Homilies on the Song of Songs 15
Greek text: PG 44 (OCR by the Internet Archive; lines extracted for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 15
15PG 44
Ποῦ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφιδός σου, ἡ καιὴ τήσομεν αὑτὸν μετὰ σοῦ; Ὁ ἀδελφιδός μου κατέθη εἰς κῆπον αὑτοῦ, εἰς φιάλας τοῦ ἀρώματος, ποιμαίνειν ἐν κήποις, καὶ συ..λέγειν κρίνα. Ἐγὼ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μον, καὶ ὁ ἀδειφιδός μον ἐμοὶ, ὁ ποιμαίνων ἐν τοῖς κρίνοις Καλὴ εἶ, ἡ πλησίον μου, ὡς εὐδοκία, ὡραία ὡς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὀρθαμούς σου ἀπεναγτίον μου, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἀνεπτέρωσάν με. Τρίχωμά σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν αἰγῶν, ἀνεράνησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλαάδ. ᾿Οδόντες σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν κεκαρμένων, αἵ ἀνέδησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ·Σουτροῦ, αἱ πᾶσαι διδυμεύουσαι, καὶ ἀτεκνοῦσα οὖὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὑταῖς. Ὡς σπαρτίον κόκκινον χείλη σου, καὶ ἡ .αλιά σου ὡραία. Ὥς έπυρος τῆς ῥόας μῆλόν σου ἐκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου. Ἑξήκονγτα βασίλισσαι, καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα παλιλακαὶ, καὶ γεάγιδες ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. Μία ἐστὶ περιστερά μου, τελεία μου. Μία ἐστὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς, ἐκλεκτὴ τῇ τεκούσῃ αὑτήν. Ὁ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ᾿Ανδρέου καὶ Πέτρου μαρτυρηθεὶς εἶναι Φίλιππος ὁ ἀπόστολος· ἐγκώμιον γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τοῦ Φιλίππου τοῦτο, τὸ πολέτην αὐτὸν γενέσθαε τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν προθαυμασθέντων ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτῶν ἱστορίας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ᾿Ανδρέας, ὑποδείξαντος τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ, τίς ἐστιν ὁ ᾿Αμνὸς ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ. κόσμου, αὐτός τε τὸ μυστὴρον κατενόησε, κατόπιν τοῦ δειχθέντος ἀκολουθήσας, καὶ ὅπου μένει μαθών καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀδελφῷ παρεῖναι τὸν προμηνυθέντα παρὰ τῆς προφητείας εὐαγγελέζεται. Ὁ δὲ φθάσας μικροῦ δεῖν τῇ πίστει τὴν ἀκοὴν, ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ προστίθεται τῷ ἀμνῷ, καὶ διὰ τῆς τοῦ ὀνόματος ὑπαλλαγῆς μεταποιεῖται παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸ θειότερον· ἀντὶ Σίμωνος Πέτρος καὶ ὀνομασθεὶς, καὶ γενόμενος. Καί τοι τῷ ᾿Αδραὰμ καὶ τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ πολλοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις μετὰ πολλὰς θεοφανείας, τῆς ἐκ τῶν ὀνομάτων μεταδίδωσιν εὐλογίας ὁ Κύριος - τὸν μὲν πατέρα, τὴν δὲ ἄρχουσαν διὰ τῆς τῶν ὀνομάτων μεταποιήσεως χειροτονήσας, Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰακὼδ μετὰ τὴν παννύχιον πάλην, ἀξιοῦται τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπωνυμίας τε καὶ δυνάμεως. Ὁ δὲ μέγας Πέτρος οὐ κατὰ μικρὸν δι᾽ αὐξήσεως προῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν χάριν ταύτην, ἀλλ᾽ ὁμοῦ τε ἤκουσε τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, καὶ ἐπίστευσε τῷ ἀμνῷ, καὶ ἐτελειώθη διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ προσφυεὶς τῇ πέτρᾳ Πέτρος ἐγένετο, Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Φίλιππος ὁ ἄξιος τῶν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων πολίτης, ἐπειδὴ εὕρημα τοῦ Κυρίου γενόμενος, καθώς φησιν Εὐαγγέλιον, ὅτι εὑρίσκει τὸν Φίλιππον ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀκόλουθος ἐχειροτονήθη τοῦ Λόγου τοῦ εἰπόντος, ὅτι Ἀχοζούθει μοί· καὶ τῷ φωτὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ προσεγγίσας, καθάπερ λύχνος ἐκεῖθεν ἔσπασε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς κοινωνίαν· καὶ περιλάμπει τὸν Ναθαναὴλ, δοδουχήσας αὐτῷ τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον, δι᾽ ὧν φησιν . Ὃν ἔγραψε Μωῦσῆς καὶ οἱ προφῆται εὑρήκαμεν Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας. Τοῦ δὲ Ναθαναὴλ ἐπιστατιχῶς δεξαμένου τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, διὰ τὸ μετὰ πάσης ἀχριδείας χατηχεῖσθαι παρὰ τῆς προφητείας αὑτὸν τὸ περὶ τὸν Κύριον μυστήριον, καὶ εἰδέναι μὲν ὅτι ἐκ Βηθλεὲμ ἡ πρώτη διὰ σαρκὸς γενήσεται θεοφάνεια, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν Ναζάροις διαγωγὴν, Νειζαραῖος κληθήσεται πρὸς ἀμφότερα τοίνυν ἀποσχοποῦντος καὶ λογιζομένου, ὅτι ἐν μὲν τῇ τοῦ Δαδὶὸ Βηθλεὲμ, διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως, ἀναγκαῖον ἦν γενέσθαι τὸ κατὰ τὸ σπήλαιον καὶ τὰ σπάργανα καὶ τὴν φάτνην μυστήριον ἡ δὲ Γαλιλαία ἐθνῶν τόπος ἐπονομασθήσεταί ποτε τῷ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐμφιλοχωρήσαντι Λόγῳ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συνθεμένου τῷ τὸ φῶς αὐτῷ τῆς γνώσεως φάναντι, καὶ εἰπόντος· ὅτι Ἐκκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι; Τότε ὁδηγὸς πρὸς τὴν χάριν ὁ Φίλιππος γίνεται, λέγων, Ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε. Διʼ ὧν καταλιπὼν ὁ Ναθαναὴλ τὴν τοῦ νόμου συκῆν, ἧς ἡ σκιὰ πρὸς τὴν μετουσίαν τοῦ φωτὸς διεκώλυε, χαταλαμδάνει τὸν τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀχαρπέαν ἀποξηραίνοντα. Διὸ καὶ μαρτυρεῖται παρὰ τοῦ Λόγου γνήσιος εἶναι οὐχὶ νόθος Ἰσραηλίτης, ἐν τῷ ἀδόλῳ τῆς προαιρέσεως καθαρὸν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ δεικνὺς τὸν χαραχτῖρα τοῦ πα-ς, τριάρχου. Ἴδε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσραηλίτης ἐν ᾧ δόλος Πρὸς ὅ τι δὲ βλέπει τὸ ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ διήγημα,· φανερόν ἔστι πάντως τοῖς εὐμαθεστέροις ἀκροαταῖς ἐκ τῆς προτεθείσης κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον ἡμῖν ἀναγνώσξως τῆς ἐκ τοῦ Λσματος τῶν ἀσμάτων. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ μὲν ᾿Ανδρέας τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ Ἰωάννου πρὸς τὸν ἀμνὸν ὡδηγήθη· ὁ δὲ Ναθαναὴλ φωταγωγηθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Φιλίππου, καὶ τῆς περιεχούσης αὐτὸν τοῦ νόμου σκιᾶς ἔξω γενόμενος, ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ γίνεται οὕτω καὶ αἱ νεάνιδες πρὸς τὴν εὕρεσιν τοῦ μηαὐταῖς ἀγαθοῦ χαθηγεμόνι χρῶνται τῇ τελειωθείσῃ διὰ τοῦ κάλλους ψυχῇ· λέγουσαι πρὸς αὖ- τὴν Ποῦ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ’ ἀδεῖφιδός σου, ἡ καλὴ ἐν γυναιξί; Ποῦ ἀπέδιλεψεν ὁ ἀδελ:ιδός σου, καὶ᾿ ζητήσομεν αὐτὸν μετὰ σοῦ ; ᾿Ακολούθως δὲ προσάγουσι τῇ διδασκάλῳ τὴν πεῦσιν αἱ παρθένοι ψυχαί. Πρῶτον γὰρ περὶ τοῦ τί ἐστιν ἐποίησαν τὸν λόγον, ἐν τῷ πρὸ ταύτης τῆς ῥήσεως ἐρωτήματι λέγουσαι ἀδελφιδός σου, ἡ καλὴ ἐν γυναιξίν; Ὅπερ διδαχθεῖσαι διὸ τῶν εἰρημένων σημείων, ὅτι λευκὸς καὶ πυῤῥὸς, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δι᾽ ὧν ὑπογράφει τὸ εἶδος τοῦ ζητουμένου, περὶ τοῦ ὅπου πυνθάνονται. Διὸ λέγουσι, Ποῦ ἀπη.1θεν ὁ ἀδελφιδός σου, ἣ ποῦ ἀπέ; Ἵνα πάντως ὅπου μέν ἐστι μαθοῦσαι, προσκυνήσωσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον οὗ ἔστησαν οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ, ὅπου δὲ ἀποδλέπει διδαχθεῖσαι, οὕτω στήσωσιν ἑᾳυτάς ὥστε καὶ αὐταῖς ἐποφθῆναι τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ οὗ ἡ ἐπιφάνεια σωτηρία τῶν ἐποπτευόντων γίνεται, καθώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης, ὅτι ᾿Επίφανον τὸ πρόσ- ὠπόν σου, καὶ σωθησόμεθα. Καὶ ἡ διδάσκαλος καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα Φιλίππου τοῦ εἰπόντος· Ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε, καθηγεῖται τῶν πάντων πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ζητουμένου κατάληψιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, τὸ Ἴδε, τὸν τόπον ὑποδεικνύουσα ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ὁ ζητούμενος, καὶ ὅπου βλέπει. Φησὶ γάρ· ὅτι ᾿Αδειφιδός μου κατέθη εἰς κῆπον εἰς φιάλας τοῦ ἀρώματος. Ἕως τούτου, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου σημαίνεται. Τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου, τί ὁρᾷ, καὶ ὅπου βλέπει τῷ λόγῳ δείκνυσιν ἡ διδάσκαλος, λέγουσα ὅτι Ποιμαίνειν ἐν κήποις καὶ συνάγειν κρίνα. Αὕτη μὲν ἡ σημαντικὴ τοῦ λόγου πρὸς τὰς νεάνιδάς ἐστιν ὁδηγία δι’ ὧν μανθάνουσι καὶ ὅπου ἐστὶ, καὶ ὅπον βλέπει. Χρὴ δὲ πάντως καὶ τὸ ὠφέλιμον τῆς θεοπνεύστου ταύτης ἐπιγνῶναι Γραφῆς διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς θεω- τ ρίας. Οὐκοῦν ὅταν ἀκούσωμεν ὅτι ᾿Αδειϊφιδὸς καῖἐδη εἰς κῆπον αὐτοῦ, τὸ Εὐαγγελικὸν μυστήριον διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων μανθάνομεν, ἑκάστου τῶν ὀνομάτων τοῦτον τὸν μυστικὸν λόγον ἡμῖν σαφηνίζοντος ὁ ἐν σαρκὶ φανερωθεὶς Θεὸς, διὰ τὸ ἐξ Ἰούδα μὲν ἀνατεῖ- λαι, λάμψαι δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις, καλῶς καὶ προσφυῶς τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ παρὰ τῆς μνηστευθείσης αὐτῷ πρὸς ἀΐδιον συζυγίαν χατονομάζεται, ἀδελφῆς οὔσης τοῦ Ἰούδα λαοῦ. Τὸ δὲ Κατέδη, δηλοῖ, ὅτε διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐς Ἱεριχὼ χκαταθάντα, καὶ ἕν. τοῖς λῃσταῖς γενόμενον· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς τῇ καθόδῳ τοῦ ἐμπεσόντος τοῖς πολεμίοις συγχατέρχεται᾽ δι᾽ ὧν σημαίνει τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀφράστου μεγαλειότητος γενομένὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ταπεινὸν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν συγχατάδασιν· διὰ δὲ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν κῆπον αἰνίγματος τοῦτο μανθάνομεν, ὅτι ἀναφυτεύει τὸ ἑαυτοῦ γεώργιον ὁ ἀληθινὸς γεωργὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν αὐτοῦ γεώργιον κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν, ὁ καταρχὰς ἐν παραδείσῳ γεωργήσας τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, ἣν ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ μονιοῦ τοῦ ἀγρίου χατανεμηθέντος ἡμῶν τὸν κῆπον καὶ λυμαινομένον τὸ θεῖον γεώργον, κατέδη τοῦ πάλιν ποιῆσαι κῆπον τὴν ἔρημον τῇ τῶν. ἀρετῶν φυτείᾳ χαλλωπιζόμενον· τὴν καθα- ρὰν καὶ θείαν τῆς διδασκαλίας πηγὴν, ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν φυτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν ὀχετήσας τῷ λόγῳ δὲ τοῦ ἀρώματος φιάλαι ἐν μὲν τῇ τοῦ κάλλους ὑπογραφῇ, πρὸς τὸ τῶν σιαγόνων ἐγκώμιον παρελήφθησᾶν, δι᾿ ὧν χαταλεαίνεται τὰ πνευματικὰ σιτία τοῖς τρεφομένοις· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τόπος εἶναι τοῦ νυμφίου καὶ ἐνδιαίτημα παρὰ τοῦ λόγου μηνύεται· τοῦτο μανθανόντων ἡμῶν, ὅτι οὔτε ἐν ἐρήμῳ τῶν ἀρετῶν ψυχῇ νυμφίος αὐλίζεται, εἴ τις κατὰ τὸν προαποδοθέντα λόγον φιάλη ἀρώματος γένοιτο φύουσα μυρεψιχά. Ὁ τοιοῦτος κρατὴρ τῆς σοφίας γενόμενος, δέχεται ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν θεῖον καὶ ἀκήρατον οἶνον, δι᾽ οὗ γίνεται τῷ Ὁ δὲ ἐφεξῆς λόγος διδάσκει , ἡμᾶς ποίαις νομαῖς τὰ ποίμνια τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος ᾿ πιαίνεται. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἐρήμους τινὰς καὶ ἀχανθοφόρους τόπους ἐξελαύνει τὰ πρόδατα, ὥστε τὴν χορτώδη δρέψασθαι πόαν· ἀλλὰ τροφὴ πρόκειται αὑτοῖς τὰ ἐκ τῶν κήπων ἀρώματα· ἀντὶ δὲ χόρτου, τὸ κρίνον γίνεται, ὅπερ φησὶ παρὰ τοῦ ποιμένος εἰς διατροφὴν τῶν προθάτων συλλέγεσθαι. Ταῦτα φιλοσοφοῦντος ἡμῖν διὰ τούτων τοῦ λόγον, ὅτι ἡ περιεκτικὴ τῶν ὄντων φύσις καὶ δύναμις, πάντα ἐν ἑαυτῇ περιείργουσα, τόπον ἑαυτῆς καὶ χώρημα ποιεῖται τῶν δεχομένων τὴν καθαρότητα, ἐν οἷς ὁ πολυειδῶς διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν κἧπος, κομᾷ μὲν τοῖς τῶν κρίνων ἄνθεσι, βρύει δὲ τῇ τῶν ἀρωμάτων χαρπογονίᾳ. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ κρίνα τοῦ λαμπροῦ καὶ καθαροῦ τῆς διανοίας αἴνιγμα γίνεται· ἡ δὲ τῶν ἀρωμάτων εὔπνοια, πάσης ἀμαρτιῶν δυσωδίας ἀλλοτρίως ἔχειν. Τοιούτοις ὖν φησι τὸν τῶν λογικῶν ἐπιστάτην ποιμνίων ἐναναστρέφεσθαι, ἐν μὲν τοῖς κήποις νομεύοντα, κρίνα πρὸς τὴν τῶν προθάτων διατροφὴν χείροντά καὶ συλλέγοντα· ἅπερ διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου τοῖς προθάτοις προτίθησι τοῦ ἐκ τῆς θείας ἀποθήκης προδάλλοντος ἡμῖν τὴν ἐκ τῶν κρίνων διατροφήν ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα, ὅσα ἀληθῆ, ὅσα σεμνὰ, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα προσφιλῇ, ὅσα ἅγια, ὅσα εὔφημα. εἴ τις ἀρετὴ, καὶ ἐξ τις ἔπαινος. Ταῦτά ἐστι, κατά γε τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον, τὰ κρίνα οἷς διατρέφεται παρὰ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος τε καὶ διδασκάλου τὸ ποίμνιον. Ὁ δὲ ἐφεξῆς λόγος, ὃν ἡ καθαρὰ καὶ ἀκηλίδωτος αὶ νύμφη πεποίηται λέγουσα· Ἐγὼ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου, καὶ ὁ, ἀδελφιδός μου ἐμοί· κανὼν καὶ ὄρος τῆς κατ᾽ ἀρετήν ἔστι τελειότητος. Μανθάνομεν γὰρ διὰ τούτων, τὸ μὴ δεῖν πλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μηδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχειν, μηδὲ πρὸς ἄλλο τι βλέπειν τὴν κεκαθαρμένην ψυχήν· ἀλλ᾽ οὕτως ἑαυτὴν ἐκκαθάραι παντὸς ὑλικοῦ πράγματός τε καὶ νοήματος, ὡς ὅλην δι᾿ ὅλου μετατεθεῖσαν πρὸς τὸ νοητόν τε καὶ ἄῦλον. ἐναργεστάτην εἰκόνα τοῦ ἀρχετύπου κάλλους ἑαυτὴν ἀπεργάσασθαι. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ πίνακος ἰδὼν τὴν γραφὴν δι ἀχριδείας πρὸς τὴν τοῦ. ἀρχετύπου μεμορφωμένην, μίαν ἀμφοτέρων εἶναι τὴν μορφὴν ἀποφαίνεται, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος κάλλος τοῦ πρωτοτύπου λέγων εἶναι, καὶ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον ἐναργῶς ἐν τῷ μιμήματι καθορᾶσθαι· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ εἰποῦσα, ὅτι Ἐγὼ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου, καὶ ὁ ἀδειφιδός μου ἐμοί· συμμεμορφῶσθαι λέγει τῷ Χριστῷ, τὸ ἴδιον κάλλος ἀπολαδοῦσά, τὴν πρώτην τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν μακαριότητα, κατ᾽ εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ πρώτου κάλλους τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ μόνου ὡραϊοθεῖσα. Καὶ οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ χατόπτρηυ γίνεται, ὅταν τεχνικῶς τε καὶ καταλλήλως τῇ χρείᾳ κατεσκευασμένον ἧ, ἐν καθαρᾷ τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ δι᾽ ἀχριθδείας ἐν ἑαυτῷ δείξει τοῦ ἐπιφανέντος προσπου τὸν χαρακτῆρα. οὕτως ἑαυτὴν ἡ ψυχὴ προσφόρως πῇ χρείᾳ κατασχευάσασα, καὶ πᾶσαν ὑλικὴν ἀποῤῥιψαμένη κηλίδα, καθαρὸν τοῦ ἀκηράτου κάλλους ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸ εἶδος ἀνετυπώσατο. Λέγει οὖν τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην, τὸ προαιρετικόν τε καὶ ἔμψυχον κάτοπτρον, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ τῷ κύκλῳ ἐγὼ ὅλῳ τὸ τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ πρόσπον βλέπω· διὰ τοῦτο ὅλον τῆς ἐκεῖνου μορφῆς τὸ κάλλος ἐν ἐμοὶ καθορᾶται. Ταύτας ἄντικρυς μιμεῖται. πὰς φωνὰς ὁ Παῦλος, λέγων τῷ Θεῷ ζῇν, ὁ νεκρὸς τῷ κόσμῳ γενόμενος, καὶ ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ζῇ ὁ Χριστὸς μόνος. Ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν, ὅτι ᾿Εμοὶ τὸ ζῇν Χριστός· τοῦτο διὰ τοῦ λόγου βοᾷ, ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τε καὶ ὑλικῶν παθημάτων ἐν αὐτῷ ζῇ, οὔτε ἡδονὴ, οὔτε λύπη, οὔτε θυμὸς, οὔτε φόθος, οὔτε δειλία, οὔτε πτόη σις, οὔτε τύφος, οὔτε θράσος, οὐ μνησικακία, οὐ φθόνος, οὖκ ἀμυντιχή τις διάθεσις, οὐ φιλοχρηματία, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τὴν ψυχὴν διά τινος σχέσεως κηλιδούντων· ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνός μοι μόνος ἐστὶν, ὃς οὐδὲν τούτων ἐστί. