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the number 3 relates to the number 7 in such a way, that the all-venerable and worshipful Trinity is signified by the 3, and again the same by the 7, because the number 7 is a virgin. For of the numbers 1396 within the decade, this one alone neither begets nor is begotten. And he clearly shows this, discoursing in the book of the verses On Virginity, saying thus, "The first virgin is the holy Trinity."

158. ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON THE SAME

Another contemplation on the same. Or also thus. having mystically contemplated through reason for the Holy Trinity her

energy—I mean, the good which reveals the four general virtues—you will fulfill the number seven. For by mystically contemplating the energy of the holy and all-hymned Trinity, we complete the virgin number seven.

159. ..». BUT JESUS HIMSELF, PURE PERFECTION, KNOWS HOW TO FEED IN

THE WILDERNESS ..». From the same discourse, on the text: But Jesus himself, pure perfection, knows how to

feed five thousand in the wilderness with even five loaves, and he knows again how to feed four thousand with seven; and the leftovers from their being filled were there 14Ε_142 twelve baskets, but here seven large baskets. Neither of these, I think, is without reason, nor unworthy of the Spirit.

The mind having already been trained for a contemplative state in the things previously said at length, as

was possible, let us not, if it seems good, weigh it down with a multitude of words, since it is now able to receive scientifically, even in summary, the contemplation of divine things. The five barley loaves, therefore, signify the readily available principles of natural contemplation. And the five thousand men fed with these signify those who are indeed occupied with nature, but who have not yet been entirely cleansed of the disposition related to the passible and irrational part of the soul. The fact that the loaves are of barley—which is a common type of food for both beasts and men—gives us to understand through the contemplation of such principles, and the fact that they were with women and children, which clearly shows that they were not at all alienated from the desires for pleasure and from the imperfect infancy of their thoughts. And the wilderness is this world, in which the Word of God, by spiritually breaking the principles of nature for those occupied with the divine through natural contemplation, bestows every fullness of good things, as the baskets of leftovers, being twelve in number, declare.

160. CONTEMPLATION ON THE NUMBER 12

Contemplation on the number 12. And the number twelve signifies, either the principles according to time and nature, as from

five and seven as it is completed by synthesis. For time is hebdomadal, as it moves cyclically, and having a natural aptitude for being moved, the 14Ε_144 equal 1397 distance of the extremes from the middle according to this number. Nature is pentadic, being naturally ordered under the number five, both because it possesses form in addition to the simply-so-called matter which is divided fourfold. For nature is nothing other than enformed matter. For the form, when added to the matter, produces nature.

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πρός τόν ζ' ἀριθμόν ἔχειν τόν γ' κατά τοιόνδε τρόπον, τῷ τήν πάνσεπτον και προσκυνητήν Τριάδα διά τοῦ γ' σημαίνεσθαι, καί πάλιν τήν αὐτήν διά τοῦ ζ', τῷ τόν ζ' ἀριθμόν παρθένον εἶναι. Τῶν γάρ 1396 ἐντός δεκάδος ἀριθμῶν μόνος οὗτος οὔτε γεννᾷ, οὔτε γεννᾶται. Τοῦτο δέ σαφῶς ἐνδείκνυται διεξιών ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ἐπῶν Περί παρθενίας, οὑτωσί λέγων, "Πρώτη παρθένος ἐστίν ἁγνή Τριάς».

ΡΝΗ (158). ΑΛΛΟ ΘΕΩΡΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ

Ἄλλο θεώρημα εἰς τό αὐτό. Ἤ καί οὕτως. Τῇ ἁγίᾳ Τριάδι μυστικῶς τῷ λόγῳ τήν αὐτῆς ἐπιθεωρήσας

ἐνέργειαν, φημί δέ τό ἀγαθόν ὅπερ τάς τέσσαρας ἐμφαίνει γενικάς ἀρετάς, τόν ἑπτά πληρώσεις ἀριθμόν. Τῇ γάρ ἁγίᾳ καί πανυμνήτῳ Τριάδι μυστικῶς τήν αὐτῆς ἐπιθεωροῦντες ἐνέργειαν τόν ἑπτά παρθένον ἀπαρτίζομεν ἀριθμόν.

