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Samson is interpreted 'sun,' and Delilah 'impoverishing;' Samson then fell upon the thigh of Delilah, that is, upon the passible part of pleasure, and he was impoverished of the virtue that enlightened him. Then she brought a barber and a razor and shaved his seven (7) locks; the barber is the devil, the razor is deceit according to what is written, "like a sharpened razor you have worked deceit," and the seven (7) locks are the seven energies of the spirit according to the prophet Isaiah. When, therefore, his hair began to grow, that is, when he came to repentance for what he had done, then the boy leads him by the hand, that is, the law of God, and brings him to the pillars on which the house of the Philistines was supported, which are anger and desire, by which every alien mind is captured. And Samson's dying with the Philistines signifies the consummation or mortification of the carnal mind.

14Α_108 QUESTION 68 What does Samson himself signify, having killed with the jawbone of a donkey the

Philistines? ANSWER Here Samson bears a type of the true Nazirite, Christ; for he

having taken our flesh, unwetted by any sin, destroyed the alien demons. But Samson's being bound by his own and handed over to the Philistines was clearly fulfilled in the Lord; for those who seemed to be his own, the Jews, bound him and handed him over to the Gentiles. But also from the body of the Lord, as from the jawbone, gushed forth the water of knowledge for which he thirsted, saying, "that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." But also every Samson, that is, a Nazirite, through the jawbone, that is, through the continence of the body—which is of a different kind from the soul, just as the donkey of the Gentile portion is to the law—kills the passions through ascetic practice. Then he also thirsts for divine knowledge, and through invocation from this virtuous practice, divine knowledge is sent down to him, giving him drink and refreshing him. And if he is also shut up within the walls of Gaza, that is, by the objects of sense, with the shoulders of ascetic practice he takes up the gates, that is, the senses, and brings them up to the mountain of high knowledge.

QUESTION 69 For what reason does God command the sons of Israel

to destroy the seven nations, but by no means the five satrapies? 14Α_110 ANSWER Hating all passions contrary to nature, God commands them to be destroyed; but the powers of the five senses that are according to nature he does not wish to be destroyed, but if ever they should be moved contrary to nature, that their energies be put to death.

QUESTION 70 What does the Gospel mean when it says, "wash your face and anoint your

head"? ANSWER Our face is our life, characterizing, just as the countenance does, what sort of people

we are according to the inner man. The word therefore exhorts to wash this, that is, to cleanse our life from every stain of sins. And the head is our mind, which the word commands to anoint, that is, to brighten with divine knowledge.

QUESTION 71

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Σαμψὼν ἑρμηνεύεται 'ἥλιος,' ἡ δὲ ∆αλιδὰ 'πτωχεύουσα·' ἐπέπεσεν οὖν ὁ Σαμψὼν ἐπὶ τὸν μηρὸν τῆς ∆αλιδά, τουτέστιν ἐπὶ τὸ παθητὸν μέρος τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ ἐπτώχευσεν τῆς φωτιζούσης αὐτὸν ἀρετῆς. Τότε ἤνεγκεν κουρέα καὶ ξυρὸν καὶ ἐξύρησεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ζ (7) βοστρύχους· κουρεύς ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος, ξυρὸν δὲ ἡ ἀπάτη κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον "ὡσεὶ ξυρὸν ἠκονημένον ἐποίησας δόλον", οἱ δὲ ζ (7) βόστρυχοι ἑπτὰ ἐνέργειαι κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἡσαΐαν τοῦ πνεύματος. Ὅτ᾽ ἂν οὖν ἤρξαντο φύειν αὐτοῦ αἱ τρίχες, τουτέστιν ὅτ᾽ ἂν εἰς μετάμελον ἦλθεν τῶν αὐτῷ πεπραγμένων, τότε χειραγωγεῖ αὐτὸν τὸ παιδάριον, τουτέστιν ὁ νόμος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἄγει αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς στύλους ἐφ᾽ ὧν ἐπεστήρικτο ὁ οἶκος τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, οἵτινές εἰσιν θυμὸς καὶ ἐπιθυμία, ὑφ᾽ ὧν πᾶς ἀλλόφυλος ἁλίσκεται νοῦς. Τὸ δὲ συναποθανεῖν τὸν Σαμψὼν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, σημαίνει τὴν συντέλειαν ἤγουν νέκρωσιν τοῦ σαρκικοῦ φρονήματος.

