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let us remain in the royal storehouses, let us not betray to the thieves the pearl of great price, with which we have been entrusted.

4.t CHAPTER 4

4.133 And seven women will take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and we will wear our own clothes; only let your name be called upon us; take away our reproach from us. As for the literal meaning, the saying seems to signify a scarcity of men from wars, or from diseases befalling the people according to the wrath of God; so that in order not to be childless or barren (which in ancient times was considered a curse) the women cast off shame and more of them take hold of one man; and consoling him for his struggle in providing for more women, they say: We will eat our own bread and we will wear our own clothes. Therefore, having laid aside the necessary care for provision, lend us your name so that we may escape the reproach of our loneliness. This is the literal meaning. But the underlying meaning also provokes our mind to investigate greater things. As therefore in a place difficult to see and having much that is overshadowed by obscurity, some such idea concerning the seven women occurs to us, that in many places both this life and Israel according to the flesh are taken for the number seven. Time concerning things in creation, because it is fulfilled by the cycling of seven days; whence also the age after this state is called the eighth in Scripture; and psalms "for the eighth" instead of, "for the age after this time." And in many places also the Jews in the open and their polity are taken for the number seven. Give a portion (it says) to the seven and also to the eight, as the Old Testament ought to receive some testimony from God to have come, and the New, and for them to come into one agreement with each other. The seven women, therefore, are the Old Testament; it will take hold of one man (the Lord, who is not one of the many, but is one); saying, that We will eat our own bread, that is, we will remain in the measure of our own substance. For we shall be a shadow of things to come and images of the heavenly things. Only let the name of Christ be called upon the Old, so that the reproach of uselessness may be taken away. And also the synagogue of Israel can (the law in which it was held fast having died), having become free, being married to whom she wills, not be called an adulteress, coming to the bridegroom Word and as if lovingly clinging to him, say: Let your name be called upon us. 4.134 But it has been said by some, that the seven women are seven spirits, which a little later this same Prophet is about to enumerate, as resting upon him who is about to blossom from the root of Jesse; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and godliness, the spirit of the fear of God; which, because all have turned aside and together become worthless, having no one upon whom to rest lovingly, taking hold of the man according to the Lord, do the things that are written. For the spirit of knowledge and of godliness is inactive in times when there is none who understands, there is none who seeks God; and it is, as it were, a reproach to the virtues that there is no one who clings to them, but that they are, as it were, widowed for lack of a soul to receive them. For that none can be taken by their own beauty, but remain in desolation, seems to touch the virtues as well. But he who is about to show in himself every form of virtue according to the highest perfection, takes away the reproach from them. And since even among those who are ignorant of God, knowledge and understanding and counsel and might and wisdom and godliness seem to be practiced, they demand that the name of Christ be called upon them. 4.135 And in that day the Lord will shine forth in counsel with glory upon the earth, of the

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μένωμεν ἐν ταῖς βασιλικαῖς ἀποθήκαις, μὴ προδῶμεν τοῖς κλέπταις τὸν πολυτίμητον μαργαρίτην, ὃν ἐπιστεύθημεν.

