82

a stadium. 197 Concerning the diligent, the oracle says to them: "Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, you will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and its pinions with shimmering gold." To such a soul the Word says: "My beautiful one, my dove." Because such a soul, being steadfast, even if it is in temptations and is sent away from those who help, it returns unchanged to the one who helps, especially when it is conscious that it is not yet the end of the temptation, so as to take hold of land. And it is fitting not to strive for what is immoderate; wherefore also the righteous man stretches out his hand, assisting and offering help. We have brought this up for the sake of clarity. ῃιιι, 12. And having waited yet another seven days he again sent her out. Fittingly he again sends out the dove, and it returns having an olive twig in its mouth. For the diligent man does all things with reason; therefore, he brought deeds that guard the light to the righteous man, a sign of not relying on himself, but rather going to the teacher, "toward evening", thus near the end. And being sent out a third time, it no longer returns; for after so much progress, it has finally become self-sufficient, to be without a teacher. And so the allegorical interpretation is thus; but the literal meanings are not unclear. ῃιιι, 13. And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, and the rest. Since the literal meaning is clear, the things of the spiritual sense must be discussed. The one who has advanced upwards through virtue sees that wickedness has come to an end, having removed the veil that comes from temptations and having become superior to these. That it ceased on the twenty-seventh signifies steadfastness; for the number is a square and a cube. ῃιιι, 15-16. And the Lord God said: Go out from the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives, and the rest. We have noted before this that at the beginning of the flood it was fitting to be said "Enter into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and the wives of your sons with you", but now "Go out from the ark, you and your wife and your sons and the wives of 198 your sons". For it was necessary then, since all men were perishing, that they in a certain way not indulge licentiously in their marriages, but now he is fittingly commanded to go out with his wife, and the sons with their own wives; for they were about to become the beginning of ... {to be}. But fittingly he himself hears to go out, but concerning the animals he is commanded to bring them out, as their king and lord ordained by God. And the oracle is observed, that "all" came out, with none being harmed. ῃιιι, 20. And Noah built an altar. Even if Noah did cooperate in some way toward salvation by building the ark and securely pitching it and doing the other things, yet he did not rely on himself, but giving thanks he builds an altar. And fittingly before this we said that he reasonably brought more of the clean animals into the ark than the other animals; for he was about to offer sacrifice from them ***. And even if it had not yet been commanded by law to offer sacrifice, yet being righteous, just as Abel also from what he toiled for and had, offered first-fruits to God, considering it just to offer first-fruits with thanksgiving to the one who had given. But that it is said he offered "from all" upon the altar must be understood wisely. For there are three things that are offered for a sacrifice ... of the animals among the cattle: a calf, a sheep, ... of these, and a dove. These then are the "all". And it is possible to find this from the scriptures, that, when the universal is stated, it is proper to understand it in a consistent manner; for "And all flesh will see the salvation of God" one must not consider simply all, but that which is naturally able, which is the nature of man. And the aforementioned cattle are clean because of the things said in the law ***

82

στάδιον. 197 Περὶ τῶν σπουδαίων τὸ λόγιον πρὸς αὐτοῖς φησιν· "6Ἐὰν κοιμηθῆτε ἀνάμεσον τῶν κλήρων, πτέρυγες περι- στερᾶς περιηργυρωμέναι, καὶ τὰ μετάφρενα αὐτῶν ἐν χλωρότητι χρυσίου."6 Πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ψυχὴν ὁ λόγος φησίν· "6Καλή μου, περιστερά μου."6 ∆ιότι βεβαία τυγχάνουσα ἡ τοιαύτη ψυχή, κἂν ἐν πειρασμοῖς γένηται καὶ ἔξω τῶν ὠφελού<ν>των ἀποστάλῃ, ὑποστρέφει ἀδιά- φορος πρὸς τὸν ὠφελητήν, ὅτε μάλισ̣τα σύνοιδεν οὔπω τέλος εἶναι πειρασμοῦ, ὥστε γῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι. Καὶ πρέπει γὰρ μὴ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα ἀντιτείνειν· διόπερ καὶ ὁ δίκαιος ἐκτείνει τὴν χεῖρα ἐπικουρῶν καὶ βοήθειαν ὀρέγων. Τοῦτο δὲ ἀνηγά<γο>μεν διὰ τὸ σαφές. ῃιιι, 12. Καὶ ἐπίσχων ἔτι ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ ἑτέρας πάλιν ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτήν. Οἰκείως πάλιν ἐξαποστέλλει τὴν περιστεράν, καὶ ὑπο- στρέφει ἔχουσα ἐλαίας κάρφος ἐν τῷ στόματι. Λόγῳ γὰρ ἅπαντα πράττει ὁ σπουδαῖος· φωτὸς οὖν φυλακτικὰς πράξεις ἤγαγεν πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον, σημεῖον τοῦ μὴ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ βάλλεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἢ πρὸς τὸν διδάσκαλον χωρεῖν, "6πρὸς ἑσπέραν"6, πλησίον λοιπὸν τοῦ τέλους. Καὶ τρίτον διαπο- σταλεῖσα οὐκέτι ὑποστρέφει· μετὰ γὰρ τοσαύτας προκοπὰς αὐτάρχης λοιπὸν γεγένηται χωρὶς διδασκάλου εἶναι. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀναγωγὴ οὕτως· τὰ δὲ ῥητὰ οὐκ ἄδηλα. ῃιιι, 13. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ ἑξακοσιοστῷ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦ ῥητοῦ σαφοῦς ὄντος, τὰ τῆς διανοίας περιλαλητέον. Ὁ ἄνω χωρήσας διὰ καλοκαγαθίαν ὁρᾷ τὴν κακίαν τέλος λαβοῦσαν, περιελὼν τὸ κάλυμμα τὸ ἐκ πειρασμῶν συμβαῖνον καὶ τούτων ἀνω[τέρ]ω γεγονώς. Τὸ δὲ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι πεπαῦσθαι [τὴν] βεβαιό[τ]ητα σημαίνει· τετράγωνος γὰρ ὁ ἀριθμὸς καὶ κύβος. ῃιιι, 15-16. Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος ὁ Θεός· Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς κιβωτοῦ σὺ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν σου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐπεσημηνάμεθα πρὸ τ[ού]του ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ κατα- κλυσμοῦ ἁρμόνιον ἦν λεχθῆναι "6Εἴσελ[θε] εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ ἡ γυνή σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶ[ν] υἱῶν σου μετὰ σοῦ"6, νῦν δέ "6Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς κιβωτοῦ σὺ καὶ ἡ γυνή σου καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν 198 υἱῶν σου"6. Ἔδει γὰρ τότε μέν, ἅτε πάντων ἀνθρώπων φθειρομένων, τρόπον τινὰ μὴ ἐντρυφᾶν αὐτοὺς τοῖς γάμοις ἀκολάζοντας, νῦν οἰκείως μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτὸς ἐξελθεῖν κε̣λεύεται καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων οἱ υἱοί· ἀρχὴ γὰρ ἔμελλον τῆς ··· ··· ··· {ἔσεσθαι} γενέσθαι. Πρεπόντως δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀκούει ἐξελθεῖν, περὶ τῶν ζῴων ἐξαγαγεῖν προστάτ- τεται ὡς βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν καὶ δεσπότης πρὸς Θεοῦ χειρο- τονηθείς. Παρατηρεῖται δὲ τὸ λόγιον ὅτι "6πάντα"6 ἐξῆλθε, οὐδένος βλαβέντος. ῃιιι, 20. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Νῶε θυσιαστήριον. Εἰ καὶ συνε´̣πραξέν τι πρὸς σωτηρίαν Νῶε κατα- σκευάσας τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ ἀσφαλῶς αὐτὴν ἀσφαλτώσας καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ποιήσας, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ ἐβάλετο, ἀλλ' εὐχα- ριστῶν θυσιαστήριον οἰκοδομεῖ. Οἰκείως δὲ πρὸ τούτου ἐλέγομεν ὅτι πλείονα εἰκότως τῶν ζῴων τῇ κιβωτῷ καθαρὰ ζῷα εἰσήγαγεν· ἔμελλεν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἱερουρ- γεῖν ***. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μήπω νόμῳ προστεταγμένον ἦν ἱερουργεῖν, ἀλλὰ δίκαιος ὤν, καθὰ καὶ Ἄβε̣λ̣ ἐξ̣ ὡ῀̣ν̣ ἔκαμνεν καὶ εἶχεν ἀπήρχετο Θεῷ, δίκαιον ἡ[γούμ]ενος τῷ δεδωκότι εὐχαριστητικῶς ἀπάρχεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ "6ἀπὸ πάντων"6 εἴρ̣ησθαι αὐτὸν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσανενεγκεῖν συνετῶς ἀκούειν δεῖ. Τρία γάρ ἐστι τὰ εἰς θυσίαν ἀνα- φερόμεν[α] ··· ζῴων τῶν ἐν κτήνεσιν μόσχος, πρόβατον, ·ει̣[··]··νων δὲ τούτων, καὶ περιστερά. Ταῦτα οὖν ἐστι τὰ "6πάντα"6. Καὶ ἔστι τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν γραφῶν εὑρεῖν, ὅτι, τοῦ καθόλου λεγομένου, πρὸς τὸ [ἀκ]ολούθως αὐτὸ ἐκλαμβάνειν προσήκει· τὸ γὰρ "6Καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα [σὰρ]ξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ"6 οὐχ ἁπλῶς πᾶσαν ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν [πεφ]υκυῖαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνθρώπου φύσις. Καθαρὰ δὲ τὰ κτήνη τὰ [π]ροειρημένα διὰ τ̣ὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ εἰρημένα ***