Homilies on the Song of Songs 14
Greek text: PG 44 (OCR by the Internet Archive; lines extracted for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 14
14PG 44
Σιαγόγες αὐτοῦ ὡς φιάλαι τοῦ ἀρώματος φύουσαι μυρεψικά. Χείλη αὐτοῦ κρίνα στάζοντα σμύρΧεῖρες αὐτοῦ τορευταὶ, χρυσαῖ, πεπιἪληρωμέναι Θαρσεῖς. Κοιλία αὐτοῦ πυξίον φάντιγον ἐπὶ λίθου σαπφείρου. Κνῆμαι αὐτοῦ στύλοι μαρμάριγοι, τεθεμελιωμένοι ἐπὶ βάσεις χρυσᾶς. Εἶδος αὐτοῦ, ὡς Λίδανος ἐκλεκτὸς ὡς κέδροι. Φάρυγξ αὐτοῦ γιλυκασμοὶ καὶ ὄνος ἐπιθυμία. Οὗτος ἀδεριδός μου, καὶ οὗτος πλησίον Ὁ τῷ ἀδόλῳ γάλακτι τρέφων τὸ νηπιάζον ἕτι τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡλικίας, τροφὸς καθώς φησιν αὐτὸς ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, τῶν ἀρτιγενῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ γινόμε-, νος ταμιεύεται τὸν τῆς σοφίας ἄρτον τοῖς τελειωθεῖσι κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, εἰπών’ Σοφίαν δὲ μεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις· οἵ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν διδαγμάτων ἕξιν γεγυμνασμένα ἔχοντες τὰ αἰσθητήρια τῆς ψυχῆς, τοῦ ἄρτου τῆς σοφίας εὐπαράδεκτοι γίνονται, ποῖς λεπτοποιοῦσιν ἐν τοῖς ὁδοῦσι τὸν λογισμὸν, σιαγόνος ἐς τροφὴν προσδεόμενοι· χρὴ τοίνυν εἶναι καὶ σιαγόνας ἐν τῷ σώματι Χριστοῦ τοῖς μηκέτι προσανέχουσι τῇ θηλῇ τοῦ Λόγου ἀλλ᾽ ἤδη τῆς στερεωτέρας ἐφιέμενοι τροφῆς, περὶ ὧν νῦν ποιεῖται λόγον ἡ νύμφη λέγουσα οὕτως· Σιαγόγες αὐτοῦ ὡς φιάλαι τοῦ ἀρώματος φύουσαι μυρεψικά. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀκολούθως ἔχειν τὸν περὶ τῶν σιαγόνων λόγον τοῖς περὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν θεωρηθεῖτι, παντὶ δῆλον ἂν εἴη τῷ συνετῶς ἐπαῖοντι. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ χρὴ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τῷ πληρώματι τῶν πνευματικῶν ὑδάτων προσεδρεύοντα τῷ ἀπλανεῖ τε καὶ ἀδόλῳ λούεσθαι γάλακτι, περιστερᾷ ὁμοιούμενον, ἵνα κοινωνοὺς ποιήσῃ τῶν ἰδίων ἀγαθῶν πάντας τοὺς ἐς τὸ σῶμα συντελοῦντας τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Οὗ χάριν καὶ ὁ μέγας ἮἨσαϊας, τὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ὑψηλὸν ἀναδάντα διὰ τῆς πολιτείας βοᾶν διακελεύεται λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ, ὥστε γνῶναι δι᾽ αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἀκούοντας, τὸν μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐρχόμενον Κύριον, καὶ τὸν ἐξουσιάζοντα τῶν ὄντων βραχίονα, τὸν ποιμαίνοντα τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἄρνας συνάγοντα, καὶ τὰς καλῶς διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδων χυοφορούσας παρακαλοῦντα, τὸν διειληφότα τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακὶ περισφίγγοντα· καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα πρὸς τούτοις ἡ προφητεία φησὶ δεῖν παρὰ τοῦ τῆς ἀκρωρείας ἐπιδεδηχότος κηρύσσεσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπὶ τούτων γίνεται τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡ ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων τε καὶ τυῦ γάλακτος δύναμις πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπίγνωσιν, ἀκολούθως ἐπαινοῦνται μετ᾽ ἐκείνους αἱ σιαγόνες, ὧν ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ λεπτοποιεῖν τὴν τροφὴν δι᾿ ἧς ἡ τοῦ σώματος συντηρεῖται φύσις καὶ δύναμις. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν ἐν τίνι τῶν σιαγόνων ἐστὶν ὁ ἕπαι-͵ νος αὐτῆς. ᾿Ακούσωμεν τῆς νύμφης, οἷα περὶ αὐτῶν διεξέρχεται, Σιαγόγες αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ὡς φιάλαι τοῦ ἀρώματος, φύουσαι μένον τῶν ἐκπωμάτων εἶδος ὁ λόγος σημαίνει τῷ τῆς φιάλης ὀνόματι, ἐν ᾧ χλέπτεται διὰ τῆς κατα( σκευῆς ἡ κχοιλότης, οὔτε ἄγαν βαθυνομένου τοῦ σχήματος, οὔτε δι᾽ εὐθείας ἐξυπτιάζοντος, ὡς μήτε κοῖλον ἀχριδῶς εἶναι δοκεῖν, μήτε ἐπίπεδον ᾿ εἰ τοίνυν τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶδος ὑποδείκνυσι διὰ τῆς φιάλης ἢ νύμφη· ἴδιον ἂν ἔχοι λόγον ἐκ τοῦ σχήματος τούτου τῶν σιαγόνων ὁ ἔπαινος. Εἴποι γὰρ ἄν τις τὸ ἁπλοῦν τε καὶ διηπλωμένον καὶ ἄδολον τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐπαινέσαι τὸν λόγον βουλόμενον μνήμην τῆς φιάλτς ποιήσασθαι· ἐν ᾧ τὸ ἀπηγορευμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Προφήτου βάθος συστῆναι οὐ δύναται, τοῦ εἰπόντος Ρυσθείην ἐκ τῶν μισούντων μὲ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν βαθέων τῶν ὑδάτων. Τὴν οὖν ἐν ἁπλότητι φαινομένη ἀλήθειαν δίχα τινὸς δολερᾶς κοιλότητός φαμεν διὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς φιάλης σημαίνεσθαι, ἧς ὕλη μέν ᾿ ἔστι τὸ ἄρωμα· ἔργον δὲ τὸ φύειν μυρεψιχά. ΣιαὉ τόνες γὰρ αὐτοῦ ὡς φιάλαι τοῦ ἀρώματος, οὐκ ἐξ ἀργύρου γενόμεναι, ἢ χρυσοῦ, ἣ ὑέλου, ἢ τινος ἐτέρας ὕλης τοιαύτης, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀρώματος ταῦτα ἐξ αὐτῶν φύουσα, δι᾽ ὧν τὰ μύρα κατασκευάζεται. Σαφὴς δὲ πάντως ἐστὶν ἡ διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τοῖς ῥητοῖς τούτοις ἐνθεωρουμένη διάνοια, ὅτι τῶν καθαρῶν τῆς Ἐκχχλησίας ὀμμάτων ἐστὶ τοιαύτην πατῷ σώματι τὴν τροφὴν, τῇ τῶν σιαγόνων δυνάμει, ὡς μηδὲν βαθύ τε καὶ ὕπουλον ἐν τοῖς λεγομένοις ὁρᾶσθαι· ἀλλ᾽ εἶναι πάντα τηλαυγῇ τε καὶ ἐλεύθερα, καὶ πάσης δολερᾶς ἐπικρύψεως καὶ βαθύτητος κεχωρισμένα· ὡς καὶ νηπίοις εἶναι κατάδηλα, καθώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης Ἡ μαρΚυρίου τηλαυγὴς, φωτίζουσα Εἰ γὰρ τοιαῦται εἶεν αἱ φιάλαι τοῦ Λόγου, οὐκ ἐκ ἧς γηΐνης ὕλης δηλονότι συστήσονται· ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ ἀρώματος ἔσται ἡ φύσις· ἐκείνου λέγω τοῦ ἀῤώματος, ὃ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματά φησιν εἶναι ἡ νύμφη, ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τοῦ λσματος. Τοιαύτη φιάλη ὁ Παῦλος ἦν, ὁ μὴ ἐν πανουργίᾳ τὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ τῇ φανερώσει τῆς ἀληθείας ἑαυτὸν συνιστάνων. Οὗ ἡ ὕλη τὸ ἐκ γῆς εἶναι ἀπέθετο, ἀφ᾽ οὗ διὰ τοῦ βαπτισμοῦ τὰς λεπίδας τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῇ σαρκὶ συναπέδαλεν· ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ εὐπνοοῦντος ἀρώματος ἀνεσκενάσθη, τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τέκνον γενόμενος. Ὃς ἐπειδὴ διὰ ἧς τοιαύτης χαλχείας ἐκλογῆς σκεῦος κατεσκευάσθη πρὸς τὴν οἰνοχοῖαν τοῦ λόγου φιάλη γενόμενος, οὐκέτι χρείαν ἔσχεν ἀνθρώπου, τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῷ τῶν μυστηρίων ἐγχέοντος· οὐ γὰρ προσανέθετο σαρκὶ καὶ αἴματι· ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς ἔφυεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ ἀνέδρυε τὸν θεῖον ποτὸν, διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ εὐωδίας τὰ ποικίλα τῶν ἀρετῶν ἄνθη μυρεψῶν οἷς ἀκούουσιν, ὥστε κατὰ τὰς διαφοράς τε καὶ ἰδιότητάς τῶν δεχομένων τὸν λόγον, κατάλληλον εὑρέσχεσθαι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ζητοῦντος χρείὰν τὸ ἄρωμα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, τοῖς Ἕλλησι, ταῖς γυναιξὶ, τοῖς ἀνδράσι, τοῖς δεσπόταις, οἷς δούλοις, τοῖς γανεῦσι, τοῖς τέκνοις, τοῖς ἀνόμοις, οἷς ὑπὸ νόμον. ΓὌντως αὐτῷ πολυειδὴς ἣν διὰ πάσης ἀρετῆς χεχραμένη τῆς διδασκαλίας ἡ χάρις, διὰ τῶν ποικίλων διδαγμάτων, καταλλήλως τῇ ἑκάστου χρείᾳ μυρεψούσης τῆς φιάλης τοῖς δεχομένοις τὸν λόγον. Τὰς οὖν τοιαύτας ἐπαινεῖ σιαγόνας ἡ τὸ τοῦ σώματος οὔ νυμφίου κάλλος διαζωγραφοῦσα τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ὅτι πρὸς τοῦτο βλέπει τῶν σιαγόνων ὁ ἔπαινος, ὁ ἐφεξῆς λόγος δι᾽ ἀκολουθίας μαρτύρεται. Ἐπαινεῖται γὰρ μετὰ τὰς σιαγόνας τὰ χεΐλῃ, δι᾽ ὧνό ἀρωματίξζων λόγος προέρχεται. Οὕτω δὲ ὁ ἔπαινος ἔχει· Χείλη αὐτοῦ κρίνα, στάζοντα σμύρναν πλήρη. Δύο κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀρετὰς μαρτυρεῖ τῷ λόγῳ διὰ τοῦ διπλοῦ ὑποδείγματος· ὧν ἡ μέν ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια, λαμπρά τὲ καὶ φωτοειδὴς ἐν τοῖς λεγομένοις θεωρουμένη. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τοῦ χρίνου τὸ εἶδος, οὗ ἡ λαμπρότης, ἀΐνιγμα τῆς τῶν λεγομένων καθαρότητός τε καὶ ἀληθείας ἐστίν. Ἕτερον δὲ, τὸ μόνην τὴν νοητὴν τε καὶ ἄῦλον ζωὴν ὑπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας προδείχνυσθαι, διὰ τῆς τῶν νοητῶν θεωρίας ἀπονεχρουμένης τῆς κάτω ζωῆς, τῆς διὰ σαρκός τε καὶ αἵματος ἐνεργουμένης. Ἢ γὰρ ἀποῤῥέουσα ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος σμύρνα, καὶ πλήρη ποιοῦσα ἑαντῆς τὴν ποῦ δεχομένου ψυχὴν, τῆς τοῦ σώματος νεκρώσεως ἔμφασις γίνεται. Πολλαχῇ γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐν τῇ καταχρήσει τῶν θεοπνεύστων λόγων παρατετήρηται, ποῦ θανάτου σημαντικὸν εἶναι τῆς σμύρνης τὸ ὄνομα. Ὁ τοίνυν τέλειος καὶ καθαρὸς ὀφθαλμὸς, ὁ τὴν σιαγόνα φιάλην ποιῶν τὴν τὰ μύρα ἐξ αὐτῆς φύουσάν τε καὶ πηγάζουσαν, οὗτος ἀνθεῖ τὰ κρίνα τῶν λόγων διὰ τοῦ στόματος, τῶν τῇ θείᾳ χεχαλλωπισμένων λαμπρότητι. Οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς καθαρούς τε καὶ δι᾿ ἡ τῆς σμύρνης σταγὼν, ἀνελλιπῶς πληροῦσα τὴν τῶν δεχομένων διάνοιαν· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τῆς ὑλικῶς ζωῆς ὑπεροψία, πάντων τῶν τῇδε σπουδαζομένων, διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀνενεργήτων πε καὶ νεκρῶν γινομένων. Τοιαύτην ὅποτε Παῦλος σμύρναν προχέει τοῦ στόματος, μεμιγμένην τῷ καθαρῷ κχρίνῳ τῆς σωφροσύνης, ἐν ἀκοαῖς τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου. Θέκλα δὲ ἣν ἡ παρθένος, ἣ καλῶς τῇ ψυχῇ τὰς ἀποῤῥεούσας σταγόνας ἐν ἑαυτῇ δεξαμένη, θανάτῳ διαλαμόάνει τὸν ἔξωθεν ἄνθρωπον, πᾶσαν σαρχώδη διάνοιάν τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ἑαυτῆς ἀποσδέσασα. Ἧς μετὰ τὴν ἀγαθὴν διδασκαλίαν νεκρὰ μὲν ἡ νεότης, νεκρὸν δὲ τὸ ἐπιφαινόμενον κάλλος, νεκρὰ δὲ πάντα τὰ σωματικὰ αἰσθητήρια, μόνου ζῶντος ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ λόγου δι᾽ οὗ ἐτεθνήκει μὲν αὐτῇ ἅπας ὁ κόσμος, ἐτεθνήκει δὲ καὶ ἡ παρθένος τῷ κόσμῳ. Οὕτω ποτὲ καὶ παρὰ Κορνηλίῳ ὁ μέγας Πέτρος, τὰ λαμπρὰ τοῦ λόγου κρίνα φθεγγόμενος, πλήρεις τῆς σμύρνης τὰς τῶν ἀκουόντων ψυχὰς παρεσκεύασεν, οὗ παραχρῆμα τὸν λόγον δεξάμενοι, τῷ Χριστῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος συνετάφησαν, νεκροὶ τῷ βίῳ γενόμενοι. Καὶ μυρία πρὸς τούτοις ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τῶν ἁγίων ὑποδείγματα, πῶς τοῦ κοινοῦ σώματος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας στόμα γινόμενοι τῆς νεχρωτιχῇς τῶν παθημάτων σμύρνης πλήρεις τοὺς ἀκροωμένους ἐποίουν, ἀνθοφοροῦντες διὰ τῶν χρένων τοῦ λόγου, δι᾽ ὧν οἱ μεγάλοι τῆς πίστεως πρόμαχοι τῆς ἀγαθῆς ὁμολογίας κατὰ τὸν τῆς μαρτυρίας χαιρὰν ἐν τοῖς χρὴ διὰ πλειόνων μηκύνειν τὸν περὶ τούτων λόγον, φανερᾶς διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων γενομένης ἡμῖν τῆς διανοίας, πῶς τὸ στόμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κρίνον γίνεται· καὶ πῶς ἀποστάζει τοῦ χρίνου ἣ σμύρνα - καὶ πῶς πληροῦται τῆς τοιαύτης δταγόνος ἡ τῶν δεχομένων ᾿Αλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἐφεξῆς λόγον ἤδη μὲν ἔλθωμεν. Φησὶ γάρʼ Αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ τορευταὶ, χρυσαῖ, πιληρωμέναι θαρσεῖς. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀτελής ἐστιν ἐπὶ ποῦ σώματος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ χάρις τῆς τῶν χειρῶν ὑπουργίας διεζευγμένη, σαφῶς παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου μεμαθήκαμεν Παύλον, ὅς φησιν, ὅτι Οὐ δύναται ὁ ὀφθαιλμὸς εἰπεῖν τῇ χειρὶ, Χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω. Τότε γὰρ μάλιστα ἡ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν Ὁ ἐνέργεια δείκνυται, ὅταν τὰ ἔργα μαρτυρεῖ τὴν ὀξυωπίαν τῷ ὄμματι, διὰ τῆς περὶ τὰ καλὰ σπουδῆς τὴν ἀγαθὴν ὁδηγίαν ἐπισημαίνων. Ἐπειδὴ χρὴ προθέντας τὸν περὶ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ θείου σώματος ἕπαινον, ὁδηγηθῆναι διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ὅπως προσήκει χατηρίσθαι τοὺς ἀντὶ χειρῶν ὄντας ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· αὐτὸ προθέντες τὸ θεῖον λόγιον, ὅπως ἂν οἷόν τε ἧ τὴν ἐγκειμένην αὐτῶ θεωρῆσαι διάνοιαν, διδόντος Θεοῦ, πειρασόμεθα. Χεῖρες αὐτοῦ τορευταὶ, χρυσαῖ, φησὶ, πεπληρωμέναι θαρσεῖς. Τέως μὲν οὖν τοσοῦτον πρόδηλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ νόημα, ὅτι οἷς τὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς εἶδος ἐγχωμιάζεται,, διὰ τῶν αὑτῶν καὶ ταῖς χεροὶ πληροῦται ὁ ἔπαινος. Κεφαλὴν δὲ Χριστὸν ἐνοήσαμεν, ἐν ᾧ ὁ Θεὸς ἦν, τὸν κόσμον ἑαυτῷ καταλλάσσων, κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνήν᾽ ὁ ἐν , πῇ σαρκὶ διὰ τῶν δυνάμεών τε καὶ τῶν θαυμάτων ἑαυτὸν φανερώσας. Εἰ οὖν ἢ νοηθεῖσα ἡμῖν αὕτη κεφαλὴ χρυσίον ἀκήρατον χαρὰ τοῦ λόγου χατωνομάσθη, διὰ τὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἐκτὸς εἶναι· ᾿ΠἉμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησε, φησὶν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ δόλος· χρυσᾶς δέ φησιν εἶναι πὰς χεῖρας ὁ λόγος· πρόδηλόν ἐστι τὸ διὰ τούτων νοούμενον, ὅτι τὸ καθ᾽ ὅλου νοούμενον καθαρόν τε καὶ ἀναμάρτητον, καὶ πάσης κακίας ἀμιγές τε καὶ ἀπαράδεκτον νομοθετεῖ τῇ χειρὶ ὁ λόγος. Χεῖρα δὲ νοοῦμεν πάντως τὴν τὰ κοινὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰς τὰς τῶν ἐντολῶν χρείας διαχειρίζουσαν, ἧς ἔπαινός ἐστι τὸ ὁμουυθῆναι τῇ τῆς κεφαλῆς φύσει, κατὰ τὸ καθαρόν κε καὶ ἀναμάρτητον. Καθαρὰ δὲ γίνεται τότε ἡ χεὶρ, ὅταν διὰ τῆς τορείας ἅπαν ἀποξύσηται τὸ ἐμποδίζον τῷ κάλλει. Καθάπερ γὰρ πρός τινα ζώου μορφὴν ἀποτυποῦντες τὸ μάρμαρον, ἐκεῖνα διὰ τῆς τορείας πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον εἶδος μίμημα· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κάλλους τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἧς Ἐκκλησίας χειρῶν πολλὰ χρὴ διὰ τῆς τῶν λογισμῶν τορείας ἀποξεσθῆναι, ἵνα