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the herd of oxen; a farmer also rejoices, seeing the cornfields flourishing; but neither does the farmer so rejoice over his cornfields, nor the herdsman over his oxen, as I now rejoice and exult, seeing this goodly threshing-floor filled with these spiritual sheaves. For when the 56.176 word of piety is sown into so many and such ears, it is necessary that the ear of obedience should quickly sprout up abundant and ripe. For when one cuts a furrow into deep and rich soil, even if he does not cast the seeds with a lavish hand, he will receive an abundant crop, as the nature of the ground multiplies the scarcity of the seeds by its own power; so also when one sows into souls that are docile and full of piety, even if he casts a few seeds of doctrine, he will see a rich harvest, as the wisdom of the hearers conceals the poverty of the speaker. This also happens in the fishing of fish. For even if the fishermen happen to be unskilled, but cast their nets into a bay that holds many fish, they easily succeed in their catch, as the multitude of the fish running together overshadows their inexperience. And if in that catch, the multitude of those about to be caught often consoles the ignorance of the netter, much more will this happen in this spiritual fishing. For those fish, when they see the nets cast, immediately leap away and jump out; but you do the opposite; when you see someone standing up and spreading out the dragnet of teaching, not only do you not leap away and jump out, but you even go further in, running together from all sides, and each one pushing and pressing his neighbor, hastens to be the first to leap in and fall into the nets. For this reason we have never drawn up an empty dragnet, not because of our experience, but because of your desire. Sufficiently, then, did the tongue that flows with proven and pure gold, and has springs of honey in its mouth, I mean that of the blessed Paul, formerly feast us; or rather, concealing the pleasure of any honeycomb with the sweetness of spiritual teaching. But since, according to the philosophy that befits you, you do not dishonor even the words of me who am poor and destitute, but while you admire those things which have great excellence, you also accept the words of our humbleness, I have stood up with eagerness to pay you the debt which I formerly promised, but did not deliver, as the length of the teaching pushed us past the end. What then was that debt? For it is necessary to remind you of the beginning of the loan, so that the explanation may be clearer to you from the subject matter. We then inquired why the Old Testament is more obscure than the New; for perhaps you remember; and we stated for the time being one reason, the brutishness of the hearers, and we brought forward Paul as a witness, saying, That the same veil remaineth unlifted at the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. We showed that just as Moses the lawgiver had a veil, so also the law had a veil, its obscurity; but the veil is neither an accusation against the lawgiver, nor a charge against the law, but of the weakness of the hearers. For Moses did not have the veil for his own sake, but because they could not bear the glory of his face. When, therefore, he turned to the Lord, the veil was taken away. So also the law, since it was not yet able to learn the perfect doctrines and those full of philosophy, both those concerning Christ and the New Testament—for all those things lay hidden, as in a treasure, in the 56.177 old Scripture—had a veil, condescending to them, but keeping all the wealth for us, so that when Christ should come, and we should turn to him, the veil might be taken away. See, therefore, to what great worth Christ's

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βοῶν τὴν ἀγέλην· χαίρει δὲ καὶ γηπόνος, θεωρῶν κομῶντα τὰ λήϊα· ἀλλ' οὔτε γηπόνος ἐπὶ τοῖς ληΐοις, οὔτε βουκόλος ἐπὶ ταῖς βουσὶν οὕτω χαίρουσιν, ὡς ἐγὼ χαίρω νῦν καὶ ἀγάλλομαι, τὴν καλὴν ταύτην ἅλω τῶν πνευματικῶν τούτων δραγμάτων πεπληρωμένην ὁρῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ εἰς ἀκοὰς τοσαύτας καὶ τοιαύτας σπείρηται τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁ 56.176 λόγος, ἀνάγκη ταχέως πολὺν καὶ ὥριμον βλαστῆσαι τῆς ὑπακοῆς τὸν ἄσταχυν. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν τις εἰς βαθύγειον καὶ λιπαρὰν ἄρουραν αὔλακα τέμῃ, κἂν μὴ δαψιλεῖ τῇ χειρὶ καταβάλῃ τὰ σπέρματα, πολλὴν δέξεται τὴν φορὰν, τῆς φύσεως τοῦ χωρίου τὴν ὀλιγότητα τῶν σπερμάτων διὰ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως πλεοναζούσης· οὕτω καὶ ὅταν τις εἰς ψυχὰς σπείρῃ καταπειθεῖς καὶ εὐλαβείας γεμούσας, κἂν ὀλίγα καταβάλῃ τὰ τῆς διδασκαλίας σπέρματα, πλούσιον ὄψεται τὸν ἄμητον, τῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων σοφίας τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος πενίαν ἀποκρυπτούσης. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἁλείας γίνεται τῶν ἰχθύων. Κἂν γὰρ ἄπειροι τυγχάνωσιν ὄντες οἱ ἁλιεῖς, εἰς κόλπον δὲ βάλωσι τὰ δίκτυα πολλοὺς ἔχοντα τοὺς ἰχθύας, ῥᾳδίως τῆς θήρας ἐπιτυγχάνουσι, τοῦ πλήθους τῶν συντρεχόντων ἰχθύων συσκιάζοντος ἐκείνων τὴν ἀπειρίαν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἄγρας ἐκείνης τῶν ἁλιεύεσθαι μελλόντων τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ σαγηνεύοντος πολλάκις παραμυθεῖται τὴν ἀμάθειαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ἁλιείας ταύτης τῆς πνευματικῆς τοῦτο συμβήσεται. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οἱ ἰχθύες, ὅταν ἴδωσιν ἐμβληθέντα τὰ θήρατρα, εὐθέως ἀποπηδῶσι καὶ ἐξάλλονται· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον ποιεῖτε· ὅταν ἴδητε ἀναστάντα καὶ τὴν σαγήνην ἁπλώσαντα τῆς διδασκαλίας, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀποπηδᾶτε καὶ ἐξάλλεσθε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνδοτέρω βαδίζετε πανταχόθεν συντρέχοντες, καὶ τὸν πλησίον ἕκαστος ὠθῶν καὶ θλίβων, πρότερος αὐτὸς ἐπείγεται ἐμπηδῆσαι καὶ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὰ δίκτυα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε κενὴν ἀνεσπάσαμεν τὴν σαγήνην, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐμπειρίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐπιθυμίαν. Ἱκανῶς μὲν οὖν ἡμᾶς καὶ πρώην εἱστίασεν ἡ χρυσὸν δόκιμον καὶ καθαρὸν ῥέουσα γλῶττα, καὶ πηγὰς ἔχουσα μέλιτος ἐν τῷ στόματι, ἡ τοῦ μακαρίου, λέγω, Παύλου· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ κηρίου παντὸς ἀποκρύπτουσα τὴν ἡδονὴν τῇ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας γλυκύτητι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατὰ τὴν πρέπουσαν ὑμῖν φιλοσοφίαν οὐδὲ τὰ τοῦ πένητος ἐμοῦ καὶ πτωχεύοντος ἀτιμάζετε, ἀλλὰ θαυμάζετε μὲν τὰ πολλὴν ἔχοντα ὑπεροχὴν, προσίεσθε δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας εὐτελείας ῥήματα, ἀνέστην μετὰ προθυμίας ἀποδώσων ὑμῖν τὸ ὄφλημα, ὃ πρώην ὑπεσχόμην μὲν, οὐ κατέβαλον δὲ, τοῦ μήκους τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐκκρούσαντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ τέλους. Τί οὖν ἦν τὸ ὄφλημα ἐκεῖνο; Ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἀναμνῆσαι ὑμᾶς τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ δανείσματος, ὥστε σαφεστέραν ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑποθέσεως γενέσθαι τὴν ἐξήγησιν. Ἐζητήσαμεν τότε, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀσαφεστέρα τῆς Καινῆς ἡ Παλαιὰ ∆ιαθήκη· τάχα γὰρ μέμνησθε· καὶ μίαν τέως εἰρήκαμεν αἰτίαν, τὴν θηριωδίαν τῶν ἀκουόντων, καὶ μάρτυρα παρηγάγομεν τὸν Παῦλον λέγοντα, ὅτι Τὸ αὐτὸ κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης μένει μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον, ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται. Ἐδείξαμεν ὅτι καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς εἶχε κάλυμμα ὁ νομοθέτης, οὕτω καὶ ὁ νόμος εἶχε κάλυμμα, τὴν ἀσάφειαν· ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῦ νομοθέτου ἔγκλημα, οὔτε τοῦ νόμου κατηγορία τὸ κάλυμμα, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀσθενείας τῶν ἀκουόντων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δι' ἑαυτὸν εἶχε κάλυμμα ὁ Μωϋσῆς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἠδύναντο ὑπενεγκεῖν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. Ὅτε γοῦν ἐπέστρεφε πρὸς Κύριον, περιῃρεῖτο τὸ κάλυμμα. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ νόμος, ἐπεὶ οὐδέπω ἠδύνατο μαθεῖν τὰ τέλεια διδάγματα καὶ φιλοσοφίας γέμοντα, τά τε περὶ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης πάντα γὰρ ἐκεῖνα ἐναπέκειτο, καθάπερ ἐν θησαυρῷ, τῇ 56.177 παλαιᾷ Γραφῇ, κάλυμμα εἶχεν, ἐκείνοις μὲν συγκαταβαίνων, ἡμῖν δὲ τηρῶν τὸν πλοῦτον ἅπαντα, ἵν', ὅταν παραγένηται ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἐπιστρέψωμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν, περιαιρεθῇ τὸ κάλυμμα. Ὁρᾶτε τοίνυν εἰς ὅσην ἡμᾶς ἀξίαν ἤγαγεν ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