A iust man acknowledging that spiritual life beginneth by faith, and by publique profession therof, 4. gratfully accepteth of Christs Redemption, 5. dedicateth his life, and al he hath to Gods seruice.
1I have believed, therefore have I spoken; but I have been humbled exceedingly.Credetti; per questo parlai: ma mi fui umiliato oltre modo.Allelu ia. I beleued, for which cause I spake: but I was humbled excedingly.Alleluja. Credidi, propter quod locutus sum; / ego autem humiliatus sum nimis. 2I said in my excess: Every man is a liar.Io dissi nella mia perturbazione: Tutti gli uomini sono mendaci.I said in mine excesse: Euerie man is a lyer.Ego dixi in excessu meo: / Omnis homo mendax. 3What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things that he hath rendered to me?Che renderò io al Signore per tutte le cose ch'egli ha date a me?What shal I render to our Lord, for al thinges that he hath rendred to me?Quid retribuam Domino / pro omnibus quæ retribuit mihi ? 4I will take the chalice of salvation; and I will call upon the name of the Lord.Prenderò il calice di salute, e invocherò il nome del Signore.I wil take the chalice of saluation: and I wil inuocat the name of our Lord.Calicem salutaris accipiam, / et nomen Domini invocabo. 5I will pay my vows to the Lord before all his people:I voti da me fatti al Signore scioglierò alla presenza di tutto il suo popolo:I wil render my vowes to our Lord before al his people:Vota mea Domino reddam / coram omni populo ejus. 6Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.preziosa nel cospetto del Signore è la morte de' santi suoi.precious in the sight of our Lord is the death of his Sainctes.Pretiosa in conspectu Domini / mors sanctorum ejus. 7O Lord, for I am thy servant: I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid. Thou hast broken my bonds:Perché io, o Signore, son tuo servo, io tuo servo, e figliuolo di tua ancella. Tu hai sprezzate le mie ritorte:O Lord because I am thy seruant: I am thy seruant, and the sonne of thy hand maide. Thou hast broken my bondes:O Domine, quia ego servus tuus; / ego servus tuus, et filius ancillæ tuæ. / Dirupisti vincula mea: 8I will sacrifice to thee the sacrifice of praise, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.a te sagrificherò ostia di lode, e invocherò il nome del Signore.I wil sacrifice to thee the hoast of praise, and I wil inuocate the name of our Lord.tibi sacrificabo hostiam laudis, / et nomen Domini invocabo. 9I will pay my vows to the Lord in the sight of all his people:Scioglierò i voti fatti da me al Signore alla presenza di tutto il suo popolo:I wil render my vowes to our Lord in the sight of al his people:Vota mea Domino reddam / in conspectu omnis populi ejus;
10In the courts of the house of the Lord, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.nell'atrio della casa del Signore, in mezzo a te, o Gerusalemme.in the courtes of the house of our Lord, in the middes of thee ô Ierusalem.in atriis domus Domini, / in medio tui, Jerusalem.
115:1
Theodoret
[or 1.] Alleluia is not in Hebrew. There seems no necessity to join this psalm with the preceding, as the subject is not so much alike as that of many others, which are distinct pieces. St. Paul quotes two passages in their literal sense, (Berthier) as applicable to all who thirst after a future life. It may relate also (Haydock) to the captives returning, (St. Chrysostom; Calmet) to Ezechias, (Ven. Bede) or to the Machabees. (Theodoret)
Exceedingly. We must not be deterred from professing our faith by any danger. (St. Augustine) (2 Corinthians 4:13.)
