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we reap the fruits of the seeds that have been sown, incorruptible, if indeed the seeds of life were good, but corruptible and destructive, if the husbandry of this life should produce such things for us. For he who sows to the spirit, it says, will from the spirit reap eternal life; but he who sows to the flesh, will from the flesh reap corruption. 2.146 But only the preparation for what is better is properly named preparation and is indeed sanctioned by the law, whose store is incorruptibility. But that which is understood from the opposite is neither preparation, nor is it so called; for one might reasonably call the deprivation of good things not a preparation, but a falling away from preparation. Therefore the history legislates for men only the preparation that is rightly directed toward what is better, leaving the opposite to be understood by the intelligent through its omission. 2.147 And just as in the military rolls the leader of the campaign first provides the ration, and then gives the signal for war, in the same way also the soldiers of virtue, having received the mystical ration, thus move the war against the foreigners, with Jesus the successor of Moses leading the battle. 2.148 Do you see by what sequences the argument proceeds? As long as man is weaker, afflicted by wicked tyranny, he does not defend himself against the enemy by himself; for he is not able. But another is he who fights for the weak, who strikes the enemy with successive plagues. But when he was freed from the slavery of the rulers and was sweetened by the wood and rested from his labor in the lodging of the palm trees and knew the mystery of the rock and partook of the heavenly food, then no longer does he defend himself against the enemy by another's hand, but as one who has already passed the age of a child and reached the prime of youth, he himself by himself engages with his adversaries, using as general no longer Moses the servant of God, but God Himself, of whom Moses became servant. For the law given from the beginning in type and shadow of things to come remains unfit for battle in the true contests, but the fulfiller of the law and successor of Moses leads the army, he who was proclaimed through the homonymy of the one then leading the army. 2.149 And the people, if they saw the lawgiver's hands raised, become superior to the enemy in the battle line, but if lowered, they give way. Moses holding his hands on high signifies the contemplation of the law through higher thoughts, but letting them incline to the earth signifies the lowly and earth-bound explanation and observance according to the letter of the law.

2.150 And the priest lifts up the hands of Moses when they had grown heavy, using as a helper him who was related by birth. This too is not outside the sequence of the things contemplated. For the true priesthood, through the Word of God joined to it, again raises on high the activities of the law which had been thrown to the earth by the heaviness of the Jewish mind and supports the law, when it is falling to the ground, with the stone, so that it, standing upright by the figure of the outstretched hands, shows its own purpose to those who see. 2.151 For truly, to those who are able to perceive, the mystery of the cross is contemplated especially in the law. This is why the Gospel says somewhere that not an iota or a tittle shall pass from the law, signifying by these words both the transverse line and the vertical one, by which the shape of the cross is drawn, which, being seen then in Moses, who is understood as the law, becomes a trophy and cause of victory for those who see. 2.152 Again, by a certain sequential ascent towards the higher things of virtue, the word guides our thought. For he who was strengthened by the food and showed his power in the engagement with the adversaries and became victor over those arrayed against him, is then brought to that ineffable knowledge of God, the word teaching us through these things what and how many things it is fitting to set right beforehand in one's life, so that one might sometime dare to the

