Беседа 17 на псалом 48 59

Ps.48:1-3. To the end. Son of Kore. Psalm. 60 Hear this, all you nations. 61 Receive, all you who live in the universe. 62 Earth-born and sons of men. 63 The rich and the poor. 64 What does the call to attention of all nations indicate? – Instilling in those called upon humility and equality before God. – The psalmist proclaims not his own, but the divine teaching. – What does it mean: into a parable? – Covert speech in Scripture has as its purpose – to arouse attention. – You need to be afraid not of everyday sorrows, but only of sin, from the punishment for which at the divine judgment neither wealth nor kinship will save you; But aren’t the prayers of the saints in vain? – The high price of the human soul before God, the eternal life of the righteous who labored here and their calmness at the sight of death, considered wise. - The madness of covetous and vain people. - The true path to glory. – Extreme humiliation of human dignity by people devoted to passions. - “This way is a temptation to them, and after that they will approve (it) with their lips” (Ps. 49:14). – The quick death of such people and the triumph of the virtuous over them. – But don’t the vicious ones dominate the latter? - The powerlessness and ignominy of the vicious and the salvation of the righteous. – Why shouldn’t you be afraid of the present, the temporary? – Despite honors and flattery during life, a vicious person will not see the light after death and will become like dumb animals. 1. Now the prophet wants to tell us something great and mysterious. He would not have called the inhabitants of the whole earth to listen, would not have constituted a universal spectacle, if he had not intended to tell us something great, glorious and worthy of a great assembly. He no longer prophesies only to the Jews living in Palestine, but, as an apostle and evangelist, he addresses the entire human race. The law was taught to the people in one corner of the universe, and the word of the sermon (the gospel) was proclaimed throughout the whole earth and spread to all the countries that the sun illuminates. That one was some guidance and preparation and served to condemnation and death, but this is grace and peace. So, if he called the entire human race to listen, then we too will begin and see what the Psalmist, the general mentor of the human race, wants to tell us. How, even if they were barbarians, even sages, even commoners, do you command everyone to begin? Yes, he says; That’s why it begins like this: “all nations,” and also adds: “born of the earth and the sons of men,” meaning all of humanity. Oh, what a teaching! How useful it is to everyone and how it applies to everyone! Therefore, he calls on everyone not only to simply listen, but also commands them to listen to what is proclaimed with great zeal and zeal. He did not only say: “hear this, all nations,” but also: “Listen.” The expression “take heed” means nothing more than to listen with diligence and intense attention. The word “listen” is actually used when someone speaks to the very ear, both himself, listening, and another, forcing the suggested one to listen. “Hark, all you who live in the universe.” If there are tribes that have not yet formed into nations, scattered and nomadic, then, he says, I call them to listen. And look at the wisdom of the preacher. First of all, he aroused the attention and elevated the soul of the listeners, calling them all together to listen; and then, when he called, he humbles their pride, so that because of their numbers they do not become proud. Indeed, whoever intends to talk about subjects of philosophy especially needs such listeners, contrite and humble, alien to pride and vanity. How did he humble their souls? Reminding them of their nature. Having said: “nations”, he added: “born of the earth and sons of men”; pointed to nature, from which our existence began, and reminded us of the common mother of us all. Why did he add: “sons of men”? Since he said: “earth-born,” so that no one would think, like pagan fables, that people in the beginning grew from the earth, as some fabled, representing people as sown, he added: “sons of men.” Your fathers are people, but the beginning of existence for you and them is the earth. "What is the pride of earth and ashes?" (Sir.10:9) Introduce your mother, and humble your pride, tame your arrogance; remember that you are “dust and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19), and leave all vanity. I need such a listener; For this reason I humble you, to make you capable of accepting what is proclaimed. “The rich and the poor.” You see the high dignity of the Church. In fact, is it not a great dignity that she does not choose between listeners by rank, but equally teaches all teachings, offers a common meal to both the rich and the poor? Having said that what connects everyone, i.e. that all are earthly, all are sons of men, pointing to the common nature of all, the prophet then turns to the apparent difference and inequality in everyday life and rejects this difference, calling on everyone in general, because we have a common nature. I urge, he says, everyone in general, because we have a common home - the universe; you invented a distinction between wealth and poverty, and introduced inequality, but I again reject it, not preferring the rich and not humiliating the poor, neither calling some of the poor and not driving away the rich, but calling both, and not just both, those before, and these after, or these before, and those after, but “together.” Let there be a general meeting, a common word, a common hearing. Although you are rich, you came from the same dust, you came into the world in the same way as the poor one, by the same birth: both you and he are the son of man. 2. If the most important and essential things are the same and equal for all of you, then why do you exalt yourself with shadows and ghosts, dissolving what is common because of something insignificant? You have a common nature, a common birth, a common property: why do you make external belonging a reason for division? I do not tolerate this, and therefore I call on you along with the poor: “the rich together with the poor.” In other places you will not see rich and poor together, neither in courts of justice, nor in royal palaces, nor in marketplaces, nor at feasts; there one is in honor, the other in contempt, the one with boldness, the other with shame: “the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not listened to” (Eccl. 9:16); “the rich man spoke, and everyone fell silent and extolled his speech to the clouds; the poor man has suffered misfortune, and they still scold him; He spoke wisely, and they did not listen to him” (Sir.13:27, 28). But this is not the case here. In the church I do not tolerate such advantage and such madness, but I offer general teaching to everyone. Look at the wisdom of the teacher, how even before he began to preach, he taught the greatest lesson with one appeal. Having called everyone together, he did not allow either the rich to be exalted or the poor to remain in humiliation, and showed that just as wealth is not good, so poverty is not evil, but both relate to things that are unnecessary and external. For me, he says, there is no difference whether you will be this or that; I see neither your wealth as an advantage, nor your poverty as a disadvantage. But maybe someone will tell him: if you are a person of the same nature, then how do you consider yourself worthy and capable of being a teacher of the universe and calling everyone from the ends of the earth? Do you have anything to say worthy of such a meeting? Yes, he says. Having called upon the universe, and thereby making his words reliable, listen to what he says: “My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding” (Ps. 48:4). Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “My heart will whisper my understanding.” In Hebrew: “he will pronounce (wagie).” Do you see how quickly he explained his words? “I will not talk about riches,” he says, “not about differences, not about power, not about bodily strength, not about any other perishable thing; I intend to speak in detail about the wisdom that came to me not in vain and not by chance. “I will incline my ear to a parable, I will reveal my riddle in the psalter” (Ps. 48:5). Another (unknown translator, see, Orig. Ex.): “I will incline my ear to the parable.” In Hebrew it says: “to the parable” (“lamasal”). “I will reveal my riddle in the psalter.” Another (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.): “my riddle.” In Hebrew: "idafi." What is the connection between these words and the above? Instead of a teacher, I now see a listener. He called everyone to listen to something useful, and when everyone came and gathered, when he promised to say something wise, then, without yet saying anything, he leaves the place of the teacher and goes to the place of the listener: “I will incline, he says, to the parable.” Why does he do this? Very reasonable and consistent with the previous one. Since he said: “My mouth will speak wisdom,” then, so that anyone would not think that something human would be said, and in the words: “the meditation of my heart” would not suspect his own invention, he certifies here that what is proclaimed is divine and that he does not preach anything of his own, but what he heard is what he says. I, he says, inclined my ear to God, I heard from Him, and what descended from above into my soul, that is what I proclaim. Isaiah said in a similar way: “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the wise... He awakens My ear, that I may listen” (Is. 50:4). Also Paul: “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Do you see that he, too, was first a listener, and then became a teacher? That’s why another translator said: “and my heart will whisper.” What does it mean: whisper? He will sing, say some spiritual song. If he calls it “the meditation of my heart,” do not be embarrassed; what he received from the Spirit, he constantly studied, often reflected on it within himself, and having already thought about it, proclaimed it to others. What does it mean: “to the parable”? This word has many meanings. It means rumor, example, and reproach, as, for example, when it is said: “He has made us a byword among the heathens; the people shake their heads at us” (Ps. 43:15). A parable is also a name for enigmatic speech, which many call a question that requires resolution, when it expresses something, but is not clear from the words themselves, containing a hidden meaning, such as, for example, the words of Sampson: “from the eater came food, and from the strong came sweet” (Judg. 14:14), and - Solomon: “to understand the parable and the intricate speech” (Prov. 1:6). A parable is also called a simile: “He set another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field” (Matthew 13:24). A figurative expression is also called a parable, for example: “Son of man! propose a riddle and tell a parable...: a large eagle with large wings” (Ezek. 17:2–3), where the king is called an eagle. A parable is also called a type and a foreshadowing, as Paul shows when he says: “By faith Abraham, when he was tempted, sacrificed Isaac, and having the promise, he offered his only begotten” (Heb. 11:17), i.e. in type and destiny. 3. So, what does he call a parable here? I think that's what he calls the story. Do not be embarrassed that he uses language that is mysterious and very difficult to understand; he does this in order to excite the listener; Since speech that is easy to understand leads many to inattention, he speaks in parables. That is why Christ spoke many things in parables, and explained them to his disciples in private. The parable distinguishes a worthy listener from an unworthy one; the worthy one tries to find out the meaning of what was said, while the unworthy one ignores it. So it was then, the Jews were not excited by speech difficult to understand and were not disposed to ask questions: they listened so little to what was said! Covert speech in general can be a strong incentive to explore. Therefore, Christ did this, spoke in parables, in order to arouse and dispose the Jews, careless and drowsy, to listen attentively. But despite this, they were not attentive; but the disciples listened diligently, and when they did not understand, then they were especially attentive because they did not understand. That is why He explained the parables to them in private. That is why the prophet says: “I will incline my ear to the parable, I will reveal my riddle in the psalter.” “Riddle” is a hidden and enigmatic speech, as he says in another place: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will proclaim the original fortune-telling” (Ps. 77:2). He dared to call it wisdom because he was moved by divine revelation; said: “in the psalter,” in order to show the spiritual meaning of the teaching and the inspiration from above; He offered instruction in the form of a chant in order to make his speech pleasant. Do you see what a preface he wrote? He called on the universe, rejected the inequalities that occur in life, reminded us of nature, humbled arrogance, promised to say something great and lofty, said that he would not speak from himself, but only what he heard from God, noticed that his speech would be very unclear in order to make us more attentive, promised to teach us spiritual wisdom, which he constantly reflected on. Let's be careful and don't miss anything. If his word is wisdom, a parable and a riddle, then intense attention is required. What kind of teaching is this, what kind of riddle, what kind of parable, what kind of wisdom that he heard from above? “Why,” he says, “should I be afraid on the day of trouble?” Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “in the days of the evil one.” Third (unknown, see Orig. Copy): “evil.” In Syriac "disaster" ("ra"); in Hebrew also: “ra”. “The iniquity of my feet will surround me” (Ps. 48:6). Another (Symmachus): “my traces.” In Hebrew: “the malice of my persecutors surrounds me” (“aon akuvvai isuvvuni”). Do you see how his words are mysterious, inaccurate, hidden and very unclear? But, if you like, let’s find out in advance what kind of “day of disaster” he is talking about. What day does Scripture usually call fierce? Day of disasters, punishments, sorrows. So in another place he says: “Blessed is he who thinks about the poor and wretched! On the cruel day the Lord will deliver him” (Ps. 40:2). This is the day of future judgment, terrible and terrible for sinners. Do you see the first lesson of the highest wisdom, which teaches you what is worthy of fear and what is contemptible? Whoever does not make this excellent distinction is, as it were, in deep darkness and confusion, and does not know what to do. If we do not distinguish between what we should fear and what we should despise, then our life will be filled with many errors, many dangers. Indeed, it is extremely crazy to fear what is not worthy of fear, and laugh at what should be feared. This is how adults differ from children, that the latter, not having a mature mind, are afraid of masks and people dressed in sacks, while insulting their father or mother is considered nothing; they rush towards the fire and burning lamps, but are afraid of some noise that has nothing terrible in it; and adults are not subject to anything like that. But since many are more foolish than children, the prophet makes such a distinction, saying what should be feared - not what seems scary to many, i.e. poverty, ignorance, illness, which for many seem not only terrible, but even terrible and unbearable - he does not inspire anything like that - but only one sin. This means the words: “the iniquity of my feet will surround me.” So, here is a tributary word, here is a new and unusual teaching! Indeed, for many it seems new and unusual to say that one should not be afraid of any everyday sorrows. “Why should I be afraid on the day of trouble”? There is only one thing, he says, that I am afraid of, so that lawlessness on my path and in my life does not surround me. Scripture calls deceit the fifth (leg). “Who ate my bread,” says the prophet, “lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 40:10). Esau also said about Jacob: “He has trampled me twice already” (Gen. 27:36). This is sin: it is insidious and capable of deception. It is, he says, that I am afraid, the sin that deceives me, that surrounds me. 4. That’s why Paul calls sin “stumbling” (Heb. 12:1), expressing that it often, easily and conveniently takes hold of us. In these courts, people are afraid of many things, including wealth, power, slander, and deception; and there is nothing like it, but only sin is terrible, surrounding those who indulge in it on all sides and acting more ferociously than the enemy army. Therefore, we must try in every possible way not to be surrounded by him, and if we see that he wants to attack us, then run away from his nets, as skilled warriors do in war; if we are caught from him, then immediately break his bonds, as David did, breaking his strength through repentance. He was captivated by sin, but soon got rid of it. He who fears sin will never fear anything else, but will laugh at the blessings of this life and despise sorrow, because only the fear of sin shakes his soul. For those who have this fear, nothing, truly nothing else is scary, not death itself, which is the most terrible of all, but only sin. Why? Because sin delivers a person to Gehenna and subjects him to eternal torment. On the other hand, such fear leads to all virtue. Imagine how important it is not to be exalted in the blessings of life, not to be cowardly in adversity, not to cling to anything present, to worry about the future, to wait for the last day, spending life in this fear. Such a person will become an angel, fearing only one sin and nothing else; he will not be afraid of anything else if he is afraid of this alone, as he should be afraid, and on the contrary, whoever is not afraid of this will experience many terrible things. “Those who trust in their own strength and boast in the abundance of their wealth” (Ps. 48:7). Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “proud.” “A brother will not deliver, will a man deliver (at all)? He will not give God a ransom for himself. And the price of the redemption of his soul, (even if) he labored forever” (Ps. 48:8, 9). Maybe someone will ask: what is the connection of speech here? Great, continuous and very close. Since he speaks of a trial, a future terrible report, an incorruptible verdict, and in these courts many pervert the truth, bribe the judges and avoid punishment, then, proclaiming the incorruptibility of that court and intensifying the fear about which he spoke above, he adds this too, explaining that it is truly good, as he said, to fear only sin and nothing else. There you cannot distort the truth with money, or rid yourself of Gehenna with gifts; neither patronage, nor eloquence, nor anything else like that can save you there. No matter how rich you are, no matter how much power you have, no matter who you know, all this is vain and useless; there everyone is punished and crowned according to their deeds. And Lazarus’s contemporary was very rich, but wealth did not bring him any benefit (Luke 16); and the virgins knew other virgins, but this proximity did not help them at all (Matthew 25), because only one thing is required there. Therefore, says the prophet, you who hope for wealth and are endowed with power, exalt yourself in vain and in vain; Neither the abundance of wealth nor the power of power will go with you to that judgment; neither friendship, nor kinship, nor anything else will deliver you. There you cannot give money, ransom or price for your soul in order to be saved. How does Scripture say: “Make for yourself friends with unrighteous wealth, so that when you become poor, they will receive you into eternal homes” (Luke 16:9)? What do these words mean? They do not contain anything contrary, nothing inconsistent with the above, but they are very much in agreement with them. It says here that one must make friends in this life by using wealth and wasting property on the needy; here nothing else is commanded but generous alms. If you go there without doing anything like that, no one will intercede for you. It is not the friendship of men that we intercede for us, but that friends are acquired by wealth; That’s why the Lord added: “friends in wealth,” so that you would know that these very deeds of yours will protect you: mercy, philanthropy, generosity to those in need. And that neither kinship nor friendship will bring any benefit without deeds, listen to what the prophet says about this: “If these three men had been found: Noah, Daniel and Job..., they would have saved neither sons nor daughters” (Ezek. 14:14, 18). But what am I saying about the future life, if in the present friendship did not protect at all? So, how much Samuel cried and wept, and yet did not save Saul (1 Samuel 15:35)! How much Jeremiah prayed, and, however, did not help the Jews in anything, but was also forbidden to pray (Jer. 14: 7, 11)! And is it surprising that Jeremiah did not help them at all, when even Moses, as it is said, if he had been at that time, could not have saved the Jews of that time, who indulged in wickedness and did not do anything good on their own (Jer. 15:1)? 