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bow. This He placed in the cloud, that is, in the world; and the world is a cloud because of the wrath of God, or the penalty of death. For sometimes the cloud is taken for a good thing, as gently watering and as giving shade from the burning heat, but sometimes also for wrath, as destroying and hailing because of its vehemence and force. For this reason, then, He says the bow is placed in the cloud, that is, the incarnation of the Lord in the world of wrath, so that the human race might no longer be deluged by the waters of wickedness. And it is a bow for this reason, that we may know that the Lord's reconciliation to us is a war against our enemies and foes, or also that the Lord's war against the enemy has become our reconciliation.

QUESTION 23 For what reason does the law forbid eating any blood of beasts and the rest? ANSWER By beasts he means not only the untamed, but also the tame that are 14Α_044 according to

the law unclean, such as, the ass and the swine and such things; and these are more vehement and untamed passions of wickedness. Therefore, one must not use these for the constitution of our own wickedness. But since blood is taken for the constitution of life, and often also for anger because of murder, it suggests that we must place our whole life before God and not live for ourselves but for God, as the law says, "you shall pour out the blood before the altar," or also not to have the irascible part ministering to one's own defense or to one's own passion, but only for the purpose of bravely and vigorously holding fast to God and divine things.

QUESTION 24 What, according to the law, is the goring bull, and why is it killed, being irrational? ANSWER

A goring bull is one who, contrary to reason, has possessed a zeal as if for God and has used it for the defense of others. It is necessary, therefore, to kill such a passion, so that it might not strike and kill many and prepare its own master, that is, the soul, to share the danger.

QUESTION 25 What is Joseph's coat of many colors, and what does the outcome of the dream concerning

the adoration of his father and brothers signify? 14Α_046 ANSWER Every Israel, that is, 'a mind seeing God,' makes for his own son Joseph,

that is, to the one begotten according to God, a coat of many colors, that is, it clothes the ethical way with the manifold diversity of the virtues. To such a Joseph, then—and it is interpreted 'addition'—the father and the mother and the brothers bow down; for to everyone who adds to and increases the measures of virtue and knowledge, the natural law and the nursing sense bow down, submitting with their corresponding natural and sensible principles. But since Joseph is also taken for the Lord, God the Father is reasonably said to make for his own and natural Son a coat of many colors, which is the body He took on from us for our sake, adorned with the divine virtues, according to what is said in the Psalms, "but a body you have prepared for me," which His brothers according to the flesh, the Jews, stripped off and defiled with the blood of the passion. And His father and mother and twelve brothers bowed down to Him, that is, the law and the worship and those from the twelve tribes who believed.

QUESTION 26 What does the pillar of cloud guiding by day and the pillar of fire signify

illuminating by night?

9

τόξον. Ταύτην ἔθετο ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ· νεφέλη δὲ ὁ κόσμος διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤτοι τὸ ἐπιτίμιον τοῦ θανάτου· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ καλοῦ λαμβάνεται ἡ νεφέλη ὡς ἠπίως ἀρδεύουσα καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ καύσωνος σκιάζουσα, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ὀργῆς ὡς διὰ τὸ ῥαγδαῖον καὶ σφοδρὸν καταστρέφειν καὶ χαλαζοῦν. Κατὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ τίθεσθαι τὸ τόξον λέγει, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ τῆς ὀργῆς κόσμῳ τὴν σάρκωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου, εἰς τὸ μηκέτι ἐκ τῶν τῆς κακίας ὑδάτων κατακλυσθῆναι τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος, τόξον δὲ διὰ τοῦτο, ἵνα γινώσκωμεν ὅτι ἡ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοῦ Κυρίου καταλλαγὴ πόλεμός ἐστιν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων, ἢ καὶ ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν ἐχθρὸν πόλεμος ἡμῖν γέγονεν καταλλαγή.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 23 Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπαγορεύει ὁ νόμος ἐσθίειν πᾶν αἷμα θηρίων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Θηρία οὐ μόνον τὰ ἀτίθασα λέγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἥμερα τὰ 14Α_044 παρὰ

