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the golden lampstand and the rest. For the people were convinced that these things were deposited in the temple for the glory of God, and they prized them above all else, desiring rather to suffer something dreadful themselves at the hands of the enemy than for any of these things to fall into the hands of their foes. It is the custom of those of the circumcision to call the temple the sanctuary. 27 But Jerusalem suffered something most paradoxical at the time of its captivity. For she saw nations, which God had commanded not to enter the assembly, treading the sanctuary, where it was not lawful even for the Israelites to enter, since only the priests were deemed worthy to be in that place after performing no ordinary purifications. And the enemies went so far as to enter the inaccessible places, entering the place which the high priest "with much holiness entered with difficulty once a year." And a little later: But if Jerusalem, as we have established before, happens to be such a soul, it must be understood that <the> natural goods of hers, which are her adornment, through which she served the divine, deposited in her inaccessible places for everyone except the high-priestly Word, are called her desirable things. Against all these things the enemy who has prevailed in the wrestling, having afflicted her who was not fighting well on her own behalf, but was deservedly abandoned by the divine help, extending himself through his power which is active for wicked things, has torn out from the ruling principle and has left the soul that has apostatized from God desolate of good things. And in this passage, "nations" must be interpreted allegorically as the multitude of evils, entering into the ruling principle that was created to be receptive of God and a true sanctuary for him who wishes to rest in a pure mind. which nations God completely forbids to enter the church; for what else would we think is more properly forbidden by God from entering a soul numbered in the church of God than the works and the mind of the flesh, which are truly nations hostile to God? "for the flesh wars against the spirit," "for the mind of the flesh is enmity against God"; "for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be." 28 They groaned because of famine, and for a little food to revive the fainting soul they gave their most precious things. How then, after the aforementioned desirable things were carried off by the enemies, did they provide them for the purchase of food? But "the enemy stretched out his hand on all things," and being sated by taking what he wanted, he left the rest, in exchange for which they bought food. 29 A prayer from Jerusalem: Behold, Lord, my dishonor, having lost my adornment because of famine. But perhaps the desirable things are of different kinds, primarily those previously indicated "on which the enemy stretched out his hand," and secondarily those of each one of the people; and he has taken the common things, but in exchange for their private ones each bought food. And for the spiritual interpretation, just as Esau sold his birthright for red food, from which he got his name (for Edom is Red Earth; for he became earthly, despising his birthright and making earthly things primary, which Jacob pursued as necessary things in a secondary way because he was in a body), so too Jerusalem. But the one gives to the worthy Jacob to obtain the desirable things he had, even if he did not choose them; but the people of Jerusalem also gave for the sake of food, but not to a holy one who prepared it, but to Babylonians who were going to commit outrage with the desirable things that were given. For Jacob knows how to adorn what he received from Esau, but the Babylonians do not use what was given for their own good. So also a soul, through lack of necessary things, casts away divine teachings to those who want to learn out of idle curiosity for the sake of slander and mockery. 30 He has indicated the conflagration at the capture which touched the strongest buildings, or the capture of the pre-eminent citizens in her, being burned as it were by calamities in soul and in external things. It also indicates the capture of the subordinate people into slavery as in a catch of nets, of those who did not use their freedom well. For these, "not stretching forward to the things that are before, were forgetful of the things that are behind"; but they turned away from glory to dishonor, from

