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immediately assimilates the wood to its own nature. Thus, as in perceptible examples, it is possible to represent the "substantially".

QUESTION 6 Since Scripture does not clearly say that Abraham gave tithes to the

Melchizedek, and especially since if he returned everything, as he himself says that "even to a sandal strap" he did not take, from where did he give tithes? For he himself was not carrying anything of his own into battle, going forth in haste.

RESPONSE Since the divine Scripture says that Melchizedek is "a priest of God,"

it is therefore fittingly believed that Abraham, holding the rank of a layman, gave the tithes to the priest. And that he had from where to provide them is clear from this: for the kings who campaigned against Sodom had taken not only the things of Sodom, but also had with them spoils from other places which they had previously captured; all of which Abraham, having cut them down and taken, returned the things of the Sodomites, but the 14Α_018 other things he kept for himself; from which he also provided the tithes to Melchizedek.

QUESTION 7 For what reason were the priests according to the law not prevented from having wives, but the

priests according to Christ are prevented, at least by custom? RESPONSE The ready answer is that the Gospel is higher and that many

have found virginity accessible since the Master of all was pleased to be born through virginity, which was rare for the ancients. But since the priesthood of the Gospel is believed to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron, and it is not recorded that Melchizedek had a wife, it is therefore necessary that the bishops who serve as priests according to his order do not take wives.

QUESTION 8 Since it is written that the prophet Amos was "a goatherd, scraping sycamore-figs," what

is "a goatherd" and what is "the scraping"? RESPONSE "A goatherd" is a shepherd of goats, and "to scrape" is to cut. Since, therefore, the

juice of the sycamore-fig is unripe and thick and harmful, those who scrape cut the sycamore-fig with little knives and make the juice flow out. And small creatures creep inside and as the ray of the sun enters, they sweeten and soften it. And this is according to the letter; but according to the anagogical method, a shepherd of goats is one who shepherds 14Α_020 with the word the desiring part of the soul. And he scrapes sycamore-figs who disciplines the body through self-control and causes the moisture of the passions to flow away; for this one, like the small creatures, receives divine thoughts and by the "sun of righteousness" is sweetened and softened in soul and is established as a prophet from God and a teacher for others.

QUESTION 9 What does the bronze serpent signify, which by the command of God was hung on high by Moses

in the wilderness? RESPONSE Since the intelligible serpent who deceived man from the beginning through disobedience

mixed into our flesh the law of sin, creeping in us like a serpent through pleasure, for this reason, he who walks the virtue of the wilderness of passions, if he should turn to Egypt, that is, to the darkness of sin, by the intelligible serpents

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εὐθέως πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν ἀφομοιοῖ τὸ ξύλον. Οὕτως ὡς ἐν αἰσθητοῖς ὑποδείγμασιν εἰκάζειν ἔστιν τὸ «οὐσιωδῶς».

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 6 Ἐπειδὴ ἡ Γραφὴ τρανῶς οὐ λέγει ὅτι δέδωκεν δεκάτας ὁ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ

Μελχισεδέκ, ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ εἰ πάντα ἀπέδωκεν, καθὼς αὐτὸς λέγει ὅτι «ἕως σφαιρωτῆρος ὑποδήματος» οὐκ ἔλαβεν, πόθεν δέδωκεν δεκάτας; Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἴδιόν τι ἐπεφέρετο εἰς πόλεμον ἔκπληκτος ἀπερχόμενος.

