receiving a remnant of the election of grace; but I, having received the covenant according to the Jerusalem above, and being born again from a promise. They did not first make her a jailor, and then they fought; but having fought first, they made her fit to be placed in the vineyards for guarding ... And this is Moses, and the prophets, each of whom was a full field, which the Lord blessed; .. and a vineyard in which someone being, and not keeping his former state as being a vineyard from Sodom, uses the present word. If you do not know yourself, O beautiful among women, go forth in the footsteps of your flocks, and feed your kids by the tents of the shepherds. But the much-repeated saying among the Greeks has been anticipated, having been delivered to the wise Solomon, the 17.257 Know thyself; according to which the soul is now threatened by the lover and bridegroom, if it does not guard the beauty given to it according to the image of God, with expulsion from within, and being placed in the last places, shepherding the wayward kids. And you will shepherd them by the tents of the shepherds, sometimes of this one, sometimes of that one, like some wanderer; until, being taught by experience, you return to the knowledge of yourself; and the word will also be fitting for the Church; and one knows himself, knowing whether he has a good or a bad disposition; and is far behind on the road to virtue; or stretches forth to the things that are before, forgetting the things that are behind; and if he has not yet received or been perfected, or is approaching the borders of beauty; it is a task also to stand apart from each action, how they have come to be, with every thought and word; and he calls women the souls that are not pure nor indifferent; but neglecting her own knowledge, she would be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men; and everywhere to shepherd her own wayward kids rather than to be shepherded by the good Word; and this is the gentle word, if though she is never smooth, she is now henceforth beautiful among women, being numbered with the Church of God, and being more beautiful than the little ones in it; for the so-called women of the Church are incomparably better than the souls of the gentiles who go after the lovers of the opposing powers, who are called women, but not virgins; for how is she not better, who has looked up to your creator? And "Go forth" is similar to being delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, being separated from the Church; after, as he said to the maidens, being brought by the king into his chamber. How beautiful are your cheeks, like a turtle-dove's? But Paul also says the Church of the bride is the members of Christ; whose face, as it were, are those who excel the rest in beauty, thinking no evil thing; bearing for her the fruit of modesty from self-control, who perhaps were not beautiful before, changed so much that it was said to the bride: How beautiful are your cheeks, having no spot or wrinkle? and perhaps also by knowing the one and only God; for the turtle-dove also mates with only one. We will make you ornaments of gold with studs of silver. And this, The silver was not much nor poured out; - but a few things spoken in secret by the prophets and the wise men of old; -and when that which is in the inaccessible places of the temple has come, it has been seen by the one who sees the true veil being torn from top to bottom, so that the things within might be seen, whenever he who fell down and slept as a lion and as a lion's cub is raised. And after these things. For then those who have become conformed to his resurrection will themselves receive gold like flower ornaments; for they will be multiplied with silver and with gold. 17.260 While the king was at his reclining, nard gave forth its fragrance. For "my nard," she says, "with which I anointed him, has given forth the fragrance of the bridegroom;" for having anointed the feet of Jesus with her own nard, and wiped them with her hair, she received it transformed by the fragrance of the bridegroom; and perceiving it coming upon her head, she says, "My nard gave me the fragrance of the bridegroom;" wherefore as from the skin of Jesus the