5. How much Paul grieved for the Jews, saying: “Brothers! my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel’s salvation” (Rom. 10:1), and yet did his prayer help them? Not at all. But what am I saying about prayer, when he even wanted to be excommunicated from Christ for them (Rom. 9:3)? So, are the prayers of the saints in vain? No; on the contrary, they have great power if you also cooperate with them. So Peter resurrected Tabitha not only because of his prayer, but also because she was distinguished by mercy (Acts 9:36). This is how the praying saints helped others. But this happens here, where labors and exploits still continue; and there is nothing like that, but salvation depends only on works. That is why the prophet laughs very hard at the rich and proud. He did not say: those who have wealth, or those who have acquired strength, but: “those who trust in their strength and boast in the abundance of their wealth,” laughing and reproaching them for trusting in shadows and being exalted in smoke. He also said well: “He will not give a price for the redemption of his soul,” because the price of a soul is higher even than the whole world, as the Lord says: “What good does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul? or what ransom will a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) And so that you may be convinced that the price of a soul is higher than the whole world, listen to what Paul says about other saints: “they wandered about in mantles and goatskins, enduring shortcomings, sorrows, and bitterness; those of whom the whole world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:37–38). Truly, peace is for the soul. Just as a father would not take a house for a son, so God would not take the world for a soul; but deeds and exploits are required of her. Do you want to know how great the price of our souls is? The Only Begotten Son of God, wanting to redeem them, sacrificed not the world, not man, not the earth, not the sea, but His honest blood. So Paul says: “You were bought with a price; Do not become slaves of men" (1 Cor. 7:23). Do you see the greatness of the price? Therefore, when you destroy your soul, bought at such a price, how can you redeem it again? “Christ, having risen from the dead, dies no more” (Rom. 6:9). Do you see how great the price is, how high the dignity of the soul? Do not neglect her and do not make her a prisoner. “Will he live to the end and not see death?” (Ps.49:10). Another translator (Aquila) says: “and rested forever.” Third (Symmachus): “having rested in this age, he will live forever.” Having spoken about the rich and powerful and shown that this is of no benefit to them, the prophet now speaks about those who live virtuously, in labor and sorrow, and encourages the ascetics of philosophy. Don’t tell me, he continues, that there is work and sorrow here, but imagine the fruits, remember that man is immortal, that they are followed by eternal life that has no end. Therefore, isn’t it much better to work a little here and get eternal peace, than to suffer endlessly after enjoying a little? Further, wanting to show that not only are there rewards and crowns, but also here is the beginning of retribution, he continues: “for he sees that the wise die (and) equally (with them) the foolish and the foolish perish and leave their wealth to strangers” (Ps. 49:11). Don’t contradict me: you only talk about the future; no, here too I give you a deposit of (future) crowns, or better, a deposit of them and the rewards themselves. How and in what way? A wise man, guided by the hope of the future, will not consider death itself to be death, but, seeing a dead man lying before his eyes, will not give in to grief, like many others, imagining crowns; rewards, unspeakable blessings, “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart” (1 Cor. 2:9), life there, rejoicing with the angels. Just as a farmer, seeing decaying grain, does not lose heart and does not despair, but on the contrary then especially rejoices and admires, knowing that this decay is the beginning of a new life and the reason for the most abundant fruiting, so the righteous man, adorned with good deeds and daily awaiting the kingdom, seeing death before his eyes, does not lose heart, like many others, is not embarrassed and does not lament; he knows that for those who live righteously, death is a change for the better, a transition to a most blissful state, a path to crowns. Whom does the prophet call “wise” here? Not truly wise, but considered wise. It seems to me that he understands the pagan sages, laughing at them and because they, “professing to be wise, became fools” (Rom. 1:22), not thinking at all about the resurrection. When the righteous man sees these wise men perishing, crying, shedding tears, weeping, then he himself will not experience anything like this, but will be above such arrows, encouraged by good hopes and knowing that this death is not the death of a being, but the destruction of mortality, the destruction of corruption. This death does not destroy the body, but destroys corruption; the essence remains forever to be resurrected in greater glory - however, not for everyone, because although the resurrection will be common to everyone, the resurrection in glory is only for those who live righteously. “And their graves are their dwellings forever, their dwellings from generation to generation, (even though) they called their names upon the lands” (Ps. 48:12). Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “that which is within their houses forever.” Third (Symmachus): “their dwellings for generations, who called the lands after their names.” In Hebrew: “in the lands (aliadamoth).” 6. Do you see how the prophet, not only by future, but also by current circumstances, deviates from evil and covetousness and leads to virtue, destroying the passion for wealth, calling people attached to present goods insane and proving this by their deeds themselves? In fact, tell me, what could be crazier than a person who works, cares and collects wealth so that others can enjoy the fruits of his labors? What could be worse than this futile labor, when the one who has used the effort and was subjected to exhaustion himself ends his life, and leaves the enjoyment of the benefits to others, and, moreover, not to relatives and friends, but, as often happens, to enemies and adversaries? Therefore, the prophet did not say: to others, but: to “strangers” they will leave their wealth. What does it mean: “the equally insane and the foolish perish?” , i.e., together with those mentioned above. Here, it seems to me, he is talking about wicked people, attached to the blessings of the present and not thinking at all about the future, calling them crazy in this regard. If you think that after this life there will be nothing, then why are you tormented and worried, collecting countless riches from everywhere, subjecting yourself to labor, but not enjoying their fruits? “And their graves are their dwellings forever.” He says this in accordance with their opinion. “Their villages were from generation to generation, (although) they called their names on the lands.” What could be worse than such madness - to consider tombs as eternal dwellings and to be exalted in them? Thus, many often build tombs more magnificent than houses. They work and worry either for enemies, or for worms and dust, squandering property without any benefit. This is the way of thinking of those who hope for nothing in the future. But at the same time I need to mourn many others who, while hoping for the future, imitate those who have no hope for the future, building tombs, erecting magnificent monuments, burying gold in the ground, wasting their property on others and thus turning out to be worse than those people. He who does not expect anything after this life cares about the blessings here, although unreasonably, but at least because he does not expect anything better; and you, a person who knows about the future life, about the unspeakable blessings