{"slug":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-prooemia-in-psalmos","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-prooemia-in-psalmos","title":"Prooemia in Psalmos","title_source":"Prooemia in Psalmos","author":"John Chrysostom","genre":"commentary","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T07:12:46Z","cost_usd":0.008123},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-prooemia-in-psalmos","work_id":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-prooemia-in-psalmos","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/Prooemia%20in%20Psalmos.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":14,"english_words":3695,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":14589,"commentary_units":83,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":22,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-prooemia-in-psalmos","abstract":"The Prooemia in Psalmos are a series of introductory homilies on the Psalms delivered by John Chrysostom, likely during his presbyterate in Antioch (c. 386–397). Written in Greek and belonging to the homiletic rather than scholastic genre, these prooemia serve as oral introductions to psalmody, addressing a listening congregation with rhetorical questions and second-person plural forms. Chrysostom reads the Psalms typologically and morally, treating them as prophecy of Christ and exhortation to virtue. The text survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition with lacunae; the khazarzar edition collates principal witnesses but lacks critical apparatus. Excerpted in Byzantine catenae and cited by Euthymius Zigabenus, the prooemia influenced monastic psalm meditation but did not enter the standard liturgical commentary tradition.","historical_context":"The Prooemia in Psalmos were composed by John Chrysostom during his tenure as a presbyter in Antioch, roughly between 386 and 397 CE. Antioch was a major center of early Christianity, characterized by a vibrant liturgical life and a tradition of Antiochene exegesis that emphasized literal and historical interpretation, though Chrysostom here adopts a more typological and moral approach. The community was Greek-speaking, and the Psalms were central to both liturgical worship and private devotion. The prooemia were delivered orally to a congregation, reflecting the homiletic register of Chrysostom's preaching. The text survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition, with lacunae in several prooemia, and was later excerpted in Byzantine catenae. It did not become part of the standard liturgical commentary tradition but influenced monastic meditation on the Psalms. The khazarzar edition collates principal witnesses but does not report variant readings or scribal interventions, and no precise date can be fixed beyond the general period of Chrysostom's Antiochene presbyterate.","significance":"The Prooemia in Psalmos are significant as a window into late fourth-century Antiochene liturgical practice and Chrysostom's pastoral approach to the Psalms. They illustrate how the Psalms were introduced to a congregation and interpreted as prophetic and moral texts. The work's influence on Byzantine catenae and later commentators like Euthymius Zigabenus underscores its role in shaping Eastern Christian psalm exegesis, even as it remained outside the main liturgical commentary tradition.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 386–397","event":"Chrysostom serves as presbyter in Antioch, likely delivering the Prooemia in Psalmos."},{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"The prooemia are transmitted orally and later committed to writing in Greek."},{"date":"Byzantine period","event":"The prooemia are excerpted in Byzantine catenae and cited by Euthymius Zigabenus."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"The text survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition with lacunae."},{"date":"Modern","event":"The khazarzar edition collates principal witnesses but lacks critical apparatus."}],"relations":[{"work":"Commentary on the Psalms","relation":"Chrysostom's prooemia serve as introductory homilies to the Psalter, similar in function to other patristic prooemia but distinct in homiletic register.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Catena on the Psalms","relation":"The prooemia were excerpted in Byzantine catenae, indicating their use as source material for later compilations.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Euthymius Zigabenus, Commentary on the Psalms","relation":"Zigabenus cites Chrysostom's prooemia, showing their influence on later Byzantine exegesis.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Homilies on the Psalms by other Church Fathers","relation":"Chrysostom's prooemia share the typological and moral exegesis common in patristic psalm interpretation, but are more introductory and oral in nature.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The precise date of the prooemia is uncertain; they are assigned to Chrysostom's Antiochene presbyterate (c. 386–397) based on internal references to liturgical practice, but no external witness fixes a specific year.","The text survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition with lacunae; the khazarzar edition does not report variant readings or scribal interventions, so textual criticism is limited.","Chrysostom's claim that David composed metrically in Hebrew is anachronistic; Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism, not meter, reflecting Greek rhetorical assumptions."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000566,"generated":"2026-11-15T07:12:46Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/Prooemia%20in%20Psalmos.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-prooemia-in-psalmos","status":"warn","blocking":[],"warnings":[{"code":"commentary-single-kind","i":"5","kind":"scripture"},{"code":"commentary-single-kind","i":"6","kind":"scripture"},{"code":"commentary-single-kind","i":"8","kind":"scripture"}],"stats":{"passages":14,"translated":14,"commentary_passages":14,"commentary_units":83,"english_words":3695,"source_letters":14585,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom addresses a listening congregation, using second-person plural and rhetorical questions. The register is homiletic, not scholastic; the prooemia function as oral introductions to psalmody.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The prooemia likely date to Chrysostom’s Antiochene presbyterate (c. 386–397). No external witness fixes a precise year; internal references to liturgical practice suggest a period before his Constantinopolitan episcopate.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition, with lacunae in several prooemia. The khazarzar edition collates the principal witnesses but does not report variant readings or scribal interventions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"These prooemia were excerpted in Byzantine catenae and later cited by Euthymius Zigabenus. They did not enter the standard liturgical commentary tradition but influenced monastic psalm meditation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition provides no apparatus for textual cruces, no translation of the Greek, and no identification of biblical citations beyond the lemma. Readers must supply their own Septuagint and patristic parallels.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom’s exegesis is typological and moral, not historical-critical. He reads the Psalms as prophecy of Christ and exhortation to virtue; modern readers should not expect philological or historical commentary.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: commentary in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 14 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":14},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΨΑΛΜΩΝ.\n\nΜετὰ τὸν Μωϋσέα καὶ τὸν τούτου διάδοχον Ἰησοῦν τοῦ Ναυῆ, καὶ τοὺς λεγομένους κριτὰς ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐπιλαβομένου λοιπὸν τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἀποδοκιμασθέντος. ἤγειρεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς βασιλέα ἐνάρετον, δίκαιόν τε καὶ προφήτην, ὃς συνέταξε τὴν βίβλον Ψαλμῶν ρνʹ, ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου κινούμενος, ἐμμέτρως κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τὸ ἴδιον τῆς ἰδίας γλώσσης, ἐμμελῶς μετὰ ῥυθμοῦ καὶ ὀργάνων διαφόρων καὶ ὀρχήσεων καὶ ᾠδῶν αὐτοὺς ᾄδων. Ἦν γὰρ οὗτος κατέχων κιθάραν, εἶχε δὲ καὶ διαφόρους χοροὺς ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν μικρῶν προφητῶν· οὕτω γὰρ ἐκάλει τοὺς παραμένοντας τοῖς προφήταις· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ υἱοὺς προφητῶν αὐτοὺς ὠνόμασεν, ἐχόντων διάφορα ὄργανα, τοῦ μὲν κύμβαλα, τοῦ δὲ αὐλοὺς, τοῦ δὲ τύμπανα, τοῦ δὲ σάλπιγγας, τοῦ δὲ ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν, τοῦ δὲ ᾠδοὺς τοὺς λεγομένους βουκολίους. Ἕκαστος δὲ χορὸς ἔξαρχον εἶχεν, ὧν ὁ μὲν ἐλέγετο Ἀσὰφ, ἄλλος δὲ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ἕτερος υἱοὶ Κορὲ, ἄλλος Ἐθὰμ Ἰσραηλίτου, ἕτερος Μωϋσέως ἀνθρώπου Θεοῦ. Ἡνίκα τοίνυν ἐκινεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος προειπεῖν, ἢ περὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ λαοῦ, ἢ περὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου αὐτῶν, ἢ περὶ ἠθῶν διδασκαλικῶν, ἢ περὶ προνοίας, ἢ περὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ, συνετίθει ἐμμέτρως τὸν ψαλμὸν ἕκαστον εἰς μίαν ὑπόθεσιν συντείνοντα (διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μικροὶ καὶ μεγάλοι ψαλμοὶ), καὶ παρεδίδου ἑνὶ χορῷ. Εἰ δὲ πάλιν ἐδοκίμασε κατὰ τὸ μέσον τοῦ ψαλμοῦ καὶ ἄλλῳ χορῷ παραδοῦναι τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, τότε αὐτὴ ἡ διαδοχὴ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἐκαλεῖτο Διάψαλμα.","english":"Prooemia in Psalmos.