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And if someone were to say, more subtly, that the flesh is the voluntary mortification through the virtues, and the blood is the perfection through death for the sake of the truth according to circumstance, and the bones are the first principles concerning divinity that are unattainable for us, he too would have spoken well and in no way missed the appropriate meaning.

SCHOLIA 1. Unspeakable is theology, the complete ignorance by pre-eminence, which

is as unknown as the things known by nature are known. 2. He took the blood for deification, as the life that is to be for those who will be deemed worthy

of it. For blood is a symbol of life. 36. CONCERNING WHAT THE BODIES OF THE SACRIFICED ANIMALS ARE. 36. QUESTION 36. What are the bodies and blood of the irrational animals, through which the worshipping

Israelites ate the bodies but not the blood, but poured it out round about the base of the altar?

(14Β_230> Answer. Those of old who worshipped God in shadow according to the

law bore a type of those being introduced to piety, being scarcely able to understand even the visible ordinances of the typical symbols. Since, therefore, the law was not given primarily to them but to us, being perfected spiritually through us according to Christ, let us examine with piety the meaning of the sacrifices of that time.

The one being introduced to piety, being taught about the works of righteousness, accomplishes only the practice with all obedience and faith, as if eating the flesh of the virtues' visible aspects, but concedes to God through faith the principles of the commandments, in which lies the knowledge of the perfect, being for the time unable to extend to the length of knowledge. For the altar is a symbol of God, to whom we are all spiritually sacrificed and concede the knowledge of things beyond our power, so that we may live. And the base of the altar is a type of faith in him. For faith is a foundation, upholding the whole edifice of divine works and thoughts; to which everyone who is unable to enjoy soberly according to knowledge the intoxication of unattainable knowledge from the divine crater of wisdom does well to pour out the principles, that is, conceding the knowledge of principles beyond his power to faith.

Therefore, as the ancient people bore a type of those being introduced to piety, eating the flesh of the sacrificed victims they poured the blood toward the base of the altar, being unable on account of their childish reasoning to attain the mystical knowledge of the things being done. But Christ, having become the high priest of the good things to come, sacrificing the ineffable sacrifice, gives himself with the flesh and the blood to those who have the senses of the soul exercised for (14Β_232> perfection toward the discernment of good and evil. For the perfect one, having run through not only the order of those being introduced but also that of those advancing, is not ignorant of the principles of the things done by him according to the commandment, but having first drunk them in by the Spirit, he eats all the flesh of the virtues through his works, elevating the movement of things done according to sense to the knowledge according to the intellect.

There are indeed many other principles concerning these things, most fitting for you who are most fond of contemplation; but let them be omitted now on account of their multitude.

SCHOLIA 1. He called the visible aspects of the virtues moral instruction.

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Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ ληπτότερον εἴποι τις ὅτι σάρξ ἐστιν ἡ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἑκούσιος νέκρωσις, αἷμα δὲ ἡ κατὰ περίστασιν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τελείωσις, ὀστᾶ δὲ τοὺς πρώτους καὶ ἡμῖν ἀνεφίκτους περὶ θεότητος λόγους, καλῶς καὶ οὗτος ἔφη καὶ τῆς πρεπούσης ἐννοίας οὐδαμῶς διαπέπτωκεν.

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ 1. Ἀπόῤῥητός ἐστι θεολογία, ἡ παντελής καθ᾿ ὑπεροχήν ἀγνωσία, ἥτις

τοσοῦτον ἠγνόηται, ὅσον ἔγνωσται τά φυσικῶς γινωσκόμενα. 2. Τό αἷμα εἰς τήν θέωσιν ἔλαβεν, ὡς ζωήν ἐσομένην τῶν ἀξιωθησομένων

αὐτῆς. Ζωῆς γάρ τό αἷμα σύμβολον. ΛS (36). ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΤΙΝΑ ΕΙΣΙ ΤΑ ΤΩΝ ΘΥΟΜΕΝΩΝ ΖΩΩΝ ΣΩΜΑΤΑ. 36. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛS' Τί ἐστι τὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων σώματα καὶ αἵματα, δι᾽ ὧν λατρεύοντες οἱ

Ἰσραηλῖται τὰ μὲν σώματα ἤσθιον τὰ δὲ αἵματα οὐκ ἔτι, πρὸς δὲ τὴν βάσιν κύκλῳ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προσέχεον;