there, that, according to the saying of the Gospel, “then the righteous will shine like the sun” (Matthew 13:43), what forgiveness can you receive, what justification can you have? What just punishment will you not be subjected to when you waste everything here on dust, on ashes, on monuments, on opponents, on enemies? “And they named their names in the lands.” Here is another kind of madness: giving your own names to buildings, fields, baths, and considering this the greatest consolation for yourself, chasing the shadow instead of the truth. If you, a person, want to acquire an eternal memory for yourself, then do not give your names to buildings, but erect trophies of good deeds, which will preserve your name in the present life and will give you eternal peace in the future. If you wish and strive to leave behind a memory, then I will show you the path to it, true and undoubted: try to be virtuous. Nothing makes a person's name immortal like virtue. This is proven by the martyrs, the remains of the apostles prove this, and the memory of those who lived virtuously proves this. How many kings erected cities, built piers, gave them their names, and after death they did not receive any benefit for themselves, they were consigned to silence and oblivion? And the fisherman Peter, who did nothing of the kind, but was devoted to virtue, occupied the royal city and after death shines brighter than the sun. But what you are doing is ridiculous and shameful. These very monuments not only do not make you famous, but even make you ridiculous, opening everyone’s lips against you. While your covetousness might in time be consigned to oblivion, these buildings stand everywhere, like pillars and trophies, testifying to your covetousness. “But man, being in honor, did not understand (this), and became equal to foolish beasts and became like them” (Ps. 49:13). Here, it seems to me, the prophet regrets that man, a rational being entrusted with dominion on earth, has lowered himself to dumb animals, working in vain, doing the opposite of his salvation, engaging in vanity, indulging in covetousness, worrying about useless things. The honor of a person consists in virtue, in thinking about the future, in doing everything for that life and despising the present. The life of dumb animals is limited to present existence, and ours is directed towards another life, better and without end. That is why people who know nothing about the future are worse than dumb animals, and not only they, but also those who lead depraved lives, becoming snakes, scorpions and wolves through deceit, oxen through stupidity, dogs through shamelessness. 7. Tell me, really, what could be crazier than people who work on tombs and monuments and are amazed at the inscriptions of other people's names? Nothing leaves a memory of us except one virtue, not a house, not a statue, not children, and nothing else like that. A house is the work of a builder, a statue is the work of an artist, children are the work of nature, but this has nothing to do with your glory. That is why the prophet calls such a person insane, since he, having imposed the yoke of madness on himself, becomes worse than a dumb animal. An animal is at least useful and capable of farming; and a person, having given himself over to madness, becomes worse for it. Having said above how rude, earthly and base the concepts of such people are, how useless their labors are in collecting wealth, and wanting to more strongly express their guilt, the prophet also mentions the blessings of God, as prophets usually do in other places. So Isaiah, intending to expose the Jews, first of all, mentions the honor shown to them by God, and says: “I raised and raised up sons, and they rebelled against Me” (Is. 1: 2). So here too, the prophet, expressing in one word the benefits shown by God to the human race, says: “man, being in honor, did not understand.” What honor is he talking about? Listen to what he says in another psalm: “You have made him a little lower than the angels, You have crowned him with glory and honor, and, explaining this honor, he continues: You have put everything under his feet: the sheep and the oxen of all, as well as the cattle of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass through their paths and the seas” (Ps. 8:6-9). Indeed, the greatest honor is to give him dominion over everything visible, and, moreover, he has not yet done anything good. Having not yet created him, God said: “Let us make man in Our image [and] in Our likeness,” and then, wanting to explain the expression: in our likeness, he added: And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the beasts” (Gen. 1:26). This creature is small, three cubits in size, and so small in bodily strength in comparison with dumb animals, He made it superior to all of them with the ability of reason, endowing it with a rational soul, which serves as a sign of the greatest honor. With the help of this ability, man built cities, split the seas, cultivated the land, invented countless arts, became the owner of the most ferocious animals, and - most importantly and most importantly - he knew his Creator God, began to virtue, learned what is good and what is not. He is one of the visible creatures who prays to God; he alone was rewarded with revelations, learned a lot of hidden things, learned heavenly things; for him the earth, for him the sky, for him the sun and the stars, for him the course of the moon, the changes of the seasons and the variety of weather, for him the growth of fruits, plants and so many kinds of animals, for him day and night; apostles and prophets were sent for him, and angels were often sent for him. However, is it necessary to count a lot? It is impossible to count everything. For him, the Only Begotten Son of God became a man, was crucified, buried, and after his resurrection there were so many terrible signs for him; for him is the law, for him is heaven, for him is the flood. Indeed, this is the greatest kind of honor for him - to receive correction through benefits and punishments. For him, all the countless industrial deeds accomplished in the past; and the future judgment itself will be carried out for his honor. That is why Job says: what is man, that You have brought him to judgment (Job 14:3), just as the Psalmist says in another place: “What is man, that You are mindful of him?” (Ps. 8:5) For him, the Only Begotten Son of God will come again with countless blessings, because He has already given us some blessings, communicating them through baptism and other sacraments and mysteries, and filling the earth with various miracles, and He promised to grant others, such as: the kingdom of heaven, eternal life, so that we might become His heirs and reign with Him. That is why Paul said: “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12). Presenting all this, the prophet rightly compares with dumb animals those people who preferred vice to their nobility and betrayed themselves to the passions of animals. Other prophets do the same, wishing with such a comparison to arouse shame in shameless listeners. So one of them says: “These are fattened horses: each of them neighs at the other’s wife” (Jer. 5:8), and the other: “An ox knows his owner, and a donkey his master’s manger” (Is. 1:3), expressing himself even more strongly than David; David said: “He became equal to foolish cattle and became like them,” but this one says that they became even more foolish than cattle, because “an ox knows its owner, and a donkey knows its master’s manger, but Israel does not know [Me], My people do not understand” (Is. 1:3). 