τῷ νόμῳ ἀκάθαρτα, οἷον, ὄνον καὶ χοῖρον καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα· εἰσὶν δὲ ταῦτα πάθη κακίας σφοδρότερα καὶ ἀνήμερα. Οὐ χρὴ οὖν πρὸς σύστασιν τῆς ἡμῶν κακίας τούτοις κεχρῆσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ αἷμα λαμβάνεται εἰς τὴν σύστασιν τῆς ζωῆς, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν θυμὸν διὰ τὸν φόνον, ὑποβάλλει νοεῖν ὅτι δεῖ τὴν πᾶσαν ἡμῶν ζωὴν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τιθέναι καὶ μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ζῆν ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ, καθά φησιν ὁ νόμος ὅτι "ἐκχέεις τὸ αἷμα ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου", ἢ καὶ τὸ θυμικὸν μὴ πρὸς ἰδίαν ἄμυναν ἢ πρὸς ἴδιον πάθος ἔχειν ὑπουργοῦντα ἀλλ᾽ ἢ μόνον πρὸς τὸ ἀνδρείως καὶ εὐτόνως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν θείων ἀντέχεσθαι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 24 Τί ἐστιν κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὁ ταῦρος ὁ κερατιστὴς καὶ δια τί ἄλογον ὢν φονεύεται; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ

Ταῦρος κερατιστής ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ λόγον ζῆλον ὡς δῆθεν κατὰ Θεὸν κεκτημένος καὶ τούτῳ κεχρημένος πρὸς ἑτέρων ἄμυναν. Χρὴ οὖν τὸ τοιοῦτον πάθος ἀποκτέννειν, ἵνα μὴ πολλοὺς πλῆξαν φονεύσῃ καὶ συνκινδυνεῦσαι παρασκευάσῃ τὸν ἴδιον δεσπότην, τουτέστιν τὴν ψυχήν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 25 Τίς ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ποικίλος χιτὼν καὶ τί σημαίνει ἡ κατὰ τὸ ἐνύπνιον ἔκβασις τῆς

τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν προσκυνήσεως; 14Α_046 ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Πᾶς Ἰσραήλ, τουτέστιν 'νοῦς ὁρῶν Θεόν,' ποιεῖ τῷ ἰδίῳ υἱῷ τῷ Ἰωσήφ,

τουτέστιν τῷ κατὰ Θεὸν γεννωμένῳ, χιτῶνα ποικίλον, τουτέστιν τὸν ἠθικὸν τρόπον ἐνδέει μετὰ τῆς ποικίλης τῶν ἀρετῶν διαφορᾶς. Τῷ τοιούτῳ οὖν Ἰωσὴφ ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ 'πρόσθεσις' προσκυνοῦσιν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί· παντὶ γὰρ προστιθέντι καὶ αὔξοντι τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώσεως μέτρα προσκυνοῦσιν ὁ φυσικὸς νόμος καὶ ἡ τιθηνοῦσα αἴσθησις, ὑποκύπτοντες μετὰ τῶν κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς λόγων φυσικῶν καὶ αἰσθητικῶν. Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ καὶ εἰς τὸν Κύριον λαμβάνεται ὁ Ἰωσήφ, ποιεῖν εἰκότως λέγεται ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τῷ ἰδίῳ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν Υἱῷ χιτῶνα ποικίλον, ὅπερ δι᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀνέλαβεν σῶμα ταῖς θείαις ἀρεταῖς πεποικιλμένον, κατὰ τὸ ἐν ψαλμοῖς εἰρημένον "σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι", ὅπερ οἱ κατὰ σάρκα ἀδελφοὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐκδύσαντες τῷ αἵματι τοῦ πάθους ἐμόλυναν. Προσεκύνησαν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ καὶ οἱ δώδεκα ἀδελφοί, τουτέστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ λατρεία καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν πιστεύσαντες.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 26 Τί σημαίνει ὁ στῦλος τῆς νεφέλης ὁδηγῶν τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ὁ στῦλος τοῦ πυρὸς

φωτίζων τὴν νύκτα;