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καταβεβλημένων σπερμάτων τοὺς καρποὺς κομιζόμεθα, ἀφθάρτους μέν, εἴπερ ἀγαθὰ εἴη τοῦ βίου τὰ σπέρματα, φθαρτικοὺς δὲ καὶ ὀλεθρίους, εἰ τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἡ γεωργία τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης ἐκφύσειεν. Ὁ γὰρ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα, φησίν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ὁ δὲ σπείρων εἰς τὴν σάρκα, ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς θερίσει φθοράν. 2.146 Ἀλλ' ἡ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἑτοιμασία μόνη κυρίως παρασκευὴ ὀνομάζεταί τε καὶ κυροῦται δήπουθεν τῷ νόμῳ, ἧς τὸ ἀπόθετον ἀφθαρσία ἐστί. Τὸ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου νοούμενον παρασκευὴ οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε λέγεται· τὴν γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν στέρησιν οὐκ ἄν τις εἰκότως παρασκευήν, ἀλλ' ἔκπτωσιν παρασκευῆς ὀνομάσειε. ∆ιὸ μόνην τὴν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον κατορθουμένην παρασκευὴν νομοθετεῖ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ ἱστορία, τὸ ἐναντίον διὰ τῆς παραλείψεως νοεῖν τοῖς συνετοῖς καταλείπουσα. 2.147 Καθάπερ δὲ ἐν τοῖς στρατιωτικοῖς καταλόγοις πρότερον πορίζει τὸ σιτηρέσιον ὁ τῆς στρατείας ἡγούμενος, εἶθ' οὕτω δίδωσι τοῦ πολέμου τὸ σύνθημα, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς στρατιῶται τὸ μυστικὸν δεξάμενοι σιτηρέσιον, οὕτω κατὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων κινοῦσι τὸν πόλεμον, Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Μωϋσέως διαδόχου καθηγουμένου τῆς μάχης. 2.148 Ὁρᾷς δι' οἵας πρόεισιν ἀκολουθίας ὁ λόγος; Ἕως ἀσθενέστερός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῇ πονηρᾷ τυραννίδι κεκακω μένος δι' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἐχθρὸν οὐκ ἀμύνεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται. Ἀλλ' ἕτερός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ἀσθενούντων ὑπερμαχῶν, ὁ ταῖς ἐπαλλήλοις πληγαῖς τὸν πολέμιον τύπτων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς τῶν κρατούντων δουλείας ἠλευθερώθη καὶ κατεγλυκάνθη τῷ ξύλῳ καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν φοινίκων καταγωγῇ τὸν κόπον ἀνέπαυσε καὶ τὸ τῆς πέτρας ἔγνω μυστήριον καὶ τῆς οὐρανίου μετέσχε τροφῆς, τότε οὐκέτι δι' ἑτέρας χειρὸς ἀμύνεται τὸν πολέμιον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκβὰς ἤδη τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ἡλικίαν καὶ καταλαβὼν τὴν ἀκμὴν τῆς νεότητος, αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς ἐναντίοις συμπλέκεται, στρατηγῷ χρώμενος οὐκέτι Μωϋσεῖ τῷ θεράποντι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ, οὗ Μωϋσῆς θεράπων ἐγένετο. Ὁ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δοθεὶς ἐν τύπῳ καὶ σκιᾷ τῶν μελλόντων νόμος ἐν τοῖς ἀληθινοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἀπόμαχος μένει, στρατηγεῖ δὲ ὁ πληρωτὴς τοῦ νόμου καὶ Μωϋσέως διάδοχος, ὁ διὰ τῆς ὁμωνυμίας τοῦ τότε στρατηγοῦντος προκηρυσσό μενος. 2.149 Ὁ δὲ λαός, εἰ μὲν ἐπηρμένας βλέποι τοῦ νομοθέτου τὰς χεῖρας, ὑπέρτερος τοῦ ἐχθροῦ κατὰ τὴν παράταξιν γίνεται, εἰ δὲ καθειμένας, ἐνδίδωσι. Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐν ὕψει τὰς χεῖρας ἔχειν τὸν Μωϋσέα τὴν διὰ τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων νοημάτων θεωρίαν τοῦ νόμου, τὸ δὲ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐπικλίνειν τὴν ταπεινήν τε καὶ χαμαίζηλον κατὰ τὸ γράμμα τοῦ νόμου ἐξήγησίν τε καὶ παρατήρησιν.

2.150 Ἐπαίρει δὲ βαρυνθείσας τοῦ Μωϋσέως τὰς χεῖρας ὁ ἱερεὺς συνεργῷ χρώμενος τῷ ᾠκειωμένῳ κατὰ τὸ γένος. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο τῆς τῶν θεωρηθέντων ἀκολουθίας ἐστὶν ἐκτός. Ἡ γὰρ ἀληθὴς ἱερωσύνη διὰ τοῦ συνημμένου αὐτῇ λόγου Θεοῦ τὰς ἐν τῇ βαρύτητι τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς διανοίας εἰς γῆν ἐρριμμένας ἐνεργείας τοῦ νόμου πάλιν εἰς ὕψος ἀνάγει καὶ πίπτοντα τὸν νόμον εἰς ἔδαφος ὑπερείδει τῷ λίθῳ, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀνεστῶτα τῷ σχήματι τῆς τῶν χειρῶν ἐκτάσεως τὸν ἑαυτοῦ σκοπὸν ὑποδεικνύειν τοῖς βλέπουσιν. 2.151 Ἀληθῶς γάρ, τοῖς καθορᾶν δυναμένοις, ἐν τῷ νόμῳ μάλιστα τὸ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν θεωρεῖται μυστήριον. ∆ιό φησί που τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τὸ ἰῶτα καὶ ἡ κεραία οὐ παρέρχεται, σημαῖνον διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τήν τε ἐκ πλαγίου γραμμὴν καὶ τὴν κάθετον, δι' ὧν τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ σταυροῦ καταγράφεται, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ Μωϋσεῖ τότε βλεπόμενον, ὃς ἀντὶ τοῦ νόμου νοεῖται, τρόπαιον καὶ νίκης αἴτιον τοῖς ὁρῶσι καθίσταται. 2.152 Πάλιν ἡμῖν δι' ἀκολούθου τινὸς ἀναβάσεως πρὸς τὰ ὑψηλότερα τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁ λόγος χειραγωγεῖ τὴν διάνοιαν. Ὁ γὰρ καὶ διὰ τῆς τροφῆς δυναμωθεὶς καὶ τῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους συμπλοκῇ τὴν δύναμιν δείξας καὶ νικητὴς τῶν ἀντιτεταγμένων γενόμενος, τότε προσάγεται τῇ ἀπορρήτῳ ἐκείνῃ θεογνωσίᾳ, διδάσκοντος ἡμᾶς διὰ τούτων τοῦ λόγου οἷα καὶ ὅσα προσήκει προκατορθῶσαι κατὰ τὸν βίον, ἵνα τολμήσῃ ποτὲ τῇ