γένηται ἢ χεὶρ χρυσῇ ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἀκήρατος. Πάντως δὲ πρόδηλα πᾶσίν ἐστιν, ὅσα μὴ περιαιρεθέντα τῆς χειρὸς τῷ κάλλει φιλοχερδὲς, τὸ μόνον πρὸς τὸ φαινόμενον βλέπειν, τὸ περιφάνειάν τινα ἑαυτῷ διὰ τῶν ἐν χερσὶ πραγματεύεσθαι, τὸ εἰς τρυφὴν καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν ἰδίαν τῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀποκεχρῆσθαι παρασκευῇ᾽ ἧ χρὴ πάντα ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῖς τῶν λογισμῶν ὀργάνοις ἀποξυσάμενον, ἐκεῖνο καταλιπεῖν μόνον τὸ καθαρόν τε καὶ χρυσίον τῆς προαιρέσοως, τὸ τῇ ἀχηχεφαλῇ ὁμοιούμενον. Σαφέστερον δ᾽ ἂν γένοιτο ἡμῖν τὸ λεγόμενον διὰ τῆς τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου φωνῆς· πιφτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ὀνομάσας, οὐδὲν ἄλλο καὶ ἐν τοῖς οἰ-. ζητεῖν ἀξιοξ, ἢ τὸ πιστὸν εὑρεθῆναι τωσὶ γράψας τῷ ῥήματι. Ὃ δὲ λοιπὸν, ζητεῖται ἐν κοῖς οἰκονόμοις, ἵγα πιστός τις εὑρεθῇ. Οὐκοῦν ὁ πιστὸς καὶ φρόνιμος οἰκονόμος ἀντὶ χειρὸς ὧν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, χρυσὴν καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα τῆς κεφαλῆς δείανυσι τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ σώματος, τὸν σοφὸν ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότην διὰ τοῦ βίον μιμούμενος. Οὐκ ἣν τοιαύτη χεὶρ ἐν τῷ τῶν ἀποστόλων σώματι ὁ Ἰούδας ἐκεῖνος, ὁ ἑλεεινός τε καὶ δείλαιος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ στυγητὸς καὶ ἀποτρόπαιος, ὃς οἰκονομίαν πτωχῶν πεπιστευμένος, τὴν τῆς φιλοχρηματίας λέπραν οὐκ ἀπεξύσατοʼ ἀλλὰ φύλαξ ὧν τοῦ γλωσσοχόμου διὰ τοὺς χλέπτοντας, αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ κλέπτης ἐγένετο, ὃ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν εἶχε διὰ τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν ὑφαιρούμενος, καὶ οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἐντολὴν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ χρήματα βλέπων· ὧν ἡ ἀπόλαυσις ἐγένετο· τί ; ᾿Αγχόνη ἐκούσιος, ζωῆς ἀλλοτρίωσις, πανολεθρία ψυχῆς, μνημόσυνον πονηρὸν, παντὶ τῷ μετ᾽ αὐτὸν χρόνῳ συνεχτεινόμενον. Οὐκοῦν πορευτὰς εἶναι χρὴ καὶ διαγλύφους τὰς χοῖρας, ἵνα περιαιρεθέντων τῶν κακῶν δἀμαγθωΐ,, ΔΓΟΠΙ μενον χρυσὸς ἧ, τῷ τῆς κεφαλῆς κάλλει κατὰ τὸ Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θαρσεῖς λέξις πολύσημός ἔστιν ἐν τῇ γραφικῇ συνηθείᾳ, κατὰ τῆς αὐτῆς διανοίας οὗ πάνποτε εὑρισκομένη᾽ ἀλλὰ πολλάκις μὲν πρὸς τὸ κατεγνωσμένον, πολλάκις δὲ πρὸς τὸ θεῖόν τε καὶ μακάρῖον ἡ σημασία μεταλαμδάνεται. Ὅτε φεύγει ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰωνᾶς ὁ προφήτης, ζητεξ πλοῖον ἐπὶ Θαρσεῖς πορευόμενον. Καὶ ὁ μέγας Δαδὶδ πλοῖον Θαρσεῖς βιαίῳ πνεύματι λέγει συντρίδεσθαι. Βίαιον πνεῦμα δὲ οἶμαι λέγεσθαι, τὸ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπιφανὲν τοῖς ἐν τῷ ὑπερώῳ συνειλεγμένοις, ὃ πρότερον μὲν διʼ ἀκοῆς προεγνώσθη, ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐφανερώθη, εἐς σχῆμα τυπούμενον, καὶ τῇ φύσει τοῦ πυρὸς κία, ἣν πλοῖαʼ Θαρσεῖς ὁ Προφήτης ὠνόμασε. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἔστι δι’ ὧν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ τὰ χεέρω μαίνεται. Ὁ δὲ μέγας Ἰεζεκιὴλ εἰς ὑπογραφὴν ἄγων τῆς γενομένης αὐτῷ θεοφανείας τὴν ὀπτασίαν, ἑνὸς τῶν θείων θεαμάτων τὸ εἶδος τῇ λέξει ταῦτα διασημαίνει λέγων· Καὶ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ὡς εἶδος Θαρσεῖς. Φασὶ δὲ οἱ δι᾽ ἀκριδείας τῶν Ἑδραϊχῶν λέξεων τὰς τὸν καὶ ἀσώματον διὰ τῆς λέξεως ταύτης ἐν τῇ προν φητείᾳ σημαίνεσθαι. ʼΑπλῆς τοίνυν οὔσης ἐν τῇ λέξει τῆς σημασίας,· ἐπειδὴ πρόδηλόν ἐστιν, ὅτι πρὸς τὸ ( κρεῖττον νῦν παρελήφθη τὸ ταύτης τῆς φωνῆς σημαινόμενον· οὐ γὰρ ἄν τις ἔπαινον ἐλαμδάνετο τὸ ὑπαίτιον· ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη τοῦτο περὶ τῶν ἐγχωμιαζομένων ἐννοῆσαι χειρῶν· ὅτι ἀχριδῶς ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν πᾶν τὸ περιττόν τε καὶ πρὸς τὸ θεῖόν τε καὶ νοητὸν μεταδαίνουσι, τὴν ὑλώδη πᾶσαν καὶ βαρεῖαν περὶ τὰ πράγματα σχέσιν ἔχτινα- οἷόν τί φασι καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σμαραγδίνης λου τοὺς λιθογλύφους ἐργάζεσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἀφεγγὲς καὶ γεῶδες διὰ τῆς ἀχόνης ἐχδαπανήσαντές τε καὶ ἐκεῖνο μόνον καταλείπουσιν τον, ᾧ καθαρά τέ τις αὐγὴ, χλοερά τε ἅμα καὶ ἐλαιάζουσα. Ὅπερ μοι δοκεῖ σαφέστερον ἑρμηνεύων ὁ θεῖζος ᾿Απόστολος, τοῦτο συμδουλεύειν ἕν τινι τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λόγων, ὅτι χρὴ ἀποσχευάζεσθαι τὴν περὶ τὰ φαινόὉ μενα σχέσιν, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἀόρατον ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ὁρμᾷν. Μὴ σκοπούντων γὰρ ἡμῶν, φησὶ, τὰ πόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα. Τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα· τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα, αἰώνια. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ ἐπαίνῳ τῶν χειρῶν ἐνοήσαμεν, πῶς τῆς ὑλώδους προσπαθείας ἐχτορευθεῖται, ἀχήρατοι γίνονται, πρὸς τὸ ἄῦλόν τε καὶ νοητὸν ἀλλοιού μεναι διὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως. Χεῖρες γὰραὐτοῦ τορευταὶ, φησὶ, χρυσαῖ, πεπληρωμέναι θαρσεῖς. ᾿Αχόλονθον δ᾽ ἂν εἴη καὶ τὸν ἐφεξῆς λόγον διασκοπῆσαι, ὃν περὶ τῆς κοιλίας πεποίηται. Ἔχει δὲ ἢ λέξις οὕτως· Κοιλία αὑτοῦ πυξίον ἐλεφάντινον ἐπὶ λίθου σαπφείρου. Ὅτε τῷ Μωῦσῇ τὸν ταῖς λιθίναις δέλτοις ἐγχαραχθέντα νόμον ὁ τῆς φύσεως δίδωσι νομοθέτης, πυξία λίθινα τὰς πλάκας ὠνόμασεν, αἷς ἐνετυπώθη τὰ θεῖα χαράγματα· οὕτως εἰπόντος τηῦ πρὸς τὸν Μωῦσέα περὶ αὐτῶν χρηματίσαντος· ὅτι ᾿ἈἈγάδηθι πρὸς μὲ εἷς τὸ ὄρος, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ, καὶ δώσω σοὶ τὰ πυξία τὰ ἰθινα, τὸν νόμον καὶ τὰς ἐντολάς. Μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τὸ σωμαπικὸν καὶ γεῶδες ἀπεξύσατο διὰ τῆς Εὐαγγελικῇς σαφηνείας ὁ νόμος· οὐκέτι λίθινον τὸ δεχόμενον τὰ γράμματα πυξίον ἐστίν ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ λαμπροῦ τε καὶ νεοξύστου ἐλέφαντος. Τὸ γὰρ δεκτικὸν τῶν ἐνπολῶν καὶ τῶν νόμων, ὅπερ κοιλία ὠνόμασται, πυξίον εἶναί φησιν ἐλεφάντινον ἐπὶ λίθου σαπφείρου. Πρῶτον δὲ οἶμαι χρῆναι τὸ σωματικὸν ὑπόδειγμα φανερὸν τῷ λόγῳ ποιῆσαι, εἶθ᾽ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν εἰρημένων ἐλθεῖν. Πυκνόν τι ξῦλον ἡ πύξις ἐστὶ καὶ ὑπόλευχον, ἀφ᾽ ἧς φιλοτεχνοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς πίνακας, οἷς τῶν γραμμάτων μέλει. Τὸ τοίνυν τοιοῦτὸν πινάχιον τὸ πρὸς τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων χρείαν κατεσκευασμένον, κἂν ἐφ᾽ ἑτέρας ὕλης τύχῃ γενόμενον, πυξίον καταχρηστικῶς ὀνομάζεται. Θύχοῦν πυξίον ἀκούσαντες, λεῖόν τι σκεῦος ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς γραμμάτων ὑποδοχὴν ἐνενοήσαμεν. ᾿Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν γενικόν τι τῶν τοιούτων πινάχων ὄνομα τὸ πυξίον ἐστίν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῆς ὕλης τῷ ὑποδείματι ὁ λόγος προστίθησιν, οὐκ ἀπὸ ξύλου λέγων, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἐλέφαντος εἶναι τὴν κατασκευὴν πυξίου. Φασὶ δὲ, διὰ πολλὴν πυκνότητα καὶ στεῤῥότητα, τὸ τοιοῦτον ὀστέον ἄφθορον διαμένειν, ἐφ᾽ ὅτι μήκιστον μηδεμίαν ἐκ χρόνου βλάδην παραδεχόμενον. Ὁ δὲ σάπφειρος τῷ κυανῷ εἴδει τῆς χροιᾶς εἰς παραμυθίαν τοῦ καμάτου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐπινοεῖται, τοῖς φιλοφυσιχῶς τῆς τοιαύτης αὐγῆς τὰς ὄψεις δι᾽ ἑαυτῆς ἀναπανούσης. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ὑπόδειγμα, ᾧ διὰ συγκρίσεως ὁμοιοῦται ἡ ἐγχωμιαζομένη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κοιλία, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ παρὰ τῆς προφητείας ἀκούσας τοῦτο διαχελευομένης ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Γράψὸον ὅρασιν σαφῶς ἐς πυξίον, ἔννοιαν λαμθάνω, τί διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς κοιλίας ἐν τῷ ἐπαινουμένῳ σώματι τοῦ Κυρίου προσήκει νοεῖν γὰρ τὴν θείαν ὅρασιν σαφῶς ἐγγράφειν τῷ πυξίῳ ὁ λόγος διακελεύεται, τάχα τὸ καθαρὸν τῆς καρδίας, ᾧ διὰ τῆς μνήμης τὰς θείας ὁράσεις ἀπογραφόμεθα, τῷ τῆς κοιλίας ὀνόματι διασημαίνει. Καθάπερ ὁ διαστείλας τὸ στόμα τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰεζεκιὴλ, καὶ ἐνθεὶς αὑτῷ τὴν κεφαλίδα τοῦ βιδλίου, πλήρη γραμμάτων καθ᾽ ἑκάτερον οὖσαν, κατά τε τὸ ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἔσωθεν· φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι Τὸ στόμα σου φάγεται, καὶ ἡ κοιλία σου πλησθήσεται. Τὸ διανοητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ᾧ ἐναπέθετο τὰ θεῖα μαθήματα, κοιλίαν, προσαγορεύσας. Παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τὸν μέγαν Ἱερεμίαν, τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν ἐκείνων νοημάτων ὀδυνωμένην καρδίαν.. κοιλίαν ἔγνωμεν ὀνομάζοντα, διό φησιν· ὅτι Τὴν κοιλίαν μοῦ ἀλγῶ, καὶ τὰ αἰσθητήρια τῆς καρδίας μοῦ μαιμάσσει. Εἰ δὲ χρὴ τὸ κυριώτερον τῶν εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν ταύτην ὁδηγούντων ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς θείας παραθέσθαι φωνῆς, τοῦτό φαμεν, ὅτιπερ πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος ποταμοὺς λέγων ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας ῥέειν ὕδατος ζῶντος τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως ἡ λέξις - Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὑτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. Διὰ πάντων τοίγυν τῶν εἰρημένων, τὴν καθαρὰν καρδίαν διὰ τοῦ τῆς κοιλίας ὀνόματος νοεῖν ἐναγόμεθα, ἧἦτις πυξίον οὔ θείου γίνεται νόμου· τῶν, καθώς φησιν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, ἐνδεικνυμένων τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου, γραπτὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, οὐ μέλανι, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματε Θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἐγχαρασσομένων τῇ ψυχῇ τῶν τοιούτων γραμμάτων, οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις, καθώς φησιν ᾿ ᾿Απόστολος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῷ τῆς καρδίας πυξίῳ, καθαρῷ τε ὄντι καὶ λείῳ, καὶ στίλθοντι. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ εἶναι χρὴ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, ὥστε τρανὴν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀσύγχυτον τῶν θείων λογίων ὄντῃποῦσθαι τὴν μνήμην οἷόν τισι γράμμασιν εὐσήμοις διηρθρωμένην. Καλῶς δὲ συμπαρείληπται τῷ τοιούτῳ πυξίῳ πρὸς τὸν τῆς κοιλίας ἔπαινον καὶ ὁ σάπφειρος. Οὐρανοειδὴς γὰρ καὶ ἧ τοῦ σαπφείρον αὐγή. Τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον αἴνιγμα σύμόολον γίνεται τοῦ τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖν τε καὶ βλέπειν, ὅπου τὸν θησαυρὸν ἀποτίθεται, κἀκεῖ τὰς ὄψεις προσανᾳπαύειν· ὥστε μὴ κάμνειν ἐν τῇ προσοχῇ τῶν θείων παραγγελμάτων, τῆς οὐρανίας ἐλπίδος τὸ ὁπτικὸν τῶν τῆς Εἶτα διαδέχεται τὸν τῆς κοιλίας ἔπαινον, τὰ τῆς κνήμης ἐγκώμια. Φησὶ γάρ ὅτι Κγῆμαι αὐτοῦ χρυσᾶς. Πολύστυλος μέν ἐστι τῆς σοφίας ὁ οἶκος, ὃν ἑαυτῇ χοδόμησε. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ τὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνὴν διερείδοντες στύλοι, διαφόροις ὕλαις κεκοσμημένοι ὧν κεφαλίδες μὲν ἦσαν καὶ βάσεις χρυσαΐ, τὸ δὲ μέσον τῇ τοῦ ἀργυρίου περιδολῇ καλλώπισται. Τοὺς δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας στύλους (οἶκος δέ ἐστιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία, καθώς φησιν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος· ὅτι Πῶς δεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι) μαρμαρίνους εἶναί φησιν ἡ νύμφη, ἐπὶ χρυσῶν βεδηχότας τῶν βάσεων. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν συμφωνεῖ τῇ τοῦ Βεσελεὴλ σοφίᾳ ἡ νύμφη κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κάλλους ὑπογραφὴν, παραπλησίως ἐκείνῳ τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὰς βάσεις τῷ χρυσίῳ κοσμήσασα, παντὶ δῆλόν ἐστι τῷ οἷς περὶ τῆς σκηνῆς εἰρημένοις χαθομιλήσαντι. γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἑκάστῳ τῶν στύλων τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔφαρμόσας ἐπὶ χρυσῆς ἴστησι βάσεως ᾿ οὕτως ἐνταῦθά φησιν ἡ καθαρῶς πρὸς τὸ τοῦ νυμφίου βλέπουσα κάλλος, κεφαλῆν μὲν αὐτοῦ εἶναι χρυσίον καθαρὸν καὶ ἀκήρατον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Κεφὰξ λέξις ἐνδείκνυται· τεθεμελιῶσθαι τὰς κνήμας ἐπὶ χρυσῶν λέγει βάσεων. Πρὸς ὅ τι δὲ χρὴ μεταληφθῆναι τὰ περὶ τῶν στύλων αἰνίγματα, τῷ ἁγίῳ Παύλῳ μαθητευόμενοι, τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐννοίας οὐκ ἐχπεσούμεθα· ὃς τοὺς προέχοντας ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις Πέτρον, καὶ Ἰάχωδον, καὶ, Ἰωάννην, στύλους ὠνόμασεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προσήκει μαθεῖν, πῶς ἔστι γενέσθαι στύλον, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἄξιοι τῆς τοιαύτης γενοίμεθα κλήσεως· πάλιν καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Παύλον σοφίας ἀκούὠμεν, ὅς φησι στύλον εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας, Οὐκοῦν χρυσίον μέν ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἡ καὶ βάσις τῶν κνημῶν γινομένη, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν δι᾽ ἑαυτῆς χαλλωπίζουσα. Τὸ δὲ ἑδραίωμα εἰς τὴν τοῦ μαρμάρου τις φύσιν μεταλαδὼν, οὖκ ἁμαρτήσεται· ὡς εἶναι τοιαύτην τὴν τῶν λεγομένων διάνοιαν· ὅτι Αἱ κνῆμαι τοῦ σώματος οἱ μαρμάρινοι στύλοι, τουτέστιν οἱ τῷ λαμπρῷ βίῳ καὶ τῷ ὑγιαίνοντι λόγῳ τὸ κοινὸν σῶμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας βαστάζοντές τε καὶ διερείδοντες· δι᾽ ὧν ἢ τε βάσις τῆς πίστεως ἔχει τὸ πάγιον, καὶ ὁ κατ᾿ ἀρετὴν δρόμος ἀνύεται, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἅλμασι τῶν θείων ἐλπίδων, ὅλον τὸ σῶμα μετέωρον γίνεται. Διὰ τῶν δύο κατορθοῦται τούτων, ἀληθείας καὶ βεδαιότητος· τοῦ μὲν χρυσοῦ βεταλαμδανομένου πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἥτις κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνὴν θεμέλιος τῆς θείας κατασκευῆς γίνεταί τε καὶ ὀνομάζεται, Οὕτως γάρ φησιν· ὅτι Θεμέλιον ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Χριστὸς δέ ἔστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἧ ἐνθεμελιοῦνται αἱ κνῆμαι, οἱ λοι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Διὰ τοῦ μαρμάρου νοούντων ἡμλῶν τό τε λαμπρὸν τοῦ βίον, καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν διάθεσιν ἐμδριθές τε καὶ ἀμετάθετον. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ μὲν οἱ στύλοι τοῦ μαρτυρίου τῆς σχηγῆς, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ τὸν τῆς σοφίας οἶκον διαδαστάζοντες· δύο δὲ νῦν ἐξαρχοῦσιν ὅλον ἀνέχειν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῶν τὸ σῶμα· τάχα πρὸς ἄλλην τινὰ διάνοιαν χρὴ μεταγαγεῖν τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ αἰνίγματος. Οἶμαι γὰρ διὰ τούτων ἐκεῖνο κατασκευάζεσθαι· τὸ πολυειδεῖς μὲν γίνεσθαι τὰς ἐκ τοῦ νόμου πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὁδηγίας, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τῆς σοφίας εἶναι τὰ παραγγέλματα, πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ὁρῶντα σκοπόν· τὸν συντετμημένον τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου λόγον, εἰς εὐαρίθμητόν τε καὶ συνεσταλμένον ἀγαγεῖν ἅπασαν τοῦ κατ᾽ ἀρετὴν βίου τὴν τελειότητα ἔγνωκεν· οὕτως εἰπόντος τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι Ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς, δῖος ὁ γόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται. ϊσον δὲ πάντως ἐστὶν εἰς δύναμιν, ἣ ὑποχρεμάμενον ἀνέχειν τὸ βάρος, ἣ ἐπικείμενον. Εἷς γὰρ δι’ ἀμφοτέρων θεωρεῖται ὁ τῆς δυνάμεως τόνος, τοῦ καθ᾽ ἑκάτερον τρόπον τὸ ἄχθος βαστάζοντος. Φέρει γὰρ ὁμοίως δι’ ἑαντοῦ, εἴτε, ἐπηρτημένον ἔχει τὸ βάρος, εἴτε ὑπολαμόδάνοι λάμῃ τὸ βασταζόμενον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ μὲν Κύριος ἐν ταύταις ψησὶ ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὅλον τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας χρέμασθαι· νῦν δὲ ἡ νύμφη δύο στύλοις ἐπὶ χρυσῶν θεμελίων βεδηκόσι βαστάζεσθαι λέγει τὸ σῶμα· καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι πρὸς τὴν θεωρίαν τοῦ κατὰ τὰς κνήμας αἰνίγματος, συμπαραλαθεῖν τὰς δύο ἐντολὰς ἐκείνας. Ὧν τὴν μὲν, πρώτην ὀνομάζει ὁ Κύριος, τὴν δὲ, ὁμοίαν τῇ πρώτῃ λέγων· τὸ μὲν ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Θεὸν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ δυνάμεως, τὴν πρώτην ἐντολὴν εἶναι - τὸ δὲ τὸν πληΑ σίον ὡς ἑαντὸν, ἰσοδυναμοῖν τῇ πρώτῃ. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος οἷάν τινα οἶκον δεκτικὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατασκευά ζων τὸν μέγαν Τιμόθεον, τοὺς δύο τούτους ἴστησιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ στύλους, τῷ μὲν ὄνομα θέμενος πίστιν, τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ συνείδησιν. Διὰ μὲν τῆς πίστεως, τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπην τὴν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας τε καὶ ψυχῆς, καὶ δυνάμεως σημαίνων· διὰ δὲ τῆς ἀγαθῆς συνειδήσεως, τὴν ἀγαπητιχὴν εἰς τὸν πλησίον διάθεσιν. Τάχα δὲ οὖχκ ἐναντιοῦται τῷ προτέρῳ νοήματι ἣ νῦν ἐφευρεθεῖσα διάνοια. Δι’ ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ τούτων ἐστὶ τὸ γενέσθαι στύλους, τοὺς κατὰ Πέτρον, καὶ Ἰάχωδον, καὶ Ἰωάννην, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος κατ᾽ ἐκείνους τοῦ τοιούτου ὀνόματος ἄξιος ἣ γέγονεν ἣ γενήσεται. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν ταύταις δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς τέλειωθεὶς, στύλος, καὶ ἐδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου φωνὴν κατασκευάζεται. Ὥστε τοῖς δύο τούτοις κατορθώμασιν ὅλον τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἀληθείας καθάπερ κνήμαις τισὶν ἐπερείδεαθαι, τοῦ χρυσοῦ θαμελίου τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν βάσεως, τὸ ἀκλινές τε καὶ ἀμετάθετον καὶ τὸ ἐν παντὶ ἀγαθῷ πάγιον τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐμποιοῦντος. Μετὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐπαίνους τούτους, χαϑάπερ ἀναχεφαλαιουμένη ὅλον τοῦ νυμφίου τὸ κάλλος, φησίν· Εἶδος αὐτοῦ, ὡς Λίδανγος ἐκλεκτὸς, ὡς κέδροι. Φάρυγξ αὐτοῦ γλυκασμὸς, καὶ δῖος ἐπιθυμίας οὗτος ἀδελριδός μου, καὶ οὗτος πλησίον μου, θυγατέρες ᾿Ιηρουσαλήμ. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ οἶμαι σαφέστερον αὐτὴν διασημαίνειν, ὅτι τὸ περὶ τὸ βλεπόμενον τοῦ νυμφίου κάλλος ἐστὶν ὁ ἔπαινος· ἐκεῖνό φῆμι τὸ βλεπόμενον, ὃ διὰ τῶν καθ᾽ ἕκαστον μελῶν τῶν συμπληρούντων τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, σωματοποιεῖ ὁ ᾿Απόστολος. Ἕν γὰρ εἶδος αὐτοῦ φησιν εἶναι τὰς μυριάδας τῶν χκέδρων, αἷς διείληπται πανταχόθεν ὁ Λέθανος. Δηλοῦσα διὰ τῶν λεγομένων, ὅτι οὐδὲν ταπεινὸν καὶ χαμαίζηλον συντελεῖ πρὸς τὴν εὐμορφίαν τοῦ σώματος, ἐὰν μῆ τι κατὰ τὴν κέδρον ὑψηλὸν εἴη, καὶ πρὸς τῇ κορυφῇ ἐπειγόμενον. Μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ παρατεθὲν ἂν τοῖς εἰρημένοις πρῶτον κατανοήσωμεν. Εἶδος παντὸς πράγματος διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἐναντίου παραθέσεως γίνεται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁμώνυμόν ἔστι τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἐπί τε τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος τοιούτου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος μὲν, ὑποχρινομένου δὲ δι᾽ ἀπάτης, καὶ δοκοῦντος εἶναι ὅ οὐκ ἔττιν· ὁ μὴ διαμαρτὼν τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ κρίσεως, ἀγαθὸν ἀντὶ τοῦ προείλετο. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐνταῦθα τῷ ἐκλεκτῷ Λιδάνῳ εἶδος τοῦ νυμφίου προσείχασε, δύο κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον Λιδάνους ὁ λόγος νοεῖν ὑποτίθεται· ἕνα μὲν τὸν πονηρὸν καὶ ἀπόδλητον, τὸν ἴσα τῷ μόσχῳ κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν μετὰ τῶν κέδρων τῶν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ συντριθόμενον, ἕτερον δὲ τὸν ἐκλεκτόν τε καὶ τίμιον, οὗ τὸ κάλλος θεοπρεπές ἐστι καὶ θεοείκελον, Τὸ δὲ νοούμενον διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἷς βασιλεὺς κυρίως τὲ καὶ ἀληθινῶς καὶ πρώτως ἐστὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς πάσης τῆς κτίσεως. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως καὶ ὁ χοσμοχράτωρ τοῦ σκότους σεμνύνει ἑαυτὸν τῷ τῆς βασιλείας ὀνόματι. Λεγεῶνες ἀγγέλων παρὰ τῷ ἀληθινῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ λεγεῶνες δαιμόνων παρὰ τῷ ἄρχοντι τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους. ᾿Αρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι καὶ δυνάμεις ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν βασιλευόντων, καὶ Κύριον κῶν κυριευόντων· ἔχει κἀκεῖνος, κατὰ τὴν ᾿Αποστόλου φωνὴν, ἀρχάς τε καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ δυνάμεις, τὰς χαταργουμένας, ὅταν μέλλῃ τὸ κακὸν εἰς τὸ μὴ ὃν ἀφανίζεσθαι. Ὅταν γὰρ καταργήσῃ. φησὶ, πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν, καὶ ἐξουσίαν, καὶ δύναμιν. Ἐπὶ θρόνου βλέπει ὁ προφήτης τὸν βασιλέα τῆς δόξης καθήμενον, ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλοῦ τε καὶ ἐπηρμένου, κἀκεῖνος ἐπαγγέλλεται θήσειν ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τὸν ἴδιον θρόνον, ὥστε εἶναι ὅμοιον τῷ ὙΨίστῳ. Σκεύη ἐκλογῆς ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίᾳ ὁ τοῦ παντὸς ἔχει Δεσπότης, ἔχει κἀκεῖνος σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Πάλιν ζωὴν καὶ εἰρήνην δι᾽ ἀγγέλων χορηγεῖ τοῖς ἀξίοις ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων Κύριος· κἀκεῖνος θυμὸν, καὶ ὀργὴν, καὶ θλίψιν ἀποστέλλει διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν πονηρῶν. Καὶ τί χρὴ τὰ καθ᾽ ἕκαστον λέγειν, δι᾽ ὧν κατὰ τὸ ἐναντίον ἀντεπαίρεται πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ φύςιν ὁ ἀντικείμενος Ἐπεὶ οὖν κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν, περιφανές ἐστι θέαμα πὸ ὄρος ὁ Λίδανος πανταχόθεν ταῖς ὑψηλαῖς χέδροις συνηρεφῆής τε καὶ λάσιος, τούτου χάριν πρὸς τὰς ἐναντίας ἐννοίας, διὰ τῶν κατὰ τὸ ἐμφαινόμενον ὑποδειγμάτων ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς τὸ ὄρος μερίζεται, προσφόρως λαμδανόμενον καθ᾽ ἑκάτερον. Καὶ οὕτως ἔστι παρὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς προφήταις ἰδεῖν τὸ αὐτὸ ὄνομα κατὰ τὴν τῶν δηλουμένων διαφορὰν, ἐπαινουμένων τε καὶ χαχιζομένων. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ συντρίδει Κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιδάνου, καὶ ὅλον τὸν Λίδανον μετὰ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ κέδρων λεπτύνει, καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ εἰδωλοποιηθέντος μόσχου ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Διὰ τοῦτο ἡ προ- ( φητεία παρίστησιν, ὅτι αὐτή τε ἡ κακία καὶ πᾶν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕψωμα τὸ κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπἡρμένον, εἰς τὸ μὴ ὃν περιστήσεται. Νῦν δὲ τὸ κρεῖττὸν αὐτοῦ μεταλαμόάνει τὴν σημασίαν λέγων· καίος ὡς φοῖνιξ ἀγθήσει, ὡσεὶ κέδρος ἡ ἐν τῷ (Κύριος δέ ἐστιν ὁ δίκαιος), ὁ δι᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐκ γῆς ἀνασχὼν, ἐκεῖνος ὁ ὑψίχομος φοῖνιξ, ὁ ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀνατείλας, ὄρος γίνεται ταῖς χέδροις αἵτινες ὅταν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ φυτευθῶσιν, ταῖς αὐλαῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐξανθήσουσιν. Οἶκον δὲ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου ὑφήγησιν ἐνενοήσαμεν ἐν ᾧ γίνεται ἡ τῶν κέδρων τοῦ Θεοῦ φυτεία. Αὐλὰς δὲ τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνὰς, ἐν αἷς ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδων ἐξάνθησίς τε καὶ φανέρωσις τοῖς καθήκουσι χρόνοις γενήσεται. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ τῶν καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἐχπληροῦται μελῶν· Τὰ γὰρ ποιλιλὰ μέλη, ἕν σῶμα γίγνεται, καθώς φησιν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος· τούτου χάριν ὅλον τὸ τοῦ νυμφίου κάλλος τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν ὠνόμασε Λίδανον, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Λίδανος κατὰ τὸν Ἠσαῖαν, σὺν κοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσούμενος, ὅταν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ ῥίζης ἀνατείλῃ τὸ ἄνθος, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἐξουσίας ῥάβδος ἀναφύῃ, δι᾽ ἧς μεταδάλλεται τοῦ τε λέοντος, καὶ τῆς παρδάλεως, καὶ τῶν ἀσπίδων ἡ φύσις πρὸς τὸ τιθασσόν τε καὶ ἥμερον· ὥστε συνδιαιτᾶσθαι μὲν τῷ μότχῳ τὸν λέοντα, συναναπαύεσθαι δὲ τῷ ἐρίφῳ τὴν πάρδαλιν, ἐπιστατεῖν δὲ τούτων τὸ παιδίον ἐκεῖνο τὸ νήπιον ὃ ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν· οὗ ἡ χεὶρ ἐν τῇ τρώγλῃ τῶν ἀσπίδων γίνεται, καὶ τῶν ἐκγόνων τῆς ἀσπίδος ἐφαπτομένη, καὶ τὸν ἰὸν αὐτῶν ἀπαμδλύνουσα· γινομένων, φησὶν ὁ Προφήτης, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Λίδανος σὺν ποἷῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται. Ὅσα δὲ μηνύει διὰ τῶν αἰνιὙμάτων τούτων ἡ προφητεία, ὡς πρόδηλα πᾶσιν ὄντα. περιττὸν ἂν εἴη δι᾽ ἀχριδείας ἐκτίθεσθαι. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἷδε τὸ γεννηθὲν ἡμῖν παιδίον, τὸ τῶν ἀσπίδων ρια τῶν θηρίων ποιεῖ τοῖς ἡμέροις ὁμόσχηνα, τῆς φυσικῇς πικρίας λήθην ποιούμενα ; Ἐπεὶ οὖν πίπτει διὰ τούτων ὁ Λίθανος ἡ κακία, καὶ συγχαταπίπτει πρώτη τῶν κακῶν ἀρχὴ, τὰ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ὑψώματα· διὰ τοῦτο τῷ ἐκλεκτῷ Λιδάνῳ παρεικάζει ἡ νύμφη τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ κάλλος, οὕτως εἰποῦσα τοῖς ῥήμασιν· Εἶδος αὐτοῦ, ὡς Προστίθησι δὲ καὶ τῷ φάρυγγι τὸν κατάλληλον ἔπαινον, γλυκασμόν τε αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ὀνομάσασα᾽ ἔχει δὲ ἡ λέξις οὕτως· Φάρυγξ αὐτοῦ γιυκασμὸς, καὶ δῖος ἐπιθυμία. Ὃ᾽ δὲ περὶ τούτου νοοῦμεν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι᾿ Τὸ ὑπὸ τὸν ἀνθερεῶνα μέρος, φάρυγγα καλεῖ ἡ συνήθεια· ᾧ φασι τὸν ἦχον τῇ προσπτώσει τοῦ ἐκ τῆς ἀρτηρίας πνεύματος ἀπογενς νᾶσθαι περιδονούμενον. ᾿Επεὶ οὖν κηρία μέλιτος οἱ καλοί εἰσι λόγοι· λόγον δὲ ὄργανόν ἔστιν ἡ φωνὴ, ἧς ἡ γένεσίς ἔστιν ἐκ φάρυγγος, τάχα τοὺς ὑπηρέτας τε καὶ ὑποφήτας τοῦ λόγου, ἐν οἷς λαλεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς, τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ σημαίνεσθαι νοῶν τις, οὐκ ἁμαρτήσεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης ἐρωτηθεὶς ὅστις εἴη, φωνὴν ἑαυτὸν χατωνόμασεν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ Λόγου πρόδρομος Ἦἧν᾽ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος δοκιμὴν ἐδίδου τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ· οὗ τὴν φωνὴν ἑαυτῷ χρήσας, γλυκασμὸς ἣν δι’ ἐκείνου φθεγγόμενος. Καὶ πάντες οἱ προφῆται τὰ φωνητιχὰ ἑαυτῶν ὄργανα τῷ ἐνηχοῦντι αὐτοῖς Πνεύματι παραχωρήσαντες, γλυκασμὸς ἐγίνοντο, τὸ θεῖον μέλι διὰ τοῦ λάρυγγος τοῦ ἰδίον πηγάζοντες, ᾧ βασιλεῖς τε καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται· οὗ ἡ ἀπόλαυσις οὐκ ἐπιχόπτες Ὁ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῷ χόρῳ, ἀλλὰ τρέφει μᾶλλον διὰ τῆς τῶν ἐπιθυμουμένων μετουσίας τὸν πόθον. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν ἐπιθυμίαν κατονομάζει, οἷόν τινι ὁρισμῷ τὸ τοῦ ζητουμένου κάλλος διὰ ταύτης τῆς φωνῆς ὑπογράφουσα· Ὅζος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπιθυμία. Ὥς μακάρια τὰ μέλη ἐκεῖνα, δι᾽ ὧν τὸ ὅλον ἐπιθυμία γένεται· διὰ τῆς ἐν παντὶ ἀγαθῷ τελειότητος, σύγκρατον ἐκ πάντων τὸ ἐράσμιον ἀπεργαζόμενα κάλλος· ὥστε ὅλον μὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ μόνον καὶ χεροὶν ἣ βοστρύχοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ποσὶ καὶ ἐν χερσὶ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς χνήμαις, καὶ κατὰ φάρυγγα παραπλησίως ἐπιθυμητὸς εἶναι, μηδενὸς ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι κατὰ τὴν ὑπερδολὴν τοῦ κάλΟὗτος, φησὶν, ὁ ἀδελφιδός μου, καὶ οὗτος, φησὶν, ὁ πλησίον μου, θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλήμ. Πάντα γὰρ αὐταῖς ὑπ᾽ ὄψιν ἀγαγοῦσα διὰ τῆς τοῦ λόγου ὑπογραφῆς τὰ γνωρίσματα, δι᾽ ὧν ἦν δυνατὸν γενέσθαι τὴν ποῦ ζητουμένου φανέρωσιν, τότε τῷ δειχτιχῷ κέχρηται λόγῳ, Οὗτός ἐστι, λέγουσα, ὁ ζητούμενος, ὅς διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφὰς γενέσθαι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἡμῖν ἀνατεῆλας, πλησίον ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐμπεπτωκχότος εἰς τοὺς λῃστὰς, ἐλαίῳ καὶ οἴνῳ καὶ ἐπιδέσμοις τὰς πληγὰς ἰασάμενος, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου ἄρας ὑποζυγίου, καὶ τῷ πανδοχείῳ ἕναναπαύσας, καὶ τὰ δύο δηνάρια πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν παρασχόμενος, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπανόδῳ αὐτοῦ τὸ προστεθὲν εἰς τὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἔργον ἀποδώσειν ἐπαγγειλάμενος. Πάντως δὲ φανερόν ἔστι τούτων ἕκαστον εἰς ὅ τι βλέπει, Τῷ γὰρ ἐχπειράζοντι τὸν Κύριον νομικῷ, βουλομένῳ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους ἑαυτὸν δεῖξαι, καὶ ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς ὁμότιμον διαπτύοντι, ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Καὶ τίς ἐστί μου πιἪλησίον; Τότε ἐν διηγήματος εἴδει πᾶσαν τὴν φιλάνθρωπον οἰχηνομίαν ὁ Λόγος ἐκτίθεται, τὴν ἄνωθεν κάθοδον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου διηγησάμενος, καὶ τὴν τῶν λῃστῶν ἐνέδραν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου ἐνδύματος περιαίρεσιν, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τραύματα, καὶ τὸ εἰς ἥμισυ τῆς φύσεως προχωρῆσαι τὸν θάνατον, τῆς ψυχῆς ἀθανάτου διαμενούσης· καὶ τοῦ γόμου τὴν ἀνωφελῇ πάροδον, οὔτε ἱερέως οὔτε Λευΐτου τὰς πληγὰς τοῦ παραπεπτωκότος τοῖς λῃσταῖς θεραπεύσαντος· ἀδύνατον γὰρ αἷμα τράγων ᾿καὶ ταύρων ἀφαιρεῖν ἁμαρτίας· ἀλλὰ τὸν πᾶσαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν διὰ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς τοῦ φυράματος περιθέμενον, ἐν ἧ παντὸς ἔθνους τὸ μέρος ἦν, Ἴουδαίου τε καὶ Σαμαρείτου, καὶ Ἕλληνος, καὶ πάντων ἅπαξ ἀνθρώπων· τρῦτον μετὰ τοῦ σώματος, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὑποζύγιον, τῷ τόπῳ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κακώσεως ἐπιστάντι, καὶ θεραπεῦσαι τὰ τραύματα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου αὐτὸν κτήνους ἐπαναπαῦσαι, καὶ καταγώγιον ποιῆσαι αὐτῷ τὴν φιλάνθρωπον οἰκονομίαν, ἧ πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι συναναπαύονται. Ὁ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ γενόμενος, δέχεται πάντως ἕν ἑαυτῷ τὸν ἐν ᾧ ἐγένετο, οὕτως εἰπόντος τοῦ Λόγου, ὅτι Ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ, κἀγὼ ἐν αὑτῷ. Δεξάμενος οὖν τῷ ἰδίῳ χωρήματι, πανδοχεύει ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν ἀχώρητον, παρ᾽ οὗ δέχεται τὰ δύο νομίσματα ὧν τὸ μέν ἔστιν ἡ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγάπη τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ἡ εἰς τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ γομιχὸς ἀπεκρίνατο. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ οὐκ οὗ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιοι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ οἱ ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται· χρὴ μὴ μόνον δέξασθαι τὰ δύο ταῦτα νομίσματα· τὴν πίστιν λέγω τὴν εἰς τὸ θεῖον, καὶ τὴν ἀγαθὴν πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους συνείδησιν ᾿ ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ αὐτὸν συνεισενέγχαι διὰ τῶν ἔργῶν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων ἐκπλήρωσιν. Διὰ τοῦτό φησι πρὸς τὸν πανδοχέα ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν τοῦ χεχαχωμένου παρʼ αὐτοῦ γενόμενον, ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς σπουδῆς ἀπολήψεται. Ὁ τοίνυν πλησίον ἡμῶν γεγονὼς διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης φιλανθρωπίας, ὁ διὰ ποῦ ἐξ Ἰούδα ἡμῖν ἀνατεῖλαι ἀδελφιδὸς γενόμενος· οὗτός ἐστιν ὃν μηνύει ταῖς νεάνισιν ὁ τῆς νύμφης λόγος, οὗτος ὁ ταῖς θυγατράσιν ᾿ερουσαλὴμ παρὰ τῆς ἀχράντου νύμφης δηλούμενος, δι ὧν φησιν· ὅτι Οὖτος ἀδειλριδός μου, καὶ οὗτος πιἪλησίον μου, θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλήμ· ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τῶν δηλωθέντων γνωρισμάτων εὕροιμέν τε καὶ λάδοιμεν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν, διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χειραγωγίας· ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν
Siagoges autou hōs phialai tou arōmatos phyousai myrepsika. Cheilē autou krina stazonta smyrCheires autou toreutai, chrysai, pepiĒlērōmenai Tharseis. Koilia autou pyxion phantigon epi lithou sappheirou. Knēmai autou styloi marmarigoi, tethemeliōmenoi epi baseis chrysas. Eidos autou, hōs Lidanos eklektos hōs kedroi. Pharynx autou gilykasmoi kai onos epithymia. Houtos aderidos mou, kai houtos plēsion Ho tǭ adolǭ galakti trephōn to nēpiazon heti tēs pneumatikēs hēlikias, trophos kathōs phēsin autos ho ᾿Apostolos, tōn artigenōn en tę̄ Ekklēsią ginome-, nos tamieuetai ton tēs sophias arton tois teleiōtheisi kata ton esō anthrōpon, eipōn’ Sophian de men en tois teleiois; hoi dia tēn tōn agathōn didagmatōn hexin gegymnasmena echontes ta aisthētēria tēs psychēs, tou artou tēs sophias euparadektoi ginontai, pois leptopoiousin en tois hodousi ton logismon, siagonos es trophēn prosdeomenoi; chrē toinyn einai kai siagonas en tǭ sōmati Christou tois mēketi prosanechousi tę̄ thēlę̄ tou Logou all᾽ ēdē tēs stereōteras ephiemenoi trophēs, peri hōn nyn poieitai logon hē nymphē legousa houtōs; Siagoges autou hōs phialai tou arōmatos phyousai myrepsika. To men oun akolouthōs echein ton peri tōn siagonōn logon tois peri ton ophthalmon theōrētheiti, panti dēlon an eiē tǭ synetōs epaionti. Dia touto gar chrē ton ophthalmon tǭ plērōmati tōn pneumatikōn hydatōn prosedreuonta tǭ aplanei te kai adolǭ louesthai galakti, peristerą homoioumenon, hina koinōnous poiēsę̄ tōn idiōn agathōn pantas tous es to sōma syntelountas tēs Ekklēsias. Hou charin kai ho megas ĒĒsaïas, ton epi to oros to hypsēlon anadanta dia tēs politeias boan diakeleuetai lamprą tę̄ phōnę̄, hōste gnōnai di᾽ autou tous akouontas, ton meta ischyos erchomenon Kyrion, kai ton exousiazonta tōn ontōn brachiona, ton poimainonta to poimnion autou, kai tous arnas synagonta, kai tas kalōs dia tōn agathōn elpidōn chyophorousas parakalounta, ton dieilēphota ton ouranon spithamę̄, kai pasan tēn gēn draki perisphingonta; kai hosa alla pros toutois hē prophēteia phēsi dein para tou tēs akrōreias epidedēchotos kēryssesthai. Ei toinyn epi toutōn ginetai tois ophthalmois hē ek tōn hydatōn te kai tyy galaktos dynamis pros tēn tēs alētheias epignōsin, akolouthōs epainountai met᾽ ekeinous hai siagones, hōn ergon esti to leptopoiein tēn trophēn di᾿ hēs hē tou sōmatos syntēreitai physis kai dynamis. Idōmen toinyn en tini tōn siagonōn estin ho hepai-͵ nos autēs. ᾿Akousōmen tēs nymphēs, hoia peri autōn diexerchetai, Siagoges autou, phēsin, hōs phialai tou arōmatos, phyousai menon tōn ekpōmatōn eidos ho logos sēmainei tǭ tēs phialēs onomati, en hǭ chleptetai dia tēs kata( skeuēs hē kchoilotēs, oute agan bathynomenou tou schēmatos, oute di᾽ eutheias exyptiazontos, hōs mēte koilon achridōs einai dokein, mēte epipedon ᾿ ei toinyn to toiouton eidos hypodeiknysi dia tēs phialēs ē nymphē; idion an echoi logon ek tou schēmatos toutou tōn siagonōn ho epainos. Eipoi gar an tis to haploun te kai diēplōmenon kai adolon tēs didaskalias epainesai ton logon boulomenon mnēmēn tēs phialts poiēsasthai; en hǭ to apēgoreumenon hypo tou Prophētou bathos systēnai ou dynatai, tou eipontos Rystheiēn ek tōn misountōn me, kai ek tōn batheōn tōn hydatōn. Tēn oun en haplotēti phainomenē alētheian dicha tinos doleras koilotētos phamen dio tou onomatos tēs phialēs sēmainesthai, hēs hylē men ᾿ esti to arōma; ergon de to phyein myrepsicha. SiaO tones gar autou hōs phialai tou arōmatos, ouk ex argyrou genomenai, ē chrysou, hē hyelou, ē tinos eteras hylēs toiautēs, all᾽ autou tou arōmatos tauta ex autōn phyousa, di᾽ hōn ta myra kataskeuazetai. Saphēs de pantōs estin hē dia tōn eirēmenōn tois rhētois toutois entheōroumenē dianoia, hoti tōn katharōn tēs Ekchchlēsias ommatōn esti toiautēn patǭ sōmati tēn trophēn, tę̄ tōn siagonōn dynamei, hōs mēden bathy te kai hypoulon en tois legomenois horasthai; all᾽ einai panta tēlaugę̄ te kai eleuthera, kai pasēs doleras epikrypseōs kai bathytētos kechōrismena; hōs kai nēpiois einai katadēla, kathōs phēsin ho Prophētēs Hē marKyriou tēlaugēs, phōtizousa Ei gar toiautai eien hai phialai tou Logou, ouk ek hēs gēïnēs hylēs dēlonoti systēsontai; all᾽ ek tou arōmatos estai hē physis; ekeinou legō tou arōmatos, ho hyper panta ta arōmata phēsin einai hē nymphē, en tois prooimiois tou lsmatos. Toiautē phialē ho Paulos ēn, ho mē en panourgią ton logon, alla tę̄ phanerōsei tēs alētheias heauton synistanōn. Hou hē hylē to ek gēs einai apetheto, aph᾽ hou dia tou baptismou tas lepidas tōn ophthalmōn tę̄ sarki synapedalen; all᾽ ek tou eupnoountos arōmatos aneskenasthē, tou hagiou Pneumatos teknon genomenos. Hos epeidē dia hēs toiautēs chalcheias eklogēs skeuos kateskeuasthē pros tēn oinochoian tou logou phialē genomenos, ouketi chreian eschen anthrōpou, tēn gnōsin autǭ tōn mystēriōn encheontos; ou gar prosanetheto sarki kai aimati; all᾽ autos ephyen en heautǭ kai anedrye ton theion poton, dia tēs tou Christou euōdias ta poikila tōn aretōn anthē myrepsōn hois akouousin, hōste kata tas diaphoras te kai idiotētas tōn dechomenōn ton logon, katallēlon heureschesthai pros tēn tou zētountos chreian to arōma tois Ioudaiois, tois Hellēsi, tais gynaixi, tois andrasi, tois despotais, hois doulois, tois ganeusi, tois teknois, tois anomois, hois hypo nomon. GOntōs autǭ polyeidēs hēn dia pasēs aretēs chechramenē tēs didaskalias hē charis, dia tōn poikilōn didagmatōn, katallēlōs tę̄ hekastou chreią myrepsousēs tēs phialēs tois dechomenois ton logon. Tas oun toiautas epainei siagonas hē to tou sōmatos ou nymphiou kallos diazōgraphousa tǭ logǭ kai hoti pros touto blepei tōn siagonōn ho epainos, ho ephexēs logos di᾽ akolouthias martyretai. Epaineitai gar meta tas siagonas ta cheïlę̄, di᾽ hōno arōmatixzōn logos proerchetai. Houtō de ho epainos echei; Cheilē autou krina, stazonta smyrnan plērē. Dyo kata tauton aretas martyrei tǭ logǭ dia tou diplou hypodeigmatos; hōn hē men estin hē alētheia, lampra te kai phōtoeidēs en tois legomenois theōroumenē. Toiouton gar tou chrinou to eidos, hou hē lamprotēs, aïnigma tēs tōn legomenōn katharotētos te kai alētheias estin. Heteron de, to monēn tēn noētēn te kai aulon zōēn hypo tēs didaskalias prodeichnysthai, dia tēs tōn noētōn theōrias aponechroumenēs tēs katō zōēs, tēs dia sarkos te kai haimatos energoumenēs. Ē gar aporrheousa apo tou sōmatos smyrna, kai plērē poiousa heantēs tēn pou dechomenou psychēn, tēs tou sōmatos nekrōseōs emphasis ginetai. Pollachę̄ gar to toiouton en tę̄ katachrēsei tōn theopneustōn logōn paratetērētai, pou thanatou sēmantikon einai tēs smyrnēs to onoma. Ho toinyn teleios kai katharos ophthalmos, ho tēn siagona phialēn poiōn tēn ta myra ex autēs phyousan te kai pēgazousan, houtos anthei ta krina tōn logōn dia tou stomatos, tōn tę̄ theią chechallōpismenōn lamprotēti. Houtō gar tous katharous te kai di᾿ hē tēs smyrnēs stagōn, anellipōs plērousa tēn tōn dechomenōn dianoian; hoper esti tēs hylikōs zōēs hyperopsia, pantōn tōn tę̄de spoudazomenōn, dia tēn tōn hyperkeimenōn agathōn epithymian, anenergētōn pe kai nekrōn ginomenōn. Toiautēn hopote Paulos smyrnan procheei tou stomatos, memigmenēn tǭ katharǭ kchrinǭ tēs sōphrosynēs, en akoais tēs hagias parthenou. Thekla de hēn hē parthenos, hē kalōs tę̄ psychę̄ tas aporrheousas stagonas en heautę̄ dexamenē, thanatǭ dialamoanei ton exōthen anthrōpon, pasan sarchōdē dianoian te kai epithymian heautēs aposdesasa. Hēs meta tēn agathēn didaskalian nekra men hē neotēs, nekron de to epiphainomenon kallos, nekra de panta ta sōmatika aisthētēria, monou zōntos en autę̄ tou logou di᾽ hou etethnēkei men autę̄ hapas ho kosmos, etethnēkei de kai hē parthenos tǭ kosmǭ. Houtō pote kai para Kornēliǭ ho megas Petros, ta lampra tou logou krina phthengomenos, plēreis tēs smyrnēs tas tōn akouontōn psychas pareskeuasen, hou parachrēma ton logon dexamenoi, tǭ Christǭ dia tou baptismatos synetaphēsan, nekroi tǭ biǭ genomenoi. Kai myria pros toutois estin heurein tōn hagiōn hypodeigmata, pōs tou koinou sōmatos tēs Ekklēsias stoma ginomenoi tēs nechrōtichę̄s tōn pathēmatōn smyrnēs plēreis tous akroōmenous epoioun, anthophorountes dia tōn chrenōn tou logou, di᾽ hōn hoi megaloi tēs pisteōs promachoi tēs agathēs homologias kata ton tēs martyrias chairan en tois chrē dia pleionōn mēkynein ton peri toutōn logon, phaneras dia tōn eirēmenōn genomenēs hēmin tēs dianoias, pōs to stoma tēs Ekklēsias krinon ginetai; kai