Haydock
I never ceased to publish that I trusted entirely in thy promises, that we should be delivered (Calmet) in due time. (Haydock)
Worthington
I believed that God woud help me, and, as I ought to do, make profession of my faith, under the greatest tribulations. (Worthington)
Haydock
With the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Haydock)
Menochius
I confess that there is a future world, (ver. 9.[Psalm 114:9.?]) though I do not see it, but remain in distress. (Menochius)
115:2
St. Jerome
[or 2.] Excess. Septuagint, "ecstacy." Enlightened from above. If he had spoken thus by his own spirit, any one might have replied, that no dependance could be placed in what he said. We are all liable to mistake. (St. Jerome)
St. Jerome
Many explain it of David's "flight" before Absalom. Hebrew, "in my precipitation," (Calmet) or "astonishment." (St. Jerome)
Calmet
Liar. Weak and inconstant of his own corrupt nature, (Haydock) though not always guilty of lying. (Calmet)
Haydock
St. Paul contrasts this natural weakness with the veracity of God, (Berthier) and the preaching of his apostles, Romans 3:4., and 2 Corinthians 1:17. (Haydock)
Worthington
In the midst of my afflictions, I professed that all man's help is vain, and I had recourse to God. (Worthington)
115:3
Worthington
[or 3.] To me. I have deserved chastisement; how, therefore, shall I express my gratitude for God's innumerable benefits? (Worthington)
115:4
Worthington
[or 4.] Chalice. I will submit to any afflictions, (St. Augustine) seeing they procure such an ample reward. I will unite my sufferings with those of Jesus Christ, (Haydock) and accept the great benefit of his blood, shed for mankind. (Worthington)
Calmet
Chaldean seems to have had this in view, calicem redemptionis levabo mundo venturo, and Houbigant explains it of Christ, who prayed that the chalice might be taken from him, (Berthier) but presently resigned himself to God's will. It may also (Haydock) imply, the cup of thanksgiving, which was used in pacific sacrifices, Psalm 21:27. Our Saviour followed this custom, when he instituted the blessed Eucharist, as (Calmet) the Jews do on solemn occasions, (Leo. 3:7., and 9:2.) The pagans had something very similar. Homer speaks of the "free bowl, or cup of liberty," (Iliad 2.) and Athenaeus (I. 23., and 2:2., and 15:5.) of "the cup of Jupiter, the Saviour," in which, after tasting a little wine, water was mingled, with invocations of Jupiter, and all drank what they pleased. (Calmet)
Haydock
The custom of drinking healths might originate in the same jovial humour. (Haydock)
115:5
Berthier
[or 5.] Pay. Hebrew adds, "now or surely." (Berthier)
Vows. Voluntarily, (Worthington) which I could not do at Babylon, Psalm 65:13. St. Augustine and the ancient psalters omit this, perhaps supposing it to be taken from ver. 18.
115:6
Berthier
[or 6.] Precious. I am ready even to make a sacrifice of my life, if God's glory should require it; for he esteems the death of the saints. (Worthington) (Berthier)
Berthier
He will not easily abandon them to destruction in this world, as the Hebrew implies, (Tirinus; Calmet) though this meaning is not certain, nor verified by facts; the just being often slain by the wicked. (Berthier)
Menochius
God rewards the sufferings of his servants; (Calmet) the psalmist will not therefore be deterred from paying his vows by the fear of death. (Menochius)
115:7
Worthington
[or 7.] Handmaid. To be blessed, we must be in a state of grace, and children of the Church. (Worthington)
St. Cyprian
Out of it, death itself endured for Christ would profit nothing, (St. Augustine) but only be "a punishment of perfidy." (St. Cyprian)
Berthier
No worship can please God, unless we be joined in communion with her [the Church], as the Fathers observe. (Berthier)
Calmet
The psalmist glories in being a servant of God for ever. (Calmet)
Bonds. Of slavery, (Calmet) and sin. (Worthington) (1 Corinthians 7:22.)
115:8
Calmet
[or 8.] Praise. Or thanksgiving, Psalm 26:6., and Leviticus 7:12. (Calmet)
Berthier
Lord. There is but one, as there is but one faith. Without the latter, it is in vain to call upon God, Ephesians 4:4. (Berthier)
St. Jerome
"Whosoever eats the lamb out of this house, (the Church) is profane." (St. Jerome, ep. 57. ad Dam.)
115:1
I beleued that God would helpe me:
therfore I freely professed that I trusted in him. For then in dede faith is perfect, when we confesse with mouth, that which we beleue in hart:
I was vehemently afflicted in tribulations.
