A Beginning Of Teaching

Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ ἐκπορεύεσθαί σε ἐνωτιον τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν σε ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Διάψαλμα. Ὅτι μὴ μόνον ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἀνθρώποις ἐπεδήμει ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρότερον αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ διὰ Μωϋσέως χρηματίζων, ὁ παρὼν διδάσκει λόγος φάσκων· Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ ἐκπορεύεσθαί σε ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν σε ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, γῆ ἐσείθη, καὶ γὰρ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἔσταξαν. Καὶ τότε γὰρ, φησὶ, καθ' ὄν χρόνον ἐξῆγες τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ ἀπὸ γῆς Αἰγύπτῳ πεπραγμένων διατρεχούσης εἰς πάντας. Ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν γῆ τότε ἐσείτο· ἤτοι τῆς φήμης, ὡς εἴρηται, τὰς πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀκοὰς πληρούσης, ἤ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ στοιχείου χαίροντος ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπιβάσει τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅ δὴ διδάσκει καὶ ἕτερος ψαλμὸς λέγων· Ἐν ἐξόδῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οἴκου Ἰακὼβ ἐκ λαοῦ βαρβάρου, τὰ ὄρη ἐσκίρτησαν ὡς κριοὶ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ὡς ἀρνία προβάτων. Ἡ μὲν οὖν γῆ χαίρουσα ἐσείετο· οἱ δὲ οὐρανοὶ ἔσταξαν. Τί δὲ ἔσταξαν, ἀλλ' ἤτοι τὴν τοφὴν τὴν παραδόξως ἐνεχθεῖσαν τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου, ἤ καὶ τοὺς θείους λόγους τε καὶ νόμους τροφὴν ὄντας ψυχῶν λογικῶν; Ἐσείετο δὲ ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἔσταξαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Σιναῖ. τουτέστι τοῦ ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιναῖ χρηματίσαντος. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ σαφέτερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Γῆ ἐσείετο, οὐρανὸς δὲ ἀπέσταξεν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τούτου τοῦ Σιναϊ, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, Θεοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Μήποτε δὲ καὶ αἱ οὐράνιοι δυνάμεις ὥσπερ τροφοί τινες καὶ τιθηνοὶ ἀπὸ θηλῆς γάλα νηπίοις ἀποστάζουσαι, οὕτως καὶ αὖται τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν χορηγίαν παρεῖχον τοῖς τότε τὰς ψυχὰς νηπίοις; Δι' ὅ καὶ παιδαγωγος ωνόμασται παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ ὁ διὰ Μωϋσέως λαληθεὶς λόγος. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΞΖ' Source: Migne PG 23.962b-d

O God, when you went forth in the sight of your people, passing out into the desert. 1 The Word of God comes to men not only at the consummation of the ages, but before this He was the One who gave His oracles through Moses, it being taught here in these words: 'O God, when you went forth in the sight of your people, passing out into the desert, the earth was shaken, the skies dripped.' Then indeed, he says, when you led out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, the deeds which had been done passed on to all. For, so to speak, their fame filled the ears of all those who dwelt on the earth, or indeed that same element of the earth rejoiced in the coming of God. Which likewise he teaches in another Psalm, saying: 'In the going out of Israel from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people ... the mountains exulted and the hills leapt like lambs.' 2 Thus the earth is moved in its rejoicing, but the sky drips, and why does it drip unless unexpected food in the desert falls from above, or indeed those Divine words and laws which are the food of rational souls? But the earth is shaken, and the sky drips, 'from the face of the God of Sion,' that is, on mount Sinai He sent forth His oracles. These things, however, are more clearly translated by Symmachus, who writes: 'The earth was shaken, but the heavens dripped, from the face of God of Sion, and from the face of God, the God of Israel.' And perhaps the celestial virtues are as nurses who for infants make milk flow from the breast, who thus from themselves supply those who were then in soul as infants. Whence the law set forth by Moses was called a custodian by the Apostle. 3 Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 67 1 Ps 67.8-9