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of the inspiration in them. And so, having become a new and spiritual bread, according to the Apostle, who says, We who are many are one bread and one body, we will receive the image and likeness of the life-giving bread of all, who has come down from heaven, having made us also like himself. He rightly likened the wisdom of God to a woman in these things; for Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, fittingly in the example of the leaven. For just as in the parable of the seed he introduced the person of a farmer and a sower, since a wo 24.568 man would not have been reasonably mentioned in those circumstances, so also here, in the case of leaven being mixed into three measures of flour, the parable most appropriately likened the sower named in those parables to a woman making bread. According to Matthew, however, having previously said the kingdom of heaven is hidden leaven, through which he signified the supply of the Holy Spirit, and the benefit from the evangelical word, through the next parable he says the same kingdom is like a treasure. The great treasure would be that which is stored up for the worthy according to the heavenly promises, which eye has not seen, which is hidden from the many. But the one who has understood this, as preserving in himself the image of God, having become full of joy, as having found the perfection of good things, considers all other things secondary, and takes possession of this. And having fittingly spoken of a treasure and a field, he joined to it the man who found it, thus indicating the God-loving mind in man. Therefore, this parable just mentioned, through the hidden treasure, signified the transcendent heavenly promises—for there are many mansions with the Father—and the wealth in God, being a treasure of every good thing. The one after this, through the pearl, seems to me to allude to what is more precious than the wealth that was indicated. This would be the very divinity of the Only-Begotten, more precious than all the things stored up in the treasure that was given, which the one who possesses it has been deemed worthy of the highest blessedness. The incarnate God the Word is reasonably called a pearl; since the pearl is also of such a kind, being born in flesh and in a shell and in liquids, yet it is something precious, and more valuable than all bodies in liquids; for it seems to be by nature a liquid body, transparent, godlike, full of light and spirit. The incarnate Word would also be of such a kind, an intelligible light that shone through a mortal and liquid body. Indeed, although there are many other pearls, holy and God-loving ones, both prophets and just men, who are also compressed in flesh because of the incarnate life of men, no other than this one alone is found to be truly only-begotten and of great light and of great price; as Isaiah also prophesied concerning him and said: Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of great price, a chosen, cornerstone, precious; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame. Therefore, the one who is to be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven is aptly compared to a merchant, a certain lover of beauty and lover of learning and tester of various words, who, going about, found many pearls, saints of all kinds among men; but finally, having found the one of great price, which the Word presented, he exchanged this for all that he had previously acquired, having done the same as the former, selling all that he had, and buying that field. And this would be the goal of the highest blessedness, to be adorned with the pearl of great price, that is, with the light of the divinity of the only-begotten Word; for the beginning was the seed; then the increase of the grain's fruit 24.569 fulness; and third, the separation from the tares; fourth, the growth of the seed into a great tree; fifth, the leavening through the Holy Spirit; sixth, the treasure of the heavenly promises; seventh, the possession of God the Word himself, in whom everyone worthy of the kingdom of heaven is adorned. These things were proclaimed before the deeds, with the Savior foretelling the things that were to be, which indeed were not long in reaching their end, so that after

