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yields precious stones, but understood spiritually, the apostles and other saints, concerning whom it is written: Holy stones are rolled upon the earth. But the stones are a place of sapphire, since, while being on earth, they have their citizenship in heaven; for the sapphire stone shows a heavenly color. 28, 6 And its dust is gold. Of the physical earth, as we also said before, there is a certain dust, which when refined contributes to the generation of gold. But of the 233 holy church, even the things that seem to be lowly, like dust, happen to be precious. 28, 7 A path, no bird has known it, nor has the eye of the vulture seen it. Literally this says, that God did not grant this path of the metallurgic art to vultures, which are most keen-sighted and perceive from on high the things that lie in the depths, nor to the other birds, but to the rational substance of men. But according to the meaning of the holy church, a demon, called a bird because it is of the air, did not know the way, nor was the eye of a vulture, that is, a lover of the body, able to perceive it; for the vulture is a flesh-eating bird. 28, 8 The sons of the proud have not trodden it, nor has the lion passed over it. Literally: but neither serpents, he says, nor the other great beasts—for these he calls sons of the proud—or lions have received this art from God. But according to the spiritual meaning: those who are discipled by demons and are justly called their sons are not able to tread the contemplated land, nor indeed the spiritual lion himself, that is, the devil. 28, 9-10 In the flinty rock he has stretched out his hand, he has overturned mountains from the roots, and he has broken the banks of rivers. 234 Literally: man, made wise by God, has not left even the peaks of the mountains untouched, but opening up and breaking apart the flinty rocks, he has caused springs to gush forth from there like rivers, and he has often cut down certain high structures, which indeed he calls mountains, levelling them to the rest of the land. But according to the spiritual meaning: God turned the flinty rock into springs of water, having prepared the once barren church of the nations to pour forth spiritual gifts like rivers. He overturned mountains from the roots, shaking the opposing powers from their foundations, concerning which it is written: if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: ‘Be taken up and be cast into the sea,’ and it will happen. It is also possible to understand the banks of rivers being broken by God in another way, as the onsets of temptations. 28, 10 And my eye has seen every precious thing. As a saint and prophet he says he has been fully informed of these precious mysteries, but as taking on the common person of men he says, that man was made wise by God in every precious thing. 28, 11 He has uncovered the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light. Literally: man, he says, by cutting open the earth and bringing forth waters, has brought forth into the open the power of his own knowledge, which he received from God. He says that through the things he works 235 he shows, how much power and authority he has received from God. But according to the spiritual meaning: the incarnate Word uncovered the multitudes of spiritual gifts, as the apostle also said concerning the mystery of Christ: which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men. But he also showed his power to the light according to the prophet who said: God will come manifestly, our God, and will not keep silent. 28, 12-14 But where was his wisdom found? And what is the place of knowledge? Man does not know its way, nor is it found among men. The deep said: ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea said: ‘It is not with me.’ Here he calls wisdom perfect piety, a divine, invisible thing, given by God alone to men. And the meaning of the words is this: God, he says, has given great things to men, having sown in their nature the discerning, and the wise, and the skillful, which men having received, they mine the earth and farm and prepare for torrents of water to rain down. But wisdom according to godliness it is not possible to find in any place, not in the deeps, not in the sea. Man is not able to receive this from himself, not by others