8. Another wise man, wanting to show that a lazy person, careless and devoted to idleness is worse than ants, sends him to them to learn hard work: “go,” he says, to the ant, you slothful person, look at his actions, and be wise. He has neither a boss, nor a guardian, nor a master; but he prepares his bread in the summer, collects his food during the harvest, and also commands him to go to the bee: or go to the bee and know how hardworking she is, what honorable work she produces; her labors are used for health” (Prov. 6:6-8). The third says: “His judges are the wolves of the evening” (Zeph.3:3). Still another: “you sat for them like an Arabian in the desert” (Jer. 3:2). And the son of Zechariah says: “You brood of vipers! who told you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7) Also Isaiah: “they hatch the eggs of serpents and weave cobwebs” (Isaiah 59:5). And the prophet David himself says in another place: “The poison of asps is in their mouth” (Ps. 139:4); and again: “Their rage is like a snake” (Ps. 57:5). Such is the vice: a man so great, so glorious and adorned with such dignity, he reduces dumb animals to the baseness. Therefore, in the present psalm, the prophet, having pointed out two types of vice and leaving others to the consideration of the listeners, thus reproaches those devoted to them. Truly, what could be more reckless than a person who in vain, in vain and to the detriment of his head, goes around the universe and collects countless riches not for himself, but for others, unknown to him and even often for enemies and haters? He said well: “they leave their wealth to strangers.” What could be crazier than those who take upon themselves the labors and sins of collecting wealth, and leave others to enjoy it? Then, along with covetousness, exposing vanity, with great force he denounces this vice: “they named,” he says, “they are their names on the lands.” What again could be more insane than those who entrust their memory and entrust their glory to stones, trees, soulless matter? They completely deprived many of their property, robbed widows, ruined orphans, in order to make a magnificent dwelling for worms, to create majestic fences for moths and decay, thinking that through this their memory would be immortal, while all this cannot protect bodies from death even for one short moment. “Their way is a stumbling block to them, and after that they will approve (him) with their lips” (Ps. 49:14). What, tell me, is “their way”? An intense search for all this, vain activity, a great passion for wealth, an insatiable thirst for fame. Even before, he says, the future punishment, and here they are tempted and stumbling. Indeed, this path is no small temptation, no small stumbling block, no small obstacle to success in virtue. That is why he says: “This way is a temptation to them.” Well did he call this path a temptation for them. They bind themselves, they bind themselves. “And after that they will approve (him) with their lips.” What is said here is the gravest evil and the cause of other evils. When people who commit so many sins, iniquities and follies, please and glorify themselves, call themselves worthy of imitation and admire their deeds, then imagine what great strength the evil desire for vice, praised by those who commit it, receives. In fact, if he, being condemned, reproached and reproached, being subjected to scourging, punishment and hatred in the conscience of people who are awake, flourishes so shamelessly and grows stronger every day, then when for him there will not only be no obstacles, no reproach, no remorse, no regret about what happened, no remorse for what was done, no contrition, no sighs, no tears, but everything opposite will be when those who perform it will approve of themselves, extol themselves with praise, consider themselves better than others for this, and upon completion will glorify what they have done - and this is what the words mean: “and after that they will approve (of it) with their lips” - then what will they not achieve? Indeed, there are people so depraved, so deeply fallen, that even after committing an evil wish, when at the sight of the crime they should be particularly ashamed, they rejoice, admire, and delight in what they have done. Sin is such that before it is committed, it covers up its vileness, decorates its disgustingness with intoxicating pleasure; but when it is completed, when the pleasure of lust little by little passes and remorse sets in, punishing the mind freed from it, then all its destruction is revealed. And these people, even after committing a sin, when they see the wealth collected, the tombs erected, the finished vain buildings, instead of lamenting and sighing, even after this, after committing a sin, after the fulfillment of an evil wish, they indulge even more in illness. When, therefore, work is done on their part, then God begins His work. 9. Just as those who condemn themselves for their sins warn and reject the judgment of God from themselves, as Paul says: “If we had judged ourselves, we would not have been judged” (1 Cor. 11:31), so, on the contrary, those suffering from an incurable disease, who sin and do not repent of their sins, incur God’s severe punishment. Since these people, who either steal someone else’s property, or spend theirs in vain and in vain, wasting on tombs, on worms and on moths what should have been used on the poor, do not repent of their deeds, but remain incurably sick, then listen to what then happens to them. What happens? They are being punished by God. Therefore, the prophet adds: “They are laid like sheep in hell; death will feed them” (Ps. 48:15). It is not meekness that he expresses here by the name of sheep (since what could be more ferocious than people who remain indifferent at the sight of the poor naked and exhausted from hunger, but decorate houses for decay, worms and moths?) - but the ease of their death, the speed of the danger threatening them, their easiness for enemies. Indeed, there is nothing weaker than a person who lives viciously. The same will happen to these people: they will be so amazed, they will perish so quickly, they will go to hell so conveniently, easily, quickly, immediately, like slaughtered sheep. This is death, or even worse than death. They, after such a death, will suffer eternal death; they will not go to the bosom of Abraham or to some other place, but to hell - the place of condemnation, punishment and final destruction. And their death here is humiliating and joyless, and their life there is full of torment. So we are in the habit of talking about people who are about to perish: such and such perished like a sheep. Just as they lived like dumb animals, so they die like dumb animals, having no good hope for the future; and not only so, but to even greater disaster. "Death will shepherd them". Here, it seems to me, the prophet calls death there death, torment, as in another place the prophet says: “the soul that sins, it will die” (Ezek. 18:20), expressing not the destruction of existence, but punishment. He continues his figurative speech. Having spoken about the sheep, he