Goods And Knowledge

Πολλοὶ λέγουσιν· Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν ἀγαθὰ; Ἄλλοι μὲν, φησὶν, ἄλλως διανοούμενοι, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ βαρυκάρδιοι υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἱ τὴν τοῦ βίου ματαιότητα ἀγαπῶντες, οὐκ εἰδότες τ' ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὰ, οὐδὲ ἐλπίζοντες, οὐδὲ πιστεύοντες ταῦτα ὅψεσθαι, φασί, Τίς δείχει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά; Οὐ γὰρ συνορῶσιν αὐτὰ, τῷ μὴ καταυγάζεσθαι τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ προσώπου σου· διὸ δὴ μόνα τὰ γεώδη καὶ φθαρτὰ ὑπολαμβάνοντες εἶναι ἁγαθα, περὶ ταῦτα ἀσχολοῦνται καὶ ταῦτα μεταδιώκουσιν. Εἰ δέ τις αὐτοῖς περὶ τῶν θειοτέρων καὶ ἐπουρανίων λέγοι, ἐρωτᾷν εἰώθασιν· Καὶ τίς ἆρά ἐστιν ὁ δείξων ἡμῖν ταῦτα; Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τοιοῦτοί τινες. Ἡμεῖς δὲ παρ' οἴς ἐσημειώθη τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, ὦ Κύριε, καὶ τὸν δείξοντα καὶ τὸν δώσοντα ἡμῖν αὐτὰ ἐπιστάμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ σου φωτὸς εἰς τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῶν ἐληλυθότες· Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνων εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος Δ´ Source: Migne PG 23.108d-109a

Many say: who shall show us good things? 1 Others certainly, he says, thinking differently, they who are the sons of men with the most heavy hearts, lovers of the most vain things of life, 2 who do not truly know goods, who neither hope nor believe in anything that shall be seen, they say: 'Who shall show us good things?' For indeed the things they see, because they are not illuminated by the light of your face, are only worldly and corruptible goods, which things they must desire and seek. And if someone happens to speak to them of Divine and heavenly things, they are accustomed to ask, 'Who, then, shall show these things to us?' So they are. We however, sealed with the light of your face, O Lord, we know they shall be shown and given to us, with us coming to the knowledge of them by your light, 'You have given joy to my heart.' 1 Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 4 1 Ps 4.6 2 Ps 4.3