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ἕξω τῆς ἐκείνου φύσεως θεωρούμεγὸν ἀποξυσάμενος, οὐδὲν ἔχω ἐν ἐμαυτῷ τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἐν ἐκείνῳ οὐκ ἔστιν· οὗ χάριν, ἐμοὶ τὸ ζῇν Χριστός· ἢ καθὼς ἡ νύμφη· Ἐτὼ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ μου, καὶ ὁ ἀδελφιδός μου ἐμοί· ὅ ἐστιν ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ καθαρότης, καὶ ἀφθαροία, καὶ φῶς, καὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὅσα ποιμαίνει τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν, οὐκ χόρτοις τισὶν ἢ φρυγάνοις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότῆσι τῶν ἁγίων· ἡ γὰρ τῶν κρίνων φύσις ἐν τῷ λὰμπρῷ τῆς εὐχροίας ταύτην ὑπαινίσσεται ἡμῖν τὴν διάνοιαν. Οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοὺς λειμῶνας τῶν κρίνων ἄγει τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ποίμνιον ὁ ἐν τοῖς κρίνοις ποιμαίνων· ἵἴγα γένηται ἡ λαμπρότης Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς. Τῷ γὰρ εἴδει τῆς τροφῆς, συνδιατίθεται πάντως καὶ τὸ τρεφόμενον. Οἷόν τι λέγω Ἔστω καθ᾽ ὑπόθεσιν χοζλόν τι σκεῦος ἐξ ὑέλου, ἐν ᾧ πᾶν τὸ βαλλόμενον εἴη·, εἴτε τι τῶν καθαρῶν τε καὶ λαμπρῶν. Οὐκοῦν τὴν λαμπρότητα τῶν κρίνων ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐν τιθεὶς, λαμπρὰς δ αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς ἀπεργάζεται, διαφαινομένου τοῦ ἐγκειμένου εἴδους ἐπὶ τὸ ἔξωθεν. Ὡς δὲ ἂν πρὸς τὸ σαφέστερον ἡμῖν προαχθείη τὸ νόημὰ τοῦτο, φαμὲν, ὅτι τρέφεται μὲν ἡ ψυχὴ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν, κρίνα δὲ κατονομάζει τὰς ἀρετὰς διʼ αἰνίγμαπος· ὧν ὁ διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας ἐμφορηθεὶς, ἐπίδηλον ἑαυτὸν ποιεῖ, διὰ τοῦ βίου ἑκάστης ἀρετῆς τὸ εἶδος διὰ τοῦ ἤθους ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Ἔστω σοὶ κρίνον καθαρὸν ἡ σωφροσύνη τε καὶ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἀνδρία, καὶ φρόνησις, καὶ ὅσα φησὶν ᾿Απόστολος ἀληθῆ, ὅσα σεμνὰ, ὅσα προσφιλῆ, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα ἅγια, ὅσα εὕφημα· εἴ τις ἀρὲτὴ, καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ἑντὸς τἧς ψυχῆς γενόμενα τῷ καθαρῷ διαδείχνυται βίῳ, χαλλωπίζοντά τε τὸν περιέχοντα, καὶ αὐτὰ διὰ τοῦ εἰσδεξαμένου χαλλωπιζόμενα. Ἧ τοίνυν ἀναθεῖσα ἑαυτὴν τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ, καὶ δεξαμένη τοῦ ἀγαπηθέντος τὸ κάλλος ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ μορφῇ· οἴων ἀξιοὔται παρὰ τοῦ τοὺς ᾿δοξάζοντος ἀκούσωμεν διὰ τῆς προκειμένης τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἀκολουθίας. Φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν νύμφην ὁ Λόγος· Καλὴ εἶ, ἡ πλησίον μου, ὡς εὐδοκία· ὡραία ὡς Ἱερουσαλήμ· θάμδος ὡς τεταγμέναι, Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἡ δόξα παρὰ τῆς οὐρανίου στρατιᾶς ἀναπέμπεται τῷ ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας ἐν ταῖς ἀκοαῖς τῶν ποιμένων, ὅτε εἶδον γενηθεῖσαν ἐπὶ γῆς τὴν εἰρήνην· καὶ ὅτι πόλις τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου πάσης κτίσεως ὀνομάζεται, παντὶ δῆλον ἂν εἴη τῷ τοῖς εὐαγγελικοῖς χαθομιλήσαντι λόγοις -· ὡς διὰ τούτων μὴ ἀγνοῆσαι ποῖον μαρτυρεῖ τῇ νύμφῃ ὁ Λόγος κάλλος διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ πρὸς τὴν εὐδοκίαν συγκρίσεως. Δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι τοῦτο περὶ αὐτῆς ὁ Λόγος ἐνδείκνυται, διὰ τῆς χατορθουμένης ἀνόδου, μέχρις ἐκείνου τὴν, ψυχὴν ὑψωθῆναι, ὡς πρὸς τὰ τοῦ Δεσπόπου θαύματα ἑαυτὴν ἐπεκτεῖναι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεὸς, ὧν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας ἐν ἀνθρώποις αἴματι καὶ σαρκὶ χαταχιρνᾶται. ἵνα γενηθῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰρήνη· δῆλον ὅτι πρὸς ταύτην τὴν εὐδοκίαν, τὸ ἑαυτῆς ἁμοιώσασα κάλλος, πὸν Χριστὸν μιμεῖται τοῖς κατορθώμασιν ἐκεῖνο γινομένη τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὅπερ ὁ Χριστὸς τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο· καθάπερ καὶ ὁ μιμητὴς τοῦ Χριστοῦ Παῦλος ἐποίει, ἑαυτὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀφορίζων, ἵνα τῷ ἰδίῳ πάθει τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνταλλάξηται, λέγων - Εὐχόμην ἀγάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδειφρῶν μου, τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα. Πρὸς ὃν εἰκότως ἁρμόζει τῇ νύμφῃ τὸ εἰρημένον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τῆς Ψυχῆς σου τὸ κάλλος, οἵα ἢ τοῦ Δεσπότου γέγονεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εὐὖδοχία, ὃς ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε μορφὴν δούλου λαδὼν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ἀντάλλαγμα ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς, καὶ δι’ ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὧν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ ζήσωμεν, καὶ ἐν τῇ πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν, καὶ ἐν τῇ τῆς δουλείας αὐτοῦ μορφῇ βασιλεύσωμεν. Τὸ δὲ αὐτῆς μέγεθος, καὶ ἡ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὡραιότης ὁμοίως ἐνδείκνυται, τὴν ἄνω δηλαδῇ. Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὴν ἐλευθέραν, τὴν τῶν ἐλευθέρων μητέρα, ἣν πόλιν τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως εἶναι παρὰ τῆς Δεσπότου φωνῆς μεμαθήκαμεν. Ἡ γὰρ χωρήσασα ἐν αὑτῇ τὸν ἀχώρητον, ὥστε ἐνοικεῖν αὐτῇ καὶ ἐμπερ:τεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, τῇ ὡραιότητι τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ κατοινεται, τὸ ἐκείνης κάλλος ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῆς δεξαμένη· κάλλος δὲ τῆς πόλεως τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἡ ὡραιότης, αὐτὸ πάντως ἐστὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ κάλλος. Ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἐστι κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἡ ὡραιότης καὶ τὸ κάλλος, πρὸς ὃν ἡ προφητεία φησί· Τῇ ὡραιότητί σου καὶ τῷ κάλλει σου, καὶ δὔθυνον καὶ κατευοδοῦ, κχαὶ βασίλευε, ἕνεκεν ἀϊηθείας, καὶ πραότητος, καὶ δικαιοσύνης. Τούτοις γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον χαρακτηρίζεται, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ λέγω καὶ τῇ ʼδιχκαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τῇ πραότητι. Ἡ τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις κάλλεσι μορφωθεῖσα ψυχὴ, ὡραία γίνεται ὡς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ὥρᾳ καλλωπισθεῖσα. ᾿λλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν πρόδηλον ἔχει τοῦ τῆς νύμφης κάλλοὺς τὸν ἔπαινον, τῇ πρὸς τὴν εὐδοκίαν τε καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ συγκρίσει πληρούμενον. Τὸν δὲ ἐφεξῆς λόγον ἐγκώμιον μὲν εἶναι τῆς νύμφης οὐκ ἀμφιδάλλομεν· τὴν δὲ διάνοιαν καθ᾽ ἣν τῷ τοιούτῳ ἐπαίνῳ σεμνύνεται, ἡ τῆς εὐφημίας ταύτης ἀξιωθεῖσα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου μαθεῖν. Ἔχει γὰρ ἢ λέξις οὕτως· Θάμδος ὡς δυνάμεις τεταγμέγαι. Τάχα δʼ ἄν τις τοῖς προθεωρηθεῖσιν ἑπόμενος εἴποι, διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὴν ὑπερκόσμιον φύσιν συγκρίσεως μεγαλύνεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου διὰ τῶν ἐπαίνων τὴν νύμφην. Ἐκεῖναι γάρ εἰσιν αἱ τεταγμέναι δυνάμεις, ὅπου αἱ μὲν ᾿Εξουσίαι διαπαντὸς ἐν τῷ κυριεύειν εἰσί· κρατοῦσι δὲ δι᾽ ὅλου αἱ Κυριότητες· βεδήχασι γίως οἱ Θρόνοι, ἀδούλωτοι δὲ μένουσιν αἱ ᾿Αρχαί· εὐλογοῦσι δὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἀδιαλείπτως αἱ δυνάμεις, ἢ τε πτῆσις τῶν Σεραφὶμ οὐκ ἴσταται, καὶ ἡ στάσις οὐ μετα· καὶ τὰ Χερουδὶμ. ἀνέχοντα τὸν ὑψηλόν τε καὶ ἐπηρμένον θρόνον οὐκ ἀπολήγει· οἵ τε λειτουργοὶ ποιοῦντες τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἀκούοντες τῶν λόγων οὗ παύονται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν αἱ ἐξουσίαι αὗται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσὶ, καὶ ἡ τάξις τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ὑπερκοσμίων δυνάμεων, ἀσύγχυτος εἰς τὸ διηνοχὲς μένει, μηδεμιᾶς κακίας ἀνατρεπούσης τὴν εὐταξίαν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ πρὸς μίμησιν ἐκείνων ψυχὴ πάντα κατὰ τάξιν καὶ εὐσχημόνως ποιοῦσα, τοιοῦτον ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῆς κινεῖ τὸ θαῦμα, οἷον ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐκείναις ταῖς τεταγμέναις ἐστίν. Ἔκπληξις γὰρ ἡ τοῦ θάμόους ἑρμηνεύεται διάνοια. Διὰ δὲ τῆς ἐκπλήξεως τὸ θαῦμα νοοῦντες, τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἁμαρτάνομεν. ἯἩ δὲ τούτοις ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου προκειμένη ῥῆσις, ἀμφίδολα ποιεῖ τὰ πρόσωπα, παρ᾽ οὗ τε εἴρηται, καὶ πρὸς ὃν εἶπεν· ὅτι ᾿Απόστρεψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου ἀπεναντίον ἐμοῦ. Ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἀνεπτέρωσάν με. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ δοκεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου πρὸς τὴν καθαρὰν εἰρῆσθα!: ταῦτα ψυχήν ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ νύμφῃ πρέπειν ὑπονοῶ μᾶλλον τὸ ῥητὸν ἐφαρμόζεσθαι. Ταύτῃ γὰρ κατάλληλον εὑρίσχιυ τὴν τῶν σημαινομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου διάνοιαν. Τὰ δέ μοι παραστάντα δι᾿ ὀλίγων ἐχθήσομαι.·Ἄχουσα πολλαχοῦ τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς πτέρυγας εἶναι τῷ Θεῷ διηγουμένης. Νῦν μὲν τῆς προφητείας λεγούσης, ὅτι Ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκεπάσεις καὶ, ὅτι ᾿·Υπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτοῦ ἐιπιεῖς. Πάλιν δὲ τοῦ Μωῦσέως ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ὠδῇ τοῦτο ὑπογράὉ φοντος, ἐν οἷς φησιν᾽ ὅτι Διδὶς τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτοῦ ἐδέξατο αὑτούς· καὶ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυγαγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου, ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις συνἄγει τὰ γοσσία ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτῆς ! ἃ οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ προκειμένου νοήματος εἴποι τὶς ἂν εἶναι, πρὸς τὸ ἀκόλουθον βλέπων. Εἰ τοίνυν κατά τινα λόγον ἀπόῤῥητον πτέρυγας εἶναι περὶ τὴν θείαν φύσιν ὁ θεόπνευστος διορίζεται λόγος· ἡ δὲ πρώτη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευὴ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγενῆσθαι τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν μαρτύρεται’ πάντως ὅτι διὰ πάντων εἶχε κατ᾽ εἰκόνα γενόμενος τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον ὁμοιότητα. ᾿Αλλὰ μὴν ἑπτέρωται κατὰ τὴν ἁγίαν Γραφῆν, τὸ πρωτότυπον᾽ οὐκοῦν πτερόεσσα καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατεσκευάσθη φύσις, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν ἔχοι τὸ θεῖον ὁμοίωμα· δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τὸ πτερύγων ὄνομα διά τινος τροπιχῇς θεωρίας εἴς τι θεοπρεπὲς μεταληφθήσεται νόημα, δυνάμεώς τε καὶ μακαριότητος, καὶ ἀφθαρσίας καὶ τῶν τοιούτων διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῶν πτερύγων σημαινομένου, Ἐπεὶ οὖν ʼταῦτα καὶ περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἦν, ἕως ὅτε τῷ Θεῷ διὰ πάντων ὅμοιος ἦν’ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ἡ πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ῥοπὴ, τῶν τοιούτων πτερύγων ἡμᾶς ἀπεσύλησεν· ἔξω γὰρ τῆς σκέπης τοῦ Θεοῦ πτερύγων γενόμενοι, καὶ τῶν ἰδίων πτερύγων ἐγυμνώθημεν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεφάνη ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις φωτίζουσα ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἀποθέμενοι τὴν ἀσέδειαν, καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας, πάλιν δι᾽ ὁσιότητός τε καὶ δικαιοσύνης πτεροφυήσωμεν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ ταῦτα τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἀπεσχοηίνισται, πρέπει παρὰ τῆς νύμφης ὁμολογεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς γενομένην παρὰ τῶν θείων ὀφθαλμῶν χάριν. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐπεῖδεν ἡμᾶς τοῖς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἡμεῖς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχαίαν χάριν ἀνεπτερώθημεν. Ταῦτα οὖν οἶμαι διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τὸν λήγον ἐνδείκνυσθαι, ἃ προσευχόμενος ὁ Δαδὶδ ἐν ἑξεχαιδεχάτῃ ψαλμῳδίᾳ φησὶ πρὸς Κύριον, ὅτι Οἱ ὀρθαιλμοί σου ἰδέτωσαν δὐθύτητας, τὰς ἐμὰς δηλονότι. Ἑδοκχίμασας γὰρ τὴν καρδίαν μου, φησὶν, ἐπεσκέψω γυκτός· ἐπύρωσάς με, καὶ οὐκ εὑρέθη ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀδικία. ἴσον οὖν ἔστιν, εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οἱ ὀρθαλμοί σου ἰδέτωσαν εὐθύτητας· καὶ, ὅτι Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου τὸ ἐναντίον μὴ θεασάσθωσαν. Ὁ γὰρ τὸ εὐθὲς ἰδὼν, σχολιὸν οὐκ εἶδε· καὶ ὁ σχολιὸν δὴ ἰδὼν ντὸ εὐθὲς πάντως τεθέαται. Οὐκοῦν διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἐναντίου ὑπεξαιρέσεως τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς θείοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπιδείκνυσι, δι᾽ ὧν ἀναπτεροῦται πάλιν ἡ ψυχὴ, ἡ διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς τῶν πρωτοπλάστων πτεροῤῥυήσασα. Τοῦτο τοίνυν διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων κατενοήσαμεν· Ὅτε οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ ἐπιδλέπουσιν, ἀποστρέφονται ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου. Οὐ γὰρ ὄψονταί τι ἂν ἐμοὶ νῶν ἐναντιουμένων μοι. Διὰ τοῦτο γίνεταί μοι ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου, τὸ πάλιν πτερωθῆναι, καὶ ἀναλαδεῖν διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν τὰς πτέρυγας τῆς περιστερᾶς, δι᾽ ἧς γίνεταί μοι τῆς πτήσεως ἢ δύναμις· ὥστε πετασθῆναι καὶ καταπαῦσαι, ἐκείνην δηλαδὴ τὴν κατάπαυσιν, ἣν κατέπαυσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων. Πάλιν δὲ μετὰ τὰς φωνὰς ταύτας ἡ τοῦ κάλλους τῆς νύμφης ὑπογραφὴ διαδέχεται, τῶν εἰς τὴν ὥραν αὐτοῦ συντελούντων ἕκαστον διά τινος προσφυοῦς ὁμοιώσεως τοῦ λόγου σεμνύνοντος. Ἐπαινεῖται γὰρ αὑτῆς τῶν τε τριχῶν τὸ κάλλος, καὶ τῶν ὀδόντων ἡ θέσις, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ χείλους ἄνθος, καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ τῆς φωνῆς, τῆς τε παρειᾶς τὸ ἐρύθημα. Ὁ δὲ περὶ ἐκάστου τῶν εἰρημένων ἔπαινος, διά τινος καταλλήλου συγκρίσεώς τε καὶ παραθέσεως πληροῦται τῇ νύμφῃ. Αἱ μὲν γὰρ τρίχες ἀγέλαις αἰγῶν ταῖς ἀναφανείσαις ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλαὰδ ὡμοιώθησαν· αἱ ὃὲ τῶν κεκαρμένων ἀγέλαι διδύμοις τόκοις ἐπαγαλλόμεναι, τὸ τῶν ὁδόν τῶν ἐγκώμιον πληροῦσι διὰ τῆς ὁμοιώσεως᾽ σπαρτίῳ ἐει. Μαία ιμα ἱπείατ εοτγι ἰοὺς πιαίὶ ρυπιοϊ, τῆς ῥόας ἡ παρειὰ καλλωπίζεται, Ἔχει δὲ ἡ λέξις οὕτως· Τρίχωμά σου ἀγέλαι τῶν αἰγῶν, αἵ φάνησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλαάδ. Ὀδόντες σον ὡς ἀγέτροῦ, αἱ πᾶσαι διδυμεύουσαι, καὶ ἀτεκνοῦσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐταῖς. Ὡς σπαρτίον κόχχιγον χείλη σου, καὶ ἡ 1αλιά σου ὡραία. Ὡς λέπυρον ῥόας ᾿ μῆμλόν σου, ἐκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου. Ὧν ἀπάντων ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ἱκανῶς ἐξητασμένων περιττὸν ἂν εἴη διὰ τῆς τῶν αὐτῶν θεωρημάτων παλιλλογίας ὄχλον ἐπεισαγαγεῖν τῷ λόγῳ. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ νῦν τὸν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν λόγον ἐπιζητοίη γενέσθαι, διὰ τοὺς ἀνηχόους τῶν πρώτων εἰς τὰ ῥητὰ ταῦτα θεωρηθέντων᾽ δι᾽ ὁλίγων τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν αἰνιγμάτων ἐπιδραμούμεθα. Αἱ τρίχες τοῦ σώματος ἰδιάζουσαν ἔχουσι παρὰ τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα τὴν φύσιν. Παντὸς γὰρ τοῦ σώματος αἰσθητικῇ δυνάμει διακονουμένου, ἧς ἄνευ τοῦ ζῇν φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει· ζωὴ γὰρ τοῦ σώματός ἔστιν ἡ αἴσθησις· μόνας ὁρῶμεν τὰς τρίχας καὶ μέρος οὔσας τοῦ σώματος, καὶ ἀμοιρούσας αἰσθήσεως. Δείκνυσι δὲ ταύτην ἐπὶ τοῦ μέρους τούτου τὴν ἰδιότητα, τὸ μήτε διὰ καύσεως μήτε διὰ τομῆς καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ ἄλλου σώματος καὶ ταύτας ἀλγύνεσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνὴν, δόξα ἧς γυναικός ἔστιν ἡ χόμτ, διὰ τῶν πλοκάμων τὴν κεφαλὴν ὡραΐζουσα· τοῦτο διὰ τοῦ ἐπαίνου τῶν τῆς γύμφης τριχῶν διδασκόμεθα, ὅτι χρὴ τοὺς περὶ τὴν χοφαλὴν τῆς νύμφης θεωρουμένους, δι᾽ ὧν ἡ Ἐκκλησία δοξάζεται, κρείττους τῶν αἰσθήσεων εἶναι, κρύπτοντας διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὴν αἴσθησιν. Καθὼς ἡ Παροιμία φησίν· ὅτι Σοφοὶ κρύπτουσιν αἴσθησιν, οἷς οὐκ ὅρασις τοῦ καλοῦ κριτήριον γίνεται, οὔτε τῇ γεύσει τὸ ἀγαθὸν δοκιμάζεται, οὐκ ὀσφρήσει τε καὶ ἁφῇ, οὐδὲ ἄλλῳ τινὶ αἰσθητηρίῳ ἣ τοῦ καλοῦ ἐπιτρέπεται κρίσις· ἀλλὰ πάσης νεκρωθείσῃς αἰσθήσεως διὰ μόνης τῆς ψυχῆς, τῶν κατ᾽ ἔννοιαν φαινομένων ἀγαθῶν ἐφάπτονται καὶ ἐπορέγονται, καὶ οὕτω δοξάζουσι τὴν γυναῖκα, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, οὔτε τιμαῖς οὔτε μιχροψυχίαις πρὸς τὰ λυπηρὰ συστελλόμενοι ʼ ἀλλὰ κἂν τέμνεσθαι δέῃ διὰ τὴν ἐς Χριστὸν πίστιν, κἂν θηρίοις ἣ πυρὶ βάλλεσθαι, κἂν ἄλλο τι τῶν λυπηρῶν ὑπομένειν, τὴν. τῶν τριχῶν ἀναισθησίαν ἐν τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν ὑποκρίνονται. Ὁ Τοιοῦτος ἦν Ἠλίας ὁ ἐκ τοῦ Γαλαὰδ ἀνασχὼν δασεξ καὶ αὐχμῶντι τῷ σώματι, δέρμασιν αἰγὸς ἐσχεπασμένος, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀπειλὴν τοῦ τυράννου ἀπτόητος. Ὅσοι τοίνυν κατὰ μίμησιν τῆς τοῦ προφήτου μεγαλοφυῖας τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς ἑαυτοὺς ὑπεραίρουσιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιδόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις, καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος· οὗτοι ἀγεληδὸν περὶ τὴν νοῦ παντὸς κεφαλὴν θεωρούμενοι, δόξα γίνονται τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, . ἐπὶ τὴν οὐράνιον χάριν τῷ Γαλααδίτῃ συναναδαίΤὸ δὲ τῆς αἰγὸς ζῶον εἰς τὸν τῶν τριχῶν ἔπαινον παρελήφθη, τάχα μὲν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ φύσις τοῦ τοι του ζώου καταχλήλως πρὸς τὴν γένεσιν τῶν τριχῶν κατεσκεύασται ὥστε αἴνιγμα τοῦ διὰ τῶν τριχῶν κόσμου ενέσθαι τὸ ζῶον, τὸ ταῖς θριξὶ φυσικῶς δασυνόμενον· ἢ ὅτι διὰ τῶν πετρῶν ἀνολισθήτως βαίνει, καὶ περὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων ἀναστρέφεται, διὰ τῶν δυσπορεύτων καὶ ἀποτόμων εὐθαρσῶς τὴν πορείαν ποιούμενον· ὅπερ τοῖς τὴν τραχεῖαν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδὸν κατορθοῦσι προσφυῶς·, Μᾶλλον δ᾽ ἄν τις εἴποι διὰ τὸ πρὸς πολλὰ τῆς νομικῆς ἱερουργίας ὑπὸ τοῦ νομοθέτου παρειλῆφθαι τὸ ζῶον, συντελεῖν ταύτας τῇ κεφαλῇ πρὸς ἐγκώμιον. Οἵδα δὲ ἐν τοῖς τἧς Παροιμίας αἰνίγμασιν ἐν τοῖς τέσσαρσι τοῖς εὐοδουμένοις, καὶ τοῦτο τῶν καλῶς διαθαινόντων ἀπηριθμῆσθαι τὸν τράγον τὸν ἡγούμενον τοῦ αἰπολίου. Ὃ δὲ περὶ πούτου στοχαστικῶς ὑπονοοῦμεν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Πᾶν ὀπιτήδευμα δι᾽ ἑνὸς ἀρχόμενον εἰς πολλοὺς διαδίδοται· ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς χαλχευτιχῆς ἡ Γραφὴ τὸν Θόδελ εὑρετὴν τῆς τέχνης εἰποῦσα, πάντων τῶν μετ᾽ αὐτὸν μεταχειριζομένων τοῦ σιδήρου τὴν ἐργασίαν ἐς ἐκχεῖνον ἀνάγει τὴν ἐπιστήμην·. οὕτω καὶ τῆς ποιμαντικῆς ὁ ΓΑδελ ἡγήσατο, καὶ Κάϊν τῆς γεωργίας, καὶ τὸν Νεόρὼδ ἀρχηγὸν λέγει τῆς κυνηγετιχῇς ἐπιστήμης, καὶ τῆς ἀμπελουργίας τὸν Νῶε, ᾿καὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος τὸν Ἐτνώς φησιν ἄρξασθαι· καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας ἔττι διδαχθῆναι ραφῆς, ὅτι ἑνός