40

"they have labored"; when they have approached, then "they will worship you" ............? It is impossible for the one ....... in "ignorance" and wickedness to approach the "light" ...... and virtue; for as long as he takes pleasure and delights, he will not approach. 11,2a Give a portion to the seven and even to the eight. You see that the context of the following verse does not permit one to take "cast your bread" literally. He "gives a portion to the seven" who accepts the old scripture, that before the coming of the savior; and it is called "seven" because of the sabbath rest. He "gives a portion to the eight" who has accepted the savior's resurrection; for it occurred after the sabbath. The Jews, "giving to the seven," have not "given to the eight," and for this reason they were not saved. Those from the heresies, again, reject the law and the old scripture; because they did not "give a portion to the seven," they missed the mark. And to speak more accurately, neither does the Jew who does not "give a portion to the eight" give "to the seven," nor does the one from the nations "give to the eight" who does not "give a portion to the seven," to those who proclaimed beforehand the eighth day. And just as if we say that it is possible to have a well-ordered character without divine knowledge and to seem to have divine 318 knowledge without a life of practice, and we say that a practical life is without knowledge, a theoretical life without practice, but on the whole neither this one benefits nor that one. For that one, being bereft of its counterpart, is weaker and useless. The one who thinks only in an ecclesiastical manner, he "gives a portion both to the seven and to the eight." In other words, in Micah there is a phrase having this meaning; for it says there, "and this will be peace, when the Assyrian comes against your land and when he runs against your borders, and there shall be raised up against him seven shepherds and eight bites of men, and they shall shepherd the Assyrian both with a sword and the land of Nebroth in its trench." Some have examined the part of this saying, saying that "how does 'peace' come about, 'when the Assyrian comes against the land' of our soul 'and when he sets foot upon its borders'? Then he works turmoil." And they said this, that as long as he is far away, this one .... ..—but he is an evil power, ? he himself, the devil—he is defeated by you. But when he draws near and approaches and finds them strong, then he is destroyed. I said something of this sort also about the passage in Isaiah mentioned a little while ago; "before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria in the presence of the king of Assyria." It was not a great thing, if he "had taken the power of Damascus," that is, the nations, and "having taken the spoils of Samaria," he "will hand them over," if the "Assyrian" is absent. As if someone seizes a country when its ruling king is absent and takes it, it is not a great thing nor is there secure "peace"; for "having come," that one will avenge what was taken in his absence. But when it is taken from him in the presence of the one defending it, those who take away his things are strong and have the deepest "peace." This, then, is what it says, that "this peace" is what is truly so. "This peace" is when "the Assyrian, having come into your land," is defeated, when he is at a loss, being unable to "plunder" anything from the "land" because of his own weakness. "And there shall be raised up," it says, "against him seven shepherds"—he named the saints before the coming, as I said, "seven" because of 319 the sabbath—"and eight bites of men" who believed after the coming. These "bite" and inflict pain on him. For the word in scripture signifies this; "but if you bite and devour one another"; and in Habakkuk again, concerning this same evil one, it is said that "suddenly those who bite him will rise up." Unexpectedly, those from the nations who were once under him "will rise up," inflicting pain on him, "biting him." Therefore it says that the saints before the coming "will be raised up against the Assyrian, seven shepherds," so that you may take all the prophets before the coming, the patriarchs themselves, as these "shepherds," not basing it on the number "seven" which is divided into five and two, but on the mystery of the week. those the

