Inquiry into the Patristic Interpretations and Usages of Psalm 138 (139):21−22

Florence Bouet

Lord, did I not hate those who hate you, and was I not consumed because of your enemies? I hated them with perfect hatred, they have become my enemies. The vocabulary of hatred, imprecation, and violence, wielded by indi- viduals against other individuals is recurrent throughout the . Among the latter, one of the most surprising is Psalm 138 (139):21−22,1 where one reads: “Lord, did I not hate those who hate you, and was I not consumed because of your enemies? I hated them with perfect hatred, they have become my enemies.”2 The striking singularity of these verses consists in the fact that the psalmist claims to “hate” enemies who are explicitly presented as “enemies of God,” and that he states that he hates them with a hatred qualified as “perfect.” In the language of the Bible, hatred designates a form of enmity strong enough to lead to homicide. But “to hate,” as opposed to the verb “love,” often means essentially “to love less” in a Semitic context. In this paper, an attempt will be made to determine what kind of inter- pretation these two verses have received in the tradition of the early church, in Origen (185−253/4) and among its Greek readers, Didymus the Blind (310−398), Cyril of Jerusalem (313−386), and Gregory of Nyssa (335−394). We may well wonder to what degree this verse, which preaches a form of perfect hatred toward the enemies of God, may have been upheld, from a moral and theological point of view, by the church fathers. For each text, whenever possible, we shall attempt to inquire into the respective identities of the hater and of the enemies of God,

1 I follow the Greek numbering of the Ps in this paper, e.g., Ps 138:21−22 instead of :21−22 according to the Hebrew numbering. Protestant translations are based on the Hebrew numbering; Eastern Orthodox translations are based on the Greek numbering; Roman Catholic official liturgical texts follow the Greek number- ing, but modern Catholic translations often use the Hebrew numbering, sometimes adding, in parenthesis, the Greek numbering as well. 2 translation from the by F. Bouet. 140 florence bouet into the nature of this hatred and the types of conduct which it may be seen to inspire.

1. Origen

No commentary by Origen on Psalm 138:21−22 has been handed down to us. However, this verse is quoted once in his writings, to underpin his commentary on Psalm 119:139. Here is what he writes: Then, after that [Ps 118:138], he goes on to describe his praiseworthy passion [epaineton pathos] which we should imitate and says: “Your zeal [zēlos] has consumed me because my enemies [echthroi] have forgotten your words” [Ps 119:139]. What a fine “zeal” filled me, when I saw one who had forgotten your words! It was no mere “zeal,” but such a zeal that I was “consumed” by zeal for you, if I saw certain people forget your words. And “the disciples remembered” this zeal of which it is said in the Psalms, in the name of the Lord: “The zeal of your house has devoured me” [Ps 68:10; John 2:18]. If someone forgets the words of God in the eyes of one who accomplishes the word of God zealously, he is his enemy. “Lord, did I not hate [emisēsa] those who hate you [tous misountas se], and was I not consumed because of your enemies [ech- throis]? I hated them with perfect hatred [teleion misos], and they have become my enemies” [Ps 138:21−22]. Such was ’s sentiment when he said: “I burned with zeal for the almighty Lord” [3 Kgdms 19:10]. And it is yet again consumed by this zeal that the apostle undertakes to speak to the Corinthians “For you I am filled with the zeal of God” [2 Cor 11:2].3 The theme broached here by Origen in his commentary on Psalm 118:139 is that of zeal against enemies forgetful of the law. By whom is Psalm 138:21−22 pronounced? The identity of the zealous psalmist is not elucidated (“he goes on to describe”), but he is compared successively to Christ (Ps 68:10; John 2:18)—since the psalmist speaks “in the name of the Lord” (ek prosōpou Kuriou)—as well as Elijah (3 Kgdms 19:10) and Paul (2 Cor 11:2). The paraphrase in the first person (“What a fine ‘zeal’ filled me, when I saw . . .”) leaves the speaker in the first person, in limbo: the words may be pronounced by whoever wishes to appropriate them, and more particularly by the

3 french translation by M. Harl, La chaîne palestinienne sur le psaume 118 (139, folio 267r) (ed. M. Harl; SC 189; Paris: Cerf, 1972), 410−13. (English trans. P. H.)