τι ἐπιτηδεύσαντος εἰσῆλθε κατὰ μίμησιν εἰς τὸν βίον τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοῦ θείου ζήλου διχφερόντως κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐξοχὴν ὁ Ἠλίου καθηγήσατο, ὅσοι μετ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐκείνου μιμησάμενοι ζῆλον, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἴχνεσι τῆς τοῦ προφήτου παῤῥησίας ἐπηκολούθησαν, αἰπόλιον γεγόνασι τοῦ ἡγησαμένου τῆς τοιαύτῆς ζωῆς, οἴτινες δόξα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἔπαινος Ὑίνονται, εἰς τὸν τῶν τριχῶν χαταταγέντες κόσμον, ὧν ἡ αἰσθητικὴ ζωὴ κεχώρισται καὶ ἢλλοτρίωται Διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων πληροῖ καὶ τοῖς ὀδοῦσι τὸν ἔπαινον. Οὗτοι δ᾽ ἂν εἶεν οἱ τρέφοντες δι᾽ ἑαυτῶν τῆς ἘἜχχλησίας τὸ σῶμα, οὗς βούλεται μὲν πάντοτε ὡς ἀπὸ λουτροῦ καθαροὺς ὁρᾶσθαι, ἀπερίττους διὰ παντὸς τὰς τρίχας, ὡς ἀπὸ προσφάτου κουρᾶς· κατὰ δὲ τὸν τόκὸν τῶν ἀρετῶν διδυμεύοντας, τῆς διπλῆς καθαρότῆτος γενομένους πατέρας, τῆς τε κατὰ ψυχὴν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ σῶμα θεωρουμένης· ὡς ἐξόριστον εἶναι τῶν ὀδόντων τούτων, πᾶν τὸ ἀγονοῦν ἐν τῷ κρείττονι. Τὸ δὲ σπαρτίον τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ χείλους τιθέμενον, τὴν μεμετρημένην τοῦ λόγον διακονίαν παραδηλοῖ τῷ ἢ αἰνίγματι, ὅπερ ὁ Προφήτης φυλακήν τε καὶ θύραν περιοχῆς κατωνόμασεν· ὅταν ἐν καιρῷ στόμα τοῦ λόγου, χϑὶ κατὰ καιρὸν χαταχλείηται. τρου δὲ ὄνομα τὸ σπαρτίον εἶναι, παρὰ τῆς προφητείας τοῦ Ζαχαρίου μεμαθήκαμεν᾽ ὅτι σπαρτίον γεωμετρικὸν ἐν χερσὶν εἶχεν ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλῶν ἄγγελος. Τέτε δὲ μάλιστα τυγχάνει τοῦ μέτρου ὁ λόγος, ὅταν τύχῃ τῷ ἐρυθήματι, ὅπερ τοῦ αἴ: ματος τοῦ λυτρωσαμένου ἡμᾶς αἴνιγμα γίνεται. Ἐὰν μέν τις κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον λαλοῦντα ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Χριστὸν, τὸν ἰδίῳ αἵματι λυτρωσάμενον ἡμᾶς, οὗτος ἔχεις τὸ γεωμΞξτριχὸν σπαρτίον ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος, τῇ Ὁ δ᾽ ἐφεξῆς λέγος, ἑρμηνεία ἐστὶ τοῦ πρόσθεν αἰνίγματος. Λαλιὰν γὰρ ὡραίαν ὀνομάζει τὸ σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον, δι᾽ οὗ πάλιν σημαίνει τὸ καθαρὸν καὶ ἔμμετρον. Τὸ γὰρ ἀχριδῶς ὡραῖον, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ καιρῷ τῆς ἀκμῆς προφαινόμενον, οὔτε ἄωρόν ἐστιν, οὔτε ἕξωρον. Τῷ δὲ λεπύρῳ τῆς ῥόας τὸ μῆλον τῆς παρειᾶς ὡραΐζων, μεγάλην τινὰ προσμαρτυρεῖ τῇ νύμφῃ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τελειότητα. Σημαίνει γὰρ μὴ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν αὐτῇ παρεσκευάσθαι, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὴν εἶναι θησαυρὸν ἑαυτῆς, παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ παρασκευὴν ἐν ἑαυτῇ περιέχουσαν. Ὡς γὰρ λεπύρῳ περιέχεται τῆς ῥόας τὸ ἐδώδιμον· οὕτως ἐνδείκνυται τῷ φαινομένῳ κάλλει τοῦ βίου τὸν ἔνδον αὐτῆς θησαυρὸν περιέχεσθαι. Οὗτος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ κρυπτὸς θησαυρὸς τῶν ἐλπίδων, ὁ ἴδιος καρπὸς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὁ τῷ ἐναρέτῳ βίῳ καθάπερ τινὶ ῥόας λεπύρῳ περιχρατούμενος. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου, ταύτην οἶμαι τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχειν, ὅτι Ὁ ἔπαινός σου οὖκ ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων τοσοῦτόν ἔστιν, ὅσα τῷ λόγῳ μηνύεται ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον, ὅσα σιωπῇ ἀποκέκρυπται τὴν τοῦ λόγου διαφεύγοντα μήνυσιν.·Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἐκτὸς τοῦ λόγου ἡ σιωπὴ νοεῖται, οὕτω τὸ ἐκτὸς σιωπῆς τὸν λόγον νοῶν τις, οὐκ ἁμαρτήσεται. Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ σιωπῶμεν, ὃ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων ἀδυνατοῦμεν αγγεΐλαι. Εἰ οὖν τὸ ἐκτὸς ἐκείνου ἡ σιωπὴ νοεῖται, τὸ ἐκτὸς σιωπῆς ἀκόλουθον πάντως τὸν λόγον οἴεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ὁ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἑκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου, τοῦτο σαφῶς τῷ λόγῳ παρίστησιν, ὅτι καλὰ μέν ἔστι καὶ μεγάλα τὰ τῷ λόγῳ φανῆναι δυνάμενα, ὅσα ἐκτός ἐστι τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου. Τὰ δὲ τοῦ λόγου ἐκτὸς, τὰ τῇ σιωπῇ χαλυπτόμενα, τὰ ἄῤῥητά τε καὶ ἀνεχφώνητα, πάντως καὶ θαυμασιώτερα τῶν ἐκφωνουμένων. ᾿Ακούσωμεν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἐπαίνων, ὧν ἡ διάνοια τῷ τῆς ἱστορίας ἔοικε φρέατι, ᾧπέρ τις λίθος ἐπέχων τὸ στόμιον, ἄπορον ποιεῖ ταῖς ποιμαινούσαις τὴν μετουσίαν τοῦ ὕδατος· ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Ἰακὼδ ἐπιστὰς ἀναμοχλίζξει τε τοῦ στομίου τὸν λίθον, καὶ πλήρη τὰ ποτιστήρια ποιήσας τοῦ ὕδατος, ἔδωκε τοῖς θρέμμασι κατ᾽ ἐξουσίαν ἐντρυφῆσαι τῶν ναμάτων. Ὁ Τίνα τοίνυν ἐστὶν, ἃ τῷ τοιούτῳ φρέατι προσειχάζομεν; Ἑξήκοντά εἰσι βασίλισσαι, καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα παλλακαὶ, γεάγιδες ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. Μία ἐστὶ περιστερά μου, τελεία μου. Μία ἐστὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὑτῆς, ἐκιλεχκτική ἐστι τῇ τεκούσῃ αὐτήν. τίς οὖν ἡμῖν ἀποκυλίσει τῆς ἀσαφείας ταύτης τὸν λίθον ; Τίς ἐξαντλήσει τῶν νοημάτων τὸ ὕδωρ οὕτως ἐν βάθει χκαταχείμενον, ὡς ἀνέφικτον εἶναι τῷ ἣμετέρῳ λόγῳ ; ᾿Αλλά μοι καλῶς ἔχειν δοκεῖ τοῦτο ταὶς ἀκοαῖς ὑμῶν διαμαρτύρασθαι, ὅτι τὸ ταῦτα γνῶναι μόνων ἐκείνων ἐστὶν, πρὸς οὖς φησιν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος· ὅτι Ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε, ἐν παντὶ όγῳ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει. Ἢ δὲ ἡμετέρα πενία τῶν προκειμένων τοῦ λόγου θησαυρῶν περιδράξασθαι ἀδυνάτως ἔχει· πλὴν ὡς ἂν τοῦ τῆς ἀργίας χαταχρέματος ἔξω γενοέμεθα, διὰ τὸν ἐρευνᾷν τὰς Γραφὰς ἡμῖν νομοθετήσαντα· μικρόν τινα καὶ τούτοις ἱδρῶτα προσθεῖναι οὐ χατοχνήσομεν. Φαμὲν τοίνυν δόγμα τι τῶν ἀστειοτέρων τὴν ἐν τοῖς ῥητοῖς τούτοις φιλοσοφίαν διὰ τῶν ἐπαίνων τῆς νύμφης ἡμῖν παρατίθεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ δόγμα τοιοῦτόν ἔστιν· Οὐ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀκολουθίας καὶ τάξεως κτίζεται τὰ ὄντα καὶ ἀναχτίζεται. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς διὰ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἡ τῆς κτίσεως ὑφίστατο φύσις, ἐφ᾽ ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἀδιαστάτως τῇ ἀρχῇ συναπηρτίσθη τὸ πέρας, πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγενομένοις ὁμοῦ τῇ ἀρχῇ συνανασχούσης τῆς τελειότητος. Ἕν δὲ τῶν κτισθέγτων καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις ἐστὶν, οὐδὲ αὐτὴ καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἄλλων ἐκ προαγωγῆς προελθοῦσα ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον· ἀλλ᾽ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ὑπάρξεως συμπλασθεῖσα τῇ τελειότητι. ᾿Εγέγετο γὰρ, ὡς ὁ Λόγος φησὶ, κατ᾽ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ καὶ ὁμοίωσιν. Ὅπερ ἐνδείκνυται τὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀκρότατόν τε καὶ τελειότατον, Τί γὰρ ἂν ὑπέρτερον εὑρεθείη τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ὁμοιώσεως ; Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς πρώτης κτίσεως, ἀδιαστάτως τῇ ἀρχῇ συνανεφάνη τὸ πέρας, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τελειότητος ἡ φύσις τοῦ εἶναι ἤρξατο. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῷ θανάτῳ διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὴν κακίαν σχέσεως οἰχειωθεῖσα, τῆς ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ διαμονῆς ἀπεῤῥύη· οὐκ ἀθρόαν καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα τῆς συστάσεως τῆς πρώτης ἐπαναλαμδάνει τὴν τελειότητα, ἀλλ᾽ ὁδῷ τινι πρόεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον, διά τινος ( ἀκολουθίας καὶ τάξεως κατ᾽ ὀλίγον ἀποσχεναζομένη τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία προσπάθειαν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς πρώτης κατασκευῇς, οὐδὲν ἦν τὸ κωλύον συνδραμεῖν τῇ γενέσει τὸ τῆς φύσεως τέλειον, κακίας οὐκ οὔσης· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας ἀναστοιχειώσεως, ἀναγκαίως ακολουθήσει πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον ἀγαθὸν ἀνατρεχούσῃ ᾿ διότι τῇ ὑλικῇ προσπαθείᾳ συνδεθεῖσα διὰ κακίας ἡμῶν ἡ διάνοια, κατ᾽ ὀλίγον, ὥσπερ φλοιοῦ τινος τοῦ περιέχοντος διὰ τῆς ἀστειοτέρας ἀγωγῆς περιξυομένη, τὴν συμφυῖαν ἀπωθεῖται τοῦ χείρονος. Τούτου χάριν πολλὰς εἶναι παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ μονὰς μεμαθήκαμεν, κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐν ἑκάστῳ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν σχέσεως, καὶ τῆς τοῦ χείρονος ἀποστάσεως, ἕτοιμαζομένης πᾶσι τῆς ἀντιδόσεως. Ὁ μὲν γάρ τις ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς τοῦ βελτίονός ἔστι βρώσεως, ἄρτι καθάπερ ἐκ βυθοῦ τινος τοῦ κατὰ κακίαν βίου πρὸς τὴν μετουσίαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀνανηξάμενος· τῷ δέ τις γέγονεν ἤδη δι᾽ ἐπιμελείας προσθήκη τοῦ κρείττονος· ἄλλος ἐπιπλεῖον διὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπηυξήθη· ὁ δὲ μέσης ἔχει τῆς τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἀναδάσεως· ἕτερος καὶ τὸ μέσον παρέδραμεν· εἰσὶ δέ τινες καὶ οἱ τούτων ἑαυτοὺς ὑπεράραντες· ἄλλοι κἀκείνους καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτους ἕτεροι πρὸς τὸν ἄνω δρόμον συντείνονται· καὶ ὅλως κατὰ τὴν ποιχίλῃην τῶν προαιρέσεων διαφορὰν ἕκαστον ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ δέχεται τάγματι, τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν· ἀπηπληρῶν τοῖς πᾶσι, καὶ συνάγων τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις τὰς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀμοιβὰς, καὶ συμμετρῶν ἐλάττοσι. Ταῦτα διὰ τῶν προκειμένων ῥητῶν φιλοσοφεῖν τὸν λόγον ὑπενοήσαμεν, τὴν διαφορὰν τῶν ψυχῶν, αἵ πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον ὁρῶσιν, ἕν οἷς εἰρημένοις ἡμῖν διαστελαντα. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ ὀνομάζει νεάνιδας, τὴν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ φύσιν διὰ τοῦ πλήθους νικώσας· ἄλλας δὲ παλλακίδας· καὶ ἄλλας βασιλίδας εἶναί φησιν· ὀχτωδεχάδι τῶν παλλακίδων τὸν ἀριθμὸν περιγράψας· τὰς δὲ βασιλίδας συντελεῖν εἰπὼν εἰς ἑξήκοντα, ὑπερτίθησι πασῶν τὴν ἕν τῇ μονάδι θεωρουμένην τελείαν περιστερὰν, ἣν καὶ μόγὴν τῇ μητρὶ, καὶ ἐχλεχτιχὴν εἶναι τῇ τεκούσῃ αὖτὴν ἀποφαίνεται. Ταῦτα οὖν διὰ τῶν θείων λογίων νηεζν ἐναγόμεθα, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄρτι νηδύος τινὸς τῆς ἐν βάθει κειμένης ἀπάτης ἔξω γενόμενοι, ἀρτιγενεῖς τινες ὄντες, καὶ οὕπω διηρθρωμένοι ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν λόγον χωρήσαντες, τῇ ἀλογωτέρᾳ συγκαταθέσει τῆς πίστεως ἐν ἀπείρῳ θεωροῦνται πλήθει· σωτήριον μὲν εἶναι πεπιστευκότες τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸν λόγον, οὗ μὴν ἐπιστήμῃ τινὶ καὶ τῇ διὰ τοῦ λόγου πληροφορίᾳ ἱδρυμένην ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ ὀνομασθεῖσαι νεάνιδες, διὰ τὸ νέαν ἄγειν τὴν πνευμαπιχὴν ἡλικίαν, αἵ γεννηθεῖσαι τῷ λόγῳ τῆς πίστεως, οὐδέπω διὰ τῆς καθηχούσης αὐξήσεως τοιαῦται γεγόνασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ γάμων ἀκμὴν προελθεῖν, καὶ φθάσαι εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον γαμικχῆςς ἡλικίας. Ὥστε φόδῳ τοῦ Κυρίου δύνασθαι χυοφορῆσαι, καὶ πνεῦμα σωτηρίας παιδοποιήσασθαι. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἔτι τῷ νηπίῳ τε καὶ ἀτελεῖ τῆς διανοίας, ἀλογωτέρᾳ πως συζῶσι τῇ διαθέσει. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτοι τῶν σωζομένων εἰσὶ, χαϑώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης· ὅτι Ἁγθρώπους καὶ κτήνη σώσεις, Κύριβ᾽· κτήνη λέγων τὸ ἀλογώτερον μέρος τῶν σωζομένων. Τῶν δὲ διὰ τῆς χαθηχούσης ἐπιμελείας αὐξηθέν· τῶν τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ καταλελοιπότων ἤδη τὴν νηπιότητα, διπλῆν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου τὴν διαφορὰν διδασκόμεθα. Γίνονται μὲν γὰρ αἱ ψυχαὶ καὶ σύσσωμοι τῷ Λόγῳ, καὶ αὖται ᾿κἀκεῖναι· ἀλλ᾽ αἱ μὲν ἐρωτικῇ τινι διαθέσει προσχολλῶνται· οἵα ἣν ἣ τοῦ Δαδιδ, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Παύλου ψυχή· ἡ μὲν λέγουσα τὸ,·Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ προσκο.1λᾶσθαι τῷ Θεῷ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν· Ὁ ἢ δὲ τὸ, Οὐδεὶς χωρίσει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐ ζωὴ, οὐ θάνατος, οὗ τὸ παρὸν, οὐ τὸ μέλλον, οὐκ ἄλ.1ο τι τῶν ὄντων οὐδέν. Αἱ δὲ φόδῳ κολάσεως τὰς μοιχιχὰς ἀποφεύγουσι πείρας. Μένουσι γὰρ ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ καὶ αὗται - ἀλλὰ τῷ μᾶλλον ἣ τῷ πόθῳ παιδαγωγούμεναι μόνῳ, τὸ κακὸν οὐ προσδέχονται. Αἱ μὲν οὖν διὰ τῆς τελειοπέρας διαθέσεως πόθῳ τῇς ἀφθαρσίας ἀναχραθεῖσαι τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ καθαρότητι, βασίλισσαι διὰ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς βασιλείας χατονομάζονται. Τὰς δὲ τῷ τῆς ἀπειλῆς φόδῳ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐχπονούσας, παλλακίδας ὀνομάζει ὁ λόνος. Οὔπω γάρ τις αὐτῶν μήτηρ βα διλέως και κοινωνὸς τῆς ἀξίας γενέσθαι δυνατῶς ἔχει. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν δυνηθείη, ἡ μηδέπω ἀναλαδοῦσα ἑαυτῇ τὸ ἀδέσποτον καὶ αὐτοχρατὲς τοῦ ἐναρέτου τῶν κακῶν χοιγωνίας ἀφισταμένη ; Ὑποδείγματα δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐστὶν, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν βαδιλίδων, τὸ κατὰ τοὺς τῆς δεξιᾶς στάσεως ἠξιωμένους, πρὸς οὖς ὁ βασιλεὺς λέγει· Δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κιληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν· τοῦ δὲ δευτέρου. καὶ ὑφειμένου τάγματος εἶεν ἂν ἐκεῖνοι, πρὸς οὗς λέγει ὁ Κύριος - Φοδήθητε τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν ἐμδαλεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενγαν τοῦ πυρός. Ταύτην δέ μοι δοκεῖ τῆν διαστολὴν τῶν δύο ταγμάτων, ἡ κατὰ τοὺς ἀριθμοὺς διαφορὰ παραδηλοῦν δι᾽ αἰνίγματος. Πῶς τοῦτό φημι ; Ἕξ εἰσιν ἐντολαὶ, δι᾽ ὧν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς δεξιοῖς ἑτοιμάζεται. Λογισώμεθα τούτων ἔκαστον τὸ δεσποτικὸν εἶναι τάλαντον, ὃ προσήκει παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ πιστοῦ οἰκέτου δεχαπλασιασθῆναι διὰ τῆς ἐργασίας, ἵνα οὕτως εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτοῦ, ἐν ὀλίγοις πιστὸς εὑρεθεὶς, καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν καθιστάμενος. Εἰ τοίνυν διὰ τῶν ἕξ τούτων ἐντολῶν ἡ τῆς βασιλείας γίνεται τῇ Ψυχῇ κοινωνία· δὲ τέλειον τῆς ἐργασίας ἐφ᾽ ἑκάστης ἐστὶ τὸ δεχαπλασιάσαι τὴν ἐντολὴν, καθὼς ἔφη ὁ ἀγαθὸς δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος, ὅτι Δέκα τάλαντα τὸ ἕν σου τάλαντον κατειργάσατο· εὑρίσκομεν ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου τὴν μίαν βασίλίσσαν, εἰς ἑξήκοντα πλατυνομένην· τὴν διὰ τοῦ δεχαπλασιασμοῦ τῶν ἐξ ἐντολῶν ἐς κοινωνίαν τῆς βασιλείας παραδεχθεῖσαν· ὡς πολλὰς εἶναι τὴν μίαν τῷ α καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἰδιαζόντως ἐμμορφωϑεῖσαν. Οὕτως οὖν εἰς ἑξήκοντα βασιλίδας ἡ μία καταμερίξεται, πρὸς τὰ εἴδη τῶν ἐντολῶν διαιρουμένη· καὶ γίνεται κοινωνὸς τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ βατιλείας νύμφη, δῆμος βασιλίδων ἡ μία γεγενημένη, ἡ διὰ ΟΣ τῶν κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἀξιωμάτων ἀριθμηΕἰ δὲ τὴν ἑξάδα τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν μιᾷ κατὰ τὸ δεχαπλάσιον γεωργηθεῖσαν ψυχὴν διὰ τῶν ἑξήκοντα βασιλίδων σημαίνεσθαι δι᾽ αἰνίγματος, οὐκ ἕξω τοῦ εἰκότος ὑπενοήσαμεν᾽ ἀκολούθως καὶ διὰ τῶν ὀγδοήκοντα τὸ τῆς Ὀγδόης μυστήριον παραδηλοῦσθαί φαμεν διὰ τοῦ ὁμοίου αἰνίγματος· πρὸς ἣν βλέποντες οἱ τῷ φόθῳ παιδαγωγούμενοι, τῆς τῶν κακῶν κοινωνίας ἀπείργονται. Οὕτως γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ψαλμῳδίαις ἐμάθομεν, ἐν αἷς προτέτακται διὰ τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς ἡ ὈὈγδόη· μαστιγουμένων δὲ ἄντικρύς εἰσιν αἱ φωναὶ, τῷ φόδῳ τῶν ἐλπιζομένων εἰς ἕλεον τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐπικάμπτουσαι, Φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν φοδερὸν κριτὴν ὁ πρὸς τὴν Ὀγδόην βλέπων Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ σου παιδεύσῃς με. ᾿Ελέησόν με, Κύριδ, ὅτι ἀσθεγής εἰμι· ἴασαί με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐταράχθη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. Καὶ ὅσα ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου τῷ ἀδεχάστῳ κριτῇ διὰ τῆς ἱκετηρίας προτείνεται, ἐν οἷς καὶ τὸ μὴ εἶναι Θεοῦ μνήμην ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὀδύρεται. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν εἴη δυνατὸν τοῖς κλαυθμῷ τε και βρυγμῷ καταδεδιχασμένοις, τὴν ἐκ τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφροσύνην ἐγγίνεσθαι ; Οὕτως εἰπόντος ἐτέρωθι τοῦ Προφήτου, ὅτι ἡ μνήμη τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφροσύνην ποιεῖ, Ταῦτα οὖν καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτά τινα προτεινόμενος ὁ δεδοικὼς τὴν Ὀγδόην, ἐν αἰσθήσει τῆς τοῦ ἐλέους γίνεται μετουσίας λέγων·ὅτι Εἰσήχουσετῆς φωγῆς τοῦ κιαυθμοῦ μου. Πολλῶν δὲ μακαρίων φόδων ὑπὸ τῆς ἁγίας δηλουμένων Γραφῆς, εἴη ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων ἀναλόγως ταῖς ἕξ ἐντολαῖς, ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ δεχαπλάσιον αὔξησις· ὥστε τὸν διδαχθέντα παρὰ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας, πῶς κατορθοῦται ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου φόδος, ἐκ τοῦ ἐκκλῖναι μὲν ἀπὸ κακοῦ, ποιεῖν δὲ τὰ ἀγαθά· οἷόν τινα μνᾶν, ἣ τάλαντον, δεχαπλασιάσαι διὰ τῆς ἐργασίας τὸ χρῆμα τοῦ θείου φόδου. Καὶ οὕτως τὴν δευτερεύουσαν μετὰ τὴν βασιλίδα ψυχὴν ἣ φόδῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀγάπῃ τὸ καλὸν κατεργάζεται, πρὸς τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ὀγδοήκοντα πλατυνθῆναι, ἕκαστον εἶδος τῶν διὰ φόθου κατορθουμένων ἐπὶ τοῦ βίου ἑαυτῆς ἀσυγχύτως τε καὶ ἀχεχρυμμένως δεικνύουσα· ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς ὀγδόης λόγον, τῇ πρὸς τὸ δεχαπλάσιον αὐξήσει συμπλατυνθῆναι, καὶ γενέσθαι φόδῳ δουλιχῷ, καὶ οὐχὶ χὴν ἀντὶ τῆς βασιλίδος· διὰ τὸν τῆς ὈΟγδόης φόδον, δεκαπλασίως ἐν τοῖς κατορθώμασιν ηὔξησεν, εἰς τὸν ἀριθμὸν συντελοῦσαν τῶν ὀγδοήκοντα. Ἣν κελεύει καὶ ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας λόγος νόθῳ, προσκαίρῳ, καὶ οὐκ εὐγενεῖ τόκῳ ὑπηρετήσασαν, μὴ συνοικεῖν εἰς τέλος τῇ βασιλίδι· ὡς οὐκ οὔσης ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου τῆς βασιλικῇς ς κληρονομίας τῇ δουλικῇ γονῇ πρὸς τὸν ἐλεύθερον τόκον. ΓἜχδα,ε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν παιδίσκην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὑτῆς. Οὐγὰρ μὴ κληρονομήσῃ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκῆς μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. Εἰ δέ τινι βιαιοτέρα φαίνεται ἣ εἰς τὸν προκείμενον τοῖς ῥητοῖς ἀριθμὸν θεωρία, ἀναμνησθήτω ὅτι καὶ κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τυχεῖν τῆς ἐν τούτοις ἀληθείας ἐμαρτυράμεθα, τοσοῦτον μόνον ἅψασθαι, ὅσον μὴ ἀγύμναστα καθ᾽ ὅλου παραδραμεῖν τὰ αἰνίγματα. Πλὴν εἰ ἔξω βάλοι τὸν φόδον ἣ ἀγάπη τελείως, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καὶ μεταποιηθεὶς ὁ φόθος, ἀγάπη γένοιτο· τότε εὑρίσκεται μονὰς τὸ σωζόμενον, ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸ μόνον ἀγαθὸν συμφυΐᾳ, πάντων ἀλλήλοις ἐνωθέντων, διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν περιστερὰν τελειότητος. Τοιοῦτον γάρ τι νοοῦμεν ἐκ τοῦ ἐφεξῆς λόγου, ὅς φησιν ὅτι Μία ἐστὶ περιστερά μου. τεδία μου. Μία ἐστὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὑτῆς, ἐκχιλεχτιχή ἐστι τῇ τεκούσῃ αὐτήν. Ὅπερ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου φωνῆς σαφέστερον ἑρμηνεύεται. Πᾶσαν γὰρ τοῖς μαγηταῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἐναποτιθέμενος διὰ ἧς εὐλογίας δύναμιν, τά τε ἄλλα διὰ τῶν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα λόγων ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις χαρίζεται, προστίθησι δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸ κεφάλαιον, τὸ μηκέτι αὑτοὺς ἐν διαφορᾷ τινι προαιρέσεων ἐν τῇ περὶ τοῦ καλοῦ κρίσει πολλαχῇ διασχίζεσθαι ἀλλ᾽ ὃν γενέσθαι τοὺς πάντας, τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ μόνῳ ἀγαθῷ συμφυέντας· ὥστε διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ἑνότητος, καθώς φησιν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης διασφιγχθέντας, ἕν σῶμα γενέσθαι τοὺς πάντος, καὶ ἕν πνεῦμα, διὰ μιᾶς ἐλπίδος εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθησαν. Βέλτιον δ᾽ ἂν εἴη αὐτὰς ἐπὶ λέξεως παραθέσθαι τὰς θείας τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου φωνάς. Ἵνα πάντες ἕν ὦσιν καθὼς σὺ, Πάτερ, ἐν ἐμοὶ, κἀγὼ ἐν σοί· ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ὃν ὧσι. Τὸ δὲ συνδετιχὸν τῆς ἑνότητος ταύτης, ἡ δόξα ἐστέ δόξαν δὲ λέγεσθαι τὸ Ἠνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, οὐκ ἄν τις τῶν ἐπεσχεμμένων ἀντείποι, πρὸς αὐτὰς βλέπων τὰς τοῦ Κυρίου φωνάς. Τὴν δόξαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἥν ὄδωχάς μοι, δέδωκα αὐτοῖς. Ἔδωκε γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ποῖς μαθηταῖς τοιαύτην δόξαν, ὁ εἰπὼν πρὸς αὐτούς· Λάδετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. ἼἜλαδε δὲ ταύτην τὴν δόξαν, ἣν πάντοτε εἶχε πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι, ὁ τὴν ἀντοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ συγγενὲς ἡ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Π᾿ εὐματος διάδοσις γίνεται, ἀπὸ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀρξαμένη. Διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Τὴ δόξαν ἣν ἔδωκάς μοι, δέδωκα αὐτοῖς. Ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν, καθὼς ἡμεῖς ἔν ἐσμεν. ᾿Εγὼ ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ σὺ ἐν ἐμοὶ, ἵνα ὦσι τετε.Ἰειωμένοι εἰς τὸ ἔν. Ὃ τοίνυν ἔκ μὲν νηπίου πρὸς ἄνδρα τέλειον ἀναδραμὼν διὰ τῆς αὐξήσεως, καὶ φθάσας εἰς τὸ μέτρον τῆς νοητῆς ἡλικίας, ἐκ δὲ τῆς δούλης τε καὶ τῆς παλλαχίδος τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἀξίαν μεταλαδών’ δεκτικὸς δὲ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος δόξης γενόμενος δι᾿ ἀπαθείας καὶ καθαρότητος, οὗτός ἐστιν ἡ τελεία περιστερὰ, πρὸς ἣν ὁ νυμφίος ὁρᾷ λέγων· ὅτι Μία ἐστὶ περιστερά μου, τε.δία μοῦ. Μία ἐστὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς, ἐκλεκτική ἐστι τῇ τεκούσῃ αὐὖτήν. Οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν δὲ πάντως τὴν μητέρα τῆς περιστερᾶς, ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γνωρίσαντες. Ὡς γὰρ ἄνθρωπον θεασάμενοι, ἐξ ἀνθρώπου αὐτὸν εἶναι οὐκ ἀμφιδάλλομεν· οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἐκλεκτῆς περιστερᾶς τὴν μητέρα ζητοῦντες, οὐκ ἄλλην τινὰ ἣ ἐκείνὴν τὴν περιστερὰν ἐνοήσαμεν. Τῷ γὰρ τέκνῳ πάνπως ἡ τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ἐπιθεωρεῖται φύσις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ γεγευνημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος Πνεῦμά ἔστι· περιστερὰ δὲ τὸ τέκνον· περιστερὰ δὲ πάντως καὶ ἡ τοῦ τέκνου μήτηρ ἐστὶν, ἡ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἐξ οὐρανῶν καταπτᾶσα, καθὼς Ἰωάννης φησὶ καὶ μαρτύρεται. Ταύτην μακαρίζουσιν αὲ νεάνιδες, ταύτην αἰνοῦσι παλλακαὶ καὶ βασίλισσαι. Κοινὸς γὰρ ἐκ παντὸς τάγματος πρόκειται πάσαις ταῖς ψυχαῖς δρόμὸς πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην μακαριότητα. Διό φασιν· Ἴδοσαν αὑτὴν θυγατέρες, καὶ μακαριοῦσιν αὖτήν· πα.λλακαὶ καὶ βασίλισσαι αἱγέσουσιν. Φύσις δὲ πᾶσά ἔστι πρὸς τὸ μακάριόν τε καὶ ἐπαινούμενον τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ συντείνεσθαι., Ὥστε εἰ μακαρίζουσι τὴν περιστερὰν αἱ θυγατέρες, ἐπιθυμοῦσι πάντως γενέσθαι περιστεραὶ καὶ αὗται. Καὶ τὸ αἰνεῖσθαι τὴν περιστερὰν παρὰ τῶν παλλακίδων, τεκμήριόν ἔστι τοῦ καὶ ταύτας πρὸς τὸ ἐπαινούμενον τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχειν᾽ ἕως ἂν πάντων ἕν γενομένων, τῶν πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν σκοπὸν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας βλεπόντων, μηδεμιᾶς ἐν μηδενὶ κακίας ὑπολειφθείσης, γένηται ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἂν πᾶσι, τοῖς διὰ τῆς ἑνότητος ἀλλήλοις ἐν τῇ τοῦ
Pou apēlthen ho adelphidos sou, hē kaiē tēsomen hauton meta sou? Ho adelphidos mou katethē eis kēpon hautou, eis phialas tou arōmatos, poimainein en kēpois, kai sy..legein krina. Egō tǭ adelphidǭ mon, kai ho adeiphidos mon emoi, ho poimainōn en tois krinois Kalē ei, hē plēsion mou, hōs eudokia, hōraia hōs Hierousalēm, orthamous sou apenagtion mou, hoti autoi anepterōsan me. Trichōma sou hōs agelai tōn aigōn, aneranēsan apo tou Galaad. ᾿Odontes sou hōs agelai tōn kekarmenōn, hai anedēsan apo tou;Soutrou, hai pasai didymeuousai, kai ateknousa ouyk estin en hautais. Hōs spartion kokkinon cheilē sou, kai hē .alia sou hōraia. Hōs epyros tēs rhoas mēlon sou ektos tēs siōpēseōs sou. Hexēkongta basilissai, kai ogdoēkonta palilakai, kai geagides hōn ouk estin arithmos. Mia esti peristera mou, teleia mou. Mia esti tę̄ mētri autēs, eklektē tę̄ tekousę̄ hautēn. Ho ek tēs poleōs ᾿Andreou kai Petrou martyrētheis einai Philippos ho apostolos; enkōmion gar moi dokei tou Philippou touto, to poletēn auton genesthae tōn adelphōn tōn prothaumasthentōn en Euangeliǭ dia tēs peri autōn historias. Ho men gar ᾿Andreas, hypodeixantos tou Baptistou, tis estin ho ᾿Amnos ho airōn tēn hamartian tou. kosmou, autos te to mystēron katenoēse, katopin tou deichthentos akolouthēsas, kai hopou menei mathōn kai tǭ idiǭ adelphǭ pareinai ton promēnythenta para tēs prophēteias euangelezetai. Ho de phthasas mikrou dein tę̄ pistei tēn akoēn, holę̄ tę̄ psychę̄ prostithetai tǭ amnǭ, kai dia tēs tou onomatos hypallagēs metapoieitai para tou Kyriou pros to theioteron; anti Simōnos Petros kai onomastheis, kai genomenos. Kai toi tǭ ᾿Adraam kai tę̄ Sarrhą pollois hysteron chronois meta pollas theophaneias, tēs ek tōn onomatōn metadidōsin eulogias ho Kyrios - ton men patera, tēn de archousan dia tēs tōn onomatōn metapoiēseōs cheirotonēsas, Hōsautōs de kai ho Iakōd meta tēn pannychion palēn, axioutai tēs tou Israēl epōnymias te kai dynameōs. Ho de megas Petros ou kata mikron di᾽ auxēseōs proēlthen epi tēn charin tautēn, all᾽ homou te ēkouse tou adelphou, kai episteuse tǭ amnǭ, kai eteleiōthē dia tēs pisteōs, kai prosphyeis tę̄ petrą Petros egeneto, Houtos toinyn ho Philippos ho axios tōn tosoutōn kai tēlikoutōn politēs, epeidē heurēma tou Kyriou genomenos, kathōs phēsin Euangelion, hoti heuriskei ton Philippon ho Iēsous, akolouthos echeirotonēthē tou Logou tou eipontos, hoti Achozouthei moi; kai tǭ phōti tǭ alēthinǭ prosengisas, kathaper lychnos ekeithen espase pros heauton tēn tou phōtos koinōnian; kai perilampei ton Nathanaēl, dodouchēsas autǭ to tēs eusebeias mystērion, di᾽ hōn phēsin . Hon egrapse Mōysēs kai hoi prophētai heurēkamen Iēsoun ton apo Nazaret tēs Galilaias. Tou de Nathanaēl epistatichōs dexamenou to Euangelion, dia to meta pasēs achrideias chatēcheisthai para tēs prophēteias hauton to peri ton Kyrion mystērion, kai eidenai men hoti ek Bēthleem hē prōtē dia sarkos genēsetai theophaneia, dia de tēn en Nazarois diagōgēn, Neizaraios klēthēsetai pros amphotera toinyn aposchopountos kai logizomenou, hoti en men tę̄ tou Dadio Bēthleem, dia tēn oikonomian tēs kata sarka gennēseōs, anankaion ēn genesthai to kata to spēlaion kai ta spargana kai tēn phatnēn mystērion hē de Galilaia ethnōn topos eponomasthēsetai pote tǭ tois ethnesin emphilochōrēsanti Logǭ; kai dia touto synthemenou tǭ to phōs autǭ tēs gnōseōs phananti, kai eipontos; hoti Ekk Nazaret dynatai ti agathon einai? Tote hodēgos pros tēn charin ho Philippos ginetai, legōn, Erchou kai ide. Diʼ hōn katalipōn ho Nathanaēl tēn tou nomou sykēn, hēs hē skia pros tēn metousian tou phōtos diekōlye, chatalamdanei ton ta phylla tēs sykēs dia tēn tōn agathōn acharpean apoxērainonta. Dio kai martyreitai para tou Logou gnēsios einai ouchi nothos Israēlitēs, en tǭ adolǭ tēs proaireseōs katharon eph᾽ heautou deiknys ton charachtira tou pa-s, triarchou. Ide gar, phēsin, Israēlitēs en hǭ dolos Pros ho ti de blepei to en tǭ prooimiǭ diēgēma,; phaneron esti pantōs tois eumathesterois akroatais ek tēs protetheisēs kata to akolouthon hēmin anagnōsxōs tēs ek tou Lsmatos tōn asmatōn. Hōs gar ho men ᾿Andreas tę̄ phōnę̄ tou Iōannou pros ton amnon hōdēgēthē; ho de Nathanaēl phōtagōgētheis para tou Philippou, kai tēs periechousēs auton tou nomou skias exō genomenos, en tǭ phōti tǭ alēthinǭ ginetai houtō kai hai neanides pros tēn heuresin tou mēautais agathou chathēgemoni chrōntai tę̄ teleiōtheisę̄ dia tou kallous psychę̄; legousai pros au- tēn Pou apēlthen ho’ adeiphidos sou, hē kalē en gynaixi? Pou apedilepsen ho adel:idos sou, kai᾿ zētēsomen auton meta sou ? ᾿Akolouthōs de prosagousi tę̄ didaskalǭ tēn peusin hai parthenoi psychai. Prōton gar peri tou ti estin epoiēsan ton logon, en tǭ pro tautēs tēs rhēseōs erōtēmati legousai adelphidos sou, hē kalē en gynaixin? Hoper didachtheisai dio tōn eirēmenōn sēmeiōn, hoti leukos kai pyrrhos, kai ta loipa di᾽ hōn hypographei to eidos tou zētoumenou, peri tou hopou pynthanontai. Dio legousi, Pou apē.1then ho adelphidos sou, hē pou ape? Hina pantōs hopou men esti mathousai, proskynēsōsin eis ton topon hou estēsan hoi podes autou, hopou de apodlepei didachtheisai, houtō stēsōsin heąutas hōste kai autais epophthēnai tēn doxan autou hou hē epiphaneia sōtēria tōn epopteuontōn ginetai, kathōs phēsin ho Prophētēs, hoti ᾿Epiphanon to pros- ōpon sou, kai sōthēsometha. Kai hē didaskalos kath᾽ homoiotēta Philippou tou eipontos; Erchou kai ide, kathēgeitai tōn pantōn pros tēn tou zētoumenou katalēpsin, anti tou eipein, to Ide, ton topon hypodeiknyousa en hǭ estin ho zētoumenos, kai hopou blepei. Phēsi gar; hoti ᾿Adeiphidos mou katethē eis kēpon eis phialas tou arōmatos. Heōs toutou, en hǭ estin hypo tou logou sēmainetai. To de apo toutou, ti horą, kai hopou blepei tǭ logǭ deiknysin hē didaskalos, legousa hoti Poimainein en kēpois kai synagein krina. Hautē men hē sēmantikē tou logou pros tas neanidas estin hodēgia di’ hōn manthanousi kai hopou esti, kai hopon blepei. Chrē de pantōs kai to ōphelimon tēs theopneustou tautēs epignōnai Graphēs dia tēs pneumatikēs theō- t rias. Oukoun hotan akousōmen hoti ᾿Adeiïphidos kaiedē eis kēpon autou, to Euangelikon mystērion dia tōn eirēmenōn manthanomen, hekastou tōn onomatōn touton ton mystikon logon hēmin saphēnizontos ho en sarki phanerōtheis Theos, dia to ex Iouda men anatei- lai, lampsai de tois ethnesi tois en skotei kai skią thanatou kathēmenois, kalōs kai prosphyōs tǭ onomati tou adelphidou para tēs mnēsteutheisēs autǭ pros aïdion syzygian chatonomazetai, adelphēs ousēs tou Iouda laou. To de Katedē, dēloi, hote dia ton apo Hierousalēm es Hierichō chkatathanta, kai hen. tois lę̄stais genomenon; dia touto kai autos tę̄ kathodǭ tou empesontos tois polemiois synchaterchetai᾽ di᾽ hōn sēmainei tēn ek tēs aphrastou megaleiotētos genomenēn epi to tapeinon tēs physeōs hēmōn synchatadasin; dia de tou kata ton kēpon ainigmatos touto manthanomen, hoti anaphyteuei to heautou geōrgion ho alēthinos geōrgos hēmas tous anthrōpous, Hēmeis gar esmen autou geōrgion kata tēn Paulou phōnēn. Epei oun ekeinos estin, ho katarchas en paradeisǭ geōrgēsas tēn anthrōpinēn physin, hēn ephyteusen ho Patēr ho ouranios dia touto tou moniou tou agriou chatanemēthentos hēmōn ton kēpon kai lymainomenon to theion geōrgon, katedē tou palin poiēsai kēpon tēn erēmon tę̄ tōn. aretōn phyteią challōpizomenon; tēn katha- ran kai theian tēs didaskalias pēgēn, epi tēn tōn phytōn epimeleian ochetēsas tǭ logǭ de tou arōmatos phialai en men tę̄ tou kallous hypographę̄, pros to tōn siagonōn enkōmion parelēphthēsan, di᾿ hōn chataleainetai ta pneumatika sitia tois trephomenois; entautha de topos einai tou nymphiou kai endiaitēma para tou logou mēnyetai; touto manthanontōn hēmōn, hoti oute en erēmǭ tōn aretōn psychę̄ nymphios aulizetai, ei tis kata ton proapodothenta logon phialē arōmatos genoito phyousa myrepsicha. Ho toioutos kratēr tēs sophias genomenos, dechetai en heautǭ ton theion kai akēraton oinon, di᾽ hou ginetai tǭ Ho de ephexēs logos didaskei , hēmas poiais nomais ta poimnia tou kalou poimenos ᾿ piainetai. Ou gar eis erēmous tinas kai achanthophorous topous exelaunei ta prodata, hōste tēn chortōdē drepsasthai poan; alla trophē prokeitai hautois ta ek tōn kēpōn arōmata; anti de chortou, to krinon ginetai, hoper phēsi para tou poimenos eis diatrophēn tōn prothatōn syllegesthai. Tauta philosophountos hēmin dia toutōn tou logon, hoti hē periektikē tōn ontōn physis kai dynamis, panta en heautę̄ perieirgousa, topon heautēs kai chōrēma poieitai tōn dechomenōn tēn katharotēta, en hois ho polyeidōs dia tōn aretōn kēpos, komą men tois tōn krinōn anthesi, bryei de tę̄ tōn arōmatōn charpogonią. Ta men gar krina tou lamprou kai katharou tēs dianoias ainigma ginetai; hē de tōn arōmatōn eupnoia, pasēs amartiōn dysōdias allotriōs echein. Toioutois yn phēsi ton tōn logikōn epistatēn poimniōn enanastrephesthai, en men tois kēpois nomeuonta, krina pros tēn tōn prothatōn diatrophēn cheironta kai syllegonta; haper dia tou megalou Paulou tois prothatois protithēsi tou ek tēs theias apothēkēs prodallontos hēmin tēn ek tōn krinōn diatrophēn esti de tauta, hosa alēthē, hosa semna, hosa dikaia, hosa prosphilę̄, hosa hagia, hosa euphēma. ei tis aretē, kai ex tis epainos. Tauta esti, kata ge ton emon logon, ta krina hois diatrephetai para tou kalou poimenos te kai didaskalou to poimnion. Ho de ephexēs logos, hon hē kathara kai akēlidōtos ai nymphē pepoiētai legousa; Egō tǭ adelphidǭ mou, kai ho, adelphidos mou emoi; kanōn kai oros tēs kat᾽ aretēn esti teleiotētos. Manthanomen gar dia toutōn, to mē dein plēn tou Theou mēden en heautǭ echein, mēde pros allo ti blepein tēn kekatharmenēn psychēn; all᾽ houtōs heautēn ekkatharai pantos hylikou pragmatos te kai noēmatos, hōs holēn di᾿ holou metatetheisan pros to noēton te kai aulon. enargestatēn eikona tou archetypou kallous heautēn apergasasthai. Kai hōsper ho epi tou pinakos idōn tēn graphēn di achrideias pros tēn tou. archetypou memorphōmenēn, mian amphoterōn einai tēn morphēn apophainetai, kai to epi tēs eikonos kallos tou prōtotypou legōn einai, kai to archetypon enargōs en tǭ mimēmati kathorasthai; ton auton tropon hē eipousa, hoti Egō tǭ adelphidǭ mou, kai ho adeiphidos mou emoi; symmemorphōsthai legei tǭ Christǭ, to idion kallos apoladousa, tēn prōtēn tēs physeōs hēmōn makariotēta, kat᾽ eikona kai homoiōsin tou prōtou kallous tou alēthinou kai monou hōraïotheisa. Kai hoion epi tou chatoptrēu ginetai, hotan technikōs te kai katallēlōs tę̄ chreią kateskeuasmenon hē, en katharą tę̄ epiphaneią di᾽ achrithdeias en heautǭ deixei tou epiphanentos prospou