Collectio dictorum veteris testamenti

 is forced to descend into a foreign state and if the demons should see any good understanding accompanying him, they hasten to subject it to the sowi

 escaping. The heifer, taken first, signified the first generation. For just as the heifer struggles against the yoke, so also the first generation of

 the river, but to keep alive every female. For the devil, the spiritual Pharaoh, also conceived a threefold manner of plotting against the spiritual I

 He interprets what that one speaks spiritually and obscurely, and transforms his weak voice to be more melodious. For I have not come, he says, to abo

 the Gospel according to Christ, had as a son the multitude of those being reborn to it through the Holy Spirit whom she also circumcised with a stone

 and easy to comprehend is the mystery concerning Christ. But God did not lead the Jews to this immediately, but through the long law and the many ridd

 Moses commanded Joshua son of Nun to choose mighty men and go out and fight 77.1196 Amalek, signified that Jesus Christ would be subject to the comman

 of the people of the Jews, and servant of God, he ascends to the highest knowledge of God but the people are prevented from approaching, lest they di

 coming after it, demands this final penalty, as one who, after being freed from the burden of sin, is again voluntarily subjected to it. And He comman

 But the eighth ineffably suggests the mystery of the eternal well-being of the 77.1204 beings. The sixth day is called Preparation, because on it the

 and poverty of intellect, they make their neighbors, that is, those of the same faith, partners, so that through one another they may be raised to hig

 unmixed with wickedness, those partaking of the true Lamb nourish their own soul, throughout the whole weekly age, which is measured by the week. And

 the body bears uncircumcision. Circumcision is mystical, a voluntary removal of the passions. The circumcision of circumcision is the putting away of

 of rational discernment, as Israel did in the time of Moses, commits idolatry. For having cast into the fire of the passions the words concerning theo

 to do good things, and to walk toward good things. Humpbacked is the one bent downwards, and not able to look up from earthly things. Sun-spotted is o

 God, ostracizing stupidity, and wishing his subjects to belong to necessity alone, through the not weaving together of linen and wool, banished variet

 but in heaven God Himself whom alone they both worship and attend. And on the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, an

 they were catechized by the evangelists. Or otherwise, the four types of meanings were a symbol of the four types of moral discourse. Of which the one

 Aaron's rod, as a symbol of watchfulness. For to Jeremiah, seeing a staff of a nut tree, God says: Behold, I am watchful over my words. And it budded

 bracelets, and rings, and armlets, and braided chains. For the leaders of the people in Christ and the eminent often surpass the evangelical commands

 with bodily ways of the ministry of the virtues, they return to the contemplation of kindred intelligible things. A foreign boy and a servant-girl are

 undertaking. For she will pay the penalty for the offense to God, the Father of spirits, and she will be his wife, as having already been joined to hi

 of the other man wherefore he is required to pay the penalty for the murder, but he alone suffers loss in his soul. For this, I think, is what this m

 war for one year he shall cheer his wife, whom he has taken. For it is not right that one who has just taken a spouse for himself should be led out t

 Virtue is the mother of the good deeds from it. And its nest is the soul in which it dwells. It is necessary for those who encounter them to be benefi

 its fruit for three years will be unpurified for you. It shall not be eaten, and in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy to the Lord. But in th

 dragging down to earth, those things that draw up to heaven. Saul, is the natural 77.1249 law, which from the beginning received from the Lord the lot

 David is the law according to the spirit, who reigns over the Christians who worship God spiritually. But Saul is the law according to the letter, who

 the face of the Lord, according to David, and learns the cause of such a famine, that this injustice was against Saul, and against his house, with whi

 taking from the spiritual David, that is, the law according to the spirit, may kill the aforementioned sons and grandsons of 77.1257 Saul then in eve

 of knowledge, if it should receive the divine and discerning word, which brings to memory former sins, and will prefer even to nature itself the heali

 The Lord in the desert I mean in the world, and in the nature of men, digging out and cleansing the hearts of the worthy from material weight and min

 of the city. Since Hezekiah is interpreted as 'strength of God,' every mind 77.1265 that through practical philosophy has acquired divine strength, wh

 through themselves they again turn him away, as he flees into his land which is the fixed habit of evil, whom his sons kill as he is fleeing, and the

 the king of the Assyrians, flees to God, and silently cries out to Him, through progress in virtue and knowledge, and receives an angel as an ally th

 at once a philosopher and a lover of God has both Judah and Jerusalem the one taken as the habit of confession and repentance for Judah is interpret

 becomes a lofty and exalted mind, and in the good things given to it by God, boasts as if in its own accomplishments. There comes by providence upon t

 the spear and the flask of water that is, the power of practical virtue, and the grace of gnostic contemplation, even if he again gives these things

 of king Darius, I mean of the natural law, having conquered by him, lifts up his face to heaven, that is, the disposition of the soul, in which are th

 not being guarded. For lead is a symbol of punishment, but silver of brightness. And the seven eyes of this practical faith are the seven gifts of the