This in the Hebrew is ioyned to the next Psalme before.
115:2
In the middes of my great affliction I professed, that al mans helpe is vaine, false, deceipful, and defestiue. and therfore our trust must be in God only.
115:3
Considering that God hath not only geuen, and bestowed manie great benefites vpon me, and al mankind, but also hath rendered good for euil, mercie for our sinne•, we hauing rendered euil for good: what now shal I render, sayth a true penitent, for al that he hath thus rendered to me, deseruing so euil?
Considering that God hath not only geuen, and bestowed manie great benefites vpon me, and al mankind, but also hath rendered good for euil, mercie for our sinne•, we hauing rendered euil for good: what now shal I render, sayth a true penitent, for al that he hath thus rendered to me, deseruing so euil?
115:4
Seing I am not able to render anie thing worthie of Gods fauoure to me, yet I wil do that I can: I wil gratfully accept his great benefite the cuppe of Christs passion, which he d•uunke for mankind,
and wil praise, and cal upon his name.
115:5
I wil pay voluntarie vowes,
for Gods glorie, and edification of others
115:6
yea I wil offer my life, and suffer death, when Gods glorie shal require it, in whose sight, the death of Sainctes is precious, and most highly esteemed.
115:7
Alvvayes vnderstood, that such as suffer persecution, be in good state of then soules, the true seruantes of God,
the children of the Church his handmaide.
Deliuered me from captiuitie of sinne.
115:10
In the Church of the faithful.
115:1
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.89
89. The reason, unless I am mistaken, is complete and just, but I do not require a reason from Christ. If I am convinced by reason I reject faith. Abraham believed God, let us also believe Him, that we who are heirs of his race may also be heirs of his faith. David likewise believed, and therefore did he speak;
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose 41.14
… And so the holy prophet says: “Thou shalt open my mouth, and it shall declare Thy praise.” He, then, who praises the Lord Jesus kisses Him, he who praises Him undoubtedly believes. Finally, David himself says: “I believed, therefore have I spoken;”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Second Corinthians 9
[2.] Ver. 13 . “But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak; that He which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus.” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 1.5
… do Thou expand it, that Thou mayest enter in. It is in ruins, restore Thou it. There is that about it which must offend Thine eyes; I confess and know it, but who will cleanse it? or to whom shall I cry but to Thee? Cleanse me from my secret sins, O Lord, and keep Thy servant from those of other men. I believe, and therefore do I speak;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 10.1
1. Let me know Thee, O Thou who knowest me; let me know Thee, as I am known. O Thou strength of my soul, enter into it, and prepare it for Thyself, that Thou mayest have and hold it without “spot or wrinkle.” This is my hope, “therefore have I spoken;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 11.22
… Give that which I love; for I do love, and this hast Thou given me. Give, Father, who truly knowest to give good gifts unto Thy children. Give, since I have undertaken to know, and trouble is before me until Thou dost open it. Through Christ, I beseech Thee, in His name, Holy of Holies, let no man interrupt me. For I believed, and therefore do I speak.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 22.29
And so, when I am asked how the saints shall be employed in that spiritual body, I do not say what I see, but I say what I believe, according to that which I read in the psalm, “I believed, therefore have I spoken.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 45.9
… for to such the apostle pointed when he said, “But we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.” The prophet said, “I believed, therefore have I spoken:”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.7
7. …“I believed,” saith he, “and therefore did I speak. But I was sorely brought down” (
115:2
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On Virginity 10
… he sees it as fully as a mortal can see who has quitted his fleshly envelopments and entered, by the mere power of thought, upon the contemplation of the spiritual and intellectual world, and in his longing to speak a word worthy of the spectacle he bursts forth with that cry, which all re-echo, “Every man a liar
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. Against Jovinianus 2.10
… You must either deny that you are a sinner if you are not to be in danger of Gehenna: or, if you are a sinner you will be sent to hell for even a light offence: “The mouth that lieth,” says one, “kills the soul.” I suspect that you, like other men, have occasionally told a lie:
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. Against the Pelagians 2
37 . “Let your speech be Yea, yea, Nay, nay.” Who has ever kept this commandment? The Psalmist says
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. Against the Pelagians 3.6
… And you are not satisfied with glorying in all your works, unless you say that you are pure from all sins of speech; and you tell us how righteous, how spotless, how free from all falsehood your lips are. The Psalmist sings,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.25