ton charaktēra. houtōs heautēn hē psychē prosphorōs pę̄ chreią katascheuasasa, kai pasan hylikēn aporrhipsamenē kēlida, katharon tou akēratou kallous en heautę̄ to eidos anetypōsato. Legei oun tēn phōnēn tautēn, to proairetikon te kai empsychon katoptron, hoti Epeidē tǭ kyklǭ egō holǭ to tou adelphidou prospon blepō; dia touto holon tēs ekeinou morphēs to kallos en emoi kathoratai. Tautas antikrys mimeitai. pas phōnas ho Paulos, legōn tǭ Theǭ zę̄n, ho nekros tǭ kosmǭ genomenos, kai hoti en autǭ zę̄ ho Christos monos. Ho gar eipōn, hoti ᾿Emoi to zę̄n Christos; touto dia tou logou boą, hoti ouden tōn anthrōpinōn te kai hylikōn pathēmatōn en autǭ zę̄, oute hēdonē, oute lypē, oute thymos, oute phothos, oute deilia, oute ptoē sis, oute typhos, oute thrasos, ou mnēsikakia, ou phthonos, ouk amyntichē tis diathesis, ou philochrēmatia, ouk allo ti tōn tēn psychēn dia tinos scheseōs kēlidountōn; all᾽ ekeinos moi monos estin, hos ouden toutōn esti. Pan gar to hexō tēs ekeinou physeōs theōroumegon apoxysamenos, ouden echō en emautǭ toiouton, hoion en ekeinǭ ouk estin; hou charin, emoi to zę̄n Christos; ē kathōs hē nymphē; Etō tǭ adelphidǭ mou, kai ho adelphidos mou emoi; ho estin hagiasmos, kai katharotēs, kai aphtharoia, kai phōs, kai alētheia, kai ta toiauta, hosa poimainei tēn emēn psychēn, ouk chortois tisin ē phryganois, all᾽ en tais lamprotēsi tōn hagiōn; hē gar tōn krinōn physis en tǭ lamprǭ tēs euchroias tautēn hypainissetai hēmin tēn dianoian. Oukoun dia touto epi tous leimōnas tōn krinōn agei to heautou poimnion ho en tois krinois poimainōn; hiiga genētai hē lamprotēs Kyriou tou Theou hēmōn eph᾽ hēmas. Tǭ gar eidei tēs trophēs, syndiatithetai pantōs kai to trephomenon. Hoion ti legō Estō kath᾽ hypothesin chozlon ti skeuos ex hyelou, en hǭ pan to ballomenon eiē;, eite ti tōn katharōn te kai lamprōn. Oukoun tēn lamprotēta tōn krinōn tais psychais en titheis, lampras d autōn tas psychas apergazetai, diaphainomenou tou enkeimenou eidous epi to exōthen. Hōs de an pros to saphesteron hēmin proachtheiē to noēma touto, phamen, hoti trephetai men hē psychē dia tōn aretōn, krina de katonomazei tas aretas diʼ ainigmapos; hōn ho dia tēs agathēs politeias emphorētheis, epidēlon heauton poiei, dia tou biou hekastēs aretēs to eidos dia tou ēthous epideiknymenos. Estō soi krinon katharon hē sōphrosynē te kai dikaiosynē, kai andria, kai phronēsis, kai hosa phēsin ᾿Apostolos alēthē, hosa semna, hosa prosphilē, hosa dikaia, hosa hagia, hosa heuphēma; ei tis aretē, kai ei tis epainos. Tauta gar panta hentos tēs psychēs genomena tǭ katharǭ diadeichnytai biǭ, challōpizonta te ton periechonta, kai auta dia tou eisdexamenou challōpizomena. Hē toinyn anatheisa heautēn tǭ adelphidǭ, kai dexamenē tou agapēthentos to kallos en tę̄ idią morphę̄; oiōn axioutai para tou tous ᾿doxazontos akousōmen dia tēs prokeimenēs tois rhēmasin akolouthias. Phēsi gar pros tēn nymphēn ho Logos; Kalē ei, hē plēsion mou, hōs eudokia; hōraia hōs Hierousalēm; thamdos hōs tetagmenai, Hoti men oun hē doxa para tēs ouraniou stratias anapempetai tǭ en hypsistois Theǭ hyper tēs en anthrōpois eudokias en tais akoais tōn poimenōn, hote eidon genētheisan epi gēs tēn eirēnēn; kai hoti polis tou megalou basileōs Hierousalēm para tou Despotou pasēs ktiseōs onomazetai, panti dēlon an eiē tǭ tois euangelikois chathomilēsanti logois -; hōs dia toutōn mē agnoēsai poion martyrei tę̄ nymphę̄ ho Logos kallos dia tēs pros tēn Hierousalēm kai pros tēn eudokian synkriseōs. Dēlon gar hoti touto peri autēs ho Logos endeiknytai, dia tēs chatorthoumenēs anodou, mechris ekeinou tēn, psychēn hypsōthēnai, hōs pros ta tou Despopou thaumata heautēn epekteinai. Ei gar ho en hypsistois Theos, hōn en tois kolpois tou Patros, hyper tēs eudokias en anthrōpois aimati kai sarki chatachirnatai. hina genēthę̄ epi tēs gēs eirēnē; dēlon hoti pros tautēn tēn eudokian, to heautēs hamoiōsasa kallos, pon Christon mimeitai tois katorthōmasin ekeino ginomenē tois allois, hoper ho Christos tę̄ physei tōn anthrōpōn egeneto; kathaper kai ho mimētēs tou Christou Paulos epoiei, heauton tēs zōēs aphorizōn, hina tǭ idiǭ pathei tēn sōtērian tou Israēl antallaxētai, legōn - Euchomēn agathema einai apo tou Christou, hyper tōn adeiphrōn mou, tōn syngenōn mou kata sarka. Pros hon eikotōs harmozei tę̄ nymphę̄ to eirēmenon eipein, hoti Toiouton esti tēs Psychēs sou to kallos, hoia ē tou Despotou gegonen hyper hēmōn euydochia, hos heauton ekenōse morphēn doulou ladōn, kai edōken heauton antallagma hyper tēs tou kosmou zōēs, kai di’ hēmas eptōcheuse plousios hōn, hina hēmeis en tǭ thanatǭ autou zēsōmen, kai en tę̄ ptōcheią ploutēsōmen, kai en tę̄ tēs douleias autou morphę̄ basileusōmen. To de autēs megethos, kai hē tēs Hierousalēm hōraiotēs homoiōs endeiknytai, tēn anō dēladę̄. Hierousalēm, tēn eleutheran, tēn tōn eleutherōn mētera, hēn polin tou megalou basileōs einai para tēs Despotou phōnēs memathēkamen. Hē gar chōrēsasa en hautę̄ ton achōrēton, hōste enoikein autę̄ kai emper:tein ton Theon, tę̄ hōraiotēti tou en autę̄ katoinetai, to ekeinēs kallos eph᾽ heautēs dexamenē; kallos de tēs poleōs tou basileōs kai hē hōraiotēs, auto pantōs esti tou basileōs to kallos. Ekeinos gar esti kata ton logon tēs psalmǭdias hē hōraiotēs kai to kallos, pros hon hē prophēteia phēsi; Tę̄ hōraiotēti sou kai tǭ kallei sou, kai dythynon kai kateuodou, kchai basileue, heneken aïētheias, kai praotētos, kai dikaiosynēs. Toutois gar to Theion charaktērizetai, tę̄ alētheią legō kai tę̄ ʼdichkaiosynę̄, kai tę̄ praotēti. Hē toinyn en tois toioutois kallesi morphōtheisa psychē, hōraia ginetai hōs Hierousalēm, tę̄ tou basileōs hōrą kallōpistheisa. ᾿llla tauta men prodēlon echei tou tēs nymphēs kallous ton epainon, tę̄ pros tēn eudokian te kai tēn Hierousalēm synkrisei plēroumenon. Ton de ephexēs logon enkōmion men einai tēs nymphēs ouk amphidallomen; tēn de dianoian kath᾽ hēn tǭ toioutǭ epainǭ semnynetai, hē tēs euphēmias tautēs axiōtheisa, ouk estin ek tou procheirou mathein. Echei gar ē lexis houtōs; Thamdos hōs dynameis tetagmegai. Tacha dʼ an tis tois protheōrētheisin hepomenos eipoi, dia tēs pros tēn hyperkosmion physin synkriseōs megalynesthai hypo tou logou dia tōn epainōn tēn nymphēn. Ekeinai gar eisin hai tetagmenai dynameis, hopou hai men ᾿Exousiai diapantos en tǭ kyrieuein eisi; kratousi de di᾽ holou hai Kyriotētes; bedēchasi giōs hoi Thronoi, adoulōtoi de menousin hai ᾿Archai; eulogousi de ton Theon adialeiptōs hai dynameis, ē te ptēsis tōn Seraphim ouk istatai, kai hē stasis ou meta; kai ta Cheroudim. anechonta ton hypsēlon te kai epērmenon thronon ouk apolēgei; hoi te leitourgoi poiountes to ergon, kai akouontes tōn logōn hou pauontai. Epei oun hai exousiai hautai hypo tou Theou tetagmenai eisi, kai hē taxis tōn noētōn kai hyperkosmiōn dynameōn, asynchytos eis to diēnoches menei, mēdemias kakias anatrepousēs tēn eutaxian; dia touto kai hē pros mimēsin ekeinōn psychē panta kata taxin kai euschēmonōs poiousa, toiouton eph᾽ heautēs kinei to thauma, hoion en tais dynamesin ekeinais tais tetagmenais estin. Ekplēxis gar hē tou thamoous hermēneuetai dianoia. Dia de tēs ekplēxeōs to thauma noountes, tēs alētheias ouk hamartanomen. HēĒ de toutois ek tou akolouthou prokeimenē rhēsis, amphidola poiei ta prosōpa, par᾽ hou te eirētai, kai pros hon eipen; hoti ᾿Apostrepson tous ophthalmous sou apenantion emou. Hoti autoi anepterōsan me. Tois men gar dokei para tou Despotou pros tēn katharan eirēstha!: tauta psychēn egō de tę̄ nymphę̄ prepein hyponoō mallon to rhēton epharmozesthai. Tautę̄ gar katallēlon heurischiy tēn tōn sēmainomenōn hypo tou logou dianoian. Ta de moi parastanta di᾿ oligōn echthēsomai.;Achousa pollachou tēs theopneustou Graphēs pterygas einai tǭ Theǭ diēgoumenēs. Nyn men tēs prophēteias legousēs, hoti En skepę̄ tōn pterygōn sou skepaseis kai, hoti ᾿;Ypo tas pterygas autou eipieis. Palin de tou Mōyseōs en tę̄ megalę̄ ōdę̄ touto hypograO phontos, en hois phēsin᾽ hoti Didis tas pterygas autou edexato hautous; kai to para tou Kyriou pros tēn Hierousalēm eirēmenon, hoti Posakis ēthelēsa episygagagein ta tekna sou, hon tropon ornis synagei ta gossia hypo tas pterygas autēs ! ha ouk exō tou prokeimenou noēmatos eipoi tis an einai, pros to akolouthon blepōn. Ei toinyn kata tina logon aporrhēton pterygas einai peri tēn theian physin ho theopneustos diorizetai logos; hē de prōtē tou anthrōpou kataskeuē kat᾽ eikona kai homoiōsin Theou gegenēsthai tēn physin hēmōn martyretai’ pantōs hoti dia pantōn eiche kat᾽ eikona genomenos tēn pros to archetypon homoiotēta. ᾿Alla mēn hepterōtai kata tēn hagian Graphēn, to prōtotypon᾽ oukoun pteroessa kai hē tou anthrōpou kateskeuasthē physis, hōs an kai en tais pteryxin echoi to theion homoiōma; dēlon de hoti to pterygōn onoma dia tinos tropichę̄s theōrias eis ti theoprepes metalēphthēsetai noēma, dynameōs te kai makariotētos, kai aphtharsias kai tōn toioutōn dia tou onomatos tōn pterygōn sēmainomenou, Epei oun ʼtauta kai peri ton anthrōpon ēn, heōs hote tǭ Theǭ dia pantōn homoios ēn’ meta tauta de hē pros tēn kakian rhopē, tōn toioutōn pterygōn hēmas apesylēsen; exō gar tēs skepēs tou Theou pterygōn genomenoi, kai tōn idiōn pterygōn egymnōthēmen; dia touto epephanē hē tou Theou charis phōtizousa hēmas, hina apothemenoi tēn asedeian, kai tas kosmikas epithymias, palin di᾽ hosiotētos te kai dikaiosynēs pterophyēsōmen. Oukoun ei tauta tēs alētheias ouk apeschoēinistai, prepei para tēs nymphēs homologeisthai tēn ep᾽ autēs genomenēn para tōn theiōn ophthalmōn charin. Homou te gar epeiden hēmas tois tēs philanthrōpias ophthalmois ho Theos, kai hēmeis kata tēn archaian charin anepterōthēmen. Tauta oun oimai dia tōn eirēmenōn ton lēgon endeiknysthai, ha proseuchomenos ho Dadid en hexechaidechatę̄ psalmǭdią phēsi pros Kyrion, hoti Hoi orthailmoi sou idetōsan dythytētas, tas emas dēlonoti. Hedokchimasas gar tēn kardian mou, phēsin, epeskepsō gyktos; epyrōsas me, kai ouk heurethē en emoi adikia. ison oun estin, eipein, hoti Hoi orthalmoi sou idetōsan euthytētas; kai, hoti Hoi ophthalmoi sou to enantion mē theasasthōsan. Ho gar to euthes idōn, scholion ouk eide; kai ho scholion dē idōn nto euthes pantōs tetheatai. Oukoun dia tēs tou enantiou hypexaireseōs to agathon tois theiois ophthalmois epideiknysi, di᾽ hōn anapteroutai palin hē psychē, hē dia tēs parakoēs tōn prōtoplastōn pterorrhyēsasa. Touto toinyn dia tōn eirēmenōn katenoēsamen; Hote hoi ophthalmoi sou ep᾽ eme epidlepousin, apostrephontai apo tou enantiou. Ou gar opsontai ti an emoi nōn enantioumenōn moi. Dia touto ginetai moi apo tōn ophthalmōn sou, to palin pterōthēnai, kai analadein dia tōn aretōn tas pterygas tēs peristeras, di᾽ hēs ginetai moi tēs ptēseōs ē dynamis; hōste petasthēnai kai katapausai, ekeinēn dēladē tēn katapausin, hēn katepausen ho Theos apo tōn ergōn. Palin de meta tas phōnas tautas hē tou kallous tēs nymphēs hypographē diadechetai, tōn eis tēn hōran autou syntelountōn hekaston dia tinos prosphyous homoiōseōs tou logou semnynontos. Epaineitai gar hautēs tōn te trichōn to kallos, kai tōn odontōn hē thesis, kai to epi tou cheilous anthos, kai to hēdy tēs phōnēs, tēs te pareias to erythēma. Ho de peri ekastou tōn eirēmenōn epainos, dia tinos katallēlou synkriseōs te kai paratheseōs plēroutai tę̄ nymphę̄. Hai men gar triches agelais aigōn tais anaphaneisais apo tou Galaad hōmoiōthēsan; hai hoe tōn kekarmenōn agelai didymois tokois epagallomenai, to tōn hodon tōn enkōmion plērousi dia tēs homoiōseōs᾽ spartiǭ eei. Maia ima hipeiat eotgi ious piaii rypioï, tēs rhoas hē pareia kallōpizetai, Echei de hē lexis houtōs; Trichōma sou agelai tōn aigōn, hai phanēsan apo tou Galaad. Odontes son hōs agetrou, hai pasai didymeuousai, kai ateknousa ouk estin en autais. Hōs spartion kochchigon cheilē sou, kai hē 1alia sou hōraia. Hōs lepyron rhoas ᾿ mēmlon sou, ektos tēs siōpēseōs sou. Hōn apantōn en tois phthasasin hikanōs exētasmenōn peritton an eiē dia tēs tōn autōn theōrēmatōn palillogias ochlon epeisagagein tǭ logǭ. Ei de tis kai nyn ton peri tōn autōn logon epizētoiē genesthai, dia tous anēchoous tōn prōtōn eis ta rhēta tauta theōrēthentōn᾽ di᾽ holigōn tēn dianoian tōn ainigmatōn epidramoumetha. Hai triches tou sōmatos idiazousan echousi para to loipon sōma tēn physin. Pantos gar tou sōmatos aisthētikę̄ dynamei diakonoumenou, hēs aneu tou zę̄n physin ouk echei; zōē gar tou sōmatos estin hē aisthēsis; monas horōmen tas trichas kai meros ousas tou sōmatos, kai amoirousas aisthēseōs. Deiknysi de tautēn epi tou merous toutou tēn idiotēta, to mēte dia kauseōs mēte dia tomēs kath᾽ homoiotēta tou allou sōmatos kai tautas algynesthai. Epeidē toinyn kata tēn Paulou phōnēn, doxa hēs gynaikos estin hē chomt, dia tōn plokamōn tēn kephalēn hōraïzousa; touto dia tou epainou tōn tēs gymphēs trichōn didaskometha, hoti chrē tous peri tēn chophalēn tēs nymphēs theōroumenous, di᾽ hōn hē Ekklēsia doxazetai, kreittous tōn aisthēseōn einai, kryptontas dia tēs sophias tēn aisthēsin. Kathōs hē Paroimia phēsin; hoti Sophoi kryptousin aisthēsin, hois ouk horasis tou kalou kritērion ginetai, oute tę̄ geusei to agathon dokimazetai, ouk osphrēsei te kai haphę̄, oude allǭ tini aisthētēriǭ hē tou kalou epitrepetai krisis; alla pasēs nekrōtheisę̄s aisthēseōs dia monēs tēs psychēs, tōn kat᾽ ennoian phainomenōn agathōn ephaptontai kai eporegontai, kai houtō doxazousi tēn gynaika, tēn Ekklēsian, oute timais oute michropsychiais pros ta lypēra systellomenoi ʼ alla kan temnesthai deę̄ dia tēn es Christon pistin, kan thēriois hē pyri ballesthai, kan allo ti tōn lypērōn hypomenein, tēn. tōn trichōn anaisthēsian en tę̄ peirą tōn algeinōn hypokrinontai. Ho Toioutos ēn Ēlias ho ek tou Galaad anaschōn dasex kai auchmōnti tǭ sōmati, dermasin aigos eschepasmenos, pros pasan apeilēn tou tyrannou aptoētos. Hosoi toinyn kata mimēsin tēs tou prophētou megalophuias tou kosmou pantos heautous hyperairousin, hysteroumenoi, thlidomenoi, kakouchoumenoi en oresi kai spēlaiois, kai tais opais tēs gēs, hōn ouk estin axios ho kosmos; houtoi agelēdon peri tēn nou pantos kephalēn theōroumenoi, doxa ginontai tēs Ekklēsias, . epi tēn ouranion charin tǭ Galaaditę̄ synanadaiTo de tēs aigos zōon eis ton tōn trichōn epainon parelēphthē, tacha men, hoti kai hē physis tou toi tou zōou katachlēlōs pros tēn genesin tōn trichōn kateskeuastai hōste ainigma tou dia tōn trichōn kosmou enesthai to zōon, to tais thrixi physikōs dasynomenon; ē hoti dia tōn petrōn anolisthētōs bainei, kai peri tas koryphas tōn oreōn anastrephetai, dia tōn dysporeutōn kai apotomōn eutharsōs tēn poreian poioumenon; hoper tois tēn tracheian tēs aretēs hodon katorthousi prosphyōs;, Mallon d᾽ an tis eipoi dia to pros polla tēs nomikēs hierourgias hypo tou nomothetou pareilēphthai to zōon, syntelein tautas tę̄ kephalę̄ pros enkōmion. Hoida de en tois tēs Paroimias ainigmasin en tois tessarsi tois euodoumenois, kai touto tōn kalōs diathainontōn apērithmēsthai ton tragon ton hēgoumenon tou aipoliou. Ho de peri poutou stochastikōs hyponooumen, toiouton esti; Pan opitēdeuma di᾽ henos archomenon eis pollous diadidotai; hōs epi tēs chalcheutichēs hē Graphē ton Thodel heuretēn tēs technēs eipousa, pantōn tōn met᾽ auton metacheirizomenōn tou sidērou tēn ergasian es ekcheinon anagei tēn epistēmēn;. houtō kai tēs poimantikēs ho GAdel hēgēsato, kai Kaïn tēs geōrgias, kai ton Neorōd archēgon legei tēs kynēgetichę̄s epistēmēs, kai tēs ampelourgias ton Nōe, ᾿kai tēs eis Theon elpidos ton Etnōs phēsin arxasthai; kai polla toiauta para tēs hagias etti didachthēnai raphēs, hoti henos ti epitēdeusantos eisēlthe kata mimēsin eis ton bion to epitēdeuma. Epeidē toinyn tou theiou zēlou dichpherontōs kata pasan exochēn ho Ēliou kathēgēsato, hosoi met᾽ ekeinon ton ekeinou mimēsamenoi zēlon, tois autois ichnesi tēs tou prophētou parrhēsias epēkolouthēsan, aipolion gegonasi tou hēgēsamenou tēs toiautēs zōēs, oitines doxa tēs Ekklēsias kai epainos Huinontai, eis ton tōn trichōn chatatagentes kosmon, hōn hē aisthētikē zōē kechōristai kai ēllotriōtai Dia tōn homoiōn plēroi kai tois odousi ton epainon. Houtoi d᾽ an eien hoi trephontes di᾽ heautōn tēs EEchchlēsias to sōma, hous bouletai men pantote hōs apo loutrou katharous horasthai, aperittous dia pantos tas trichas, hōs apo prosphatou kouras; kata de ton tokon tōn aretōn didymeuontas, tēs diplēs katharotētos genomenous pateras, tēs te kata psychēn, kai tēs kata sōma theōroumenēs; hōs exoriston einai tōn odontōn toutōn, pan to agonoun en tǭ kreittoni. To de spartion to epi tou cheilous tithemenon, tēn memetrēmenēn tou logon diakonian paradēloi tǭ ē ainigmati, hoper ho Prophētēs phylakēn te kai thyran periochēs katōnomasen; hotan en kairǭ stoma tou logou, chϑi kata kairon chatachleiētai. trou de onoma to spartion einai, para tēs prophēteias tou Zachariou memathēkamen᾽ hoti spartion geōmetrikon en chersin eichen ho en autǭ lalōn angelos. Tete de malista tynchanei tou metrou ho logos, hotan tychę̄ tǭ erythēmati, hoper tou ai: matos tou lytrōsamenou hēmas ainigma ginetai. Ean men tis kata ton Paulon lalounta echei en heautǭ ton Christon, ton idiǭ haimati lytrōsamenon hēmas, houtos echeis to geōmXxtrichon spartion epi tou stomatos, tę̄ Ho d᾽ ephexēs legos, hermēneia esti tou prosthen ainigmatos. Lalian gar hōraian onomazei to spartion to kokkinon, di᾽ hou palin sēmainei to katharon kai emmetron. To gar achridōs