also shows their shepherds. Who is this shepherd? This is a poisonous worm, endless darkness, insoluble bonds, gnashing of teeth. You see how they suffer punishment in everything: in life, because they encountered obstacles to virtue, they were slaves and captives of vice, they worked in vain and shameful labor, - in death, because they ended their lives quickly and ingloriously, - after death, because they were given over to eternal destruction. “And the righteous will soon rule over them” (Ps. 49:15). Since many of the people who have hardened and reached the point of stone insensibility do not have a clear and bright hope for the future, but are devoted to the present and the visible, he frightens them with this figurative speech. And then, when he spoke briefly about the future, he again talks about their humiliation and punishment in the present life, showing how weak, low, despicable they are, and even if they possessed countless riches, even if they were invested with power, they are servants and slaves of those who live virtuously. That is why he says: “and the righteous will soon rule over them,” i.e. quickly, constantly, so that no time, no labor, no waiting is needed for this. Such is the property of virtue and vice that the latter serves the former, fears and fears her, even if he were decorated with countless embellishments and many differences, and the latter was without any decorations and stood for itself. On the contrary, would you say, we see that the vicious dominate the virtuous? But let us not look at the erroneous opinion of many - such judgment comes from false concepts - but let us judge things correctly, and you will be convinced that the words spoken are true. Let the evil one be the master and the good one the servant, or better, if you want, let’s give another higher example. Let the evil one be a king, and the good one a private man; and let's see which of them is the master of the other, on whose side is the power, which of them commands and which obeys. How do we know this? Let the king order a private person to do some vicious and dishonest deed: what will a good subject do? He will not only not agree, will not obey, but will try to deviate the commander himself from his intention, even if for this he had to die. Which one of them is free? Is it the one who acts according to his own will and does not fear the king in this case, or the one who is despised by his subject? But, without dwelling on a vague example, let us remember whether the Egyptian wife of Pentephry was a queen? Did she not rule over all of Egypt? Was she not the king's wife? Was she not invested with great power? And Joseph, was he not a slave, a captive, bought by a servant? Did she not arm herself against the young man with all her means, entrusting not another to wage the war, but herself, entering into a fight with him? But who turned out to be a slave then and who was free? Is it she who convinced, begged, begged, who became a captive not of a person, but of an evil passion, or he, who beheld her diadem, scepter, and purple, and all external splendor, and destroyed her plans? Didn’t she go unheard and then enslave to yet another passion, insane anger, revenge? Didn’t he come out with his head adorned with countless crowns, and didn’t he show his freedom even more brilliantly in slavery itself? 10. There is nothing so free as virtue, and nothing so servile as vice. That is why in another place someone says: “A wise servant rules over a dissolute son” (Prov. 17:2). Just as a captive, even if he possesses countless riches, is therefore even more exposed to everyone’s attack, so one devoted to passions is weaker than a web. For example, in war, is it not the virtuous who we see winning? Also, in matters and advice, is it not their opinions that turn out to be firm, even if no one agrees with them? And in the future life? Didn't the rich man ask like a beggar for a drop of water and never receive it? And the poor man, who was moderate and virtuous, did not enjoy the greatest bliss, having received the same lot with Abraham? Also, the apostles, being imprisoned, subjected to scourging and countless sufferings, did not they overcome those who subjected them to this? Remember how bewildered they were to their persecutors, who said: “What should we do with these people?” ( Acts 4:16 )? They were bound and brought to the courts, but while those took the place of judges and rulers, and these stood in the place of the defendants, the latter defeated the former. And always, if you look carefully, the virtuous will be victorious over the wicked, a true victory, not the kind that usually happens to many, not false, vain and easily overthrown, but strong and unshakable. “And their help will be exhausted in hell” (Ps. 49:15), i.e. will be powerless. The meaning of these words is as follows: not only here they are easy to grasp, without any defender and without any helper, and open to attack by everyone, but - what is much worse - they will not have any intercessor, defender and helper there who would console them in the midst of suffering. Thus, the wise virgins could not give help to the foolish, nor Abraham to the rich, nor Noah, Job and Daniel to their sons and daughters. The word: “will be exhausted” means: weakened, destroyed. “That which grows old and grows old is about to be destroyed” (Heb. 8:13). “Out of their glory they are worn out” (Ps. 49:15). What did they especially desire, why did they do everything and worked for it, i.e. so that even after death they would achieve great glory through wealth, buildings, tombs, their names inscribed on the tombs - and this, he says, they will be deprived of, which would cause them the greatest sorrow if they were alive and knew about it. Such monuments serve as accusers of the dead. Their body is hidden in the ground, and the stones emit a voice, daily condemning their cruelty and shamelessness, declaring them common enemies for all, constantly encouraging those passing by to pronounce curses, accusations, and reproaches on them. What kind of glory is it - to leave behind an accuser who does not remain silent, but with one look opens the lips of everyone, prompts everyone who sees and passes to utter the strongest reproaches to those who built it? What can be compared with such madness - to erect something from which they themselves suffer punishment, from which they are exposed to shame and condemnation, from which they are disturbed by many even after death, from which they receive curses, reproaches and countless reproaches from both those offended by them and those not offended? “But God will deliver my soul from the power of hell when He receives me” (Ps. 49:16). Having spoken about the punishment of evil people, about rewards for sin, the prophet also speaks about rewards for the good. This is what he and other prophets usually do in order to correct the listener on both sides, both with punishments for sins and rewards for virtues. The fate of the first, he says, is dishonor, vain labor, madness, ridicule, shame, destruction, death, torment, eternal punishment, contrition, deprivation of glory and security both during life and after death, reproach, condemnation, the absence of any consolation in disasters; and ours, on the contrary, is deliverance from punishment, freedom of the soul, security, glory, honor. He expressed all this with the words: “but God will deliver my soul from the power of hell when he accepts me,” here calling the punishment and unbearable torment there hell. Think about how much honor there is, not only in this, but also in what he said in the added words. “When,” he says, “he accepts me,” then I will see Him much more clearly than now. “Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). And when the soul is saved, then the body will receive participation in the benefits. “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, or when the glory of his house increases” (Ps. 48:17). If so, then why, he says, are you afraid of the present? Why does poverty upset you? Why are you afraid of a rich man? You have heard the teaching about the resurrection, the rewarding of the good and the punishment of the evil: why are you afraid of shadows? The blessings there are solid and constant, but the blessings here are like fading flowers. Therefore, leaving everything else, the prophet attacks the stronghold of all evils - the passion for wealth, because when it is overthrown, then everything else is destroyed. 