38. I would also say, O Lord my God, what the following Scripture reminds me of; yea, I will say it without fear. For I will speak the truth, Thou inspiring me as to what Thou willest that I should say out of these words. For by none other than Thy inspiration do I believe that I can speak the truth, since Thou art the Truth, but every man a liar.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Against Lying 40
… And the Father heareth and granteth his prayer that he may avail without a lie to succor whom the Father Himself, Whose judgments are unsearchable, willeth to be succored. Such a son therefore so keeps watch against a lie, as he doth against sin. For indeed sometimes the name of lie is put for the name of sin: whence is that saying, “All men are liars.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 39.8
… if the soul is chaste, there is chastity with God, of which it partakes; if it is good, there is goodness with God, of which it partakes; if it is true, there is truth with God, of which the soul is partaker. Whereof if the soul is no partaker, every man is false;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 111.1
… Listen, I say, and weigh well to what it is that our hopes are exalted. Christ Jesus saith, The Son of God, the Only-begotten, who is co-eternal and equal with the Father, saith: He, who for our sakes became man, but became not, like every man besides, a liar,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 37.2.8
… Who is the man that is “ashamed”? He who saith, “I have not found that which I was in hopes of.” Nor undeservedly either; for thou didst hope it from thyself or from man, thy friend. But “cursed is he that putteth his trust in man.” Thou art ashamed, because thy hope hath deceived thee; thy hope that was set on a lie. For “every man is a liar.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.8
8. “I said in my trance, All men are liars” (
115:3
sant'Ignazio di Antiochia † 108 d.C. Epistle to the Romans: Shorter and Longer Versions 8
… “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet no longer I, since Christ liveth in me.” I entreat you in this brief letter: do not refuse me; believe me that I love Jesus, who was delivered [to death] for my sake. “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits towards me?”
san Tascio Cecilio Cipriano † 258 d.C. The Epistles of Cyprian 76.4
… “What shall I render,” says He, “to the Lord for all His benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 22.39
… When He is scourged He holds His peace; when He is crucified, He prays for His crucifiers. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 2.7
… And for this let him love Thee as much, yea, all the more, since by whom he sees me to have been restored from so great a feebleness of sin, by Him he sees himself from a like feebleness to have been preserved.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Creed 7
… when He suffered, “was crucified, dead, and buried.” Who? what? for whom? Who? God’s Only Son, our Lord. What? Crucified, dead, and buried. For whom? for ungodly and sinners. Great condescension, great grace! “What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath bestowed on me?”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 72.1
… and as it is apart from him, it is not he that will do them; and as, on the other hand, it is by him, although not by his own self, it is he also that will do them. And besides, to do greater things by one than apart from one, is not a sign of deficiency, but of condescension. For what can servants render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards them?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John 5.4
… nevertheless both a first time and a second, and a third He put this question. Thrice fear denied, thrice love confessed. Behold Peter loveth the Lord. What is he to do for the Lord? For think not that he in the Psalm did not feel himself at a loss what to do: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits He hath done unto me?”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 36.12
… Wonder not: they were inebriated. Wherewith were they so? Lo, they had received a cup wherewith they were satiated. Wherefore he also gives thanks to God, saying, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me? I will take the cup of Salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 103.2
… But the rewards of the Lord cannot be before thine eyes unless thy sins are before thine eyes. Let not delight in past sin be before thine eyes, but let the condemnation of sin be before thine eyes: condemnation from thee, forgiveness from God. For thus God rewardeth thee, so that thou mayest say, “How shall I reward the Lord for all His rewards unto me?”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.9
9. “What,” he asketh, “what reward shall I give unto the Lord, for all the benefits that He hath returned unto me?” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 135.2
… And since he hath nothing wherewith to repay God for so great benefits, what remains for him but to give Him thanks, not to repay Him? It belongs to the very act of thanksgiving, to “receive the cup of the Lord, and to call upon His name.” For what can the servant repay the Lord for all that He hath given him?
