Changing For The Better

Ἡ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων ἐπιγραφὴ τοῦτόν μοι δοκεῖ τὸν νοῦν ἔχειν, ὅτι μόνη κρείττων ἐστὶ τροπῆς τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσεως ἡ θεία φύσις· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει πρὸς ὅ τι χρήσεται τῇ τροπῇ, τοῦ μὲν κακοῦ ἀνεπίδεκτος οὖσα καθόλου, πρὸς δὲ τὸ κρεῖττον τραπῆναι μὴ δυναμένη· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ πρὸς ὅ τι δέξεται τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει τὸ ἑαυτῆς κρεῖττον, πρὸς ὃ μεταβήσεται. ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐν τροπῇ τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσει κείμενοι κατ' ἀμφότερα διὰ τῆς ἀλλοιωτικῆς ἐνεργείας ἢ χείρους ἢ βελτίους γινόμεθα· χείρους μέν, ὅταν τῆς μετουσίας τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπορρέωμεν, ἀμείνους δὲ πάλιν, ὅταν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἀλλοιούμενοι τύχωμεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν τῷ κακῷ διὰ τῆς τροπῆς συνηνέχθημεν, χρεία τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἡμῖν ἀλλοιώσεως, ὡς ἂν διὰ ταύτης γένοιτο ἡμῖν ἡ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβολή· καὶ τοῦτο δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῆς συμφράσεως τῶν τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις συγγεγραμμένων· οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ δεῖν ἀλλοιωθῆναι συμβουλεύει ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρόπον τινὰ ὑποτίθεται, ὅπως ἂν τὸ τοιοῦτον κατορθωθείη, δι' ὑποδειγμάτων τινῶν τὴν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβολὴν προδεικνύων. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς τας Επιγραφάς των Ψαλμών, Το Δεύτερον Βιβλίον, Κεφ' Δ' Source: Migne PG 44 500

The superscription 'For those who will be changed,' 1 seems to me to signify that only the Divine nature is beyond all alteration and change, for there can be no profitable change in that which never has the capacity for evil, and truly what is better cannot change, for it is not something which may receive something different, having nothing better than itself to which it might change. We men, however, are placed in change and alteration and according to both the potential and power of change we are taken to better or worse, worse when we are cut off from the communion of goods, better when we make a change to that which is better. When, therefore, we fall into some evil work it is necessary for us to change to the differing good, that we pass over to that which is better, and this is made clear by the body of the Psalms under the subscription 'for those who will be changed,' for not only does it persuade us that it is necessary that we change, but a way is proposed and instructions on how it might be are given, and examples of the change into what is better. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the Superscriptions of the Psalms, Second Tractate, Chapter 4 1 Ps 44.1, 68.1, 79.1