74

of the spirit is given, the different gifts of the spirit were measured out; for it was necessary to have surpassed the number seven times seven and to take the beginning of another 108 such number and so to be perfected. The number fifty therefore is taken for many great things. The seventh month again is perfect. The feast of tabernacles therefore happens in the seventh month according to the Hebrews. Again for six years the land was sown, but in the seventh year unsown. That year remained, being kept for the poor. And there again, if a festival is held every seven years, that year is again a seventh year. Seven times seven is also celebrated according to what is called among the Hebrews the Jubilee. The Jubilee is the fiftieth year. Every fifty years certain festivals were celebrated. And this year had more than the other years. We were saying that there are both seventh years and seventh months. In the fiftieth year, called the Jubilee, there was also a remission of debts. The creditors granted forgiveness, being led to this by the law, they cancelled debts according to their ability, and not even interest was collected. And another thing: houses that had been sold and fields became redeemable in the fiftieth year. If the one who had sold was able to give the price, his own possession which he had before was restored to him. But the word hinted at this, that if someone should dispose of his own way of life—and often the way of life is called a house, as in this: "if he who hears the words of Jesus does them, he builds his own house." And again: "since the midwives feared God, they made houses for themselves." Was this then written primarily about women who are midwives only; for they did not have a house even before. Because of the fear of God they built these houses, the right ways of life, those accomplished with the fear of God. The house has already been made manifest. And someone takes back that field, which he had before and neglected its care, so as to sow again in it the good seed, to sow unto righteousness, to reap unto the fruit of life, to gather from it the produce of righteousness. Therefore, never consider the inscriptions of the psalms. This one therefore is "before he was anointed." If you are looking for the inscription, this one should rather not be the twenty-sixth. Furthermore, Absalom attacked his father after the events concerning the wife of Uriah; as far as it came to the order of the numbers, after the fiftieth; and that psalm is inscribed as the third. We look to the powers of the numbers and thus we receive the order of the thoughts, not simply to the numbers. Someone asked me about "all wisdom is from the Lord," and I was saying that if it says "all wisdom," it means every kind of wisdom, but if it says "all the wisdom," it means one whole. Just as if we say "all the city," we mean one whole city, but when we say "every city is governed according to law," we do not mean one, but all the cities. And so the numbers lie in things, having been put there by no one other than God. And having made all things in wisdom, he also made the numbers in wisdom. Since, tell me, when do you think the passage in Isaiah is fulfilled? "And it shall be," it says, "after seventy years Tyre will be restored to its former state," from what point are the seventy years counted? Not even in this way, that we might take it according to history,109 but seventy periods of the sun of righteousness are seventy years; for the sun travels around, illuminating souls and manifesting the doctrines of truth and sending out its rays. Therefore, when someone is perfected and ceases from progress, having arrived at the end, then the seventy years are completed for him. As regards the text before us, the digression is not fitting, but as regards the question, it is necessary. 7 Hear, O Lord, my voice with which I have cried out. I cried out a voice to you asking for those things which it is good for me to receive. And indeed the paradox: he sends up a prayer of a prayer; for he who asks that his previous prayer be heard, a prayer for a prayer

