰκότως ὁ μακαριζόμενος τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱῷ ἀφωμοίωται τῷ παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους ὄντι τῶν ὑδάτων μαρτυρούμενος καὶ κηρυττόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς διδασκάλων καὶ προφητῶν·  οἵτινες καὶ ἀφέσεις ὑδάτων παρὰ τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ λέγονται Γραφῇ.  Τούτῳ οὖν ἀφωμοίωται ὁ μακαριζόμενος, ἀρδόμενος διεξόδοις τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς πνευματικῶν ναμάτων, καρπόν τε ἀγαθὸν προφέρων.  Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους. ψαλμος Α' Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος

And he shall be like a tree planted planted beside flowing waters which gives it fruit in its own time. 1  He who through his whole life, when the time allows, takes to the study of the Divine Law night and day is watered spiritually by the river flowing by and is must sensibly compared to a tree whose roots are near the waters, which the blessed man reveres, for he who is watered by the Divine discipline shall bring forth his fruit at the appropriate time. Then because the wood of life is of the Son of God according to Solomon, who says concerning Wisdom: 'It is the wood of life to everyone who has embraced it,'2 and he who clings it to it for safety, as to the Lord, he is rightly called blessed who is thus like the Son of God, who thus is placed next to the flowing waters, the testimonies and preaching of the teachers of Divine Scripture and the Prophets, that which Scripture entitles flowing waters. Because of this, then, is the comparison of the blessed man, he who is watered by the flow of spiritual rivers, pouring forth from Sacred Scripture, bringing forth good fruit. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1, 1 Ps 1.3 2. Prov 3.18

The Truly Blessed

Sed beatitudinem viri nondum, vel in impiorum consilio non isse, vel in peccatorum via non stetisse, vel in pestilentiae cathedra non sedisse, consummat. Possunt enim haec et in saeculari viro reperiri: ut unum Deum esse creatorem mundi opinetur, ut a peccatis se per studium modestae innocentiae refrenet ut honorum dignitatibus privatae et tranquillae vitae otium anteponat. Sed perfectum nunc Deo virum Propheta conformans, et quem in magnis aeternae beatitudinis constituat exemplis, non communibus eum ad id docet usurum esse virtutibus sed his consummandum esse, ut beatus sit, quae sequuntur: ' Sed in lege Domini fuit voluntas ejus.' Abstensio superiorum inutilis est, nisi in consequentia adhibeatur intentio: scilicet ut in lege Domini voluntas sit. Non exspectat Propheta ut metus sit. Plures intra legem metus cohibet, paucos vero voluntas constituit in lege: quia timoris est, non audere timenda negligere; perfectae vero religionis est, praescriptis velle parere. Et idcirco beatus ille est, cujus in Dei lege non timor est, sed voluntas. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum Primum

But that man is not yet truly blessed who has not gone off into the council of the impious or stood in the way of sinners or sat in the seat pestilential. For these things can be found in a worldly man, one who admits one God to be creator of the world, who refrains from sin through the practice of modesty, keeping himself from high office by choosing for himself a private life of tranquility. But the perfect man the Prophet conforms to God and he establishes him as an example of the great blessing of eternity, not teaching that virtue is in common acts, but that which follows must be his if he would be blessed, that is: 'But in the law of the Lord is his will.' To refrain from what has just been mentioned is useless unless the mind be set on what follows: 'In the Law of the Lord is his will.' The Prophet does not look for fear. Many are kept within the bounds of Law by fear, few are established in the Law by will, for it is of fear not to dare to omit what one is afraid of, but it is of perfect piety to be ready to obey commands. This is why that man is blessed whose will, not whose fear, is in the Law of God. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1

A Reward of Water

Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλνμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός.  Τῷ νόμῳ, τῷ ἀγγελικῷ δηλονότι. Τὸ σύντονον δηλοῖ· οὐ γὰρ ἠμελημένως δεῖ μελετᾶν τὸν νόμον τοῦ Κυρίου. Οὐ γὰρ  ποτὲ δεῖ τοῖς μελετᾷν, ποτὲ δὲ οὒ, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ καὶ διαπαντὸς τοῖς θείοις λογίοις προσηλῶσθαι· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. Καλὸς τοῦ κατορθώματος ὁ μισθος· ὁ γάρ τῷ θείῳ σχολάζων νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τούτου νάμασιν ἀρδευόμενος. Καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διδασκαλίαν ἀνεκάλεσεν εἰπών· Εἲ τις διψᾷ ἐρχέσθω πρὸς μὲ, καὶ πινέτω. Ψευδό Ἀθανάσιος Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Α',

