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body of the church, the apostolic and evangelic choir. He says therefore that "children pipe," and it is necessary for those who hear the pipe "to dance." The dance proclaims an imitation of words, happening by means of the hands. Therefore, when they hear those wise in salvation and those who bring forth the word of piety and are conformed to what is proclaimed by their deeds and by their mind, they "dance" praiseworthily according to the dance that David "danced" before the ark. For when they "mourn," calling to repentance, rousing to sensation, they "beat themselves," because this rouses sensation. When another "mourns" and "beats himself" for another who is sinning, he immediately says that "insofar as this man abuses himself on my behalf, I too ought to do this." And these, therefore, hearing the mourning, if they bring their hands against their breast, "beating themselves," they rouse a sensation of themselves. Therefore, these who of old have spoken and said many things about those who did not listen "beat themselves." Thus, indeed, "Jeremiah, after Israel was taken captive and Jerusalem was desolated, sitting and weeping, mourned the lament." And God himself says, "Mourn to me for a bride girded with sackcloth for her virgin husband." Therefore, "those who beat themselves have gone around in the marketplace." The teachers rejoice when the hearers do well; they are grieved when the divine ordinances are disregarded. Since, therefore, even after the hearers have sinned, the teachers spare them in speaking the divine things, "they go around beating themselves," not seeing them doing what they are commanded to do. And the New Testament knows the church as a "marketplace," as do the Greeks. In the Acts of the Apostles, for example, it says that they "have" some matters for inquiry, "court days are held," that is, orators. "You are able," he says, "to bring a suit concerning this, having those who speak in the assembly, the orators." Therefore, "beating themselves, they went around in the marketplace," those who speak in the assembly; rejoicing and "dancing" they would have "gone around," 360 if the things said by them had been changed into works of ages.

12,6ab until the silver cord is not loosed and the golden bowl is not broken. 12,6a literally: "silver cord" can be the giving and the taking concerning transactions. but in meaning: since the word of the Lord is "silver" and "his oracles are silver refined by fire," "cords" are woven from these; either well understood by the orthodox or otherwise, in both ways "the silver cord is not loosed," it "is at work." But since it is necessary to speak according to the text, this can be said, that "until the silver cord" "is at work," not being "loosed," not being "cast out"—for it "will be cast out" after these things, when "that which is in part shall be done away"—, "those in the marketplace who beat themselves go around," "until" they have the "silver cord," "until" they weave the "oracles of the Lord"; for then they also speak in the assembly. 12,6b and the golden bowl is broken. The case of the "gold" is thus called, and perhaps also the ... "of gold," but rather the case. Of course, those who guard treasures ... this is instead of the guardian "of gold." Therefore, in these things "gold" must be taken as the mind; and if "silver" is the spoken word, here you take "gold" as the thought, and "bowl" as the governing faculty ... as being the case and guard of the "gold." But if "silver" signifies the word and the scripture of God, the weaving is to take appropriate sayings with appropriate ones and to connect the thought of these to those and of those to these. since: "until" does he not say the church? -this he says: "in the marketplace those who beat themselves beat themselves and go around." And the "marketplace" is the ecclesiastical teaching. And by ecclesiastical I mean not entirely that of the Christians, but that of the assembly. This, therefore, he says, that as long as the "silver cord" "is at work," they "go around" and "beat themselves" for those who are not persuaded. But when it is "loosed," "when that which is in part is done away,"

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σῶμα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τὸν ἀποστολικὸν καὶ εὐαγγελικὸν χορόν. λέγει οὖν ὅτι τὰ "παιδία αὐλεῖ" δέον τοὺς ἀκούοντας τοῦ αὐλοῦ "ὀρ χεῖσθαι". ἡ ὄρχησι̣ς δὲ λόγων μίμησιν ἐπαγγέλλεται διὰ χειρῶν γινομένην. ὅταν τοίνυν ἀκο̣υ´̣ω̣σιν τῶν τῆς σωτηρίας σοφῶν καὶ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας προφερομέ νω̣ν λόγον καὶ συνσχηματισθῶσιν τοῖς ἀπαγγελλομένοις τοῖς ἔργοις καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ "ὀρχοῦνται" ἐπαινετῶς κατὰ τὴν ὄρχησιν, ἣν "ὠρχήσατο" ∆αυὶδ ἔνπροσθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ. ὅταν γὰρ "θρηνοῦσιν" εἰς μετάνοιαν καλοῦν τες, εἰς αἴσθησιν ἐγείροντες "κ̣όπτονται", ὅτι τοῦτο αἴσθησιν ἐγείρει. ὅταν ἄλλου ἁμαρτάνοντος ἄλλος "θρη νῇ" καὶ "κόπτηται", εὐθέως λέγει ὅτι "ὅσον οὗτος ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ κακίζει ἑαυτόν, ὀφείλω κἀγὼ τοῦτο ποιῆ σαι". καὶ οὗτοι οὖν ἀκούοντες τὸν θρῆνον, ἐὰν κατὰ τοῦ στήθους φέρωσιν τὰς χεῖρας "κοπτόμενοι", αἴσθησιν ἑαυτῶν ἀνεγείρουσιν. οὗτοι οὖν οἱ πάλαι ἀγορεύσαν τες καὶ πολλὰ εἰρηκότες περὶ τῶν μὴ ἀκουσάντων "κόπ τονται". οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ "Ἰηρεμίας μετὰ τὸ αἰχμαλω τισθῆναι τὸν Ἰςραὴλ καὶ Ἰερουςαλὴμ ἐρη-μωθῆναι καθίσας κλαίων ἐθρήνησεν τὸν θρῆνον". καὶ αὐ τὸς ὁ θεὸς λέγων· "θρήνησον πρός με ὑπὲρ νύμφην περιεζωσμένην σάκκον ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς τὸν παρθε νικόν". "ἐκύκλωσαν" οὖν "ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι". χαίρουσιν οἱ διδάσκαλοι κατορθούντων τῶν ἀκροατῶν· λυποῦνται, ὅταν παρακούωνται τὰ θεσπίσματα τὰ θεῖα. ἐ πεὶ τοίνυν καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν τοὺς ἀκροατὰς φείδον ται αὐτῶν οἱ διδάσκαλοι ἐν τῷ ἀγορεύειν τὰ θεῖα, "κυ κλοῦσιν κοπτόμενοι" οὐχ ὁρῶντες ἐκείνους ποιοῦντας, ἃ προστάττονται ποιεῖν. καὶ ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη οἶδεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν "ἀγοράν", ὡς καὶ Ἕλληνες. ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν γοῦν τῶν ἀποστόλων λέγει ὅτι "ἔχουσιν" ζήτημάτα τι, "ἀγοραῖοι ἄγονται", τουτέστιν ῥήτορες. "δύνασθε", φησίν, "δίκην περὶ τού του κινεῖν ἔχοντες τοὺς ἀγορεύοντας, τοὺς ῥητορεύον τας". "κοπτόμενοι" οὖν "ἐκύκλωσαν ἐν ἀγορᾷ" οἱ ἀγορεύ οντες· γεγηθότες ἂν καὶ "ὀρχούμενοι" "κυκλώσαντες", 360 εἰ τὰ λεγόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν εἰς ἔργα αἰώνων ἦν μετα βαλλόμενα.

12,6ab ἕως οὗ μὴ ἀνατραπῇ τὸ σχοι νίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου καὶ συντριβῇ τὸ ἀνθέμιον τοῦ χρυσίου. ̣12,6α̣ πρὸς ῥητόν· "σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου" δύ ναται εἶναι ἡ δόσις καὶ ἡ λῆμψις ἡ περὶ τὰ συναλλάγ ματα. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· ἐπεὶ ὁ λόγος κυρίου "ἄργυ ρός" ἐστιν καὶ "τὰ λόγια αὐτοῦ ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον" ἐστίν, "σχοινία" ἐκ τούτων πλέκεται· ἤτοι καλῶς νοού-μενα ὑπὸ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἢ ἑτέρως, ἀμφοτέρως οὐκ "ἀνατρέπεται τὸ σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου", "ἐνεργεῖ". ἐπειδὴ δὲ δεῖ πρὸς τὸ κείμενον λέγειν, δύ-ναται τοῦτο λέγεσθαι ὅτι "ἕως τὸ σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρί-ου" "ἐνεργεῖ" οὐκ "ἀνατρεπόμ̣εν̣ον", οὐκ "ἐκβαλλόμε-νον"-"ἐκβληθήσεται" γὰρ μετὰ ταῦτα, ὅταν "τὸ ἐκ μέ-ρο̣υς καταργηθῇ"-, οἱ "ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι κυκλοῦσιν", "ἕως" ἔχουσιν τὸ "σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου", "ἕως" πλέ-κουσιν τὰ "λόγια κυρίου"· τότε γ̣α`̣ρ καὶ ἀγορεύ-ουσιν. 12,6b καὶ συντριβῇ τὸ ἀνθέμιον τοῦ χρυσίου. ἡ θήκη τοῦ "χρυσίου" ο̣ὑ´̣τω καλεῖται, τάχα δὲ καὶ τὸ απαν5-7 "χρυσίου", μᾶλλον δὲ ἡ θήκη. ἀμ̣έλει γοῦν τοὺς θησαυροφυλακοῦντας λε············ς ἐσ-τιν ουτος ἀντὶ τοῦ φύλαξ "χρυσίου". "χρυσι´̣ον" οὖν ἐν τούτοις λημπτέον τὸν νοῦν· "ἀργύριον" δὲ εἰ τὸν προφορικὸν λόγον, "χρυσὸν" λαμ-βάνεις ὧδε τὸ νόημα, "ἀνθέμιον" δὲ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ···ς τ̣ο εἶναι θήκη καὶ φυλακὴ τοῦ "χρυσίου". ἐὰν δὲ "ἄργυ-ρον" σημαίνῃ τὸν λόγον καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γραφήν, πλοκή ἐστιν τὰ κατάλληλα καταλλήλοις λαμβάνειν ῥητὰ καὶ τὴν νόησιν εἴρειν τῶνδε πρὸς τάδε καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων πρὸς ταῦτα. ἐπερ· "ἕως" τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οὐ λέγει; -τοῦτο λέγει· "ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι κόπτονται κυκλοῦσιν". "ἀγορὰ" δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησιαστικὴ διδασ-καλία. ἐκκλησιαστικὴν δὲ λέγω οὐ πάντως τὴν Χριστι-ανῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν συνελευστικήν. τοῦτο οὖν λέγει ὅτι ἐς ὅσον "ἐνεργεῖ" τὸ "σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου", "κυκλοῦσιν" καὶ "κόπτονται" τοὺς μὴ πειθομένους. ὅταν δὲ "ἀνατραπῇ" "καταργηθέντος τοῦ ἐκ