14Α_108 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 68 Τί σημαίνει αὐτὸς ὁ Σαμψὼν ἐν τῇ σιαγόνι τοῦ ὄνου ἀποκτείνας τοὺς

ἀλλοφύλους; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐνταῦθα τύπον ὁ Σαμψὼν φέρει τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ναζιραίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ· αὐτὸς

γὰρ τὴν ἡμετέραν σάρκα λαβὼν ἄνικμον πάσης ἁμαρτίας, τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἀνεῖλεν δαίμονας. Τὸ δὲ δεθῆναι ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων τὸν Σαμψὼν καὶ παραδοθῆναι τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις σαφῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ Κυρίου πεπλήρωται· δήσαντες γὰρ αὐτὸν οἱ δοκοῦντες ἴδιοι εἶναι Ἰουδαῖοι παρέδωκαν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπήγασεν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Κυρίου ὥσπερ ἐκ τῆς σιαγόνος τὸ τῆς γνώσεως ὕδωρ ὅπερ ἐδίψα λέγων "ἵνα γινώσκωσίν σε τὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν". Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕκαστος Σαμψών, τουτέστιν Ναζιραῖος, διὰ τῆς σιαγόνος, τουτέστιν διὰ τῆς ἐγκρατείας τοῦ σώματος, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἑτερογενὲς τῆς ψυχῆς καθὰ καὶ ὁ ὄνος τῆς ἐθνικῆς μερίδος τῷ νόμῳ, ἀποκτέννει τὰ πάθη διὰ τῆς πρακτικῆς. Εἶτα καὶ διψᾷ θείας γνώσεως καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπικλήσεως ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐναρέτου πράξεως καταπέμπεται αὐτῷ θεία γνῶσις, ποτίζουσα αὐτὸν καὶ ἀναψύχουσα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ συνσχεθῇ ἔσω τειχῶν τῆς Γάζης, τουτέστιν ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν, τοῖς ὤμοις τῆς πρακτικῆς ἀναλαμβάνει τὰς πόρτας, τουτέστιν τὰς αἰσθήσεις, καὶ ἀνάγει εἰς τὸ ὅρος τῆς ὑψηλῆς γνώσεως.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 69 Τίνος χάριν τὰ μὲν ἑπτὰ ἔθνη παρακελεύεται ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ

ἀπολέσαι, τὰς δὲ πέντε σατραπίας οὐδαμῶς; 14Α_110 ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Πάντα τὰ παρὰ φύσιν πάθη μισῶν ὁ Θεὸς κελεύει ἀπόλλυσθαι· τὰς δὲ κατὰ

φύσιν τῶν πέντε αἰσθήσεων δυνάμεις οὐ βούλεται ἀναιρεθῆναι, εἰ δὲ ἄρα παρὰ φύσιν ποτὲ κινηθῶσιν, τὰς ἐνεργείας αὐτῶν ἀποκτέννυσθαι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 70 Τί σημαίνει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον λέγων "νίψαι σου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ἄλειψαί σου

τὴν κεφαλήν"; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὁ βίος, χαρακτηρίζων καθάπερ ἡ ὄψις ὁποῖοί τινές

ἐσμεν κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον. Τοῦτο οὖν ὁ λόγος παρακελεύεται νίπτειν, τουτέστιν καθαίρειν τὸν βίον κηλίδος πάσης ἁμαρτιῶν. Κεφαλὴ δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἡμέτερος νοῦς, ὃν ὁ λόγος ἀλείφειν κελεύει, τουτέστιν τῇ θείᾳ καταφαιδρύνειν γνώσει.

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