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according to this theory also that which was said in the Gospel by the Savior: “Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved.” That the days of tribulation are shortened shows that the afflictions will not remain for a longer time, ceasing quickly, so that the strength of those who suffer may be sufficient to contend nobly to obtain prizes and crowns. 1.323 For one must not believe the heretic Tatian, who mistakenly says that the former days have become shorter than the present ones, the hours of the day and night having been contracted a little, because it is announced by the psalmist to God: “By your ordinance the day continues.” 1.324 But since it is impossible historically for the days to be shortened in this way, one must refer back to the evangelical saying about the shortening of the days and that which is found in the prophetic word about the small days. 1.325 The intelligible days having magnitude and multitude from the sun of righteousness, and this from the difference of those being enlightened and not of the amount of the divine light itself. For when the Lord says concerning the just man “who dwells in the help of the Most High”: “With length of days I will satisfy him,” we say that He is not promising long life to the just man who desires “to depart to be with Christ,” so that he says: “Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged.” 1.326 Indeed, history also conflicts with such a notion, since those who honor their parents are not in every case long-lived, it having been said to each one: “Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you and you may live long on the land which the Lord your God gives you.” For it is possible to find those who keep this commandment dying young, in a short time passing out of this mortal life. 1.327 Since therefore the saying is shown not to have the meaning that many suppose, that which is said in the Psalms concerning length of days and wherever else in the divinely-inspired scripture, such as: “He asked life of you and you gave it to him, length of days for ever and ever,” and that in Proverbs: “The just will spend many years in wealth.” 1.328 But that illumination extending far is also length of days, Moses the hierophant of the divine laws says to the lover of God: “This is your life and the length of your days: to love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your heart.” For since intense love for God is luminous, it prepares long and great days, so that one who partakes of it becomes long-lived and long-dayed. 1.329 Compared to these days, the introductory illuminations happen to be small days; which he who does not despise will most easily experience the brilliant advancements after the introductions. In which he who has come to be will rejoice with “joy inexpressible and full of glory,” which is the “fruit of the Holy Spirit.” 1.330 What follows for one who has thus rejoiced but to see the tin stone in the hand, that is, in the deed, of Zerubbabel, by whom is traced the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham and David and finally from Mary, who because He is luminous through all things also makes discerning those who approach Him. 1.331 He said there are seven eyes, watching over and looking upon all the earth, especially then when the inhabitants of the earth learned to do righteousness, walking blamelessly and working righteousness. But that these are watched over by the Lord, it is possible to learn from the psalmist who says: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.” 1.332 He who is in all things discerning has seven divine eyes; for this reason indeed also the all-holy Cherubim on which God is borne, according to the vision of Ezekiel, are covered with eyes all over, said to be full of eyes, so that even their backs and their faces have eyes that watch over the supernatural and great spectacles. And Cherubim is interpreted as a multitude of knowledge; from which it is shown that they see what