'But in the law of God is his will and on His law he will meditate day and night.1  The law is quite clearly angelic. Clearly it signifies exertion, for one must certainly not be negligent in caring for the law of the Lord. Nor should there be at one time care for it and at another time carelessness, but always one should assiduously attend to the Divine words, and that is what is signified by day and night. Great is the reward for success in this, for he who gives himself to leisure that he attend to the Divine law is watered with its stream. And Christ referred to his teaching as water when he said, 'If a man thirst let him come to me and drink.'2    Pseudo Athanasius, Expositions of the Psalms, Psalm 1 1  Ps 1.2 2 Jn 7.37

Choosing the Law

'Sed in lege Domini fuit voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die et nocte.' Hoc est, beatus ille qui haec faciat consilio, ratione, prudentia; potest enim et parvulus non per virtutem, sed per impossibilitatem et inscientiam delinquendi ab iis quae dicta sunt, abstinere. Potest et irrationabili pecudi convenire, cui nulla vis consilii, nullus sensus erroris est. Hoc est ergo quartum quod sequitur, in quo definitio beati viri a pecude discernitur; quia vir sapiens subditus legi est voluntate, non necessitate. Plurimum enim refert; quia in voluntate mercedis est fructus: in necessitate, dispensationis obsequium. Ita enim docuit nos Apostolus dicens: ' Si volens hoc ago, mercedem habeo: si invitus, dispensatio mihi credita est.'  Ordo autem conveniens, ut primo diligas legem, secundo ut mediteris. Qui diligit, ex voluntate facit mandata legis; qui timet, invitus observat. Hanc disciplinam docendi etiam Dei justitiam in lege accepimus. Sic enim scriptum est: 'Audi, Israel: Dominus Deus tuus, Deus unus est.' . Et 'Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota virtute tua. Et erunt verba haec quae ego praecipio tibi hodie, in corde tuo, et in anima tua: et demonstrabis ea filiis tuis, et loqueris eis sedens in domo, et ambulans in itinere, et in quiete, et in vigilia. Et alligabis ea in signum in manu tua, et erunt monilia ante oculos tuos: et scribes ea super limina in domiciliis tuis et in januis tuis.'  Et infra: ' Et nunc, Isreal, quid abs te postulat Dominus Deus tuus, nisi ut diligas Dominum Deum tuum et ambulans in omnibus viis ejus' Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Enarrationes In XII Psalmos Davidicos , Enarratio in Psalmum I

'But in the law of the Lord is his will and in his law he will meditate day and night.'1 That is, blessed is he who acts with deliberation, with reason, with prudence, for it is possible not through virtue to abstain from those things to be avoided but through ignorance to be apart from them. It is possible to come to the state of an irrational animal, in which there is no power of deliberation, no sense of error. This is therefore another thing by which we distinguish a blessed man from cattle, for a wise man is beneath the law voluntarily not by necessity, for, as in many things, in freedom is the fruit of reward and in necessity is the fulfillment of a charge. Thus the Apostle teaches: ' If I willingly do this, I have my reward, if unwilling, it is credited to me as executing a charge' 2. The order came that first you should love the law, second that you meditate upon it. He who loves willingly keeps the commandments of the law, he who fears is obedient unwillingly. And this teaching of God we have received in the Law, for it is written. 'Hear, Israel, The Lord your God is one God.'3 And then: 'You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and your whole soul and with all your strength. And these words which I give to you today should be in your heart and in your soul, and you shall teach them to your sons and you shall speak of them sitting and walking on the way and resting and watching. And you shall bind these things as a remembrance in your hand and they shall be as a necklace about your eyes and you shall write them above the threshold of your houses and your doors.'4 And further on: ' And now Israel, what from you does the Lord command but that you love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways.' Saint Ambrose, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2 2 1 Cor 9.17 3 Deut 6.3 4 Deut 6. 5-9 5 Deut 10.12

