THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The dual terms Your illumination and Your reality represent two aspects of the same divine essence. What can God’s illumination be if not His reality? And how can God’s reality exist apart from His illumination? Both manifestations are embodied in Christ. He declared, I am the light of the world; whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness (John 8:12); and I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He embodies both light and truth.
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Therefore, let Him come to our aid, rescuing us from those who are wicked, liberating us from the unrighteous and deceitful; let Him distinguish the good from the chaff, for He will send His angels during the harvest to remove every temptation from His kingdom and cast them into the fiery furnace, while His nourishment will be gathered into the storehouse.
The Cyphar and the Psalter What is the significance of ‘praising on the cyphar’ and ‘praising on the psalter’? Holding the instrument with one hand while using the other to engage the strings is essential. Both instruments have their merits if one knows how to use them properly. The psaltirao features an upper tortoise shell to which the resonating strings are affixed, while its wooden tympanum and hollow body create sound. In contrast, the ciphara consists of a solely wooden cavity, with its tonal production emanating from the lower section. It is important to discern our actions, understanding when they align with the psalter and when with the ciphara, as both are pleasing to God and delightful to the ears.
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When we act in accordance with God's commandments—being humble and obedient with the intent to fulfill His will—we engage in the psalter, experiencing neither pain nor suffering. This is mirrored by the angels, who also feel no suffering. However, while we are on this earth, we face tribulations, trials, and temptations. These challenges arise not from outside ourselves, but from our own mortal nature, a consequence of our initial disobedience, and from those who do not walk in the Spirit—this is the ciphara. Yet even from this lower condition, a harmonious sound can arise: we endure and play the psalter, or more accurately, we sing and play the ciphara. Ultimately, all patience is sweet to God. If these trials have caused you to shatter, then it is the kiphara that has been broken.
There exists a certain hidden altar in the heavens, to which a wicked individual cannot draw near. Only one who approaches this altar can do so without dread. In this sacred place, he will encounter his Life, who distinguishes his deeds. I will proceed to the altar of God. From His holy mountain, from His dwelling, and from His sanctified Church, I will advance to the altar of the Most High God. What kind of offering is presented there? The one who approaches is himself embraced as a burnt sacrifice. I will journey to the altar of God. When he speaks of ‘the altar of my God,’ what does it signify? It is to God, who brings joy to my youth. Youth signifies something new: as if he were saying, God who takes delight in my freshness.
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He is the one who finds joy in my renewal; He has filled my former state with sorrow. For I now depart in mourning due to old age, yet I shall arise rejoicing in rejuvenation! Indeed, with the harp, I will praise You, O my God. What does it mean to uplift praise through the harp and to glorify with the psaltery? For one does not perpetually play the harp, nor does one consistently use the psaltery. Each of these musical instruments holds distinct significance that merits our contemplation. Both are held and played with the hand; they represent certain aspects of our physical acts. Both are commendable if one understands how to use the psaltery or the harp. However, the psaltery is that instrument which has a shell on its upper side—that drum, that hollow section of wood, which produces sound when its strings are struck—whereas the harp features a similar concave structure on the lower side. Thus, we must discern between our actions: when they resonate with the harp versus when they sound from the psaltery; both, indeed, are acceptable to God and pleasing to His ears. When we engage in deeds according to God’s Commandments, obeying His directives and striving to fulfill His will, being active and not passive, then the psaltery is played. For in this manner do the angels operate, having no trials to endure. But when we face afflictions, hardships, and insults in this world—since these sufferings arise solely from our earthly nature, that is, due to our mortality, and also because we endure much from those who are not elevated—it is the harp that plays. From the lower part of ourselves emerges a melodious sound: we endure and strike the psaltery, or rather, we sing and play the harp.