hōraion, kai en tǭ idiǭ kairǭ tēs akmēs prophainomenon, oute aōron estin, oute hexōron. Tǭ de lepyrǭ tēs rhoas to mēlon tēs pareias hōraïzōn, megalēn tina prosmartyrei tę̄ nymphę̄ tēn en tois agathois teleiotēta. Sēmainei gar mē en allǭ tini ton thēsauron autę̄ pareskeuasthai, all᾽ autēn einai thēsauron heautēs, pantos agathou paraskeuēn en heautę̄ periechousan. Hōs gar lepyrǭ periechetai tēs rhoas to edōdimon; houtōs endeiknytai tǭ phainomenǭ kallei tou biou ton endon autēs thēsauron periechesthai. Houtos oun estin ho kryptos thēsauros tōn elpidōn, ho idios karpos tēs psychēs, ho tǭ enaretǭ biǭ kathaper tini rhoas lepyrǭ perichratoumenos. To de, Ektos tēs siōpēseōs sou, tautēn oimai tēn dianoian echein, hoti Ho epainos sou ouk ek tōn phainomenōn tosouton estin, hosa tǭ logǭ mēnyetai alla mallon, hosa siōpę̄ apokekryptai tēn tou logou diapheugonta mēnysin.;Hōsper gar to ektos tou logou hē siōpē noeitai, houtō to ektos siōpēs ton logon noōn tis, ouk hamartēsetai. Ekeino gar siōpōmen, ho dia tōn rhēmatōn adynatoumen angeïlai. Ei oun to ektos ekeinou hē siōpē noeitai, to ektos siōpēs akolouthon pantōs ton logon oiesthai. Oukoun ho eipōn, hoti Hektos tēs siōpēseōs sou, touto saphōs tǭ logǭ paristēsin, hoti kala men esti kai megala ta tǭ logǭ phanēnai dynamena, hosa ektos esti tēs siōpēseōs sou. Ta de tou logou ektos, ta tę̄ siōpę̄ chalyptomena, ta arrhēta te kai anechphōnēta, pantōs kai thaumasiōtera tōn ekphōnoumenōn. ᾿Akousōmen de kai tōn ephexēs epainōn, hōn hē dianoia tǭ tēs historias eoike phreati, hǭper tis lithos epechōn to stomion, aporon poiei tais poimainousais tēn metousian tou hydatos; all᾽ ho Iakōd epistas anamochlizxei te tou stomiou ton lithon, kai plērē ta potistēria poiēsas tou hydatos, edōke tois thremmasi kat᾽ exousian entryphēsai tōn namatōn. Ho Tina toinyn estin, ha tǭ toioutǭ phreati proseichazomen? Hexēkonta eisi basilissai, kai ogdoēkonta pallakai, geagides hōn ouk estin arithmos. Mia esti peristera mou, teleia mou. Mia esti tę̄ mētri hautēs, ekilechktikē esti tę̄ tekousę̄ autēn. tis oun hēmin apokylisei tēs asapheias tautēs ton lithon ? Tis exantlēsei tōn noēmatōn to hydōr houtōs en bathei chkatacheimenon, hōs anephikton einai tǭ hēmeterǭ logǭ ? ᾿Alla moi kalōs echein dokei touto tais akoais hymōn diamartyrasthai, hoti to tauta gnōnai monōn ekeinōn estin, pros ous phēsin ho ᾿Apostolos; hoti En panti eploutisthēte, en panti ogǭ, kai en pasę̄ gnōsei. Ē de hēmetera penia tōn prokeimenōn tou logou thēsaurōn peridraxasthai adynatōs echei; plēn hōs an tou tēs argias chatachrematos exō genoemetha, dia ton ereunąn tas Graphas hēmin nomothetēsanta; mikron tina kai toutois hidrōta prostheinai ou chatochnēsomen. Phamen toinyn dogma ti tōn asteioterōn tēn en tois rhētois toutois philosophian dia tōn epainōn tēs nymphēs hēmin paratithesthai. To de dogma toiouton estin; Ou meta tēs autēs akolouthias kai taxeōs ktizetai ta onta kai anachtizetai. Hote men gar kat᾽ archas dia tēs theias dynameōs hē tēs ktiseōs hyphistato physis, eph᾽ hekastou tōn ontōn adiastatōs tę̄ archę̄ synapērtisthē to peras, pasi tois ek tou mē ontos eis to einai paragenomenois homou tę̄ archę̄ synanaschousēs tēs teleiotētos. Hen de tōn ktisthegtōn kai hē anthrōpinē physis estin, oude autē kath᾽ homoiotēta tōn allōn ek proagōgēs proelthousa epi to teleion; all᾽ apo tēs prōtēs hyparxeōs symplastheisa tę̄ teleiotēti. ᾿Egegeto gar, hōs ho Logos phēsi, kat᾽ eikona Theou kai homoiōsin. Hoper endeiknytai to tōn agathōn akrotaton te kai teleiotaton, Ti gar an hyperteron heuretheiē tēs pros Theon homoiōseōs ? Epi men oun tēs prōtēs ktiseōs, adiastatōs tę̄ archę̄ synanephanē to peras, kai apo tēs teleiotētos hē physis tou einai ērxato. Epeidē de tǭ thanatǭ dia tēs pros tēn kakian scheseōs oicheiōtheisa, tēs en tǭ agathǭ diamonēs aperrhyē; ouk athroan kath᾽ homoiotēta tēs systaseōs tēs prōtēs epanalamdanei tēn teleiotēta, all᾽ hodǭ tini proeisin epi to meizon, dia tinos ( akolouthias kai taxeōs kat᾽ oligon aposchenazomenē tēn pros ta enantia prospatheian. Epi men gar tēs prōtēs kataskeuę̄s, ouden ēn to kōlyon syndramein tę̄ genesei to tēs physeōs teleion, kakias ouk ousēs; epi de tēs deuteras anastoicheiōseōs, anankaiōs akolouthēsei pros to prōton agathon anatrechousę̄ ᾿ dioti tę̄ hylikę̄ prospatheią syndetheisa dia kakias hēmōn hē dianoia, kat᾽ oligon, hōsper phloiou tinos tou periechontos dia tēs asteioteras agōgēs perixyomenē, tēn symphuian apōtheitai tou cheironos. Toutou charin pollas einai para tǭ Patri monas memathēkamen, kata tēn analogian tēs en hekastǭ pros to kalon scheseōs, kai tēs tou cheironos apostaseōs, hetoimazomenēs pasi tēs antidoseōs. Ho men gar tis en archę̄ tēs tou beltionos esti brōseōs, arti kathaper ek bythou tinos tou kata kakian biou pros tēn metousian tēs alētheias ananēxamenos; tǭ de tis gegonen ēdē di᾽ epimeleias prosthēkē tou kreittonos; allos epipleion dia tēs epithymias tōn agathōn epēuxēthē; ho de mesēs echei tēs tōn hypsēlōn anadaseōs; heteros kai to meson paredramen; eisi de tines kai hoi toutōn heautous hyperarantes; alloi kakeinous kai hyper toutous heteroi pros ton anō dromon synteinontai; kai holōs kata tēn poichilę̄ēn tōn proaireseōn diaphoran hekaston ho Theos en tǭ idiǭ dechetai tagmati, ta pros axian; apēplērōn tois pasi, kai synagōn tois hypsēloterois tas tōn agathōn amoibas, kai symmetrōn elattosi. Tauta dia tōn prokeimenōn rhētōn philosophein ton logon hypenoēsamen, tēn diaphoran tōn psychōn, hai pros ton nymphion horōsin, hen hois eirēmenois hēmin diastelanta. Tas men gar onomazei neanidas, tēn tou arithmou physin dia tou plēthous nikōsas; allas de pallakidas; kai allas basilidas einai phēsin; ochtōdechadi tōn pallakidōn ton arithmon perigrapsas; tas de basilidas syntelein eipōn eis hexēkonta, hypertithēsi pasōn tēn hen tę̄ monadi theōroumenēn teleian peristeran, hēn kai mogēn tę̄ mētri, kai echlechtichēn einai tę̄ tekousę̄ autēn apophainetai. Tauta oun dia tōn theiōn logiōn nēezn enagometha, hoti hoi men arti nēdyos tinos tēs en bathei keimenēs apatēs exō genomenoi, artigeneis tines ontes, kai houpō diērthrōmenoi en heautois ton logon chōrēsantes, tę̄ alogōterą synkatathesei tēs pisteōs en apeirǭ theōrountai plēthei; sōtērion men einai pepisteukotes tou mystēriou ton logon, hou mēn epistēmę̄ tini kai tę̄ dia tou logou plērophorią hidrymenēn echontes en heautois tēn alētheian. Hautai eisin hai onomastheisai neanides, dia to nean agein tēn pneumapichēn hēlikian, hai gennētheisai tǭ logǭ tēs pisteōs, oudepō dia tēs kathēchousēs auxēseōs toiautai gegonasin, hōs epi gamōn akmēn proelthein, kai phthasai eis andra teleion, eis metron gamikchēss hēlikias. Hōste phodǭ tou Kyriou dynasthai chyophorēsai, kai pneuma sōtērias paidopoiēsasthai. ᾿All᾽ eti tǭ nēpiǭ te kai atelei tēs dianoias, alogōterą pōs syzōsi tę̄ diathesei. Plēn alla kai houtoi tōn sōzomenōn eisi, chaϑōs phēsin ho Prophētēs; hoti Hagthrōpous kai ktēnē sōseis, Kyrib᾽; ktēnē legōn to alogōteron meros tōn sōzomenōn. Tōn de dia tēs chathēchousēs epimeleias auxēthen; tōn tę̄ dianoią, kai kataleloipotōn ēdē tēn nēpiotēta, diplēn hypo tou logou tēn diaphoran didaskometha. Ginontai men gar hai psychai kai syssōmoi tǭ Logǭ, kai autai ᾿kakeinai; all᾽ hai men erōtikę̄ tini diathesei proschollōntai; hoia hēn hē tou Dadid, kai hē tou Paulou psychē; hē men legousa to,;Emoi de to prosko.1lasthai tǭ Theǭ agathon estin; Ho ē de to, Oudeis chōrisei hēmas apo tēs agapēs tou Christou; ou zōē, ou thanatos, hou to paron, ou to mellon, ouk al.1o ti tōn ontōn ouden. Hai de phodǭ kolaseōs tas moichichas apopheugousi peiras. Menousi gar en aphtharsią kai hagiasmǭ kai hautai - alla tǭ mallon hē tǭ pothǭ paidagōgoumenai monǭ, to kakon ou prosdechontai. Hai men oun dia tēs teleioperas diatheseōs pothǭ tę̄s aphtharsias anachratheisai tę̄ tou theou katharotēti, basilissai dia tēn koinōnian tēs basileias chatonomazontai. Tas de tǭ tēs apeilēs phodǭ tēn aretēn echponousas, pallakidas onomazei ho lonos. Oupō gar tis autōn mētēr ba dileōs kai koinōnos tēs axias genesthai dynatōs echei. Pōs gar an dynētheiē, hē mēdepō analadousa heautę̄ to adespoton kai autochrates tou enaretou tōn kakōn choigōnias aphistamenē ? Hypodeigmata de tōn eirēmenōn estin, epi men tōn badilidōn, to kata tous tēs dexias staseōs ēxiōmenous, pros ous ho basileus legei; Deute, hoi eulogēmenoi tou Patros mou, kilēronomēsate tēn hētoimasmenēn hymin basileian; tou de deuterou. kai hypheimenou tagmatos eien an ekeinoi, pros hous legei ho Kyrios - Phodēthēte ton meta to apokteinai echonta exousian emdalein eis tēn geengan tou pyros. Tautēn de moi dokei tēn diastolēn tōn dyo tagmatōn, hē kata tous arithmous diaphora paradēloun di᾽ ainigmatos. Pōs touto phēmi ? Hex eisin entolai, di᾽ hōn hē basileia tou Theou tois dexiois hetoimazetai. Logisōmetha toutōn ekaston to despotikon einai talanton, ho prosēkei para tou agathou kai pistou oiketou dechaplasiasthēnai dia tēs ergasias, hina houtōs eiselthę̄ eis tēn charan tou Kyriou autou, en oligois pistos heuretheis, kai epi pollōn kathistamenos. Ei toinyn dia tōn hex toutōn entolōn hē tēs basileias ginetai tę̄ Psychę̄ koinōnia; de teleion tēs ergasias eph᾽ hekastēs esti to dechaplasiasai tēn entolēn, kathōs ephē ho agathos doulos ekeinos, hoti Deka talanta to hen sou talanton kateirgasato; heuriskomen ek tou akolouthou tēn mian basilissan, eis hexēkonta platynomenēn; tēn dia tou dechaplasiasmou tōn ex entolōn es koinōnian tēs basileias paradechtheisan; hōs pollas einai tēn mian tǭ a kai hekastǭ tōn katorthōmatōn idiazontōs emmorphōϑeisan. Houtōs oun eis hexēkonta basilidas hē mia katamerixetai, pros ta eidē tōn entolōn diairoumenē; kai ginetai koinōnos tēs tou Christou batileias nymphē, dēmos basilidōn hē mia gegenēmenē, hē dia OS tōn kata tas entolas axiōmatōn arithmēEi de tēn hexada tōn entolōn en mią kata to dechaplasion geōrgētheisan psychēn dia tōn hexēkonta basilidōn sēmainesthai di᾽ ainigmatos, ouk hexō tou eikotos hypenoēsamen᾽ akolouthōs kai dia tōn ogdoēkonta to tēs Ogdoēs mystērion paradēlousthai phamen dia tou homoiou ainigmatos; pros hēn blepontes hoi tǭ phothǭ paidagōgoumenoi, tēs tōn kakōn koinōnias apeirgontai. Houtōs gar en tais psalmǭdiais emathomen, en hais protetaktai dia tēs epigraphēs hē OOgdoē; mastigoumenōn de antikrys eisin hai phōnai, tǭ phodǭ tōn elpizomenōn eis heleon tēn akoēn epikamptousai, Phēsi gar pros ton phoderon kritēn ho pros tēn Ogdoēn blepōn Kyrie, mē tǭ thymǭ sou elenxę̄s me, mēde tę̄ orgę̄ sou paideusę̄s me. ᾿Eleēson me, Kyrid, hoti asthegēs eimi; iasai me, Kyrie, hoti etarachthē ta osta mou. Kai hosa ek tou akolouthou tǭ adechastǭ kritę̄ dia tēs hiketērias proteinetai, en hois kai to mē einai Theou mnēmēn en tǭ thanatǭ odyretai. Pōs gar an eiē dynaton tois klauthmǭ te kai brygmǭ katadedichasmenois, tēn ek tēs mnēmēs tou Theou euphrosynēn enginesthai ? Houtōs eipontos eterōthi tou Prophētou, hoti hē mnēmē tou Theou euphrosynēn poiei, Tauta oun kai alla toiauta tina proteinomenos ho dedoikōs tēn Ogdoēn, en aisthēsei tēs tou eleous ginetai metousias legōn;hoti Eisēchousetēs phōgēs tou kiauthmou mou. Pollōn de makariōn phodōn hypo tēs hagias dēloumenōn Graphēs, eiē an kai epi toutōn analogōs tais hex entolais, hē epi to dechaplasion auxēsis; hōste ton didachthenta para tēs psalmǭdias, pōs katorthoutai ho tou Kyriou phodos, ek tou ekklinai men apo kakou, poiein de ta agatha; hoion tina mnan, hē talanton, dechaplasiasai dia tēs ergasias to chrēma tou theiou phodou. Kai houtōs tēn deutereuousan meta tēn basilida psychēn hē phodǭ kai ouk agapę̄ to kalon katergazetai, pros ton arithmon tōn ogdoēkonta platynthēnai, hekaston eidos tōn dia phothou katorthoumenōn epi tou biou heautēs asynchytōs te kai achechrymmenōs deiknyousa; hōs kai epi tautēs tēs ogdoēs logon, tę̄ pros to dechaplasion auxēsei symplatynthēnai, kai genesthai phodǭ doulichǭ, kai ouchi chēn anti tēs basilidos; dia ton tēs OOgdoēs phodon, dekaplasiōs en tois katorthōmasin ēuxēsen, eis ton arithmon syntelousan tōn ogdoēkonta. Hēn keleuei kai ho tēs historias logos nothǭ, proskairǭ, kai ouk eugenei tokǭ hypēretēsasan, mē synoikein eis telos tę̄ basilidi; hōs ouk ousēs ek tou isou tēs basilikę̄s s klēronomias tę̄ doulikę̄ gonę̄ pros ton eleutheron tokon. GEchda,e gar, phēsi, tēn paidiskēn kai ton huion hautēs. Ougar mē klēronomēsę̄ ho huios tēs paidiskēs meta tou huiou tēs eleutheras. Ei de tini biaiotera phainetai hē eis ton prokeimenon tois rhētois arithmon theōria, anamnēsthētō hoti kai kat᾽ archas to mē dynasthai tychein tēs en toutois alētheias emartyrametha, tosouton monon hapsasthai, hoson mē agymnasta kath᾽ holou paradramein ta ainigmata. Plēn ei exō baloi ton phodon hē agapē teleiōs, kata to gegrammenon, kai metapoiētheis ho phothos, agapē genoito; tote heurisketai monas to sōzomenon, en tę̄ pros to monon agathon symphyïą, pantōn allēlois enōthentōn, dia tēs kata tēn peristeran teleiotētos. Toiouton gar ti nooumen ek tou ephexēs logou, hos phēsin hoti Mia esti peristera mou. tedia mou. Mia esti tę̄ mētri hautēs, ekchilechtichē esti tę̄ tekousę̄ autēn. Hoper en tǭ Euangeliǭ dia tēs tou Kyriou phōnēs saphesteron hermēneuetai. Pasan gar tois magētais heautou enapotithemenos dia hēs eulogias dynamin, ta te alla dia tōn pros ton Patera logōn agatha tois hagiois charizetai, prostithēsi de tōn agathōn to kephalaion, to mēketi hautous en diaphorą tini proaireseōn en tę̄ peri tou kalou krisei pollachę̄ diaschizesthai all᾽ hon genesthai tous pantas, tǭ heni kai monǭ agathǭ symphyentas; hōste dia tēs tou Pneumatos tou hagiou henotētos, kathōs phēsin ho ᾿Apostolos, tǭ syndesmǭ tēs eirēnēs diasphinchthentas, hen sōma genesthai tous pantos, kai hen pneuma, dia mias elpidos eis hēn eklēthēsan. Beltion d᾽ an eiē autas epi lexeōs parathesthai tas theias tou Euangeliou phōnas. Hina pantes hen ōsin kathōs sy, Pater, en emoi, kagō en soi; hina kai autoi hon hōsi. To de syndetichon tēs henotētos tautēs, hē doxa este doxan de legesthai to Ēneuma to hagion, ouk an tis tōn epeschemmenōn anteipoi, pros autas blepōn tas tou Kyriou phōnas. Tēn doxan gar, phēsin, hēn odōchas moi, dedōka autois. Edōke gar hōs alēthōs pois mathētais toiautēn doxan, ho eipōn pros autous; Ladete Pneuma hagion. IElade de tautēn tēn doxan, hēn pantote eiche pro tou ton kosmon einai, ho tēn antou Pneumatos, epi pan to syngenes hē tēs doxēs tou P᾿ eumatos diadosis ginetai, apo tōn mathētōn arxamenē. Dia touto phēsi; Tē doxan hēn edōkas moi, dedōka autois. Hina ōsin hen, kathōs hēmeis en esmen. ᾿Egō en autois, kai sy en emoi, hina ōsi tete.Ieiōmenoi eis to en. Ho toinyn ek men nēpiou pros andra teleion anadramōn dia tēs auxēseōs, kai phthasas eis to metron tēs noētēs hēlikias, ek de tēs doulēs te kai tēs pallachidos tēn tēs basileias axian metaladōn’ dektikos de tēs tou Pneumatos doxēs genomenos di᾿ apatheias kai katharotētos, houtos estin hē teleia peristera, pros hēn ho nymphios horą legōn; hoti Mia esti peristera mou, te.dia mou. Mia esti tę̄ mētri autēs, eklektikē esti tę̄ tekousę̄ auytēn. Ouk agnooumen de pantōs tēn mētera tēs peristeras, ek tou karpou to dendron gnōrisantes. Hōs gar anthrōpon theasamenoi, ex anthrōpou auton einai ouk amphidallomen; houtō kai tēs eklektēs peristeras tēn mētera zētountes, ouk allēn tina hē ekeinēn tēn peristeran enoēsamen. Tǭ gar teknǭ panpōs hē tou gegennēkotos epitheōreitai physis. Epei oun to gegeunēmenon ek tou Pneumatos Pneuma esti; peristera de to teknon; peristera de pantōs kai hē tou teknou mētēr estin, hē epi ton Iordanēn ex ouranōn kataptasa, kathōs Iōannēs phēsi kai martyretai. Tautēn makarizousin ae neanides, tautēn ainousi pallakai kai basilissai. Koinos gar ek pantos tagmatos prokeitai pasais tais psychais dromos pros tēn toiautēn makariotēta. Dio phasin; Idosan hautēn thygateres, kai makariousin autēn; pa.llakai kai basilissai haigesousin. Physis de pasa esti pros to makarion te kai epainoumenon tę̄ epithymią synteinesthai., Hōste ei makarizousi tēn peristeran hai thygateres, epithymousi pantōs genesthai peristerai kai hautai. Kai to aineisthai tēn peristeran para tōn pallakidōn, tekmērion esti tou kai tautas pros to epainoumenon tēn spoudēn echein᾽ heōs an pantōn hen genomenōn, tōn pros ton auton skopon tēs epithymias blepontōn, mēdemias en mēdeni kakias hypoleiphtheisēs, genētai ho Theos ta panta an pasi, tois dia tēs henotētos allēlois en tę̄ tou
Homily 15 (Song 6:1–9)
"Where has your beloved gone, O fair [among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may] seek him with you? My beloved has gone down into his garden, to the bowls of spice, to shepherd in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, he who shepherds among the lilies. You are fair, my close one, as good pleasure, lovely as Jerusalem, [awesome as ranks drawn up. Turn] your eyes away from me, for they have given me wings. Your hair is like flocks of goats that have appeared from Gilead. Your teeth are like flocks of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all bearing twins, and there is none barren among them. Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your speech is lovely. Like the rind of the pomegranate is your cheek, apart from your silence. There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and young women without number. One is my dove, my perfect one; she is the only one of her mother, chosen of the one who bore her."
