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of days is the one who has received the illuminations "of the sun of righteousness" unceasingly. And this one is an elder, honored with those honors, concerning which it is said: "For honorable old age is not long-lived nor is it measured by the number of years, but gray hair is wisdom for men and old age is an unspotted life. Since therefore "Abraham believed God" so that "his faith was counted for righteousness" and he was "full of days" and "an elder", it is fitting that "nourished in a good old age" he fell asleep. But that 'full of days' is understood in this way can also be confirmed from other sources: "Honor," it says, "your father and your mother, that it may be well with you and you may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord gives you." And this is not irrefutable; for many who showed much honor to their parents died young, and others who dishonored their mothers and fathers have become long-lived; but also in the Psalms it is said concerning "him who dwells in the help of the most high": "with length of days I will satisfy him, and I will show him my salvation", which denotes perfection; for not the longest sojourn here; "He was caught up," it says, "lest wickedness alter his understanding." But all these things have been said by us, wishing to show that the things that happen are for some end, both by many, and much more so by God. And so Eliphaz, knowing this, since he is diligent and intelligent, says the things set forth, being moved by such a thought, that having received the admonition gently and for conversion, he will have a good and honorable end, which is shown to him through this: "you will come to the tomb like ripe grain harvested in its season." And the argument proceeds for him consequently from: "blessed is the man whom the Lord has reproved", when he also exhorts him not "to refuse the admonition of the Almighty", as one who "both strikes and heals, and six times delivers from distresses, from famine and war, hiding from the scourge of the tongue and from iron", from which it will happen that this one, to whom these things happen, will not fear the onset of evils and the rest. Upon all these things, he says, a good end will follow in due season and at the right time, just as grain gathered in the threshing floor. And it is blessed to be such grain, concerning which the Savior says: "The good seed are the sons of the kingdom." And concerning the same: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." But the fruit of this grain is not sensible produce, but men, "sons of the kingdom". And it is a great thing not to hear: "to pluck you out and make you move from your dwelling, and your root from the land of the living", but to be so filled with virtues as the grain is filled and seasonably harvested and gathered. And 'season' (kairos) and 'hour' (hora) are placed in parallel as in: "you shall keep this law according to the seasons of hours from days to days." And the spiritual harvest is the perfection of the soul. For "going they went and wept, bearing their seeds", which denotes the beginning of virtue through their labors and exercises. "But coming they shall come with rejoicing, bearing their sheaves", which signifies, as has been said before, perfection. For "gathered together" denotes this. For the perfect one is henceforth truly in safety. This we learn well from the Savior, who says: "whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." And it is clear that these things are not said about sensible things; for chaff is not burned by "unquenchable fire", nor does he seem to be speaking about a sensible heap of sheaves—for a man is not a heap of sheaves—but, as we have said, perfection and fulfillment. And we have it wisely said in the Song of Songs concerning the bride, who is the church or the perfect soul: "Your navel is like a full cup; the mixture of your belly like a heap of your threshing-floor fenced in with

