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were passable. It had a seven-branched lampstand situated in the southern part, having an equal number of lamps placed upon it. These indicated the number of the days of the week. And in the north a golden table, on which he commanded twelve loaves to be set out, and golden bowls, full of frankincense and salt. And in the middle, 142 between the lampstand and the table, lay a golden censer. These were enigmas of the fruits given from the earth to men. And before the tabernacle, outside, was the bronze altar, which received the offered sacrifices. This indicates that these things were superfluous and not pleasing to the God of all. Therefore he permitted them to be performed, because of the weakness of the Jews; but he commanded them to be sacrificed outside the tabernacle, as not necessary for those within. But we perform the liturgy assigned to those within. For we offer incense and lamplight to God and the mystical rite of the holy table; that the length of the tabernacle was thirty cubits, and the width ten, is easy to learn, for the southern part had twenty planks, and the northern as many. For the other interpreters called the pillars "planks". And since each plank was a cubit and a half, the twenty planks filled thirty cubits. So again the part facing west had six planks of the same measure, and two for the corners. Therefore twelve cubits being gathered from these, ten filled the inner width, and the other two received the joints of the sides on either hand. However, from the eastern part he commanded the door to be made, so that the rising sun itself might offer a kind of worship to the gateways, immediately sending its rays there; and that those commanded to worship God alone might have the sun behind them when turned towards the tabernacle, and worship not it, but its creator. The tabernacle therefore resembled a railing, having planks fitted together on all sides. And they had silver bases and capitals likewise; and they themselves were also anointed with gold both inside and out; and it had a roof of various woven materials, made of different colors. For one was purple, another rose-colored 143 or scarlet, and another like jacinth; and the fine linen had a white color. And these were enigmas of the four elements; for the jacinth resembles the air; the rose-colored or scarlet resembles fire; the purple signifies the sea, for that nourishes the shellfish from which such a color is made; and the fine linen, the earth; for from this it is said to grow. And it had coverings of goat's hair placed upon it and indeed also various skins, so as to keep out the rain and the heat. And for the priests he has provided every kind of adornment; on the one hand, to amaze the people by the variety of the vestment, and on the other, to teach the priests themselves how they must beautify the soul, and place upon it the adornment of virtue. He calls the inner tunic an "under-garment"; and the outer tunic an "over-garment"; He commanded this to be made of jacinth, and called it a "garment reaching to the feet," as extending to the very tips of the feet. And from this he hung golden bells and pomegranates, so that when entering the holy of holies and palace of the tabernacle and hearing the sound produced by them, he might perform the liturgy with fear, calling to mind the one who commanded these things, and who accepts the offered sacrifice. For this reason the garment reaching to the feet had the color of the air; for it was jacinth, so that looking upon it he might be uplifted. And upon the head was a kidaris imitating the heaven. And a band also covered the forehead, which the seventy called a "mitre". And in its midst this had a golden plate, having inscribed the ineffable name of God which the Hebrews call the tetragrammaton. And teaching the people piety, the Lord God has declared this through an enigma: "For you shall inscribe upon it," he says, "a holy thing of the Lord." And he commanded him also to have an ephod, which the

