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there is no deceit"; but not these about whom it is said: "Behold Israel according to the flesh". These things, then, are about the difference between seed and child; but one must return to the passage set forth. Abram therefore builds an altar, being moved with thanksgiving, offering spiritual sacrifices, even if he made the symbol concerning those things of which it is said "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God" and "Offer to God the sacrifice of praise" and "Offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord". "It was necessary, therefore, that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these sacrifices; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Such an altar, then, he who is advancing builds, having followed the one who called him and having gone outside the land and the kindred and the house of his father, so as henceforth to be deemed worthy to see God, He himself having deigned to be seen by the holy one. xii, 8. And he departed from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and pitched his tent there, toward the sea and Ai toward the south. What the literal meaning indicates is not unclear; but for anagogical interpretation it signifies that he passed on to a higher progress and state. It is indicated through the mountain, and not 220 simply "to the mountain", but that of the house of God; for this is how Bethel is interpreted, which is not only this, but also with others according to what is said in the Song of Songs: "My kinsman is like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bethel". For there are many mountains and hills in the house of God, as from "Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills"; and with each advance it is possible to ascend to a hill, and from the hill to a mountain, and from lower mountains to higher ones; for this is known both in the introductions to the virtues and in the virtues themselves. And there is one mountain above all, our Savior and Lord, about whom it is said: "In the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest," which is different from the other mountains, so that the holy one, for the sake of teaching, says, that some might not be deceived: "Why do you suppose, you curdled mountains?" then instructing about the most excellent mountain, he says: "The mountain of God is a rich mountain, a curdled mountain, a rich mountain. Why do you suppose, you curdled mountains, that it is the mountain in which God was pleased to dwell?" which signifies the incarnate Lord. For the embodiment is indicated through this word, just as also in Job: "Have you not poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese?" For the Savior alone is from a virgin; for which reason it is said. Is this said about others? For no other had such a constitution. Wherefore Job did not say "I was curdled", but "you curdled me like cheese"; for what the Spirit has done, this the casting of seeds accomplishes in others, God having commanded it. And the same is also "rich" from the presence of the Spirit and of the power of the Most High. And in a common sense, all things and the temple of the Savior himself exist from God by creation, but it is exceptional in the case of the Lord; for He used it as an instrument for the incarnation. And just as the whole earth is a creature of God, but the temple had an exceptional status because God delivered oracles from there, 221 so also in the case of the aforementioned things. That where God gives oracles, that place is called His house, Jacob testifies, saying: "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven". One must not, therefore, pay attention if many should say that they are christs according to what was said: "For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ’". For there is one mountain in which "God was pleased to dwell"; for the good pleasure of the dwelling and not a man formed it. To this mountain, therefore, Abram, advancing in understanding, burns offerings. Indeed at any rate he came and testified to him, saying: "Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it and was glad", being enlightened by the true light which was procured for him from