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τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐμπνεύσεως. Καὶ δὴ νέος ἄρτος καὶ πνευματικὸς γενόμενοι, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, ὅς φησιν, Εἷς ἄρτος καὶ ἓν σῶμά ἐσμεν οἱ πολλοὶ, εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ἀναληψόμεθα τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἄρτου, ὃς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκεν, ἑαυτῷ παραπλησίους καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀπεργασάμενος. Εὖ δὲ γυναικὶ ἀφωμοίωσε τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τούτοις· Χριστὸς δέ ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία καταλλήλως τῷ τῆς ζύμης ὑποδείγματι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς παραβολῆς τοῦ σπόρου γεωργίου πρόσωπον καὶ σπορέως εἰσῆγεν, οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως ἐν ἐκείνοις μνημονευθείσης γυ 24.568 ναικὸς, οὕτω κἀνταῦθα ἐπὶ ζύμης φυρομένης εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία οἰκειότατα ἡ παραβολὴ γυναικὶ ἀρτοποιουμένῃ τὸν ἐν ἐκείνοις ὠνομασμένον σπορέα ἀπείκασεν. Κατὰ μέντοι τὸν Ματθαῖον κεκρυμμένην ζύμην τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν προειπὼν, δι' ἧς ἐδήλου τὴν ἐπιχορηγίαν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου, διὰ τῆς ἑξῆς παραβολῆς τὴν αὐτὴν βασιλείαν ἐοικέναι φησὶ θησαυρῷ. Εἴη δ' ἂν θησαυρὸς μέγας ὁ κατὰ τὰς οὐρανίους ἐπαγγελίας τοῖς ἀξίοις τεταμιευμένος, ὃν ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, ὃς τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθάνει. Ὁ δὲ τοῦτον νοήσας, ὡς τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ σώζων ἐν ἑαυτῷ, χαρᾶς ἔμπλεως γεγονὼς, ὡς ἂν τὸ τέλειον τῶν ἀγαθῶν εὑρηκὼς, τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα δεύτερα τίθεται, καὶ τοῦτον ἀντιλαμβάνει. Καταλλήλως δὲ θησαυρὸν καὶ ἀγρὸν εἰπὼν, ἄνθρωπον αὐτῷ συνῆψε τὸν εὑρηκότα· οὕτω δηλώσας τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ θεοφιλῆ νοῦν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ῥηθεῖσα αὕτη παραβολὴ διὰ τοῦ θησαυροῦ τοῦ κεκρυμμένου τὰς οὐρανίας ἐπαγγελίας ἐδήλου τὰς ὑπερβεβηκυίας, πολλαὶ γὰρ μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ τὸν ἐν Θεῷ πλοῦτον, θησαυρὸν ὄντα παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ. Ἡ δὲ μετὰ ταύτην διὰ τοῦ μαργαρίτου αἰνίττεσθαί μοι δοκεῖ τὸ τιμιώτερον τοῦ δηλωθέντος πλούτου. Εἴη δ' ἂν ἡ θεότης αὐτὴ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, ἡ πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀποδοθέντι θησαυρῷ τεταμιευμένων τιμιωτέρα, ἣν ὁ κτησάμενος τῆς ἀνωτάτω μακαριότητος ἠξίωται. Μαργαρίτης δὲ ὠνόμασται εἰκότως ὁ σαρκωθεὶς Θεὸς Λόγος· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μαργαρίτης τοιοῦτος, ἐν σαρκὶ μὲν καὶ ἐν ὀστρέῳ καὶ ἐν ὑγροῖς γεννώμενος, τίμιον δέ τι χρῆμα, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑγροῖς σωμάτων τιμαλφέστερον· ἔοικε γοῦν εἶναι τῇ φύσει σῶμα ὑγρὸν, διαυγὲς, θεοειδὲς, φωτὸς καὶ πνεύματος γέμον. Εἴη δ' ἂν καὶ σαρκωθεὶς Λόγος τοιοῦτος, φῶς νοερὸν διὰ θνητοῦ καὶ ὑγροῦ σώματος ἐκλάμψαν. Πολλῶν γε μὴν καὶ ἄλλων μαργαριτῶν ὄντων ἁγίων καὶ θεοφιλῶν, προφητῶν τε καὶ δικαίων ἀνδρῶν, καὶ αὐτῶν ἐν σαρκὶ πεπιλημένων διὰ τὸν ἔνσαρκον τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον, οὐδεὶς ἕτερος ἢ μόνος εἷς οὗτος ἀληθῶς μονογενὴς καὶ πολυφεγγὴς καὶ πολύτιμος εὕρηται· ὡς καὶ Ἡσαΐαν θεσπίσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰπεῖν· Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ, ἐκλεκτὸν, ἀκρογωνιαῖον, ἔντιμον· καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται. Ὁ δὴ οὖν μέλλων τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν καταξιοῦσθαι προσφυῶς παραβέβληται ἐμπόρῳ ἀνδρὶ φιλοκάλῳ τινὶ καὶ φιλομαθεῖ καὶ ποικίλων δοκιμαστῇ λόγων, ὃς περιιὼν πολλοὺς μὲν ἀνεῦρε μαργαρίτας, παντοίους ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁγίους· τέλος δὲ τὸν πολύτιμον εὑρὼν, ὃν ὁ Λόγος παρεστήσατο, πάντων τῶν πρότερον αὐτῷ πεπορισμένων τοῦτον ἀντικατηλλάξατο, ταυτὸν τῷ προτέρῳ πράξας πάντα ὅσα εἶχε πωλήσας, καὶ ἀγοράσας τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον. Καὶ τοῦτ' ἂν εἴη τέλος τῆς ἄκρας μακαριότητος, τὸ κατακοσμηθῆναι τῷ πολυτιμήτῳ μαργαρίτῃ, δηλαδὴ τῷ φωτὶ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ μονογενοῦς Λόγου· ἀρχὴ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ὁ σπόρος· εἶτ' ἐπίδοσις τῆς τοῦ σίτου καρ 24.569 ποφορίας· καὶ τρίτον ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ζιζανίων διάκρισις· τέταρτον ἡ ἐπὶ μέγα δένδρον τοῦ σπόρου φυή· πέμπτον ἡ διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ζύμωσις· ἕκτον ὁ θησαυρὸς τῶν οὐρανίων ἐπαγγελιῶν· ἕβδομον ἡ αὐτοῦ κτῆσις τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, ἐν ᾧ πᾶς κατακοσμεῖται ὁ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἄξιος. Ταῦτα δὲ πρὸ τῶν ἔργων ἀνεφωνεῖτο· προλέγοντος τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἃ δὴ καὶ τέλους οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἐτύγχανε, ὥστε μετ'