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RESPONSE Through both the Word of God is signified; for to those proceeding through practice

he becomes a pillar of cloud, refreshing them from the heat of temptations, but to those proceeding through knowledge he becomes a pillar of fire, illuminating and clearing away the mist of ignorance.

14Α_048 QUESTION 27 What does the manna signify, and what does it mean that it became foul for those who did not gather enough? RESPONSE

The manna signifies the Word of God, which is suitably fitted to all through practice and knowledge and nourishes the soul. When, therefore, someone uses it appropriately and according to reason, that is, he pursues the mean of the virtues, fleeing equally their excesses and deficiencies, this one gathers the manna sufficiently. But when he uses the word not appropriately but to excess, (for it is good to illustrate what is being said from one virtue) when someone pursuing temperance flees licentiousness but judges marriage to be abominable, the word of temperance has already become foul for him through the immoderation of excess, and not only did it become foul, but it also bred worms, that is, having generated other passions.

QUESTION 28 What is the meaning of the woman who is struck and miscarries, and that “if

the child comes out formed, life for life” the one who struck her must give, as the law prescribes, but if it should be expelled unformed, he is only fined?

RESPONSE According to the letter, we understand it thus: since murder is of the body—for a soul

is never murdered, being immortal—for this reason that which is not formed into a human shape does not bring about danger, but only a small fine; but if the human image is perfected, such a person is charged with the murder of a perfected human, as is right. 14Α_050 But according to the spiritual contemplation, we understand this: that one who scandalizes a soul pregnant with the divine word and who has formed the seed of virtue by habit, and causes it to cast out such a formation of teaching, is liable to death; but one who scandalizes a soul that has received the seed of the word but has not formed it through habit and action, is worthy of a penalty.

QUESTION 29 What do the “six cities of refuge” signify, and why were three

given in the promised land, and the other three outside it? RESPONSE Since the tribe of Gad, because it possessed many cattle, received cities outside the land of

promise, from these the law set apart three for the one who kills unintentionally to flee to, and the other three in the land of promise. This, then, is signified according to the anagogical mode: since there are three ways in which we sin without disposition—through the action of tyranny, from deceit, and from ignorance—it is necessary for the one caught up in these, before the ensuing passion pursues and kills such a one, making him sin with disposition, to flee: the one sinning from tyranny, to the city of self-control; the one from deceit, to the city of experience and good shrewdness; and the one from ignorance, to the city of learning. And these were assigned to the practical ones because the land was fertile and suitable for pasturing 14Α_052 cattle; for the practical life is both fertile in virtues and pastoral for the more beast-like.

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ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ ∆ι᾽ ἀμφοτέρων ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος σημαίνεται· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῆς πράξεως

ὁδεύουσιν ἀναψύχων ἐκ τοῦ καύσωνος τῶν πειρασμῶν γίνεται στῦλος νεφέλης, τοῖς δὲ διὰ τῆς γνώσεως ὁδεύουσιν φωτίζων καὶ τὴν ἀχλὺν τῆς ἀγνωσίας ἀνακαθαίρων γίνεται στῦλος πυρός.

14Α_048 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 27 Τί σημαίνει τὸ μάννα καὶ τί τὸ ἐπόζειν τοῖς μὴ αὐτάρκως ἐκλέγουσιν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ

Τὸ μάννα σημαίνει τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον τὸν πᾶσιν διὰ πράξεως καὶ γνώσεως προσφυῶς ἁρμοζόμενον καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τρέφοντα. Ὅτ᾽ ἂν οὖν τις δεόντως καὶ κατὰ λόγον τούτῳ κέχρηται, τουτέστιν τὴν μεσότητα τῶν ἀρετῶν μετέρχεται, φεύγων ἐφίσης τὰς τούτων ὑπερβολὰς καὶ ἐλλείψεις, οὗτος τὸ μάννα αὐτάρκως συλλέγει. Ὅτ᾽ ἂν δὲ μὴ δεόντως ἀλλὰ καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν τῷ λόγῳ χρήσεται, οἷον καλὸν γὰρ ἀπὸ μιᾶς ἀρετῆς σημᾶναι τὸ λεγόμενον ὅτ᾽ ἄν τις σωφροσύνην μετερχόμενος φύγῃ μὲν τὸ ἀκόλαστον, βδελυκτὸν δὲ τὸν γάμον κρινεῖ, ἤδη ἐπώζεσεν αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος τῆς σωφροσύνης τῇ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς ἀμετρίᾳ, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐπώζεσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σκώληκας ἐξῆρψεν, τουτέστιν πάθη ἕτερα γεννήσας.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 28 Τίς ὁ λόγος τῆς πλησσομένης καὶ ἀποβαλλούσης γυναικὸς καὶ ὅτι «ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ

τὸ παιδίον ἐξεικονισμένον, ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς» δοῦναι τὸν πλήξαντα ὁ νόμος διαγορεύει, εἰ δὲ ἀμόρφωτον ἐκπέσοι, ζημιοῖ μόνον;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Κατὰ μὲν τὸ γράμμα οὕτως νοοῦμεν· ἐπειδὴ ὁ φόνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ψυχὴ

γὰρ οὐδέποτε φονεύεται ἀθάνατος οὖσα διὰ τοῦτο τὸ μὴ ἐξεικονισμένον εἰς ἀνθρωπείαν μορφὴν οὐκ ἐπάγει τὸν κίνδυνον ἢ μόνον ὀλίγην ζημίαν· εἰ δὲ ἀπήρτισται ἡ ἀνθρωπεία εἰκών, φόνον εἰκότως τετελειωμένου ἀνθρώπου ὁ 14Α_050 τοιοῦτος εἰσπράττεται. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν τοῦτο ὑπολαμβάνομεν, ὅτι ὁ ψυχὴν ἐγκυμονήσασαν τὸν θεῖον λόγον καὶ μορφώσασαν διὰ τῆς ἕξεως τὸ σπέρμα τῆς ἀρετῆς σκανδαλίσας καὶ ποιήσας ἀποβάλλειν τὸ τοιοῦτον τῆς διδασκαλίας μόρφωμα, ἔνοχός ἐστιν τοῦ θανάτου· ὁ δὲ σκανδαλίζων ψυχὴν τὸν σπόρον μὲν τοῦ λόγου δεξαμένην, μὴ μορφώσασαν δὲ τοῦτον δι᾽ ἕξεως καὶ ἐνεργείας, ἐπιτιμίου ἄξιος.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 29 Τί σημαίνουσιν αἱ «ἓξ πόλεις τῶν φυγαδευτηρίων» καὶ διατί αἱ μὲν τρεῖς

ἐδόθησαν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι τρεῖς ἔξω; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ ἡ φυλὴ τοῦ Γὰδ διὰ τὸ πολλὰ κεκτῆσθαι κτήνη ἔξω τῆς γῆς τῆς

ἐπαγγελίας ἔλαβεν τὰς πόλεις, ἐκ τούτων ἀφιέρωσεν ὁ νόμος τρεῖς εἰς τὸ καταφεύγειν τὸν ἀκουσίως φονεύοντα, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας τρεῖς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Τοῦτο οὖν σημαίνεται κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀναγωγῆς τρόπον· ἐπειδὴ τρεῖς τρόποι εἰσὶν καθ᾽ οὓς ἀδιαθέτως ἁμαρτάνομεν, κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν τῆς τυραννίδος, ἐξ ἀπάτης καὶ ἐξ ἀγνοίας, δεῖ τὸν ἐν τούτοις ἐνεχόμενον, πρὶν τὸ παρεπόμενον πάθος καταδιῶξαν φονεύσῃ τὸν τοιοῦτον, ἐνδιαθέτως ποιοῦν ἁμαρτάνειν αὐτόν, φεύγειν, τὸν μὲν ἐκ τυραννίδος ἁμαρτάνοντα εἰς τὴν πόλιν τῆς ἐγκρατείας, τὸν δὲ ἐξ ἀπάτης εἰς τὴν πόλιν τῆς πείρας καὶ τῆς καλῆς πανουργίας, τὸν δὲ ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς τὴν πόλιν τῆς μαθήσεως. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀπενεμήθησαν τοῖς πρακτικοῖς διὰ τὸ εὔφορον καὶ πρὸς νομὴν 14Α_052 κτηνῶν ἐπιτήδειον· ἡ γὰρ πρακτικὴ καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐστιν εὔφορος καὶ τῶν κτηνωδεστέρων ποιμαντική.