74

πνεύματος δέδοται, τὰ διάφορα χαρίσματα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιμετρήθη· ἔδει γὰρ ὑπερβεβηκέναι τὸν ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸν καὶ ἀρχὴν λαβεῖν ἄλλου 108 τοιούτου ἀριθμοῦ καὶ οὕτω τελειωθῆναι. ὁ πεντήκοντα οὖν ἐπὶ πολλῶν παραλαμβάνεται μεγάλων. ὁ ἕβδομος μὴν πάλιν τέλειός ἐστιν. ἡ σκηνοποιία οὖν ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ μηνὶ γίνεται κατ' Ἑβραίους. πάλιν ἓξ ἔτη ἐσπείρετο ἡ γῆ, τῷ δὲ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει ἄσπορος. ἔμενεν τοῖς πτωχοῖς φυλαττόμενος ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ἐκεῖνος. κἀκεῖ οὖν πάλιν, εἰ διὰ ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν ἄγεταί τις πανήγυρις, πάλιν ἑβδομαδικός ἐστιν ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ἐκεῖνος. ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἄγεται δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν λεγόμενον παρὰ Ἑβραίοις Ἰωβηλαῖον. ὁ Ἰωβηλαῖος πεντηκοστός ἐστιν ἐνιαυτός. διὰ πεντήκοντα ἐτῶν ἐπετελεῖτό τινα πανηγυρικά. πλεῖον δὲ εἶχεν οὗτος ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς τῶν ἄλλων ἐνιαυτῶν. ἐλέγομεν εἶναι καὶ ἑβδόμους ἐνιαυτοὺς καὶ ἑβδόμους μῆνας. ἐν τῷ πεντηκοστῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῷ καλουμένῳ Ἰωβηλαίῳ καὶ χρ̣εοκοπία ἐγί νετο τῶν χρεῶν. ἐχαρίζοντο οἱ δανεισταὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου εἰς τοῦτο ἀγόμενοι, ἐχρεοκόπουν κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ οὐδὲ τόκους εἰσεπράττετο. καὶ ἄλλο· αἱ οἰκίαι αἱ ἀποδεδομέναι καὶ οἱ ἀγροὶ λυτρωτοὶ ἐγίνοντο τῷ πεντηκοστῷ ἐνιαυτῷ. εἰ εἶχεν ὁ πωλήσας δοῦναι τὸ τίμημα, ἀπεκαθίστατο αὐτῷ ἡ κτῆσις ἑαυτοῦ ἣν εἶχεν πρότερον. ᾐνίττετο δὲ ὁ λόγος τοῦτο, ὅτι καὶ ἐάν τις τὴν πολιτείαν ἑαυτοῦ ἐκποιήσηται-πολλάκις δὲ ἡ πολιτεία οἰκία εἴρηται, ὡς τό· "ἐὰν ποιήσῃ τοὺς Ἰησοῦ λόγους ὁ ἀκούσας αὐτούς, οἰκοδομεῖ τὴν οἰκίαν ἑαυτοῦ". καὶ πάλιν· "ἐπεὶ ἐφοβοῦντο αἱ μαῖαι τὸν θεόν, ἐποίησαν ἑαυταῖς οἰκίας". ἄρα περὶ μόνων γυναικῶν μαιουμένων ταῦτα γέγραπται προηγουμένως· οὐκ εἶχαν γὰρ οἰκίαν καὶ πρότερον. διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκοδόμησαν οἰκίας ταύτας, τὰς πολιτείας τὰς ὀρθάς, τὰς σὺν φόβῳ θεοῦ κατορθουμένας. ἡ οἰκία ἤδη πεφανέρωται. καὶ τὸν ἀγρόν τις δὲ ἐκεῖνον, ὃν πρότερον εἶχεν καὶ ἠμέλησεν περὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν αὐτοῦ, ἀναλαμβάνει ὥστε σπεῖραι πάλιν αὐτοῦ τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα, σπεῖραι εἰς δικαιοσύνην, τρυγῆσαι εἰς καρπὸν ζωῆς, γενήματα δικαιοσύνης συναγαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. μηδέποτε οὖν εἰς τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς τῶν ψαλμῶν σκόπει. οὗτος οὖν "πρὸ τοῦ χρισθῆναί" ἐστιν. ἐὰν ζητῇς τὴν ἐπιγραφήν, ἔδει μᾶλλον τοῦτον μὴ εἰκοστὸν ἑκτὸν εἶναι. ἔτι μὴν ὁ Ἀβεσσαλὼν ἐπέθετο τῷ πατρὶ μετὰ τὰ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Οὐρίου· ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τάξιν ἀριθμῶν, μετὰ τὸν πεντηκοστόν· καὶ τρίτος ἐπιγράφεται ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐκεῖνος. εἰς τὰς δυνάμεις τῶν ἀριθμῶν σκοποῦμεν καὶ οὕτω τὴν τάξιν τῶν νοημάτων ἐκλαμβάνομεν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἰς τοὺς ἀριθμούς. ἐρώτησέν μέ τις τὸ "πᾶσα σοφία παρὰ κυρίου", καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι ἐὰν λέγῃ "πᾶσα σοφία", πᾶσαν τὴν κατ' εἶδος λέγει, ἐὰν δὲ λέγῃ "πᾶσα ἡ σοφία", μίαν ὅλην λέγει. ὡς καὶ ἐὰν λέγωμεν "πᾶσα ἡ πόλις", μίαν λέγομεν ὅλην, ὅταν δέ· "πᾶσα πόλις κατὰ νόμον διοικεῖται", οὐ μίαν λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ πάσας τὰς πόλεις. καὶ οἱ ἀριθμοὶ οὖν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν κεῖνται οὐ πρὸς ἄλλου τεθέντες ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. πάντα δὲ ἐν σοφίᾳ ποιήσας καὶ τοὺς ἀριθμοὺς ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησεν. ἐπεί, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἰσαίᾳ πότε δοκεῖς πληροῦσθαι; "καὶ ἔσται", λέγει, "μετὰ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη ἀποκαταστήσεται Τύρος εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον", ἀπὸ πότε τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἐτῶν ἀριθμουμένων; οὐδὲ ὧδε, ἵνα κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν λαμβάνω109 μεν, ἀλλὰ ἑβδομήκοντα περιόδους τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐνιαυτοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα· περιοδεύει γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος τὰς ψυχὰς φωτίζων καὶ τὰ δόγματα τῆς ἀληθείας φανερῶν καὶ ἐκπέμπων τὰς ἀκτῖνας. ὅταν οὖν τις τελειωθῇ καὶ καταπαύσῃ τῆς προκοπῆς εἰς τὸ τέλος ἀφιγμένος, τότε συνέστη αὐτῷ τὰ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη. ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν τὸ προκείμενον οὐκ οἰκεία ἡ παρέκβασις, ὡς δὲ πρὸς ἐρώτησιν ἀναγκαία. 7 εἰσάκουσον, κύριε, τῆς φωνῆς μου, ἧς ἐκέκραξα. φωνὴν ἔκραξα πρὸς σὲ αἰτούμενος, ἃ καλόν μοι ὑπαρχθῆ ναι. καὶ τὸ δὴ παράδοξον· εὐχῆς εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει· ὁ γὰρ παρακαλῶν τινα τὴν φθάσασαν εἰσακουσθῆναι αὐτοῦ εὐχήν, εὐχὴν ἀντὶ εὐχῆς