4.t ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ δʹ

4.133 Καὶ ἐπιλήψονται ἑπτὰ γυναῖκες ἀνθρώπου ἑνὸς, λέ γουσαι· τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν φαγόμεθα, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ἡμῶν περιβαλούμεθα· πλὴν τὸ ὄνομά σου κεκλήσθω ἐφ' ἡμᾶς· ἄφελε τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν ἀφ' ἡμῶν. Ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν, δοκεῖ ὀλιγότητα ἀνδρῶν ἐκ πολέμων, ἢ νόσων ἐπιγενομένων τῷ λαῷ κατ' ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ λόγος σημαίνειν· ὥστε ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἄγονον εἶναι μηδὲ στεῖραν (ἅπερ ἐν κατάρᾳ τοῖς πάλαι λελόγισται) ἀπερυ θριᾷν τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς πλείους ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι· καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ προστασίᾳ πλειόνων γυναικῶν ἀγῶνα αὐ τοῦ παραμυθουμένας, λέγειν· Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν φαγόμεθα καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ἡμῶν περιβαλούμεθα. Ἀφεὶς οὖν τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ πορισμῷ ἀναγκαίαν μέριμναν, τὸ ὄνομά σου χρῆσον ἡμῖν εἰς τὸ διαφυγεῖν ἡμᾶς τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐρημίᾳ ὀνειδισμόν. Τὸ μὲν κατὰ λέξιν, τοῦτο. Ἡ δὲ ὑπόνοια καὶ ἐπὶ μειζόνων ἔρευναν προκαλεῖται ἡμῶν τὸν νοῦν. Ὡς οὖν ἐν τόπῳ δυσθεωρήτῳ καὶ πολὺ τὸ ἐπεσ κιασμένον ἐκ τῆς ἀσαφείας ἔχοντι, τοιαύτη τις ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ γυναικῶν ἔννοια ὑποπίπτει, ὅτι πολλαχοῦ καὶ ὁ βίος οὗτος καὶ ὁ κατὰ σάρκα Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑπτὰ λαμβάνονται. Ὁ μὲν περὶ τὰ ἐν γενέσει πράγματα χρόνος, διότι ἀπὸ ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν ἀνακυκλουμένων πληροῦται· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ μετὰ τὴν κατάστασιν ταύτην αἰὼν, ὀγδόη εἴρηται ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ· καὶ ψαλμοὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀγδόης ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μετὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον, αἰῶνος. Πολλαχοῦ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἡ κατὰ αὐτοὺς πολιτεία ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑπτὰ λαμ βάνονται. ∆ὸς μερίδα (φησὶ) τοῖς ἑπτὰ καί γε τοῖς ὀκτώ, ὡς καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης ὀφειλούσης λαβεῖν τινα μαρτυρίαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἥκειν καὶ τῆς Καινῆς καὶ εἰς μίαν ἀλλήλαις ἐλθεῖν συμφωνίαν. Αἱ οὖν ἑπτὰ γυναῖκες, ἡ ∆ιαθήκη ἡ παλαιά· ἐπιλήψεται ἀνθρώπου ἑνὸς (τοῦ Κυρίου, ὃς οὐχὶ εἷς τῶν πολλῶν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' εἷς ἐστι)· λέγουσαι, ὅτι Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν φαγόμεθα, τουτέστι μενοῦμεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου μέτρου τῆς ὑποστάσεως. Σκιὰ γὰρ ἐσόμεθα τῶν μελλόντων καὶ εἰκόνες τῶν ἐπουρανίων. Μόνον τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα κεκλήσθω τῇ Παλαιᾷ, ἵνα ὁ ὀνειδισμὸς τῆς ἀχρηστίας ἀφαιρεθῇ. ∆ύναται δὲ καὶ ἡ συναγωγὴ Ἰσραὴλ (ἀποθανόντος τοῦ νόμου, ἐν ᾧ κατείχετο) ἐλευθέρα γενομένη, πρὸς τὸ ᾧ θέλει γαμηθεῖσα, μὴ χρηματίζειν μοιχαλὶς, τῷ νυμφίῳ Λόγῳ προσελθοῦσα καὶ οἱονεὶ ἐρωτικῶς ἀντεχο μένη αὐτοῦ, λέγειν· Τὸ ὄνομά σου κεκλήσθω ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. 4.134 Εἴρηται δέ τισιν, ὅτι αἱ ἑπτὰ γυναῖκες ἑπτὰ πνεύ ματά εἰσιν, ἃ μικρὸν ὕστερον ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος Προφήτης κα ταριθμεῖσθαι μέλλει, ὡς ἐπαναπαυόμενα ἐπὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ ἐξανθήσειν μέλλοντα· πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συν έσεως, πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος, πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας, πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ· ἅπερ διὰ τὸ πάντας ἐκ κλῖναι καὶ ἅμα ἀχρειωθῆναι, οὐκ ἔχοντα ᾧ ἐπαναπαύσεται ἀγαπητῶς, τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Κύριον ἀνθρώπου λαβόμενα, ποιεῖ τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα. Ἀργεῖ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐν καιροῖς, ὅτε οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνιὼν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζη τῶν τὸν Θεόν· καὶ οἱονεὶ ὄνειδός ἐστι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὸ μηδένα εἶναι τὸν ἀντεχόμενον αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' οἱονεὶ χηρεύειν αὐτὰς ἀπορίᾳ τῆς ὑποδεχομένης αὐτὰς ψυχῆς. Τὸ γὰρ μηδένα δυνηθῆναι ἑλεῖν τῷ οἰκείῳ κάλλει, ἀλλ' ἐναπομεῖναι τῇ ἐρημία, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν δοκεῖ καθάπτεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ πᾶν εἶδος ἀρετῆς κατὰ τὴν ἄκραν τελείωσιν ἐπιδεικνύναι μέλλων, ἀφαιρεῖ τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι τὸν Θεὸν δοκοῦσιν ἐπι τηδεύεσθαι γνῶσις καὶ σύνεσις καὶ βουλὴ καὶ ἰσχὺς καὶ σοφία, καὶ εὐσέβεια, ἀξιοῦσι τὸ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα ἐπικεκλῆσθαι αὐταῖς. 4.135 Τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπιλάμψει ὁ Κύριος ἐν βουλῇ μετὰ δόξης ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τοῦ