(From the 1765 Venice edition of André Galland's "Library of the Ancient Fathers",
Tome 1, folio-size, p. 9)
Chapter 28
All things, therefore, being seen and being heard[[87]], let us fear him, and let us abandon foul desires of vain works, so that with his mercy we are sheltered[[88]] from the future judgments. For where[[89]] can any of us flee from his powerful hand? And what kind of world will receive one of <those deserting>[[90]] from him? For somewhere the Scripture[[91]] says, "Where will I arrive[[92]], where will I be hidden from your face? If I should go up to heaven, you are there; if I should go away to the ends of the earth, there <is> your right hand; if [<I should spread down>] into the abysses[[93]], there <is> your spirit"[[16b]]. To where, therefore, should one go, or where should one flee away from the <one who encompasses> everything?
Biblical Citations
16b. Psalm 138:7-10
Notes
87. "
being heard": From
Bois, "
by him", should be inferred.--The same <sc.
Gallandi>
88. "
we are sheltered": From the manuscript Wotton restored this reading, which Young with the edition except the London placed in the margin, the other <reading> "
we shelter" <having been introduced> into the text.--The same <sc.
Gallandi>
89. "
Where...flee": Thus <reads> the manuscript. Others prefer, "
To where": and they exhibit, "
flee"[[A]].--The same <sc.
Gallandi>
90. "
deserting":
Hesychius <defines>: "
Deserter. The <one who has gone away> to the enemies, betrayer". In translating this word the great
Casaubon sinned, <at>
Polybius, book 4, page 322, where he translates, "
but the deserter", <as>
Automolus, as if it were a proper name. But Polybius <means to refer to> a certain
Aetolian deserter, whom he previously had mentioned, as advised
Henri Valois, the equal, if not in certain things superior, to Casaubon, [<in the Preface>] on excerpts from the <collected works> of
Constantine Porphyrogenitus.-
-Colomiès
91. "For somewhere the Scripture says": Rightly the Psalter is presented with the name of Scripture: since indeed, as we learn from St. Epiphanius, heresy 29, chapter 7; and <from> St. Jerome in the "Helmeted Prologue"[[B]], and in the preface to <the book of> Daniel, the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament are distributed into <the categories of> law-giving or law, prophets, and writings: <that is> in the books of Moses or the Law, the Prophets, and <the sacred-writings>: and in the third category is contained the book of David <i.e., Book of Psalms>. Certainly at Luke 24:44 you have the Psalms <mentioned as> distinct from the Law and the Prophets: "<It> is necessary that everything which is written about me in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms be fulfilled." And the most preeminent Jews, Philo and Josephus, agree with the evangelist: <the former, i.e., Philo> <in> "Book on the contemplative life", after the beginning, page 893; <the latter, i.e., Josephus> <in> book 1 "Against Apion", similarly after the beginning, page 1036. Sometimes, however, the psalms are not numbered among scriptures and <sacred-writings>, according to other divisions of Scripture; certainly, at Epiphanius's chapter 4, of the book "On weights and measures", and that copyist's of John the Damascene chapter 18, book 4 "On the orthodox faith"; likewise Cassiodorus's book 1 of "Institution for divine readings"; and also Jerome's in the prefaces to "Tobit" and "Judith". For since he <sc. Jerome> in the above cited "<helmeted> Prologue", from the canonical books of the Hebrews, <i.e.> the books of the Law, of the Prophets, and the sacred-writings, and among these last the Psalter, separated the volumes of Tobit and of Judith,
the same two volumes, in prefaces to them, he hands down that by the Hebrews <they were cut off> from the catalog
of divine Scriptures, and <are read> among the sacred-writings, whose authority is judged <as> less suitable towards <confirming> those things which come into contention. By which fact it happens that the Hebrews should be said to have had sacred-writings of twofold kind, evidently of greater and of lesser authority, and among the former <insofar as this matter is concerned> with the sacred Scriptures to have placed the Psalms. Nor will you wonder at the diverse acceptance and authority of the sacred-writings after you have read those distinguished <sc. words> on the canonical books in <the writings of> the blessed Augustine, <in> book 2 "On Christian Teaching", chapter 8: "Now, in the canonical Scriptures, let <him> follow the authority of several catholic Churches; among which clearly are those which have merited to have apostolic seats and to accept Epistles. And so <he> will have this manner in the canonical Scriptures, so that those which are accepted by all catholic Churches, he may place before those <which certain ones> they do not accept. But among those which are not accepted by all, let <him> place those which the more numerous and more weighty <sc. churches> accept, before those which the fewer and of lesser authority Churches hold. Now, if <he> should find some by more numerous, others by more weighty <sc. churches> to be had; although he might not easily find this, nevertheless I think they should be <considered> of equal authority".--Cotelier
--From here <it is evident> that the most distinguished Isaac Vossius in response to Richard Simon's repeated objections undeservedly considered the word "scripture" to have been invented by Aquila. From here also is confirmed Epiphanius's passage <in> heresy 29, section 7, where treating about the Nazareans, he says that the sacred-writing books are called "scriptures" by the Jews. After Epiphanius, the Damascene hands down the same.--Colomiès
92. "will I arrive": The word <is> suspect to several; but Mill observes that it was used by Plato <in book> 7 "On the Republic", and it means the same as "I will arrive"[[C]].--Gallandi
93. "if I should spread down": Thus Clement best expressed the force of the Hebrew word, "he spread out", which means "he spread"[[D]]. For neither does he always follow the translation of the 70, but sometimes prefers either his own or <that> of other [teachers <learned in Hebrew>]. The Hebrew truth sounds in Latin: "If I will have made a blanket", or, "I will have placed a blanket in the abyss", or, "in the sepulcher." And thus in Greek: "If I should spread down into the abyss". [<This note taken from> Bois].--Gallandi
--"
if I should spread down into the abysses": Thus Job 17:13 : "
And in darkness my bedding lies spread[[E]]", and indeed the word "
to spread down" in this passage closely approaches to the Hebrew source.--
Young
My Notes
A. A difference of one letter distinguished the aorist infinitive in the text from the suggested present infinitive. The aorist likely indicates the completed act of having initiated an escape, whereas the present likely indicates the ongoing act of fleeing. There may not have been much of a recognized distinction in colloquial speech.
B. The prologue known specifically by this name is to Jerome's Vulgate translation of the book of Kings. More generally, a defensive prologue to a potentially controversial work was metaphorically said to be "helmeted".
C. The topic here is the genuineness of a rare word that appears in the text.
D. The topic here is Clement's translations of a particular metaphor, but more generally that his translation of these lines differs significantly from what we have in the Septuagint, which follows the Masoretic text.
E. Perfect middle of stornumi.