ἐκλογὴν χάριτος λεῖμμα ἀναλαμβανόμενοι· ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν κατὰ τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ διαθήκην λαβοῦσα, καὶ ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας ἀναγεννωμένη. Οὐ πρότερον δὲ ταύτην ἔθεντο φυλάκισσαν, εἶτα ἐμαχέσαντο· μαχε σάμενοι δὲ πρῶτον ἐπιτηδείαν ἐποίησαν τοῦ τεθῆναι ἐν ἀμπελῶσιν εἰς φυλακήν ... Μωϋσῆς δὲ οὗτος, καὶ οἱ προφῆται, ὧν ἕκαστος ἀγρὸς ἦν πλήρης, ὃν εὐλόγησε Κύριος· .. καὶ ἀμπελὼν ἐν οἷς τις γενόμενος, καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἕξιν ἑαυτοῦ μὴ τηρῶν ὡς ἐκ Σοδόμων ὑπάρχουσαν ἀμπελῶνα, τῷ παρόντι κέχρη ται λόγῳ. Ἐὰν μὴ γνῷς σεαυτὴν ἡ καλὴ ἐν γυναιξὶν, ἔξελθε σὺ ἐν πτέρναις τῶν ποιμνίων σου, καὶ ποίμαινε τὰς ἐρίφους σου ἐπὶ σκηνώμασι τῶν ποιμένων. Τὸ πολυθρύλλητον δὲ παρ' Ἕλλησιν ἐπίφθεγμα προείληπται παραδοθὲν τῷ σοφῷ Σολομῶντι, τὸ 17.257 Γνῶθι σαυτόν· καθ' ἣν ἀπειλεῖται νῦν ἡ ψυχὴ παρὰ τοῦ ἐράστου καὶ νυμφίου, εἰ μὴ τὸ δοθὲν αὐτῇ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ φυλάξει κάλλος, τὴν ἔνδοθεν ἐκβολὴν, καὶ τὸ ἐν ἐσχάτοις τετάχθαι, τοὺς σκαιοὺς ἐρίφους ποι μαίνουσα. Ποιμανεῖς δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς τῶν ποιμέ νων σκηνώμασιν, ποτὲ μὲν τοῦδε, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκείνου οἷα δή τις ἀλῆτις· μέχρι παιδευθεῖσα τῇ πείρᾳ πρὸς τὴν σεαυτῆς ἐπιστρέψειας γνῶσιν· ἁρμόσει δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ λόγος· γινώσκει δέ τις ἑαυτὸν, εἰδὼς, εἰ ἀγαθὴν ἢ φαύλην ἔχει διάθεσιν· καὶ πολὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀπολείπεται· ἢ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτείνεται, τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμε νος· εἰ δὲ καὶ μήπω ἔλαβεν ἢ τετελείωται, ἢ προσ εγγίζει τοῖς ὁρίοις τοῦ κάλλους· ἔργον δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀφιστάνειν ἑκάστῃ πράξει ὅπως γεγένηνται λογισμῷ τε παντὶ καὶ λόγῳ· γυναῖκας δὲ τὰς μὴ καθαρὰς μηδὲ ἀδιαφόρους ψυχὰς λέγει· ἀμελοῦσα δὲ τῆς ἰδίας γνώσεως, γένοιτ' ἂν κλυδωνιζομένη καὶ περιφερομένη παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ πανταχοῦ μᾶλλον ποιμαίνειν τὰς ἰδίας σκαιὰς ἐρίφους ἢ παρὰ τῷ καλῷ ποιμαίνει λόγῳ· αὕτη δὲ προσηνὴς ὁ λόγος, εἰ καὶ μηδέποτε λεία λοιπὸν ἤδη ἐν γυναιξίν ἐστι καλὴ, συγκαταριθμουμένη τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ μικρῶν οὖσα καλλίων· αἱ γὰρ οὕτω λεγόμεναι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας γυναῖ κες, τῶν ἐθνικῶν ψυχῶν ἀσυγκρίτως ἀμείνους πορευο μένων ὀπίσω τῶν ἐραστῶν τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμε ων, γυναικῶν λεγομένων, ἀλλ' οὐ παρθένων· πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀμείνων, ἡ πρὸς τὸν κτίστην τὸν σαυτῆς ἀναβλέ ψασα; ὅμοιον δὲ τὸ Ἔξελθε, τῷ παραδοθῆναι τῷ Σα τανᾷ, εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς ἀφορισθέντα τῆς Ἐκ κλησίας· μετὰ τὸ καθάπερ ἔλεγε πρὸς τὰς νεάνιδας εἰσαχθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖον αὐτοῦ. Τί ὡραιώθησαν σιαγόνες σου ὡς τρυγόνος; Ἀλλὰ καὶ μέλη Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν νύμφης ὁ Παῦ λός φησιν· ἧς οἱονεὶ πρόσωπον, οἱ τῷ κάλλει τῶν λοιπῶν διαφέροντες, αἰσχρὸν οὐδὲν ἐννοοῦντες· τὴν δὲ τῆς σωφροσύνης αὐτῇ καρποφοροῦντες αἰδῶ, οἱ πρότερον ἴσως οὐκ ὄντες καλοὶ, τοσοῦτον μετέβαλον ὡς εἰρῆσθαι τῇ νύμφῃ· Τί ὡραιώθησαν σιαγόνες σου, μὴ ἔχοντες σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα; τάχα δὲ καὶ τῷ τὸν ἕνα μόνον γινώσκειν Θεόν· καὶ ἡ τρυγὼν γὰρ ἑνὶ μόνῳ συνέρχεται. Ὁμοιώματα χρυσίου ποιήσωμέν σοι μετὰ στι γμάτων τοῦ ἀργυρίου. Τοῦτο δὲ, Οὐ πολὺς ἦν οὐδὲ κεχυμένος ὁ ἄργυρος· - ὀλίγα δὲ ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν λεγό μενα καὶ τῶν πάλαι σοφῶν· -ἐπιδημήσαντος δὲ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἀβάτοις τοῦ ναοῦ, τεθεώρηται τῷ βλέποντι τὸ καταπέτασμα τὸ ἀληθινὸν σχιζόμενον ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω ἐπὶ τῷ θεωρηθῆναι τὰ ἔνδον, ἐπὰν ὁ ἀναπε σὼν κοιμηθεὶς ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος ἐγερθῇ. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα. Τότε γὰρ οἱ σύμμορφοι γενόμενοι τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ, παραλήψονται αὐτοὶ ἀνθομοιωμάτων χρυ σόν· πληθυνθήσονται γὰρ τῷ ἀργυρίῳ καὶ τῷ χρυσίῳ. 17.260 Ἕως οὗ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν ἀνακλίσει αὐτοῦ, νάρδος ἔδωκεν ὀσμὴν αὐτοῦ. Τὴν γὰρ τοῦ νυμφίου φησὶν φησὶν ὀσμὴν ἡ ἐμὴ νάρδος ἐν ᾗ αὐτὸν ἤλειψα, δέδωκε· τῇ γὰρ ἑαυτῆς νάρδῳ τοὺς πόδας ἀλείψασα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ταῖς θριξὶν ἀπομά ξασα, μεταπεποιημένην ἐκ τῆς ὀσμῆς τοῦ νυμφίου ταύτην ἀνέλαβεν· ἧς αἰσθανομένη φησὶν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐλθούσης Ἡ ἐμὴ νάρδος ἔδωκέ μοι τὴν τοῦ νυμφίου ὀσμήν· διόπερ ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν χρωτῶν Ἰησοῦ τὴν