,

They say that blood is constituted in this way: of the food that has been brought and tasted—when through digestion phlegm 325 is produced—the food is changed into blood; but the undigested part must be expelled, it is not broken down into the constitution of the one who has eaten, but is cast out as excess. But when it is digested, then through a successive change it is broken down into blood. Then from the blood, they say, when it has been thickened and solidified, flesh is formed, and from the excess parts of the food are formed hairs, nails, and such things, which are like excess matters. But concerning the generation of the “bone,” none of them has discovered it, so that this might be as “your judgments are a great abyss.” Such also is what is said in one of the Psalms: “My bone was not hidden from you, which you made in secret.” And the phrase “which you made in secret” says this, that its generation is hidden; but “it was not hidden” “from you.” Henceforth, take this in an anagogical sense. She “is pregnant” who has conceived from a man, who has received the seeds. But the seed, when cast into the womb, receives its first change into nature. For nature is nothing other than condensed seed, close to changing into flesh. After nature, the change leads to the embryo, the embryo to the living being, after which birth immediately occurs. Just as, therefore, the things “in the womb of her who is with child” are “not known,” unless a revelation from God should happen to occur, so the soul that has received the seeds and the offspring of the “bridegroom,” the Savior, of whom it is said, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom,” has the offspring hidden. But they become manifest when the offspring, which God sowed, change into thoughts and works. Therefore, one must not always have them “in the womb.” But she has them “in the womb” and “is pregnant” who does not change the words and thoughts of works into works and dogmatic contemplations. Just as, therefore, “you do not know” those things unless they change into good works and pious contemplations, so also you will not “know the other works of God,” unless they change into works in actuality. So that you may take the “bones of her who is with child” anagogically as strong dogmas; for the “bones” are what holds the whole 326 body together; so also without the dogmas of piety, the passions and practices are not rightly established. For this reason, it is said concerning these “bones” that they have “knowledge” “of God” and know that no one is “like him.” Therefore, he did not say it absolutely, but only inasmuch as it is “in the womb of her who is with child”; as if I should say that when it is night, nothing of visible things is seen, I do not say this, that nothing is seen, but that it is when it is night; and it is not the same thing for nothing to be seen and for nothing to be seen at night.

11,6abc In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening let not your hand cease,

for you do not know which will prosper, this or that. 11,6ab Since we are very much turned for the most part to the literal meaning, this too must be taken historically. In many places the name “day” signifies not only the illumined air, when the sun was above the earth, but also the whole life of man, as when the psalmist says, “and I have waited for you all the day.” And often “day” is also spoken of as a certain “season” that begins and ends. He says, therefore, that at the beginning of the “season”—so that you may take the “season” of “sowing” and of “reaping” as one “day”—he says, at the beginning of that “season” in which it is possible “to sow,” do not be idle, “sow your seed.” For so in the “evening” “your hand will not cease” finding what it will “reap”; “when the time is fulfilled” the “harvest” will come. And this is with regard to the literal meaning. But with regard to the spiritual meaning, those “who sow in tears,” those “who sow to the Spirit, so that they may reap eternal life,” “sow” at the beginning of a “day,” that “day,” for which “Abraham” received love and longing “that he might see it,” and it was shown to him by the Savior; and that “day” is the one about which the choir of the saints says in some way: “This is the day which the Lord has made.” The apostle also signifies this very thing when writing to the Romans: “The night is far spent, and the

