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so as to become the body of God, the higher—we shall be, having passed through the fire, the electrum which is around the higher body of God. 11.6 Therefore, the linen loincloth clings to his loins, for what purpose? So that it might be shown that the people are, as it were, a covering for God; for against those wishing to accuse God the people stand and as it were defend him and do not allow anything improper to be said in matters concerning God. But when we sin, this loincloth, as the prophet puts it away and condemns it to the Euphrates river, so that it might be ruined there, so the sinner is cast off from the loins of God and having been cast out, is thrown into the Euphrates river, the river of Mesopotamia, where the Assyrians are enemies to Israel, where the Babylonians are, and there he is corrupted. For although there are so many rivers, the prophet is sent from Judea to the Euphrates river to carry out the business and bring away a little linen loincloth; and why “linen”? Because it has its origin from the earth; for it is a plant that springs from the earth, then after it is cultivated it is carded and washed and scoured and becomes with much labor, so that it becomes such as to be a loincloth or anything else. Therefore, we all have our origin as the loincloth of God, and having our origin from the earth, we need much preparation, so that we may be whitened, so that we may be washed, so that we may cast off the color of the earth. For the color of the linen at its origin is one thing, that from the processing is another; for the color of the linen at its origin is rather dark, but from the processing it becomes very bright. Therefore something of this sort also comes upon us who are in generation. We are black according to the beginning in believing, which is why at the beginning of the Song of Songs it is said: “I am black and beautiful,” and at first we resemble Ethiopians in soul, then we are cleansed, so that we might become brighter according to that which says, “Who is this that comes up, having been made white?” and we become “fine linen, bright and pure.” Then we are also woven into the loincloth of God, when we are worthy to cling to God. God does not put us away. He put away the first people, “all the house of Judah” and “the house of Israel.” It came to be of no further use; for he no longer girds himself with them. God has girded himself with us instead of them; for having cast off the loincloth he did not remain naked, but wove another loincloth for himself. This loincloth is the church from the Gentiles; which should know that “if God did not spare the former, how much more will he not spare it if it sins,” if it is not worthy of the loins of God; “but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” in Christ Jesus, to whom is the glory and the power for ever. Amen.

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ὥστε γενέσθαι τοῦ θεοῦ σῶμα τὸ ἀνωτέρω-ἐσόμεθα διαβάντες τὸ πῦρ ἤλεκτρον τὸ περὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ὑψηλότερον. 11.6 Κολλᾷ οὖν περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ τὸ περίζωμα τὸ λινοῦν, ἵνα τί; Ἵνα δηλωθῇ ὅτι ὁ λαὸς οἱονεὶ σκέπη ἐστὶ τοῦ θεοῦ· πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς βουλομένους κατηγορεῖν τοῦ θεοῦ ἵσταται ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὡσπερεὶ ὑπερασπίζει αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ τι ἄτοπον λέγεσθαι ἐν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἐπὰν δὲ ἁμαρτήσωμεν, τὸ περίζωμα τοῦτο ὡς ἀποτίθεται ὁ προφήτης καὶ καταδικάζει αὐτὸ εἰς τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμόν, ἵνα ἐκεῖ διαφθαρῇ, οὕτως ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἀποβάλλεται ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκβληθεὶς ἐκβάλλεται εἰς τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμόν, τὸν τῆς Μεσοποταμίας ποταμόν, ὅπου οἱ Ἀσσύριοι ἐχθροὶ τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ὅπου οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι, καὶ ἐκεῖ διαφθείρεται. Ὄντων γὰρ τοσούτων ποταμῶν πέμπεται ὁ προφήτης ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν πραγματεύσασθαι καὶ ἀπαγαγεῖν περιζωμάτιον λινοῦν· διὰ τί δὲ καὶ «λινοῦν»; Ὅτι τὴν γένεσιν ἔχει ἀπὸ γῆς· φυτὸν γάρ ἐστιν ἀνατέλλον ἀπὸ γῆς, εἶτα μετὰ τὸ γεωργηθῆναι ξαινόμενον καὶ πλυνόμενον καὶ σμηχόμενον καὶ πολλῇ ἐργασίᾳ γινόμενον, ἵνα γένηται τοιοῦτον ὥστε γενέσθαι περίζωμα ἢ ὁτιδήποτε. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν πάντες τὴν γένεσιν ἔχομεν ὡς τὸ περίζωμα τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἔχοντες τὴν γένεσιν ἀπὸ γῆς, πολλῆς κατασκευῆς χρῄζομεν, ἵνα ξανθῶμεν, ἵνα πλυνθῶμεν, ἵνα τὸ χρῶμα τῆς γῆς ἀποβάλωμεν. Ἄλλο γὰρ τὸ τῆς γενέσεως τοῦ λινοῦ χρῶμα, ἄλλο τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐργασίας· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς γενέσεως τοῦ λινοῦ χρῶμα μελανώτερόν ἐστιν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἐργασίας γίνεται λαμπρότατον. Τοιοῦτον οὖν τι καὶ ἐπὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἐν γενέσει φθάνει. Μέλα νές ἐσμεν κατὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ πιστεύειν ἀρχήν, διὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ Ἄισματος τῶν ᾀσμάτων λέγεται· «Μέλαινά εἰμι καὶ καλή», καὶ Αἰθίοψιν ἡμεῖς κατ' ἀρχὰς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐοίκαμεν, εἶτα ἀποσμηχόμεθα, ἵνα λαμπρότεροι γενώμεθα κατὰ τὸ «τίς αὕτη ἡ ἀναβαίνουσα λελευκανθισμένη;» καὶ γινόμεθα «λινοῦν λαμπρὸν καὶ καθαρόν». Εἶτα καὶ πλεκόμεθα ἐπὶ τὸ περίζωμα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅταν ἄξιοι ὦμεν κολλᾶσθαι τῷ θεῷ. Οὐκ ἀποτίθεται ἡμᾶς ὁ θεός. Ἀπέθετο τὸν πρῶτον λαόν, «πάντα τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα» καὶ «τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραήλ». Ἐγένετο εἰς τὸ μὴ χρησθῆναι ἔτι· οὐκέτι γὰρ αὐτοὺς περιζώννυται. Ἡμᾶς ἀντὶ ἐκείνων περιεζώσατο ὁ θεός· οὐ γὰρ ἀποβαλὼν τὸ περίζωμα ἔμεινε γυμνός, ἀλλὰ ἄλλο περίζωμα ἑαυτῷ ὕφανεν. Τοῦτο τὸ περίζωμα ἡ ἐκκλησία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἥτις ἴστω ὅτι «εἰ τῶν προτέρων οὐκ ἐφείσατο ὁ θεός, πόσῳ πλέον οὐδὲ αὐτῆς ἁμαρτανούσης φείσεται», ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ἀξία τῆς ὀσφύος τοῦ θεοῦ· «ὁ δὲ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν» ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.