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of the royal city and it receives gifts from him who rules it in a kingly manner; “The rushings of the river make glad the city of God; the Most High has sanctified his tabernacle, God is in the midst of her, she shall not be shaken.” For dwelling in the midst of the city that is at peace, the Most High who has sanctified his tabernacle never goes outside of it, remaining unshaken in it. 2.248 The broad places of this beautiful city are the virtues in their various forms and their practices, concerning which the wise man proverbially reports, inscribing these things about wisdom: “But wisdom is sung in the streets, and in the broad places she uses boldness; and she is proclaimed upon the top of the walls.” For how would the wisdom of God not use boldness in the broad places of the spiritual city, as another scripture says again: “If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will grant her to you,” each commandment being called a broad place on account of its inherent breadth, as the psalmist said to God: “Your commandment is exceedingly broad”? 2.249 It must be considered whether it is according to this thought that it is said by the bride of Christ in the nuptial drama: “On my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loved and I did not find him; I called him, and he did not hearken to me. I will arise now and go about the city, in the markets and in the broad places, until I find him.” For in the time of lying together and resting, which she allegorically called night, thinking the divine bridegroom was present with her, she sought and did not find, and having called she did not have him hearkening, as he had distanced himself from her for some useful purpose, so that she might be yet more wounded with love for him; for by the distancing of the beloved, the love for him is roused up more. 2.250 Having then experienced this, she arose, rousing herself, and she seeks him nowhere else than in the churches, which are holy markets. There the appointed apostles and prophets and teachers proclaim the sacred rites of truth and the mysteries of the kingdom of God. 2.251 In addition to seeking him in the markets, she is also eager in the broad places, which have already been interpreted, to meet with the one she seeks, so that having found him she may rest together with him. 2.252 The wisdom that uses boldness in the broad places of the beautiful city, in which the Creator brought all things into being, is proclaimed nowhere else than upon the top of the walls by those who keep watch by night and guard the divine city, according to the voice of Isaiah spoken from the person of the King of all: “Upon your walls I have set watchmen day and night, who will never be silent, remembering the Lord.” 2.253 In the aforementioned divine broad places of the blessed city will still sit, as also before, zealous old men and old women, holding their own staffs in their hands, these being symbols of royalty, and also of the priesthood, and moreover of instructive words. 2.254 But it is fitting to understand as elders those who are grey with wisdom, according to what is said in the all-virtuous Wisdom of Solomon, as follows: “For honorable old age is not that of long time, nor is it measured by number of years; but grey hair is wisdom for men, and an unspotted life is old age.” This spiritual age belonged to the one who was called a friend of God, whose faith was “reckoned for righteousness,” Abraham. 2.255 For it is said by the hierophant Moses in the Creation of the World: “And Abraham, failing, died, nurtured in a good old age, an elder and full of days.” For these things are not said on account of a multitude of years of the cycles of the perceptible sun. For although those who came before him were of more years, none of them was called an elder or full of days. For first of men, the father of Isaac was named an elder from the honors of virtue. 2.256 Concerning those who have such judgment and conduct and intelligible age, the cause of all things and provider of all good things to the