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τιμίους ἀναδίδωσι λίθους, ἡ δὲ νοηθεῖσα τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ λοιποὺς ἁγίους, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται· λίθοι ἅγιοι κυλίονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. τόπος σαπφείρου δέ εἰσιν οἱ λίθοι, ἐπειδήπερ ἐν γῇ τυγχάνοντες ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔχουσι τὸ πολίτευμα· ὁ γὰρ σάπφειρος λίθος οὐράνιον δείκνυσι χρῶμα. 28, 6 καὶ χῶμα χρυσίον αὐτῆς. τῆς μὲν αἰσθητῆς γῆς, ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴπαμεν, ἔστι τι χῶμα, ὅπερ ἑψόμενον εἰς χρυσοῦ συμβάλλεται γένεσιν. τῆς δὲ 233 ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι εὐτελῆ ὡς χῶμα τίμια τυγχάνουσιν. 28, 7 τρίβος, οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτὴν πετεινόν, καὶ οὐ παρέβλεψεν αὐτὴν ὀφθαλμὸς γυπός. πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς μεταλλικῆς τέχνης οὐ γυψὶ τοῖς ὀξυωπεστάτοις καὶ ἐξ ὕψους τὰ ἐν βάθει κείμενα καθορῶσιν οὐδὲ τοῖς λοιποῖς πετεινοῖς ὁ θεὸς ἐδωρήσατο, ἀλλὰ τῇ λογικῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐσίᾳ. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας οὐκ ἔγνω τὴν ὁδὸν δαίμων πετεινὸν λεγόμενος διὰ τὸ ἀέριος εἶναι, οὐδὲ ἠδυνήθη αὐτὴν κατανοῆσαι ὀφθαλμὸς γυπός, τουτέστι φιλοσώματος· σαρκοβόρον γὰρ πετεινὸν ὁ γύψ. 28, 8 οὐκ ἐπάτησαν αὐτὴν υἱοὶ ἀλαζόνων, οὐ παρῆλθεν ἐπ' αὐτῆς λέων. πρὸς μὲν ῥητόν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ δράκοντες, φησίν, ἢ τὰ ἕτερα μεγάλα θηρίαταῦτα γὰρ υἱοὺς ἀλαζόνων καλεῖἢ λέοντες ταύτην εἰλήφασι παρὰ θεοῦ τὴν τέχνην. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· οὐ δύνανται πατεῖν τὴν θεωρηθεῖσαν γῆν οἱ τοῖς δαίμοσι μαθητευόμενοι καὶ υἱοὶ τούτων ἐνδίκως καλούμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ νοητὸς λέων, τουτέστιν ὁ διάβολος. 28, 910 ἐν ἀκροτόμῳ ἐξέτεινε χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, κατέστρεψε δὲ ἐκ ῥιζῶν ὄρη, θῖνας δὲ ποταμῶν ἔρρηξεν. 234 πρὸς μὲν ῥητόν· ὑπὸ θεοῦ συνετισθεὶς ἄνθρωπος οὐδὲ τὰς τῶν ὀρῶν κορυφὰς ἀνεπάφους εἴασεν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀκροτόμους ἀναστομώσας καὶ ἀναρρήξας ποταμηδὸν ἐκεῖθεν πηγὰς ἀναβλῦσαι παρεσκεύασε, καὶ ὑψηλὰ δέ τινα ἀναστήματα πολλάκις ἐξέκοψεν, ἃ δὴ ὄρη καλεῖ, πρὸς τὴν λοιπὴν ἐξομαλίζων γῆν. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἀκρότομον ἔστρεψεν εἰς πηγὰς ὑδάτων, τὴν πάλαι ἄγονον τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν ἐξομβρῆσαι ποταμηδὸν τὰ πνευματικὰ χαρίσματα παρασκευάσας. κατέστρεψε δὲ ἐκ ῥιζῶν ὄρη, τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις ἐκ θεμελιῶν κατασείσας, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται· ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινήπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ· ἄρθητι καὶ βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ γενήσεται. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως θῖνας ποταμῶν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ῥηγνυμένας νοῆσαι τὰς ἐπισυστάσεις τῶν πειρασμῶν. 28, 10 πᾶν δὲ τίμιον εἶδέ μου ὁ ὀφθαλμός. ὡς μὲν ἅγιος καὶ προφητὴς τὰ τίμια ταῦτα μυστήρια πεπληροφορῆσθαι λέγει, ὡς δὲ τὸ κοινὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναδεχόμενος πρόσωπόν φησιν, ὅτι πᾶν τίμιον ἐσοφίσθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὑπὸ θεοῦ. 28, 11 βάθη δὲ ποταμῶν ἀνεκάλυψεν, ἔδειξεν δὲ αὐτοῦ δύναμιν εἰς φῶς. πρὸς μὲν ῥητόν· ἄνθρωπος, φησίν, ἀνατέμνων τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐξάγων τὰ ὕδατα, τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιστήμης, ἧς εἴληφε παρὰ θεοῦ, τὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὸ φανερὸν προεκόμισεν. λέγει δέ, ὅτι δι' ὧν ἐργά 235 ζεται δείκνυσιν, ὅσην εἴληφε παρὰ θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ ἐξουσίαν. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· ὁ ἐνανθρωπήσας λόγος τὰ πλήθη τῶν πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων ἀνεκάλυψεν, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος εἶπε περὶ τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ὃ ἑτέραις γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔδειξεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν εἰς φῶς κατὰ τὸν φήσαντα προφήτην· ὁ θεὸς ἐμφανῶς ἥξει, ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ οὐ παρασιωπήσεται. 28, 1214 ἡ δὲ σοφία αὐτοῦ πόθεν εὑρέθη; ποῖος δὲ τόπος ἐστὶ τῆς ἐπιστήμης; οὐκ οἶδε βροτὸς τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς οὐδὲ μὴ εὑρεθῇ ἐν ἀνθρώποις. ἄβυσσος εἶπεν· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ θάλασσα εἶπεν· οὐκ ἔστιν μετ' ἐμοῦ. σοφίαν ἐνταῦθα τὴν τελείαν εὐσέβειαν λέγει, πρᾶγμα θεῖον ἀόρατον ὑπὸ μόνου θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δωρούμενον. ὁ δὲ νοῦς τῶν ῥημάτων οὗτος· μεγάλα, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐδωρήσατο ἐν τῇ φύσει κατασπείρας αὐτῶν τὸ διαιρετικὸν καὶ σοφὸν καὶ τεχνικόν, ὅπερ λαβόντες ἄνθρωποι γῆν μεταλλεύουσι καὶ γεωργοῦσι καὶ ὑδάτων φορὰς ἐξομβρεῖν παρασκευάζουσιν. τὴν δὲ κατὰ θεοσέβειαν σοφίαν οὐκ ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ δυνατὸν εὑρεῖν, οὐκ ἐν ἀβύσσοις, οὐκ ἐν θαλάσσῃ. οὐκ οἴκοθεν ταύτην ἄνθρωπος ἀναλαβεῖν δύναται, οὐκ ἄλλοις