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having been entrusted with them; and he implored that a fellow servant not be given to them as a leader, but that the master himself should lead them. But when the good God promised to grant him this favor also, being drunk with a praiseworthy love, he desired things beyond man, and longed to see the invisible nature; but he learned that it is impossible to see that substance. "For no one has ever seen God," according to the voice of the Lord, but his divine economies and energies. For thus it is fitting to understand God's back parts; it is possible for those perfect in virtue like Moses to see them; and not even to these in a random way, but to those placed in the rock by God himself. And this signifies the firm and unshakable nature of faith; and through the cleft of the rock, and this denotes the eye of faith seeing things that are unattainable and invisible to the physical eyes. LXIX What does the veil placed on the lawgiver’s face signify? 150 We have the interpretation of the apostle; "For to this day," he says, "when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart, not being uncovered, because it is taken away in Christ. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed." For just as then the lawgiver's face was filled with divine glory and a brightness sent forth from there brighter than lightning, it did not allow those who met him to look upon it, but forced them either to turn their faces elsewhere or to close their eyes. And for this reason he used the veil when speaking to the people; but when he turned to God, he had his face uncovered; so the Jews, paying attention to the letter of the law, do not see the glory, but see only the veil. But approaching with the grace of the most holy Spirit, they are freed from the veil, and they see the glory with which Moses was filled. For this is what the blessed Paul also says: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." For just as transparent mirrors take on the impressions of those looking into them, so pure hearts receive the glory of God. For this reason the Lord also said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," and just as Judas, having received the devil, impressed his wickedness on himself, so he who approaches the divine grace is illuminated by the flashes of light coming from there, so he who sits in darkness becomes dark-like, and he who is in the sun becomes sun-like and light-like, so he who attends to God receives god-like characteristics. LXX From where did they have "the incorruptible wood"? They were planks of ten cubits; it is likely therefore that the more prosperous had these, having brought them from Egypt when they departed from there. And the precious stones and the gold and the silver and the bronze, they took from the Egyptians and departed, for according to the divine command: "A woman asked from her neighbor and her housemate articles of silver and gold, and clothing, and they plundered the Egyptians." For this reason the God of all called the offerings first-fruits, as the choicest part of the spoils. LXXI What gift did those with Bezalel receive? Of architectural wisdom. For there is a wisdom of weaving and a wisdom of farming and a wisdom of medicine. And each of these is a gift of God, bestowed for the use of men. LXXII Why did God command the tabernacle to be set up on the new moon of the first month? Because at this time he created the creation, and the sprouting of the trees bears witness to this word; "For," he says, "Let the earth bring forth the grass of the herb, yielding seed after its kind and after its likeness, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, for a likeness after its kind on the earth." And at the beginning of spring, the meadows also bloom and the cornfields wave and the trees produce fruit. For this very reason He also freed Israel at this time from the slavery of the Egyptians; and to the holy virgin Gabriel the archangel brought the good news of the miraculous birth-pangs.