Philip the apostle was attested to be from the city of Andrew and Peter. This seems to me a praise of Philip, that he was a fellow citizen of the brothers who were admired before him in the gospel through the story about them. For Andrew, when the Baptist pointed out who the Lamb is who takes away the sin of the world, both perceived the mystery himself, following the one who was shown and learning where he stays, and announced to his own brother the good news that the one foretold by the prophecy was present. And he, his faith all but outrunning his hearing, gave himself with his whole soul to the Lamb, and was transformed by the Lord toward the more divine through the change of his name: instead of Simon he was named and became Peter. Yet the Lord gave Abraham and Sarah the blessing of their names many years later, after many manifestations of God, appointing the one father and the other princess through the change of names. In the same way Jacob too, after the night-long wrestling, was found worthy of the name and power of Israel. But the great Peter did not advance to this grace little by little through growth; rather, at once he heard his brother, believed in the Lamb, was perfected through faith, and, clinging to the rock, became Peter.
This Philip, then, the fellow citizen worthy of men so many and so great, since he became the Lord's find, as the gospel says, "Jesus finds Philip," was appointed a follower of the Word who said, "Follow me." And drawing near to the true light, like a lamp he drew from there to himself fellowship in the light; and he shines around Nathanael, holding the torch for him of the mystery of piety, where he says: "We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." Nathanael received the good news attentively, because he had been instructed with all exactness by the prophecy in the mystery concerning the Lord, and knew that the first manifestation of God through flesh would be from Bethlehem, and that because of the life spent among the Nazarenes he would be called a Nazarene. He was looking to both and reckoning that in David's Bethlehem, because of the economy of the birth according to the flesh, the mystery of the cave and the swaddling clothes and the manger had to come about, while Galilee would one day be called the region of the Gentiles, by the Word who loved to dwell among the Gentiles. So he agreed with the one who had shone the light of knowledge on him, and said, "Can anything good be from Nazareth?" Then Philip becomes a guide to the grace, saying, "Come and see." Through these words Nathanael, leaving the fig tree of the law, whose shade hindered participation in the light, lays hold of the one who withers the leaves of the fig tree for its barrenness of goods. For this reason he is testified by the Word to be a genuine, not a spurious, Israelite, showing in himself by the guilelessness of his free choice the pure stamp of the patriarch. "For behold," he says, "an Israelite in whom there is no guile."
What the story in the preface looks to is surely plain to the more apt hearers from the reading of the Song of Songs set before us in sequence. For as Andrew was guided to the Lamb by John's voice, and Nathanael, enlightened by Philip and coming outside the shadow of the law that enclosed him, came to be in the true light, so too the young women, for the finding of the good [not yet known] to them, use as guide the soul perfected through beauty, saying to her: "Where has your beloved gone, O fair among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?" The virgin souls put their question to the teacher in due order. For first they made their inquiry about what he is, saying in the question before this saying, "[What is] your beloved, O fair among women?" Having been taught this through the signs described, that he is white and ruddy and the rest, by which she describes the form of the one sought, they ask about where. So they say: "Where has your beloved gone, or where has he turned?" So that, learning where he is, they may [come and] worship at the place where his feet stood; and, taught where he looks, they may so place themselves that his glory may look upon them too, whose appearing becomes the salvation of those who behold it, as the prophet says: "Show your face, and we shall be saved."
And the teacher, like Philip who said, "Come and see," leads them all to the grasp of the one sought, instead of saying "See," pointing out the place where the one sought is and where he looks. For she says: "My beloved has gone down into his garden, to the bowls of spice." Up to this point, where he is is signified by the word. From this point, what he sees and where he looks the teacher shows in words, saying, "To shepherd in the gardens and to gather lilies." This is the guidance the word gives the young women by indication, through which they learn both where he is and where he looks. But we must also come to know the benefit of this God-inspired Scripture through spiritual contemplation. So when we hear, "My beloved has gone down into his garden," we learn through these words the mystery of the gospel, each of the names making this mystical meaning clear to us. God, manifested in flesh, because he rose from Judah and shone on the Gentiles who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, is fittingly and aptly named by the name "beloved" (literally "nephew," ἀδελφιδός) by the one betrothed to him for eternal union, since she is the sister of the people of Judah. "Has gone down" shows the time when, for the sake of the one who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, he himself goes down with the descent of the one who fell among enemies; by which it signifies the condescension from the unspeakable majesty to the lowliness of our nature. And through the riddle of the garden we learn this: that the true husbandman plants again his own field, us human beings. For we are his field, according to Paul's word. Since, then, he is the one who at the beginning cultivated in paradise the human nature which the heavenly Father planted, for this reason, when the wild boar had grazed down our garden and ravaged God's field, he went down to make the desert a garden again, adorned with the planting of the virtues, channelling by the word the pure and divine fountain of teaching for the care of the plants.
The bowls of spice were taken in the description of the beauty for the praise of the cheeks, through which spiritual foods are ground fine for those who are fed. But here they are shown by the word to be the bridegroom's place and dwelling. We learn this: that the bridegroom does not lodge in a soul empty of virtues, [but] if someone, according to the account given before, becomes a bowl of spice putting forth perfumes, such a one, becoming a mixing bowl of wisdom, receives in himself the divine and pure wine, through which [the sober drunkenness] comes about for [the soul].
The next word teaches us on what pastures the flocks of the good shepherd are fattened. For he does not drive the sheep out to deserted and thorny places to crop grassy herbage; but the spices from the gardens are set before them as food, and instead of grass there is the lily, which it says is gathered by the shepherd to feed the sheep. By this the word teaches us in philosophy that the nature and power that hold all beings, enclosing all things in itself, makes its place and room the purity of those who receive it, in whom the garden, manifold through the virtues, flourishes with the flowers of lilies and gushes with the fruit-bearing of spices. For the lilies become a riddle of the brightness and purity of the mind, and the fragrance of the spices of being foreign to every stench of sins. It says, then, that the overseer of the rational flocks lives among such things, pasturing in the gardens, cutting and gathering lilies for the feeding of the sheep. These he sets before the sheep through the great Paul, who brings out for us from the divine storehouse the food from the lilies: "Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is holy, whatever is of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise." These, in my judgment at least, are the lilies with which the flock is fed by the good shepherd and teacher.
The next word, which the pure and spotless bride has spoken, saying, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," is the rule and definition of perfection according to virtue. For we learn through these words that the purified soul must have nothing in itself but God, nor look to anything else; but must so cleanse itself of every material thing and thought, that, wholly transferred to what is intelligible and immaterial, it makes itself a most vivid image of the archetypal beauty. And as the one who sees on the panel the painting exactly formed after the archetype declares that the form of both is one, saying that the beauty on the image is that of the prototype and that the archetype is vividly seen in the imitation, in the same way she who said, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," says that she has been conformed to Christ, receiving back her own beauty, the first blessedness of our nature, made lovely after the image and likeness of the first, true, and only beauty. And as happens with a mirror, when it has been skilfully made and fitted for its use, it shows exactly on its pure surface the features of the face that appears in it, so the soul, having fitted itself suitably for its use and cast off every material stain, has imprinted in itself the pure form of the undefiled beauty. This living mirror, which has free choice, says this word: "Since I look with my whole circle at the face of my beloved, therefore the whole beauty of his form is seen in me."
Paul imitates these words exactly, saying that he who has become dead to the world lives to God, and that Christ alone lives in him. For he who said, "For me to live is Christ," cries out through the word this: that none of the human and material passions lives in him, neither pleasure nor grief, nor anger, nor fear, nor cowardice, nor alarm, nor conceit, nor rashness, nor remembrance of wrongs, nor envy, nor any vengeful disposition, nor love of money, nor any other of the things that stain the soul through attachment; but he alone is mine, who is none of these. For having scraped off everything seen outside his nature, I have nothing in myself such as is not in him. For this reason, for me to live is Christ; or, as the bride says, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," who is sanctification and purity and incorruption and light and truth and all such things, which shepherd my soul, not in grass or brushwood, but in the splendours of the saints. For the nature of the lilies, in the brightness of its colour, hints this sense to us. For this reason, then, the one who shepherds among the lilies leads his flock to the meadows of lilies, so that the brightness of the Lord our God may be upon us. For what is fed is surely disposed according to the kind of food. I mean something like this. Suppose there is a hollow vessel of glass, in which whatever is put [shows through], whether something [dark] or something pure and bright. So, putting the brightness of the lilies into souls, he makes their souls bright, the form lying within showing through to the outside. To bring this thought to greater clarity for us, we say that the soul is fed through the virtues, and she names the virtues lilies by a riddle. Whoever has been filled with them through a good way of life makes himself manifest, showing through his life, in his character, the form of each virtue. Let self-control be a pure lily for you, and righteousness and courage and prudence, and whatever the apostle says is true, honourable, lovely, just, holy, of good report: "if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise." For all these, coming to be within the soul, are shown in the pure life, adorning the one who contains them and themselves adorned through the one who has received them.
She, then, who has devoted herself to the beloved and received the beauty of the one loved in her own form: let us hear of what she is thought worthy by the one who glorifies [those who glorify him], through the sequence set before us in the words. For the Word says to the bride: "You are fair, my close one, as good pleasure; lovely as Jerusalem; awesome as ranks drawn up." That glory is sent up by the heavenly army to God in the highest for good pleasure among men, in the hearing of the shepherds, when they saw peace come to be on earth; and that Jerusalem is named by the Master of all creation the city of the great King, would be plain to anyone familiar with the words of the gospel. So through these we cannot fail to know what beauty the Word testifies to the bride through the comparison with Jerusalem and with good pleasure. For it is plain that the Word shows this about her: that through the ascent achieved the soul has been lifted so high as to strain itself forward to the wonders of the Master. For if God in the highest, being in the bosom of the Father, is mingled with blood and flesh for the sake of good pleasure among men, so that peace may come to be on earth, it is plain that she, having made her own beauty like this good pleasure, imitates Christ by her achievements, becoming for others what Christ became for the nature of men. So Paul, the imitator of Christ, did, cutting himself off from life so as to exchange his own suffering for the salvation of Israel, saying: "I could wish to be accursed from Christ for my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." To him it would fittingly suit to say what is said to the bride: "Such is the beauty of your soul as was the good pleasure of the Master on our behalf, who emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, and gave himself as an exchange for the life of the world, and for our sake became poor though he was rich, so that we might live in his death, be rich in his poverty, and reign in the form of his slavery."
And the loveliness of Jerusalem shows her greatness likewise: plainly the Jerusalem above, the free, the mother of the free, which we have learned from the Master's voice is the city of the great King. For she who has made room in herself for the one who cannot be contained, so that God dwells and walks in her, [is adorned] with the loveliness of the one [dwelling] in her, having received his beauty upon herself. And the beauty and loveliness of the King's city are surely the beauty of the King himself. For he is, according to the word of the psalm, the loveliness and the beauty, to whom the prophecy says: "In your loveliness and your beauty, bend your bow, and prosper, and reign, because of truth and meekness and righteousness." For by these the Divine is characterized, I mean by truth and righteousness and meekness. So the soul formed in such beauties becomes lovely as Jerusalem, adorned with the King's loveliness. These words, then, have the praise of the bride's beauty plainly, completed by the comparison with good pleasure and with Jerusalem.
We do not doubt that the next word is a praise of the bride; but the sense in which she who was thought worthy of this praise is honoured by it cannot be learned from the surface. For the wording runs thus: "Awesome as powers drawn up in ranks." Perhaps someone, following what was contemplated before, might say that the bride is magnified by the Word in her praises through the comparison with the nature above the world. For those are the powers drawn up in ranks, where the Authorities are always in authority, the Dominions rule wholly, the Thrones stand firm, the Principalities remain unenslaved, the Powers bless God without ceasing, the flight of the seraphim does not stop and their standing does not change, the cherubim do not cease holding up the high and lifted throne, and the ministers do not stop doing his work and hearing his words. Since, then, these authorities are drawn up in ranks by God, and the order of the intelligible powers above the world remains unconfused for ever, no vice overturning their good order, for this reason the soul too, doing all things in order and seemliness in imitation of them, stirs in herself such wonder as is in those powers drawn up in ranks. For the sense of "awe" is interpreted as amazement; and understanding the wonder through the amazement we do not miss the truth.
The saying set next to these in sequence makes the persons doubtful, both by whom it is spoken and to whom: "Turn your eyes away from me, for they have given me wings." Some think that this is said by the Master to the pure soul; but I suppose that the saying fits the bride rather, and is fitted to her. For I find the sense of what is signified by the word suited to her. I shall set out briefly what occurred to me. I have heard divine Scripture tell in many places that God has wings: at one time the prophecy says, "In the shelter of your wings you will shelter [me]," and "Under his wings you will hope"; again Moses in the great song describes this, where he says, "Spreading his wings he received them"; and what was said by the Lord to Jerusalem, "How often I would have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings!", which someone looking to the sequence would say is not outside the thought before us. If, then, the God-inspired word declares, for some unspeakable reason, that there are wings about the divine nature, and the first construction of man testifies that our nature was made after the image and likeness of God, then surely, having been made after the image, he had in all respects likeness to the archetype. Now the prototype is winged, according to holy Scripture; so the nature of man too was constructed winged, so as to have the divine likeness also in its wings. It is plain that the name of wings will be taken by some figurative contemplation to a thought fitting for God, power and blessedness and incorruption and the like being signified by the name of wings. Since, then, these things belonged to man too, as long as he was like God in all respects, but afterwards the inclination to evil stripped us of such wings (for having come outside the shelter of God's wings, we were stripped of our own wings too), for this reason the grace of God appeared, enlightening us, so that, putting off impiety and worldly desires, we may grow wings again through holiness and righteousness.
If, then, these things are not cut off from the truth, it is fitting that the bride confess the grace that came upon her from the divine eyes. For at once God looked on us with the eyes of his love for mankind, and we were given wings again according to the ancient grace. This, then, is what I think the word shows through these sayings: what David says to the Lord, praying in the sixteenth psalm: "Let your eyes see uprightness," plainly my uprightness. "For you have tested my heart," he says, "you have visited me by night; you have tried me with fire, and no wrong was found in me." It is the same, then, to say, "Let your eyes see uprightness," and "Let your eyes not look on the opposite." For whoever has seen the upright has not seen the crooked; and whoever has seen the crooked has surely not seen the upright. So by the removal of the opposite she shows the good to the divine eyes, through which the soul, which shed its feathers through the disobedience of the first-formed, is given wings again. This, then, is what we have understood through these words: "When your eyes look upon me, they are turned away from the opposite. For they will see in me nothing of what opposes me. For this reason it comes to me from your eyes to be given wings again, and to take up again through the virtues the wings of the dove, through which the power of flight comes to me, so as to fly away and be at rest": that is, that rest with which God rested from his works.
After these words the description of the bride's beauty follows again, the word honouring each of the things that contribute to her loveliness by some apt likeness. For the beauty of her hair is praised, and the setting of her teeth, and the bloom on her lip, and the sweetness of her voice, and the blush of her cheek. And the praise of each of these is completed for the bride by some suitable comparison and juxtaposition. Her hair is likened to flocks of goats that appeared from Gilead; the flocks of shorn ewes, exulting in twin births, complete the praise of the teeth by the likeness; [her lips are likened] to a scarlet thread, [and her speech is called lovely; and with the rind] of the pomegranate the cheek is adorned. The wording runs thus: "Your hair is like flocks of goats that appeared from Gilead. Your teeth are like flocks [of shorn ewes that came up from the] washing, all bearing twins, and there is none barren among them. Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your speech is lovely. Like the rind of a pomegranate is your cheek, apart from your silence." Since all these have been examined sufficiently in what went before, it would be superfluous to bring weariness into the discourse by repeating the same contemplations. But if anyone should want the account of them given now too, for the sake of those who did not hear what was contemplated on these texts earlier, we shall run over the sense of the riddles briefly.
The hairs of the body have a nature peculiar to them compared with the rest of the body. For while the whole body is served by the power of sense, without which it cannot by nature live (for sense perception is the life of the body), we see that the hairs alone, though they are part of the body, have no share in sensation. This part shows this peculiarity: that the hairs are not pained, like the rest of the body, either by burning or by cutting. Since, then, according to Paul's word, a woman's hair is her glory, adorning the head with its tresses, we are taught by the praise of the bride's hair that those seen about the head of the bride, through whom the church is glorified, must be stronger than the senses, hiding sense perception through wisdom; as Proverbs says, "The wise hide perception." For them sight does not become the criterion of the beautiful, nor is the good tested by taste, nor by smell or touch, nor is the judgment of the beautiful entrusted to any other sense; but, every sense having been put to death, they lay hold of and reach for the goods that appear to the mind through the soul alone, and so they glorify the woman, the church, neither puffed up by honours nor shrinking through faintheartedness before troubles. But even if they must be cut for the faith in Christ, or thrown to beasts or into fire, or endure any other painful thing, they put on the insensibility of the hairs in the trial of pains. Such was Elijah, who rose from Gilead with a hairy and rough body, covered with goatskins, undaunted by every threat of the tyrant. So all who, imitating the prophet's greatness of nature, raise themselves above the whole world, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, in mountains and caves and the holes of the earth, of whom the world is not worthy: these, seen in flocks about the head of the universe, become the glory of the church, [climbing] with the Gileadite to the heavenly grace.
The animal, the goat, was taken for the praise of the hair perhaps because the nature of this animal too has been made suited to the growth of hair, so that the animal naturally thick with hair becomes a riddle of the adornment through hair; or because it goes over rocks without slipping and lives about the summits of mountains, making its way boldly over impassable and sheer places, which [fits] aptly those who succeed on the rough road of virtue. Or rather someone might say that, because the animal was taken by the lawgiver for many parts of the legal worship, these [hairs] contribute to the praise of the head. I know too that in the riddles of Proverbs, among the four that go prosperously, the he-goat that leads the flock is counted among those that walk well. What we suppose about this by conjecture is this. Every practice that begins through one is passed on to many. As Scripture says that Tubal was the inventor of the art of smithing, and so refers to him the skill of all who after him have handled the working of iron, so Abel led the way in shepherding, Cain in farming; it says Nimrod was the founder of the art of hunting, Noah of vine growing, and Enosh, it says, began hoping in God; and many such things can be learned from holy Scripture, that when one practised something, the practice entered life by imitation. Since, then, Elijah led the way in divine zeal in a special way, by every pre-eminence, all who after him imitated his zeal and followed in the same footsteps of the prophet's boldness have become the flock of the one who led the way in such a life. These become the glory and praise of the church, ranked in the adornment of the hair, from whom the life of sense has been separated and estranged.
By like means she completes the praise of the teeth too. These would be those who nourish through themselves the body of the church, whom she wishes always to be seen clean as from the washing, without superfluous hair as from a fresh shearing, and bearing twins in the birth of the virtues, becoming fathers of double purity, that seen in the soul and that in the body, so that everything barren in the better is banished from these teeth.
The thread laid on the lip shows by the riddle the measured ministry of the word, which the prophet named a guard and a door of enclosure, when the mouth of the word [is opened] in due season and in due season is shut. That the thread is the name of a [measure] we have learned from the prophecy of Zechariah: that the angel who spoke in him held a measuring line in his hands. And the word attains its measure most when it attains the red colour, which becomes a riddle of the blood of the one who ransomed us. If someone, like Paul, has Christ speaking in himself, who ransomed us with his own blood, he has the measuring line on his mouth, [dyed in] the [scarlet of that blood].