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τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἄστεως καὶ τῶν δέχεται χαρισμάτων πρὸς τοῦ κρατοῦντος αὐτὴν βασιλικῶς· «Τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσιν τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἡγίασεν τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ ὁ ὕψιστος, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, οὐ σαλευθήσεται.» Ἐν μέσῳ γὰρ τῆς εἰρηνευομένης πόλεως κατοικῶν ὁ ἁγιάσας τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ ὕψιστος οὐδέποτε ἔξω αὐτῆς γίνεται, ἀκλόνητος μένων ἐν αὐτῇ. 2.248 Πλατεῖαι δὲ τῆς καλλιπόλεως ταύτης ὑπάρχουσιν αἱ κατ' εἶδος ἀρεταὶ καὶ αἱ πράξεις αὐτῶν, περὶ ὧν παροιμιωδῶς ὁ σοφὸς ἀπαγγέλλει, περὶ τῆς σοφίας τάδε χαράττων· «Σοφία δὲ ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται, ἐν δὲ πλατείαις παρρησίαν ἄγει· ἐπὶ δὲ ἄκρων τειχέων κηρύσσεται.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄγει παρρησίαν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς πνευματικῆς πόλεως, πάλιν ἑτέρου λογίου λέγοντος· «Ἐπιθυμήσας σοφίαν διατήρησον ἐντολάς, καὶ Κύριος χορηγήσει σοι αὐτήν», ἑκάστης ἐντολῆς διὰ τὸ προσὸν εὖρος πλατείας καλουμένης, ὡς τὸν ὑμνῳδὸν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εἰπεῖν· «Πλατεῖα ἡ ἐντολή σου σφόδρα»; 2.249 Σκοπητέον εἰ κατὰ ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν εἴρηται ὑπὸ τῆς νύμφης τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐπιθαλαμίῳ δράματι· «Ἐπὶ κοίτης μου ἐν νυκτὶ ἐζήτησα ὃν ἠγάπησεν ἡ ψυχή μου καὶ οὐχ εὗρον αὐτόν, ἐκάλεσα αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσέν μοι. Ἀναστήσομαι δὴ καὶ κυκλώσω τὴν πόλιν, ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις, ἕως οὗ εὕρω αὐτόν.» Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ γὰρ τοῦ συνευνάζεσθαι καὶ διαναπαύεσθαι, ὃν ἀλληγορικῶς ἐκάλεσε νύκτα, δόξασα παρεῖναι αὐτῇ τὸν θεῖον νυμφίον, ζητήσασα οὐχ εὗρεν, καὶ καλέσασα οὐκ ἔσχεν αὐτὸν ἐπακούοντα, διά τι χρήσιμον μακρυνθέντα αὐτῆς, ἵνα ἔτι μᾶλλον τρωθῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ πρὸς αὐτόν· μακρυνώσει γὰρ τοῦ στεργομένου ὁ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔρως μᾶλλον ἐγείρεται. 2.250 Τοῦτ' οὖν παθοῦσα ἀνέστη διεγείρασα ἑαυτήν, καὶ ζητεῖ γε αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀλλαχόθι ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, οὔσαις ἱεραῖς ἀγοραῖς. Ἔνθα ἀγορεύουσιν οἱ τεθέντες ἀπόστολοι καὶ προφῆται καὶ διδάσκαλοι τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ὄργια καὶ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ. 2.251 Πρὸς τῷ ζητεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς, καὶ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ταῖς ἤδη ἡρμηνευμέναις σπουδάζει συντυχεῖν τῷ ζητουμένῳ, ἵν' εὑροῦσα αὐτὸν συναναπαύσηται αὐτῷ. 2.252 Ἡ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς καλλιπόλεως παρρησίαν ἄγουσα σοφία, ἐν ᾗ τὰ πάντα ὁ δημιουργὸς εἰς οὐσίαν ἤγαγεν, οὐκ ἀλλαχοῦ που ἢ ἐπ' ἄκρων τῶν τειχέων κηρύττεται πρὸς τῶν νυκτοφυλακούντων καὶ φρουρούντων τὴν θείαν πόλιν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἠσαΐου φωνὴν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ παμβασιλέως οὕτως εἰρημένην· «Ἐπὶ τῶν τειχέων σου κατέστησα φύλακας ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, οἳ διὰ τέλους οὐ σιωπήσονται μιμνῃσκόμενοι Κυρίου.» 2.253 Ἐν ταῖς ἀποδοθείσαις θείαις πλατείαις τῆς μακαρίας πόλεως ἔτι καθίσονται ὡς καὶ πρότερον σπουδαῖοι πρεσβῦται καὶ πρεσβυτίδες, μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχοντες τὰς ἰδίας ῥάβδους, τοῦτο μὲν βασιλείας σύμβολα, τοῦτο δὲ ἱερατείας τυγχανούσας, ἔτι μὴν καὶ παιδευτικῶν λόγων. 2.254 Πρεσβυτέρους δὲ ἐκλαβεῖν προσήκει τοὺς φρονήσει πεπωλιωμένους, κατὰ τὸ φερόμενον ἐν τῇ παναρέτῳ Σοφίᾳ τοῦ Σαλωμῶνος οὕτως ἔχον· «Γῆρας γὰρ τίμιον οὐ τὸ πολυχρόνιον, οὐδὲ ἀριθμῷ ἐτῶν μεμέτρηται· πολιὰ δέ ἐστιν φρόνησις ἐν ἀνθρώποις, καὶ γῆρας βίος ἀκηλίδωτος.» Αὕτη ἡ πνευματικὴ ἡλικία πρόσην τῷ φίλῳ Θεοῦ χρηματίσαντι, οὗ ἡ πίστις «εἰς δικαιοσύνην λελόγισται» Ἀβραάμ. 2.255 Εἴρηται γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἱεροφάντου Μωϋσέως ἐν Κοσμοποιΐᾳ· «Ἐκλιπὼν Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανεν, τραφεὶς ἐν γήρει καλῷ, πρεσβύτερος καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν.» Οὐ γὰρ διὰ πλῆθος ἐνιαυτῶν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ ἡλίου κύκλων ταῦτ' εἴρηται. Πολυετεστέρων γὰρ ὄντων τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ γεναμένων, οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων πρεσβύτερος ἐλέχθη οὐδὲ πλήρης ἡμερῶν. Πρῶτος γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ὁ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ πατὴρ ἀπὸ πρεσβείων τῶν ἐξ ἀρετῆς ὠνομάσθη πρεσβύτερος. 2.256 Περὶ τῶν οὕτως γνώμης καὶ πολιτείας καὶ νοητῆς ἡλικίας ἐχόντων, ὁ τῶν ὅλων αἴτιος καὶ πάντων ἀγαθῶν χορηγὸς πρὸς τὸν