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worship, performing it intellectually, “in spirit and in truth.” 3.59 With these things having been considered, sequence calls us to understand how from all the tongues of the nations ten men will take hold of the fringe, that is, of the body of the spiritual Jew. 3.60 The number ten is mystically set here by way of allegory, 3.60 as also in other divinely inspired oracles about which we will speak next, first saying that it is impossible that from all the nations and all their tongues, there being countless and many people, only ten men, if the number is taken at face value, would have followed Jesus; for he is the true Jew who has arisen from Judah. 3.61 Is it not then that all the multitudes from different nations and tongues who have come to the gospel to live according to it and have knowledge of the holy Trinity are mystically ten, similarly to what was said by Jesus in Matthew in the manner of a parable: “Then the kingdom of heaven will be likened to ten virgins,” with all the believers being the ten virgins in the following sense? 3.62 Every person, being a living creature, has five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch; in addition to these, he has equal ones also in the mind: enlightened eyes, hearing, about which the prophet, giving thanks to the great giver, says, “He has given me an ear to hear.” And there is a sense of smell related to the hidden sight and hearing, by which it is fitting to perceive the “fragrance of Christ” and the breath of his spiritual ointments. 3.63 And there are also taste and touch besides the common ones, by which it is possible to taste that Christ is the Lord, and to touch and handle the Word of life. All, therefore, who are disciples of the gospel, when they have their senses, both the outer and the inner, incorrupt, are ten virgins ruled by Christ; but if ever some, through laziness, neglecting the senses of the inner man, operate only by the mortal ones, they will become five foolish virgins, attending only to perceptible things, so that their light, not being fed, will have an extinguishing and lack of oil. 3.64 In the aforesaid manner, from all tongues and nations there are ten men who go with the true Jew, who have kept both kinds of senses unstained and incorrupt, according to what was said by the Apostle: “Grace” and peace will be “with those who love our Lord Christ in incorruption.” 3.65 It is likely that the friends of the letter think that the ten men are those who have put into practice the decalogue ministered by the great hierophant; but also Christians, whose name “Jesus” begins with the tenth letter both among Greeks and Hebrews; for not only in the Greek but also in the Hebrew letters, the iota is the tenth. 3.66 But so that the scientific theory of numbers may appear unforced, also according to the divinely inspired scripture, it is possible to bring forward many things; but it is sufficient for the present to use the words of Paul the apostle and of John, the disciple beloved by Jesus. For the one writes to the Romans that God had said, “I have left for myself seven thousand men who have not bent the knee to Baal,” and the other, “to follow the Lamb,” that is, the Savior, “one hundred forty-four thousand virgins, not defiled with women.” 3.67 For it is not possible to take these things historically; for how, when such a multitude of God-fearing men remained, did the great prophet Elijah not know, so as to say, “I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it”? And how is it possible to take literally so many thousands of virgins, especially men, especially at a time when the ascension of the Savior had not long since happened, so that John was still among men? 3.68 But indeed each of these things truly

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προσκυνοῦσιν, νοητῶς αὐτὸ ἐνεργοῦντες, «πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ». 3.59 Τούτων προτεθεωρημένων, εἱρμὸς καλεῖ ἐκλαβεῖν πῶς ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν γλωσσῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν δέκα ἄνδρες ἐπιλήμψονται τοῦ κρασπέδου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ πνευματικοῦ Ἰουδαίου. 3.60 Ὁ δέκα ἀριθμὸς μυστικῶς κατ' ἀλληγορίαν καὶ ἐνταῦθα 3.60 κεῖται, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις θεοπνεύστοις λογίοις περὶ ὧν ἑξῆς ἐροῦμεν, πρῶτον εἰπόντες ὡς ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ πασῶν τῶν γλωσσῶν αὐτῶν, μυρίων καὶ πολὺ ἀνθρώπων ὄντων, μόνους δέκα ἄνδρας κατὰ πρόχειρον τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ λαμβανομένου ἠκολουθηκέναι τῷ Ἰησοῦ· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθῶς Ἰουδαῖος ἀνατείλας ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα. 3.61 Μή ποτ' οὖν πάντα τὰ πλήθη τὰ ἐκ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν προσελθόντα τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ἐπὶ τῷ κατ' αὐτὸ πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ γνῶσιν ἔχειν τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος μυστικῶς δέκα τυγχάνουσιν, παραπλησίως τῷ λεχθέντι παρὰ Μαθθαίῳ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ παραβολῆς τρόπῳ· «Τότε ὁμοιωθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν δέκα παρθένοις», τῶν πιστευσάντων πάντων τυγχανόντων τῶν δέκα παρθένων νοήσει τοιᾶδε. 3.62 Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ζῷον ὢν πέντε αἰσθήσεις ἔχει, ὄψιν, ἀκοήν, ὄσφρησιν, γεῦσιν, ἁφήν· πρὸς ταύταις καὶ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν τὰς ἴσας ἔχει· ὀφθαλμοὺς πεφωτισμένους, ἀκοήν, περὶ ἧς ὁ προφήτης εὐχαριστῶν τῷ μεγαλοδώρῳ φησίν· «Προσέθηκέν μοι ὠτίον τοῦ ἀκούειν.» Ἔστι δὲ συγγενὴς τῇ ἐν κρυπτῷ ὄψει καὶ ἀκοῇ ὄσφρησις, καθ' ἣν ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι προσήκει τῆς «Χριστοῦ εὐωδίας» καὶ πνοῆς τῶν πνευματικῶν αὐτοῦ μύρων. 3.63 Ἔστι δὲ καὶ γεῦσις καὶ ἁφὴ παρὰ τὰς κοινάς, καθ' ἃς γεύσασθαι ἔστιν ὅτι Χριστὸς ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ἅψασθαι καὶ ψηλαφῆσαι τοῦ τῆς ζωῆς Λόγου. Πάντες οὖν ὅσοι ποτ' ἂν ὦσιν οἱ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μαθηταί, ὅταν ἀδιαφθόρους ἔχωσιν τὰς αἰσθήσεις, τάς τε ἔξω καὶ τὰς ἔνδον, δέκα παρθένοι τυγχάνουσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ βασιλευόμενοι· εἰ δέ ποτε ἐκ ῥαθυμίας ἀφέντες τινὲς τὰς τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου αἰσθήσεις κατὰ μόνας τὰς θνητὰς ἐνεργοῖεν, μωραὶ πέντε παρθένοι γενήσονται, μόνοις τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἐπανέχουσαι, ὡς καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτῶν οὐ τρεφομένου, ἐλαίου σβέσις καὶ ἐπίλειψις ἔσται. 3.64 Κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον ἐκ πασῶν γλωσσῶν καὶ ἐθνῶν ἄνδρες δέκα τυγχάνουσιν πορευόμενοι μετὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ἰουδαίου οἱ ἀμφότερα τὰ γένη τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἄχραντα καὶ ἀδιάφθορα φυλάξαντες, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· «Ἡ χάρις» καὶ εἰρήνη ἔσται «μετὰ τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ.» 3.65 Εἰκὸς τοὺς τοῦ γράμματος φίλους νομίσαι ἄνδρας δέκα εἶναι τοὺς εἰς ἔργα μεταβαλόντας τὴν δεκάλογον διακονηθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου ἱεροφάντου· ἀλλὰ καὶ χριστιανοὺς τοὺς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἔχοντας ἀρχόμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ δεκάτου στοιχείου καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησιν καὶ Ἑβραίοις· οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἑλληνικοῖς ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς Ἑβραίων στοιχείοις τὸ ι δέκατόν ἐστιν. 3.66 Ὅπως δὲ ἀβίαστος φανῇ ἡ ἐπιστημονικὴ θεωρία τῶν ἀριθμῶν καὶ κατὰ τὴν θεόπνευστον γραφήν, πολλὰ μὲν ἔστιν παραγαγεῖν· ἀρκεῖ δ' ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος συγχρήσασθαι λέξεσιν Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου καὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἠγαπημένου ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθητοῦ. Ὃ μὲν γὰρ Ῥωμαίοις γράφει τὸν Θεὸν εἰρηκέναι· «Κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ βάαλ», ὃ δὲ «ἕπεσθαι τῷ ἀρνίῳ», δηλαδὴ τῷ Σωτῆρι, «παρθένων ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρας χιλιάδας, μετὰ γυναικῶν μὴ μεμολυσμένων». 3.67 Οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν ταῦτα ἐπὶ ἱστορίας λαβεῖν· πῶς γάρ, τοσούτου πλήθους καταλιπόντος θεοσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὁ μέγας προφήτης Ἠλίας ἠγνόει, ὡς φάναι· «Ἐγὼ ὑπολέλειμμαι μόνος καὶ ζητοῦσι τὴν ψυχήν μου τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτήν»; Πῶς δὲ καὶ τοσαύτας χιλιάδας παρθένων μάλιστα ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ ῥητοῦ ἔστι λαβεῖν, τότε μάλιστα ὅτε τὰ τῆς ἀναλήμψεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ ἐγεγόνει, ὡς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἀκμὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις εἶναι; 3.68 Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἕκαστον τούτων ἀληθῶς