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ «ἱερέα τοῦ Θεοῦ» τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ λέγει εἶναι,

προσηκόντως ἄρα ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ὡς λαϊκοῦ τάξιν ἐπέχων δεδωκέναι τῷ ἱερεῖ τὰς δεκάτας πιστευθήσεται. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ εἶχεν πόθεν παρασχεῖν, ἐκεῖθεν δῆλον· οἱ γὰρ ἐπιστρατεύσαντες βασιλεῖς ἐπὶ Σόδομα οὐ μόνον τὰ Σοδόμων εἶχον λαβόντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλων χώρων εἶχον μεθ᾽ ἑαυτῶν λάφυρα ἅπερ ἦσαν προαιχμαλωτεύσαντες· ἅπερ πάντα κατακόψας αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ λαβών, τὰ μὲν τῶν Σοδομιτῶν ἀπέδωκεν, τὰ δὲ 14Α_018 ἄλλα παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ κατέσχεν· ἐξ ὧν καὶ τὰς δεκάτας τῷ Μελχισεδὲκ παρέσχετο.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 7 Τίνος χάριν οἱ μὲν κατὰ νόμον ἱερεῖς γυναῖκας ἔχειν οὐκ ἐκωλύοντο, οἱ δὲ

κατὰ Χριστὸν ἱερεῖς κωλύονται ὅσον ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Τὸ μὲν πρόχειρον, ὡς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ὑψηλοτέρου ὄντος καὶ ὡς πολλοῖς

γέγονεν ἡ παρθενία βατὴ ἐξότου διὰ παρθενίας τεχθῆναι ὁ πάντων ∆εσπότης ηὐδόκησεν, ὅπερ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις σπάνιον ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἱερωσύνη κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ γενέσθαι πιστεύεται καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Ἀαρών, Μελχισεδὲκ δὲ γυναῖκα ἐσχηκέναι οὐκ ἀναγέγραπται, ἀναγκαίως ἄρα καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τάξιν ἱερατεύοντες ἐπίσκοποι γυναῖκας οὐ προσίενται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 8 Ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται ὅτι ὁ προφήτης Ἀμὼς «αἰπόλος ἦν κνίζων συκάμινα», τί

ἐστιν «αἰπόλος» καὶ τί «τὸ κνίζειν»; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ «Αἰπόλος» ἐστὶν ποιμὴν αἰγῶν, τὸ δὲ «κνίζειν» ἐστὶν τὸ τεμεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὁ

ὀπὸς τοῦ συκαμίνου ὠμός ἐστιν καὶ παχὺς καὶ βλαβερός, οἱ κνίζοντες τέμνουσιν μετὰ μαχαιρίων τὸ συκάμινον καὶ ποιοῦσιν ἀπορρεῦσαι τὸν ὀπόν. Ζῳύφια δὲ εἰσέρπουσιν ἔσωθεν καὶ τῆς ἀκτίνος τοῦ ἡλίου εἰσβαλλούσης, γλυκαίνουσιν καὶ ἁπαλύνουσιν αὐτό. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τὸ γράμμα· κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῆς ἀναγωγῆς τρόπον, ποιμήν ἐστιν αἰγῶν ὁ ποιμαίνων 14Α_020 τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος. Κνίζει δὲ συκάμινα ὁ τὸ σῶμα δι᾽ ἐγκρατείας ὑποπιάζων καὶ τὴν ὑγρότητα τῶν παθῶν ἀπορρέων· οὗτος γὰρ δίκην ζῳυφίων δέχεται θείους λογισμοὺς καὶ «ἡλίῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης» γλυκαίνεται καὶ ἁπαλύνεται τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ προφήτης ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκαλος ἑτέροις καθίσταται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 9 Τί σημαίνει ὁ χαλκοῦς ὄφις ὁ κατὰ πρόσταξιν Θεοῦ ὑπὸ Μωυσέως ἐφ᾽

ὑψηλοῦ κρεμασθεὶς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἐξαρχῆς ἀπατήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ νοητὸς ὄφις διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς

ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας νόμον ἡμῖν ἐγκατέμιξεν, ὄφεως δίκην ἕρπων ἐν ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ τὴν ἔρημον παθῶν ἀρετὴν βαδίζων ἐὰν στραφῇ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, τουτέστιν εἰς τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας σκοτασμόν, ὑπὸ τῶν νοητῶν ὄφεων