heavenly things. Three patriarchs in honor of the Trinity; three virtues in honor of the Trinity; but now these three remain, faith, hope, love. Creation is divided into three, into the order of heavenly and earthly and subterranean beings. Time is cut into three, into the past and present and future. And just as there were many patriarchs, but the triad sufficed for the glorification of the spirit, so though there are many priests, a triad of priests is chosen: Moses and Aaron among his priests and Samuel. Many kings, many priests, and three are the ones mentioned; For except for David and Hezekiah and Josiah, says the scripture, all have sinned. In the furnace three youths; with Christ on the mountain Peter, James and John. Many angels in heaven, and three appear to Abraham. All are the days of God, and three serve the mystery of Christ; which three? Take Isaac whom you have loved, your only-begotten son, and go to one of the mountains; and Abraham went for three days and three nights, so that he might at the same time show the mystery; For just as he received Isaac alive from death; and how, listen. From when he was taken for a sacrifice, he was dead to his father; for not the outcome of the work, but the intention ratifies the undertaking. Isaac was dead to his father as far as the intention; the third day, and he was given back alive as a type of the resurrection. Jonah also could have spent many days in the sea, but he spends only the three, so that he might show the mystery of the resurrection. 166 Then, he says, even if you find such testimonies separately, do you again take them up as images of the Trinity and of the economy? You do not want these signs. If I say it, reject the word; but if the proclamation is divine, hear from me. But also hear with me, that the three days interpret the passion of the Lord. Since concerning Abraham the Savior himself says: Abraham your father rejoiced, that he might see my day; and he saw and was glad. What day? Of death. For the ram that was given from the tree to Abraham was an image of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. For to say: He saw the day, means nothing else than He saw the death. From where is this? And we often say of men: his day has come, instead of, his end. But the law of custom is not sufficient to confirm what is said. What then? Let us come to the scripture. The blessed David says somewhere: The sinner will watch the righteous and will gnash his teeth at him; but the Lord will laugh at him, because he foresees that his day will come. But these things are about Abraham; I will return to Jonah. For again the three days of Jonah interpret the saving passion. This again the Savior himself proclaims: Just as, he says, Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so must the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. But let us say one thing more powerful than the others that have been said before. To the former people there were three orders: priesthood, kingship, 167 prophecy; therefore, besides these three offices one could not see another office among the Jews: kingship, priesthood, prophecy. There was a horn of oil, of sanctification. The anointing was one, but the gifts were three; one the horn, three the graces; for they anointed priests, kings, prophets. But since some are ignorant of the matter, so that the word running in vain might not exhaust itself while profiting the hearer nothing, listen briefly. A horn was held by the prophets, and from the horn were anointed kings, prophets, priests, the anointing not being changed, but grace being provided through the same horn kings were anointed, priests were anointed, prophets were anointed; one anointing, three gifts. But why was the anointing in a horn? Because it had an image of Christ. Could it not have been in a silver vessel? Could it not have been in a gold one? Could not so great a gift have been in some other of the more precious materials? But it was not, but in a horn; because, as I said before, it had an image of Christ. For I will raise up a horn for David. And he of the priesthood and of the

οὐράνια. Τρεῖς πατριάρχαι εἰς τιμὴν τριάδος· τρεῖς ἀρεταὶ εἰς τιμὴν τριάδος· νυνὶ δὲ μένει τὰ τρία ταῦτα, πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη. Εἰς τρία διῄρηται ἡ κτίσις, εἰς τάξιν ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων. Εἰς τρία τέμνονται χρόνοι, εἰς τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ ἐνεστῶτα καὶ μέλλοντα. Καὶ ὥςπερ πολλοὶ πατριάρχαι, ἡ δὲ τριὰς ἤρκεσεν εἰς δοξολογίαν τοῦ πνεύματος, οὕτω πολλῶν ὄντων ἱερέων τριάδα ἱερέων ἐπιλέγεται· Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ Σαμουήλ. Πολλοὶ βασιλεῖς, πολλοὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ τρεῖς οἱ μνημονευόμενοι· Πλὴν γὰρ ∆αυὶδ καὶ Ἐζεκίου καὶ Ἰωσίου, φησὶν ἡ γραφή, πάντες ἥμαρτον. Ἐν καμίνῳ τρεῖς παῖδες· μετὰ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸ ὄρος Πέτρος, Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης. Πολλοὶ ἐν οὐρανῷἄγγελοι, καὶ τρεῖς ἐπιφαίνονται τῷ Ἀβραάμ. Πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι θεοῦ, καὶ τρεῖς ὑπηρετοῦσι τῷ μυστηρίῳ Χριστοῦ· τρεῖς ποῖαι; Λάβε τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ὃν ἠγάπησας τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν μονογενῆ καὶ πορεύου εἰς ἓν τῶν ὀρέων· καὶ ἐπορεύθη Ἀβραὰμ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, ἵνα ὁμοῦ δείξῃ καὶ τὸ μυστήριον· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκ θανάτου ζῶντα παρέλαβε τὸν Ἰσαάκ· καὶ ὅπως, ἄκουε. Ἀφ' οὗπερ ἐκεῖνος εἰς θυσίαν παρελήφθη, τῷ πατρὶ ἀπέθανεν· οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀπόβασις τοῦ ἔργου, ἀλλ' ἡ πρόθεσις κυροῖ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα. Νενέκρωτο Ἰσαὰκ τῷ πατρὶ ὅσον εἰς τὴν πρόθεσιν· τρίτη ἡμέρα, καὶ ἀπεδόθη ζῶν εἰς τύπον τῆς ἀναστάσεως. Ἠδύνατο καὶ Ἰωνᾶς ποιῆσαι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πολλὰς ἡμέρας, ἀλλ' οὐ ποιεῖ ἢ μόνον τὰς τρεῖς, ἵνα δείξῃ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὸ μυστήριον. 166 Εἶτα, φησί, κἂν εὕρῃς που διῃρημένως τοιαύτας μαρτυρίας, πάλιν ὡς εἰκόνας ἀναλαμβάνεις τῆς τριάδος καὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας; Οὐ βούλει ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα. Ἐὰν ἐγὼ λέγω, παραγράφου τὸν λόγον· εἰ δὲ θεῖον τὸ κήρυγμα, ἄκουε παρ' ἐμοῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄκουε μετ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι αἱ τρεῖς ἡμέραι ἑρμηνεύουσι τὸ πάθος τοῦ κυρίου. Ἐπεὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἠγαλλιάσατο, ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμήν· καὶ εἶδε καὶ ἐχάρη. Ἡμέραν ποίαν; Τοῦ θανάτου. Ὁ γὰρ ἀμνὸς ὁ παραδοθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ δένδρου τῷ Ἀβραὰμ εἰκόνα εἶχε τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ αἴροντος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν· Εἶδε τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ποιεῖ ἢ τὸ Εἶδε τὸν θάνατον. Πόθεν τοῦτο; Καὶ ἡμεῖς πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων λέγομεν· ἔφθασεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ἡμέρα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἡ τελευτή. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἱκανὸς συνηθείας νόμος βεβαιῶσαι τὸ λεγόμενον. Τί οὖν; Ἐπὶ τὴν γραφὴν ἔλθωμεν. Λέγει που ∆αυὶδ ὁ μακάριος· Παρατηρήσεται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς τὸν δίκαιον καὶ βρύξει ἐπ' αὐτὸν τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ κύριος ἐκγελάσεται αὐτόν, ὅτι προβλέπει, ὅτι ἥξει ἡ ἡμέρα αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τὸν Ἀβραάμ· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐπανήξω. Πάλιν γὰρ αἱ τρεῖς ἡμέραι τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ τὸ πάθος ἑρμηνεύουσι τὸ σωτήριον. Τοῦτο πάλιν αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ βοᾷ· Ὥςπερ, φησίν, Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτω δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ποιῆσαι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας. Ἀλλ' ἓν πρὸς τοῖς προειρημένοις τῶν ἄλλων εἴπωμεν ἰσχυρότερον. Τῷ λαῷ τῷ προτέρῳ τρία ἦν τάγματα, ἱερωσύνη, βασιλεία, 167 προφητεία· ἐκτὸς οὖν τούτων τῶν τριῶν ἀρχῶν οὐκ ἦν ἄλλην ἰδεῖν ἀρχὴν ἐν Ἰουδαίοις· βασιλείαν, ἱερωσύνην, προφητείαν. Κέρας ἦν ἐλαίου, ἁγιασμοῦ. Ἓν ἦν τὸ χρίσμα, τρία δὲ τὰ δῶρα· ἓν τὸ κέρας, τρία τὰ χαρίσματα· ἔχριον γὰρ ἱερεῖς, βασιλεῖς, προφήτας. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή τινες ἀγνοοῦσι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, ἵνα μὴ διὰ κενῆς ὁ λόγος τρέχων ἑαυτὸν μὲν ἀναλίσκῃ, τὸν δὲ ἀκροατὴν μηδὲν ὠφελῇ, ἄκουσον συντόμως. Κέρας ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν κατεχόμενον, ἐχρίοντο δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κέρατος βασιλεῖς, προφῆται, ἱερεῖς, οὐ μεταβαλλομένου τοῦ χρίσματος, ἀλλὰ τῆς χάριτος διὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ κέρατος παρεχομένης ἐχρίοντο βασιλεῖς, ἐχρίοντο ἱερεῖς, ἐχρίοντο προφῆται· ἓν τὸ χρίσμα, τρία δῶρα. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἐν κέρατι ἦν τὸ χρίσμα; Ἐπειδὴ εἰκόνα εἶχε Χριστοῦ. Ἆρα οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐν ἀργυρέῳ εἶναι σκεύει; Οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐν χρυσῷ; Οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐν ἄλλῃ τινὶ τῶν τιμιωτέρων ὑλῶν εἶναι τοσοῦτον δῶρον; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' ἐν κέρατι· ἐπειδήπερ, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπών, εἰκόνα εἶχε Χριστοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξανατελῶ κέρας τῷ ∆αυίδ. Ὁ δὲ τῆς ἱερωσύνης καὶ τῆς