11. But how can you tell me not to be afraid of people so strong? Their power is short-lived, their strength is momentary, their prosperity is fragile; Wealth, luxury, and such honor are like shadows and dreams. Therefore, the prophet adds: “for at death he will take nothing, and his glory will not go away with him” (Ps. 48:18), showing the reason why one should not be afraid of the temporary. Death has come, he says, cut off the root, and all the beauty along with the leaves disappears, and the house is given over to everyone for plunder. Just as sheep and goats attack a tree that has been cut down and abandoned, so too, many of the rich’s enemies, many of their friends, many of those who have benefited from them, approach the deceased rich people in order to plunder their property; and he who possessed such riches, who had so many cupbearers, cooks, silver and golden bowls, so many acres of land, houses, servants, horses, mules, camels and slaves, departs alone, so that no one accompanies him, departs, leaving his very clothes here. Indeed, the more magnificently he was dressed, the more abundant food he would have provided for the worms, the more he would have aroused the greed of the grave robbers and the attempt on his unfortunate body. Truly, the more he decorates himself, the more he incurs insults, arming himself and inviting the hands of grave-breakers upon himself. But you say: what’s wrong with that? But here he has fun and triumphs until his death. Quite a few are not to the point of death; but on the contrary, when enemies attacked them, they suffered more than convicted criminals, losing their property, being dishonored and being imprisoned. So, yesterday he sat in a chariot, today he is in chains; yesterday he accepted services from flatterers, today he is surrounded by executioners; he who is perfumed with incense is stained with blood; the one reclining on a soft bed is thrown onto the hard floor; He who is glorified by all is despised by all. But, you say, even after death he receives a magnificent and glorious burial. What's in it for him, who doesn't feel anything? Only more stench, more shame, more envy; this magnificence serves as a reason for constant enmity between the children of the deceased. And look how precise the expressions and great wisdom of the prophet are. He not only amazes the rich man by the fact that his wealth does not leave with him, but here he exposes all his seduction, showing that this is not his wealth, although the man possesses it. He did not say: when “his glory will increase,” but: “glory to his house.” All this, he says, that I have numbered, fountains, porticoes, baths, gold and silver, horses and mules, carpets and clothes, is the glory of the house, and not the person living in the house. The glory of a person is a virtue that departs with the one who acquires it. But this glory remains the glory of the house, or, better said, does not remain, but is destroyed along with the house, and does not bring any benefit to the one who lived in it, because it was not his glory. “Although his soul will be glorified during his lifetime” (Ps. 48:19). Having spoken of wealth and fame, the prophet now speaks of honors. Since the rich care a lot about this, about flattery in the marketplace, about pleasing the people, about the praise of society, they consider it something great to be applauded at shows, at feasts and in courts of justice, to be proclaimed by everyone and called worthy of imitation, then look how he shows the insignificance of this too from the side of time. “During his lifetime,” he says, i.e. these pleasures, these glorifications occur only until the end of this life; and then, along with everything else, this too is destroyed, as temporary and perishable, and even in the mouths of the same praisers it turns into the opposite after his death, when the mask that inspired fear falls away. “He will be glorified and (even) grateful to you when you show him kindness.” Look how he condemns the good deeds of such people. You flatter him, please him, feignedly and hypocritically provide some temporary service; and although he will give you gratitude, it will be so that you do what is pleasing to him, and when, in this way, he completely bribes you, then he will thank you. This is what the words mean: “he will be glorified and (even) grateful to you when you do him good.” He did not say: when you do something useful to him, you will do him a favor, but: when you do something pleasing to him, you will do a service according to his desire and thought; thus indicated the harm on both sides, both from hypocritical approval and from malicious gratification. “But he will go to the family of his fathers; he will never see the light. And man, being in honor, ate without understanding, became equal to the foolish beasts and became like them” (Ps. 49:20-21). “Will do”, i.e. he will imitate the greed of his fathers, and, having descended from the wicked, will inherit their malice; or otherwise: if he does not do anything good, he will find himself not receiving any benefit from wealth, will remain with those who died before him in the dust until judgment, and will not be able to see the light according to the law of nature. Then, repeating what was said before, the prophet says: “and man, being in honor, ate without understanding, became equal to the foolish beasts and became like them.” A man, he says, who died in this way, without properly using his wealth, is in no way different from a dumb animal; he did not know the honor given to him by God, and became like cattle, for whom death is the end of life; from which may we all be delivered, both those who learn this and those who teach, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The psalms in the text are translated by P. Yungerov - Editorial office of the ABC of Faith Another translator (Symmachus) says: song of victory. Another (unknown translator, see Orig. Copy): hear this. Another (unknown, see Orig. Copy): “at sunset.” Third (Aquila and Symmachus): “in the west.” In Hebrew: in the universe (old). Another (Symmachus): humanity and, moreover, the sons of every husband. Another (unknown translator, see Orig. Copy): “together.” There is no Russian translation of this word You might be interested in: