Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

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Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

the inner motions of our souls, and whatever condition we find ourselves in.

§11 – The Psalms Become Our OwnWords in Prayer There is also this incredible thing in the Psalms. When people read what the saints say in the other books of Scripture or what is written about them, they don’t see themselves in what is being spoken or written about. And when they hear what is being said they don’t think it refers to themselves either, although they may go so far as to imitate the deeds, they hear proclaimed and may even stand in awe of the zeal of these holy men: but no further. And when they take up the Psalter and encounter the prophecies about the Savior in certain Psalms, they treat them, too, with the same awe and reverence as they did when they encountered them in the other Scriptures. But the truly amazing thing is that when they come to the other Psalms, they recognize them as being their very own words. And when they hear they are actually moved in their conscience. They feel is as though they are the ones speaking and they take to heart the words of the songs as if they were their own. But for the sake of clarity, let us not hesitate to repeat what we’ve been saying, following the example of the blessed apostle. 7 Many of the words of the patriarchs were spoken as their own. When Moses would speak, God would answer. And when both Elijah and Elisha called to the Lord while they were on Mount Carmel they would usually say: As the Lord lives, before whom I stand this day (1 Kgs 17:1; 2 Kgs 3:14). The principle words of the other holy prophets are words about the Savior, although most are directed toward the nations

7 In his Epistles, Paul at times will repeat words or phrases for clarity, such as he does in Galatians 1:9 and Philippians 4:4.