40

"ἐκοπίασαν"· ὅτε προσεληλύθασιν, τότε̣ "προσκυνήσουσίν σοι" ·········ε̣········? ἀδύνα τόν ἐστιν προσιέναι τῷ "φωτὶ" ········· κα̣ι`̣ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὸν μ̣·····οντα "ἐν τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ" καὶ κακίᾳ· ὅσον γὰρ ἥδεται καὶ τέρπεται οὐ πρόσεισιν. 11,2a δὸς μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτὰ καί γε τοῖς ὀκτώ. θεωρεῖς ὅτι ἡ ἐπιφορὰ τοῦ ἑξῆς στίχου οὐκ ἐπιτρέ πει πρὸς ῥητὸν τὸ "ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν ἄρτον σου" λαβεῖν. "δίδωσιν μέρος τοῖς ἑπτὰ" ὁ προσιέμενος τὴν παλαι ὰν γραφὴν τὴν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ ςωτῆρος· κα λεῖται δὲ "ἑπτὰ" διὰ τὸν σαββατισμόν. "δίδωσιν μέρος τοῖς ὀκτὼ" ὁ παραδεξάμενος τὴν τοῦ ςωτῆρος ἀνά στασιν· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ σάββατον γενομένη α̣ὕτη ἐστίν. οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι "τοῖς ἑπτὰ διδόντες" οὐ "δεδώκασιν τοῖς ὀκτὼ" καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐσώθησαν. οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων πάλιν παραιτοῦνται τὸν νόμον καὶ τὴν παλαιὰν γραφήν· διὰ τὸ μὴ "διδόναι τοῖς ἑπτὰ μερίδα" ἐξ έπεσαν τοῦ σκοποῦ. καὶ ἵνα ἀκριβέστερον εἴπω, οὐ δὲ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος μὴ "διδοὺς τοῖς ὀκτὼ μερίδα δίδωσιν τοῖς ἑπτά", οὐδὲ ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν "δίδωσιν τοῖς ὀκτὼ" μὴ "διδοὺς μέρος τοῖς ἑπτά", τοῖς προαναφωνήσασιν τὴν ὀγδοάδα. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐὰν λέγομεν ὅτι ἔστιν ἦθος ἔχειν ῥερυθμισμένον ἄνευ θείας γνώσεως καὶ δοκεῖν θείαν 318 γνῶσιν ἔχειν ἄνευ πρακτικοῦ βίου, καὶ λέγομεν ὅτι πρα κτικὸς βίος ἄνευ γνώσεως, θεωρητικὸς β̣ίος ἄνευ πράξε ως, τὸ δὲ ὅλον οὐδὲ οὗτος ὠφελεῖ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος. ἐκεῖ νος γὰρ τοῦ συνεζευγμένου ἀπολειπόμενος ἀσθενέστερός ἐστιν καὶ ἀνωφελής. ὁ ἐκκλησιαστικῶς μόνως φρονῶν, ἐκεῖνος "δίδωσιν καὶ τοῖς ἑπτὰ καὶ τοῖς ὀκτὼ μερίδα". ἑτερολέξως ε᾿̣ν̣ τῷ Μιχέᾳ λέξι̣ς δ̣ιάνοιαν ταύ την ἔχουσα· λέγει ἐκεῖ γὰρ "καὶ αὕτη ἔσται εἰρήνη, ὅτ αν Ἀσσοὺρ ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν καὶ ὅταν δράμῃ ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρια ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπεγερθήσονται ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἑπτὰ ποιμένες καὶ ὀκτὼ δήγματα ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν τὸν Ἀσσοὺρ καὶ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Νεβρὼν ἐν τῇ τάφρῳ αὐτῆς". τὸ μέρος τ̣οῦ ρ῾̣ητοῦ τούτου τινὲς ἐξήτασαν λέγοντες ὅτι "πῶς "εἰρήνη" γίνεται, "ὅταν ἐπ̣ έλθ̣ῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν" τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν "ὁ Ἀσσοὺρ καὶ ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρια" αὐτῆς; τ̣ότε τάραχον ἐργάζεται". καὶ ἔλεγον τοῦτο ὅτι ὅσον μακράν ἐστιν οὗτος ο···· ··-πονηρὰ δὲ δύναμίς ἐστιν̣, ? α̣υ᾿̣τ̣ὸς ὁ διάβολος- ἡττᾶται πρὸς ὑμῶν. ὅταν δὲ ἐγγίσῃ καὶ πλησιάσῃ καὶ ι᾿̣σ̣χυ̣ροὺς εὑ´̣ρ̣ῃ, τότε καταλυ´̣ε̣τ̣α̣ι̣. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ πρὸ ὀλίγου μνημονευθέντος τοῦ ἐν Ἰ σαΐᾳ εἶπον· "πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήμψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα τῆς Σα μαρίας ἀπέναντι Ἀσσοὺρ τοῦ βασιλέως". οὐ μέγα ἦν, εἰ "εἰλήφει τὴν δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ", τουτέστιν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ "τὰ σκῦλα τῆς Σαμαρίας λαβὼν" "παραδώσει", εἰ ἀπῇ ὁ " ̓Ασσύριος". ὡς ἐάν τις κρατῇ χώρας ἀπόντος τοῦ κρα τοῦντος βασιλέως καὶ λάβῃ αὐτήν, οὐ μέγα ἐστὶν οὐδὲ "εἰ ρήνη" ἐστὶν ἀσφαλής· "ἐπελθὼν" γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐκδικήσει τὰ λημφθέντα τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ. ὅταν δὲ παρόντος τοῦ ὑπερασπίζοντος ληφθῇ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἰσχυροί εἰσιν καὶ "εἰ ρήνην" βαθυτάτην ἔχοντες ο̣ι῾̣ ἀφαιροῦντες τὰ ἐκείνου. τοῦτο οὖν λέγει ὅτι "αὕτη εἰρήνη" ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθῶς. "αὕ τη εἰρήνη" ἐστίν, ὅταν "ἐπελθὼν ὁ Ἀσσύριος εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν" ἡττηθῇ, ὅταν ἀπορηθῇ μηδὲν δυνάμενος "σκυλεῦ σαι" ἀπὸ τῆς "γῆς" διὰ ἀσθένειαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. "καὶ ἐπεγερθήσονται", φησίν, "ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἑπτὰ ποιμέ νες"-τοὺς πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ἁγίους, ὡς εἶπον, διὰ 319 τὸ σάββατον "ἑπτὰ" ὠνόμασεν-"καὶ ὀκτὼ δήγματα ἀν θρώπων" μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν πιστεύσαντα. "δάκνουσιν" οὗτοι καὶ πόνον αὐτῷ ἐνποιοῦσιν. ἡ λέξις γὰρ ἐν τῇ γραφῇ τοῦτο σημαίνει· "εἰ δὲ ἀλλήλους δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε"· καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἁμβακοὺμ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῦ πονηροῦ λέγεται ὅτι "ἐξαίφνης ἀναστήσονται δάκνοντες αὐτόν". παρὰ προσδοκίαν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν οἵ ποτε ὑπ' αὐτὸν "ἀναστήσονται" πόνον αὐτῷ ἐνποιοῦντες, "δάκνοντες αὐτόν". λέγει οὖν ὅτι οἱ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ἅγιοι "ἐπεγερθή σονται ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀσσύριον ἑπτὰ ποιμένες", ἵνα πάντας τοὺς προφήτας πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας, αὐτοὺς τοὺς πατριάρ χας τούτους πρὸς τούτους "ποιμένας" λάβῃς, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν "ἑπτὰ" ἀριθμὸν ἱστάμενον τὸν τεμνόμενον εἰς πέντε καὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸ μυςτικὸν τῆς ἑβδομάδος. οἱ τὸν