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αὐτῶν πιστευθείς· ἠντιβόλησε δὲ μὴ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς ὁμόδουλον ἡγεμόνα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν αὐτῶν ἡγήσασθαι τὸν δεσπότην. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ταύτην ὑπέσχετο δώσειν αὐτῷ τὴν χάριν ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεός, ἔρωτι μεθύων ἐπαινουμένῳ, τῶν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἠράσθη, καὶ τὴν ἀθέατον φύσιν ἰδεῖν ἐπεθύμησεν· ἀλλὰ μεμάθηκεν, ὡς ἐκείνην ἰδεῖν τὴν οὐσίαν ἀδύνατον. " Θεὸν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώπο τε ", κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνήν, τὰς δὲ θείας οἰκονομίας τε καὶ ἐνερ γείας. οὕτω γὰρ προσήκει νοεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ὀπίσθια· θεωρῆσαι δυνατὸν τοῖς κατὰ Μωϋσέα τελείοις τὴν ἀρετήν· καὶ οὐδὲ τούτοις ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν πέτραν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τεθειμένοις. σημαίνει δὲ αὕτη τῆς πίσ τεως τὸ στερρὸν καὶ ἀκράδαντον· καὶ διὰ τῆς ὀπῆς τῆς πέτρας, δηλοῖ δὲ αὕτη τὸν τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλμὸν θεωροῦντα τὰ τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ὀφθαλ μοῖς ἀνέφικτα καὶ ἀθέατα. LXIX Τί σημαίνει τὸ κάλυμμα τὸ ἐπιτεθὲν τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ νομοθέτου; 150 Ἔχομεν τοῦ ἀποστόλου τὴν ἑρμηνείαν· " μέχρι, γάρ φησι, τῆς σή μερον, ἡνίκα ἀναγινώσκηται Μωϋσῆς κάλυμ μα ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν κεῖται μὴ ἀνακα λυπτόμενον, ὅ τι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται. ἡνί κα δ' ἂν ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς Κύριον, περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα ". ὥσπερ γὰρ τότε θείας ἐνεπλήσθη δόξης τοῦ νομοθέτου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ σέλας ἐκεῖθεν ὑπὲρ ἀστραπὴν ἐκπεμπόμενον, ἀντι βλέπειν οὐκ εἴα τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, ἀλλ' ἢ ἑτέρωσε τὰ πρόσωπα τρέπειν ἢ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μύειν ἠνάγκαζε. καὶ τούτου χάριν ἐχρῆτο τῷ προκαλύμματι τῷ λαῷ διαλεγόμενος· πρὸς δὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιστρέ φων, γυμνὸν εἶχε τὸ πρόσωπον· οὕτως ἰουδαῖοι τῷ τοῦ νόμου προ σέχοντες γράμματι, τὴν μὲν δόξαν οὐχ ὁρῶσι, μόνον δὲ τὸ κάλυμμα βλέπουσι. τῇ δὲ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος χάριτι προσιόντες, ἀπαλλά σσονται μὲν τοῦ προκαλύμματος, θεωροῦσι δὲ τὴν δόξαν ἧς Μωϋ σῆς ἐνεπλήσθη. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγει Παῦλος· " ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενοι, τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν, καθάπερ ἀπὸ Κυρίου πνεύματος ". ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ διειδῆ κάτοπτρα τῶν εἰσορώντων τοὺς τύπους ἐκμάττεται, οὕτως αἱ καθαραὶ καρδίαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δόξαν εἰσδέχονται. διὸ δὴ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· " μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψον ται ", καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ Ἰούδας τὸν διάβολον εἰσδεξάμενος, τὴν ἐκείνου πονηρίαν ἐτύπωσεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως ὁ τῇ θείᾳ χάριτι προσιών, ταῖς ἐκεῖ θεν φερομέναις μαρμαρυγαῖς καταυγάζεται, οὕτως ὁ ἐν σκότῳ καθήμενος 151 σκοτοειδὴς γίνεται, ὁ δὲ ἐν ἡλίῳ ἡλιοειδὴς καὶ φωτοειδής, οὕτως ὁ τῷ Θεῷ προσεδρεύων θεοειδεῖς δέχεται χαρακτῆρας. LXX Πόθεν εἶχον " τὰ ξύλα τὰ ἄσηπτα "; Σανίδες ἦσαν δεκαπήχεις· εἰκὸς τοίνυν ταύτας ἐσχηκέναι τοὺς εὐπορω τέρους ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετενεγκόντας, ἡνίκα ἐκεῖθεν ἐξῆλθον. τοὺς δὲ πολυ τιμήτους λίθους καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον καὶ τὸν χαλκόν, παρ' αἰγυπτίων λαβόντες ἀπῆραν, κατὰ γὰρ τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν· " ᾔτησε γυνὴ παρὰ γείτονος καὶ συσκήνου αὐτῆς σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ καὶ χρυσᾶ καὶ ἱματισμόν, καὶ ἐσκύλευ σαν τοὺς αἰγυπτίους ". διὸ δὴ καὶ τὰ προσφερόμενα ἀπαρ χὰς προσηγόρευσεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ὡς ἀκροθίνια σκύλων. LXXI Ποίου χαρίσματος οἱ περὶ τὸν Βεσελεὴλ ἔτυχον; Σοφίας ἀρχιτεκτονικῆς. ἔστι γὰρ σοφία ὑφαντικὴ καὶ σοφία γεωργικὴ καὶ σοφία ἰατρική. ἕκαστον δὲ τούτων δῶρον Θεοῦ, εἰς χρῆσιν τοῖς ἀν θρώποις δεδωρημένον. LXXII ∆ιὰ τί τῇ νουμηνίᾳ τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς στῆσαι τὴν σκηνὴν προσέταξεν ὁ Θεός; Ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν τὴν κτίσιν ἐδημιούργησε, καὶ μαρτυρεῖ 152 τῷδε τῷ λόγῳ τῶν δένδρων ἡ βλάστησις· " βλαστησάτω, γάρ φησιν, ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ καθ' ὁμοιότητα, καὶ ξύλον κάρ πιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς ὁμοιότητα κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ". ἀρχομένου δὲ τοῦ ἔαρος, καὶ οἱ λειμῶνες ἀνθοῦσι καὶ κυμαίνει τὰ λήϊα καὶ τὰ δένδρα φύει καρπόν. διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τουτονὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἠλευθέρωσε τῆς αἰγυπτίων δουλείας· καὶ τῇ ἁγίᾳ παρθένῳ Γαβριὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος ἐκόμισε τῶν παραδόξων ὠδίνων τὰ εὐαγγέλια.