pōs apostazei tou chrinou hē smyrna - kai pōs plēroutai tēs toiautēs dtagonos hē tōn dechomenōn ᾿Alla pros ton ephexēs logon ēdē men elthōmen. Phēsi garʼ Hai cheires autou toreutai, chrysai, pilērōmenai tharseis. Hoti men oun atelēs estin epi pou sōmatos tēs Ekklēsias hē tou ophthalmou charis tēs tōn cheirōn hypourgias diezeugmenē, saphōs para tou megalou memathēkamen Paulon, hos phēsin, hoti Ou dynatai ho ophthailmos eipein tę̄ cheiri, Chreian sou ouk echō. Tote gar malista hē tōn ophthalmōn Ho energeia deiknytai, hotan ta erga martyrei tēn oxyōpian tǭ ommati, dia tēs peri ta kala spoudēs tēn agathēn hodēgian episēmainōn. Epeidē chrē prothentas ton peri tōn cheirōn tou theiou sōmatos hepainon, hodēgēthēnai dia tōn eirēmenōn hopōs prosēkei chatēristhai tous anti cheirōn ontas epi tēs Ekklēsias; auto prothentes to theion logion, hopōs an hoion te hē tēn enkeimenēn autō theōrēsai dianoian, didontos Theou, peirasometha. Cheires autou toreutai, chrysai, phēsi, peplērōmenai tharseis. Teōs men oun tosouton prodēlon estin ek tōn eirēmenōn to noēma, hoti hois to tēs kephalēs eidos enchōmiazetai,, dia tōn hautōn kai tais cheroi plēroutai ho epainos. Kephalēn de Christon enoēsamen, en hǭ ho Theos ēn, ton kosmon heautǭ katallassōn, kata tēn Paulou phōnēn᾽ ho en , pę̄ sarki dia tōn dynameōn te kai tōn thaumatōn heauton phanerōsas. Ei oun ē noētheisa hēmin hautē kephalē chrysion akēraton chara tou logou chatōnomasthē, dia to pasēs hamartias ektos einai; ᾿PAmartian ouk epoiēse, phēsin, oude heurethē en tǭ stomati autou dolos; chrysas de phēsin einai pas cheiras ho logos; prodēlon esti to dia toutōn nooumenon, hoti to kath᾽ holou nooumenon katharon te kai anamartēton, kai pasēs kakias amiges te kai aparadekton nomothetei tę̄ cheiri ho logos. Cheira de nooumen pantōs tēn ta koina tēs Ekklēsias eis tas tōn entolōn chreias diacheirizousan, hēs epainos esti to homouythēnai tę̄ tēs kephalēs physei, kata to katharon ke kai anamartēton. Kathara de ginetai tote hē cheir, hotan dia tēs toreias hapan apoxysētai to empodizon tǭ kallei. Kathaper gar pros tina zōou morphēn apotypountes to marmaron, ekeina dia tēs toreias pros to archetypon eidos mimēma; houtō kai epi tou kallous tōn tou sōmatos hēs Ekklēsias cheirōn polla chrē dia tēs tōn logismōn toreias apoxesthēnai, hina genētai ē cheir chrysę̄ hōs alēthōs kai akēratos. Pantōs de prodēla pasin estin, hosa mē periairethenta tēs cheiros tǭ kallei philocherdes, to monon pros to phainomenon blepein, to periphaneian tina heautǭ dia tōn en chersi pragmateuesthai, to eis tryphēn kai apolausin idian tę̄ tōn entolōn apokechrēsthai paraskeuę̄᾽ hē chrē panta tauta kai ta toiauta tois tōn logismōn organois apoxysamenon, ekeino katalipein monon to katharon te kai chrysion tēs proairesoōs, to tę̄ achēchephalę̄ homoioumenon. Saphesteron d᾽ an genoito hēmin to legomenon dia tēs tou ᾿Apostolou phōnēs; piphton ton Theon onomasas, ouden allo kai en tois oi-. zētein axiox, ē to piston heurethēnai tōsi grapsas tǭ rhēmati. Ho de loipon, zēteitai en kois oikonomois, higa pistos tis heurethę̄. Oukoun ho pistos kai phronimos oikonomos anti cheiros hōn tę̄ Ekklēsią, chrysēn kath᾽ homoiotēta tēs kephalēs deianysi tēn cheira tou sōmatos, ton sophon heautou despotēn dia tou bion mimoumenos. Ouk hēn toiautē cheir en tǭ tōn apostolōn sōmati ho Ioudas ekeinos, ho heleeinos te kai deilaios, mallon de ho stygētos kai apotropaios, hos oikonomian ptōchōn pepisteumenos, tēn tēs philochrēmatias lepran ouk apexysatoʼ alla phylax hōn tou glōssochomou dia tous chleptontas, autos heautou kleptēs egeneto, ho en tais chersin eiche dia tōn idiōn cheirōn hyphairoumenos, kai ou pros tēn entolēn, alla pros ta chrēmata blepōn; hōn hē apolausis egeneto; ti ? ᾿Anchonē ekousios, zōēs allotriōsis, panolethria psychēs, mnēmosynon ponēron, panti tǭ met᾽ auton chronǭ synechteinomenon. Oukoun poreutas einai chrē kai diaglyphous tas choiras, hina periairethentōn tōn kakōn damagthōï,, DGOPI menon chrysos hē, tǭ tēs kephalēs kallei kata to Hē de tou Tharseis lexis polysēmos estin en tę̄ graphikę̄ synētheią, kata tēs autēs dianoias hou panpote heuriskomenē᾽ alla pollakis men pros to kategnōsmenon, pollakis de pros to theion te kai makarion hē sēmasia metalamdanetai. Hote pheugei apo prosōpou tou theou Iōnas ho prophētēs, zētex ploion epi Tharseis poreuomenon. Kai ho megas Dadid ploion Tharseis biaiǭ pneumati legei syntridesthai. Biaion pneuma de oimai legesthai, to tois mathētais epiphanen tois en tǭ hyperōǭ syneilegmenois, ho proteron men diʼ akoēs proegnōsthē, hōsper pheromenēs pnoēs biaias, meta tauta de kai tois ophthalmois ephanerōthē, ees schēma typoumenon, kai tę̄ physei tou pyros kia, hēn ploiaʼ Tharseis ho Prophētēs ōnomase. Tauta men oun esti di’ hōn tǭ onomati toutǭ ta cheerō mainetai. Ho de megas Iezekiēl eis hypographēn agōn tēs genomenēs autǭ theophaneias tēn optasian, henos tōn theiōn theamatōn to eidos tę̄ lexei tauta diasēmainei legōn; Kai to eidos autou hōs eidos Tharseis. Phasi de hoi di᾽ akrideias tōn Hedraïchōn lexeōn tas ton kai asōmaton dia tēs lexeōs tautēs en tę̄ pron phēteią sēmainesthai. ʼAplēs toinyn ousēs en tę̄ lexei tēs sēmasias,; epeidē prodēlon estin, hoti pros to ( kreitton nyn parelēphthē to tautēs tēs phōnēs sēmainomenon; ou gar an tis epainon elamdaneto to hypaition; akolouthon an eiē touto peri tōn enchōmiazomenōn ennoēsai cheirōn; hoti achridōs aph’ heautōn pan to peritton te kai pros to theion te kai noēton metadainousi, tēn hylōdē pasan kai bareian peri ta pragmata schesin echtina- hoion ti phasi kai epi tēs smaragdinēs lou tous lithoglyphous ergazesthai. To gar aphenges kai geōdes dia tēs achonēs echdapanēsantes te kai ekeino monon kataleipousin ton, hǭ kathara te tis augē, chloera te hama kai elaiazousa. Hoper moi dokei saphesteron hermēneuōn ho theizos ᾿Apostolos, touto symdouleuein hen tini tōn heautou logōn, hoti chrē aposcheuazesthai tēn peri ta phainoO mena schesin, pros de to aoraton tais epithymiais hormąn. Mē skopountōn gar hēmōn, phēsi, ta pomena, alla ta mē blepomena. Ta gar blepomena proskaira; ta de mē blepomena, aiōnia. Tauta men oun en tǭ epainǭ tōn cheirōn enoēsamen, pōs tēs hylōdous prospatheias echtoreutheitai, achēratoi ginontai, pros to aulon te kai noēton alloiou menai dia tēs proaireseōs. Cheires garautou toreutai, phēsi, chrysai, peplērōmenai tharseis. ᾿Acholonthon d᾽ an eiē kai ton ephexēs logon diaskopēsai, hon peri tēs koilias pepoiētai. Echei de ē lexis houtōs; Koilia hautou pyxion elephantinon epi lithou sappheirou. Hote tǭ Mōysę̄ ton tais lithinais deltois encharachthenta nomon ho tēs physeōs didōsi nomothetēs, pyxia lithina tas plakas ōnomasen, hais enetypōthē ta theia charagmata; houtōs eipontos tēu pros ton Mōysea peri autōn chrēmatisantos; hoti ᾿AAgadēthi pros me heis to oros, kai isthi ekei, kai dōsō soi ta pyxia ta ithina, ton nomon kai tas entolas. Meta tauta de, epeidē to sōmapikon kai geōdes apexysato dia tēs Euangelikę̄s saphēneias ho nomos; ouketi lithinon to dechomenon ta grammata pyxion estin all᾽ ek tou lamprou te kai neoxystou elephantos. To gar dektikon tōn enpolōn kai tōn nomōn, hoper koilia ōnomastai, pyxion einai phēsin elephantinon epi lithou sappheirou. Prōton de oimai chrēnai to sōmatikon hypodeigma phaneron tǭ logǭ poiēsai, eith᾽ houtōs epi tēn theōrian tōn eirēmenōn elthein. Pyknon ti xylon hē pyxis esti kai hypoleuchon, aph᾽ hēs philotechnousin heautois pinakas, hois tōn grammatōn melei. To toinyn toiouton pinachion to pros tēn tōn grammatōn chreian kateskeuasmenon, kan eph᾽ heteras hylēs tychę̄ genomenon, pyxion katachrēstikōs onomazetai. Thychoun pyxion akousantes, leion ti skeuos epitēdeion pros grammatōn hypodochēn enenoēsamen. ᾿Epei toinyn genikon ti tōn toioutōn pinachōn onoma to pyxion estin entautha kai to eidos tēs hylēs tǭ hypodeimati ho logos prostithēsin, ouk apo xylou legōn, all᾽ ex elephantos einai tēn kataskeuēn pyxiou. Phasi de, dia pollēn pyknotēta kai sterrhotēta, to toiouton osteon aphthoron diamenein, eph᾽ hoti mēkiston mēdemian ek chronou bladēn paradechomenon. Ho de sappheiros tǭ kyanǭ eidei tēs chroias eis paramythian tou kamatou tōn ophthalmōn epinoeitai, tois philophysichōs tēs toiautēs augēs tas opseis di᾽ heautēs anapanousēs. To men oun hypodeigma, hǭ dia synkriseōs homoioutai hē enchōmiazomenē tēs Ekklēsias koilia, toiouton estin. Egō de para tēs prophēteias akousas touto diacheleuomenēs ek prosōpou tou Theou, hoti Grapsoon horasin saphōs es pyxion, ennoian lamthanō, ti dia tou onomatos tēs koilias en tǭ epainoumenǭ sōmati tou Kyriou prosēkei noein gar tēn theian horasin saphōs engraphein tǭ pyxiǭ ho logos diakeleuetai, tacha to katharon tēs kardias, hǭ dia tēs mnēmēs tas theias horaseis apographometha, tǭ tēs koilias onomati diasēmainei. Kathaper ho diasteilas to stoma tou megalou Iezekiēl, kai entheis hautǭ tēn kephalida tou bidliou, plērē grammatōn kath᾽ hekateron ousan, kata te to exōthen autou kai to esōthen; phēsi pros auton, hoti To stoma sou phagetai, kai hē koilia sou plēsthēsetai. To dianoētikon tēs psychēs hǭ enapetheto ta theia mathēmata, koilian, prosagoreusas. Paraplēsiōs de kai ton megan Hieremian, tēn hypo tōn skythrōpōn ekeinōn noēmatōn odynōmenēn kardian.. koilian egnōmen onomazonta, dio phēsin; hoti Tēn koilian mou algō, kai ta aisthētēria tēs kardias mou maimassei. Ei de chrē to kyriōteron tōn eis tēn dianoian tautēn hodēgountōn hēmas apo tēs theias parathesthai phōnēs, touto phamen, hotiper pros tous pepisteukotas eipen ho Kyrios potamous legōn ek tēs koilias rheein hydatos zōntos tōn eis auton pisteuontōn. Echei de houtōs hē lexis - Ho pisteuōn eis eme, kathōs eipen hē Graphē, potamoi ek tēs koilias hautou rheusousin hydatos zōntos. Dia pantōn toigyn tōn eirēmenōn, tēn katharan kardian dia tou tēs koilias onomatos noein enagometha, hēētis pyxion ou theiou ginetai nomou; tōn, kathōs phēsin ho ᾿Apostolos, endeiknymenōn to ergon tou nomou, grapton en tais kardiais autōn, ou melani, alla Pneumate Theou zōntos, encharassomenōn tę̄ psychę̄ tōn toioutōn grammatōn, ouk en plaxi lithinais, kathōs phēsin ᾿ ᾿Apostolos, all᾽ en tǭ tēs kardias pyxiǭ, katharǭ te onti kai leiǭ, kai stilthonti. Toiouton gar einai chrē to hēgemonikon tēs psychēs, hōste tranēn en autǭ kai asynchyton tōn theiōn logiōn ontę̄pousthai tēn mnēmēn hoion tisi grammasin eusēmois diērthrōmenēn. Kalōs de sympareilēptai tǭ toioutǭ pyxiǭ pros ton tēs koilias epainon kai ho sappheiros. Ouranoeidēs gar kai hē tou sappheiron augē. To de toiouton ainigma symoolon ginetai tou tēn kardian hēmōn ta anō phronein te kai blepein, hopou ton thēsauron apotithetai, kakei tas opseis prosanąpauein; hōste mē kamnein en tę̄ prosochę̄ tōn theiōn parangelmatōn, tēs ouranias elpidos to hoptikon tōn tēs Eita diadechetai ton tēs koilias epainon, ta tēs knēmēs enkōmia. Phēsi gar hoti Kgēmai autou chrysas. Polystylos men esti tēs sophias ho oikos, hon heautę̄ chodomēse. Polloi de kai hoi tēn tou martyriou skēnēn diereidontes styloi, diaphorois hylais kekosmēmenoi hōn kephalides men ēsan kai baseis chrysaï, to de meson tę̄ tou argyriou peridolę̄ kallōpistai. Tous de tēs Ekklēsias stylous (oikos de estin hē Ekklēsia, kathōs phēsin ho ᾿Apostolos; hoti Pōs dei en oikǭ Theou anastrephesthai) marmarinous einai phēsin hē nymphē, epi chrysōn bedēchotas tōn baseōn. Hoti men oun symphōnei tę̄ tou Beseleēl sophią hē nymphē kata tēn tou kallous hypographēn, paraplēsiōs ekeinǭ tēn kephalēn kai tas baseis tǭ chrysiǭ kosmēsasa, panti dēlon esti tǭ hois peri tēs skēnēs eirēmenois chathomilēsanti. gar ekeinos hekastǭ tōn stylōn tēn kephalēn epharmosas epi chrysēs istēsi baseōs ᾿ houtōs entautha phēsin hē katharōs pros to tou nymphiou blepousa kallos, kephalēn men autou einai chrysion katharon kai akēraton; touto gar hē tou Kephax lexis endeiknytai; tethemeliōsthai tas knēmas epi chrysōn legei baseōn. Pros ho ti de chrē metalēphthēnai ta peri tōn stylōn ainigmata, tǭ hagiǭ Paulǭ mathēteuomenoi, tēs alēthous ennoias ouk echpesoumetha; hos tous proechontas en tois apostolois Petron, kai Iachōdon, kai, Iōannēn, stylous ōnomasen. Epei de kai touto prosēkei mathein, pōs esti genesthai stylon, hōs an kai hēmeis axioi tēs toiautēs genoimetha klēseōs; palin kai touto para tēs tou Paulon sophias akouōmen, hos phēsi stylon einai kai to hedraiōma tēs alētheias, Oukoun chrysion men estin hē alētheia, hē kai basis tōn knēmōn ginomenē, kai tas cheiras kai tēn kephalēn di᾽ heautēs challōpizousa. To de hedraiōma eis tēn tou marmarou tis physin metaladōn, ouk hamartēsetai; hōs einai toiautēn tēn tōn legomenōn dianoian; hoti Hai knēmai tou sōmatos hoi marmarinoi styloi, toutestin hoi tǭ lamprǭ biǭ kai tǭ hygiainonti logǭ to koinon sōma tēs Ekklēsias bastazontes te kai diereidontes; di᾽ hōn ē te basis tēs pisteōs echei to pagion, kai ho kat᾿ aretēn dromos anyetai, kai en tois halmasi tōn theiōn elpidōn, holon to sōma meteōron ginetai. Dia tōn dyo katorthoutai toutōn, alētheias kai bedaiotētos; tou men chrysou betalamdanomenou pros tēn alētheian, hētis kata tēn Paulou phōnēn themelios tēs theias kataskeuēs ginetai te kai onomazetai, Houtōs gar phēsin; hoti Themelion allon oudeis dynatai theinai para ton keimenon, hos estin Iēsous Christos. Christos de estin hē alētheia, hē enthemeliountai hai knēmai, hoi loi tēs Ekklēsias. Dia tou marmarou noountōn hēmlōn to te lampron tou bion, kai to pros tēn tōn agathōn diathesin emdrithes te kai ametatheton. ᾿All᾽ epeidē polloi men hoi styloi tou martyriou tēs schēgēs, polloi de kai hoi ton tēs sophias oikon diadastazontes; dyo de nyn