A Beast Before You

Kτηνώδης ἐγενόμην παρὰ σοί, καὶ ἐγὼ διὰ παντὸς μετὰ σοῦ... ̓Οὐκ ἁπλῶς δὲ, Κτηνώδης, εἶπεν, ἐγενήθην, ἀλλα παρὰ σοι. Ὡς γὰρ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τῆς σοφίας καὶ Θεὸν της γνώσεως πᾶν ἀγνοεῖ γενητὸν, καὶ Μωῦσης γὰρ ἰδῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἔφη· Ἐγὼ ἄλογός εἰμι ἰκανὸς πρὸ χθὲς καὶ τρίτης ἀφ' οὖ ἦρξας λαλεῖν τῷ θεραποντί σου ἰσχνόφωνος καὶ βραδύγλωσσος ἐγώ εἰμι, οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν λογίωτατος, ἀλλ' ἀφ' οὗ ἦρξας λαλεῖν τῷ θεράποντί σου. Πρὶν γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι θείας φωνῆς δοκεῖ τις λόγοις ὀξύς τε καὶ μεγαλόφωνος εἶναι. Καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἔλεγε πρὸς τὸν Κτίστην· Ἐπεὶ ἠρξάμην λαλεῖν πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδὸς, ὅπερ ἠγνόει πρὶν λαλῆσαι Θεῷ. Τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ κτηνώδης παρ' αὐτῷ, μὴ γιγνώσκων ὀμοίως τὸ προνοοῦντι Θεῷ. Διαπαντὸς δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ, ὁ διαπαντὸς κατορθῶν ἀρετὴν καὶ πᾶσαν εὐσέβειαν ἄνευ τινὸς περὶ ταύτης ἀνωμαλίας ἐν διαλείμμασιν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΟΒ' Source: Migne PG 39.1470c-d

I am made a beast before you, and I am always with you. 1 He does not say only, 'I am made a beast,' but also, 'before you.' For before the Father of wisdom and the God of knowledge every created thing is ignorant. Moses beholding God says, 'I am not eloquent, either before or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am clumsy of speech and tongue.' 2 Not absolutely does this most eloquent man speak, but 'since you have spoken to your servant,' For before he heard the Divine voice he judged himself to be skilled and celebrated in eloquence. Abraham also said to the Creator: 'Since I have begun to speak to my Lord, I am but earth and ash.' 3 which he did not know before he spoke to God. Such is the beast before Him, not having understanding like the providence of God. 'I am always with you.' He is always with Him who guards virtue and all piety, without any alteration in persistence in this. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 72 1 Ps 72.23 2 Exod 4.10 3 Genes 18.17