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the Divine is made like the things known by men, as every concept, which comes about according to some comprehensive image in some thought and conjecture about the divine nature, fashions an idol of God and does not proclaim God. 2.166 But since the virtue of piety is divided in two, into what pertains to the Divine and into the right ordering of character (for purity of life is also a part of piety), having learned first what one must know about God (and to know was to know nothing about Him of those things known by human comprehension), thus he is taught the other form of virtue, learning in what practices the virtuous life is perfected. 2.167 After this, he comes to be in the tabernacle not made with hands. Who will follow him who journeys through such things and elevates his mind so high, who, like one taking a summit from a summit, through the ascent of the high places always becomes higher than himself? First he left the foot of the mountain, having been set apart from all who were too weak for the ascent. Then he receives with his hearing the sounds of the trumpets, being lifted up together with the height of the ascent. After these things he enters into the invisible sanctuary of the knowledge of God. And not even in this does he remain, but he passes over to the tabernacle not made with hands. For in truth, he who is exalted through such ascents arrives at this as his end. 2.168 For it seems to me that in another sense also the heavenly trumpet becomes a teacher of the passage to the thing not made with hands for him who understands. For the arrangement of the wonders in heaven, proclaiming the wisdom manifested in existing things and declaring the great glory of God through visible things, according to what was said: The heavens declare the glory of God, this becomes a loud-voiced trumpet with its clear and melodious teaching, as one of the prophets says, that: the heaven trumpeted from above. 2.169 And he who is purified and sharp in the hearing of his heart, having received this sound, I mean that which comes from the contemplation of beings to the knowledge of the divine power, is guided by it to enter with his mind there where God is. This is called darkness by Scripture, by which is interpreted, as has been said, the unknowable and invisible, in which, having come to be, he sees that tabernacle not made with hands, which he shows to those below through a material imitation.

2.170 What then is that tabernacle not made with hands, that was shown to Moses on the mountain, toward which he is commanded to look as to an archetype to show through the hand-wrought construction the wonder not made with hands. For see, it says, that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain. Golden pillars, set in silver bases and likewise adorned with silver capitals. Again other pillars, whose capitals and bases were of the material of bronze, but the part between the ends was silver. For all these the support was wood that does not admit decay, and round about, according to its appearance, the gleam of such materials was poured. 2.171 And an ark likewise gleaming with pure gold, but that which supported the gold overlay was itself wood that does not admit decay. Besides these a lampstand, single at the bottom of the base, but divided into seven branches at the top, holding up an equal number of lamps on the branches. The material of the lampstand was gold, having nothing hollow in its construction nor supported by wood. In addition to these an altar and a mercy seat and the so-called cherubim by whose wings the ark was overshadowed. All these were gold, not offering its fine color superficially on the surface, but it was the same through and through, the material extending to the depth. 2.172 And besides these, variegated veils of skillful weaving, with different colors interwoven with one another for the beauty of the fabric, by which was distinguished that part of the tabernacle which was visible and accessible to some of the priests and that which was a sanctuary and inaccessible. The name for the part set before was the Holy Place, and for the hidden part, the Holy of Holies. Besides these, lavers and firepans and that which is outside the

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τῶν γινωσκομένων ὁμοιοῦσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ Θεῖον, ὡς παντὸς νοήματος, τοῦ κατά τινα περιληπτικὴν φαντασίαν ἐν περινοίᾳ τινὶ καὶ στοχασμῷ τῆς θείας φύσεως γινομένου, εἴδωλον Θεοῦ πλάσσοντος καὶ οὐ Θεὸν καταγγέλ λοντος. 2.166 ∆ιχῇ δὲ τῆς κατ' εὐσέβειαν ἀρετῆς διῃρεμένης, εἴς τε τὸ Θεῖον καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἤθους κατόρθωσιν (μέρος γὰρ εὐσεβείας καὶ ἡ τοῦ βίου καθαρότης ἐστί), μαθὼν ἐν πρώτοις ἃ χρὴ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γινώσκειν (τὸ δέ γε γινώσκειν ἦν τὸ μηδὲν περὶ αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης καταλήψεως γινωσκομένων εἰδέναι), οὕτω τὸ ἕτερον τῆς ἀρετῆς εἶδος διδάσκεται, μανθάνων ἐν οἵοις ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ὁ ἐνάρετος κατορθοῦται βίος. 2.167 Μετὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ σκηνῇ γίνεται. Τίς ἀκολουθήσει τῷ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ὁδεύοντι καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὑψουμένῳ τὸν νοῦν, ὅς, καθάπερ τινὰ κορυφὴν ἐκ κορυφῆς μεταλαμβάνων, διὰ τῆς τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἀναβάσεως ἀεὶ ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται ὑψηλότερος; Πρῶτον κατέλιπε τὴν ὑπώρειαν, πάντων τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἄνοδον ἀτονησάντων ἀποκριθείς. Εἶτα δέχεται τῇ ἀκοῇ τὰς τῶν σαλπίγγων φωνάς, τῷ ὕψει τῆς ἀνόδου συνεπαιρόμενος. Ἐπὶ τούτοις εἰς τὸ ἀόρατον τῆς θεογνωσίας ἄδυτον παραδύεται. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν τούτῳ μένει, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἀχειροποίητον μεταβαίνει σκηνήν. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦτο καταντᾷ τὸ πέρας ὁ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνόδων ὑψούμενος. 2.168 ∆οκεῖ γάρ μοι καὶ καθ' ἕτερον νοῦν διδάσκαλος ἡ οὐρανία σάλπιγξ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἀχειροποίητον παρόδου τῷ ἐπαΐοντι γίνεσθαι. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν θαυμάτων διασκευὴ τὴν ἐκφαινομένην τοῖς οὖσι σοφίαν διαβοῶσα καὶ τὴν μεγάλην τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν διὰ τῶν φαινομένων διηγουμένη κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὅτι· οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, αὕτη τῷ τρανῷ τε καὶ εὐήχῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας σάλπιγξ μεγαλόφωνος γίνεται, καθά φησί τις τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι· ἐσάλπισεν ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν. 2.169 Ὁ δὲ κεκαθαρμένος τε καὶ ὀξὺς τὴν ἀκοὴν τῆς καρδίας, τὴν ἠχὴν ταύτην δεξάμενος, λέγω δὴ τὴν ἐκ τῆς θεωρίας τῶν ὄντων γινομένην πρὸς τὴν τῆς θείας δυνάμεως γνῶσιν, ὁδηγεῖται δι' αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸ ἐκεῖ διαδῦναι τῇ διανοίᾳ ὅπου ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός. Τοῦτο δὲ γνόφος ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ὀνομάζεται, ᾧ διερμηνεύεται, καθὼς εἴρηται, τὸ ἄγνωστόν τε καὶ ἀθεώρητον, ἐν ᾧ γενόμενος τὴν ἀχειροποίητον ἐκείνην σκηνὴν βλέπει, ἣν διὰ τῆς ὑλικῆς μιμήσεως τοῖς κάτω δείκνυσι.

