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of the age,” and the words, “I will give you the holy things of David, which are sure,” and furthermore, “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,” show what is sure and unchangeable, since the commands of God according to the spiritual law are faithful because of their unchangeable nature, while the commands according to the shadow of the law are transferred from the letter to the spirit and from the shadow to the truth. 1.244 According to this theory, the things of the true David, the one competent by hand, are the Savior according to his humanity, whose holy things are faithful by remaining forever, since his words remain even if heaven and earth pass away; therefore he is also a faithful priest, having an unchangeable priesthood for eternity, being and being shown to be according to the order of Melchizedek. 1.245 To this great priest the angel of the Lord says: “Hear now, Jesus the great priest, you and those near you” who are spiritually priests, who are appointed under you, being the high priest, to whom, being righteous, it is also said in Isaiah: “But you shall be called priests, ministers of God.” And those especially have this promise who serve God through complete purity in celibacy. 1.246 And not only do these hear the angel with Jesus the great priest, but also those who are seated before his face. These are they who in the regeneration at the resurrection of the dead are seated before the face of the Savior, who is judge and king, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 1.247 These who hear the divine words of the angel with Jesus are none other than the apostles; being near him and those seated before his face, they are not infants nor children, but mature men, having arrived at the mature man of the fullness of the knowledge of the Son of God. Therefore they are also interpreters of portents, wisely attending to the wondrous powers of the Lord, so as to comprehend the things signified by them. 1.248 Of this knowledge was the great hierophant Moses and his brother the high priest Aaron; for it is written that “God set in them the words of his signs and of his wonders.” And how is one not an interpreter of portents who has received from God not simply the sight of the wonders and signs, but of the very words according to which these things are accomplished. 1.249 It is possible to testify to the theory from one and a second thing recorded in the Gospels; a sign and a wonder was the bringing to sight of the man blind from birth, when his eyes were anointed with clay, made from earth and the benefactor's spittle. Of this thing that happened paradoxically, an interpreter of portents is he who perceives the prototype signified by it. 1.250 For the people from the Gentiles, who previously did not see at all, having been brought up in godlessness and ignorance of God, must be considered to have been blind from birth, having received their sight then when, having known Christ according to the flesh, they were anointed on the eyes with the clay made from the spittle of Jesus, having experienced the incarnation of the one who brought them to sight. 1.251 In addition to these things, the woman with an issue of blood for twelve whole years was freed from the flow of unclean blood on account of which she was prevented from bearing children, by touching the hem of Jesus' garment. It was accomplished paradoxically and wondrously; he who receives knowledge of it is an interpreter of portents, transferring what happened wondrously to the woman to the church which was cleansed from the Gentiles. 1.252 Having shown all the things contemplated in the set forth sayings, “I,” he says, “the Lord almighty, bring my servant, the dawn,” calling him his own servant who is from the seed of David according to the flesh, “who took the form of a servant, emptying himself, being in the form of God.” This servant of God who was brought is that dawn concerning which it is said in the Gospel: “The dawn from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,” being none other than “the true light.” 1.253 Showing his own servant, the Father says: “Behold, a man, the dawn

