character. But a spiritual interpretation for the one who is able to show of what “heavenly things the pattern and shadow” the Jews “according to the flesh” “served,” and of what “good things to come the law has a shadow.” and simply, concerning all things, according to the apostolic proclamation, one must seek “wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the ages for the glory of the righteous, which none of the rulers of this age has known.” For the same apostle says somewhere, using certain sayings from Exodus and Numbers, that “these things happened to them as types, but they were written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” And he gives starting points for what things those were types of, saying: “for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” And concerning the tabernacle in another epistle, outlining it, he used the words: “you shall make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.” But indeed also in the epistle to the Galatians, as if reproaching those who think they read the law but do not understand it, judging those to be without understanding who do not think there are allegories in what is written: “Tell me,” he says, “you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But he who was of the slave woman was born according to the flesh, and he of the free woman through promise; which things are spoken allegorically; for these are the two covenants” and so on. For each of the things said by him must be observed, that he says: “you who desire to be under the law,” not “you who are under the law,” and: “do you not hear the law?” “hearing” being judged as understanding and knowing. And in the epistle to the Colossians, summarizing in brief the intent of the whole legislation, he says: “Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come.” Furthermore, also in the epistle to the Hebrews, speaking about those of the circumcision, he writes: “who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” But it is likely on account of these things that those who accept the apostle as a divine man would not hesitate concerning the five books inscribed with Moses' name; but concerning the rest of the history they would wish to learn if that too “happened typologically.” And from the epistle to the Romans one must observe the words: “I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal,” found in the third book of Kings, that Paul has taken this on behalf of the Israelites “according to the election,” so that not only the gentiles might be benefited from the coming of Christ but also some of the divine race. 4.2.7 This being the case, we must sketch out the characteristics of the understanding of the scriptures that are apparent to us. And first, this must be pointed out, that the aim of the illuminating Spirit, by the providence of God through the “Word in the beginning with God,” for the ministers of the truth, prophets and apostles, was primarily concerning the ineffable mysteries of the affairs of men (and by men I now mean the souls that use bodies), so that he who is able to be taught, having “searched” and devoted himself to “the depths” of the meaning of the words, might become a partaker of all his counsel of doctrines. And regarding the souls, which are unable to attain perfection otherwise than by the rich and wise truth concerning God, the things concerning God and His only-begotten have necessarily been set forth as primary: of what nature he is, and in what manner he is the Son of God, and what were the causes of his having descended even to human flesh and having completely taken on man, and what is his activity, and upon whom and when it takes place. And necessarily, as concerning kindred and other rational beings, both the more divine and those who have fallen from blessedness, and the causes of their fall, it was necessary to include in the accounts of the divine teaching, also concerning the difference of souls, and whence these differences have come, and what the world is and why it came to exist, and furthermore whence evil is so great and

χαρακτῆρα. Πνευματικὴ δὲ διήγησις τῷ δυναμένῳ ἀποδεῖξαι, ποίων «ἐπου ρανίων ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ» οἱ «κατὰ σάρκα» Ἰουδαῖοι «ἐλάτρευον», καὶ τίνων «μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ὁ νόμος ἔχει σκιάν». καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἐπὶ πάντων κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ζητητέον «σοφίαν ἐν μυ στηρίῳ τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν τῶν δικαίων, ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνωκε». φησὶ δέ που ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος, χρησάμενός τισι ῥητοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐξόδου καὶ τῶν Ἀριθμῶν, ὅτι «ταῦτα τυπικῶς συνέβαινεν ἐκείνοις, ἐγράφη δὲ δι' ἡμᾶς, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντηκε». καὶ ἀφορμὰς δίδωσι τοῦ τίνων ἐκεῖνα τύποι ἐτύγχανον, λέγων· «ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας, ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός». καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς σκηνῆς δὲ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ ὑπογράφων ἐχρήσατο τῷ· «ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει». ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας ἐπιστολῇ, οἱονεὶ ὀνειδίζων τοῖς ἀναγινώσκειν νομίζουσι τὸν νόμον καὶ μὴ συνιεῖσιν αὐτόν, μὴ συνιέναι κρίνων ἐκείνους, ὅσοι μὴ ἀλληγορίας εἶναι ἐν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις νο μίζουσι· «λέγετέ μοι» φησὶν «οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε; γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺς ἔσχεν, ἕνα ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ ἕνα ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται, ὁ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας διὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας· ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμενα· αὗται γάρ εἰσι δύο διαθῆκαι» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. παρατηρητέον γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν εἰρημένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὅτι φησίν· «οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι», οὐχὶ «οἱ ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον ὄντες», καὶ· «τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε;» τοῦ «ἀκούειν» ἐν τῷ νοεῖν καὶ γινώσκειν κρινο μένου. καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κολασσαεῖς δὲ ἐπιστολῇ, διὰ βραχέων τὸ βούλημα τῆς πάσης ἐπιτεμνόμενος νομοθεσίας, φησί· «μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἢ ἐν βρώσει ἢ ἐν πόσει ἢ ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς ἢ νουμηνίας ἢ σαβ βάτων, ἅ ἐστι σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων». ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους περὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς διαλεγόμενος γράφει· «οἵτινες ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ λατρεύουσι τῶν ἐπουρανίων». ἀλλ' εἰκὸς διὰ ταῦτα περὶ μὲν τῶν πέντε Μωσέως ἐπιγεγραμμένων βιβλίων μὴ ἂν διστάξαι τοὺς τὸν ἀπόστολον ἅπαξ ὡς θεῖον ἄνδρα προσιεμένους· περὶ δὲ τῆς λοιπῆς ἱστορίας βούλεσθαι μανθάνειν, εἰ κἀκείνη «τυπικῶς συνέβαινε». παρα τηρητέον δὲ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους τό· «κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτα κισχιλίους ἄνδρας, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ», κείμενον ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν, ὅτι ὁ Παῦλος εἴληφεν ἀντὶ τῶν «κατ' ἐκ λογὴν» Ἰσραηλιτῶν, τῷ μὴ μόνον τὰ ἔθνη ὠφελῆσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας ἀλλὰ καί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου γένους. 4.2.7 Τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων τοὺς φαινομένους ἡμῖν χαρακτῆρας τῆς νοήσεως τῶν γραφῶν ὑποτυπωτέον. καὶ πρῶτόν γε τοῦτο ὑπο δεικτέον, ὅτι ὁ σκοπὸς τῷ φωτίζοντι πνεύματι προνοίᾳ θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ «ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λόγου» τοὺς διακόνους τῆς ἀληθείας, προφή τας καὶ ἀποστόλους, ἦν προηγουμένως μὲν ὁ περὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων μυστηρίων τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πραγμάτων (ἀνθρώπους δὲ νῦν λέγω τὰς χρωμένας ψυχὰς σώμασιν), ἵν' ὁ δυνάμενος διδαχθῆναι «ἐρευνήσας» καὶ «τοῖς βάθεσι» τοῦ νοῦ τῶν λέξεων ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδούς, κοι νωνὸς τῶν ὅλων τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ γένηται δογμάτων. εἰς δὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν ψυχῶν, οὐκ ἄλλως δυναμένων τῆς τελειότητος τυχεῖν χωρὶς τῆς πλουσίας καὶ σοφῆς περὶ θεοῦ ἀληθείας, τὰ περὶ θεοῦ ἀναγκαίως ὡς προηγούμενα τέτακται καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ· ποίας ἐστὶ φύ σεως, καὶ τίνα τρόπον υἱὸς τυγχάνει θεοῦ, καὶ τίνες αἱ αἰτίαι τοῦ μέχρι σαρκὸς ἀνθρωπίνης αὐτὸν καταβεβηκέναι καὶ πάντη ἄνθρωπον ἀνειληφέναι, τίς τε καὶ ἡ τούτου ἐνέργεια, καὶ εἰς τίνας καὶ πότε γινομένη. ἀναγκαίως δὲ ὡς περὶ συγγενῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων λογικῶν, θειοτέρων τε καὶ ἐκπεπτωκότων τῆς μακαριότητος, καὶ τῶν αἰτίων τῆς τούτων ἐκπτώσεως, ἐχρῆν εἰς τοὺς λόγους τῆς θείας ἀνειλῆφθαι διδασκαλίας, καὶ περὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν ψυχῶν, καὶ πόθεν αἱ δια φοραὶ αὗται ἐληλύθασι, τίς τε ὁ κόσμος καὶ διὰ τί ὑπέστη, ἔτι δὲ πόθεν ἡ κακία τοσαύτη καὶ