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δόλος οὐχ ὑπάρχει"6· ἀλλ' <οὐχ> οὗτοι περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "6Βλέπετε τὸν Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ σάρκα"6. Ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς σπέρματος καὶ τέκνου· ἐπανελθετέον δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ ἐκτεθὲν ῥητόν. Οἰκοδομεῖ τοίνυν Ἀβρὰμ θυσιαστήριον εὐχαριστητικῶς κινούμενος, πνευμα- τικῶς ἀναφέρων θυσίας, εἰ καὶ τὸ σύμβολον ἐποίει περὶ ὧν εἴρηται "6ἀνενέγκαι πνευματικὰς θυσίας εὐπροσδέκτους τῷ Θεῷ"6 καὶ "6Θῦσον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως"6 καὶ "6Θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ Κύριον"6. "6Ἀνάγκη δὲ τὰ μὲν ὑποδείγματα τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ταύταις ταῖς θ̣υσίαις καθαρίζεσθαι, αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια κρείττοσιν θυσίαις παρὰ ταύτας."6 Τοιοῦτον οὖν θυσια- στήριον οἰκοδομεῖ ὁ προκόπτων καὶ ἀκολουθήσας τῷ καλέσαντι καὶ ἔξω τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς συγγενείας καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς γεγενημένος ὡς λοιπὸν ἀξιωθῆναι τοῦ ἰδεῖν Θεόν, αὐτοῦ καταξιώσαντος ὀφθῆναι τῷ ἁγίῳ. χιι, 8. Καὶ ἀπέστη ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος κατὰ ἀνατολὰς Β̣αιθήλ, καὶ ἔστησεν ἐκεῖ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ κατὰ θάλασσαν καὶ Ἀγγαὶ κατὰ νότον. Τὸ μὲν ῥητὸν τί δηλοῖ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄδηλον· πρὸς̣ δ' ἀναγωγὴν σημαίνει ὡς ἐπὶ ὑψηλοτέραν προκοπὴν καὶ κα̣τ̣α´̣σ̣τ̣ασιν διέβη. ∆ηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ ὄρους, καὶ οὐχ 220 ἁπλῶς "6εἰς τὸ ὄρος"6, α᾿̣λ̣λὰ τὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ Βαιθὴλ ἑρμηνεύε[τ]αι, ὅπερ οὐ μόνον ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺν ἄλλοις κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἄισμασιν εἰρημένον· "6Ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀδελφιδός μου τῷ δόρκωνι ἢ νεβρῷ ἐλάφων ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη Βαιθήλ"6. Πολλὰ γὰρ ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν ὡς ἐκ τοῦ "6Ἰδοὺ οὗτος ἥκει πηδῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη διαλλόμενος ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνούς"6· καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην προκοπὴν ἔστιν εἰς βουνὸν ἀνελθεῖν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ βουνοῦ εἰς ὄρος, καὶ ἐκ ταπεινοτέρων ὀρῶν εἰς ὑψηλότερα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔν τε ταῖς εἰσαγωγαῖς τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς γνωρίζεται. Ἓν δέ ἐστιν τὸ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὄρος, ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν, περὶ οὗ λέγεται· "6Ἔσται ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου"6, ὅπερ ἄλλο ἐστὶ παρὰ τὰ ἕτερα ὄρη, ὡς τὸν ἅγιον διδασκαλίας χάριν λέγειν, ἵνα μὴ ἀποσφάλωσίν τινες· "6Ἵνα τί ὑπολαμβάνετε, ὄρη τετ<υ>ρωμένα;"6 εἶτα παιδεύων τὸ ἐξοχώτατον ὄρος φησίν· "6Ὄρος τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅρος πῖον, ὄρος τετυρωμένον, ὄρος πῖον. Ἵνα τί ὑπολαμβάνετε, ὄρη τετυρωμένα, τὸ ὄρος ὃ εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ;"6 ὅπερ σημαίνει τὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα Κύριον. Ἡ γὰρ ἐνσωμάτωσις δηλοῦται διὰ ταύτης τῆς λέξεως, καθὰ καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἰώβ· "6Ἦ οὐχ ὥσπερ γάλα με ἤμελ-ξας, ἐτύρωσας δέ με ἴσα τυρῷ;"6 Μόνος γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐκ παρθένου· διὸ λέγεται. Μὴ περὶ ἄλλων τοῦτο λέγεται; οὐδὲ γὰρ τοιαύτην ἔσχεν σύστασιν ἄλλος. ∆ιόπερ ὁ Ἰὼβ οὐκ εἶπεν "3ἐτυρώθην"3, ἀλλ' "6ἴσα τυρῷ ἐτύρωσάς με"6· ὃ γὰρ πεποίηκεν τὸ Πνεῦμα, τουτὸ ἡ καταβολὴ τῶν σπερμάτων ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐνεργεῖ, Θεοῦ κελεύσαντος. Τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ "6πῖον"6 ὑπάρχει ἐκ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Πνεύματοσκαὶ τῆς τοῦ Ὑψίστου δυνάμεως. Καὶ τῷ κοινῷ μὲν λόγῳ πάντες καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ναὸς τοῦ Σωτῆρος κατὰ δημιουργίαν ἐκ Θεοῦ τυγχάνουσιν, ἐξαίρετον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κυρίου· ὀργάνῳ γὰρ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν κέχρηται. Καὶ ὥσπερ πᾶσα μὲν ἡ γῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν κτίσμα, ἐξαίρετον δὲ εἶχεν ὁ ναὸς διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖθεν τὸν Θεὸν χρημα- 221 τίζειν, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προειρημένων̣. [Ὅ]τι δέ, ἔνθα Θεὸς χρηματίζει, οἶκος αὐτοῦ ὁ τόπος ἐκεῖνος λέγετ[αι], μαρτυρεῖ Ἰακὼβ λέγων· "6Ὡς φοβερὸς ὁ τόπος οὗτος· οὐκ ἔστιν τοῦτο ἀλλ' ἢ οἶκος Θεοῦ, καὶ αὕτη πύλη το<ῦ> οὐρανοῦ"6. Οὐ δεῖ οὖν προσέχειν, εἰ λέγοιεν πολλοὶ ἑαυτοὺς χριστοὺς κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· "6Πολλοὶ ἐλεύσονται ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου λέγοντες· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός"6. Ἓν γάρ ἐστιν ὄρος ἐν ᾧ "6εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖν"6· ἡ γὰρ εὐδόκησις τῆς κατοικήσεως αὐτὸ καὶ οὐκ ἀνὴρ ἔπλασεν. Εἰς τοῦτο οὖν τὸ ὄρος τῇ διανοίᾳ προκόπτων καίει ὁ Ἀβράμ. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ἐλθὸν ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ λέγον· "6Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἠγαλλιάσατο ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμήν, καὶ εἶδεν καὶ ἐχάρη"6, φωτισθεὶς τῷ ἀληθινῷ φωτὶ προξενηθέντι αὐτῷ ἐκ