115:4
Origene † 254 d.C. A Letter from Origen to Africanus 1
… When the woman was made by God from the rib of the man, Adam says, “She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of her husband.” Now the Jews say that the woman was called “ Essa ,” and that “taken” is a translation of this word as is evident from “ chos isouoth essa ,” which means, “I have taken the cup of salvation;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 7.21
… This those writings contain not. Those pages contain not the expression of this piety,—the tears of confession, Thy sacrifice, a troubled spirit, “a broken and a contrite heart,” the salvation of the people, the espoused city, the earnest of the Holy Ghost, the cup of our redemption.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.10
10. But this man seeketh what he may return unto the Lord, and findeth not, save out of those things which the Lord Himself returneth. “I will receive,” he saith, “the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 135.2
… And since he hath nothing wherewith to repay God for so great benefits, what remains for him but to give Him thanks, not to repay Him? It belongs to the very act of thanksgiving, to “receive the cup of the Lord, and to call upon His name.”
115:5
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 7.3
… Like the prophet he has carried his girdle across the Euphrates (for all the devil’s strength is in the loins ), and has hidden it there in a hole of the rock. Then, afterwards finding it rent, he has sung: “O Lord, thou hast possessed my reins. Thou hast broken my bonds in sunder. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.10
10. But this man seeketh what he may return unto the Lord, and findeth not, save out of those things which the Lord Himself returneth. “I will receive,” he saith, “the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord” ( ver. 13 ). “My vows will I render to the Lord, before all His people” (
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 9.12
Prayers are those by which we offer or vow something to God, what the Greeks call εὐκή , i.e., a vow. For where we read in Greek ἰὰς ἐυκάς μου τῶ κυρίῶ ἀποδώσω , in Latin we read: “I will pay my vows unto the Lord;”
115:6
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 2.19
… “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Scorpiace 8
… Since the death of His own saints is precious is His sight, as David sings,
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 8.54
… Indeed, we think it both reasonable in itself and well-pleasing to God, to suffer pain for the sake of virtue, to undergo torture for the sake of piety, and even to suffer death for the sake of holiness; for “precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints;”
san Tascio Cecilio Cipriano † 258 d.C. The Epistles of Cyprian 8
… Oh, what a spectacle was that to the Lord,—how sublime, how great, how acceptable to the eyes of God in the allegiance and devotion of His soldiers! As it is written in the Psalms, when the Holy Spirit at once speaks to us and warns us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
san Tascio Cecilio Cipriano † 258 d.C. The Epistles of Cyprian 80.2
… Let no one think of death, but of immortality; nor of temporary punishment, but of eternal glory; since it is written, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints;”
san Tascio Cecilio Cipriano † 258 d.C. Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus 12
… What hath pride profited us, or what hath the boasting of riches brought to us? All these things have passed away like a shadow.” Likewise in the cxvth Psalm is shown the price and the reward of suffering: “Precious,” it says, “in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Funeral Oration on Meletius 1
… and he intercedes for us , and for the “negligences and ignorances” of the people. He has put away the coats of skin ; no need is there now for the dwellers in paradise of such garments as these; but he wears the raiment which the purity of his life has woven into a glorious dress. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.45
… the dead have conquered, the persecutors have been overcome. And so we celebrate the death of those of whose lives we are ignorant. So, too, David rejoiced in prophecy at the departure of his own soul, saying: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 28
… xxxii. 10 .) But in the case of the righteous, he does not say plagues, but, “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all.” ( ib. xxxiv. 19 .) And again, “The death of the sinner is evil.” ( ib. 21 .) And, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 109.2
… that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord;” and again “Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.” If the relics of the martyrs are not worthy of honour, how comes it that we read “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints?”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 9.7
… Arrived there, he begged to be permitted to touch with his handkerchief the bier of Thy saints, whose death is precious in Thy sight.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 1.12
… Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.” But this was said rather to exhibit the cruelty of those who did these things, than the misery of those who suffered them. To the eyes of men this appears a harsh and doleful lot, yet “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 13.7
… exception in their favor, in that other sentence where He no less absolutely said, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven;” and in another place, “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it.” And this explains the verse, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Against Lying 34
… So both she, if after all she had been slain by her countrymen for the work of mercy, would have ended this life, which must needs come to an end, by a death precious in the sight of the Lord,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Care to Be Had for the Dead 4
… they have shed their blood like water round about Jerusalem, and there was no man to bury them:” but more to heighten the cruelty of them who did these things, not to the infelicity of them who suffered them. For, however, in sight of men these things may seem hard and dire, yet “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Morals of the Catholic Church 23
… What patience could be greater than this? And yet why should we be astonished that the love of God, implanted in her inmost heart, bore up against tyrant, and executioner, and pain, and sex, and natural affection? Had she not heard, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints?"
