and he may be able to receive boundaries in the royal tribe, concerning which it is written: “For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah.” -”And to go up the ascent of Akrabim.” Which is interpreted as scorpions, “over whom and over the serpents to tread” we received from Christ. But you must “ascend,” that is, to rise above the scorpions who fight against one who wishes to inherit in Judah. But Ezekiel says: “but the righteous one dwells in the midst of scorpions.” -”And the borders up to Kadesh.” Which is interpreted as holy and sanctification. 413 Let us see also the mysteries concerning the “eastern borders,” not understanding it as a bare list of names. Therefore, among these are mentioned “fountain of the Sun,” “city of the Sun,” “city of letters,” which he who receives is in blessing. But what is the “fountain of the sun” in Judah and of what “sun”? Clearly, it is about him of whom it is written: “but to you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall arise.” He bestows this fountain on his disciples, so that it may be in them “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” And there is also a “city of the sun” in Egypt, signifying the illustrious and glorious things of the 414 world. For the glorious things according to God of the inheritance of Judah, both a royal tribe and in a holy land. 415 (That one should not lose heart in reading the divine scripture who does not understand the obscurity of the riddles and parables in it. from the 20th homily on Joshua, son of Nun): The highest benefit from such readings comes to the one who is able to understand the true inheritance being divided by Jesus among the sons of Israel and to the one who has become able to ascend to “the holy land,” the true one, “the” truly “good,” and to apply from the naming of the things mentioned to the difference of those who inherit the things said concerning the places. But since it is difficult to find the one who is thus benefited, we wish to encourage the hearers not to lose heart at the readings. What then is the encour 416.20 agement so that the hearer of such readings does not lose heart, must be said. Just as, then, incantations have a certain natural power, and the one being enchanted, without understanding, receives something from the incantation according to the nature of the sounds of the incantation, whether for harm or for healing of his own body or soul; so understand, I pray you, the naming of the names in the divine scriptures to be more powerful than any incantation. For there are certain powers in us, of which the better ones are nourished by these, as it were, incantations, being akin to them, and though we do not understand, 417 those powers, understanding what is said, become more powerful in us for cooperating with our life. For that there are some invisible things in us, and many of them, the Psalm which says will make clear: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” There is, therefore, a multitude of powers in us that have inherited our souls and bodies; which, if they are holy, when the scripture is read are benefited and become stronger, even if our “mind is unfruitful,” as is written concerning “one who speaks in a tongue,” that: “My spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” Understand 418 therefore, I pray you, that sometimes “when the mind in us is unfruitful,” the powers that cooperate with the soul and the mind and all of us are nourished by the rational food from the sacred writings and these names, and being nourished, they become more powerful for cooperating with us. And just as the better powers are, as it were, enchanted and benefited and become more powerful from such writings and names, so the opposing powers within us are, as it were, drawn down and conquered by the incantations of God, and being conquered, are put to sleep. And if any of you has ever seen an asp being put to sleep by incantations, or any other of these venomous creatures, let him take that example for the scripture; which, when read and not understood, the hearer sometimes grows weary 419 and loses heart. And let him believe that the asps in him and the vipers in him are made weaker by the charms of the charmers, such as from wise Moses, from wise Jesus,

