of the gospel it is written that «Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved follow»ing, which also leaned on his breast at supper, and «said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith «to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If» I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. «Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not «die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, 32.20.261 «If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?» That this disciple who wrote the gospel is John is clear from what follows, which is that «This is the disciple which also 32.20.262 «testifieth of these things, and wrote these things». But observe in both places of the gospel in what manner Peter, as having more confidence in him and being inclined toward him, where he «beckons to him and «says: Say who it is of whom Jesus says he will betray him», and where, seeing him following, as if caring for him more than the rest, he says to Jesus about him: «Lord, and what» «of this man?» wishing to learn also the end concerning John, in the same way that he had come to know the things concerning himself, that when he should be old he would stretch forth his hands, 32.20.263 and another would gird him, and carry him where he would not. But if the words which Jesus spoke are spirit and not letter, through all things it is life and in no way death, and imitating him the disciple whom he loved writes spirit and life, one must hear «There was reclining one of «his disciples in Jesus’ bosom» in a manner worthy of the honor, which it is fitting for the son of God to give and for the one beloved 32.20.264 by him to receive. And I think that even if symbolically then John was reclining in Jesus’ bosom, having been deemed worthy of this privilege as one judged worthy of exceptional love from the master, this symbolic fact represents that John, reclining on the Word and resting in its more mystical aspects, was reclining in the bosom of the Word, analogously to him also being in the bosom of the Father, according to «The only begotten 32.20.265 «God, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him». Unless we also hear more humbly of «And it came to pass, that the beg»gar died, and was carried † by the angels into the bosom of «Abraham», we shall understand some such thing also concerning the bosom of Abraham; which if thus * * * we shall be, having defended ourselves against the perplexity from ignorance concerning the scripture, spoken by the one who wanted to reject the narrative about the rich man and the poor man; for if, he says, Lazarus was reclining in Abraham's bosom, another before this one departed this life would have been in Abraham's bosom, and before 32.20.266 that one, another. But also, he says, when another righteous man departs, the poor man will have to rise; for he who was perplexed about these things did not see Abraham's bosom, and that it is possible for myriads to rest at the same time in Abraham's bosom, sharing in the things revealed to him. 32.21.267 But if it is necessary to adduce another place from scripture concerning the name of the bosom, come let us examine in what manner the Lord said to Moses: «Put now thine hand into thy «bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, his hand «was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy «bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom «again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again 32.21.268 «as his other flesh». It is difficult, then, to see and beyond us, of what this sign can be a symbol. But since we must not be idle from seeking and must hand over what falls under our judgment to the reader, we shall say that the hand is in many places a symbol of actions; and the bosom of Moses has two powers, the first according to the meanings of the letter, making the action of the doer like snow, as far as the Hebrew voice is concerned, [or] even leprous; and the second according to the

εὐαγγελίου γέγραπται ὡς «Ἐπιστρα»φεὶς ὁ Πέτρος βλέπει τὸν μαθητὴν ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀκολου «θοῦντα, ὃς καὶ ἀνέπεσεν ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ, καὶ «εἶπεν· Κύριε, τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδιδούς σε; τοῦτον οὖν ἰδὼν ὁ Πέτρος «λέγει τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Κύριε, οὗτος δὲ τί; λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἐὰν»αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; σύ μοι ἀκολούθει. «ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ λόγος εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ὅτι ὁ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος οὐκ «ἀποθνήσκει. οὐκ εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει, ἀλλ'· 32.20.261 «Ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ;» ὅτι δὲ ὁ μαθη τὴς οὗτος ὁ γράψας τὸ εὐαγγέλιον Ἰωάννης ἐστὶν δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἐπιφερομένων οὕτως ἐχόντων ὅτι «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μαθητὴς ὁ καὶ 32.20.262 «μαρτυρῶν περὶ τούτων, ὁ γράψας ταῦτα». παρατήρει δὲ ἐν ἀμφο τέροις τοῖς τόποις τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τίνα τρόπον ὁ Πέτρος, ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖον αὐτῷ θαρρῶν καὶ προσκεκλιμένος, ὅπου μὲν «Νεύει αὐτῷ καὶ «λέγει· Εἰπὲ τίς ἐστιν, περὶ οὗ ὁ Ἰησοῦς προδώσοντός φησιν», ὅπου δὲ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀκολουθοῦντα ὡς φροντίζων αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς λέγει τῷ Ἰησοῦ περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Κύριε, οὗτος δὲ «τί;» βουλόμενος μαθεῖν καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην τέλος ὁμοίως τῷ ἐγνωκέναι τὰ περὶ αὑτοῦ, ὅτι ὅταν γηράσῃ ἐκτενεῖ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, 32.20.263 καὶ ἄλλος αὐτὸν ζώσει καὶ οἴσει ὅπου οὐ θέλει. εἴπερ δὲ ἃ ἐλάλει ῥήματα ὁ Ἰησοῦς πνεῦμά ἐστιν καὶ οὐ γράμμα, δι' ὅλων ζωή ἐστιν καὶ οὐδαμῶς θάνατος, καὶ μιμούμενος αὐτὸν ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα πνεῦμα καὶ ζωὴν ἀναγράφει, ἀκουστέον τοῦ «Ἦν ἀνακείμενος εἷς ἐκ «τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ» ἀξίως τιμῆς, ἧς πρέπει διδόναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ λαμβάνειν τὸν ἀγαπώμενον 32.20.264 ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ νομίζω ὅτι εἰ καὶ συμβολικῶς τότε ἀνακείμενος Ἰωάννης ἦν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τοῦ γέρως τούτου ἀξιωθεὶς ὡς ἐξαιρέτου ἀγάπης κριθεὶς ἄξιος τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου, τὸ συμβολικὸν τοῦτο παρίστησιν ὅτι Ἰωάννης ἀνακείμενος τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τοῖς μυστικωτέροις ἐναναπαυόμενος, ἀνέκειτο ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ λόγου, ἀνάλογον τῷ καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ πατρός, κατὰ τὸ «Ὁ μονογενὴς 32.20.265 «θεός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο». εἰ μὴ ταπεινότερον δὲ ἀκούομεν καὶ τοῦ «Ἐγένετο δὲ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτω «χὸν καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτὸν † ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἰς τὸν κόλπον «Ἀβραάμ», τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ περὶ τοῦ κόλπου Ἀβραὰμ νοήσομεν· ὅπερ ἐὰν οὕτως * * * ἐσόμεθα, ἀπολογησάμενοι πρὸς τὴν κατ' ἄγνοιαν περὶ τῆς γραφῆς ἐπαπόρησιν, λεχθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ βουληθέντος ἀθε τῆσαι τὴν περὶ τὸν πλούσιον καὶ τὸν πένητα διήγησιν· εἰ γὰρ ἀνέ κειτο, φησίν, εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ Λάζαρος, ἕτερος πρὸ τοῦ τοῦτον ἐξελθεῖν τὸν βίον ἦν <ἂν> ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, καὶ πρὸ 32.20.266 ἐκείνου ἄλλος. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλου, φησί, δικαίου ἐξελθόντος ὁ πτωχὸς ὑπαναστήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἑώρα τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ περὶ τού των ἐπαπορῶν, καὶ ὅτι δυνατόν ἐστιν μυρίους ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἅμα ἀναπαύσεσθαι, κοινωνοῦντας τῶν ἀποκαλυφθέντων αὐτῷ. 32.21.267 Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλον τόπον περὶ τῆς τοῦ κόλπου ὀνομασίας δεήσει παραθέσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς, φέρε ἐξετάσωμεν τίνα τρόπον εἶπεν κύριος τῷ Μωϋσῇ· «Πάλιν εἰσένεγκον τὴν χεῖρά σου εἰς τὸν «κόλπον σου. καὶ εἰσήνεγκεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ, «καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ χεὶρ «αὐτοῦ λεπρῶσα ὡσεὶ χιών. καὶ εἶπεν· Εἰσένεγκον τὴν χεῖρά σου «εἰς τὸν κόλπον σου. καὶ εἰσήνεγκε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόλπον «αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἀπε 32.21.268 «κατεστάθη εἰς τὴν χρόαν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ». χαλεπὸν μὲν οὖν ἰδεῖν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς, τίνος σύμβολον εἶναι δύναται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο. ἐπεὶ δὲ χρὴ καὶ ἡμᾶς μὴ ἀργεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ζητεῖν καὶ τὸ ὑπο πῖπτον εἰς κρίσιν παραδοῦναι τῷ ἐντευξομένῳ, φήσομεν ὅτι ἡ χεὶρ πράξεων πολλαχοῦ σύμβολόν ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ κόλπος Μωϋσέως δύο δυνά μεις ἔχει, τὴν μὲν προτέραν καὶ κατὰ τὰ τοῦ γράμματος νοήματα, ποιοῦσαν τὴν πρᾶξιν τοῦ πράττοντος ὡσεὶ χιών, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ, [ἢ] καὶ λεπρῶσαν· τὴν δὲ δευτέραν καὶ κατὰ τὸν