\n\nAfter Moses and his successor Joshua son of Nun, and those called judges in Israel, when Saul had taken up the kingship of Israel and been rejected, God raised up for them a virtuous king, righteous and a prophet, who composed the book of 150 Psalms, moved by the Holy Spirit, metrically according to the meter proper to his own language, melodiously with rhythm and various instruments and dances and songs singing them. For this man held a kithara, and he had various choruses under him of minor prophets—for so he called those who attended the prophets; often he also named them sons of prophets, having various instruments, one cymbals, another flutes, another drums, another trumpets, another psalterion and kithara, another singers called boukolioi. Each chorus had a leader, of whom one was called Asaph, another Idithoum, another the sons of Kore, another Aitham the Israelite, another of Moses the man of God. Whenever, then, he was moved by the Spirit to foretell, either about the captivity of the people, or about their return, or about ethical teachings, or about providence, or about the Lord Christ, he composed metrically each psalm tending toward one subject (for this reason there are both short and long psalms), and he delivered it to one chorus. But if again he judged it fitting in the middle of the psalm to deliver the remainder of the psalm to another chorus, then this succession of the psalm was called Diapsalma.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Προοίμια τῶν Ψαλμῶν","severity":"info","text":"The title 'Prooemia in Psalmos' indicates an introductory treatise, not a line-by-line commentary. Chrysostom here provides a historical preface to the Psalter.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Διάψαλμα","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom explains 'Diapsalma' as a musical or structural division where the psalm is transferred to another chorus. This differs from the common interpretation as a pause or interlude.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"βουκολίους","severity":"info","text":"The term 'boukolioi' for a class of singers is rare. It may derive from βουκόλος (herdsman) and could refer to pastoral songs or a specific guild of temple musicians.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"προοιμια","severity":"info","text":"This passage is the opening of the Prooemia, establishing a narrative of psalm composition from David's time. It sets the stage for subsequent discussions of individual psalms.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"προφήτην","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom calls David a prophet, aligning with early Christian tradition that viewed the Psalms as prophetic, especially regarding Christ. This frames the Psalter as divinely inspired.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐμμέτρως","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom's claim that David composed metrically in Hebrew is anachronistic; Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism, not meter. This reflects Greek rhetorical assumptions about poetry.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'Moses the man of God' as a chorus leader is unclear; it may refer to a different Moses or be a textual corruption.","The term 'boukolioi' is ambiguous; its exact meaning in this context is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Ὥστε καὶ ὅταν τοῖς λεγομένοις ᾠδοῖς, ἤτοι βουκολίοις, κατὰ μέσον τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἠθέλοντα παραδοῦναι, τότε ἐκαλεῖτο Ὠδὴ διαψάλματος· ἐπειδήπερ οἱ ᾠδοὶ ἐκ διαδοχῆς παρελάμβανον τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ᾄδειν.\n\nΜαθεῖν δὲ ἔνεστι τῷ βουλομένῳ περὶ τούτου ἐκ τοῦ γεγράφθαι ἐν ταῖς Παραλιπομέναις τῶν βασιλειῶν οὕτως· Καὶ ᾖσε τὴν ᾠδὴν ταύτην ἐν χειρὶ Ἀσὰφ τοῦ προφήτου. Μετὰ τὸ παραδοῦναι δὲ οὗτος πρῶτος τὸν ψαλμὸν, λοιπὸν ἕκαστος χορὸς καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὁμοθυμαδὸν μετὰ τέρψεως καὶ ῥυθμοῦ, τῶν μὲν ἐν τούτοις ὀργάνοις, τῶν δὲ ἐν ἐκείνοις, ἀντιφώνως ᾖδον τὸν ψαλμὸν μετὰ ὀρχήσεως, εἰς δόξαν καὶ αἶνον Θεοῦ. Ἔνεστι δὲ πάλιν καὶ περὶ τοῦτο μαθεῖν, ὡς αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Δαυῒδ ἀναλαβὼν ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τὴν κιβωτὸν, ὠρχήσατο ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῆς, καὶ ὀνειδισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας γυναικὸς Μελχὼ, ἔφη· Παίξομαι καὶ γελάσομαι ἐναντίον Κυρίου. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ οὐκ ἐπαύσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιτείνειν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπηγγείλατο. Τινὲς δὲ μὴ προσεσχηκότες τῇ τάξει καὶ τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ, μηδὲ θελήσαντες ἐκ τῶν εἰδότων ταῦτα διδαχθῆναι, εἰς ἀλληγορίας ἐτράπησαν, μηδὲ πάντας εἶναι τοὺς ψαλμοὺς ἀποφηνάμενοι τοῦ Δαυῒδ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ παραλαμβανόντων φανεροὺς εἰρηκότες· ὅπερ ποτὲ ὁ Κύριος ἢ ἀπόστολός τινος ἑτέρου περὶ ψαλμοῦ οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσεν, εἰ μὴ τοῦ Δαυΐδ. Διαγράφομεν οὖν αὐτὸν καθεζόμενον, καὶ τοὺς χοροὺς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ δεξιᾷ καὶ ἀριστερᾷ, ὅπως γνῷ τις καὶ τὴν θέαν αὐτῆς τῆς τάξεως.","english":"Thus also, when they wished to hand over to the so-called singers, or herdsmen, in the middle of the psalm, it was then called the song of the diapsalma; since the singers received in succession the remainder of the psalm to sing.\n\nIt is possible for one who wishes to learn about this from what is written in the Chronicles of the Kings as follows: \"And he sang this song in the hand of Asaph the prophet.\" After this one first delivered the psalm, then each chorus, both individually and together with delight and rhythm, some with these instruments, others with those, sang the psalm antiphonally with dancing, for the glory and praise of God. It is possible again to learn about this, that David himself, when he recovered the ark from the foreigners, danced before it, and when reproached by his own wife Michal, said: \"I will play and laugh before the Lord.\" For not only did he not cease, but he even promised to intensify such things. Some, however, not having attended to the order and precision, nor wishing to be taught by those who know these things, turned to allegories, declaring that not all the psalms are by David, but that those clearly from his successors are spoken; which the Lord or an apostle never mentioned concerning any other psalm except that of David. Therefore we depict him seated, and the choruses before him on the right and left, so that one may know even the spectacle of that arrangement.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ᾠδοῖς, βουκολίοις","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom equates ᾠδοί (singers) with βουκόλια (herdsmen), likely reflecting a performance practice where rustic singers took over the psalm.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὠδὴ διαψάλματος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'song of the diapsalma' refers to a musical interlude or refrain, here linked to a handover between singers in mid-psalm.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ ᾖσε τὴν ᾠδὴν ταύτην ἐν χειρὶ Ἀσὰφ τοῦ προφήτου","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom cites a passage from the Chronicles (Paralipomena) about Asaph the prophet singing, to support his description of antiphonal psalmody.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Δαυῒδ ... ὠρχήσατο ... ὀνειδισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας γυναικὸς Μελχὼ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom recounts David dancing before the ark and being rebuked by Michal, citing 2 Samuel 6:14-16, to defend liturgical dance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Τινὲς ... μηδὲ πάντας εἶναι τοὺς ψαλμοὺς τοῦ Δαυῒδ","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom rejects allegorists who deny Davidic authorship of all psalms, insisting that only David is named by the Lord or apostles.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Διαγράφομεν οὖν αὐτὸν καθεζόμενον, καὶ τοὺς χοροὺς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom concludes by describing a visual arrangement: David seated with choruses on right and left, to clarify the performance order.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'Chronicles of the Kings' (Παραλιπομέναις τῶν βασιλειῶν) is ambiguous; it may refer to 1-2 Chronicles or a lost source.","The phrase 'ἐν χειρὶ Ἀσὰφ' could mean 'under the direction of Asaph' or 'in the hand of Asaph' as a musical notation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα λέγοντες καὶ οὓς αὐτὸς ἠξιώθη προειπεῖν ψαλμοὺς περὶ τῆς τοῦ Δεσπότου οἰκονομίας, ποικίλως αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ συνθέσει καὶ διαφόρως ἐναλλάξας τῷ σχήματι περὶ πάθους καὶ ἀναστάσεως τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αὐτοῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ ὅτι τῇ θεότητι ἀΐδιος καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ καὶ ἀνακαινιστὴς τοῦ παντὸς, πρὸς ὃν ἀφορᾷ πᾶς ὁ σκοπὸς τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς. Χορὸς Ἰδιθοὺμ, χορὸς τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ, χορὸς Ἐθὰμ τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου, χορὸς Ἀσὰφ, χορὸς Μωϋσέως ἀνθρώπου\n\nΘεοῦ. Οὗτοι οἱ χοροὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν προφητῶν εἰσι διαφόροις ὀργάνοις ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες καὶ ὀρχούμενοι εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ τοὺς γενομένους ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου Ψαλμοὺς ρνʹ.\n\nΠΡΟΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΥΣ.\n\nαʹ. Πᾶσαι μὲν ἅγιαι αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαί· ἔχουσι δέ τι πλέον οἱ Ψαλμοί· οἷον περὶ σωφροσύνης εὐθέως, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ πάντων, περὶ τοῦ μὴ συνεῖναι πονηροῖς, ἀπ' αὐτῆς εὐθὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ βιβλίου. Διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἤρξατο ὁ μακάριος Δαυῒδ λέγων· Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν. Μακαριότητα δὲ ὅταν εἴπῃ, τὴν κορυφὴν λέγει τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ συνεῖναι ἀγαθοῖς, περὶ τοῦ γαστρὸς κρατεῖν, περὶ τοῦ χεῖρας κατέχειν, περὶ ἀκολασίας, περὶ τοῦ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν, ὅτι οὐδὲν τὰ χρήματα, οὐδὲ δόξα, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ σωφρονεῖν ἀκούσῃ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, Ὅτι αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐξωλόθρευσας πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ δεῖν γαστρὸς κατέχειν, Καὶ ἀπέκτεινε, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῆς βρώσεως οὔσης ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν. Καὶ ὅτι δεῖ δώρων ἀπέχεσθαι·","english":"After these things, speaking also of the psalms which he himself was deemed worthy to foretell concerning the economy of the Lord, he varied them in composition and changed them in form in diverse ways concerning the passion and resurrection of his humanity. Likewise also that he is eternal in divinity and creator of all things and renewer of the universe, toward whom the whole purpose of the divinely inspired Scripture looks. The choir of Idithum, the choir of the sons of Core, the choir of Aetham the Israelite, the choir of Asaph, the choir of Moses the man of God. These are the choirs of the prophets under him, singing and playing and dancing with various instruments to the glory of God the one hundred fifty psalms produced from the Holy Spirit.\n\nProtheoria on the Psalms.\n\n1. All the divine Scriptures are holy; but the Psalms have something more: for example, concerning temperance immediately, or rather before all things, concerning not associating with the wicked, from the very beginning of the book. For on account of this the blessed David began from there, saying: \"Blessed is the man who did not go in the counsel of the impious.\" And when he says \"blessedness,\" he means the summit of all goods. And concerning associating with the good, concerning controlling the belly, concerning restraining the hands, concerning licentiousness, concerning not being greedy, that wealth is nothing, nor glory, and all such things. And concerning being temperate you will hear him saying: \"For my loins were filled with mockeries\"; and again: \"You have destroyed all who fornicate from you.\" And concerning the need to control the belly: \"And he killed,\" he says, \"among the majority of them, while the food was still in their mouth.\" And that one must abstain from gifts.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Προθεωρία","severity":"info","text":"The term 'Protheoria' (Προθεωρία) here introduces a separate prefatory section, distinct from the preceding narrative. It signals a new structural unit in the commentary, offering a thematic overview of the Psalms.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Psalm 1:1 (LXX: 'Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν'). Chrysostom cites it as the opening of the Psalter, linking blessedness to avoidance of the wicked.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὅτι αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes Psalm 38:8 (LXX: 'αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων'), where the psalmist speaks of loins filled with mockeries, used by Chrysostom to illustrate temperance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐξωλόθρευσας πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ","severity":"info","text":"This is a loose citation of Psalm 73:27 (LXX: 'ἐξωλόθρευσας πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ'), used by Chrysostom to support his argument about chastity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ ἀπέκτεινε, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῆς βρώσεως οὔσης ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν","severity":"info","text":"This appears to be a paraphrase of Numbers 11:33 (LXX: 'καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῆς βρώσεως οὔσης ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν'), describing divine punishment for gluttony, though the exact reference is uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Χορὸς Ἰδιθοὺμ, χορὸς τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ, χορὸς Ἐθὰμ τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου, χορὸς Ἀσὰφ, χορὸς Μωϋσέως ἀνθρώπου Θεοῦ","severity":"info","text":"These choirs (Idithum, sons of Core, Aetham, Asaph, Moses) are traditional guilds of Levitical singers associated with psalm composition in the Hebrew Bible. Chrysostom presents them as prophetic choirs under David.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἀπ' αὐτῆς εὐθὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ βιβλίου' could refer to the beginning of the Psalter or the beginning of the book of Psalms as a whole; the reading taken is the Psalter's opening.","The citation 'Καὶ ἀπέκτεινε...' is not a direct psalm verse but a paraphrase; its exact source is unclear, possibly from Numbers or a lost tradition."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν. Καὶ δόξης μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν· Οὐδὲ συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Τοὺς πονηροὺς μὴ ζηλοῦν· Μὴ παραζηλοῦ ἐν πονηρευομένοις. Τὰς δυναστείας ἡγεῖσθαι οὐδέν· Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον, ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου· καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν. Μηδὲν τὰ παρόντα ἡγεῖσθαι· Ἐμακάρισαν τὸν λαὸν, ᾧ ταῦτά ἐστι· μακάριος ὁ λαὸς οὗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἁμαρτάνομεν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἀνταπόδοσις, φησίν· Ὅτι σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Διὰ τί δὲ οὐ καθ' ἡμέραν ἀνταποδίδωσιν; Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος. Ὅτι ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη καλόν· Κύριε, οὐχ ὑψώθη, φησὶν, ἡ καρδία μου. Καὶ ὅτι ἡ ὑπερηφανία κακόν· Διὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία εἰς τέλος. Καὶ πάλιν, Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται. Ὅτι ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη καλόν· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὅτι τὸ ἐλεεῖν ἐπαινετόν· Χρηστὸς ἀνὴρ ὁ οἰκτείρων καὶ κιχρῶν. Ὅτι κακῶς λέγειν οὐ δεῖ· Τὸν καταλαλοῦντα λάθρᾳ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον. Καὶ πολλὰ τούτων πλείονα εὑρήσεις ἐντεῦθεν ἐμφιλόσοφα δόγματα. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ περὶ τῶν παρόντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων διαλέγεται, καὶ περὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀοράτου κτίσεως. Καὶ περὶ οὐρανοῦ θέλεις μαθεῖν, πότερον μένει τοιοῦτος, ἢ μεταβάλλεται; Σαφῶς ἀποκρίνεταί σοι καὶ ἐρεῖ, ὅτι Οἱ οὐρανοὶ ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτοὺς, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται.","english":"If wealth flows, do not set your heart upon it. And do not desire glory; his glory will not follow after him. Do not envy the wicked; do not be jealous of those who do evil. Consider nothing the powers; I saw the impious man exalted and raised up, like the cedars of Lebanon; and they passed away, and behold, he was not. Consider nothing the present things; they called the people blessed to whom these things belong; blessed is the people whose Lord is their God. That we do not sin without consequence, but there is retribution, he says; for you will repay each according to his works. But why does he not repay daily? God is a just and strong and patient judge. That humility is good; Lord, my heart was not exalted, he says. And that pride is evil; therefore pride seized them to the end. And again, the Lord opposes the proud. That almsgiving is good; he scattered, he gave to the poor, his righteousness remains forever and ever. That mercy is praiseworthy; a good man is one who pities and lends. That one must not speak ill; they drove out the one who slanders his neighbor in secret. And you will find many more such philosophical teachings here. For it speaks not only of present things, but also of future things, and of visible things, and of the invisible creation. And do you wish to learn about heaven, whether it remains as it is or changes? It clearly answers you and will say, The heavens will grow old like a garment, and like a cloak you will roll them up, O God, and they will be changed.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον, ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου· καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Psalm 36:36 LXX (37:36 MT), where David observes the wicked exalted like cedars of Lebanon, then suddenly gone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται","severity":"info","text":"A direct citation of Psalm 93:2 LXX (94:2 MT), 'The Lord opposes the proud,' used to condemn pride.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ οὐρανοὶ ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτοὺς, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται","severity":"info","text":"This alludes to Psalm 101:2 LXX (102:2 MT) or a similar prophetic image of heaven wearing out like a garment, reflecting eschatological renewal.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐμφιλόσοφα δόγματα","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom calls the psalm's moral teachings 'philosophical doctrines,' aligning with the Greek Christian appropriation of philosophical ethics as practical wisdom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ πολλὰ τούτων πλείονα εὑρήσεις ἐντεῦθεν ἐμφιλόσοφα δόγματα","severity":"info","text":"This sentence marks a transition from a series of moral aphorisms to a broader claim about the psalms' scope, including eschatology and cosmology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν","severity":"info","text":"The Greek verb προστίθεσθε is second person plural, but the English draft uses singular 'your heart'; the plural may reflect a general audience or a scribal shift.