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ἦν βατά. εἶχε δὲ ταῦτα λυχνίαν μὲν ἐν τῷ νοτίῳ μέρει κειμένην ἑπτάκαυλον, ἰσαρίθμους ἔχουσαν λύχνους ἐπικει μένους. ἐδήλουν δὲ οὗτοι τῶν ἡμέρων τῆς ἑβδομάδος τὸν ἀριθμόν. τρά πεζαν δὲ ἐν τῷ βορείῳ χρυσῆν, ἐφ' ἧς ἄρτους προκεῖσθαι προσέταξε δυο καίδεκα, καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς, πλήρεις λιβανωτοῦ καὶ ἁλῶν. ἐν δὲ τῷ μέσῳ 142 τῆς τε λυχνίας καὶ τῆς τραπέζης, χρυσοῦν ἔκειτο θυμιατήριον. ταῦτα δὲ ἦν αἰνίγματα τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεδωρημένων καρπῶν. πρὸ δὲ τῆς σκηνῆς ἔξω τὸ χαλκοῦν ἦν θυσιαστήριον, τὸ τὰ προσφερόμενα δεχόμενον θύματα. δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο, περιττὰ εἶναι ταῦτα καὶ μὴ ἀρεστὰ τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. ὅθεν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι μὲν αὐτὰ συνεχώρησε, διὰ τὴν ἰου δαίων ἀσθένειαν· ἔξω δὲ τῆς σκηνῆς ἱερουργεῖσθαι προσέταξεν, ὡς τοῖς ἔνδον οὐκ ἀναγκαῖα. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν τοῖς ἔνδον ἀπονεμηθεῖσαν λειτουργίαν ἐπιτελοῦμεν. θυμίαμα γὰρ καὶ λυχνιαῖον φῶς προσφέρομεν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τὴν μυστικὴν τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης ἱερουργίαν· ὅτι δὲ τριάκοντα πήχεων ἦν τὸ μῆκος τῆς σκηνῆς, καὶ δέκα τὸ εὖρος, καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές, εἴκοσι γὰρ σανίδας εἶχε τὸ νότιον μέρος, καὶ τοσαύτας τὸ βόρειον. " σανίδας " γὰρ τοὺς στύλους ὠνόμασαν οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταί. ἑκάστης δὲ σανίδος πῆχυν ἐχούσης καὶ ἥμισυ πήχεως, τριάκοντα πήχεις αἱ εἴκοσι σανίδες ἐπλήρουν. οὕτω πάλιν τὸ πρὸς δυσμὰς ἀποβλέπον ἓξ εἶχε σανίδας τὸ αὐτὸ μέτρον ἐχούσας, καὶ δύο γωνίαις. δώδεκα οὖν πήχεις ἐκ τούτων συναγόμενοι, οἱ μὲν δέκα τὸ ἔνδον εὖρος ἐπλήρουν, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι δύο, τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν πλευρῶν τὰς ἁρμονίας ἐδέχοντο. ἐκ μέντοι τοῦ ἑῴου μέρους τὴν θύραν γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνίσχων ὁ ἥλιος οἷόν τινα προσκύ νησιν προσφέρῃ τοῖς προπυλαίοις εὐθὺς ἐκεῖσε τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἐκπέμπων· καὶ οἱ τῷ θεῷ μόνῳ λατρεύειν προστεταγμένοι ὄπισθεν τὸν ἥλιον ἔχωσι πρὸς τὴν σκηνὴν τετραμμένοι καὶ μὴ τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν τούτου ποιητὴν προσκυνῶσι. δρυφάκτῳ τοίνυν ἡ σκηνὴ προσεῴκει, σανίδας ἔχουσα πάντοθεν συνηρμοσμένας ἀλλήλαις. εἶχον δὲ καὶ τὰς βάσεις ἀργυρᾶς καὶ τὰς κεφαλίδας ὡσαύτως· καὶ αὐταὶ δὲ καὶ ἔνδοθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν ἦσαν ἠλειμ μέναι χρυσῷ· τὸν δὲ ὄροφον εἶχεν ἐξ ὑφασμάτων ποικίλων, ἐκδιαφόρων κατεσκευασμένων χρωμάτων. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἁλουργόν, τὸ δὲ ῥοδοειδὲς 143 ἢ κοκκοβαφές, τὸ δὲ ὑακίνθῳ προσεοικός· ἡ δὲ βύσσος τὴν λευκὴν εἶχε χροιάν. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ τῶν τεσσάρων ἦν στοιχείων αἰνίγματα· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑάκινθος τῷ ἀέρι προσέοικε· τὸ δὲ ῥοδοειδὲς ἢ κοκκοβαφὲς τῷ πυρί· τὸ δὲ ἁλουργὸν μηνύει τὴν θάλατταν· ἐκείνη γὰρ τρέφει τὸν κόχλον ἐξ ἧς τὸ τοιοῦτον γίνεται χρῶμα· ἡ δὲ βύσσος, τὴν γῆν· ἐκ ταύτης γὰρ φύεσ θαι λέγεται. καὶ δέρρεις δὲ εἶχε τριχίνας ἐπικειμένας καὶ μέντοι καὶ διφθέ ρας ποικίλας, ὥστε καὶ τὸν ὑετὸν ἀπείργειν καὶ τὸν φλογμόν. καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι δὲ παντοδαπὸν περιτέθεικε κόσμον· τὸν μὲν λαὸν καταπλήττοντα τῷ διαφόρῳ τοῦ σχήματος, αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς ἱερέας διδάσκοντα ὅπως χρὴ τὴν ψυχὴν ὡραΐζειν, καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτῇ κόσμον περιτιθέναι. " ὑπο δύτην " δὲ καλεῖ τὸν ἐνδότερον χιτωνίσκον· " ἐπενδύτην " δὲ τὸν χι τῶνα τὸν ἔξωθεν· ὑακίνθινον δὲ τοῦτον γενέσθαι προσέταξε, καὶ " πο δήρη " προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς μέχρις ἄκρων διήκοντα τῶν ποδῶν. ἀπήρτη σε δὲ τούτου καὶ κώδωνας χρυσοῦς καὶ ῥοΐσκους, ἵνα εἰς τὸ ἄδυτον καὶ ἀνάκ τορον τῆς σκηνῆς εἰσιὼν καὶ τὴν ἐκ τούτων ἀποτελουμένην ἠχὴν εἰσ δεχόμενος, μετὰ δέους τὴν λειτουργίαν ἐπιτελῇ, εἰς μνήμην λαμβάνων τὸν ταῦτα προστεταχότα, καὶ τὴν προσφερομένην ἱερουργίαν δεχό μενον. διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος ὁ ποδήρης εἶχε τὸ χρῶμα· ὑακίνθινος γὰρ ἦν ὡς ἂν καὶ εἰς τοῦτον ἀφορῶν μετάρσιος γένηται. ἐπέκειτο δὲ τῇ κεφαλῇ κίδαρις τὸν οὐρανὸν μιμουμένη. ἐκάλυπτε δὲ καὶ ταινία τὸ μέτω πον, ἣν " μίτραν " εἶπον οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα. εἶχε δὲ ἐν μέσῳ πέταλον αὕτη χρυσοῦν, ἐγγεγραμμένον ἔχον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἄφραστον ὄνομα ὃ καλοῦσιν ἑβραῖοι τετράγραμμον. εὐλάβειαν δὲ τὸν λαὸν ἐκπαιδεύων ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς δι' αἰνίγματος τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν· " ἐπιγράψεις γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησίν, ἁγίασμα Κυρίου ". ἐκέλευσε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐφεστρίδα γενέσθαι, ἣν οἱ