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 47.2
… He, and only He, was the buyer, who shed precious blood—the precious blood of Him who was without sin. Yet made He precious also the blood of His own, for whom He paid the price of blood: for had He not made the blood of His own precious, it would not have been said, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 41.1
… To the multiplying of the Church availed the Holy Blood poured forth, to help Its seminating came also the death of the Martyrs. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 79.7
7. “We have become,” he saith, “a reproach to our neighbours” ( ver. 4 ). Therefore precious not in the sight of men, from whom this reproach was, but “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.10
… Who, save He who saith, “Are ye able to drink the cup that I shall drink of?” Who hath given unto thee to imitate His sufferings, save He who hath suffered before for thee? And therefore, “Right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 119.3
… Thus it hath happened: this we see. Behold, martyrdom in the name of Christ, both with men and in this world, is not only not a disgrace, but a great ornament: behold, not only in the sight of the Lord, but in the sight of men, “precious is the death of His Saints;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 141.10
… And what was the result of the deaths of the saints? What meaneth, “the fatness of the earth is spread over the earth”? We know that everything that is refuse is the fatness of the earth. The things which are, as it were, contemptible to men, enrich the earth.…“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 6.3
… “It were good for that man if he had never been born.” Further it is said of the death of John and of all saints “Right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints:”
papa san Leone I Magno † 461 d.C. Sermons 82
… “Precious,” therefore, “in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.15
… The divine Scripture likewise saith that the souls of the just are in God’s hand and death cannot lay hold of them. For death is rather the sleep of the saints than their death. For they travailed in this life and shall to the end , and Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints
115:7
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 2.3
… But they were Thine, and I knew it not, and I thought that Thou heldest Thy peace, and that it was she who spoke, through whom Thou heldest not Thy peace to me, and in her person wast despised by me, her son, “the son of Thy handmaid, Thy servant.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 8.1
1. O My God, let me with gratitude remember and confess unto Thee Thy mercies bestowed upon me. Let my bones be steeped in Thy love, and let them say, Who is like unto Thee, O Lord? “Thou hast loosed my bonds, I will offer unto Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 9.1
1. “ O Lord , truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 18.32
… “Thou hast struck off in amazement of mind the bonds” must be understood for, He lifts up the good and strikes off the bad, about which it is said to Him, “Thou hast broken asunder my bonds,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 34.8
… Therefore, let us do it now, let us follow the Lord; let us loose the fetters by which we are hindered from following Him. And who is sufficient to loose such bonds, unless He help, to whom it is said, “Thou hast burst asunder my bonds”?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 112.6
… Now, however, when they laid hold of Him in this way, their distance from Him was vastly in creased: and they bound Him by whom they themselves ought rather to have been loosed. And perhaps there were those among them who then fastened their fetters on Christ, and yet were afterwards delivered by Him, and could say, “Thou hast loosed my bonds.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 58.3
… But I am not able, thou sayest. Cry to Him. “Unhappy man I, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” For there shall come the Grace of God, so that righteousness shall be thy delight, as much as thou didst delight in iniquity; and thou, a man that out of bonds hast been loosed, shall cry out to God, “Thou hast broken asunder my bonds.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.7
… For these men provoke Him to anger by withstanding justice: for those fettered men perchance would walk, and are not able, and are praying of God that they may be able, and are saying to Him, “From my necessities lead me forth.” By whom being heard, they give thanks, saying, “Thou hast broken asunder my bonds.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 102.1
… and mingled my drink with weeping.” Have these so great riches come to this? The former state is a very high one, this is a very lowly one.…Yet still examine whether this poor man be He; since, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Reflect also upon these words: “I am Thy servant, and the Son of Thine handmaid.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.11
11. Let therefore the slave purchased at so great a price confess his condition, and say, “Behold, O Lord, how that I am Thy servant: “I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid” (
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 11.9
… and with full peace of mind will he sing to God the following verse: “Thou hast broken my chains. I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of praise;” and: “except the Lord had helped me, my soul had almost dwelt in hell.”
