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"I have seen an end." "When a man has finished, then he begins." When therefore he finishes, he sees an end of some progress; then beginning, he seeks to see another end, and over all things he encounters the end which is over all things. Take this for me also in the case of the building of a city; the one wishing to build a magnificent city ambitiously—and what more can I say?—a royal one, makes a start of the building. He begins to quarry stones. He often completes the quarrying. When he has prepared those which he needs and as many as he needs, he then begins to seek a place where he may raise the city. "God becomes all in all," not all in each, but "in all." In one he is merciful, when one hastens to be such a one, in another a good judge, in another just, in another gracious, in another as a teacher in a disciple. And in all, he becomes all to those who have approached him, but not all in each, but either one or two or three gifts. And that we may make this clear in the case of the gifts, take that of the Spirit: one has the word of wisdom, another the word of knowledge, another the gift of healing. But when someone becomes perfect, no longer having the "pledge of the Spirit," but the Spirit itself, in each he becomes all things. I become a perfect overseer and bishop of the temple of God, having nothing else before my eyes than seeing this very temple of God. 5 For he hid me in his tabernacle in the day of my troubles. Because of this "one thing I asked and this I will seek, that in the day of my troubles he hid me in a tabernacle." Progress was being spoken of. With many evils pressing and wishing to harm me, he hid me. And sometimes the body is also called a tabernacle; for "the earthy tabernacle 103 weighs down the mind that museth upon many things," and, "we who are in this tabernacle do groan." Often, while we are in the tabernacle, still clothed with the body, he hides us so that we may not be harmed by it when, as I said before, one "bears about in the body the dying of Jesus" and buffets the body and brings it into subjection. 5 he sheltered me in the secret place of his tabernacle. For the secret place of his tabernacle is not harmful, but a shelter. But the exposed part of the tabernacle already mentioned is more harmful. Thus I am clothed with a body as though not being in a body, with the mortal being swallowed up "by life." To be swallowed up and to swallow up in scripture signifies victory; "when they rose up, then they would have swallowed us alive," instead of "they conquered us." And, "Israel is swallowed up, now is he among the nations as a useless vessel." "All," he says, "who eat him will transgress." And he who eats swallows. In the tabernacle, therefore "in the secret place of his tabernacle he hid me." It is possible also for one who has come to be in a body, if he understands the cause and the mystery for which he has come to be in it, to be hidden in its secret place; for immediately, having known the mystery and the cause, he will afflict himself and is not swallowed up. It is possible also for this to be said concerning the Savior or to the Savior. If concerning him, that, "in the secret place of his tabernacle he hid me": he had a tabernacle, he became man. The descent of the Savior has some hidden mystery. He therefore who is able, after the Word made flesh has tabernacled in him, to say, "we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth," has been sheltered "in the secret place of his tabernacle." Understanding the mystery of the Savior's sojourn has become his shelter. The Jews, at any rate, did not understand, and as many as are such, and they were not sheltered "in the secret place of his tabernacle." It is possible also thus, according to the former interpretation, for the secret place of the tabernacle to be the end; for on account of this they make progress, even if it is hidden from those who make progress; for unless one reaches it, he is not able to see it as it is, seeing God then "as he is," when he comes to that end of blessedness. Since: have we already beheld? —but we do not know. "We know in part." Since: is it the race of men that says these things? not the Lord's