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λυχνίαν τὴν χρυσῆν καὶ τὰ λοιπά. πεπει σμένοι γὰρ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ταῦτα εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ἐναποκεῖσθαι τῷ ναῷ, πάντων προέκρινον αὐτὰ ἐπιθυμοῦντες αὐτοί τι παθεῖν μᾶλλον ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων χαλεπὸν ἢ τούτων ὑποχείριόν τι γενέσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. τὸ δὲ ἁγίασμα ἔθος τοῖς ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν ναὸν καλεῖν. 27 Παραδοξότατον δέ τι πέπονθεν ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. ἐθεάσατο γὰρ ἔθνη, ἃ ἐνετείλατο ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν μὴ εἰσέρχεσθαι , πατοῦντα τὸ ἁγίασμα, ἔνθα οὐδὲ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις εἰσελθεῖν θέμις, μόνων ἀξιωθέντων τῶν ἱε ρέων ἐν ἐκείνῳ μετὰ τῶν οὐ τυχόντων ἁγνισμῶν γίνεσθαι τῷ χωρίῳ. ἔφθασαν δὲ οἱ πολέμιοι καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἀβάτων εἰσελθόντες εἰς τό πον ὃν μόγις «μετὰ πολλῆς ἁγιστείας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυ τοῦ εἰσῄει». Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐὰν δὲ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καθάπερ προπαρεστήσαμεν, ἡ τοιάδε ψυχὴ τυγχάνῃ, νοητέον <τὰ> κατὰ φύσιν αὐτῆς ἀγαθὰ κόσμον αὐτῆς ὄντα, δι' ὧν ἐθεράπευε τὸ θεῖον, ἐναποκείμενα τοῖς ἀβάτοις αὐτῆς παντί τῳ πλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως λόγου, ἐπιθυμήματα αὐτῆς καλεῖσθαι. ἐπὶ πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ὁ ἐν τῷ παλαίειν κεκρατηκὼς ἐχθρός, θλίψας τὴν οὐ καλῶς ὑπὲρ αὑτῆς στρατευομένην, ἀλλ' ἀξίως ὑπὸ τῆς θείας βοηθείας ἐγκαταλελειμμένην, ἐκτείνας αὑτὸν διὰ τῆς εἰς τὰ μοχθηρὰ δραστηρίου δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, ἐξέσπασε τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ καὶ ἔρημον τῶν καλῶν καταλέλοιπε τὴν ἀποστᾶσαν θεοῦ ψυχήν. καὶ ἔθνη δὲ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἀλληγορητέον τὸν ὄχλον τῶν κακιῶν, εἰσελθόντα εἰς τὸ δημιουργηθὲν ἡγεμονικὸν ἐπὶ τῷ εἶναι θεοῦ χωρητικὸν καὶ ἀληθὲς ἁγίασμα τοῦ βουλομένου νῷ καθαρῷ ἐπαναπαύεσθαι. ἅπερ ἔθνη ἀπαγορεύει ὁ θεὸς παντελῶς εἰσιέναι εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν · τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο κυριώτερον ἀπαγορεύεσθαι νομίζοιμεν ἀπὸ θεοῦ εἰσέρχεσθαι εἰς ψυχὴν ἀριθμουμένην ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ θεοῦ ἢ τὰ ἔργα καὶ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός, ἀληθῶς ἔθνη ἐχθρὰ ὄντα τοῦ θεοῦ; «ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ στρα τεύεται κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος», «τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχθρας οὔσης εἰς θεόν»· «τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται». 28 Ἐστέναζον διὰ λιμὸν καὶ μικρᾶς ἕνεκα βρώσεως ψυχὴν ἐπι στρεφούσης ἐκλείπουσαν παρεῖχον τὰ τιμιώτατα. πῶς δὲ τὰ προρρηθέντα ἐπιθυμήματα παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀπενεχθέντα πα ρεῖχον εἰς ὠνὴν τροφῆς; ἀλλ' «ἐξέτεινε μὲν ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐπὶ πάντα τὴν χεῖρα», κορεσθεὶς δὲ τῷ λαβεῖν ἅπερ ἤθελε, τὰ λοιπὰ καταλέλοιπεν, ἀνθ' ὧν ἐπρίαντο τὴν τροφήν. 29 Εὐχὴ παρὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὸ ἴδε, κύριε , τὴν ἐμὴν ἀτιμίαν , ἀπολεσάσης τὸν κόσμον διὰ λιμόν. μήποτε δὲ διάφορα τὰ ἐπιθυ μήματα , προηγουμένως μὲν τὰ προδεδηλωμένα «ἐφ' ἅπερ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐξέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα», δεύτερα δὲ τὰ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ τὰ μὲν κοινὰ παρείληφεν, ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν ἰδικῶν ἕκαστος ὠνεῖτο τροφήν. πρὸς δὲ ἀναγωγήν, ὥσπερ Ἠσαῦ ἀπέδοτο τὸ πρωτοτόκια πυρρᾶς ἕνεκα τροφῆς, ἧς ἐπώνυμος γέγονεν (Ἐδὼμ δὲ Ἐρυθρὰ γῆ· καὶ γὰρ ἐγένετο γήϊνος, καταφρονήσας μὲν τῶν πρωτοτοκίων, προη γούμενα δὲ ποιήσας τὰ γήϊνα, ἅπερ Ἰακὼβ ὡς ἀναγκαῖα μετήρχετο δευτέρῳ λόγῳ διὰ τὸ τυγχάνειν ἐν σώματι), οὕτω καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν δίδωσι τῷ ἀξίῳ Ἰακὼβ τυχεῖν, ἅπερ εἶχεν ἐπιθυμή ματα , εἰ καὶ μὴ ταῦτα προείλετο· ὁ δὲ λαὸς Ἱερουσαλὴμ δέδωκε μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς ἕνεκα βρώσεως , ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ἁγίου ταύτην κατασκευά σαντος, ἀλλὰ Βαβυλωνίων οἵτινες ἐνυβρίζειν ἔμελλον τοῖς δοθεῖσιν ἐπιθυμήμασιν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰακὼβ οἶδε κοσμῆσαι τὰ παρὰ Ἠσαῦ, οἱ δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι οὐ χρῶνται τοῖς δοθεῖσιν ἐπ' ἰδίῳ καλῷ. οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ δι' ἀπορίαν τῶν ἀναγκαίων χρειῶν ἀπορρίπτει τὰ θεῖα μαθή ματα τοῖς κατὰ περιεργίαν βουλομένοις ἐπὶ διαβολῇ καὶ χλεύῃ μαθεῖν. 30 Τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἁλώσει δεδήλωκεν ἐμπρησμὸν τῶν ἰσχυροτάτων οἰκο δομημάτων ἁψάμενον ἢ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῶν ὑπερεχόντων ἐν αὐτῇ πολι τῶν, ψυχῇ τε καὶ τοῖς ἐκτὸς οἱονεὶ πυρουμένων ταῖς συμφοραῖς. δηλοῖ καὶ τῶν ὑποβεβηκότων τὴν σύλληψιν τὴν εἰς δουλείαν ὥσπερ ἐν ἄγρᾳ δικτύων , τῶν μὴ καλῶς χρησαμένων τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ. οὗτοι γάρ, «οὐ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενοι τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπελανθά νοντο»· ἀπέστρεφον δὲ ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς ἀτιμίαν, ἀπὸ