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of Christ. For I betrothed you, he says, to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. I bring him forward to you as a witness clearly saying that for this reason some things in the Old Testament are overshadowed, but not all. For if all things were to be obscure, they would have been spoken pointlessly to those of that time. For the prophecies have both the temporary wars of that time, and plagues, and famines; and they also have the things that have come to pass today: the calling of the Church, the rejection of the synagogue, the abolition of the law. But he did not want them to know these things; but he wanted them to know those things that were happening in their own times. And this very thing I will try to prove: that only these things he made obscure, the things concerning us and the synagogue, the things that have now come to pass, and the abolition of the law; and this they did not need to know from that time. For if from the beginning they had learned that the law was temporary, they would certainly have despised it; for this reason he overshadowed it only. For that not every prophecy was obscure, but only this part was veiled, hear Paul clearly showing us both these things: both that the law was overshadowed, and that it was so in this part only. For writing to the Corinthians, he says something like this: Having therefore such hope, we use great boldness, and not as Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly to the end of that which is abolished, but their minds were hardened. For until this day a veil remains at the reading of the Old Testament, not being uncovered, because it is taken away in Christ. Perhaps what has been said is obscure; it is therefore necessary to make it clearer, by reminding you of the story itself. For when Moses, having received the tablets on the mountain, was about to come down, a certain ineffable and wondrous glory 56.174 of that holy face shone forth, such that none of the multitude could approach and speak with him. Therefore, so that he might not be altogether unapproachable to the people, putting a veil upon his face, he allowed the Jews to associate with him with confidence. And while speaking to the people, he had the veil, but when turning to God, he took it off again. And this happened, on the one hand, so that the lawgiver might appear trustworthy to those who were about to receive the law delivered through him, and on the other hand, so that the type of the truth might be prefigured in him, and the reason for the economy according to Christ be outlined from above. For since some were going to say, 'For what reason did Christ not come in naked divinity, but clothed himself in flesh?', from above, through the face of the servant, he answered all these. For if the Jews could not bear to see the glory of the servant, which was added later, how could they have endured to see the naked divinity after this? 7. But that veil shows us not only this, but also that the Jews suffer these things with respect to the law which they suffered then with respect to the face of Moses. For just as they did not see the glory of the lawgiver's face, since that curtain was placed between, so also now they are not able to perceive the glory of the law. And this is also necessary for us against the heretics. For thinking that what was said was an accusation against the law, they accepted this passage of the Epistle; and when they heard that the law has a veil, and that it is abolished, thinking it to be a slander, they abandoned the scriptures, so that they might be caught by their own arguments. For this very thing shows that the law is great. For just as then, to have a veil on his face was not an accusation against Moses, but a weakness of the Jews, and it was the greatest praise of Moses that he had such glory on his face that he needed a curtain before his fellow servants; so also it happened with the law. For if the law did not have an unapproachable glory, it would not have needed a veil. When, therefore, he says that, A veil upon the reading of the

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τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ. Τοῦτον ὑμῖν παράγω μάρτυρα φανερῶς λέγοντα, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο συνεσκίασταί τινα τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, οὐχὶ πάντα. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα ἀσαφῆ ἔμελλεν εἶναι, περιττῶς εἴρητο τοῖς τότε. Αἱ γὰρ προφητεῖαι ἔχουσι καὶ πολέμους προσκαίρους τοὺς τότε, καὶ λοιμοὺς, καὶ λιμούς· ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ τὰ σήμερον ἐκβάντα, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν κλῆσιν, τῆς συναγωγῆς τὴν ἀποβολὴν, τοῦ νόμου τὴν κατάργησιν. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἐβούλετο αὐτοὺς εἰδέναι· ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἤθελε τὰ ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς συμβαίνοντα τοῖς αὐτῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἀποδεῖξαι πειράσομαι· ὅτι ταῦτα μόνα ἀσαφῆ ἐποίησε γενέσθαι, τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς συναγωγῆς, τὰ νῦν ἐκβάντα, καὶ τὴν τοῦ νόμου κατάργησιν· τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἔδει εἰδέναι ἐκ τότε. Εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔμαθον, ὅτι πρόσκαιρος ὁ νόμος, πάντως ἂν αὐτοῦ κατεφρόνησαν· διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν συνεσκίασε μόνον. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ πᾶσα προφητεία ἀσαφὴς ἦν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μόνον περιέσταλτο τὸ μέρος, ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου σαφῶς ἀμφότερα ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἐνδεικνυμένου, καὶ ὅτι συνεσκίαστο ὁ νόμος, καὶ ὅτι κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον τὸ μέρος. Κορινθίοις γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων, οὕτω πώς φησιν· Ἔχοντες οὖν τοιαύτην ἐλπίδα, πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ χρώμεθα, καὶ οὐ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ὥστε μὴ ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου, ἀλλ' ἐπωρώθη τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶν. Ἄχρι γὰρ σήμερον κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης μένει, μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον, ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται. Τάχα ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον· οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι σαφέστερον, τῆς ἱστορίας αὐτῆς ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ λαβὼν τὰς πλάκας ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἔμελλε καταβαίνειν ὁ Μωϋσῆς, δόξα 56.174 τις ἀπόῤῥητος καὶ θαυμαστὴ τῆς ἁγίας ἐκείνης ἐξέλαμψεν ὄψεως τοιαύτη, ὡς μηδένα τῶν πολλῶν αὐτῷ δύνασθαι προσιέναι καὶ διαλέγεσθαι. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ διὰ παντὸς ἀπρόσιτος ᾖ τῷ δήμῳ, κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως ἐπιτιθεὶς, παρεῖχε μετὰ ἀδείας τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις αὐτῷ συγγίνεσθαι. Καὶ τῷ δήμῳ μὲν ὁμιλῶν εἶχε τὸ κάλυμμα, πρὸς δὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιστρέφων ἀπετίθει τοῦτο πάλιν. Τοῦτο δὲ συνέβαινεν, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἵνα ἀξιόπιστος ὁ νομοθέτης φαίνηται τοῖς μέλλουσι τὸν δι' αὐτοῦ κομιζόμενον δέχεσθαι νόμον, ὁμοῦ δὲ ἵνα καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν αὐτῷ προδιαγραφῇ τύπος, καὶ διαγραφῇ τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν οἰκονομίας ἄνωθεν ἡ αἰτία. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλόν τινες λέγειν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ γυμνῇ τῇ θεότητι παρεγένετο ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ σάρκα περιεβάλ[λ]ετο; ἄνωθεν διὰ τῆς ὄψεως τοῦ δούλου πᾶσι τούτοις ἀπελογήσατο. Εἰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ δούλου δόξαν οὐκ ἤνεγκαν ἰδεῖν τὴν ἐπιγενομένην ὕστερον Ἰουδαῖοι, πῶς ἂν γυμνὴν τὴν θεότητα μετὰ ταῦτα ἰδεῖν ὑπέμειναν; ζʹ. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον τὸ κάλυμμα ἡμῖν ἐνδείκνυται ἐκεῖνο, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα πάσχουσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπὶ τοῦ νόμου, ἅπερ ἔπασχον ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως Μωϋσέως τότε. Καθάπερ γὰρ οὐχ ἑώρων τῆς ὄψεως τοῦ νομοθέτου τὴν δόξαν, τοῦ παραπετάσματος ἐκείνου παρεμβεβλημένου μέσον, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὴν νόμου δόξαν δύνανται νῦν κατιδεῖν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πρὸς αἱρετικοὺς ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν. Καὶ γὰρ νομίσαντες κατηγορίαν εἶναι τοῦ νόμου τὰ εἰρημένα, κατεδέξαντο τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσαν, ὅτι κάλυμμα ἔχει ὁ νόμος, καὶ ὅτι καταργεῖται, νομίσαντες εἶναι διαβολὴν, ἀφῆκαν τὰ γράμματα, ἵνα τοῖς οἰκείοις ἁλῶσιν ἐπιχειρήμασιν. Αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο δείκνυσι μέγαν ὄντα τὸν νόμον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τότε οὐκ ἦν κατηγορία Μωϋσέως τὸ κάλυμμα ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως, ἀλλ' ἀσθένεια τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Μωϋσέως δὲ καὶ ἐγκώμιον μέγιστον ἦν, ὅτι τοιαύτην εἶχεν ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως δόξαν, ὡς καὶ παραπετάσματος δεηθῆναι πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοδούλους· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ νόμου συνέβη. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ δόξαν εἶχεν ἀπρόσιτον ὁ νόμος, οὐκ ἂν ἐδεήθη καλύμματος. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ, ὅτι Κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως τῆς