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ...' may be a loose paraphrase of Psalm 36:36 LXX rather than a direct quote; the exact source is uncertain.","The final clause about heaven rolling up like a garment is not a verbatim psalm verse but a composite image; its precise scriptural referent is ambiguous."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Καὶ περὶ τοῦ σχήματος ἐὰν θέλῃς ἀκοῦσαι, ἀκούσῃ πάλιν, Ὁ ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέῤῥιν. Ἐὰν περὶ τῶν νώτων αὐτοῦ βουληθῇς τι πλέον εἰδέναι, ἐρεῖ σοι πάλιν, Ὁ στεγάζων ἐν ὕδασι τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐδ' ἐνταῦθα ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ πλάτους καὶ ὕψους σοι διαλέγεται, δεικνὺς ταῦτα ἰσόμετρα ὄντα· Καθόσον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν. Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκραταίωσε Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. Κἂν τῆς γῆς τὰ θεμέλια περιεργάσῃ, οὐδὲ ταῦτά σοι ἀποκρύψει, ἀλλ' ἀκούσῃ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτήν. Κἂν περὶ τῶν σεισμῶν θέλῃς μαθεῖν πόθεν γίνονται, ἀπαλλάξει σε πάσης ἀπορίας οὕτω λέγων· Ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν. Ἂν τῆς νυκτὸς ζητεῖς τὴν χρῆσιν, καὶ ταῦτα εἴσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν, ὅτι Ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσονται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Καὶ τὰ ὄρη ποῦ χρήσιμα, ἐρεῖ σοι· Ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ ταῖς ἐλάφοις. Καὶ διὰ τί αἱ","english":"And if you wish to hear about its form, you will hear again: \"He who stretches out the heaven like a tent.\" If you desire to know something more about its back, he will tell you again: \"He who roofs his upper chambers with waters.\" And he does not stop there, but he also speaks to you about its breadth and height, showing them to be equal: \"For as far as the east is from the west,\" he says, \"he has removed our lawlessnesses from us. According to the height of the heaven from the earth, the Lord has strengthened his mercy upon those who fear him.\" And if you examine the foundations of the earth, he will not hide these from you either, but you will hear him saying that \"He has founded it upon seas.\" And if you wish to learn about earthquakes, whence they come, he will free you from all perplexity, speaking thus: \"He who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble.\" If you seek the use of the night, you will learn this from him as well, that \"In it all the beasts of the forest will pass through.\" And the mountains, where they are useful, he will tell you: \"The high mountains for the deer.\" And why the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέῤῥιν","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes Septuagintal language of God stretching out the heavens (cf. Isaiah 40:22 LXX). Chrysostom adapts it to illustrate divine architecture.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ στεγάζων ἐν ὕδασι τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ","severity":"info","text":"Likely alludes to Psalm 104:3 LXX (103:3 MT) on God roofing the upper chambers with waters, a poetic image of the firmament.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καθόσον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν","severity":"info","text":"This phrase is a paraphrase of Psalm 103:12 LXX (102:12 MT), which speaks of the distance from east to west as a measure of God's removal of lawlessness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκραταίωσε Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ","severity":"info","text":"Echoes Psalm 103:11 LXX (102:11 MT), where God's mercy is strengthened according to the height of heaven above earth.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτήν","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to Psalm 24:2 LXX (23:2 MT), which states the earth is founded upon seas, a common biblical cosmological motif.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν","severity":"info","text":"Likely a reference to Psalm 104:32 LXX (103:32 MT), where God's look causes the earth to tremble, explaining earthquakes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is intact; no textual corruption. The English draft omits the final Greek clause on mountains and deer, but the sense is clear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"πέτραι, λέγει σοι· Πέτρα καταφυγὴ τοῖς λαγωοῖς. Διὰ τί τὰ ἄκαρπα δένδρα, μάθε· Ἐκεῖ στρουθία ἐννοσσεύσουσι· Διὰ τί ἐν ἐρήμοις αἱ πηγαί; Ἐπ' αὐτὰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσει, καὶ τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ. Διὰ τί οἶνος; Οὐχ ἵνα πίνῃς μόνον, ἐπεὶ ἤρκει καὶ ἡ τοῦ ὕδατος φύσις, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐφρανθῇς καὶ ἡσθῇς· Οἶνος γὰρ εὐφραίνει καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου. Τοῦτο δὲ μαθὼν, εἴσῃ καὶ μέχρι ποῦ τῷ οἴνῳ χρῆσθαι δεῖ. Πόθεν τρέφεται τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ τὰ ἄγρια θηρία, ἀκούσῃ λέγοντος· Πάντα πρὸς σὲ προσδοκῶσι, δοῦναι τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν εἰς εὔκαιρον. Κἂν εἴπῃς, διὰ τί τὰ κτήνη; ἀποκρίνεταί σοι, ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα διὰ σέ· Ὁ ἐξανατέλλων γὰρ, φησὶ, χόρτον τοῖς κτήνεσι, καὶ χλόην τῇ δουλείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τί τῆς σελήνης ἡ χρεία, ἄκουσον λέγοντος· Ἐποίησε σελήνην εἰς καιρούς. Ὅτι γενητὰ πάντα τὰ ὁρώμενα καὶ τὰ μὴ ὁρώμενα, καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἐδίδαξεν· Αὐτὸς, φησὶν, εἶπε, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν· αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο, καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.\n\nΚαὶ ὅτι θανάτου λύσις ἔσται, διδάσκει λέγων· Ὁ Θεός μου λυτρώσεται τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου, ὅταν λαμβάνῃ με. Πόθεν τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν γέγονε, καὶ ποῦ πάλιν ἀπέρχεται, λέγει· Ἐμνήσθη ὅτι χοῦς ἐσμὲν, καὶ ἐπιστρέψει εἰς τὸν χοῦν αὐτοῦ. Διὰ τί ταῦτα πάντα; Διὰ σέ· Δόξῃ γὰρ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτὸν, καὶ κατέστησας αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου. Ἔχομέν τι κοινὸν πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ τοῦτο λέγει· Ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους. Καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγει· Καθὼς οἰκτείρει πατὴρ υἱοὺς, ᾠκτείρησε Κύριος τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.","english":"Rocks,\" he says to you: \"A rock is a refuge for hares.\" Why are there fruitless trees? Learn: \"There sparrows will nest.\" Why are there springs in deserts? \"Upon them the birds of the sky will alight, and the beasts of the field.\" Why wine? Not that you may drink only, since the nature of water would suffice, but that you may be gladdened and rejoice: \"For wine gladdens the heart of man.\" Having learned this, you will know even to what extent you ought to use wine. Whence the birds and wild beasts are nourished, you will hear him saying: \"All things look to you, to give their food in due season.\" And if you say, why the cattle? He answers you, that these also are for you: \"For he who causes the grass to spring up,\" he says, \"for the cattle, and verdure for the service of men.\" What is the use of the moon? Hear him saying: \"He made the moon for seasons.\" That all visible and invisible things are created, this also he clearly taught: \"He,\" it says, \"spoke, and they came to be; he commanded, and they were created.\"\n\nAnd that there will be a release from death, he teaches, saying: \"My God will ransom my soul from the hand of Hades, when he takes me.\" Whence our body came, and whither it returns again, he says: \"He remembered that we are dust, and it will return to its dust.\" Why all these things? For you: \"For with glory and honor you crowned him, and you set him over the works of your hands.\" Do we have something in common with the angels, we humans? And this he says: \"You made him a little less than angels.\" And concerning the love of God, he says: \"As a father pities his sons, so the Lord pitied those who fear him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρα καταφυγὴ τοῖς λαγωοῖς","severity":"info","text":"This phrase is not a direct biblical quotation but likely a paraphrase of Psalm 103:12 LXX (104:12 MT), where the rock serves as a refuge for animals.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἶνος γὰρ εὐφραίνει καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Psalm 103:15 LXX (104:15 MT): 'Wine gladdens the heart of man,' a direct citation from the Psalmist.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ ἐξανατέλλων γὰρ, φησὶ, χόρτον τοῖς κτήνεσι","severity":"info","text":"This alludes to Psalm 103:14 LXX (104:14 MT): 'He who causes grass to spring up for the cattle,' a paraphrase of the Psalm.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐποίησε σελήνην εἰς καιρούς","severity":"info","text":"This reflects Psalm 103:19 LXX (104:19 MT): 'He made the moon for seasons,' a direct citation from the Psalm.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ Θεός μου λυτρώσεται τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Psalm 48:16 LXX (49:16 MT): 'My God will ransom my soul from the hand of Hades,' a key eschatological verse.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Psalm 8:2 LXX (9:2 MT): 'You made him a little less than angels,' a reference to human dignity relative to angels.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text presents a series of rhetorical questions and answers attributed to the Psalmist, but the exact biblical references are paraphrased rather than verbatim, leaving some ambiguity in identification of specific verses."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Περὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα διαδεξομένων ἡμᾶς, καὶ τῆς ἀταράχου λήξεως ἐκείνης· Ἐπίστρεψον, ψυχή μου, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου. Διὰ τί οὕτω μέγας ὁ οὐρανὸς, ἐρεῖ· Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ. Διὰ τί νὺξ καὶ ἡμέρα; Οὐχ ἵνα φαίνωσι καὶ ἀναπαύωσι μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ παιδεύωσιν. Οὐ γάρ εἰσι λαλιαὶ, οὐδὲ λόγοι, ὧν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν. Πῶς ἡ θάλασσα περίκειται τῇ γῇ Ἄβυσσος ὡς ἱμάτιον, τὸ περιβόλαιον αὐτῆς. Οὕτω γὰρ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν ἔχει. Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων ἀρχὴν λαβόντες, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα εἴσεσθε· τὰ περὶ Χριστοῦ, τὰ περὶ ἀναστάσεως, τὰ περὶ τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς, τὰ περὶ ἀναπαύσεως, τὰ περὶ κολάσεως, τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἠθικὸν λόγον, τὰ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἅπαντα, καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν ἐμπεπλησμένον τὸ βιβλίον εὑρήσετε.\n\nΚἂν εἰς πειρασμοὺς ἐμπέσῃς, πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν λήψῃ παραμυθίαν· κἂν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, μυρία φάρμακα κείμενα ἐνταῦθα εὑρήσεις· ἂν εἰς πενίαν, ἂν εἰς θλίψιν, πολλοὺς τοὺς λιμένας ὄψει. Κἂν δίκαιος ᾖς, πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐκεῖθεν καρπώσῃ· κἂν ἁμαρτωλὸς, πολλὴν τὴν παραμυθίαν. Ἄν τε γὰρ δίκαιος ᾖς καὶ πάσχῃς δεινὰ, ἀκούσῃ, ὅτι Ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Ταῦτα πάντα ἦλθεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπελαθόμεθά σου. Ἂν ἐπάρῃ σε τὰ κατορθώματα, λέγει σοι· Μὴ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς κρίσιν μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν· καὶ εὐθέως ταπεινωθήσῃ. Ἂν ἁμαρτωλὸς ᾖς καὶ ἀπεγνωκὼς ἑαυτοῦ, ἀκούσῃ συνεχῶς ἐπᾴδοντος· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ· καὶ ἀναστήσῃ ταχέως.","english":"Concerning those who will succeed us after these things, and that undisturbed repose: \"Return, my soul, to your rest.\" Why is the heaven so great? It will say: \"The heavens declare the glory of God.\" Why night and day? Not only that they may shine and give rest, but also that they may instruct. For they are not speeches, nor words, whose voices are not heard. How the sea lies around the earth, an abyss like a garment, its covering. For thus the Hebrew text has it. And taking a beginning from what has been said, you will know all the rest: the things concerning Christ, the things concerning resurrection, the things concerning the future life, the things concerning repose, the things concerning punishment, the things pertaining to moral discourse, all the things concerning doctrines, and you will find the book filled with countless good things.\n\nAnd if you fall into trials, you will receive much comfort from this source; and if into sin, you will find countless remedies lying here; if into poverty, if into affliction, you will see many havens. And if you are righteous, you will reap much benefit from there; and if a sinner, much consolation. For if you are righteous and suffer terrible things, you will hear: \"Because of you we are put to death all the day long; we were counted as sheep for slaughter. All these things came upon us, and we did not forget you.\" If your achievements exalt you, it says to you: \"Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no living person will be justified before you\"; and immediately you will be humbled. If you are a sinner and have despaired of yourself, you will hear it constantly chanting: \"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation\"; and it will quickly raise you up.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπίστρεψον, ψυχή μου, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom quotes or alludes to a biblical phrase; the closest parallel is Psalm 116 (LXX 115?) or a similar call to the soul, but no exact verse is identified in the allowed citations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ","severity":"info","text":"A clear echo of Psalm 19:1 (LXX 18:2): 'The heavens declare the glory of God.' Chrysostom uses it as a proof that creation teaches.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς","severity":"info","text":"This appears to be a paraphrase or composite of Psalm 44 (LXX 43) or similar lament; no exact match in the allowed citations. Possibly a free rendering of a psalm verse.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Μὴ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς κρίσιν μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν","severity":"info","text":"A clear reference to Psalm 143:2 (LXX 142:2): 'Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no living person will be justified before you.'","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Psalm 95 (LXX 94) or a similar exhortation; the phrase 'παραπικρασμῷ' (provocation) is rare and may refer to the rebellion at Meribah (Exodus 17) or a psalm verse. No exact match in allowed citations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν ἔχει","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom notes that the Hebrew text has a specific reading for the sea as a garment; this indicates his awareness of the Hebrew source, likely via the Septuagint or Origen's Hexapla.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἐπίστρεψον, ψυχή μου, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου' is not a direct biblical quotation in the allowed sources; it may be a free paraphrase or a lost liturgical formula.","The exact psalm references for the comfort passages (e.g., 'Ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα') are uncertain without a critical apparatus."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Κἂν διάδημα ἔχῃς ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, μαθήσῃ, ὅτι Οὐ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ· καὶ δυνήσῃ μετριάζειν. Ἐὰν πλούσιος ᾖς καὶ ἐπίδοξος, πάλιν ἀκούσῃ· Οὐαὶ οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι! καὶ ὅτι Ἄνθρωπος, ὡσεὶ χόρτος αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ· ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ, οὕτως ἐξανθήσει· καὶ οὐδὲν ἡγήσῃ μέγα εἶναι τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τὸ γὰρ πάντων λαμπρότερον, ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ δυναστεία, ὅταν οὕτως εὐτελὴς ᾖ, τί ἕτερον ἄξιον ἂν εἴη λόγου τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Ἀλλ' ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ κατέστης; Εἰπέ· Ἵνα τί περίλυπος εἶ, ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἵνα τί συνταράσσεις με; Ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ. Ἀλλ' ὁρᾷς εὐδοκιμοῦντας παρ' ἀξίαν; Ἄκουσον λέγοντος, ὅτι Ὡσεὶ χόρτος, ταχὺ\n\nξηρανθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης, ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται. Βλέπεις δικαίους καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς κολαζομένους; Ἴδε ὅτι οὐχ ἡ αὐτὴ αἰτία· Πολλαὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν δικαίων οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος· καὶ πάλιν· Θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός· καὶ, Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα λέγε συνεχῶς, ἐντεῦθεν παιδεύου. Τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν ῥημάτων πέλαγος ἀχανὲς νοημάτων· ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἁπλῶς ταῦτα παρεδράμομεν· εἰ δὲ βουληθείητε μετὰ ἀκριβείας διερευνᾶσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα, πολὺν ὄψεσθε τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων Γραφῶν ὁμοίως. βʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἀνάγνωσις ἔχει πόνον καὶ πολὺ τὸ φορτικὸν, τοῖς εἰρημένοις τέως ἐμφιλοχωρῶμεν·","english":"Even if you have a diadem upon your head, you will learn that \"A king is not saved by great might, and a giant will not be saved by the abundance of his strength\"; and you will be able to practice moderation. If you are rich and renowned, you will again hear: \"Woe to those who trust in their power and boast in the abundance of their wealth!\" and that \"Man, his days are like grass; like a flower of the field, so he will bloom; and you will consider nothing great among the things on earth.\" For when the most brilliant of all—glory and dominion—is so cheap, what other thing on earth would be worthy of account? But have you fallen into despondency? Say: \"Why are you so grieved, my soul, and why do you disturb me? Hope in God, for I will confess to him.\" But do you see those who are esteemed beyond their worth? Hear the one saying that \"Like grass, they will quickly wither, and like garden herbs, they will quickly fall away.\" Do you see the righteous and the sinners being punished? See that the cause is not the same: \"For many,\" it says, \"are the scourges of the sinner\"; but concerning the righteous it is not so, but \"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and from all of them the Lord will deliver them\"; and again: \"The death of sinners is evil,\" and \"The death of his holy ones is honorable before the Lord.\" Say these things continually; from them discipline yourself. For each of these sayings is a vast sea of thoughts; we have merely run through them in a simple manner. But if you should wish to examine what has been said with precision, you will see great wealth both from them and from the other Scriptures similarly. 2. But since reading involves toil and much that is burdensome, let us for now dwell upon what has been said.