ΡΝΘ (159). ..». ΙΗΣΟΥΣ ∆Ε ΑΥΤΟΣ, Η ΚΑΘΑΡΑ ΤΕΛΕΙΟΤΗΣ, ΟΙ∆Ε ΜΕΝ ΤΡΕΦΕΙΝ ΕΝ

ΕΡΗΜΙΑ ..». Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τό· Ἰησοῦς δέ αὐτός, ἡ καθαρά τελειότης, οἶδε μέν

τρέφειν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καί πέντε ἄρτοις πεντακισχιλίους, οἶδε δέ πάλιν καί ἑπτά τετρακισχιλίους· καί τά τοῦ κόρου λείψανα ἐκεῖ μέν 14Ε_142 δώδεκα κόφινοι, ἐνταῦθα δέ σπυρίδες ζ´. Οὐθέτερον ἀλόγως οἶμαι, οὐδέ ἀναξίως τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Γυμνασθεῖσαν ἤδη πρός θεωρητικήν ἕξιν ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσι διά πλάτους, ὡς

οἷόν τε ἦν, εἰρημένοις τήν διάνοιαν, πλήθει λόγων αὐτήν, εἰ δοκεῖ, μή βαρήσωμεν, δυναμένην λοιπόν καί κατ᾿ ἐπιτομήν τήν τῶν θείων ἐπιστημόνως δέχεσθαι θεωρίαν. Οἱ κρίθινοι τοιγαροῦν πέντε ἄρτοι τούς προχείρους τῆς φυσικῆς θεωρίας παραδηλοῦσι λόγους. Οἱ δέ τούτοις τρεφόμενοι πεντακισχίλιοι ἄνδρες τούς περί φύσιν μέν κινουμένους, οὔπω δέ πάντη τῆς περί τό παθητικόν καί ἄλογον τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος ἐκκαθαρθέντας σχετικῆς διαθέσεως ἐμφαίνουσι. Ὡς νοεῖν δίδωσι τοῖς τῶν τοιούτων λόγων θεάμασι ἐκ κριθῆς εἶναι τούς ἄρτους, κοινόν δέ τοῦτο κτηνῶν τε καί ἀνθρώπων εἶδος ὑπάρχει τροφῆς, καί τό σύν γυναιξίν εἶναι καί παισίν, ὅπερ δηλοῖ σαφῶς μή τῶν καθ᾿ ἡδονήν παντελῶς ἐπιθυμιῶν καί τῆς ἀτελοῦς τῶν λογισμῶν νηπιότητος αὐτούς ἠλλοτριῶσθαι. Ἡ δέ ἔρημος ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, ἐν ᾦ τοῖς διά τῆς φυσικῆς θεωρίας περί τό θεῖον κινουμένοις τούς τῆς φύσεως πνευματικῶς διαθρύπτων λόγους ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος πᾶσαν ἀγαθῶν χαρίζεται πλησμονήν, ὡς δηλοῦσιν οἱ τῶν περισσευμάτων κόφινοι, δώδεκα ὄντες τόν ἀριθμόν.

ΡΞ (160). ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΙΒ´ ΑΡΙΘΜΟΝ

Θεωρία εἰς τό ιβ´ ἀριθμόν. Ἐμφαίνει δέ ὁ δώδεκα ἀριθμός, ἤ τούς κατά χρόνον καί φύσιν λόγους, ὡς ἐκ

πέντε καί ἑπτά κατά σύνθεσιν συμπληρούμενος. Ἑβδοματικός γάρ ὁ χρόνος, ὡς κυκλικῶς κινούμενος, καί τήν πρός τό κινεῖσθαι προσφυῶς ἔχων ἐπιτηδειότητα, τήν 14Ε_144 τῶν ἄκρων ἀπό τοῦ μέσου κατά τόν ἀριθμόν τοῦτον ἴσην 1397 ἀπόστασιν. Πενταδική ἡ φύσις, ὑπό τόν ἀριθμόν τόν πέντε πεφυκυΐα τάττεσθαι, διά τε τό πλέον τῆς ἁπλῶς λεγομένης ὕλης τῆς τετραχῶς διαιρουμένης ἔχειν τό εἶδος. Ἡ φύσις γάρ οὐδέν ἄλλο καθέστηκεν οὖσα ἤ ὕλη εἰδοποιημένη. Τό γάρ εἶδος τῇ ὕλῃ προστεθέν φύσιν ἀπεργάζεται.