καὶ δυνηθῇ λαβεῖν ὅρια ἐν τῇ φυλῇ τῇ βασιλικῇ, περὶ ἧς γέγραπται· «πρόδηλον γάρ, ὡς ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέ ταλκεν ὁ Κύριος». -»Καὶ προσαναβῆναι τὴν ἀνάβασιν Ἀκραβίν». Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ σκορπίοι, «καθ' ὧν πατεῖν καὶ τῶν ὄφεων» ἐλάβομεν παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. «Ἀναβῆναι» δέ σε δεῖ, τουτέστιν ὑπεραναβῆναι τοὺς σκορπίους τοὺς πολεμοῦντας ἐν Ἰούδᾳ κληρονομῆσαι βουλό μενον. Ἰεζεκιὴλ δέ φησιν· «ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐν μέσῳ σκορπίων κατοι κεῖ». -»Τὰ δὲ ὅρια ἕως Κάδης». Ὅπερ ἅγιον καὶ ἁγιασμὸς ἑρμη νεύεται. 413 Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ «τῶν ἀνατολικῶν ὁρίων» μυστήρια μὴ ψιλὸν νοοῦντες ὀνομάτων κατάλογον. Λέγεται τοίνυν ἐν τούτοις «πηγὴ Ἡλίου», «πόλις Ἡλίου», «πόλις γραμμάτων», ἣν ὁ λαβὼν ἐν εὐλογίᾳ γίνεται. Ἀλλὰ τίς ἡ ἐν Ἰούδᾳ «τοῦ ἡλίου πηγή» καὶ ποίου «ἡλίου»; ∆ῆλον ὡς περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «τοῖς δὲ φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά μου ἀνατελεῖ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης». Ταύτην τὴν πηγὴν χαρίζεται τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἵνα «πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον» ᾖ ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ «πόλις ἡλίου» κατ' Αἴγυπτον τὰ ἐπιφανῆ καὶ ἔνδοξα τοῦ 414 κόσμου σημαίνουσα. Τὰ γὰρ κατὰ Θεὸν ἔνδοξα τῆς κληροδοσίας Ἰούδα βασιλικῆς τε φυλῆς καὶ ἐν γῇ ἁγίᾳ. 415 (Πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς θείας γραφῆς τὸν μὴ συνιέντα τὸ σκο τεινὸν τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ αἰνιγμάτων καὶ παραβολῶν. ἀπὸ τῆς κʹ ὁμιλίας τῆς εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναυῆ): Ἡ μὲν ἄκρα ὠφέλεια ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἀναγνωσμάτων τῷ δυναμένῳ νοῆσαι τὴν ἀληθῆ κληροδοσίαν ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ μεριζομένην τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ γίνεται καὶ τῷ οἵῳ τε γενομένῳ ἀναβῆναι ἐπὶ «τὴν γῆν τὴν ἁγίαν», τὴν ἀληθινήν, «τὴν» ὄντως «ἀγαθὴν» καὶ ἐφαρμόσαι ἐκ τῆς ὀνομασίας τῶν εἰρημένων τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν κληρονομούντων τὰ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους λεγόμενα. Ἐπεὶ δὲ δύσκο λόν ἐστιν εὑρεῖν τὸν οὕτως ὠφελούμενον, βουλόμεθα παραμυθήσασθαι τοὺς ἀκούοντας μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀναγνώσεσι. Τίς οὖν ἡ παρα 416.20 μυθία ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν τὸν ἀκούοντα τῶν τοιούτων ἀναγνωσμά των, λεκτέον. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν αἱ ἐπῳδαὶ δύναμίν τινα ἔχουσι φυσικὴν καὶ μὴ νοῶν ὁ κατεπᾳδόμενος λαμβάνει τι ἐκ τῆς ἐπῳδῆς κατὰ τὴν φύσιν τῶν φθόγγων τῆς ἐπῳδῆς εἴτε εἰς βλάβην εἴτε εἰς ἴασιν σώ ματος ἢ ψυχῆς ἑαυτοῦ· οὕτω μοι νόει πάσης ἐπῳδῆς δυνατωτέραν εἶναι τὴν ὀνομασίαν τῶν ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ὀνομάτων. Εἰσὶ γάρ τινες δυνάμεις ἐν ἡμῖν, ὧν αἱ μὲν κρείττονες διὰ τούτων τῶν οἱονεὶ ἐπῳδῶν τρέφονται συγγενεῖς οὖσαι αὐταῖς καὶ ἡμῶν μὴ νοούντων 417 ἐκείνας τὰς δυνάμεις νοούσας τὰ λεγόμενα δυνατωτέρας ἐν ἡμῖν γί νεσθαι πρὸς τὸ συνεργεῖν τῷ ἡμετέρῳ βίῳ. Ὅτι γὰρ ἔστι τινὰ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀόρατα καὶ πολλά γε ταῦτα, δηλώσει ὁ εἰπὼν Ψαλμός· «Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ». Ἔστιν οὖν πλῆθός τι ἐν ἡμῖν δυνάμεων κεκληρωμένων ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ σώματα· αἵτινες, ἐὰν ὦσιν ἅγιαι, τῆς γραφῆς ἀνα γινωσκομένης ὠφελοῦνται καὶ γίνονται ἰσχυρότεραι, κἂν «ὁ νοῦς» ἡμῶν «ἄκαρπος ᾖ», ὡς γέγραπται περὶ «τοῦ γλώσσῃ λαλοῦντος», ὅτι· «Τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστι». Νόει 418 οὖν μοι, ὅτι ποτὲ «τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν νοῦ ἀκάρπου ὄντος» αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ συνεργοῦσαι τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῷ νῷ καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν τρέφονται λογικῇ τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων καὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων τροφῇ καὶ τρεφόμεναι δυνατώτεραι γίνονται πρὸς τὸ ἡμῖν συνεργεῖν. Ὥσπερ δὲ αἱ κρείττους δυνάμεις οἱονεὶ κατεπᾴδονται καὶ ὠφελοῦνται καὶ γίνονται δυνατώτεραι ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων γραμμάτων καὶ ὀνομάτων, οὕτως αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν οἱονεὶ καθέλκονται καὶ νικῶνται ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπῳδῶν καὶ νικώμενοι κοιμίζονται. Καὶ εἴ ποτέ τις ὑμῶν ἑώρακεν ἀπὸ ἐπῳδῶν ἀσπίδα κοιμιζο μένην ἢ ἄλλο τι τούτων τῶν ἰοβόλων, ἐκεῖνο τὸ παράδειγμα λαβέτω εἰς τὴν γραφήν· ἧς ἀναγινωσκομένης καὶ μὴ νοουμένης ἐνιότε ἀκηδιᾷ 419 καὶ ἐκκακεῖ ὁ ἀκροατής. Καὶ πιστευέτω ὅτι αἱ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀσπίδες καὶ αἱ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔχιδναι ἀτονώτεραι γίνονται ἀπὸ τῶν φαρμάκων τῶν φαρμακευόντων, οἷον παρὰ σοφοῦ Μωσῆ, παρὰ σοφοῦ Ἰησοῦ,