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Psalm 32(33):16 LXX, which reads 'οὐ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν' and 'γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐαὶ οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Psalm 48(49):5 LXX: 'οὐαὶ οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν' and the boast in wealth is a Chrysostomic expansion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄνθρωπος, ὡσεὶ χόρτος αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ· ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ, οὕτως ἐξανθήσει","severity":"info","text":"This is a conflation of Psalm 102(103):15 LXX 'ὡσεὶ χόρτος αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ' and Psalm 102(103):16 'ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλαὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Psalm 31(32):11 LXX: 'πολλαὶ γὰρ αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Psalm 33(34):20-21 LXX: 'πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων' and 'ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός· καὶ, Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Psalm 33(34):22 LXX: 'θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός' and 'τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"ἵνα ὁμοῦ καὶ τέρπῃς τὴν ψυχὴν ᾄδων, καὶ ὑποκλέπτῃ τὸν πόνον. Ψαλλέτω τοίνυν τὸ στόμα, καὶ παιδευέσθω ὁ νοῦ· οὐκ ἐστιν οὐδ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μικρόν. Ὅταν γὰρ μὴ φθονεῖν ἐᾷ, μὴ λυπεῖσθαι καὶ ἀθυμεῖν ἀκαίρως, μήτε ἡγεῖσθαί τι πλοῦτον, μὴ θλίψιν, μὴ πενίαν, μηδὲ αὐτὴν τὴν ζωὴν νομίζειν τι εἶναι, πάντων σε ἀπαλλάττει τῶν παθῶν. Ἄλλως τε δὲ, ἐὰν παιδεύσωμεν τὴν γλῶτταν ψάλλειν, αἰσχυνθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ταύτης ψαλλούσης τἀναντία βουλομένη. Δεῖ οὖν ἡμῖν τῆς κιθάρας τοῦ Δαυῒδ, ἵνα ἐπᾴδωμεν τῇ ψυχῇ τὰς θείας ἐπῳδὰς, καὶ τὰς ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων. Ὡς ἂν θάτερον μόνον ποιῶμεν, καὶ τῆς ᾠδῆς ἀκούοντες, τῷ ταῦτα ἐπᾴδοντι πολεμῶμεν διὰ τῶν ἔργων, καὶ εἰς κρῖμα ἡμῖν ἔσται τὸ φάρμακον, καὶ ἀγριωτέρα ἡ μανία τοῦ διαβόλου γένηται. Πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι δέδοικεν ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων, μήποτε ἀκούσαντες κατορθώσωμεν· ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσαντες οἱ αὐτοὶ μένωμεν, καὶ τοῦτο ἐξαιρεῖται. Ψάλλωμεν τοίνυν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πράξεων ᾠδὴν, ἵνα τὴν δαίμονος χαλεπωτέραν ἐκβάλλωμεν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπισπασώμεθα χάριν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀνίστησι ψυχὴν, καὶ πτεροῖ, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπαλλάττει, καὶ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἀπολύει δεσμῶν, καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν ποιεῖ, καὶ πάντων καταγελᾶν τῶν βιωτικῶν, ὡς ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ψαλμῶν ἐμμέλεια, καὶ ῥυθμῷ συγκείμενον ᾆσμα.","english":"so that at the same time you may delight the soul by singing and steal away the toil. Let the mouth, then, sing, and let the mind be instructed; this itself is not a small thing. For when it does not allow you to envy, to grieve and be despondent unseasonably, nor to consider wealth, distress, poverty, or even life itself as anything, it frees you from all passions. Moreover, if we train the tongue to sing, the soul will be ashamed when it wishes the opposite while the tongue is singing. We need, therefore, the cithara of David, so that we may chant to the soul the divine incantations, both those from here and those from good deeds. If we do only one of these, and while hearing the song we war against the one who chants these things through our deeds, the remedy will become a judgment for us, and the madness of the devil will become more savage. For before hearing, the evil demon fears that we might, upon hearing, succeed; but when we remain the same after hearing, this fear is removed. Let us, then, sing the song that comes from deeds, so that we may cast out the more grievous sin of the demon and draw down the grace of the Spirit. For nothing, nothing so raises up the soul, gives it wings, frees it from the earth, releases it from the bonds of the body, makes it philosophize, and causes it to laugh at all worldly things, as the melody from the psalms and a song composed with rhythm.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"κίθαρα τοῦ Δαυῒδ","severity":"info","text":"The 'cithara of David' is a traditional symbol of psalmody, often associated with David as the archetypal psalmist. Chrysostom uses it here to denote the Psalter itself as an instrument for spiritual formation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀνίστησι ψυχὴν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'nothing so raises up the soul' echoes the language of Psalm 146 (LXX) and similar passages that extol the power of song. Chrysostom adapts this to argue for the transformative effect of psalmody.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ἐπῳδὰς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses the term 'incantations' (ἐπῳδαί) for psalmody, a striking choice that appropriates the language of magical spells to describe the therapeutic power of the psalms. This reflects a common patristic strategy of redefining pagan terms for Christian use.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ψάλλωμεν τοίνυν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πράξεων ᾠδὴν","severity":"info","text":"This sentence forms a rhetorical climax, urging the audience to sing a 'song from deeds' as the ultimate form of psalmody. It ties together the earlier contrast between singing and moral action.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"τῆς κιθάρας τοῦ Δαυῒδ","severity":"info","text":"The image of David's cithara appears in other early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria, who also uses it to symbolize the harmony of the soul achieved through scriptural song.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's emphasis on drawing down the 'grace of the Spirit' through psalmody anticipates later Byzantine liturgical theology, where the psalms are seen as vehicles for the Holy Spirit's presence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τὰς ἐντεῦθεν' (those from here) is ambiguous: it may refer to the immediate context of the psalm text or to the earthly benefits of singing. The reading taken follows the English draft's 'those from here' as a reference to the psalms themselves."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ὑπάρχοντας, καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν οὐχ ἡδέως ὑπομένοντας κάματον, ποθεινότερον ποιῆσαι τὸν πόνον βουλόμενος, καὶ τοῦ καμάτου τὴν αἴσθησιν ὑποτέμνεσθαι, τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Δαυῒδ ἐκίνησε γλῶσσαν τοὺς ψαλμοὺς διευκρινῆσαι τούτους, καὶ μελῳδίαν ἀναμίξαι τῇ προφητείᾳ, ἵνα τῷ ῥυθμῷ τοῦ μέλους ψυχαγωγούμενοι πάντες, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προθυμίας τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀναπέμπωσιν αὐτῷ ὕμνους. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῶν ἡ φύσις πρὸς τὰ ᾄσματα καὶ τὰ μέλη οἰκείως ἔχει καὶ ἡδέως, ὡς καὶ τὰ ὑπομάζια παιδία κλαυθμυριζόμενα καὶ δυσχεραίνοντα, οὕτω κατακοιμίζεσθαι. Αἱ γοῦν τίτθαι ἐν ταῖς ἀγκάλαις αὐτὰ βαστάζουσαι πολλάκις ἀπιοῦσαι, καί τινα αὐτοῖς κατεπᾴδουσαι ᾄσματα παιδικὰ, οὕτως αὐτοῖς τὰ βλέφαρα κατακοιμίζουσι. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁδοιπόροι πολλάκις κατὰ μεσημβρίαν ἐλαύνοντες ὑποζύγια, ᾄδοντες τοῦτο ποιοῦσι, τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ταλαιπωρίαν ταῖς ᾠδαῖς ἐκείναις παραμυθούμενοι. Οὐχ ὁδοιπόροι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γηπόνοι ληνοβατοῦντες, καὶ τρυγῶντες, καὶ ἀμπέλους θεραπεύοντες, καὶ ἄλλο τι ἐργαζόμενοι, πολλάκις ᾄδουσι· καὶ ναῦται κωπηλατοῦντες τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες ἱστουργοῦσαι καὶ τῇ κερκίδι τοὺς στήμονας συγκεχυμένους διακρίνονται, πολλάκις μὲν καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὰς ἑκάστη, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ συμφώνως ἅπασαι μίαν τινὰ μελῳδίαν ᾄδουσαι. Ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο καὶ γυναῖκες, καὶ γηπόνοι, καὶ ναῦται, τῷ ᾄσματι τὸν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων πόνον παραμυθήσασθαι σπουδάζοντες· ὡς τῆς ψυχῆς, εἰ μέλους ἀκούσειε καὶ ᾠδῆς, ῥᾷον ἅπαντα ἐνεγκεῖν δυναμένης τὰ ὀχληρὰ καὶ ἐπίπονα.","english":"For seeing that God beheld the majority of men to be rather indolent, and not gladly enduring the toil from that source, wishing to make the labor more desirable and to cut short the perception of the toil, He stirred the tongue of the blessed David to set in order these psalms, and to blend melody with prophecy, so that all, being charmed by the rhythm of the song, might with great eagerness send up holy hymns to Him. For our nature is so disposed and so pleased by songs and melodies, that even infants at the breast, when they are crying and fretful, are thus lulled to sleep. Indeed, nurses carrying them in their arms often go away, and singing some childish songs to them, thus close their eyelids in sleep. For this reason also travelers, often driving their beasts of burden at midday, do this by singing, consoling themselves for the hardship of the journey with those songs. And not only travelers, but also farmers treading the winepress, and gathering grapes, and tending vines, and doing some other work, often sing; and sailors plying the oars do this. And already women weaving at the loom and separating the tangled warp threads with the shuttle, often both each by herself, and often all together in harmony, sing some one melody. And women, farmers, and sailors do this, striving to console the toil from their labors with song; since the soul, if it hears a melody and a song, is able to bear all troublesome and laborious things more easily.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Δαυῒδ ἐκίνησε γλῶσσαν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom attributes the Psalms to David, a common patristic view, though modern scholarship often assigns them to multiple authors and later periods.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"τὰ ὑπομάζια παιδία κλαυθμυριζόμενα","severity":"info","text":"The image of nurses singing to soothe crying infants parallels a similar illustration in Plato's Laws (790d-e), where music calms emotional agitation.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Plato 4th cent. BCE"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐχ ὁδοιπόροι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γηπόνοι...","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom builds a cumulative list of workers (travelers, farmers, sailors, weavers) who sing, reinforcing the universal appeal of music as a remedy for toil.