 constituted. For since matter is indeed a tetrad, because of the tetraktys of its elements, and form is a pentad, because of the fivefold nature of se

 they rise up for mischief. And approaching Zerubbabel, and Joshua and the leaders of the families, they say to them: We will build with you for like

but in heaven God Himself whom alone they both worship and attend. And on the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, and the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the Church of the faithful was established, Christ from above covered it, for those of the day* that is, those who have been enlightened, overshadowing them with the brightness of life and of doctrines, and driving away the burning heat of temptations, and sending refreshment and solace; but for those sleeping as if in the night in the darkness of ignorance, kindling and illuminating them unto knowledge and truth. For the less perfect have need of illumination, for guidance to what is better; but the more perfect have need of assistance, so as to be able to bear the burden and the heat of the day. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them to seek out a resting place for them. Christ is the Ark. For just as that ark, made of incorruptible wood and pure gold, bore within it the law of the Lord; so also the humanity of Christ, composed of a body incorruptible with respect to sin, and of a pure and bright soul, had within it the Word of God, and God, which Christ went before into the heavenly places after the economy, to prepare a place for his worshippers, as he himself has said, that is, a place of rest. And the cloud overshadowed them by day when they set out from the camp. For Christ, who is the head, scattering the burning heat of temptations and giving solace, overshadows those who are departing from ignorance to knowledge, and from unbelief to faith, and are advancing in the course of virtue. For without me, he says, you can 77.1224 do nothing. "By day" is added, because he is accustomed both to cooperate and to give rest to those who walk in the light of good works. And by the commandment of the Lord they made their departures; because there is need both of a word urging to progress, and of obedience to the divine commandments. And the people were murmuring and speaking evil things before the Lord. And a fire was kindled among them from the Lord, and consumed a part of the camp. For those who blaspheme before Christ and turn away from him, the fire of Gehenna will consume them. But it said a part, because many of them, having turned back, will be delivered from punishment. And at another time, murmuring against God, and calling the manna insipid bread, they were destroyed by the bites of the serpents. For those who by ingratitude dishonor God the benefactor, fall into the bites of the spiritual dragon. God commanded Moses to make two trumpets of hammered silver, for calling the assembly, and for the camps to set out; and when it was necessary for only the leaders of the people to be gathered to him, to blow with one, when the people, with the two. And for the departures of the camps, he appointed four kinds of signals by means of such trumpets. Now, there are two trumpets, because the word of ecclesiastical teaching is twofold, the one regulating life, the other taking care of doctrines. And both are hammered and of silver, because of the sweet sound and the brightness and the blamelessness of both the one and the other. And one trumpet called together the leaders. For there is need of a word of correction even for the teachers; for they are men, except for a little; For, he says, give an occasion to a wise man, and he will be wiser. But two for the people. For they have need of much exhortation and comfort. And the four kinds of signals that were made by the trumpets prefigured the four books of the evangelists, which, by what they signify, command us to depart from these earthly things, of those in the four corners of the world, and to hasten to the Jerusalem above. And the four signals by means of the two trumpets, because also through the twofold Christ, the God-man, the things signified to the

ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ᾧ μόνῳ λατρεύουσί τε καὶ προσεδρεύουσι. Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾖ ἐστάθη ἡ σκηνὴ, ἐκάλυψεν ἡ νεφέλη τὴν σκηνὴν, καὶ ἡ νεφέλη ἐκάλυ πτεν αὐτὴν ἡμέρας, καὶ εἶδος πυρὸς τὴν νύκτα. Παγείσης δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῶν πιστῶν, ὁ Χριστὸς ἄνωθεν ἐσκέπασεν αὐτὴν, τοῖς μὲν τῆς ἡμέρας* ἤως τοῖς πεφωτισμένοις λαμπρότητι βίου καὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἐπισκιάζων, καὶ τὸν καύσωνα τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀπελαύνων, καὶ ἀνάψυξιν καὶ ψυχαγωγίαν ἐνιείς· τοὺς δὲ καθάπερ ἐν νυκτὶ τῷ σκότει τῆς ἀμαθείας καθεύδοντας, πυρσεύων καὶ φωτίζων εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν καὶ ἀλήθειαν. Χρεία γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἀτελεστέροις φωτισμοῦ, πρὸς ὁδηγίαν τοῦ κρείττονος· τοῖς δὲ τελειοτέροις ἐπικουρίας, ὥστε δύνασθαι διενεγκεῖν τὸ βάρος καὶ τὸν καύσωνα τῆς ἡμέρας. Καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου προεπορεύετο προτέρα αὐτῶν κατασκέψασθαι αὐτοῖς ἀνά παυσιν. Κιβωτὸς ὁ Χριστός. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη ἐκ ξύλων ἀσήπτων καὶ χρυσίου καθαροῦ κατασκευασθεῖσα ἔνδον, ἔφερε τὸν νόμον Κυρίου· οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκ σώματος ἀφθάρτου καθ' ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ψυχῆς καθαρᾶς καὶ λαμπρᾶς συντεθὲν, ἔνδον εἶχε τὸν Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ Θεὸν, ὅστις Χριστὸς προεπορεύσατο εἰς τὰ ἐπουράνια μετὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν, ἑτοιμάσαι τοῖς λατρευταῖς αὐτοῦ τόπον, ὡς αὐτὸς εἴρηκεν, τόπον δὲ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως δηλονότι. Καὶ ἡ νεφέλη ἐσκίαζεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρειν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς. Ὁ Χριστὸς γὰρ, ὅς ἐστιν κεφαλὴ τὸν καύσωνα τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀποσκεδάζουσα, καὶ ψυχαγωγοῦσα, ἐπισκιάζει ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀπαίροντας ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς γνῶσιν, καὶ ἐξ ἀπιστίας εἰς πίστιν, καὶ κατὰ δρόμον ἀρετῆς προκόπτοντας. Χωρὶς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε 77.1224 ποιεῖν οὐδέν. Ἡμέρας δὲ πρόσκειται, διότι τοῖς ἐν φωτὶ καλῶν ἔργων πορευομένοις εἴωθε συνεργεῖν τε καὶ ἀναψύχειν. ∆ιὰ προστάγματος δὲ Κυρίου τὰς ἐπάρσεις ἐποιοῦντο· διότι χρεία καὶ λόγου τοῦ παροτρύνοντος εἰς προκοπὴν, καὶ ὑπακοῆς τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν. Καὶ ἦν ὁ λαὸς γογγύζων καὶ λαλῶν πονηρὰ ἔν αντι Κυρίου. Καὶ ἐξεκαύθη ἐν αὐτοῖς πῦρ πα ρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ κατέφαγε μέρος τῆς παρεμ βολῆς. Τοὺς γὰρ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ βλασφημοῦντας καὶ ἀποστρεφομένους αὐτὸν, καταφάγεται τὸ πῦρ τῆς γεέννης. Μέρος δὲ εἶπε, διότι πολλοὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιστρέψαντες, ἐξαιρεθήσονται τῆς κολάσεως. Καὶ καθ' ἕτερον δὲ καιρὸν γογγύζοντες κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἄρτον διάκενον τὸ μάννα προσαγορεύοντες, τοῖς δήγμασι τῶν ὄφεων διεφθείροντο. Οἱ γὰρ ταῖς ἀχαριστίαις τὸν εὐεργετοῦντα Θεὸν ἀτιμάζοντες, τοῖς τοῦ νοητοῦ δράκοντος δήγμασι περιπίπτουσι. ∆ύο σάλπιγγας ἐλατὰς ἀργυρᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖν προσέταξε τῷ Μωσεῖ, πρὸς τὸ καλεῖν τὴν συναγωγὴν, καὶ ἐξαίρειν τὰς παρεμβολάς· καὶ ὅτε μὲν δέον μόνους τοὺς ἡγουμένους τοῦ λαοῦ συνάγεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, τῇ μιᾷ σαλπίζειν, ὅτε τὸν λαὸν ταῖς δυσί. Πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐξάρσεις τῶν παρεμβολῶν, τέσσαρα σημασιῶν ὥρισεν εἴδη διὰ τῶν τοιούτων σαλπίγγων. ∆ύο μὲν οὖν αἱ σάλπιγγες, ὅτι διττὸς λόγος τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς διδασκαλίας, ὁ μὲν βίον ῥυθμίζων, ὁ δὲ δογμάτων ἐπιμελούμενος. Ἐλαταὶ δὲ καὶ ἀργυραῖ καὶ ἄμφω, διὰ τὸ εὔηχες καὶ λαμπρὸν καὶ ἀμώμητον καὶ τούτου κἀκείνου. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἡγουμένους μία συνεκάλει σάλπιγξ. Χρεία γὰρ λόγου διορθοῦντος καὶ τοῖς καθηγηταῖς· ἄνθρωποι γὰρ, πλὴν ὀλίγου· ∆ίδου γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφῷ ἀφορμὴν, καὶ σοφώτερος ἔσται. Τὸν δὲ λαὸν δύο. Πολλῆς γὰρ οὗτος δεῖται προτροπῆς καὶ παρακλήσεως. Τὰ δὲ τέσσαρα τῶν σημασιῶν εἴδη τὰ διὰ τῶν σαλπίγγων γινόμενα, τὰ τέσσαρα βιβλία τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν προετύπουν, ἃ δι' ὧν σημαίνουσιν, ἐξαίρειν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν γεηρῶν τούτων, τῶν ἐν τοῖς τέσσαρσι κλίμασι τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπείγεσθαι διακελεύονται. ∆ιὰ δὲ τῶν δύο σαλπίγγων αἱ τέσσαρες σημασίαι, ὅτι καὶ διὰ τοῦ διπλοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεανθρώπου τὰ σημαινόμενα τοῖς