exarchousin holon anechein eph᾽ heautōn to sōma; tacha pros allēn tina dianoian chrē metagagein ton skopon tou ainigmatos. Oimai gar dia toutōn ekeino kataskeuazesthai; to polyeideis men ginesthai tas ek tou nomou pros aretēn hodēgias, polla de kai tēs sophias einai ta parangelmata, pros ton auton horōnta skopon; ton syntetmēmenon tou Euangeliou logon, eis euarithmēton te kai synestalmenon agagein hapasan tou kat᾽ aretēn biou tēn teleiotēta egnōken; houtōs eipontos tou Kyriou, hoti En tautais tais dysin entolais, dios ho gomos kai hoi prophētai kremantai. ïson de pantōs estin eis dynamin, hē hypochremamenon anechein to baros, hē epikeimenon. Heis gar di’ amphoterōn theōreitai ho tēs dynameōs tonos, tou kath᾽ hekateron tropon to achthos bastazontos. Pherei gar homoiōs di’ heantou, eite, epērtēmenon echei to baros, eite hypolamodanoi lamę̄ to bastazomenon. Epei oun ho men Kyrios en tautais psēsi tais dysin entolais holon ton nomon kai tous prophētas chremasthai; nyn de hē nymphē dyo stylois epi chrysōn themeliōn bedēkosi bastazesthai legei to sōma; kalōs an echoi pros tēn theōrian tou kata tas knēmas ainigmatos, symparalathein tas dyo entolas ekeinas. Hōn tēn men, prōtēn onomazei ho Kyrios, tēn de, homoian tę̄ prōtę̄ legōn; to men agapąn ton Theon ex holēs tēs kardias kai psychēs kai dynameōs, tēn prōtēn entolēn einai - to de ton plēA sion hōs heanton, isodynamoin tę̄ prōtę̄. ᾿Alla kai ho Paulos hoian tina oikon dektikon tou Theou kataskeua zōn ton megan Timotheon, tous dyo toutous istēsin en heautǭ stylous, tǭ men onoma themenos pistin, tǭ de heterǭ syneidēsin. Dia men tēs pisteōs, tēn eis Theon agapēn tēn ex holēs kardias te kai psychēs, kai dynameōs sēmainōn; dia de tēs agathēs syneidēseōs, tēn agapētichēn eis ton plēsion diathesin. Tacha de ouchk enantioutai tǭ proterǭ noēmati hē nyn epheuretheisa dianoia. Di’ amphoterōn gar toutōn esti to genesthai stylous, tous kata Petron, kai Iachōdon, kai Iōannēn, kai ei tis allos kat᾽ ekeinous tou toioutou onomatos axios hē gegonen hē genēsetai. Ho gar en tautais dysin entolais teleiōtheis, stylos, kai edraiōma tēs alētheias kata tēn tou ᾿Apostolou phōnēn kataskeuazetai. Hōste tois dyo toutois katorthōmasin holon to sōma tēs alētheias kathaper knēmais tisin epereideathai, tou chrysou thameliou tēs kata tēn pistin baseōs, to aklines te kai ametatheton kai to en panti agathǭ pagion tois logismois empoiountos. Meta de tous epainous toutous, chaϑaper anachephalaioumenē holon tou nymphiou to kallos, phēsin; Eidos autou, hōs Lidangos eklektos, hōs kedroi. Pharynx autou glykasmos, kai dios epithymias houtos adelridos mou, kai houtos plēsion mou, thygateres ᾿Iērousalēm. En toutǭ gar oimai saphesteron autēn diasēmainein, hoti to peri to blepomenon tou nymphiou kallos estin ho epainos; ekeino phēmi to blepomenon, ho dia tōn kath᾽ hekaston melōn tōn symplērountōn tēn Ekklēsian, sōmatopoiei ho ᾿Apostolos. Hen gar eidos autou phēsin einai tas myriadas tōn chkedrōn, hais dieilēptai pantachothen ho Lethanos. Dēlousa dia tōn legomenōn, hoti ouden tapeinon kai chamaizēlon syntelei pros tēn eumorphian tou sōmatos, ean mē ti kata tēn kedron hypsēlon eiē, kai pros tę̄ koryphę̄ epeigomenon. Mallon de to paratethen an tois eirēmenois prōton katanoēsōmen. Eidos pantos pragmatos dia tēs tou enantiou paratheseōs ginetai. Epei oun homōnymon esti to agathon, epi te tou ontōs ontos toioutou, kai epi tou mē ontos men, hypochrinomenou de di᾽ apatēs, kai dokountos einai ho ouk ettin; ho mē diamartōn tēs tou kalou kriseōs, agathon anti tou proeileto. Epei oun entautha tǭ eklektǭ Lidanǭ eidos tou nymphiou proseichase, dyo kata to akolouthon Lidanous ho logos noein hypotithetai; hena men ton ponēron kai apodlēton, ton isa tǭ moschǭ kata tēn prophēteian meta tōn kedrōn tōn eph᾽ heautou syntrithomenon, heteron de ton eklekton te kai timion, hou to kallos theoprepes esti kai theoeikelon, To de nooumenon dia tōn eirēmenōn, toiouton estin; Heis basileus kyriōs te kai alēthinōs kai prōtōs estin, ho basileus pasēs tēs ktiseōs. ᾿All᾽ homōs kai ho chosmochratōr tou skotous semnynei heauton tǭ tēs basileias onomati. Legeōnes angelōn para tǭ alēthinǭ basilei, kai legeōnes daimonōn para tǭ archonti tēs exousias tou skotous. ᾿Archai kai exousiai kai dynameis hypo ton basilea tōn basileuontōn, kai Kyrion kōn kyrieuontōn; echei kakeinos, kata tēn ᾿Apostolou phōnēn, archas te kai exousias, kai dynameis, tas chatargoumenas, hotan mellę̄ to kakon eis to mē hon aphanizesthai. Hotan gar katargēsę̄. phēsi, pasan archēn, kai exousian, kai dynamin. Epi thronou blepei ho prophētēs ton basilea tēs doxēs kathēmenon, eph᾽ hypsēlou te kai epērmenou, kakeinos epangelletai thēsein epanō tōn astrōn ton idion thronon, hōste einai homoion tǭ HyPsistǭ. Skeuē eklogēs en tę̄ megalę̄ heautou oikią ho tou pantos echei Despotēs, echei kakeinos skeuē orgēs katērtismena eis apōleian. Palin zōēn kai eirēnēn di᾽ angelōn chorēgei tois axiois ho tōn angelōn Kyrios; kakeinos thymon, kai orgēn, kai thlipsin apostellei dia tōn angelōn tōn ponērōn. Kai ti chrē ta kath᾽ hekaston legein, di᾽ hōn kata to enantion antepairetai pros tēn tou agathou physin ho antikeimenos Epei oun kata to aisthēton, periphanes esti theama po oros ho Lidanos pantachothen tais hypsēlais chedrois synērephēēs te kai lasios, toutou charin pros tas enantias ennoias, dia tōn kata to emphainomenon hypodeigmatōn hypo tēs Graphēs to oros merizetai, prosphorōs lamdanomenon kath᾽ hekateron. Kai houtōs esti para tois autois prophētais idein to auto onoma kata tēn tōn dēloumenōn diaphoran, epainoumenōn te kai chachizomenōn. Nyn men gar syntridei Kyrios tas kedrous tou Lidanou, kai holon ton Lidanon meta tōn en autǭ kedrōn leptynei, kath᾽ homoiotēta tou eidōlopoiēthentos moschou en tę̄ erēmǭ. Dia touto hē pro- ( phēteia paristēsin, hoti autē te hē kakia kai pan ex autēs hypsōma to kata tēs gnōseōs tou theou epērmenon, eis to mē hon peristēsetai. Nyn de to kreitton autou metalamoanei tēn sēmasian legōn; kaios hōs phoinix agthēsei, hōsei kedros hē en tǭ (Kyrios de estin ho dikaios), ho di᾽ hēmas ek gēs anaschōn, ekeinos ho hypsichomos phoinix, ho en tę̄ hylę̄ tēs physeōs hēmōn anateilas, oros ginetai tais chedrois haitines hotan en tǭ oikǭ tou Theou phyteuthōsin, tais aulais tou Theou hēmōn exanthēsousin. Oikon de tēn Ekklēsian kata tēn tou ᾿Apostolou hyphēgēsin enenoēsamen en hǭ ginetai hē tōn kedrōn tou Theou phyteia. Aulas de tas aiōnious skēnas, en hais hē tōn agathōn elpidōn exanthēsis te kai phanerōsis tois kathēkousi chronois genēsetai. Epeidē toinyn to sōma tou Christou dia tōn kath᾽ hekaston echplēroutai melōn; Ta gar poilila melē, hen sōma gignetai, kathōs phēsin ho ᾿Apostolos; toutou charin holon to tou nymphiou kallos ton eklekton ōnomase Lidanon, tēn pros ton Ekeinos gar estin ho Lidanos kata ton Ēsaian, syn kois hypsēlois pesoumenos, hotan ek tēs tou Iessai rhizēs anateilę̄ to anthos, kai hē tēs exousias rhabdos anaphyę̄, di᾽ hēs metadalletai tou te leontos, kai tēs pardaleōs, kai tōn aspidōn hē physis pros to tithasson te kai hēmeron; hōste syndiaitasthai men tǭ motchǭ ton leonta, synanapauesthai de tǭ eriphǭ tēn pardalin, epistatein de toutōn to paidion ekeino to nēpion ho egennēthē hēmin; hou hē cheir en tę̄ trōglę̄ tōn aspidōn ginetai, kai tōn ekgonōn tēs aspidos ephaptomenē, kai ton ion autōn apamdlynousa; ginomenōn, phēsin ho Prophētēs, hoti kai ho Lidanos syn poiis hypsēlois peseitai. Hosa de mēnyei dia tōn ainiYmatōn toutōn hē prophēteia, hōs prodēla pasin onta. peritton an eiē di᾽ achrideias ektithesthai. Tis gar ouk hoide to gennēthen hēmin paidion, to tōn aspidōn ria tōn thēriōn poiei tois hēmerois homoschēna, tēs physikę̄s pikrias lēthēn poioumena ? Epei oun piptei dia toutōn ho Lithanos hē kakia, kai synchatapiptei prōtē tōn kakōn archē, ta kata tēs alētheias hypsōmata; dia touto tǭ eklektǭ Lidanǭ pareikazei hē nymphē tou Kyriou to kallos, houtōs eipousa tois rhēmasin; Eidos autou, hōs Prostithēsi de kai tǭ pharyngi ton katallēlon epainon, glykasmon te auton kai epithymian onomasasa᾽ echei de hē lexis houtōs; Pharynx autou giykasmos, kai dios epithymia. Ho᾽ de peri toutou nooumen, toiouton esti᾿ To hypo ton anthereōna meros, pharynga kalei hē synētheia; hǭ phasi ton ēchon tę̄ prosptōsei tou ek tēs artērias pneumatos apogens nasthai peridonoumenon. ᾿Epei oun kēria melitos hoi kaloi eisi logoi; logon de organon estin hē phōnē, hēs hē genesis estin ek pharyngos, tacha tous hypēretas te kai hypophētas tou logou, en hois lalei ho Christos, tǭ onomati toutǭ sēmainesthai noōn tis, ouk hamartēsetai. Kai gar ho megas Iōannēs erōtētheis hostis eiē, phōnēn heauton chatōnomasen, epeidē tou Logou prodromos Hēēn᾽ kai ho makarios Paulos dokimēn edidou tou en autǭ lalountos Christou; hou tēn phōnēn heautǭ chrēsas, glykasmos hēn di’ ekeinou phthengomenos. Kai pantes hoi prophētai ta phōnēticha heautōn organa tǭ enēchounti autois Pneumati parachōrēsantes, glykasmos eginonto, to theion meli dia tou laryngos tou idion pēgazontes, hǭ basileis te kai idiōtai pros hygeian prospherontai; hou hē apolausis ouk epichoptes Ho tēn epithymian tǭ chorǭ, alla trephei mallon dia tēs tōn epithymoumenōn metousias ton pothon. Dia touto kai holon auton epithymian katonomazei, hoion tini horismǭ to tou zētoumenou kallos dia tautēs tēs phōnēs hypographousa; Hozos gar, phēsin, epithymia. Hōs makaria ta melē ekeina, di᾽ hōn to holon epithymia genetai; dia tēs en panti agathǭ teleiotētos, synkraton ek pantōn to erasmion apergazomena kallos; hōste holon mē en ophthalmǭ monon kai cheroin hē bostrychois, alla kai en posi kai en chersi, kai en tais chnēmais, kai kata pharynga paraplēsiōs epithymētos einai, mēdenos en tois melesi kata tēn hyperdolēn tou kalOutos, phēsin, ho adelphidos mou, kai houtos, phēsin, ho plēsion mou, thygateres Hierousalēm. Panta gar autais hyp᾽ opsin agagousa dia tēs tou logou hypographēs ta gnōrismata, di᾽ hōn ēn dynaton genesthai tēn pou zētoumenou phanerōsin, tote tǭ deichtichǭ kechrētai logǭ, Houtos esti, legousa, ho zētoumenos, hos dia tou adelphas genesthai ex Iouda hēmin anateēlas, plēsion egeneto tou empeptōkchotos eis tous lę̄stas, elaiǭ kai oinǭ kai epidesmois tas plēgas iasamenos, kai epi tou idiou aras hypozygiou, kai tǭ pandocheiǭ henanapausas, kai ta dyo dēnaria pros tēn zōēn paraschomenos, kai en tę̄ epanodǭ autou to prostethen eis to tēs entolēs ergon apodōsein epangeilamenos. Pantōs de phaneron esti toutōn hekaston eis ho ti blepei, Tǭ gar echpeirazonti ton Kyrion nomikǭ, boulomenǭ hyper tous allous heauton deixai, kai en hyperēphanią to pros tous loipous homotimon diaptyonti, en tǭ legein; Kai tis esti mou piĒlēsion? Tote en diēgēmatos eidei pasan tēn philanthrōpon oichēnomian ho Logos ektithetai, tēn anōthen kathodon tou anthrōpou diēgēsamenos, kai tēn tōn lę̄stōn enedran, kai tēn tou aphthartou endymatos periairesin, kai ta tēs hamartias traumata, kai to eis hēmisy tēs physeōs prochōrēsai ton thanaton, tēs psychēs athanatou diamenousēs; kai tou gomou tēn anōphelę̄ parodon, oute hiereōs oute Leuïtou tas plēgas tou parapeptōkotos tois lę̄stais therapeusantos; adynaton gar haima tragōn ᾿kai taurōn aphairein hamartias; alla ton pasan tēn anthrōpinēn physin dia tēs aparchēs tou phyramatos perithemenon, en hē pantos ethnous to meros ēn, Ioudaiou te kai Samareitou, kai Hellēnos, kai pantōn hapax anthrōpōn; tryton meta tou sōmatos, hoper estin hypozygion, tǭ topǭ tēs tou anthrōpou kakōseōs epistanti, kai therapeusai ta traumata, kai epi tou idiou auton ktēnous epanapausai, kai katagōgion poiēsai autǭ tēn philanthrōpon oikonomian, hē pantes hoi kopiōntes kai pephortismenoi synanapauontai. Ho de en autǭ genomenos, dechetai pantōs hen heautǭ ton en hǭ egeneto, houtōs eipontos tou Logou, hoti Ho menōn en emoi, kagō en hautǭ. Dexamenos oun tǭ idiǭ chōrēmati, pandocheuei en heautǭ ton achōrēton, par᾽ hou dechetai ta dyo nomismata hōn to men estin hē ex holēs kardias eis ton Theon agapē to de heteron hē eis ton plēsion hōs heauton, kathōs kai ho gomichos apekrinato. ᾿All᾽ epeidē ouk hou akroatai tou nomou dikaioi para tǭ Theǭ, alla hoi poiētai tou nomou dikaiōthēsontai; chrē mē monon dexasthai ta dyo tauta nomismata; tēn pistin legō tēn eis to theion, kai tēn agathēn pros tous homophylous syneidēsin ᾿ alla dei kai auton syneisenenchai dia tōn ergōn pros tēn tōn entolōn toutōn ekplērōsin. Dia touto phēsi pros ton pandochea ho Kyrios, hoti pan to peri tēn therapeian tou chechachōmenou parʼ autou genomenon, en tę̄ deuterą autou parousią kata tēn axian tēs spoudēs apolēpsetai. Ho toinyn plēsion hēmōn gegonōs dia tēs toiautēs philanthrōpias, ho dia pou ex Iouda hēmin anateilai adelphidos genomenos; houtos estin hon mēnyei tais neanisin ho tēs nymphēs logos, houtos ho tais thygatrasin ᾿erousalēm para tēs achrantou nymphēs dēloumenos, di hōn phēsin; hoti Outos adeilridos mou, kai houtos piĒlēsion mou, thygateres Hierousalēm; hon kai hēmeis dia tōn dēlōthentōn gnōrismatōn heuroimen te kai ladoimen epi sōtērią tōn psychōn hēmōn, dia tēs tou hagiou Pneumatos cheiragōgias; hǭ hē doxa eis tous aiōnas tōn
Homily 14 (Song 5:13–16)
"His cheeks are like bowls of spice, putting forth perfumes. His lips are lilies, dripping [full myrrh. His] hands are turned, golden, filled with Tharsis. His belly is an ivory tablet on a sapphire stone. His legs are pillars of marble, founded on bases of gold. His appearance is like chosen Lebanon, like cedars. His throat is sweetness, and he is altogether desire. This is my beloved, and this is my close one, [daughters of Jerusalem]."
He who nourishes with pure milk those still in the infancy of spiritual age, becoming a nurse of the newborn in the church, as the apostle himself says, keeps the bread of wisdom for those perfected in the inner man, saying, "Yet among the perfect we speak wisdom." These, having the senses of the soul trained by the habit of good teachings, become ready to receive the bread of wisdom, grinding the reasoning fine with their teeth, since they need a jaw for their food. So there must also be cheeks in the body of Christ for those who no longer cling to the breast of the Word but already desire more solid food. Of these the bride now speaks, saying thus: "His cheeks are like bowls of spice, putting forth perfumes."
That the account of the cheeks follows on what was contemplated about the eye would be plain to anyone who listens intelligently. For this is why the eye, attending to the fullness of spiritual waters, must be bathed in the unerring and pure milk and made like a dove: so that it may make all who contribute to the body of the church sharers in its own goods. For this reason the great Isaiah too bids the one who has climbed the high mountain by his way of life to cry aloud with a clear voice, so that through him the hearers may know the Lord who comes with strength, and the arm that has authority over beings, who shepherds his flock, gathers the lambs, and comforts those who are pregnant well with good hopes; who has measured heaven with a span and holds the whole earth in his grasp; and whatever else besides the prophecy says must be proclaimed by the one who has climbed the summit. If, then, through these the power from the waters and the milk comes to the eyes for knowledge of the truth, it follows that after them the cheeks are praised, whose work is to grind fine the food by which the nature and strength of the body are preserved.
Let us see, then, in what the praise of the cheeks consists. Let us hear the bride, what she relates about them: "His cheeks," she says, "are like bowls of spice, putting forth [perfumes]." By the name "bowl" the word signifies a [shallow] kind of drinking vessel, in which the hollowness is concealed by its making, the shape being neither very deep nor laid straight out flat, so that it seems neither exactly hollow nor flat. If, then, the bride shows such a shape through the bowl, the praise of the cheeks would have a particular meaning from this shape. For one might say that the word, wishing to praise the simple, open, and guileless character of teaching, mentioned the bowl, in which the depth forbidden by the prophet cannot form, who said, "May I be delivered from those who hate me, and from the depths of the waters." So we say that the truth appearing in simplicity, without any deceitful hollowness, is signified by the name of the bowl, whose material is spice and whose work is to put forth perfumes. For "his cheeks are like bowls of spice," not made of silver or gold or glass or any other such material, but of the spice itself, putting forth from themselves the things from which perfumes are made.
The sense seen in these texts through what has been said is surely clear: that it belongs to the pure eyes of the church to [provide] such food to the body by the power of the cheeks, so that nothing deep and treacherous is seen in what is said, but all is clear and free and separated from all deceitful concealment and depth, so as to be plain even to infants, as the prophet says, "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making infants wise"; "the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening [the eyes]." For if such are the bowls of the Word, they will clearly not be constituted of earthly material; their nature will be of the spice, I mean that spice which the bride says at the beginning of the Song is above all spices. Such a bowl was Paul, who commended himself not by handling the word with cunning, but by the manifestation of the truth. His material put away being from earth, from the time when through baptism he cast off the scales from his eyes together with the flesh; and he was re-formed from the fragrant spice, having become a child of the Holy Spirit. Since by such smithing he was fashioned a chosen vessel, becoming a bowl for pouring the wine of the word, he no longer had need of a man to pour into him the knowledge of the mysteries (for he did not confer with flesh and blood); but he himself put forth in himself and welled up the divine drink, compounding the varied flowers of the virtues through the fragrance of Christ for his hearers, so that, according to the differences and peculiarities of those who receive the word, a spice suited to the need of each seeker was found: for Jews, for Greeks, for women, for men, for masters, for slaves, for parents, for children, for those without the law, for those under the law. Truly the grace of his teaching was manifold, blended through every virtue, the bowl compounding perfume through his varied teachings for those who received the word, fitting each one's need.
Such cheeks, then, she praises who paints in words the beauty of the bridegroom's body. And that the praise of the cheeks looks to this, the next word testifies in sequence. For after the cheeks the lips are praised, through which the fragrant word comes forth. The praise runs thus: "His lips are lilies, dripping full myrrh." By the double example she testifies to two virtues of the word at once. One is the truth, seen bright and luminous in what is said; for such is the appearance of the lily, whose brightness is a riddle of the purity and truth of what is said. The other is that the teaching shows forth only the intellectual and immaterial life, the life below, worked through flesh and blood, being put to death through the contemplation of intelligible things. For the myrrh that flows from the body and fills the soul of the one who receives it becomes an indication of the putting to death of the body. For it has often been observed in the use of the God-inspired words that the name of myrrh signifies death.
The perfect and pure eye, then, which makes the cheek a bowl putting forth and welling up perfumes, makes the lilies of words flower through the mouth, words adorned with divine brightness. For so [the lips of the saints become lilies, from which drips] the drop of myrrh, filling without lack the minds of those who receive it: which is the despising of the material life, all that is pursued here becoming inactive and dead through desire for the goods that lie beyond. Such myrrh Paul once poured from his mouth, mixed with the pure lily of self-control, in the ears of the holy virgin. The virgin was Thecla, who, receiving well into her soul the drops that flowed, takes the outer man in death, quenching in herself every fleshly thought and desire. After that good teaching her youth was dead, her visible beauty was dead, all her bodily senses were dead; only the word lived in her, through which the whole world had died to her, and the virgin had died to the world. So too once at Cornelius's house the great Peter, uttering the bright lilies of the word, made the souls of the hearers full of myrrh; at once receiving his word, they were buried with Christ through baptism, becoming dead to this life. And besides these one may find countless examples among the saints of how, becoming the mouth of the common body of the church, they made their hearers full of the myrrh that puts the passions to death, bearing flowers through the lilies of the word, by which the great champions of the faith [made] the good confession at the time of their witness [before the persecutors]. But there is no need to lengthen the discourse on these at greater length, since the sense has become plain to us through what has been said: how the mouth of the church becomes a lily, how myrrh drips from the lily, and how the [soul] of those who receive it is filled with such a drop.
But let us now come to the next word. For it says: "His hands are turned, golden, filled with Tharsis." That in the body of the church the grace of the eye is imperfect when separated from the service of the hands we have learned clearly from the great Paul, who says, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you.'" For the activity of the eyes is shown most when the works testify to the eye's keen sight, marking by zeal for what is good the good guidance. Since we must set out the praise of the hands of the divine body and be guided by what is said as to how those who serve as hands in the church should be fitted, we shall try, God granting, setting out the divine saying itself, to contemplate as far as possible the sense lying in it. "His hands are turned, golden," it says, "filled with Tharsis." For the time being this much of the thought is plain from what has been said: the same things by which the form of the head is praised also complete the praise of the hands. And we understood the head to be Christ, in whom God was reconciling the world to himself, according to Paul's word, who manifested himself in the flesh through powers and wonders. If, then, this head as we understood it was named by the word pure gold, because it is outside all sin ("He committed no sin," it says, "nor was deceit found in his mouth"), and the word says that the hands are golden, what is understood by this is plain: the word legislates for the hand what is understood to be wholly pure and sinless, unmixed with all vice and not admitting it. And by the hand we surely understand the one who manages the common goods of the church for the needs of the commandments, whose praise is to be conformed to the nature of the head in purity and sinlessness.
The hand becomes pure when, through the turning, it scrapes off everything that hinders beauty. For as those who shape marble into some form of a living creature [remove by the turning what is superfluous, so that what remains may be a] likeness of the archetypal form, so in the beauty of the hands of the body of the church much must be scraped off by the turning of reasonings, so that the hand may become truly golden and undefiled. It is surely plain to all what things, if not removed from the hand, [are harmful] to its beauty: love of gain, looking only to appearance, seeking some distinction for oneself through what one handles, using the provision of the commandments for one's own luxury and enjoyment. All these and the like must be scraped off with the tools of reasoning, leaving only the pure gold of free choice, made like the undefiled head.
What is said would become clearer to us through the apostle's words. Having named God faithful, he asks nothing else of stewards too than that they be found faithful, writing in these words: "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." So the faithful and wise steward, serving as a hand to the church, shows the hand of the body golden in the likeness of the head, imitating his wise Master through his way of life. That Judas was not such a hand in the body of the apostles, the pitiable and wretched one, or rather the hateful and abominable one, who, entrusted with the management of the poor, did not scrape off the leprosy of love of money; but, being the guardian of the money box against thieves, became himself a thief of himself, stealing with his own hands what he held in his hands, and looking not to the commandment but to the money. And what came of its enjoyment? A voluntary noose, estrangement from life, the utter destruction of the soul, an evil memorial stretching through all the time after him. So the hands must be turned and carved, so that, when the evils have been removed, what remains may be gold, [made like] the beauty of the head in [purity].
The word "Tharsis" has many meanings in the usage of Scripture, not always found in the same sense; often its meaning is taken toward what is condemned, and often toward what is divine and blessed. When the prophet Jonah flees from the face of God, he seeks a ship going to Tharsis. And the great David says that a ship of Tharsis is shattered by a violent wind. I think the violent wind spoken of is the one that appeared to the disciples gathered in the upper room, which was first known beforehand by hearing, as of a violent wind rushing, and afterwards was manifested to the eyes too, shaped into a form and [taking] the nature of fire, [which shatters the ships of evil], which the prophet named ships of Tharsis. These, then, are the things by which the worse is signified by this name. But the great Ezekiel, bringing into description the vision of the manifestation of God that came to him, signifies by this word the form of one of the divine sights, saying, "And its appearance was like the appearance of Tharsis." Those who [have examined] the Hebrew words with accuracy say that [what is invisible] and bodiless is signified by this word in the prophecy. So, though the meaning of the word is not single, since it is plain that what this word signifies has now been taken in the better sense (for no one would take what is blameworthy as praise), it would follow to understand this of the hands being praised: that, carefully [scraping off] from themselves everything superfluous, they pass over to what is divine and intelligible, shaking off every material and heavy attachment to things. Something of the sort, they say, gem cutters do with the emerald stone. For having worn away with the whetstone what is lustreless and earthy, they leave only [that part of the stone] in which there is a pure gleam, green and at the same time oily. The divine apostle, interpreting this more clearly, seems to me to counsel this in one of his writings: that we must put away attachment to what appears and press with our desires toward the invisible. "For we look," he says, "not at what is seen, but at what is not seen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is not seen is eternal." This, then, is what we have understood in the praise of the hands: how, turned free of material attachment, they become undefiled, changed by free choice toward what is immaterial and intelligible. "For his hands are turned," it says, "golden, filled with Tharsis."
It would follow to examine also the next word, which she has spoken about the belly. The wording runs thus: "His belly is an ivory tablet on a sapphire stone." When the lawgiver of nature gives Moses the law engraved on stone tablets, he named the slabs on which the divine characters were imprinted "stone tablets" (πυξία), the one who gave the oracle to Moses speaking thus about them: "Come up to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you the stone tablets, the law and the commandments." After this, since the law scraped off what was bodily and earthy through the clarity of the gospel, the tablet that receives the letters is no longer of stone, but of bright and newly polished ivory. For what receives the commandments and laws, which has been named the belly, [is a] tablet, she says, of ivory on a sapphire stone. I think we must first make the bodily example plain in words, and then come to the contemplation of what has been said. Box (πύξος) is a dense, whitish wood, from which those concerned with letters skilfully make writing tablets for themselves. Such a writing tablet, made for the use of letters, even if it happens to be made of another material, is called a "box tablet" (πυξίον) by extension. So when we hear "tablet," we understand a smooth implement suited to receive letters. Since, then, "tablet" is a general name for such writing boards, here the word adds to the example also the kind of material, saying that the tablet is made not of wood but of ivory. They say that such bone, because of its great density and hardness, remains incorrupt for a very long time, receiving no damage from time. And the sapphire is thought to be a relief for the weariness of the eyes by the blue form of its colour, such a gleam naturally resting the sight by itself. This, then, is the example to which the praised belly of the church is likened by comparison.
But I, having heard the prophecy command in the person of God, "Write the vision clearly on a tablet," take a notion of what must be understood by the name of the belly in the praised body of the Lord. For since the word commands that the divine vision be written clearly on the tablet, perhaps it signifies by the name of the belly the purity of the heart, on which we inscribe the divine visions through memory. So the one who opened the mouth of the great Ezekiel and put into it the roll of the book, full of writing on both sides, outside and inside, says to him: "Your mouth shall eat, and your belly shall be filled," calling "belly" the thinking part of the soul in which he stored the divine teachings. In the same way we know that the great Jeremiah too named "belly" the heart pained by those gloomy thoughts [of the coming calamities], so he says: "I am pained in my belly, and the senses of my heart are in tumult." And if we must set out from the divine word the most authoritative of the sayings that lead us to this sense, we say this: that the Lord said to those who had believed that rivers of living water flow from the belly of those who believe in him. The wording runs thus: "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture said, rivers of living water will flow from his belly."
Through all that has been said, then, we are led to understand the pure heart by the name of the belly, which becomes a tablet of the divine law: of those, as the apostle says, who show the work of the law written on their hearts, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, such letters being engraved on the soul not on tablets of stone, as the apostle says, but on the tablet of the heart, pure and smooth and shining. For the ruling part of the soul must be such that the memory of the divine words is preserved in it clear and unconfused, articulated as in distinct letters. And the sapphire is fittingly taken together with such a tablet for the praise of the belly. For the gleam of the sapphire is heaven-like. Such a riddle becomes a symbol of our heart setting its mind on and looking to the things above, where it lays up its treasure, and resting its sight there, so that it may not grow weary in attending to the divine commandments, [the heavenly hope refreshing] the sight of the [soul].
Then the praises of the legs follow the praise of the belly. For it says: "His legs are [pillars of marble, founded on bases of] gold." The house of wisdom, which she built for herself, has many pillars. Many too are the pillars that support the tabernacle of witness, adorned with different materials, whose capitals and bases were golden, while the middle was beautified with an overlay of silver. But the pillars of the church (and the church is a house, as the apostle says, "how one ought to behave in the house of God"), the bride says, are of marble, standing on bases of gold. That the bride agrees in her description of beauty with the wisdom of Bezalel, adorning the head and the bases with gold as he did, is plain to anyone familiar with what is said about the tabernacle. For [as] he, fitting the capital to each of the pillars, sets it on a golden base, so here she who looks purely at the bridegroom's beauty says that his head is pure and undefiled gold (for this is what the word "Kephaz" shows), and she says that his legs are founded on bases of gold.
To what the riddles about the pillars must be transferred, we shall not fall from the true understanding if we are disciples of holy Paul, who named those prominent among the apostles, Peter and James and John, pillars. And since we should also learn how one may become a pillar, so that we too may become worthy of such a name, let us hear this too from the wisdom of Paul, who says that the pillar is also the foundation of the truth. So the truth is gold, which also becomes the base of the legs and beautifies the hands and the head by itself. And whoever takes the foundation to mean the nature of marble will not go wrong; so that the sense of what is said is this: the legs of the body are the marble pillars, that is, those who carry and support the common body of the church by a bright life and sound word, through whom the base of faith has its firmness, the course of virtue is accomplished, and in the leaps of the divine hopes the whole body is lifted up. This is achieved through these two, truth and steadfastness: the gold being taken to mean the truth, which, according to Paul's word, becomes and is named the foundation of the divine building. For he says thus: "No one can lay another foundation than the one laid, which is Jesus Christ." And Christ is the truth, on which the legs, the [pillars] of the church, are founded; while by the marble we understand the brightness of life and the solidity and immovability of the disposition toward goods.
But since the pillars of the tabernacle of witness are many, and many too are those who support the house of wisdom, while now two suffice to hold up the whole body by themselves, perhaps we must bring the aim of the riddle over to another sense. For I think this is established by them: that the guidance of the law toward virtue takes many forms, and the precepts of wisdom are many, looking to the same aim; [but] the concise word of the gospel has known how to bring the whole perfection of the virtuous life into a number easily counted and concise, since the Lord said, "On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets." It is surely the same in power to hold up the weight either hanging from below or resting on top. For through both the same strength of power is seen, carrying the burden in either way. For it bears alike by itself, whether it has the weight hanging from it or takes up what it carries [from below]. Since, then, the Lord says that the whole law and the prophets hang on these two commandments, and now the bride says that the body is carried by two pillars standing on golden foundations, it would be well, for the contemplation of the riddle of the legs, to take those two commandments together with it. Of these the Lord names one first, and says the other is like the first: that to love God with the whole heart and soul and strength is the first commandment, and to love one's neighbour as oneself is equal in power to the first. And Paul too, building the great Timothy as a kind of house fit to receive God, sets up these two pillars in him, giving the one the name faith and the other conscience: by faith signifying the love for God from the whole heart and soul and strength; and by good conscience, the loving disposition toward the neighbour. Perhaps the sense now found is not opposed to the earlier thought. For through both of these one becomes a pillar, like Peter and James and John, and anyone else who has become or will become worthy of such a name as they. For the one perfected in these two commandments is built into a pillar and foundation of the truth, according to the apostle's word. So the whole body of the truth rests on these two achievements as on legs, the golden foundation of the base of faith producing in the reasonings what is unswerving and immovable and firm in every good.
