Understanding And Virtue

Ὁδὸν δικαιωμάτων σου συνέτισόν με, καὶ ἀδολεσχήσω ἐν τοῖς θαυμασίοις σου. Θείας ἡμῖν συνέσεως δεῖ, ὥστε κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον τὴν ἀρετὴν μετελθεῖν, καὶ τὸν φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενον μὴ πρὸς κενοδοξίαν ἰδὲῖν, καὶ τὸν ἀσκητικὸν μὴ θηρᾶσαι τὸν ἀνθρώπειον ἔπαινον, τὸν σώφρονα μὴ δὶα τὴν τῆς ἀκολασίας αἰσχύνυν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν πόθον τῆς ἀρετῆς, μετειέναι τὴν σωφροσύνην. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ Προσφήτης ἀντιβολεῖ συνέσεως θείας μεταλαχεῖν, ὡς διαγνῶμαι τὴν τῆς δικαιοσύνην ὁδὸν. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΡΙΗ´ Source: Migne PG 80.1829c

Give me understanding of the way of your justifications and I shall think upon your wonders... 1 The Divine understanding is needed for us to partake of virtue according to the Divine law, so that he who has a share of the love of men knows nothing of vainglory, and he who is ascetic does not look for the praises of man, and he who is continent is not disgraced by intemperance, but because of the desire for virtue he attains continence. Rightly, therefore, the Prophet entreats that he may partake of the Divine understanding, so that he may know the way of righteousness. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.27