115:8
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 4.1
… Let the arrogant, and such as have not been yet savingly cast down and stricken by Thee, O my God, laugh at me; but notwithstanding I would confess to Thee mine own shame in Thy praise. Bear with me, I beseech Thee, and give me grace to retrace in my present remembrance the circlings of my past errors, and to “offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.12
12. “I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of praise” (
115:9
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.13
… this is exacted, this is due. On looking at the coin, the Lord saith, “Render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s, and unto God the things which are God’s:” his own image is rendered unto Cæsar: let His image be rendered unto God.
115:10
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 116.14
14. “In the courts,” he saith, “of the Lord’s house” (
115:1
… dunque fondamentalmente ritorno dell'amore dimostratosi nella Grazia (ibid. 4, 19). Il r. darà il suo nome al culto cristiano (Eucaristia), il suo valore all'umiltà (Rom. 5, 1-11), il suo ardore alla penitenza (Lc. 7, 47), alla fede il suo eloquio (Ps. 115, 1-10), alla speranza il suo giubilo (ibid. 47), alla carità la sua sovrabbondanza (Mt. 5, 43-48) nella brama di rendere a Dio uguaglianza d'amore (I Cor. 13, 12).
115:2
Nella Scrittura abbondano i testi, in cui, pur magnificandosi l'inesauribile virtù espansiva del Bene Infinito, si avverte in pari tempo che Dio tutto ha creato per la sua gloria (Is. 43, 6-7; Ps. 115, 2-3; I Thess. 4, 3). « Così, dunque, Dio vuole se stesso e le altre cose. …
115:3
… Poi il sacerdote prende il calice dicendo «Quid retribuum» (Ps. 115, 3, 4), vi versa vino ed
… Nessuno può sottravisi con un « patto » (Is. 28, 15, 18). I delori della f. sono quelli della morte (II Sam. 22, 6; Ps. 17, 6; 115, 3). Con un piede nell'abisso, il fedele « dal profondo grida » a Dio per essere liberato (Ps. 129, 1; Eccli. 51, 9). La f. personificata come la morte (Job 28, 22; Is. 5, 14; Eccli. …
115:15
… Ogni strumento di Dio era pertanto in tal senso un m. (Ps. 115, 15). Il termine, usato in Ps. 2, 2 per indicare il re e fondatore della nuova alleanza, promesso da Jahweh, divenne più tardi, nella letteratura apocrifa e rabbinica (Henoch, 48, 10; …
115:17
Si spiega così la vita inerte (Eccle. 9, 5 sg. 10), assimilata al sonno (Iob 10, 20 sgg.; 17, 16; 20, 11 ecc.), nelle tenebre (Ps. 49, 20; 88, 7, 13; ecc.), delle anime nello šē'ōl; dove non possono lodare Jahweh (Ps. 6, 6; 115, 17; Is. 38, 18); ed il loro nome di rēphā'im («languidi», «deboli»).
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · Douay-Rheims originale (Douai 1609-10), trascrizione EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Pubblico dominio.