(14Β_230> Ἀπόκρισις. Τῶν εἰσαγομένων πρὸς εὐσέβειαν τύπον ἔφερον οἱ πάλαι τῷ Θεῷ κατὰ τὸν

νόμον ἐν σκιᾷ λατρεύοντες, μόλις καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ φαινόμενα τῶν τυπικῶν συμβόλων διατάγματα νοῆσαι δυνάμενοι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἐκείνοις προηγουμένως ἀλλ᾽ ἡμῖν ὁ νόμος ἐδόθη, κατὰ Χριστὸν πνευματικῶς δι᾽ ἡμῶν τελειούμενος, σκοπήσωμεν τῶν τότε θυμάτων μετὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸν λόγον.

Ὁ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν εἰσαγόμενος, περὶ τῶν ἔργων διδασκόμενος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τὴν πρᾶξιν μόνην ἐπιτελεῖ μετὰ πάσης ὑπακοῆς καὶ πίστεως, καθάπερ σάρκας ἐσθίων τῶν ἀρετῶν τὰ φαινόμενα, τοὺς δὲ τῶν ἐντολῶν λόγους, ἐν οἷς ἡ τῶν τελείων ὑπάρχει γνῶσις, τῷ Θεῷ παραχωρεῖ διὰ τῆς πίστεως, μὴ δυνάμενος τέως συνεπεκταθῆναι τῷ μήκει τῆς γνώσεως. Θεοῦ γὰρ σύμβολόν ἐστι τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ᾧ πάντες πνευματικῶς θυόμεθα καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν παραχωροῦμεν τὴν εἴδησιν, ἵνα ζήσωμεν. Τῆς δὲ κατ᾽ αὐτὸν πίστεως τύπος ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου βάσις. Θεμέλιος γὰρ ἡ πίστις ὑπάρχει, πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῶν θείων καὶ ἔργων καὶ νοημάτων βαστάζουσα· πρὸς ἣν πᾶς μὴ δυνάμενος τῆς ἐκ τοῦ θείου τῆς σοφίας κρατῆρος κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν σωφρόνως ἀπολαῦσαι μέθης τῶν οὐκ ἐφικτῶν αὐτῷ γνώσεων καλῶς ποιῶν προσχέει τοὺς λόγους, τουτέστι τῶν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν λόγων τὴν γνῶσιν τῇ πίστει παραχωρῶν.

Ὡς οὖν τύπον τῶν κατ᾽ εὐσέβειαν εἰσαγομένων ὁ παλαιὸς λαὸς φέρων, ἐσθίοντες τῶν θυομένων τὰς σάρκας τὸ αἷμα πρὸς τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προσέχεον, οὐ δυνάμενοι διὰ τὸν νηπιάζοντα λογισμὸν τῆς τῶν γινομένων μυστικῆς ἐφικέσθαι γνώσεως. Χριστὸς δέ, παραγενόμενος ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, τὴν ἀπόρρητον θύων θυσίαν, ἑαυτὸν μετὰ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τὸ αἷμα δίδωσι τοῖς τὰ αἰσθητήρια τῆς ψυχῆς διὰ τὴν (14Β_232> τελειότητα γεγυμνασμένα ἔχουσι πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ τέλειος, οὐ μόνον τὴν τῶν εἰσαγομένων τάξιν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν προκοπτόντων διαδραμών, οὐκ ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ κατ᾽ ἐντολὴν γινομένων τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνους Πνεύματι πρῶτον διαπιών, πᾶσαν ἐσθίει διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν σάρκα τῶν ἀρετῶν, πρὸς τὴν κατὰ νοῦν γνῶσιν ἀναβιβάζων τὴν τῶν γινομένων κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν κίνησιν.

Εἰσὶ μὲν καὶ ἕτεροι πλεῖστοι λόγοι περὶ τούτων, ὑμῖν μάλιστα πρέποντες τοῖς φιλοθεωτάτοις· ἀλλὰ παρείσθωσαν νῦν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος.

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ 1. Τά φαινόμενα τῶν ἀρετῶν εἶπεν τήν ἠθικήν παιδαγωγίαν.