λέγουσιν ὅτι αἷμα συνίστα̣τ̣αι τ̣οιῶσδε· τῆς τροφῆς τῆς προσενεχ θείσης δι̣αγευθείσης-ὅταν διὰ τοῦ πεπέμφθαι φλέγ 325 μα γένηται-ἡ τροφὴ εἰς αἷμα μεταβάλλει· τὸ δὲ ἄπεπ τον ἐκβλητέον ἐστίν, οὐκ ἀναλύεται εἰς τὴν σύνστασιν τοῦ βεβρωκότος, ἀλλ' ὡς περίττευμα ἀποβάλλεται. ὅταν δὲ πεφθῇ, τότε κατὰ μεταβολὴν καθεξῆς γινομένην ἀναλύεται εἰς αἷμα. εἶτα ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος λέγουσιν πυκ νωθέντος καὶ παγέντος γίνεσθαι σάρκα καὶ ἐκ τῶν περιτ τευμάτων τῆς τροφῆς γίνεσθαι τρίχας, ὄνυχας καὶ τὰ τοι αῦτα, τἃ ὥσπερ περιττεύματά ἐστιν. περὶ δὲ τῆς γενέ σεως τοῦ "ὀστέου" οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων εὗρεν, ἵνα ἦν τοῦτο ὡς "τὰ κρίματά σου ἄβυσσος πολλή". τοιοῦτόν ε᾿̣στιν καὶ τὸ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν ψαλμῶν λεγόμενον· "οὐκ ἐκρύβη τὸ ὀσ τοῦν μου ἀπὸ σοῦ, ὃ ἐποίησας ἐν κρυφῇ". καὶ τὸ "ὃ ἐ ποίησας ἐν κρυφῇ" τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι κεκρυμμένη ἐστὶν αὐ τοῦ ἡ γένεσις· "οὐκ ἐκρύβη" δὲ τοῦτο "ἀπὸ σοῦ". λοιπὸν πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν τοῦτο λάμβανε. "κυοφορεῖ" ἡ συνλαβοῦσα ὑπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἡ σπέρματα δεξαμένη. τὸ σπέρ μα δὲ καταβληθὲν εἰς τὴν ὑστέραν πρώτην μεταβολὴν δέ χεται εἰς φύσιν. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερόν ἐστιν φύσις ἢ σπέρμα πεπυκνωμένον ἐγγὺς ἔχον τοῦ μεταβαλεῖν εἰς σάρ κα. μετὰ τὴν φύσιν ἡ μεταβο̣λὴ εἰς τὸ ἔν̣βρυον ἄγει, τὸ ἔνβρυον εἰς τὸ ζῷον, μεθ' ὃ ἡ ἀπότεξις εὐθέως γίνεται. ὥσπερ οὖν "οὐ γιγνώσκεται" τὰ "ἐν γαστρὶ τῆς κυοφο ρούσης", εἰ μὴ τύχοι ἀποκάλυψις υ῾̣π̣ὸ θεοῦ γε̣νέσθαι, οὕτως ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ προσηκαμένη τὰ σπέρματα καὶ τὰς γονὰς τὰς τοῦ "νυμφίου" τοῦ ςωτῆρος, περὶ οὗ λέγεται "ὁ ἔχων τὴν νύμφην νυμφίος ἐστ̣ι´̣ν", κεκρυμμένας ἔχει τὰς γονάς. τότε δὲ γίνονται φανεραί, ὅταν εἰς ν̣οήμα τα καὶ ἔργα μεταβάλωσιν αἱ γοναί, ἃς ἔσπειρε θε ός. οὐ δεῖ οὖν ἀεὶ "ἐν γασ̣τ̣ρ̣ὶ" αὐτὰ ἔχειν. "ἐν γαστρὶ" δὲ ἔχει αὐτὰ καὶ "κυοφορεῖ" ἡ μὴ μεταβάλλου σα τοὺς λόγους̣ κ̣αι`̣ τὰς νοήσεις τῶν ἔργων εἰς ἔργα καὶ θεωρήματα δογματικά. ὥσπερ οὖν ε᾿̣κεῖνα "οὐ γιγνώσκεις", εἰ μὴ μεταβάλωσιν εἰς ἔργα ἀγαθὰ καὶ θεω ρίας ευ᾿̣σεβεῖς, οὕτ̣ως οὐδὲ τὰ ἄλλα "ποιήματα τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσει", ἐὰν μὴ μεταβάλωσιν εἰς τ̣ὰ κατ' ἐνερ γείαν ἔργα. ἵνα "ὀστᾶ τῆς κυοφορούσης" κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν τὰ ἰσχυρὰ δ̣ο´̣γ̣μ̣α̣τ̣α λάβῃς· διακρατητικὰ γάρ ἐστιν τὰ "ὀστέα" ὅ λου τοῦ σω´̣μ̣ατος· οὕτω κα̣ὶ ἀ´̣ν̣ευ τῶν δογμάτων τῆς εὐ 326 σεβείας τὰ πάθη καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα οὐκ̣ ἐ´̣στ̣ιν ὀρθῶς κείμενα. διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται περὶ τούτων τῶν "ὀστέων" ὅτι καὶ "γνῶσιν" ἔχουσιν "θεοῦ" καὶ ἴσασιν ὅτι οὐδεὶς "αὐτοῦ ὅμοιός" ἐστιν. οὐ καθάπαξ οὖν εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ὅσον "ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς κυοφορούσης"· ὡς ἐὰν λέγω ὅτι νυκτὸς οὔσης οὐδὲν ὁρᾶται τῶν ὁρατῶν, οὐ τοῦτο λέγω ὅτι οὐδὲν ὁρᾶται, ἀλλὰ νυκτὸς οὔσης· οὐ ταὐτὸν δέ ἐστιν τὸ μηδὲν ὁρᾶσθαι καὶ νυκτὸς μηδὲν ὁρᾶσθαι.