Birth and Baptism

At ubi venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum factum ex muliere, factum sub Lege, ut eos qui sub Lege erant, redimeret, ut adoptionem filiorum reciperemus.   Diligenter attendite quod non dixerit, 'factum per mulierem', quod Marcion et caeterae haereses volunt, quae putativam Christi carnem simulant: sed ex muliere, ut non per illam, sed ex illa natus esse credatur. Quod autem sanctam et beatam Matrem Domini, mulierem, non Virginem nominavit, hoc idem et in Evangelio κατὰ Ματθαῖον scriptum est: quando uxor appelatur Joseph, et ab ipso Domino quasi mulier increpatur . Non enim necesse erat semper quasi caute et timide Virginem dicere, cum mulier sexum magis significet quam copulam viri: et secundum intelligentiam Graecitatis γυνὴ tam uxor, quam mulier valeat interpretari. Sed ut cuncta praeteream: quomodo sub lege factus est, ut eos qui sub lege erant, redimeret: sic propter illos qui nati erant ex muliere, ex muliere nasci voluit. Nam et baptismum in Jordanis fluento idcirco quasi poenitens, cum esset a peccatis liber, accepit: ut caeteros edoceret mundandos esse per baptismum, et in filios nova Spiritus adoptione generari. Quod nequaquam intelligens Joannes Baptista, eum ad lavacrum prohibebat accedere, dicens: Ego a te debeo baptizari  Et statim sacramentum docetur: 'Sine modo: sic enim decet nos adimplere omnem justitiam,' ne qui ob hominum salutem venerat, aliquid de conversatione hominum praeteriet. Sanctus Hieronymus, Comentariorum In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Galatas, Lib II, Cap IV

'And when came the fullness of time God sent his own Son, born from a women, born beneath the law, that those who were beneath the law he might redeem, that they receive the adoption of sons.1  Carefully attend that it is not said, 'through a woman,' which Marcion and other heretics would wish, that they might claim the flesh of Christ to be putative, but 'from a women', that not through her but from her He is born. That even the holy and blessed Mother of the Lord, is named women and not virgin, is the same as in the Gospel according to Matthew, where it is written, that she is called the wife of Joseph 2, and the Lord Himself refers to her as 'woman'3, so it was not always necessary to be so cautious and fearful as to use the word Virgin, for with the word 'woman' the sex is more signified than coupling with a man, and according to the understanding of the Greeks, 'gyne' may be understood as wife or woman. But I will pass over all this, for beneath the Law he was born, that he might redeem those who were beneath the Law, so for those who were born from woman, from a woman he wished to be born. For although free of sin he received baptism in the waters of the Jordan as one penitent, that he might teach others to be cleansed through baptism, that they be born sons by the new adoption of the Spirit. Which John the Baptist not at all understanding, tried to dissuade him from, saying, ' I by you should be baptised.' And instantly he is taught the mystery: 'Let it be so, even it befits us to fulfill all righteousness.' Lest he who had come on account of the salvation of man, pass over something concerning the conversion of men. Saint Jerome,Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, Book 2, Chap 4 1 Gal 4.4 2 Mt 1.18 3 Jo 2.4