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δ' ἡμερῶν ἐστιν ὁ τοὺς φωτισμοὺς "τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης" ἀνελλι154 πῶς λαβών. καὶ πρεσβύτερος οὗτός ἐστιν πρεσβείοις ἐκείνοις τετιμημένος, περὶ ὧν λέγεται· "γῆρας γὰρ τίμιον οὐ τὸ πολυχρόνιον οὐδὲ ἀριθμῷ ἐτῶν μεμέτρηται, πολιὰ δέ ἐστιν φρόνησις ἀνθρώποις καὶ γῆρας βίος ἀκηλίδωτος. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν "ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ" ὡς "τὴν πίστιν αὐτοῦ εἰς δικαιοσύνην λογισθῆναι" καὶ "πλήρης ἡμερῶν" ἦν καὶ "πρεσβύτερος", εἰκότως "τραφεὶς ἐν γήρει καλῷ" ἐκοιμήθη. ὅτι δὲ πλήρης ἡμερῶν οὕτω νοεῖται καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἔστιν βεβαιωθῆναι· "τίμα", φησίν, "τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς εις γῆς ἣν ὁ κύριος δίδωσίν σοι." καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν τοῦτο ἀναντίρρητον· πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλὴν ἐνδειξάμενοι τιμὴν πρὸς γονέας ὠ κύμοροι ἐτελεύτησαν καὶ ἄλλοι ἀτιμάζοντες μητέρας καὶ πατέρας πολυχρόνιοι γεγένηνται· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς λέγεται περὶ "τοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν βοηθείᾳ ὑψίστου"· "μακρότητι ἡμερῶν ἐμπλήσω αὐτὸν καὶ δείξω αὐτῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου", ὅπερ δηλοῖ τελείωσιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν ἐνταῦθα παραμονὴν 155 ἐπὶ πλεῖστον· "ἡρπάγη" γάρ φησιν, "μὴ κακία ἀλλάξῃ σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ". ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἡμῖν εἴρηται θέλουσιν δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἐπί τινι τέλει γίνεται τὰ γινόμενα κα̣ι`̣ παρὰ πολλῶν, πολλ̣ῷ δὲ πλέον ὑπὸ θεοῦ. καὶ ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ οὖν τοῦτο ἐπιστάμενος ἅτε ἐντρεχὴς καὶ συνετός φησιν τὰ ἐκκείμενα τῇ διανοίᾳ κινούμενος τοιαύτῃ, ὅτι πράως καὶ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν τὴν νουθεσίαν δεξάμενος τέλος ἀγαθὸν ἕξει καὶ τίμιον, ὅπερ δηλοῦται αὐτῷ διὰ τό· "ἐλεύσῃ ἐν τάφῳ ὥσπερ σῖτος ὥριμος κατὰ καιρὸν θεριζόμενος." χ̣ωρεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ κατ' ἀκολουθίαν ὁ λόγος ἀπὸ τοῦ· "μακάριος ἀνήρ, ὃν ἤλεγξεν κύριος", ὅτε καὶ προτρέπεται αὐτὸν μὴ "ἀναίνεσθαι παντοκράτορος νουθέτημα", ὡς αὐτοῦ καὶ "τύπτοντος καὶ ἰωμένου ἑξάκις τε ἀπὸ ἀναγκῶν ῥυομένου λιμοῦ καὶ πολέμου, α᾿̣πὸ μάστιγος γλώσσης καὶ σιδήρου ἀποκρύπτοντος", ἐξ οὗ συμβήσεται τοῦτον, ᾧ ταῦτα γίνεται, μὴ φοβεῖσθαι κακῶν ἐπιφορὰν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἐφ' οἷς ἅπασιν, φησίν, τέλος ἀγαθὸν διαδέξεται καιρίως καὶ ὡρίμως καθὰ σῖτος ἐν ἅλωνι συναγόμενος. μακάριον δέ ἐστιν σῖ156 τον τοιοῦτον εἶναι, περὶ οὗ ὁ ςωτήρ φησιν· "τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας εἰσίν." καὶ περὶ ταὐτοῦ· "ἐὰν μὴ ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου πεσὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀποθάνῃ, αὐτὸς μόνος μένει. ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ, πλείονα καρπὸν φέρει." καρπὸς δὲ τούτου τοῦ κόκκου οὐκ αἰσθητὰ γεννήματά ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἄνθρωποι "υἱοὶ βασιλείας". μέγα ἐστὶ δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι· "ἐκτίλαι σε καὶ μεταναστεύσαι σε ἀπὸ σκηνώματος καὶ τὸ ῥίζωμά σου ἐκ γῆς ζώντων", ἀλλ' οὕτω πληρωθῆναι ἀρετῶν ὡς ὁ πληρούμενος σῖτος καὶ και ρίως θεριζόμενός τε καὶ συναγόμενος. κεῖται δ' ἐκ παραλλήλου ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἡ ὥρα ὡς ἐν τῶι· "φυλάξετε τὸν νόμον τοῦτον κατὰ καιροὺς ὡρῶν ἀφ' ἡμερῶν εἰς ἡμέρας." ἄμητος δ' ἐστὶν πνευματικὸς ψυχῆς τελείωσις. "πορευόμενοι" γὰρ "ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἔκλαιον αἴροντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν", ὅπερ δηλοῖ τὴν διὰ πόνων καὶ ἀσκήσεων αὐτῶν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς. "ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν", ὅπερ σημαίνει ὡς προείρηται τὴν τελείωσιν. τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ "συνκομισθεῖσα". ἐπ' ἀσφαλοῦς γὰρ λοιπόν ἐστιν τῷ ὄντι̣ ὁ τέ157 λειος. τοῦτο καλῶς παρὰ τοῦ ςωτῆρος μανθάνομεν λέγοντος· "οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ διακαθαριεῖ τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ καὶ συνάξει τὸν σῖτον εἰς ἀποθήκην, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ." δῆλον δέ, ὡς οὐ περὶ αἰσθητῶν ταῦτα λέγεται· "ἀσβέστῳ" γὰρ "πυρὶ" ἄχυρον οὐ καίεται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ περὶ αἰσθητῆς θημωνιᾶς φαίνεται διαλαμβάνων-οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος θημωνιά ἐστιν-ἀλλὰ τὴν ὡς εἴπομεν τελείωσιν καὶ πλήρωσιν. ἔχομεν δὲ σοφῶς ἐν τ̣ῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων εἰρημένον περὶ τῆς νύμφης, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκκλησία ἢ ἡ τελεία ψυχή· "ὁ ὀμφαλός σου ὡς κρατὴρ πεπληρωμένος· κρᾶμα κοιλίας σου ὡς θημωνιὰ ἅλωνός σου πεφραγμένη ἐν