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εἶδον πέρας". "ὅταν συντελέσῃ ἄνθρωπος, τότε ἄρχεται". ὅταν οὖν συντελέσῃ, βλέπει πέρας τινὸς προκοπῆς· εἶτα ἀρχόμενος ζητεῖ ἄλλο ἰδεῖν τέλος, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀπαντᾷ τὸ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν τέλος. λαβέ μοι αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ κατασκευῆς πόλεως· ὁ βουλόμενος φιλοτίμως πολυτελῆ κατασκευάσαι πόλιν καί-τί πλέον εἰπεῖν ἔχω; -βασιλικήν, ἀπάρχεται τῆς οἰκοδομίας. ἄρχεται λατομεῖν λίθους. συντελεῖ πολλάκις τὴν λατόμησιν. ὅταν ἐκείνους εὐτρεπίσῃ τοὺς ὧν χρῄζει καὶ ὅσων χρῄζει, λοιπὸν ἄρχεται ζητεῖν τόπον, ὅπου ἐγείρῃ τὴν πόλιν. γίνεται "ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν", οὐκ ἐν ἑκάστῳ πάντα, ἀλλ' "ἐν πᾶσιν". ἐν ᾧ μὲν οἰκτίρμων, ὅταν τις τοιοῦτος σπεύδῃ εἶναι, ἐν ᾧ δὲ ἀγαθὸς κριτής, ἐν ἄλλῳ δίκαιος, ἐν ἄλλῳ χαριστικός, ἐν ἄλλῳ ὡς διδάσκαλος ἐν μαθητῇ. καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν μὲν πάντα γίνεται τοῖς πλησιάσασιν αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἐν ἑκάστῳ δὲ πάντα, ἀλλὰ ἢ ἓν ἢ δύο ἢ τρία χαρίσματα. καὶ ἵνα φανερὸν αὐτὸ ποιήσωμεν ἐπὶ τῶν χαρισμάτων, λαβὲ τοῦ πνεύματος· ὁ μὲν ἔχει λόγον σοφίας, ἄλλος λόγον γνώσεως, ἕτερος χάρισμα ἰαμάτων. ὅταν δέ τις τέλειος γένηται οὐκέτι "ἀρραβῶνα πνεύματος" ἔχων, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐν ἑκάστῳ πάντα γίνεται. τέλειος ἔφορος γίνομαι καὶ ἐπίσκοπος τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχων ἄλλο πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τι ἢ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸν θεοῦ ναὸν ὁρῶν. 5 ὅτι ἔκρυψέν με ἐν σκηνῇ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῶν μου. διὰ τοῦτο "μίαν ᾐτησάμην καὶ ταύτην ἐκζητήσω, ὅτι ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῶν μου ἔκρυψέν με ἐν σκηνῇ". ἐλέγετο δὲ ἡ προκοπή. πολλῶν ἐπικειμένων κακῶν καὶ βλάψαι με βουλομένων ἔκρυψέν με. λέγεται δέ ποτε καὶ τὸ σῶμα σκηνή· "βρίθει" γὰρ "τὸ 103 γεῶδες σκῆνος νοῦν πολυφρόντιδα", καί· "οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομεν". πολλάκις μὲν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ ἡμᾶς ὄντας ἔτι περικειμένους τὸ σῶμα κρύπτει ὥστε μὴ βλάπτεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὅταν, ὡς εἶπον ἔνπροσθεν, "τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι" περιφέρῃ τις καὶ ὑπωπιάζῃ τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῇ. 5 ἐσκέπασέν με ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ. τὸ γὰρ ἀπόκρυφον τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ οὔκ ἐστιν βλαπτικόν, ἀλλὰ σκεπαστήριον. τὸ δὲ πρόχειρον τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἤδη Εἰρημένης βλάπτει μᾶλλον. οὕτω εἰμὶ σῶμα περικείμενος ὡς οὐκ ὢν ἐν σώματι, καταπινομένου τοῦ θνητοῦ "ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς". τὸ καταπίνεσθαι καὶ καταπίνειν ἐν τῇ γραφῇ νίκην σημαίνει· "ἐν ᾧ ἀνέστησαν, ἄρα ζῶντας ἂν κατέπιον ἡμᾶς", ἀντὶ τοῦ "ἐνίκησαν ἡμᾶς". καί· "κατεπόθη Ἰσραήλ, νῦν ἐγένετο ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὡς σκεῦος ἄχρηστον". "πάντες", φησίν, "οἱ ἐσθίοντες αὐτὸν πλημμελήσουσιν". κατα̣πίνει δὲ ὁ ἐσθίων. ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ "ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ" οὖν "τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ ἔκρυψέν με". δύναται καὶ ὁ ἐν σώματι γενόμενος ἐὰν τὸ αἴτιον καὶ τὸ μυστήριον, δι' ὃ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῷ, νοήσῃ, ἐν τῷ ἀποκρύφῳ αὐτῆς κατακεκρύφθαι· εὐθέως γὰρ γνοὺς τὸ μυστήριον καὶ τὸ αἴτιον κακώσει ἑαυτὸν καὶ οὐ καταπίνεται. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἢ πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα εἰρῆσθαι τοῦτο. εἰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι· "ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ ἔκρυψέν με"· ἔσχεν σκηνήν, ἐνηνθρώπησεν. ἔχει τι μυστήριον ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἡ κάθοδος τοῦ σωτῆρος. ὁ δυνάμενος οὖν μετὰ τὸ ἐσκηνωκέναι ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν γενόμενον σάρκα λόγον εἰπεῖν· "ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας", ἐσκεπάσθη "ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ". σκέπη αὐτοῦ γέγονεν τὸ νοῆσαι τὸ μυστήριον τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ σωτῆρος. Ἰουδαῖοι γοῦν οὐκ ἐνόησαν καὶ ὅσοι τοιοῦτοι, καὶ οὐκ ἐσκεπάσθησαν "ἐν τῷ ἀποκρύφῳ τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀπόδοσιν τὸ ἀπόκρυφον τῆς σκηνῆς τὸ τέλος εἶναι· τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκα προκόπτουσιν, εἰ καὶ λανθάνει τοὺς προκόπτοντας· εἰ μὴ γάρ τις ἐπ' αὐτὸ φθάσῃ, ἰδεῖν αὐτὸ οὐ δύναται ὥς ἐστιν, ὀψόμενος τότε τὸν θεὸν "καθώς ἐστιν", ὅταν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ πέρας ἔλθῃ τῆς μακαριότητος. ἐπερ · ἐθεασάμεθα ἤδη; -οὐ μὴν γιγνώσκομεν. "ἐκ μέρους γιγνώσκομεν". ἐπερ · τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν τὸ ταῦτα λέγον; οὐχ ὁ κυριακὸς