The Coming of the Magi

Ecce Magi ab Oriente, usque, Venimus adorare eum. Magi non propter magicam artem sic nominantur, sed propter aliquam philosophiam, in qua successorres Balaam esse creduntur, et propter prophetiam ejus incitati, visa nova stella natum regem quaerebant, qui confringere omnes duces alienigenarum prophetatus est ex divino eorum. Et congregans omnes principes sacerdotum, usque, in Bethelehem Judae. Quod magis tunc stella non apparuit, quia eos ante ducebat, ad Judaeorum factum est damnationem, ut exquisiti ab Herode, locum nativitatis Christi exprimerent, ne ullam excusationem haberent ignorantiae, post neglectam fidem: cum ante nativitatem ejus non solum quod nasci deberet, sed ubi nasciturus esset, demonstrarent. Mystice autem tres Magi tres partes mundi significant, Asiam, Africam, Europam, sive humanum genus, quod a tribus filiis Noe seminarium sumpsit. Et ecce stella quam viderunt in oriente antecedebat eos, usque, dum veniens staret supra ubi erat puer.  Porro haec stella prophetiam significat, quae ab initio promissae benedictionis semini Abrahae quasi praeteriens Christum venturum esse promisit, usque dum natum in plenitudine temporis ostendebat. Videntes autem stellam, gavisi sunt gaudio magno valde.  Id est, intelligentes finitam esse prophetiam inenarrabili gaudio gratulantur, qui de tribus partibus mundi ad fidem Christi conveniunt. Et intrantes domum, invenerunt puerum cum Maria matre ejus.   Id est, per fidem Ecclesiam ingredientes,  Christum cum primitiva Ecclesia invenerunt, quae ex Israelitico populo conversa est ad fidem ejus. Et procedentes adoraverunt eum.  Nequaquam adorarent, si eum Dominum non crederent. Mystice autem procedebant populi credentium, et adorabant vera fide et pura confessione. Et apertis thesauris suis, et reliqua  In auro regalis dignitas ostenditur Christi; in thure ejus verum sacerdotium, in myrrha, mortalitas carnis; aliter in auro spiritalis sensus, in thure olfactus virtutum, in myrrha mortificatio corporis designatur, quae quotidie omnia ab ista Ecclesia in tribus partibus mundi dispersa Domino offerunttur. Alii tres species philosophiae in his muneribus intelligere volunt: physicam, ethicam, logicam, quas post fidem ad laudem Dei iste mundus obtulit, cum antea inani studio impendit. Alii in auro allegoriam, in myrrha historiam, in thure anagogen, dicunt insinuari. Et responso accepto, usque per aliam viam reversi sunt in regionem suam.   Regio nostra est paradisus, ad quam per obedientiam reverti debet genus humanum, quod inde per inobedientiam expulsum est. Herodes vero significat diabolum, ad quem redire post acceptam fidem prohibemur. Ecce angelus Domini apparuit,' usque, ' et secessit in Aegyptum.' Joseph significat doctores, Maria Ecclesiam; Aegyptus vere, quae tenebrae interpretatur, significat istam gentilitatem, et haec figura Christi in Aegyptum significat transitum ejus cum Ecclesia sua de Israelitico populo per praedicatores ad gentes. Sanctus Beda, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Lib I, Cap II

'Behold Magi from the East,' to ' We have come to adore Him.'1 The Magi are not named on account of some magic art but because of a philosophy in which they are thought to be successors of Balaam, and on account of his prophecy, seeing the new star, they were seeking the king who was born, he who was to crush all other leaders of foreign peoples, as it was spoken in his prophecy.2 'And gathering all the leading priests' to 'In Bethlehem of Judah.' That the star did not appear to more but to those we have just mentioned is a condemnation of the Jews from whom Herod sought  the place of the birth of Christ, nor do they have excuse in ignorance, having neglecting faith, when before his nativity  they should  have shown not only where but when he would be born. Spiritually the three Magi signify the three parts of the world, Asia, Africa, Europe, or the races of men, which took their seed from the three sons of Noah . 'And behold a star which they saw going before them, until it came to stand over the place the child was.'  This star signifies the prophecy, which from the beginning was promise of blessing to the seed of Abraham, as passing by it promised the coming of Christ until it should reveal him born in the fullness of time. 'Seeing the star they were taken by great joy'  That is, understanding the ending of the prophecy they were filled with inexpressible joy, those who had come from the three parts of the world to Christ. 'And entering the house, they found the child with Mary his mother.'  That is, by faith entering the church , with the primitive church they discovered Christ, which from the Israelite people turned to his faith. 'And falling down they adored him.'  They would not have adored if they had not believed him to be the Lord. In a spiritual sense: the people of belief shall fall down and adore him in true faith and pure confession. 'And they opened their treasures' and so on.  In gold is shown the regal dignity of Christ, in frankincense his true priesthood, by myrrh the mortal flesh. Otherwise in gold is found spiritual sense, in frankincense the aroma of the virtues, in myrrh the mortification of the body, which every day in all the church dispersed in the three parts of the world is offered to the Lord. Others would understand three types of philosophy in these gifts: physics, ethics and logic, which after faith this world directs to praise of  God, which before it had expended in vain study. Others in gold would say is found allegory, in myrrh history, and in frankincense anagoge. And receiving the message they went by another way to their land.  Our land is paradise to which through obedience the human race should return, from which they were expelled on account of disobedience . Herod signifies the devil, to whom we are prohibited to return after the reception of faith.  'Behold an angel of the Lord appeared, ' to ' And he withdrew into Egypt.' Joseph signifies the teachers, Mary the Church; Egypt, which means darkness, signifies the Gentiles, and this figure of Christ into Egypt signifies the passing of his Church from the people of Israel to the Gentiles through preaching. Saint Bede, Commentary on Matthew, Book 1, Chapter 2 1 Mt 2.1  2 Num 24.17