11,6abc ἐν πρωΐᾳ σπεῖρον τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ μὴ ἀφέτω ἡ χείρ σου,

ὅτι οὐ γιγνώσκεις, ποῖον στοιχήσεις τοῦτο ἢ τοῦτο. ̣11,6ab ἐπειδὴ πάνυ τρεπόμεθα ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖ στον πρὸς ῥητόν, καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς ἱστορίαν λημπτέον. πολλαχοῦ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς "ἡμέρας" οὐ τὸν πεφωτισμέ νον ἀέρα μόνον, ὅταν ὑπὲρ γῆς ἦν ὁ ἥλιος, σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅλον τὸν βίον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς "καὶ σὲ ὑπέμεινα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν". πολλάκις δὲ λέγεται "ἡμέρα" καὶ "καιρός" τις ἀρχόμενος καὶ λή γων. λέγει οὖν ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ "καιροῦ"-ἵνα τὸν "καιρὸν" τοῦ "σπόρου" καὶ τοῦ "θερισμοῦ" λάβῃς "ἡ μέραν" μίαν-λέγει ἀρχομένου τοῦ "καιροῦ" ἐκείνου, καθ' ὃν ἔστιν "σπεῖραι", μὴ ἀργὸς ἔσο, "σπεῖρον τὸ σπέρμα σου". οὕτω γὰρ ἐν τῇ "ἑσπέρᾳ" οὐκ "ἀφῆται ἡ χείρ σου" εὑρίσκουσα τί "θερίσει"· "πληρωθέντος τοῦ χρό νου" ὁ "θερισμὸς" ἐνστήσεται. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὡς πρὸς ῥητόν. ὡς δὲ πρὸς διάνοιαν οι῾̣ "ἐν δάκρυσιν σπείροντες", οἱ "σπείροντες εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα, ἵνα θερίσουσιν ζωὴν αἰώνιον", ἐν ἀρχῇ "ἡμέρας" "σπείρουσιν", "ἡμέρας" δὲ ἐκείνης, ἧς ἔρωτα καὶ πόθον ἔλαβεν ὁ "Ἀβραάμ, ἵνα ἴ δῃ" καὶ δε̣ι̣χ̣θῇ αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ ςωτῆρος· καὶ ἡ "ἡμέ ρα" ἐκείνη, περὶ ἧς πως ὁ τῶν ἁγίων χόρος λέγει· "αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος". τὴν αὐτὴν ταύτην ὑποσημαίνει καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος Ῥωμαίοις γράφων· "ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