After these praises, as though summing up the whole beauty of the bridegroom, she says: "His appearance is like chosen Lebanon, like cedars. His throat is sweetness, and he is altogether desire. This is my beloved, and this is my close one, daughters of Jerusalem." In this I think she shows more clearly that the praise is about the bridegroom's visible beauty: I mean the visible beauty which the apostle forms into a body through the several members that make up the church. For she says that the ten thousands of cedars, with which Lebanon is covered on every side, are one appearance of his, showing by what she says that nothing low and grovelling contributes to the comeliness of the body unless it is lofty like the cedar and pressing toward the summit.
Or rather, let us first consider what was set beside what has been said. The form of everything comes to be [known] by the setting beside it of its opposite. Since, then, "good" is a name shared both by what truly is such and by what is not, but pretends by deceit and seems to be what it is not, the one who does not fail in the judgment of the beautiful has chosen the [true] good instead of the [false]. Since, then, here she likened the bridegroom's appearance to chosen Lebanon, the word suggests that we understand, in sequence, two Lebanons: one wicked and to be cast away, which, according to the prophecy, is crushed like the calf together with the cedars on it; and the other chosen and precious, whose beauty is fitting for God and godlike.
What is understood through what has been said is this. There is one King properly, truly, and primarily, the King of all creation. Yet the world ruler of darkness too dignifies himself with the name of kingship. There are legions of angels with the true King, and legions of demons with the ruler of the power of darkness. Principalities and powers and authorities are under the King of kings and Lord of lords; that one too, according to the apostle's word, has principalities and authorities and powers, those that are abolished when evil is to vanish into non-being. "For when he abolishes," it says, "every principality and authority and power." The prophet sees the King of glory seated on a throne, high and lifted up; and that one promises to set his own throne above the stars, so as to be like the Most High. The Master of all has vessels of choice in his great house; that one too has vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. Again, the Lord of the angels supplies life and peace through angels to the worthy; that one too sends anger and wrath and affliction through the wicked angels. And why should we tell each thing in detail, by which the adversary rises up in opposition against the nature of the good?
Since, then, as a thing of sense, Lebanon is a conspicuous sight, the mountain shaded and thick with tall cedars on every side, for this reason the mountain is divided by Scripture between opposite meanings by examples drawn from its appearance, being taken suitably in either sense. And so one may see in the same prophets the same name used according to the difference of what is shown, both praised and reproached. At one time the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon, and crushes all Lebanon with its cedars, like the calf made an idol in the desert. By this the prophecy presents that evil itself and every height raised from it against the knowledge of God will come round to non-being. At another time it takes the better meaning, saying: "[The righteous] will flourish like a palm, like the cedar in [Lebanon] he will be multiplied." (And the righteous one is the Lord.) He who rose from the earth for our sake, that palm with lofty foliage who sprang up in the matter of our nature, becomes a mountain for the cedars, which, when they are planted in the house of God, will flower in the courts of our God. By the house we have understood the church, following the apostle's guidance, in which the planting of God's cedars takes place; and by the courts the eternal tabernacles, in which the flowering and manifestation of good hopes will come about at the appointed times.
Since, then, the body of Christ is completed through the several members ("for the many members become one body," as the apostle says), she therefore named the whole beauty of the bridegroom chosen Lebanon, [setting it against the other Lebanon]. For that is the Lebanon which, according to Isaiah, will fall with its lofty ones when the flower rises from the root of Jesse, and the rod of authority springs up, through which the nature of the lion, the leopard, and the asps is changed to what is tame and gentle, so that the lion lives with the calf, the leopard lies down with the kid, and over them is set that little child who was born to us, whose hand goes into the hole of the asps, touching the offspring of the asp and blunting their poison. [When these things] come to pass, the prophet says, Lebanon too will fall with its lofty ones. What the prophecy shows through these riddles would be superfluous to set out in detail, since it is plain to all. For who does not know the child born to us, who [touches the holes] of the asps and makes the [wildest] of beasts share a tent with the gentle, forgetting their natural bitterness? Since, then, through these the Lebanon of vice falls, and the first beginning of evils falls with it, the heights raised against the truth, the bride therefore likens the Lord's beauty to the chosen Lebanon, saying in these words: "His appearance is like [chosen Lebanon]."
She adds to the throat the fitting praise, naming it sweetness and desire. The wording runs thus: "His throat is sweetness, and he is altogether desire." What we understand about this is this. Common usage calls the part under the chin the throat, in which they say sound is produced, whirled about by the striking of the breath from the windpipe. Since, then, fair words are honeycombs of honey, and the voice is the instrument of the word, whose origin is from the throat, whoever understands this name to signify the servants and interpreters of the Word, in whom Christ speaks, will not go wrong. For the great John, asked who he was, named himself a voice, since he was the forerunner of the Word; and blessed Paul gave proof of Christ speaking in him; lending his own voice to Christ, he was sweetness as Christ spoke through him. And all the prophets, giving up their organs of speech to the Spirit sounding in them, became sweetness, making the divine honey well up through their own throats, which kings and private persons take for health; whose enjoyment does not cut off desire by satiety, but rather nourishes longing through sharing in what is desired. For this reason she names him altogether desire, as though describing the beauty of the one sought by a kind of definition through this word: "For he is altogether," she says, "desire." O blessed those members, through which the whole becomes desire, producing through perfection in every good a lovely beauty blended from all, so that he is desirable as a whole, not in the eye only and the cheeks or the locks, but alike in the feet and in the hands, in the legs and in the throat, none of the members [falling short] in the surpassing degree of beauty.
"This," she says, "is my beloved, and this," she says, "is my close one, daughters of Jerusalem." For having brought before their eyes through the description in words all the marks by which the manifestation of the one sought could come about, she then uses the demonstrative word, saying: "This is the one sought, who by becoming our brother rose for us from Judah, and became neighbour to the one who fell among robbers, healing his wounds with oil and wine and bandages, lifting him onto his own beast, giving him rest in the inn, providing the two denarii for his life, and promising on his return to repay what was added for the work of the commandment." What each of these looks to is surely plain. For to the lawyer who was testing the Lord, wishing to show himself above the others, and in pride spurning equality of honour with the rest, saying, "And who is my neighbour?", the Word then sets out in the form of a story the whole economy of his love for mankind: telling of man's descent from above, the ambush of the robbers, the stripping off of the incorruptible garment, the wounds of sin, and death's advance over half of nature, the soul remaining immortal; and the useless passing by of the law, since neither priest nor Levite healed the wounds of the one who had fallen among robbers (for it is impossible for the blood of goats and bulls to take away sins); but the one who put on the whole of human nature through the first fruits of the lump, in which there was a share of every nation, Jew and Samaritan and Greek and all men together, this one, with his body, which is the beast, came to the place of man's misery, healed his wounds, gave him rest on his own beast, and made his loving economy an inn for him, in which all who labour and are heavy laden find rest together.
And the one who has come to be in him surely receives in himself the one in whom he has come to be, as the Word says, "Whoever abides in me, and I in him." Receiving him in his own capacity, he lodges in himself the one who cannot be contained, from whom he receives the two coins, of which one is the love for God from the whole heart, and the other the love for the neighbour as oneself, as the lawyer too answered. But since it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified, one must not only receive these two coins, I mean faith toward the Divine and a good conscience toward one's own kind, but must also contribute oneself through works to the fulfilment of these commandments. For this reason the Lord says to the innkeeper that everything done by him for the care of the one who had been injured he will receive back at his second coming according to the worth of his zeal.
He, then, who has become our neighbour through such love for mankind, who has become our beloved by rising for us from Judah, this is the one whom the bride's word shows to the young women; this is the one made known to the daughters of Jerusalem by the undefiled bride, where she says: "This is my beloved, and this is my close one, daughters of Jerusalem." May we too find and receive him through the marks that have been shown, for the salvation of our souls, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to whom be glory for ever and ever. [Amen.]
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Song 5:13–16 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Pet 2:2 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Thess 2:7 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 2:6 (quotation, high confidence) · Heb 5:14 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 40:9–12 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 69:14 (68:15 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 19:7–8 (18:8-Ps LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Song 1:3 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 4:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 9:18 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 9:15 (allusion, high confidence) · Gal 1:16 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 2:15 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 9:20–22 (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 10:44–48 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 6:4 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 12:21 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 5:19 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Pet 2:22 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 4:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 12:42 (allusion, high confidence) · John 12:6 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 27:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Jonah 1:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 48:7 (47:8 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Acts 2:2–3 (allusion, high confidence) · Ezek 1:16 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 4:18 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 24:12 (quotation, high confidence) · Hab 2:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Ezek 3:1–3 (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 4:19 (quotation, high confidence) · John 7:38 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 2:15 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 3:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Col 3:1–2 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 6:21 (allusion, medium confidence) · Prov 9:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 26:32 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 36:36–38 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Tim 3:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 31:2–5 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gal 2:9 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 3:11 (quotation, high confidence) · John 14:6 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 22:37–40 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Tim 1:5 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Tim 1:19 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 29:5–6 (28:5-Ps LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 10:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 92:12–13 (91:13-Ps LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Eph 6:12 (allusion, high confidence) · Rev 19:16 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:24 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 6:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 14:13–14 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 9:22–23 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Tim 2:20 (allusion, medium confidence) · Ps 78:49 (77:49 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 12:12 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 12:20 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 10:34–11:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 9:6 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:23 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 13:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Prov 6:8 (allusion, medium confidence) · Heb 7:14 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 10:25–37 (allusion, high confidence) · Heb 10:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 11:28 (allusion, high confidence) · John 15:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 2:13 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: On Song 5:13–16 Gregory continues the description of the bridegroom's body as the church: the cheeks are teachers who give plain, guileless food; the lips are preachers whose lily-bright words drip the myrrh of dying to the world (Paul with Thecla, Peter with Cornelius); the golden hands are faithful stewards (Judas the warning); the belly is the pure heart as a tablet of the law; the legs are the pillars of the church, or the two great commandments; and "this is my close one" is Christ as the Good Samaritan.
- The Song is translated as Gregory quotes it (LXX): φιάλαι "bowls" (shallow drinking vessels), τορευταί "turned" (worked on a lathe or chisel), πεπληρωμέναι θαρσεῖς "filled with Tharsis", πυξίον "tablet" (from πύξος, box wood, as Gregory explains). The lemma is damaged at 5:13–14 and the end of 5:16 and is supplied from the Song.
- Thecla's conversion by Paul's preaching on virginity is from the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which Gregory cites as history; tagged to the Acts of Paul. The story of Judas (John 12:6; Matt 27:5) is told in Gregory's own strong words ("hateful and abominable"); translated as written.
- On Tharsis Gregory reports that those who know Hebrew say that in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek 1:16; 10:9 LXX) it signifies something invisible and bodiless; the claim is his, not verified. The bodily example of the box-wood tablet and of sapphire relieving the eyes is ancient lore he passes on.
- Quotations and allusions: 1 Pet 2:2; 1 Thess 2:7; 1 Cor 2:6; Heb 5:14; Isa 40:9–12; Ps 69:14 (LXX 68:15); Ps 19:7–8 (LXX 18:8–9; the quotation is displaced in the scan text and printed later in the line about Paul); Song 1:3; 2 Cor 4:2; Acts 9:18; Acts 9:15; Gal 1:16; 2 Cor 2:15; 1 Cor 9:20–22; Acts 10:44–48; Rom 6:4; 1 Cor 12:21; 2 Cor 5:19; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 Cor 4:2; Luke 12:42; John 12:6; Matt 27:5; Jonah 1:3; Ps 48:7 (LXX 47:8); Acts 2:2–3; Ezek 1:16; 2 Cor 4:18; Exod 24:12; Hab 2:2; Ezek 3:1–3; Jer 4:19; John 7:38; Rom 2:15; 2 Cor 3:3; Col 3:1–2; Matt 6:21; Prov 9:1; Exod 26:32, 37; 36:36–38; 1 Tim 3:15; Exod 31:2–5; Gal 2:9; 1 Cor 3:11; John 14:6; Matt 22:37–40; 1 Tim 1:5, 19; Ps 29:5–6 (LXX 28:5–6); 2 Cor 10:5; Ps 92:12–13 (LXX 91:13–14); Eph 6:12; Rev 19:16; 1 Cor 15:24; Isa 6:1; Isa 14:13–14; Rom 9:21–23; 2 Tim 2:20; Ps 78:49 (LXX 77:49); 1 Cor 12:12, 20; Isa 10:34–11:8; Isa 9:6; John 1:23; 2 Cor 13:3; Prov 6:8a–b LXX; Heb 7:14; Luke 10:25–37; Heb 10:4; Matt 11:28; John 15:5 and 6:56; Rom 2:13.
- Lines are lost in the scan where Migne's Latin breaks in: in the passage on the bowls ("[shallow]"), on the lips (the sentence on the saints' lips is supplied in brackets by sense), on the martyrs' confession, on the turned hands, on the violent wind and Tharsis, on Jeremiah's grief, on the sapphire, on the two Lebanons, and on Isaiah's child among the asps. Words supplied by sense are in brackets. The larger Latin leaks are removed by logged corrections.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (Latin column leaked into the line; Latin column leaked into the word διασκοπῆσαι; Latin column leaked into the word λόγος; Latin column leaked into the word πυξίον; Latin column leaked into the word ᾿Αποστόλου; Migne's Latin column leaked into the line; Migne's apparatus and Latin leaked into the line; a displaced line of the quotation of Ps 19:7–8 (belonging to the earlier "Ἡ μαρ… Κυρίου") and Latin leakage interrupt the sentence): τῷ ΡΕΙ ΒΡ ΘΙ} 9ΥΌ ΓΟ, αυΐ ργυάθη- Ὁ συνετῶς → τῷ συνετῶς; τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν οἱ Ἰδοι οοηεἰπφίῖς οου} νου ελ δία οοι υἱ ἰΔ|6π) σοῦτῷ πληρώματι → τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τῷ πληρώματι; οὐκέτι τυρία Κυρίου πιστὴ, σοφίζουσα νήπια· ἡ ἐν- αὶ χρείαν → οὐκέτι χρείαν; κόσμον ἴῃ ʼφυο θοὺβ ογδὲ τουπᾶυπι ἰδὲ γθοοῃο ἑαυτῷ → κόσμον ἑαυτῷ; ἐκεῖνος, ἢ) οΔρί(15 δυγοϑ τοι. Νοὴ ἐγαὶ οὐυβιηοαϊ ὁ → ἐκεῖνος, ὁ; δίασχο- αὶ Νυης πῆσαι → διασκοπῆσαι; πυ: χιοά οὐϊοία εἰ Ιεφε5 Ὀεὶ τοοϊρῖξ, ἱπαϊοδίιπι ξίον → πυξίον; ἐν τῷ τον δυμ [Δ Ρ6 παῖς Πμ|6Ὁῖ8 τορ ἰδ : ἐπαινουμένῳ → ἐν τῷ ἐπαινουμένῳ; ὑπὸ τῶν ἑέπεως οοτάϊε πιοὶ [ἰτϑαπ- αὶ σκυθρωπῶν → ὑπὸ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν; θεωρεῖται ὁ οὐαὶ ἰπιοτίαι εἶς ἀυς διδεῖδηϊ ἴοι οογροτὶ τῆς δυνάμεως → θεωρεῖται ὁ τῆς δυνάμεως; τρόπον τὸ Ὁ μῃϊνεγδᾶπι οὐπὶ ἄχθος → τρόπον τὸ ἄχθος; ὁ γοὶ {μὶϊ ἀηίθμδο γεὶ Παῦλος → ὁ Παῦλος; ἐμποιοῦντος. νεγθΐβ τθρθ- Μετὰ → ἐμποιοῦντος. Μετὰ; καὶ δ ἴ πιὸ ἰηβίδν οοάγὶ, δὲ γεγιϊίου δ ϑυγβυη ὦ πρὸς → καὶ πρὸς; ᾿Αποστό- ἀρυιὰ νδγαπι λου φωνὴν → ᾿Αποστόλου φωνὴν; τοῦ βιρροάϊίαι Δηροίοτιιπι ἀγαθοῦ → τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; ἡ τῶν ἢ) Ραῦ ἀγαθῶν → ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν; ῥάδδος Κοι, ὅδ λοι. χι, δ6 Οὐγ. χει, πδίυγη οοπιπιυῖδ- ἃ ἀναφύῃ → ῥάβδος ἀναφύῃ; καὶ οὗτος, φησὶν, ΠΜΐε δεῖ, ἰμαυΐ!,οσπαίεια τπιδιις, οἱ ἀΐο ρτοαίπιιις πιδιιϑ, ὁ πλησίον → καὶ οὗτος, φησὶν, ὁ πλησίον; γενόμενος· : ἢἰς ἰφίταΓ οὗτός → γενόμενος· οὗτός; λό οἰ μὶ σοἰ σαι {{{Π| Εφο γος → λόγος.
Extrabiblical texts: Acts Paul Thecla (Acts of Paul; allusion)
Topics: Church office, Ethics, The church, Wealth and poverty
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Cant. hom. 14 (PG 44; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-canticum/14). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-canticum/14
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Migne PG 44/46 (archive.org OCR; Latin-column leaks and OCR slips removed by logged corrections); no public-domain English is on disk, so the translation was re-read against the Greek (Life of Macrina checked privately against a modern English translation).