37

to find one similar to another, but each was beautified with its own distinct splendors. 2.198 This, then, is the form of the adornment. The meaning of the shields hanging down from the shoulders suggests the ambidextrous nature of the armor against the adversary, so that, as was said a little before, virtue being achieved in two ways, through both faith and a good conscience in this life, one might be secured against both by the application of the shields, remaining unwounded by such missiles through the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left. 2.199 And that square ornament suspended from the shields on either side, in which are the eponymous patriarchs of the tribes inscribed on the stones, this becomes a covering for the heart, the Word teaching us through the symbol that he who has repelled the evil archer with these two shields will adorn his own soul with all the virtues of the patriarchs, each one shining in a different way in the robe of virtue. Let the square shape be an indication to you of the stability in what is good. For such a shape is difficult to move, resting equally on its corners along the straightness of its sides.

2.200 The shoulder-straps, by which these ornaments are bound to the arms, seem to me to offer a teaching for the sublime life of the need to join practical philosophy with that which is enacted according to contemplation, so that the heart becomes a symbol of contemplation, and the arms of works. 2.201 The head adorned with the diadem signifies the crown laid up for those who have lived well, which is adorned by what is sealed on the golden plate with the ineffable engravings. And he does not put a sandal on the one who has put on such an adornment, so that he might not be weighed down for the race and be slow to move by the covering of dead skins, according to the meaning that arose in the vision of the mountain. How then was the sandal, which during the first initiation was cast off as an obstacle to the ascent, to become an adornment for the foot. 2.202 He who has passed so far through the successive ascents contemplated by us carries in his hand the God-made tablets, which contain the divine law in themselves. But these are shattered, dashed against the harsh resistance of those who had sinned. The form of the sin was idolatry, the image for the idolaters being carved in the likeness of a calf. This, having been ground fine by Moses, was completely dissolved in the water and became a drink for those who had sinned, so that in every way the matter, which had served the impiety of men, might pass into disappearance. 2.203 These things especially the history then prophetically proclaimed, also about the things that have happened now in our time. For all the error concerning idols has been completely banished from life, having been swallowed by the mouths of the pious who through good confession effected the disappearance of the impious matter in themselves. And the mysteries formerly solidified among the idolaters have truly become water, both transient and unsubstantial, water swallowed by the very mouths of those who once were mad for idols. For when you see those who formerly yielded to such vanity now destroying and making disappear those things in which was their trust, does not the history seem to you to cry out openly that: every idol will one day be swallowed by the mouths of those converted from deceit to piety? 2.204 And Moses arms the Levites against their kinsmen. And passing through the camp from one end to the other, they carry out the slaughter of those they meet indiscriminately, having entrusted to the edge of the sword the verdict against those being slain. And since the slaughter was carried out equally against everyone they chanced upon, there was no distinguishing among those being slain between the enemy or the friend, the stranger or the kinsman, the related or the unrelated. But there was a single impulse of the hand alike against everyone encountered

37

ἦν εὑρεῖν τινα ὁμοειδῆ πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν, ἀλλ' ἰδιαζούσαις αὐγαῖς ἑκάστη ἐκαλλωπίζετο. 2.198 Τὸ μὲν δὴ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τοῦτο. Ἡ δὲ διάνοια ἡ μὲν τῶν ἀσπίδων τῶν καθειμένων ἀπὸ τῶν ὤμων τὸ περιδέξιον τῆς κατὰ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ὁπλίσεως ὑπαινίσσεται, ὥστε διχῇ, καθὼς μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἴρηται, τῆς ἀρετῆς κατορθουμένης διά τε πίστεως καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον ἀγαθῆς συνειδήσεως πρὸς ἀμφότερα κατησφαλίσθαι ταῖς τῶν ἀσπίδων προσβολαῖς, ἄτρωτον τῶν τοιούτων βελῶν διαμένοντα διὰ τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν. 2.199 Τὸ δὲ τετράγωνον ἐκεῖνο κόσμιον τὸ τῶν ἀσπίδων ἑκατέρωθεν ἐξηρτημένον, ἐν ᾧ εἰσιν οἱ ἐπώνυμοι τῶν φυλῶν πατριάρχαι τοῖς λίθοις κατάγραπτοι, τοῦτο τῆς καρδίας προκάλυμμα γίνεται, παιδεύοντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ λόγου διὰ τοῦ σχήματος ὅτι ὁ ταῖς δύο ταύταις ἀσπίσι τὸν πονηρὸν τοξότην ἀποκρουσάμενος πάσαις ταῖς τῶν πατριαρχῶν ἀρεταῖς κατακοσμήσει τὴν ἰδίαν ψυχήν, ἄλλου ἄλλως ἐν τῷ πέπλῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς διαλάμποντος. Τὸ δὲ τετρά γωνον σχῆμα ἔνδειξίς σοι ἔστω τῆς ἐν τῷ καλῷ παγιότητος. ∆υσμετάθετον γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτον σχῆμα, δι' ἴσου ταῖς γωνίαις ἐπὶ τῆς εὐθείας τῶν πλευρῶν ἐρειδόμενον.

2.200 Οἱ δὲ τελαμῶνες, δι' ὧν τὰ προκοσμήματα ταῦτα συνδεσμεῖται πρὸς τοὺς βραχίονας, δόγμα μοι δοκοῦσι πρὸς τὸν ὑψηλὸν βίον παρέχεσθαι τοῦ δεῖν συνάπτειν τὴν πρακ τικὴν φιλοσοφίαν τῇ κατὰ θεωρίαν ἐνεργουμένῃ, ὥστε τὴν καρδίαν μὲν τῆς θεωρίας, τοὺς δὲ βραχίονας τῶν ἔργων σύμβολα γίνεσθαι. 2.201 Κεφαλὴ δὲ κοσμουμένη τῷ διαδήματι τὸν ἀποκείμενον τοῖς εὖ βεβιωκόσι στέφανον ὑποσημαίνει, ὃν κοσμεῖ ὁ ἐνεσφραγισμένος τῷ χρυσέῳ πετάλῳ τοῖς ἀρρήτοις χαράγμασιν. Ὑπόδημα δὲ οὐ περιτίθησι τῷ τὸν τοιοῦτον κόσμον ἐνδεδυκότι, ὡς ἂν μὴ βάροιτο πρὸς τὸν δρόμον καὶ δυσκίνητος εἴη τῇ τῶν νεκρῶν δερμάτων περιβολῇ, κατὰ τὴν γενομένην ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ ὄρους θεωρίας διάνοιαν. Πῶς οὖν ἔμελλεν ἀντὶ κόσμου τῷ ποδὶ τὸ ὑπόδημα γίνεσθαι τὸ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην μυσταγωγίαν ὡς ἐμπόδιον τῆς ἀνόδου ἀποβαλλόμενον. 2.202 Ὁ δὲ τοσοῦτον διαβὰς διὰ τῶν καθεξῆς θεωρηθεισῶν ἡμῖν ἀναβάσεων τὰς θεοτεύκτους πλάκας διὰ χειρὸς φέρει, αἳ θεῖον νόμον ἐν ἑαυταῖς περιέχουσιν. Ἀλλὰ συντρίβονται αὗται τῇ τραχύτητι τῆς τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἀντιτυπίας περι τριβεῖσαι. Τὸ δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἶδος εἰδωλοποιΐα ἦν, ἐν ὁμοιώματι μόσχου διαγλυφέντος τοῖς εἰδωλολάτραις τοῦ ἀφιδρύματος. Ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐκλεανθὲν ὅλον συνανελύθη τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ποτὸν τοῖς ἐξημαρτηκόσιν ἐγένετο, ὥστε παντὶ τρόπῳ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν μεταχωρῆσαι τὴν ὕλην, τὴν τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπερετήσασαν. 2.203 Ταῦτα μάλιστα καὶ περὶ τῶν νῦν ἐν τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς χρόνῳ γεγενημένων τότε ἡ ἱστορία προφητικῶς ἀνεφώνησε. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνη τέλεον ἐξηφανίσθη τοῦ βίου καταποθεῖσα παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν στομάτων τῶν διὰ τῆς καλῆς ὁμολογίας τὸν ἀφανισμὸν τῆς ἀσεβοῦς ὕλης ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ποιησαμένων. Καὶ ὕδωρ γέγονεν ἀτεχνῶς παροδικόν τε καὶ ἀνυπόστατον τὰ πάλαι πεπηγότα παρὰ τοῖς εἰδωλολάτραις μυστήρια, ὕδωρ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ποτε εἰδωλομανούντων στομάτων καταπινόμενον. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς τοὺς πρότερον τῇ τοιαύτῃ ὑποκύπτοντας ματαιότητι νῦν ἀναιροῦντας ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἀφανίζοντας, ἐν οἷς αὐτῶν ἦν ἡ πεποίθησις, ἆρ' οὐχὶ βοᾶν σοι δοκεῖ φανερῶς ἡ ἱστορία ὅτι· καταποθήσεταί ποτε πᾶν εἴδωλον τοῖς στόμασι τῶν πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπάτης μετατεθέντων; 2.204 Ὁπλίζει δὲ τοὺς Λευΐτας ὁ Μωϋσῆς κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων. Καὶ διαπεράσαντες τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἀπ' ἄκρου πέρατος ἐπὶ τὸ ἕτερον ἄκρον ἀνεξέταστον ποιοῦνται τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων τὸν φόνον, τῇ ἀκμῇ τοῦ ξίφους τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀναιρουμένων ἐπιτρέψαντες ψῆφον. Ἐπίσης δὲ κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ προστυγχάνοντος ἐνεργουμένου τοῦ φόνου, ὁ διακρίνων ἐν τοῖς ἀναιρουμένοις τὸν φόνον οὐκ ἦν τὸν ἔχθρον ἢ τὸν φίλον, τὸν ξένον ἢ τὸν οἰκεῖον, τὸ συγγενὲς ἢ τὸ ἀλλότριον. Ἀλλὰ μία τις χειρὸς ἦν ὁρμὴ κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ προσπίπτοντος ὁμοίως