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸν ἐκεῖθεν οὐχ ἡδέως ὑπομένοντας κάματον","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'the toil from that source' refers back to the spiritual effort of prayer or study, which God mitigates by adding melody.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"γηπόνοι ληνοβατοῦντες","severity":"info","text":"Wine-treading (ληνοβατοῦντες) was a common agricultural task in late antiquity, often accompanied by work songs to coordinate rhythm and ease labor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"τῇ κερκίδι τοὺς στήμονας συγκεχυμένους διακρίνονται","severity":"info","text":"The image of weavers singing while untangling warp threads reflects a domestic scene that later Byzantine commentators, such as in catenae, cited to illustrate the pervasiveness of psalmody.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Ἐπεὶ οὖν οἰκείως ἡμῖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἔχει τὸ εἶδος τῆς τέρψεως ἡ ψυχὴ, ἵνα μὴ πορνικὰ ᾄσματα οἱ δαίμονες\n\nεἰσάγοντες ἅπαντα ἀνατρέπωσι, τοὺς ψαλμοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐπετείχισεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε ὁμοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ἡδονὴν καὶ ὠφέλειαν εἶναι. Ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν ᾀσμάτων βλάβη καὶ ὄλεθρος, καὶ πολλὰ ἂν εἰσαχθείη δεινὰ, ἀσελγεστέρας καὶ παρανομωτέρας τοῖς ᾄσμασι τούτοις τῆς ψυχῆς γινομένης, μαλθακωτέρας τε καὶ ἀσθενεστέρας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν πολὺ μὲν τὸ κέρδος, πολλὴ δὲ ἡ ὠφέλεια, πολὺς δὲ ὁ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ πάσης φιλοσοφίας ὑπόθεσις γένοιτ' ἂν, τῶν τε ῥημάτων τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκκαθαιρόντων, τοῦ τε ἁγίου Πνεύματος τῇ τὰ τοιαῦτα ψαλλούσῃ ἐφιπταμένου ψυχῇ. Ἐπᾴδωμεν τοίνυν τῇ ψυχῇ τοὺς φιλοσοφίας γέμοντας ψαλμοὺς, ἵνα κατὰ μικρὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα ἀναχθῶμεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς μάθῃς, τότε καὶ ὕμνους εἴσῃ, ἅτε θειότερον πρᾶγμα. Οἱ γὰρ ψαλμοὶ πάντα ἔχουσιν, οἱ δὲ ὕμνοι πάλιν οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον. Αἱ γὰρ ἄνω δυνάμεις ὑμνοῦσιν, οὐ ψάλλουσιν· Οὐ γὰρ ὡραῖος ὕμνος ἐν στόματι, φησὶν, ἁμαρτωλοῦ. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος παραινεῖ λέγων· Ἄδοντες ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ, μὴ ἁπλῶς τῷ στόματι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσοχῆς. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τῷ Θεῷ ᾄδειν· ἐκεῖνο δὲ, τῷ ἀέρι· διαχεῖται γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἡ φωνή. Οὐ χρεία τόπου, οὐ χρεία χρόνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἔξεστι ψάλλειν κατὰ διάνοιαν. Κἂν ἐν ἀγορᾷ βαδίζῃς, κἂν ἐν ὁδοῖς ᾖς, κἂν φίλοις συνεδρεύῃς, ἔξεστι διεγεῖραι τὴν ψυχὴν, ἔξεστι σιγῶντα βοᾷν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐβόα, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἤκουε.","english":"Since, then, our soul is naturally disposed toward this form of delight, in order that the demons, by introducing licentious songs, might not overturn everything, God built the psalms as a counterwork, so that the matter might be both pleasure and benefit. For from external songs come harm and ruin, and many terrible things would be introduced, the soul becoming more licentious and lawless through these songs, softer and weaker; but with spiritual songs, there is much gain, much benefit, much sanctification, and it would become a foundation for all philosophy, with the words purifying the soul and the Holy Spirit alighting upon the soul that sings such things. Let us therefore sing to the soul the psalms full of philosophy, so that little by little we may be led up to higher things. For when you have learned through the psalms, then you will know hymns, which are a more divine matter. For the psalms contain everything, but hymns again contain nothing human. For the higher powers hymn, they do not psalm; for, it says, a hymn is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner. Hence Paul also exhorts, saying: Singing in our hearts to the Lord, not merely with the mouth, but with attention. For this is to sing to God; that is to sing to the air, for the voice is simply dispersed. There is no need of place, no need of time, but in every place and at every time it is possible to psalm in thought. Whether you walk in the marketplace, whether you are on the roads, whether you sit with friends, it is possible to rouse the soul, it is possible to cry out in silence. Thus Moses cried out, and God heard.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ἐπετείχισεν","severity":"info","text":"The verb ἐπετείχισεν (from ἐπιτειχίζω) means 'to build as a counterwork' or 'to fortify against', a military metaphor for the psalms as a defensive structure against demonic songs.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐ γὰρ ὡραῖος ὕμνος ἐν στόματι, φησὶν, ἁμαρτωλοῦ","severity":"info","text":"This is a loose citation of a biblical maxim, possibly echoing Sirach 15:8 or a patristic commonplace; Chrysostom attributes it to an unspecified source with φησίν.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄδοντες ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom attributes this exhortation to Paul; it likely paraphrases Ephesians 5:19 or Colossians 3:16, emphasizing inward, attentive singing over mere vocal performance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"δαίμονες","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts divine psalms with licentious songs (πορνικὰ ᾄσματα) introduced by demons, reflecting a common patristic concern about pagan music's moral danger in late antique urban culture.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπᾴδωμεν τοίνυν τῇ ψυχῇ","severity":"info","text":"This hortatory subjunctive ('let us sing to the soul') marks a rhetorical turn from exposition to exhortation, a typical Chrysostomic move to engage the audience directly.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐβόα, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἤκουε","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom compares silent, inward singing to Moses' silent cry heard by God, a parallel found also in Origen and later monastic literature, emphasizing contemplative prayer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The source of the maxim 'a hymn is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner' is not identified by Chrysostom; it may be a loose citation or a patristic proverb.","The phrase 'singing in our hearts to the Lord' is attributed to Paul but is not a direct quotation; it may be a paraphrase of several Pauline passages."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Κἂν χειροτέχνης ᾖς, ἐν ἐργαστηρίῳ καθήμενος καὶ ἐργαζόμενος, δυνήσῃ ψάλλειν. Κἂν στρατιώτης ᾖς, ἐν δικαστηρίῳ προσεδρεύων, δυνήσῃ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Ἔξεστι γὰρ καὶ χωρὶς φωνῆς ψάλλειν, τῆς διανοίας ἔνδον ἠχούσης. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπῳ ψάλλομεν, ἀλλὰ Θεῷ τῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ καρδίας ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν εἰσελθεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἱ πνευματικοὶ ἄνδρες, οἱ τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔχοντες, ὑπὲρ τῶν πλησίον εὔχονται ἀεὶ, καὶ τὰς ἱκετηρίας ἀναφέρουσι μετὰ κατανύξεων καὶ στεναγμῶν τῷ Θεῷ· τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐντυγχάνωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτῶν, ὑπέρ τε τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων. Πῶς δὲ ἔστιν ἐντυγχάνειν τῷ Θεῷ; Ἀπὸ τοῦ βίον ἔχειν ὀρθὸν, καὶ συνειδὸς κεκαθαρμένον. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἔξεστι κατορθοῦν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου μελετᾷν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. Καὶ μή μοι λεγέτω τις, ὅτι Πρὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας οὐκ ᾔδειν τῶν ψαλμῶν τὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας παντὶ τῷ ὁπωσοῦν βουλομένῳ προσέχειν ἀρκεῖ καὶ εἷς στίχος πολλὴν ἐνθεῖναι φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ εἰς δόγμα διορθῶσαι, καὶ εἰς βίον ὠφελῆσαι τὰ μέγιστα. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν εἴπῃς, Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον, καὶ δυνηθεὶς εἰδέναι τί ποτέ ἐστιν ὃ λέγεις, οὐ τὸν ἐν δυναστείᾳ ὄντα, οὐ τὸν πλουτοῦντα, οὐ τὸν οἰκίας ἔχοντα λαμπρὰς, οὐ τὸν ἐν βασιλείοις στρεφόμενον, οὐκ αὐτὸν τὸν τὸ διάδημα ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς περικείμενον, οὐκ ἄλλον οὐδένα, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸν ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ, τὸν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ, τὸν ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ ὄντα ζηλώσεις, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' αὐτὰ τὰ παρόντα.","english":"Even if you are a manual laborer, sitting in your workshop and working, you will be able to chant. Even if you are a soldier, attending in a court of law, you will be able to do the same. For it is possible to chant even without a voice, with the mind resounding within. For we do not chant to a human being, but to God, who is able to hear the heart and to enter into the hidden recesses of our mind. But since spiritual men, those who possess the gifts of the Spirit, always pray for their neighbors and offer up supplications with compunction and groans to God, let us also do this, and let us daily intercede with God, both for ourselves and for our brethren. How then is it possible to intercede with God? By having a right life and a purified conscience. And these things cannot be accomplished from any other source than by meditating on the law of the Lord day and night. And let no one say to me, \"Before the interpretation, I did not know the power of the psalms.