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αἰῶνος», καὶ τό· «∆ώσω ὑμῖν τὰ ὅσια ∆αυὶδ τὰ πιστά», ἔτι μὴν καὶ τό· «Ἀναστήσω ἐμαυτῷ ἱερέα πιστόν», τὸ βέβαιον καὶ ἀμετάθετον δηλοῦσιν, τῶν κατὰ τὸν πνευματικὸν νόμον ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ πιστῶν ὑπαρχουσῶν διὰ τὸ ἀμετάθετον, τῶν κατὰ τὴν σκιὰν τοῦ νόμου ἐντολῶν μετατιθεμένων ἐκ τοῦ γράμματος ἐπὶ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἐκ τῆς σκιᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. 1.244 Ταύτῃ τῇ θεωρίᾳ καὶ τὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ∆αυίδ, τοῦ τῇ χειρὶ ἱκανοῦ, ὁ Σωτὴρ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπόν ἐστιν, οὗ τὰ ὅσια πιστά ἐστιν τῷ ἀεὶ μένειν, μενόντων τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ κἂν ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρέλθωσιν· διὸ καὶ ἱερεὺς πιστὸς ὑπάρχει, ἀπαράβατον ἱερωσύνην ἔχων εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ τυγχάνων καὶ ἀποδειχθείς. 1.245 Τούτῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ ἱερεῖ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου λέγει· «Ἄκουε δή, Ἰησοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ μέγας, σὺ καὶ οἱ πλησίον σου» οἱ πνευματικῶς ἱερεῖς, οἱ τεταγμένοι ὑπὸ σὲ ἀρχιερέα ὄντα, πρὸς οὓς καὶ ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ λέγεται δικαίους ὄντας· «Ὑμεῖς δὲ κληθήσεσθε ἱερεῖς λειτουργοὶ Θεοῦ.» Ἔχουσιν δὲ ταύτην τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν μάλιστα οἱ διὰ παντελοῦς ἁγνείας τῆς ἐν ἀγαμίᾳ θεραπεύοντες Θεόν. 1.246 Οὐ μόνον δὲ οὗτοι ἀκούουσιν τοῦ ἀγγέλου σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ ἱερεῖ τῷ μεγάλῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ καθήμενοι πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. Οὗτοι δ' εἰσὶν οἱ ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τῶν νεκρῶν καθήμενοι πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος, κριτοῦ καὶ βασιλέως ὄντος, κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. 1.247 Οὐχ ἕτεροι δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὗτοι οἱ ἀκούοντες σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τῶν θείων λόγων τοῦ ἀγγέλου· πλησίον ὄντες αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ καθήμενοι πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, οὐ νήπιοι οὐ παῖδες τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλ' ἄνδρες τέλειοι καταντήσαντες εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον τοῦ πληρώματος τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ τερατοσκόποι εἰσίν, σοφῶς ἐφιστάνοντες ταῖς τεραστίοις δυνάμεσι τοῦ Κυρίου, ὡς καταλαμβάνειν τὰ δι' αὐτῶν δηλούμενα. 1.248 Ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστήμης ὁ μέγας ἱεροφάντης Μωϋσῆς καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς Ἀαρών· γέγραπται γὰρ ὡς «Ἔθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς τοὺς λόγους τῶν σημείων καὶ τῶν τεράτων αὐτοῦ». Πῶς δὲ οὐ τερατοσκόπος ὁ θεόθεν σχὼν οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὴν θέαν τῶν τεράτων καὶ σημείων, ἀλλὰ τῶν λόγων αὐτῶν καθ' οὓς ταῦτ' ἐπιτελεῖται. 1.249 Ἔστι δὲ μαρτύρασθαι τῇ θεωρίᾳ ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέρου ἀναγραφέντων ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· σημεῖον καὶ τέρας ἦν τὸ εἰς ὄψιν ἀγαγεῖν τὸν ἀπὸ γενετῆς τυφλόν, πηλοῦ ἐπιχρισθέντων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ, συνδευθέντος ἐκ γῆς καὶ τοῦ πτύσματος τοῦ εὐεργέτου. Τούτου τοῦ παραδόξως γεγενημένου, τερατοσκόπος ἐστὶν ὁ θεωρῶν τὸ δι' αὐτοῦ δηλούμενον πρωτότυπον. 1.250 Τὸν γὰρ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν λαὸν μηδαμῶς ὁρῶντα πρότερον τῷ κατὰ ἀθεότητα καὶ ἄγνοιαν Θεοῦ ἀνατετράφθαι ἀπὸ γενετῆς τυφλὸν εἶναι ἡγητέον, ἀναβλέψαντα τότε ὅτε κατὰ σάρκα γνοὺς Χριστὸν ἐπεχρίσθη τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πτύσματος Ἰησοῦ γενάμενον πηλόν, πεῖραν λαβὼν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ εἰς τὸ ὁρᾶν αὐτὸν ἀγαγόντος. 1.251 Πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἡ αἱμορροοῦσα γυνὴ ὅλοις ἔτεσι δώδεκα, ἔξω γέγονεν τῆς φορᾶς τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου αἵματος δι' ἣν ἐκωλύετο τίκτειν, ἐκ τοῦ ἅψασθαι τοῦ κρασπέδου Ἰησοῦ. Παραδόξως καὶ τεραστίως ἐπετελεῖτο· ὁ γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ λαβὼν τερατοσκόπος ἐστίν, μετάγων τὸ εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα τεραστίως γεγονός, εἰς τὴν καθαρισθεῖσαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν. 1.252 ∆είξας πάντα τὰ τεθεωρημένα ἐν τοῖς ἐκκειμένοις ῥητοῖς, «Ἐγώ, φησίν, ὁ παντοκράτωρ Κύριος, τὸν δοῦλόν μου ἄγω ἀνατολήν», δοῦλον ἑαυτοῦ λέγων τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα τυγχάνοντα, «τὸν ἀναλαβόντα μορφὴν δούλου, κενώσας ἑαυτὸν ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων». Οὗτος ὁ ἀχθεὶς Θεοῦ δοῦλος ἡ ἀνατολή ἐστιν ἐκείνη περὶ ἧς ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ εἴρηται· «Ἀνατολὴ ἐξ ὕψους, ἐπιλάμψαι τοῖς ἐκ σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις», οὐχ ἑτέρα ὑπάρχουσα «τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ.» 1.253 ∆εικνὺς τὸν δοῦλον ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Πατήρ φησιν· «Ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἀνατολὴ