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He speaks of the time of the evangelical proclamation and that those who have believed and been justified must eagerly lay hold of the virtues for the guarding of the justification that is from faith and grace, and that those who are sleeping through the non-practice of the commandments and have their mind inactive toward spiritual and divine things should be awakened in their heart and keep their mind vigilant toward the heavenly and intelligible beauties, having put to sleep every sense toward sensible things, so that it may be possible for us to say, according to Solomon, "I sleep, but my heart is awake."

QUESTION 115 From the same: "if the dead are not raised at all, why are they baptized on their behalf?"

RESPONSE Since he is speaking about the dead bodies—for these are the things that fall and rise again—and we are baptized for the sake of their resurrection—for baptism bears the type of the burial and the resurrection; for the immersion and emersion signify this—the Apostle, silencing those who were in doubt concerning the resurrection, said: "why are they baptized on their behalf?" For he who performs here the type of the burial and of the resurrection through baptism 14Α_172 will receive in its proper time also the complete resurrection that will be in truth.

QUESTION 116 What is the meaning of the sheet shown to Peter in Acts and the beasts and reptiles and four-footed animals that were in it?

RESPONSE Since, according to what was seen by the prophet Ezekiel, "their work was like a wheel within a wheel," both the sensible and the intelligible world, existing in one another, are signified by these things—for the intelligible world is in the sensible world by means of types, and the sensible world is in the intelligible world by means of the logos—therefore, all the things of the sensible world were shown to the Apostle; for "being let down by four corners" signifies the world composed of four elements, existing in the intelligible world as pure according to the logos inherent in them. And he heard, "Rise, kill, and eat," that is, "Arise with the mind from things of sense and kill and eat, having divided sense by the division of the logos and taking these things up spiritually, appropriate them." Or it signifies the Church, established on the four corners of the Gospels, or also on the four general virtues. The beasts and reptiles signify the different characters of men from the nations who are about to come to the faith of Christ. And "kill and eat" signifies, "First, by the word of teaching, kill the evil in them, and then eat, making their salvation your own, just as the Lord also made this his food."

14Α_174 QUESTION 117 In the same Acts, what does the number of fifty thousand of the burnt books signify?

RESPONSE Since the number ten thousand is the completion of every number, it is signified by this that there is no other end of all magic and curiosity than the delusion of the senses, which those who discern burn up with the fire of the apostolic teaching.

QUESTION 118 What is the reason for the Lord breathing his last on the cross before the thieves, and what do the thieves and the breaking of the legs signify?

RESPONSE

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Καιρὸν λέγει τὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος καὶ ὅτι δεῖ πιστεύσαντας καὶ δικαιωθέντας πρὸς φυλακὴν τῆς ἐκ πίστεως καὶ χάριτος δικαιώσεως τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐκθύμως ἀντέχεσθαι καὶ κοιμωμένους διὰ τῆς ἀπραξίας τῶν ἐντολῶν καὶ πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ καὶ θεῖα τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντας ἀνενέργητον ἐξεγερθῆναι τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐγρήγορον ἔχειν τὸν νοῦν πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια καὶ νοητὰ κάλλη, πᾶσαν αἴσθησιν πρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ κατακοιμήσαντας, ἵνα ἐξῇ ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα λέγειν "ἐγὼ καθεύδω καὶ ἡ καρδία μου ἀγρυπνεῖ".

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 115 Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ· «εἰ ὅλως νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται, τί καὶ βαπτίζονται ὑπὲρ

αὐτῶν;» ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ περὶ τῶν νεκρῶν σωμάτων λέγει ταῦτα γάρ ἐστιν τὰ πίπτοντα καὶ

ἀνιστάμενα βαπτιζόμεθα δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς τούτων ἀναστάσεως τὸ γὰρ βάπτισμα τύπον φέρει τῆς ταφῆς καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως· ἡ γὰρ κατάδυσις καὶ ἀνάδυσις τοῦτο δηλοῖ , ὁ Απόστολος τοὺς ἐνδυάζοντας περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐπιστομίζων ἔφη· "τί καὶ βαπτίζονται ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν;" Ὁ γὰρ τὸν τύπον ἐνταῦθα τῆς ταφῆς καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος 14Α_172 ἐπιτελῶν ἐκδέξεται καιροῖς ἰδίοις καὶ τὴν παντελῆ κατ᾽ ἀλήθειαν ἔσεσθαι ἀνάστασιν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 116 Τί σημαίνει ἡ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν δειχθεῖσα τῷ Πέτρῳ ὀθόνη καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ

ὑπάρχοντα θηρία καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ τετράποδα; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὸ ὀφθὲν τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὅτι «τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν ἧν ὡς

τροχὸς ἐν τροχῷ», δηλοῦται δὲ διὰ τούτων ὅ τε αἰσθητὸς καὶ νοητὸς κόσμος ἐν ἀλλήλοις ὑπάρχοντες ὁ μὲν γὰρ νοητὸς κόσμος τοῖς τύποις ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ, ὁ δὲ αἰσθητὸς κόσμος τῷ λόγῳ ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ νοητῷ ἐδείκνυτο οὖν τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ πάντα τὰ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ κόσμου· τὸ γὰρ «τέσσαρσιν ἀρχαῖς καθιέμενον» τὸν ἐκ τεσσάρων στοιχείων συγκείμενον κόσμον δηλοῖ, ἐν τῷ νοητῷ ὑπάρχοντα καθαρὸν κατὰ τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐνυπάρχοντα λόγον. Ἤκουεν δὲ "ἀναστὰς θῦσον καὶ φάγε", τουτέστιν "τῷ νῷ διανάσθητι ἐκ τῶν κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν καὶ θῦσον καὶ φάγε, τῇ τοῦ λόγου διαιρέσει τὴν αἴσθησιν διελὼν καὶ πνευματικῶς ταῦτα ἀναλαμβάνων οἰκείωσαι". Ἢ καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν δηλοῖ τέσσαρσιν ἀρχαῖς τῶν Εὐαγγελίων στηριζομένην ἢ καὶ ταῖς τέσσαρσιν γενικαῖς ἀρεταῖς. Τὰ δὲ θηρία καὶ ἑρπετὰ τὰ διάφορα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἤθη δηλοῦσιν τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν μέλλοντα τῇ πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσχωρεῖν. Τὸ δὲ θῦσον καὶ φάγε δηλοῖ ὅτι "πρῶτον τῷ λόγῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀπόκτεινον τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς κακίαν καὶ τότε φάγε τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν οἰκειούμενος, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Κύριος ταύτην ἑαυτῷ βρῶσιν ἐποιεῖτο".

14Α_174 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 117 Τί δηλοῖ ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς Πράξεσιν ὁ τῶν πέντε μυριάδων ἀριθμὸς τῶν

καέντων βιβλίων; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῆς μυριάδος τέλος ἐστὶν παντὸς ἀριθμοῦ, δηλοῦται διὰ

τούτου ὅτι πάσης μαγείας καὶ περιεργίας τέλος ἄλλο οὐκ ἔστιν εἰ μὴ ἡ τῶν αἰσθητῶν πλάνη, ἣν οἱ διαγινώσκοντες τῷ πυρὶ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διδασκαλίας κατακαίουσιν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 118 Τίς ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ἐκπνεῦσαι τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ πρὸ τῶν λῃστῶν καὶ τί

δηλοῦσιν οἱ λῃσταὶ καὶ αἱ κλάσεις τῶν σκελῶν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