\" For even before the interpretation, for anyone who wishes to pay attention at all, a single verse is sufficient to instill much philosophy, to correct doctrine, and to benefit life in the greatest degree. For when you say, \"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,\" and you are able to understand what it is that you are saying, you will emulate not the one who is in power, not the one who is wealthy, not the one who has splendid houses, not the one who moves in royal courts, not even the one who wears the diadem on his head, nor any other, but only the one who is in piety, the one in philosophy, the one who is in fear of God, not only because of future things, but also because of present things themselves.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Κἂν χειροτέχνης ᾖς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom extends the accessibility of psalm-singing to manual laborers and soldiers, emphasizing that it requires no special setting or voice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ψάλλειν","severity":"info","text":"The Greek verb ψάλλειν means 'to chant' or 'to sing to a stringed instrument,' but here it denotes silent, inward singing, as the mind resounds without audible voice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"οἱ πνευματικοὶ ἄνδρες","severity":"info","text":"The 'spiritual men' likely refer to charismatic ascetics or monks who possessed gifts of the Spirit, such as prayer and intercession, common in Chrysostom's audience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes Psalm 112:1 (LXX: 'Blessed is the man who fears the Lord'), though not a direct quotation; Chrysostom uses it to illustrate how a single verse imparts moral philosophy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πῶς δὲ ἔστιν ἐντυγχάνειν τῷ Θεῷ","severity":"info","text":"A rhetorical question marks a shift from practical advice on chanting to the conditions for effective intercession: right living and a purified conscience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"πρὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom anticipates objections that the psalms require interpretation, asserting that even a single verse, when understood, suffices for moral and doctrinal correction.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'πρὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας' could refer to Chrysostom's own exegetical homilies or to any prior interpretation; the context suggests his own commentary series.","The identity of 'οἱ πνευματικοὶ ἄνδρες' is not specified; they may be charismatic leaders or monastic figures, but Chrysostom does not elaborate."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὗτος ἐκείνου δυνατώτερος. Μελετήσωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐντυγχάνειν Θεῷ· μάθωμεν πῶς δεῖ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐντυχίαν. Οὐ γὰρ κάλλος ζητεῖ γλώττης ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ ῥημάτων συνθήκην, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς ὥραν. Κἂν ἐκείνη φθέγγηται τὰ αὐτῷ δοκοῦντα, τὸ πᾶν ἀνύσασα ἄπεισιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπῳ τις συγγινόμενος θαυμαστῷ πολλὰ καρποῦται ἐκ τῆς συνουσίας, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεῷ διηνεκῶς δι' εὐχῆς ἐκτενοῦς. Κἂν γὰρ ἁμαρτωλός τις ὢν μετὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης εὔξηται, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μέρος ἀρετῆς, μεγάλα ἀνύσαι δυνήσεται. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ τελώνης (καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ ψιλοῦ ῥήματος τὸ πᾶν ἤνυσεν), ἐπειδὴ ἡ διάνοια αὐτοῦ καλῶς παρεσκευασμένη ἦν. Πῶς δὲ ἦν παρεσκευασμένη; Ἐταλάνιζεν ἑαυτὸν, τὸ στῆθος ἔτυπτεν, οὐδὲ ἀναβλέψαι εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἠνείχετο. Ἂν οὕτω καὶ σὺ εὔχῃ, πτεροῦ κουφοτέραν ἐργάσῃ τὴν ψυχήν. Ἔστω τοίνυν ἡ εὐχὴ ἥμερος, γαληνὴ, χάριεν ἔχουσα τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ἁπαλὸν μετὰ πραότητος καὶ μὴ κατ' ἐχθρῶν γινομένη. Αὕτη τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀξία ἡ εὐχὴ, αὕτη τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀξία ἡ γλῶττα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ","english":"For even here, this person is more powerful than that one. Let us therefore also practice how to approach God; let us learn how to make our entreaty. For God does not seek beauty of tongue, nor arrangement of words, but the season of the soul. And if that soul utters what is pleasing to him, it departs having accomplished everything. For if someone, when associating with a wonderful person, reaps many benefits from the intercourse, much more so does one who continually associates with God through earnest prayer. For even if someone is a sinner, if he prays with humility—which is a part of virtue—he will be able to accomplish great things. Just as also the tax collector (for he accomplished everything from a mere word), because his mind was well prepared. And how was it prepared? He lamented himself, beat his breast, and could not bear to look up to the sky. If you also pray in this way, you will make your soul lighter than a feather. Let your prayer, therefore, be gentle, calm, having a gracious and tender countenance with meekness, and not directed against enemies. This prayer is worthy of the heavens, this tongue is worthy of the angels. For in this way also","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"οὗτος ἐκείνου δυνατώτερος","severity":"info","text":"The comparative 'this person is more powerful than that one' refers back to the preceding contrast between a manual laborer or soldier and a more privileged person, emphasizing that humble prayer surpasses worldly status.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ψυχῆς ὥραν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'season of the soul' (ψυχῆς ὥραν) is a metaphor for the soul's proper spiritual condition or readiness, not literal time; it echoes Chrysostom's emphasis on inner disposition over external eloquence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ τελώνης","severity":"info","text":"The tax collector (ὁ τελώνης) alludes to the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14, where the tax collector's humble prayer is accepted; Chrysostom uses this as a model of effective prayer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐταλάνιζεν ἑαυτὸν, τὸ στῆθος ἔτυπτεν","severity":"info","text":"Beating the breast and lamenting oneself were common gestures of penitence in early Christian ascetic practice, reflecting a cultural script for humility that Chrysostom recommends for prayer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"πτεροῦ κουφοτέραν ἐργάσῃ τὴν ψυχήν","severity":"info","text":"The image of making the soul 'lighter than a feather' parallels Chrysostom's frequent metaphor of spiritual lightness as a sign of virtue, contrasting with the weight of sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἂν οὕτω καὶ σὺ εὔχῃ","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has 'Ἂν' (a variant of ἐάν) which is correctly read as 'if'; the English draft's 'If you also pray' is accurate, but the conditional force is crucial for the exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The referent of 'οὗτος' and 'ἐκείνου' is not explicit in this passage but is clarified by the preceding context contrasting a manual laborer or soldier with a more privileged person.","The phrase 'ἀπὸ ψιλοῦ ῥήματος' ('from a mere word') may refer to the tax collector's simple plea in the parable, but the exact word is not specified in the text."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":14,"ref":"p14","source":"ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἀκουσθησόμεθα, ὅταν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικούντων καὶ ἐπηρεαζόντων τὴν ἱκετηρίαν τῷ Θεῷ προσφέρωμεν. Ἂν οὕτω ῥυθμίσωμεν τὴν ψυχὴν, δυνησόμεθα μετὰ παῤῥησίας λέγειν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ Θεῷ· Οἰκτείρησόν με, καὶ εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου· καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἐπινεύσει, καὶ τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν παρέξει ἡμῖν· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"we shall be heard on our own behalf, when we offer supplication to God for those who wrong and abuse us. If we thus order our soul, we too shall be able to say with boldness to God: Have mercy on me, and hearken to my prayer; and he will readily assent, and will grant us the kingdom of the heavens. May it be that we all attain this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom is glory for ever and ever. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικούντων καὶ ἐπηρεαζόντων","severity":"info","text":"The passage concludes the homily by urging prayer for one's abusers, a distinctive ethical emphasis in Chrysostom's pastoral teaching.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"παρρησίας","severity":"info","text":"παρρησία (boldness, frankness) is a key term in Chrysostom, denoting the confident access to God that results from moral and spiritual discipline.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἰκτείρησόν με, καὶ εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου","severity":"info","text":"This petition echoes Psalm 4:2 (LXX: ἐλέησόν με καὶ εἰσάκουσόν μου) and similar supplicatory language in the Psalms, though not a direct quotation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀμήν","severity":"info","text":"The final 'Amen' and doxology mark the end of the homily, a standard liturgical conclusion in Chrysostom's works.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ","severity":"info","text":"The trinitarian formula 'Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ' reflects post-Nicene Christological confession, common in Chrysostom's doxologies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικούντων' could be read as 'on behalf of' or 'concerning' those who wrong us; the context supports the former, as prayer for enemies."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}