The next word is an interpretation of the riddle before it. For it names the scarlet thread "lovely speech," by which again it signifies what is pure and measured. For what is exactly lovely, appearing in its own season of prime, is neither unripe nor past its season. And adorning the apple of the cheek with the rind of the pomegranate, he testifies to the bride a great perfection in goods. For it signifies that her treasure has been prepared for her in nothing else, but that she is her own treasure, holding within herself the provision of every good. For as the edible part of the pomegranate is enclosed in the rind, so it shows that her inward treasure is enclosed in the visible beauty of her life. This, then, is the hidden treasure of hopes, the soul's own fruit, enclosed by the virtuous life as by the rind of a pomegranate. "Apart from your silence," I think, has this sense: "Your praise is not so great from what appears, as much as is shown by word, but rather from what is hidden in silence, escaping the showing of the word." For as silence is understood as what is apart from speech, so whoever understands speech as what is apart from silence will not go wrong. For we keep silent about what we are unable to report through words. If, then, silence is understood as what is apart from that, it follows that we think speech to be what is apart from silence. So the one who said, "Apart from your silence," presents this clearly in words: that the things that can appear through speech are fair and great, [all that] is outside your silence; but what is outside speech, covered by silence, the unspeakable and unutterable, is surely more wonderful than what is uttered.
Let us hear also the next praises, whose sense is like the well in the history, which a stone covering its mouth made impossible for the shepherdesses to share the water of; but Jacob came and levered the stone from the mouth, and having filled the troughs with water, gave the flock freedom to delight in the streams. What, then, is it that we liken to such a well? "There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, young women without number. One is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only one of her mother, chosen of the one who bore her." Who, then, will roll away for us the stone of this obscurity? Who will draw up the water of these thoughts, lying so deep as to be beyond the reach of our discourse? But it seems to me good to testify this to your hearing: that to know these things belongs only to those to whom the apostle says, "In everything you were enriched, in all speech and all knowledge." Our poverty is unable to lay hold of the treasures of the word set before us. Yet, so that we may be outside the condemnation of idleness, because of the one who legislated for us to search the Scriptures, we shall not shrink from adding a little sweat to these too.
We say, then, that the philosophy in these texts sets before us, through the praises of the bride, one of the more refined teachings. The teaching is this. Beings are not created and re-created with the same sequence and order. For when at the beginning the nature of creation came into being through the divine power, in each of the beings the end was completed together with the beginning without interval, perfection rising together with the beginning in all things that came from non-being into being. And human nature is one of the created things; nor did it, like the others, come to perfection by advance, but was formed together with perfection from its first existence. For it came to be, as the word says, after the image and likeness of God, which shows the highest and most perfect of goods. For what could be found higher than likeness to God? In the first creation, then, the end appeared together with the beginning without interval, and nature began to be from perfection. But since, having been made akin to death through its attachment to vice, it slipped away from remaining in the good, it does not take back perfection all at once, like the first constitution, but advances by a kind of road to the greater, putting away little by little, in a certain sequence and order, its passionate attachment to the opposite. For in the first construction nothing hindered the perfection of nature from coinciding with its coming into being, since there was no vice; but in the second re-forming, a sequence [of time] must follow for nature as it runs back up to the first good; because our mind, bound through vice to passionate attachment to matter, is scraped little by little through a nobler way of life, as of some bark surrounding it, and so pushes off its natural union with the worse.
For this reason we have learned that there are many dwelling places with the Father, according to the proportion of each one's relation to the beautiful and his withdrawal from the worse, the reward being prepared for all. For one is at the beginning of feeding on the better, having just swum up, as from some depth of a life of vice, to participation in the truth; another has already gained through diligence some addition of the better; another has grown further through desire for goods; another holds the middle of the ascent to the heights; another has passed the middle; and there are some who have raised themselves above these; others strain toward the upward course beyond those, and others beyond these; and, in a word, according to the varied difference of free choices, God receives each in his own rank, paying back to all what is deserved, gathering the rewards of goods for the higher and measuring [the lesser] to the lesser. This is what we have supposed the word teaches in philosophy through the texts before us, distinguishing in what has been said the difference of the souls that look to the bridegroom. For some she names young women, surpassing the nature of number by their multitude; others concubines; and others she says are queens, limiting the number of the concubines to eight tens; and having said that the queens come to sixty, she sets above them all the perfect dove seen in unity, whom she declares to be the only one of her mother and chosen of the one who bore her.
We are led by the divine words to understand this: that those who have just come out of a kind of womb of deceit lying in the depth, being newborn and not yet articulated, having taken the word into themselves, are seen in a boundless multitude through a less reasoned assent of faith, having believed that the word of the mystery is saving, but not [holding it] with any knowledge and full assurance through reason, having the truth firmly founded in themselves. These are the ones named young women, because they are young in spiritual age: born by the word of faith, they have not yet become such through due growth as to come to the prime of marriage and attain to the perfect man, to the measure of marriageable age, so as to be able to conceive by the fear of the Lord and bring forth a spirit of salvation; but they still live with a somewhat less reasoned disposition through the infancy and imperfection of their mind. Yet these too are among those who are saved, as the prophet says, "Men and beasts you will save, O Lord," calling "beasts" the less rational part of those who are saved.
But of those who have grown in mind through due diligence and have already left infancy behind, we are taught by the word a twofold difference. For souls become one body with the Word, both these and those; but some cling to him with a disposition of passionate love, such as was the soul of David and of Paul: the one saying, "But for me it is good to cling to God," and the other, "No one will separate us from the love of Christ: not life, not death, not the present, not the future, nor anything else among beings." Others flee the attempts of adultery out of fear of punishment. For these too remain in incorruption and holiness; but, trained by fear rather than by longing alone, they do not admit evil. Those, then, who through the more perfect disposition have been blended with the purity of God by longing for incorruption are named queens because of their fellowship in the kingdom; while those who labour at virtue through fear of the threat the word names concubines. For none of them can yet become mother of a king and sharer of his rank. For how could she who has not yet taken up for herself the masterless and sovereign character of the virtuous [life], [but keeps] away from fellowship with evils [only through fear]? Examples of what has been said: for the queens, those found worthy to stand on the right, to whom the King says, "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you"; and of the second and lower rank would be those to whom the Lord says, "Fear him who, after killing, has authority to cast into the Gehenna of fire."
The difference in the numbers seems to me to indicate this distinction between the two ranks by a riddle. What do I mean? There are six commandments through which the kingdom of God is prepared for those on the right. Let us reckon each of these to be a talent of the Master, which ought to be multiplied tenfold by the good and faithful servant through his work, so that he may thus enter into the joy of his Lord, found faithful in a few things and set over many. If, then, through these six commandments fellowship in the kingdom comes to the soul, and the perfection of the work in each case is to multiply the commandment tenfold, as that good slave said, "Your one talent has made ten talents," we find in sequence the one queen expanded into sixty: she who was received into fellowship in the kingdom through the tenfold multiplying of the six commandments, so that the one is many, formed in a particular way by each of her achievements. So the one is divided into sixty queens, distributed according to the kinds of commandments; and the bride becomes a sharer in the kingdom of Christ, the one having become a people of queens, she who [is counted as many] through the honours won by the commandments.
If we have supposed, not beyond reason, that the six of the commandments, cultivated tenfold in one soul, are signified by the riddle of the sixty queens, then by the same kind of riddle we say that the mystery of the Eighth is indicated through the eighty, looking to which those trained by fear are kept from fellowship with evils. For so we have learned in the psalms, in which "the Eighth" is set at the head by the title; and they are plainly the cries of those being scourged, bending the hearing [of the judge] to mercy through fear of what is expected. For the one who looks to the Eighth says to the fearful judge: "Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are troubled," and whatever else is put before the impartial judge in sequence in the supplication, among which he laments also that there is no remembrance of God in death. For how could the gladness that comes from remembering God come to those condemned to weeping and gnashing? As the prophet says elsewhere, the remembrance of God brings gladness. Putting these and other such things before him, the one who fears the Eighth comes to perceive his share in mercy, saying, "He has heard the voice of my weeping."
And since many blessed fears are shown by holy Scripture, there would be in these too, in proportion to the six commandments, the tenfold increase: so that the one taught by the psalm how the fear of the Lord is achieved, by turning away from evil and doing good, multiplies tenfold through work, like a mina or a talent, the wealth of divine fear. And so the soul second after the queen, who achieves the good by fear and not by love, is expanded to the number of eighty, showing in her life, unconfused and unhidden, each kind of what is achieved through fear; so that in her case too the meaning of the Eighth is expanded by the tenfold increase, and she becomes [a concubine] by servile fear, and not [a queen], in place of the queen: because of the fear of the Eighth she has grown tenfold in achievements, reaching the number of eighty. The word of the history too bids her who served a spurious, temporary, and ignoble birth not to live with the queen to the end, since the slave's offspring is not equal in the royal inheritance with the free birth. "For cast out," it says, "the slave woman and her son; for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman."
If the contemplation applied to the number in the texts seems to anyone rather forced, let him remember that at the beginning we testified that we could not attain the truth in these things, but would touch them only so far as not to pass by the riddles wholly unexercised. But if love casts out fear perfectly, as it is written, and fear, transformed, becomes love, then what is saved is found to be a unity, all being united with one another in their natural union with the only good, through the perfection of the dove. For we understand something like this from the next word, which says: "One is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only one of her mother, chosen of the one who bore her."
This is interpreted more clearly in the gospel by the Lord's voice. For, laying up in his disciples the whole power of the blessing, he grants the saints the other goods through his words to the Father, and adds the chief of the goods: that they should no longer be split in many directions by some difference of free choices in the judgment of the good, but that all should become one, grown together with the one and only good; so that through the unity of the Holy Spirit, as the apostle says, bound tight by the bond of peace, all may become one body and one spirit, through one hope to which they were called. It would be better to set out word for word the divine sayings of the gospel themselves: "That all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one." And the bond of this unity is the glory. That the Holy Spirit is called glory no one who has examined it would dispute, looking to the Lord's own words. "For the glory," he says, "which you have given me, I have given them." For he truly gave such glory to the disciples, he who said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." And he received this glory, which he always had before the world was, he who [put on human nature]; [and since that nature was glorified by the] Spirit, the sharing of the glory of the Spirit comes to all that is akin, beginning from the disciples. For this reason he says: "The glory which you have given me I have given them, that they may be one, as we are one: I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one."
So the one who has run up through growth from infancy to the perfect man and has reached the measure of intelligible age, who from slave woman and concubine has received the rank of the kingdom, and has become able to receive the glory of the Spirit through freedom from passion and purity, is the perfect dove to whom the bridegroom looks, saying, "One is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only one of her mother, chosen of the one who bore her." We surely know the mother of the dove, recognizing the tree from the fruit. For as when we see a man we do not doubt that he is from a man, so too, seeking the mother of the chosen dove, we have understood her to be none other than that dove. For in the child the nature of the one who begot it is surely seen. Since, then, what is born of the Spirit is spirit, and the child is a dove, the mother of the child too is surely a dove, the one who flew down from heaven upon the Jordan, as John says and testifies. Her the young women call blessed; her the concubines and queens praise. For a course common to all souls from every rank lies before them toward such blessedness. So they say: "The daughters saw her and will call her blessed; concubines and queens will praise her." And all nature strains with desire toward what is blessed and praised. So if the daughters call the dove blessed, they surely desire to become doves themselves. And the praise of the dove by the concubines is a proof that they too have zeal for what is praised; until, all having become one, all looking to the same goal of desire, with no vice left in anyone, God becomes all in all, in those united with one another in the [fellowship of the good, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.]
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Song 6:1–9 (quotation, high confidence) · John 1:29 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:35–42 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 17:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 17:15 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 32:28 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:43–51 (quotation, high confidence) · Mic 5:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 2:23 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 2:7 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 9:1–2 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 4:15–16 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 21:19 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 132:7 (131:7 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 80:3 (79:4 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 80:13 (79:14 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 10:30 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 3:9 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Tim 3:16 (allusion, medium confidence) · Phil 4:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 1:26–27 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 3:18 (echo, medium confidence) · Phil 1:21 (quotation, high confidence) · Gal 2:19–20 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 90:17 (89:17 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 2:14 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 5:35 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:18 (allusion, medium confidence) · Rom 9:3 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 11:1 (allusion, medium confidence) · Phil 2:7 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 8:9 (allusion, high confidence) · Gal 4:26 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 6:16 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 45:3–4 (44:4-Ps LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Col 1:16 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 6:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 103:20–21 (102:20-Ps LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 17:8 (16:8 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 91:4 (90:4 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 32:11 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 23:37 (quotation, high confidence) · Titus 2:11–12 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 17:2–3 (16:2-Ps LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 55:6 (54:7 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Heb 4:4 (allusion, high confidence) · Song 4:1–3 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 11:15 (allusion, high confidence) · Prov 10:14 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Kgs 17:1 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Kgs 1:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Heb 11:37–38 (allusion, high confidence) · Prov 30:29–31 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 4:22 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 4:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 10:8–9 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 9:20 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 4:26 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 141:3 (140:3 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Zech 2:1 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Cor 13:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Eph 1:7 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 29:2–10 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 1:5 (quotation, high confidence) · John 5:39 (allusion, high confidence) · John 14:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Eph 4:13 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 26:18 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 36:6 (35:7 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 73:28 (72:28 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 8:35–39 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 25:34 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 12:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 25:35–36 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 25:21 (allusion, high confidence) · Luke 19:16 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 6:1–2 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 6:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 6:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 8:12 (allusion, medium confidence) · Ps 77:3 (76:4 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 34:11–14 (33:12-Ps LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 21:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Gal 4:30 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 John 4:18 (allusion, high confidence) · Eph 4:3–4 (allusion, high confidence) · John 17:21–23 (quotation, high confidence) · John 20:22 (quotation, high confidence) · John 17:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 7:16 (allusion, high confidence) · John 3:6 (quotation, high confidence) · John 1:32 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:28 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: On Song 6:1–9 Gregory, beginning from Philip leading Nathanael to Christ, reads the bride's directions to the young women as the gospel of the Word who came down to replant humanity as his garden, "I am my beloved's" as the soul become a clear mirror of Christ, the bride's praised features as ranks in the church, and the sixty queens, eighty concubines, and countless young women as souls advancing by love, by fear, or as beginners, all meant to become the one perfect dove, united by the Spirit until God is all in all.
- The Song is translated as Gregory quotes it (LXX): "as good pleasure" (ὡς εὐδοκία, for Hebrew Tirzah), "awesome as ranks drawn up" (θάμβος ὡς τεταγμέναι, glossed as amazement), "turn your eyes away from me, for they have given me wings" (ἀνεπτέρωσάν με), "apart from your silence" (ἐκτὸς τῆς σιωπήσεώς σου). Gregory reads ἀδελφιδός as "nephew" of the bride, who is sister of the people of Judah, hence "beloved". The lemma's damaged words (6:1, 6:4–5) are supplied from the Song; the closing words of 6:9 are quoted near the end of the homily.
- Number symbolism is Gregory's own and offered tentatively ("if it seems rather forced"): sixty queens = six commandments (Matt 25:35–36) multiplied tenfold like the talents; eighty concubines = the "Eighth" (the day of judgment, from the psalm title "for the eighth", Ps 6; 12 LXX) multiplied tenfold, those who do good from fear. He teaches graded "dwelling places" (John 14:2) and ends with the unity of all in the Spirit, "until God becomes all in all" (1 Cor 15:28); translated as written.
- The Holy Spirit is identified as the "glory" of John 17:22 (given by the Son to the disciples, John 20:22) and as the dove, mother of the perfect dove (John 1:32; 3:6). Translated as written.
- Quotations and allusions: John 1:29, 35–51; Gen 17:5, 15; Gen 32:28; Mic 5:2; Matt 2:23; Luke 2:7; Isa 9:1–2 / Matt 4:15–16; Matt 21:19; Ps 132:7 (LXX 131:7); Ps 80:3, 13 (LXX 79); Luke 10:30; 1 Cor 3:9; Phil 4:8; Gen 1:26–27; Phil 1:21; Gal 2:19–20; Ps 90:17 (LXX 89:17); Luke 2:14; Matt 5:35; Rom 9:3; Phil 2:7; 2 Cor 8:9; Gal 4:26; 2 Cor 6:16; Ps 45:3–4 (LXX 44:4–5); Col 1:16; Isa 6:2; Ps 103:20–21 (LXX 102); Ps 17:4, 8 (LXX 16:8); Ps 91:4 (LXX 90:4); Deut 32:11; Matt 23:37; Titus 2:11–12; Ps 17:2–3 (LXX 16:2–3); Ps 55:6 (LXX 54:7); Heb 4:4, 10; 1 Cor 11:15; Prov 10:14 LXX; 1 Kgs 17:1; 2 Kgs 1:8; Heb 11:37–38; Prov 30:29–31; Gen 4:2, 20–22, 26; Gen 9:20; Gen 10:8–9; Ps 141:3 (LXX 140:3); Zech 2:1; 2 Cor 13:3; Gen 29:2–10; 1 Cor 1:5; John 5:39; John 14:2; Eph 4:13; Isa 26:18 LXX; Ps 36:6 (LXX 35:7); Ps 73:28 (LXX 72:28); Rom 8:35–39; Matt 25:34; Matt 10:28; Matt 25:14–30; Luke 19:16; Ps 6:1–2, 5, 8; Ps 77:3 (LXX 76:4); Ps 34:11–14 (LXX 33:12–15); Gen 21:10 / Gal 4:30; 1 John 4:18; Eph 4:3–4; John 17:5, 21–23; John 20:22; Matt 7:16; John 3:6; John 1:32; Song 6:9; 1 Cor 15:28.
- Lines are lost in the scan where Migne's Latin breaks in: in the lemma, the passage on the cave and manger, on the bowls as the bridegroom's dwelling, on the glass vessel, on the King's beauty in the city, on the lips (the scarlet thread) and cheek, on the concubines ("[but keeps] away … [only through fear]"), on the Eighth, and near the end on the glory of the Spirit and the final doxology (supplied by sense). 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 end of the homily (the closing words are lost); Latin column leaked into the line; Latin column leaked into the line; OCR slip; Latin column leaked into the line; OCR slips; Latin column leaked into the word κατεσκεύασται; Latin column leaked into the word λέγουσι; Latin column leaked into the word προσκυνήσωσιν; Latin column leaked into the word τελειωθείσῃ; Latin column leaked into the word ἐκτός; Latin column leaked into the word ἐκφωνουμένων; Latin column leaked into the word ὀδύρεται; Migne's Latin column leaked into the word ὀνομασθεὶς): ὀνομαβεδβοοο δά διᾶπε φαίη) ρεογνθηϊϊ, βοὰ δια! δἱ εἱς, οἱ ρὸῦ βάθη σθεὶς → ὀνομασθεὶς; τὸ τῆς--- (βΔπδοῖυαπι εὐσεδείας → τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας; Βηθλεὲμ,-- δοουίυγυπι : δὰ Πῶς ἰφίίυγ υἱγάᾳυο διὰ → Βηθλεὲμ, διὰ; τῇ τε- Ὁ λειωθείσῃ → τῇ τελειωθείσῃ; λόγον, αυἱάπαπι ἐν τῷ → λόγον, ἐν τῷ; Διὸ λέ- -- τοφδηῖ. Νοη ῥτορίεγοα ἀΐουηί, ἵουσι → Διὸ λέγουσι; προσδὶς βθπιοὶ οοπβιϊυιαπὶ, χυνήσωσιν → προσκυνήσωσιν; τοῦ ὁχσ διὰ οτιΐ βογοῦ βϑβεὶ. (ὶ Ἰούδα → τοῦ Ἰούδα; Λένει οὖν τὴν φωνὴν εἴβοίαι. σαι φυὶ ἰπ δρυΐ ρἰοἰυγαηι ἑνί ἀδὲ ἀροι!Α ταύτην → Λέγει οὖν τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην; κάτοπτρον, ρὸῦ ἴος ἰρϑυπὶὴ ἰοϊὰ ποη ἰην ἀϊαπι, ποη υΐδ ([υ}εῖ δηΐπι ἢος ὅτι → κάτοπτρον, ὅτι; Ταῦτα γὰρ ΠΠἰὰπὶ Ὁ πάντα → Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα; Ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἰὼν : ρἰδπυπι οὶ ᾿ϊδιη, αυ δὶ ἴδης ἀϊεὶ αἀ δυσὶ πον. ἐστι → Ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἐστι; καὶ ἢ) ʼπ Ρβδϊπιογαπι ᾿θγὸ ἀϊοίτυγ) ʼρβα οἰερληιία τὸ κάλλος → καὶ τὸ κάλλος; πληρούμενον. δι αἰας δας οοἰ οὶ δυίδεπ) βδοφυυηίυν, οἱ ʼρβἃ Βροῦβθβ ἐποθην α Τὸν → πληρούμενον. Τὸν; ἔργων Οου ιαἱ οὐπὰ πιὸ Πάλιν → ἔργων. Πάλιν; κάλλους 0ὴ (ξίογιη ροδὶ δὲς ὙΘΓΌἃ Γυγβυτ) τῆς νύμφης → κάλλους τῆς νύμφης; κατ- φυοὰ εἐσχεύασται → κατεσκεύασται; πιοάϊ ἐϑηεοίαγα ὡς → ὡς; ὅσα ἐχᾳυοὰ οταιίοιδ ποη οοπιϊποίυγ, βἰδπιΐαπι 6ϑι, οοη.- ( τός ἐστι → ὅσα ἐκτός ἐστι; ἐχφωνουμέποῦ ὁδὶ πμηιέγιια. ὕπα ἐεἰ οοἰμπιϑα πιέα, ᾿Ακούσωμεν → ἐκφωνουμένων. ᾿Ακούσωμεν; ἁἀμοιδὰς, δὶς ὀοπου πᾶς καὶ → ἀμοιβὰς, καὶ; δονατῶς ἔχει. ᾿ΠΠΔγαπι Πῶς → δυνατῶς ἔχει. Πῶς; ὀδύρεἀοὺ ἰὶς διιηὶ: δαπα τεοογάδίίο. Νὰπι α ται → ὀδύρεται; καθώς ἵπτ05, υπὶ {Π| θοπο φριυἱϊηδῖο8 : υἱ μοῦ φησιν → καθώς φησιν; τοῦ δια, εἰδεία ἱἐ{π φια → τοῦ.
Topics: Eschatology, The image of God, The church
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Cant. hom. 15 (PG 44; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-canticum/15). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-canticum/15
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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).