The Law Within

Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. Ἐπειδή πολλή τίς ἐστι διαφορὰ τῶν φόβῳ τιμωριῶν εὖ πράττειν κρατηναγκασμένων καὶ τῶν προαιρέσει αὐτὸ τὸ καλὸν αἰρουμένων, διὰ τοῦτό φησι· 'Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ.' Νόμον δέ φησιν οὐ πάντως τὸν σκιώδη καὶ τυπικὸν νόμον, πολὺ δὲ πρότερον τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ λεληθότα πνευματικὸν λόγον. Εἴη δ' ἄν νόμος Κυρίου καὶ ὁ κατὰ φύσιν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐνεσπαρμένος, δι' οὖ κατορθῶσαι λέγονται οἱ πρὸ τοῦ διὰ Μωῦσέως νόμου ἅγιοι· περὶ ὦν φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα,' τὸν γραπτὸν δηλονότι, 'φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῶσιν, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες ἑαυτοῖς εἰσιν νόμος.' Ἥ νόμος Κυρίου εἴη ἂν ὁ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι κατηγγελμἐνος εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος.   Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος Α'

'But in the law of the Lord is his will and on His law he will meditate day and night.'1  Because there is a great difference between those who are driven to act well through fear of punishment and those who out of the delight of their own will take themselves to the good, therefore it is said, 'In the law of the Lord is his will.' The law speaks not in shadow and figure but rather the spiritual word spoken is in him. And the law of the Lord has been set within every man's nature, because of which they say well that there were holy men before the time of the law of Moses, concerning which the Apostle says, 'When even the Gentiles who have not the law do naturally the things of the law, not having the law, to themselves they are a law.'2 As it is clearly written. Or the law of our Lord and Saviour, the evangelical word, may be announced to all people. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2 2. Rom 2.14

Reason and the Law

Διὰ τί οὖν μακάριοι οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου; οὐ γὰρ τοὺς πορευθέντας ἐκεῖ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἔτι πορευομένους μακαριστοὺς ὁ λόγος τίθεται· ὅτι οἱ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζόμενοι, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἔργῳ τὸ ἀπόδεκτον ἔχουσιν· οἱ δὲ τὸ κακὸν φεύγοντες οὐκ, ἐὰν ἃπαξ που ἢ δεύτερον ἐκκλίνωσι τὴν πεῖραν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς διαδρᾶναι. Ἐκ δὲ τῆς τοῦ λόγου ἀκολουθίας καὶ ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἄπορον ἀνεφάνη. Διὰ τί οὐχὶ τὸν κατορθοῦντα τὴν ἀρετὴν μακαρίζει, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὴ πεποιηκότα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; Οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ἵππος, καὶ βοῦς, καὶ λίθος μακαρισθήσεται. Ποῖον γὰρ ἄψυχον ἔστη ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν; ἢ ποῖον ἄλογον ἐπὶ καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν ἐκάθισε; Μικρὸν μὲν οὒν ἀναμείνας, εὑρήσεις τὸ ἴαμα. Ἐπάγει γάρ· 'Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ.' Θείου δὲ νόμου μελέτη ἐπὶ τὸν λογικὸν μόνον πίπτει. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Ἀ

Why then are they blessed who walk in the way of the Lord? For here Scripture does not say those who have walked but rather those who are walking in it are to be entitled blessed, because those who do good in that same act they gain approbation, but those who flee evil are not worthy of praise, if perhaps once or twice they avoid sin, until they utterly escape the practice of evil. And then another difficulty from the order of the prayer comes to us: why is it that he who cultivates virtue is blessed but not he who does not sin? For then a horse, a cow, a stone would be able to called blessed. Do inanimate things stand in the way of sinners? Do those things without reason sit in the chair of pestilence? Certainly if you go on a little, you shall discover the solution. It is given: 'But in the law of the Lord is his will.'1 And so meditation on the Divine law is only for those who participate in reason.   Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2