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θεωρίᾳ ταύτῃ καὶ τὸ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «Εἰ μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ.» Τὸ κολοβωθῆναι τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς θλίψεως δηλοῖ ὡς οὐ παραμενεῖ τὰ θλιβερὰ ἐπὶ χρόνον πλείονα, ταχέως καταπαύοντα, ἵνα διαρκέσῃ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῶν κακουμένων πρὸς τὸ γενναίως ἀγωνίσασθαι ἐπὶ τῷ βραβείων καὶ στεφάνων τυχεῖν. 1.323 Οὐ γὰρ πειστέον Τατιανῷ τῷ αἱρετικῷ ἐσφαλμένως λέγοντι ἐλάττους γεγονέναι τὰς προτέρας ἡμέρας παρὰ τὰς νῦν, βραχὺ συσταλεισῶν τῶν ὡρῶν τοῦ νυχθημέρου, διὰ τὸ ἀπαγγέλλεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑμνῳδοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· «Τῇ διατάξει σου διαμένει ἡ ἡμέρα.» 1.324 Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἀδύνατον καθ' ἱστορίαν οὕτω τὰς ἡμέρας κολοβοῦσθαι, ἀνακτέον τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν περὶ τῆς κολοβώσεως τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν μικρῶν ἡμερῶν κείμενον ἐν τῇ προφητικῇ λέξει. 1.325 Τῶν νοητῶν ἡμερῶν πρὸς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐχουσῶν μέγεθος καὶ πλῆθος, καὶ τ̣ο··τ·ον ἐκ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν φωτιζομένων καὶ οὐ τοῦ τ̣·····τος αὐτὰς θείου φωτός. Ὅταν γὰρ περὶ τοῦ δικαίου τ̣οῦ «κατοικοῦντος ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ ὑψίστου» ὁ Κύριος λέγῃ· «Μακρότητι ἡμερῶν ἐμπλήσω αὐτόν», οὐ πολυχρονιότητα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι τῷ δικαίῳ φαμὲν ποθοῦντι «ἀναλῦσαι ἵνα σὺν Χριστῷ γένηται», ὡς λέγειν αὐτόν· «Οἴμοι ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη.» 1.326 Ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ἡ ἱστορία μάχεται τῇ τοιαύτῃ νοήσει, οὐ πολυημέρων γινομένων ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τῶν τιμώντων γονέας, εἰρημένου πρὸς ἕκαστον· «Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ πολυχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἧς Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσίν σοι.» Ἔστιν γὰρ εὑρεῖν τηροῦντας τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην ὠκυμόρους ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ ἔξω τῆς ἐπικήρου ζωῆς γινομένους. 1.327 Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐλέγχεται τὸ ῥητὸν οὐκ ἔχον ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ νομίζουσιν, τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς λεγόμενον περὶ μακρότητος ἡμερῶν καὶ εἴ που ἀλλαχοῦ τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς οἷόν ἐστιν τό· «Ζωὴν ᾐτήσατο καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος», καὶ τὸ ἐν Παροιμίαις· «∆ίκαιοι ποιήσουσιν ἐν πλούτῳ ἔτη πολλά.» 1.328 Ὅτι δὲ ὁ παρεκτείνων φωτισμὸς καὶ μακρότης ἡμερῶν ἐστιν ὁ ἱεροφάντης τῶν θείων νόμων Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὸν φιλόθεόν φησιν· «Αὕτη ἡ ζωή σου καὶ ἡ μακρότης τῶν ἡμερῶν σου· ἀγαπᾶν Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας σου.» Ἐπεὶ γὰρ φωτεινή ἐστιν ἡ σύντονος πρὸς Θεὸν α᾿̣γ̣άπη, μακρὰς καὶ μεγάλας ἡμέρας παρασκευάζει, ὥστε μετέχοντα αὐτῆς πολυήμερον καὶ μακροήμερον τυγχάνειν. 1.329 Ταύταις ταῖς ἡμέραις συγκρινόμεναι αἱ εἰσαγω̣γ̣ι̣καὶ ἐκλάμψεις τυγχάνουσιν ἡμέραι μικραί· ἃς ὁ οὐκ̣ ε᾿̣ξ̣ουθενῶν ῥᾷστα πειραθήσεται τῶν μετὰ τὰς εἰσαγωγὰς λαμπρῶν προκοπῶν. Ἐν αἷς ὁ γενάμενος χαρήσεται «χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ», ὑπαρχούσῃ «καρπῷ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος». 1.330 Τί δὲ ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ οὕτω χαρέντι ἢ τὸ ὄψεσθαι τὸν κασσιτέρινον λίθον ἐν χειρί, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐν πράξει, τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ, τῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενεαλογεῖσθαι τὸν ἐξ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ∆αυὶδ καὶ τέλος ἐκ τῆς Μαρίας Ἰησοῦν, τὸν διὰ τὸ δι' ὅλων φωτεινὸν εἶναι καὶ διορατικοὺς ἀπεργαζόμενον τοὺς πλησιάζοντας αὐτῷ. 1.331 Εἶναι ἑπτὰ ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶπεν, ἐφορῶντας καὶ ἐπιβλέποντας πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, τότε μάλιστα ὅτε ἔμαθον ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην οἱ οἰκοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορευόμενοι ἄμωμοι καὶ ἐργαζόμενοι δικαιοσύνην. Ὅτι δ' οὗτοι ἐπιβλέπονται ὑπὸ Κυρίου, ἀπὸ τοῦ ψαλμῳδοῦ μαθεῖν ἔστιν λέγοντος· «Ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν.» 1.332 Ἑπτὰ θείους ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχει ὁ ὅλος ἐξ ὅλων διορατικὸς ὑπάρχων· ταύτῃ γοῦν καὶ τὰ πανάγια Χερουβεὶν οἷς ἐποχεῖται Θεός, κατὰ τὴν ὅρασιν τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ, δι' ὅλων εἰσὶν ὀμματώμενα, πλήρης εἶναι εἰρημένα ὀφθαλμῶν, ὡς καὶ τὰ νῶτα καὶ τὰ πρόσω αὐτῶν ἔχειν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐποπτικοὺς τῶν ὑπερφυῶν καὶ μεγάλων θεαμάτων. Πληθυσμὸς δὲ γνώσεως ἑρμηνεύεται τὰ Χερουβείν· ἐξ οὗ παρίσταται ὅτι ὁρῶσιν ἃ