2.170 Τίς οὖν ἡ ἀχειροποίητος ἐκείνη σκηνή, ἡ παραδεικ νυμένη τῷ Μωϋσεῖ κατὰ τὸ ὄρος, πρὸς ἣν κελεύεται βλέπων ὡσανεὶ ἀρχέτυπον διὰ τῆς χειροκμήτου κατασκευῆς δεῖξαι τὸ ἀχειροποίητον θαῦμα. Ὅρα γάρ, φησί, ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει. Στύλοι χρύσεοι, βάσεσιν ἀργυραῖς ἐνερηρεισμένοι καὶ κεφαλαῖς ὡσαύτως ἀργυραῖς ἐπιπρέποντες. Πάλιν ἕτεροι στύλοι, ὧν κεφαλαὶ μὲν καὶ βάσεις ἐκ χαλκοῦ τῆς ὕλης, τὸ δὲ διὰ μέσου τῶν ἄκρων ἄργυρος. Πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις ἔρεισμα μὲν ξύλον ἦν σηπεδόνα μὴ προσδεχόμενον, ἐν κύκλῳ δὲ κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ἡ αὐγὴ τῶν τοιούτων ὑλῶν περιεκέχυτο. 2.171 Καὶ κιβωτός τις ὡσαύτως ἐν ἀκηράτῳ στίλβουσα τῷ χρυσῷ, τὸ δὲ διερεῖδον τὴν τοῦ χρυσοῦ περιβολὴν καὶ αὐτὸ ξύλον ἦν σῆψιν οὐ προσδεχόμενον. Λυχνία τις ἐπὶ τούτοις, μία μὲν κατὰ τὸν πυθμένα τῆς βάσεως, ἑπτὰ δὲ κλάδοις κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον διῃρημένη, ἰσαρίθμους λύχνους ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων ἀνέχουσα. Χρυσὸς δὲ ἦν τῆς λυχνίας ἡ ὕλη, οὐδὲν τῆς κατασκευῆς κοῖλον ἔχων οὐδὲ ξύλῳ διερειδόμενον. Θυσιαστή ριον δὲ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἱλαστήριον καὶ τὰ λεγόμενα χερουβὶμ ὧν ταῖς πτέρυξιν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐσκιάζετο. Πάντα ταῦτα χρυσὸς ἦν, οὐκ ἐπιπόλαιον παρέχων τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τὴν εὔχροιαν, ἀλλὰ δι' ὅλου ὁ αὐτὸς ἦν, μέχρι τοῦ βάθους διηκούσης τῆς ὕλης. 2.172 Ποικίλα τε πρὸς τούτοις ἐξ ὑφαντικῆς φιλοτεχνίας καταπετάσματα, διαφόρων ἄνθων ἐπαλλήλοις πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ὑφάσματος ὥραν συμπλεκομένων, οἷς διεκρίνετο τῆς σκηνῆς ὅσον ὁρατόν τε καὶ βάσιμόν τισι τῶν ἱερουργούντων ἦν καὶ ὅσον ἄδυτόν τε καὶ ἀνεπίβατον. Ὄνομα δὲ τῷ μὲν προτε ταγμένῳ Ἅγιον ἦν, τῷ δὲ ἀποκεκρυμμένῳ Ἅγιον ἁγίων. Λουτῆρες ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ πυρεῖα καὶ ἡ ἔξωθεν τῶν