Meditating on the Law

Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς. Μελετᾷ τὸν νόμον Κυρίου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, οὐχ ὁ τὰς λέξεις τοῦ νόμου χωρὶς τῶν κατ' αὐτὰς ἔργων εἰς τὸ μνημονεῦσαι ἀναλαμβάνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τὰ κατάλληλα ἔργα ἐρχόμενος μεμελετηκὼς αὐτῶν, ἕως διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς τῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἔργων μελέτης γένηται εὐχερὴς, ἀποδιδοὺς πάντα τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα τῷ κατὰ τὸν νόμον τελείως βιοῦντι.  Οὕ τως γὰρ ἔσται δυνατὸν τὸ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς μελετᾷν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον. Εἴτε γὰρ ἐσθίει, εἴτε πίνει, εἴτε πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πράττει κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον παρὰ τῷ θείῳ Ἀποστόλῳ, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖ ὁ τοιοῦτος· ὥστε καὶ ἐν τῷ τοῦ ὕπνου καιρῷ κατὰ τὸ δέον γινομένου τῆς προσοχῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦτον φθανούσης, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς φαντασίας τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ. Διὰ τούτου λύεται καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ ἀπορούμενα λέγοντι· Ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε. Πῶς γὰρ κοιμώμενός τις εὔξεται, καὶ πράττων τι τῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους καθηκόντων, ἢ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα θεραπεύων; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου φαμέν· ὅτι κέκραγε πρὸς Θεὸν, καὶ αἰτεῖ αὐτὸν τὰ κάλλιστα προκαλούμενος ἐπὶ τὸ παρασχεῖν ὁ τέλειος, πάντα κατὰ τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, ὥστε πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ πρᾶξιν εὐχὴν εἶναι.  Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ μελετᾷν τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀμελητέον τοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἰδικοῦ, οὕτως οὐκ ἀμελητέον αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἰδικῶς εὔχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ μελετᾷν ἐστι καὶ εὔχεσθαι πράττειν ὁτιοῦν κατὰ τὸν νόμον Κυρίου. Ἐπιστήσει δέ τις εἰ κατὰ νόμους ἀναγωγῆς ἡμέρα μὲν δύναται λέγεσθαι ἡ ἀπερίστατος ἡμῶν κατάστασις, νὺξ δὲ ἡ περιστατι κὴ διὰ τὸ σκυθρωπότερον. Δεῖ δὲ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ πειρᾶ σθαι εἶναι οὐ μόνον ὅτε τὰ ἔξωθεν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀντι πράττει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε τοῖς καλουμένοις πειρασμοῖς περιπίπτομεν.   Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

'But in the law of the Lord is his will and on His law he will meditate day and night.'1 He who mediates on the law of the Lord day and night is not he who places into his memory the words of the law without works, for by meditating on them he comes to the works consistent with it, until, with the teachings of the disciplined meditations of the works of the law, he is prepared for excellence in all the things that apply for living perfectly according to the law. So he is able to be that one who day and night mediates on the law. Whether he eats or drinks, or whatever it is he does, according to the word of the holy Apostle it is, for he does it all to the glory of God. So even during sleep it is the time to do this, and his attention he directs to it even in dreams. Thus is resolved that matter of the Apostle where he says, ‘Pray without ceasing.’2 For how does one pray even when sleeping, or when about some other human office, or caring for one's own body? About this we say that the perfect man cries out to God and asks Him to bring the finest things to be, while everything he does according to reason, thus his every action is prayer. Just as in meditation no particular should be omitted, so nothing should be overlooked that is proper to prayer, that meditating in prayer we do it according to the law of the Lord. And let it be known that according to the law allegorically,  day is able to be understood as the times when we are untroubled and night as the state when we are beset by things more gloomy. And one must remain in the law not only when external things are opposed to us, but truly even when we fall into temptation. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2 2. 1 Thes 5.17