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from us the Master, as from those perfect in virtue, demands the highest virtue, and while being long-suffering with other people who transgress greatly, he does not grant this pardon to the saints. A certain wise man also said this: " for the least is worthy of pardon through mercy, but the mighty shall be mightily tested ". And the Lord in the holy gospels: " For to whom little is given, of him they will ask little, but to whom much is given, of him they will ask much ". However, this also must be known, that the Master manages different things through different means. Just as, of course, he did not permit this great prophet to lead the people into the land of promise, so that the Israelites would not worship him as God; for those who deified inanimate things and named the image of a calf a god, 262 it is clear that they would have much more worshipped as god the minister of so many good things to them; for this reason, God, who wisely governs our affairs, also made his tomb unknown. And it is also fitting to know this, that Moses holds the type of the law, for which reason the law has the name 'Moses'; " for he says, 'They have Moses and the prophets' ". And, " to this day, when Moses is read ". And: " death reigned from Adam until Moses ". For just as we call Isaiah not only the prophet but also his book, and Jeremiah and Ezekiel not only the men, but also their books; and the apostle not only the herald of truth himself, but also his book, so also has the law been named Moses, while Joshua the son of Nun, is a type of the savior of the world. Therefore, just as Moses led the people out of Egypt, but Joshua led them into the promised land, so the law delivers from impiety those who obey, but the grace of the gospels leads into the kingdom of heaven. XLIV How are the blessings of the tribes to be understood? First the prophet recalled the divine epiphany which occurred on Mount Sinai. " The Lord," he says, "will come from Sinai and appeared to us from Seir, and rested from Mount Paran with ten thousands of Kadesh; at his right hand, angels with him ". Both in the desert of Paran, and in Seir they enjoyed the divine care. But here Kadesh does not mean the desert, but the interpretation of the name. For Kadesh in the Hebrew language 263 signifies 'holy'. He said therefore, that many ten thousands of holy angels were with the Mas- 263 -ter, who deems them worthy of his own care. He necessarily added: " And all the sanctified are under his hands and these are under you ". For even if they have an invisible nature, yet they are under your dominion; for they have you as their creator. And he foretells that he who has now chosen Israel, a little later will also call all the nations and he himself will be ruler and king of both these and those. " There will be," he says, "a ruler in the beloved, when the peoples are gathered together with the tribes of Israel ". Having said these things, he first blesses Reuben, and he undoes the paternal curse by setting brotherly love against the transgression against his father. And it was permitted for him as a lawgiver to change the curse into a blessing. " Let Reuben live and not die, and let him be many in number ". For since his father said: " do not boil over like water, " that is, do not be inflamed to begetting many children, he fittingly prayed for a multitude of descendants for him. Then, skipping over the order, he offers the blessing to Judah, on account of the Master who according to the flesh sprang from there. " For it is evident," says the divine apostle, "that our Lord has sprung from Judah ". And he also foretells the Davidic kingdom. " Hear," he says, "O Lord, the voice of Judah, and may he come to his people. His hands will contend for him and you will be a helper against his enemies ". Thus having blessed the royal tribe, he passes on to the priestly one: " Give to Levi his manifestations and his truth to the holy man ". The oracle was placed on the breast of the priest; and this had the manifestation and the truth; for many things were manifested beforehand from there; and truth is joined to the manifestations, because of the truthfulness of the things manifested. " whom they tested

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τούτων ἡμᾶς ὁ δεσπότης, ὡς τοὺς ἐν ἀρετῇ τελείους τὴν ἄκραν ἀρετὴν ἀπαιτεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις μεγάλα παρανομοῦσι μακροθυμῶν, τοῖς ἁγίοις ταύτης οὐ μεταδίδωσι τῆς συγγνώμης. τοῦτο καὶ σοφός τις ἔφη· " ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐλάχιστος συγγνωστός ἐστιν ἐλέους, δυνατοὶ δὲ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσον ται ". καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις· " ᾧ μὲν γὰρ ὀλίγον δοθήσεται, ὀλίγον καὶ ἀπαιτήσουσι παρ' αὐτοῦ, ᾧ δὲ πολὺ δοθήσεται, πολὺ ἀπαιτήσουσι παρ' αὐτοῦ ". ἰστέον μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς ἕτερα δι' ἑτέρων ὁ δεσπότης οἰκονομεῖ. ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τουτονὶ τὸν μέγαν προφήτην οὐκ εἴασεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας εἰσαγα γεῖν τὸν λαόν, ἵνα μὴ ὡς Θεὸν αὐτὸν σεβασθῶσιν οἱ ἰσραηλῖται· οἱ γὰρ τὰ ἄψυχα θεοποιήσαντες καὶ μόσχου εἰκόνα θεὸν ὀνομάσαντες, 262 δῆλον ὅτι πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὡς θεὸν ἂν ἐσεβάσθησαν τὸν τοσούτων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν γεγενημένον διάκονον· τούτου χάριν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν τάφον ἄδη λον πεποίηκεν ὁ σοφῶς τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς πρυτανεύων Θεός. εἰδέναι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προσήκει, ὡς Μωϋσῆς τύπον ἐπέχει τοῦ νόμου, διὸ καὶ Μωϋσῆς τὴν προσηγορίαν ὁ νόμος ἔχει· " ἔχουσι, γάρ φησι, Μωϋσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ". καί, " ἕως σήμερον ἡνίκα ἀνα γινώσκεται Μωϋσῆς ". καί· " ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνα τος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωϋσέως ". ὥσπερ γὰρ Ἠσαΐαν καλοῦμεν οὐ τὸν προφήτην μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου βιβλίον, καὶ Ἱερε μίαν καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ οὐ τοὺς ἄνδρας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων βιβλία· καὶ τὸν ἀπόστολον οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν κήρυκα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου βιβλίον, οὕτω καὶ Μωϋσῆς ὁ νόμος ὠνόμασται, Ἰησοῦς δὲ ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ, τύπος τοῦ σωτῆρος τῆς οἰκουμένης. ὥσπερ τοίνυν Μωϋσῆς μὲν ἐξήγαγε τὸν λαὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, Ἰησοῦς δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην εἰσήγαγε γῆν, οὕτως ὁ νόμος μὲν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀπαλλάττει τοὺς πειθο μένους, ἡ δὲ τῶν εὐαγγελίων χάρις εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσάγει τῶν οὐ ρανῶν. XLIV Πῶς νοητέον τὰς τῶν φυλῶν εὐλογίας; Πρῶτον ἀνέμνησεν ὁ προφήτης τῆς θείας ἐπιφανείας τῆς ἐν τῷ Σινᾷ ὄρει γεγενημένης. " Κύριος, γάρ φησιν, ἐκ Σινᾷ ἥξει καὶ ἐπέ φανεν ἡμῖν ἐκ Σιείρ, καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐξ ὄρους Φαρὰν σὺν μυριάσι Κάδης· ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἄγ γελοι μετ' αὐτοῦ ". καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ Φαράν, καὶ ἐν τῷ Σιεὶρ τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἀπήλαυσαν. Κάδης δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν ἔρημον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος ἑρμηνείαν. τὸ γὰρ Κάδης τῇ ἑβραίων φωνῇ τὸν 263 ἅγιον δηλοῖ. ἔφη τοίνυν, ὅτι πολλαὶ μυριάδες ἁγίων ἀγγέλων τῷ δεσ 263 πότῃ συνῆσαν, τῆς οἰκείας αὐτοὺς ἀξιοῦντι κηδεμονίας. ἀναγκαίως δὲ προστέθεικε· " καὶ πάντες ἡγιασμένοι ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ οὗτοι ὑπὸ σέ εἰσιν ". εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀόρατον ἔχου σι φύσιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν δεσποτείαν τελοῦσι· σὲ γὰρ ἔχουσι ποιητήν. προλέγει δὲ ὅτι ὁ νῦν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκλεξάμενος, μικρὸν ὕστερον καὶ πάντα καλέσει τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τούτων κἀκείνων αὐτὸς ἔσται ἄρχων καὶ βασιλεύς. " ἔσται, γάρ φησιν, ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἄρχων, συναχ θέντων λαῶν ἅμα φυλαῖς Ἰσραήλ ". Ταῦτα εἰπών, πρῶτον εὐλογεῖ τὸν Ῥουβήν, καὶ λύει τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρὰν ἀντιτάξας τὴν φιλαδελφίαν τῇ περὶ τὸν πατέρα παρανομίᾳ. ἐξῆν δὲ ὡς νομοθέτῃ εἰς εὐλογίαν τὴν ἀρὰν μεταθεῖναι. " ζήτω Ῥουβὴν καὶ μὴ ἀποθανέτω, καὶ ἔσται πολὺς ἐν ἀριθμῷ ". ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ εἶπεν· " ὡς ὕδωρ μὴ ἐκζέσῃς ", τουτέστι μὴ θερ μανθῇς εἰς πολυγονίαν, εἰκότως αὐτῷ τῶν ἀπογόνων τὸ πλῆθος ἐπηύ ξατο. εἶτα τὴν τάξιν ὑπερβάς, τῷ Ἰούδα τὴν εὐλογίαν προσφέρει, διὰ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν κατὰ σάρκα βεβλαστηκότα δεσπότην. " πρόδηλον, γάρ φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ". προλέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν δαβιτικὴν βασιλείαν. " εἰ σάκουσον, γάρ φησι, Κύριε, φωνῆς Ἰούδα, καὶ εἰς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἔλθοι. αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ διακρι νοῦσιν αὐτῷ καὶ βοηθὸς ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ ἔσῃ ". οὕτω τὴν βασιλικὴν εὐλογήσας φυλὴν εἰς τὴν ἱερατικὴν μετα βαίνει· " δότε Λευῒ δήλους αὐτῷ καὶ ἀλήθειαν αὐ τοῦ τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῷ ὁσίῳ ". τῷ στέρνῳ τοῦ ἱερέως τὸ λόγιον ἐπέκειτο· εἶχε δὲ τοῦτο τὴν δήλωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· πολλὰ γὰρ ἐκεῖ θεν προεδηλοῦτο· συνῆπται δὲ τοῖς δήλοις ἡ ἀλήθεια, διὰ τὸ ἀψευδὲς τῶν δηλουμένων. " ὃν ἐπείρασαν