98

to run away from this. When progress has occurred, the former things pass away, which were of the Egyptian Hagar; for from earthly examples the introductory matters are confirmed. Therefore she flees, and an angel finds her fleeing; for an angel does not become unseen ... for this the addition of "of the Lord" signifies. They are called ... evil, as it is said: "a sending through evil angels ... we will judge angels". The angel, then, having found her fleeing on account of the 243 greatness of virtue, turns [her back]; for the teaching word and the introductory less[ons] turn one back to virtue. And it is good that it says she was found in the desert and at the spring on the way to Shur, which is interpreted as constraint; for she had not gone outside the house while fleeing, nor quickly ... from there ... somehow having begun the introductions to virtue... Therefore one is not outside the enclosure ... who remains in the introduction; wherefore the teach[ing] word also turns such a one back, showing him the futility of remaining, by saying: "Where do you come from and where are you going?" For it is fitting for the virtuous person to know both the beginnings and the goal; but the one who uses the introduction, often using the greatness of virtue as an excuse, remains in it, in a certain manner escaping the strain of perfection; for this is indicated by "From the face of Sarah my mistress I am running away". But also when the beauty of the spiritual law is present, the shadowy things flee, with luminous sacrifices being offered and introduced alongside those handed down by the shadow; thus also what is partial is abolished when the perfect is present. The one hearing from the Savior was running from the presence: It is necessary for you to be born from above, and saying: "How can a man be born when he is old?" for he understood the divine in a human way. And it is also good to be found at the spring of water; for the one being initiated is found concerned with purifications, which the water signifies, and such a one is in a desert of evils, having been delivered from wickedness and clinging to virtue. 244 ch. 9. And the angel of the Lord said to her: Return to your [mist]ress and be humbled under her hands. The literal meaning is not unclear; but it is shown from the allegory that, even if each person is led by some futile action, which he thought to be of those who busy themselves with the shadow of the law, and as it were flees from spiritual contemplation, the teaching word turns such a one back to the preceding will of ...; For the Lord also gently suggested departing from the things in the letters of the shadow by saying: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?" and "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls and drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of praise and pay your vows to the Most High". It is a great thing, therefore, to be found under the hands of spiritual teaching, which is called mistress, and to be humbled under it, it not being humble but as toward the mistress. For that which has been glorified has not been glorified in this respect, because of the glory that surpasses. ch. 10. And the angel of the Lord said to her: I will surely multiply your seed, and it will not be numbered for multitude. Not implausibly is he who lives according to the introduction also deemed worthy of a blessing; for his progress, proceeding according to the fitting goal, will arrive at the perfect. But observe that in the case of virtue—for from it is the legitimate seed of Abraham—when God brought him outside and said: "Look up now to heaven and count the stars, if you are able to number them", it is said: "So shall your seed be", but in her case it was not said as "your seed shall be as the stars" but only: it will not be numbered for multitude, lest from this difference you may be able to note that the 245 offspring of the perfect are luminous, but those of the introduction are not such. ch. 11. And the angel of the Lord said to her: Behold, you have conceived and shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, because he has heard

98

ἀποδρᾶναι ταύτην· προκοπῆς ἐγγεγενημένης τὰ πρότερα παρέρχεται, ἅπερ ἦν τῆς αἰγυπτίας Ἁγ̣άρ̣· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν γηΐνων παραδειγμάτων τὰ τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς βεβαιοῦται. Φεύγει οὖν αὕτη καὶ φεύγουσαν αὐτὴν ἄγγελος εὑρίσκει· οὐ γὰρ ἀφάνης γίνεται ἄγγελος ··· ··· ··· τ̣ο̣υ῀̣τ̣ο γὰρ ἡ προσθήκη τοῦ "6Κυρίου"6 σημαίνει. Εἴρηνται ··· ··· ··· π̣ονηροὶ καθὸ λέγεται· "6Ἀποστολὴν δι' ἀγγέλω̣ν̣ π̣ο̣ν̣η- ρ̣ω῀̣ν̣ ··· ··· ··· ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν"6. Ὁ ἄγγελος ο̣ὐ῀̣ν ε̣ὑρ̣ω`̣ν̣ αυ᾿̣τ̣η`̣ν φεύγουσαν διὰ τὸ τῆς 243 ἀρετῆς μέγεθος ἐπισ[τρέ]φει· ὁ γὰρ διδασκαλικὸς λόγος καὶ τὰ τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς μαθ[ήμ]ατα ἐπιστρέφει πρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐν ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς αὐτὴν λέγειν ηὑρῆσθαι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ Σου´̣ρ, ἥτις ἑρμηνεύεται συνοχή· οὐ γὰρ ἔξω τοῦ οἴκου ἐγεγόνει φεύγουσα οὐδὲ τάχει α···να αποστ····ν εκ̣ει··· ·ως δήπ̣οτε καὶ τῶν εἰσαγωγῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀρξαμεν·· Οὐκ ἔξω οὖν τοῦ περιβόλου γίνεται οτ··· ··· κα[··· ··] τῇ εἰσαγωγῇ καταμένῃ· διὸ καὶ ἐπιστρέφει ὁ διδασκα[λικ]ὸς λόγος τὸν τοιοῦτον ὑποδεικνὺς αὐτῷ τὸ ει᾿̣κα̣ῖον τῆς παραμονῆς διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· "6Πόθεν ἔρχῃ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ;"6 Πρέπει γὰρ καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν εἰδέναι τὸν ἐνάρετον· ὁ δὲ χρώμενος τῇ εἰσαγωγῇ πολλάκις τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀρετῆς προφασι- ζόμενος καταμένει ἐν αὐτῇ τρόπον τινὰ διαφεύγων τὸν τόνον τῆς τελειότητος· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ "6Ἀπὸ προσώπου Σάρα̣ς̣ τῆς κυρίας μου ἐγὼ ἀποδι- δράσκω"6. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ κάλλους τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου ἐνστάν- τος φεύγει τὰ σκιώδη, φωτεινῶν θυσιῶν παρ̣ὰ τὰς ὑπὸ τῆς σκιᾶς παραδιδομένων κα̣ὶ εἰσαχθεισῶν· οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργεῖται ἐνστάντος τοῦ τελείου. Ἀπεδί- δρασκεν ἀπὸ προσώπου ὁ ἀκούων πρὸς τοῦ Σωτῆρος· ∆εῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν, καὶ λέγων· "6Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν;"6 τὸ γὰρ θεῖον ἀνθρω- πίνως ἐνόει. Καλὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ εὑρίσκεσθ̣αι̣ ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος· ὁ γὰρ εἰσαγόμενος περὶ τὰ καθάρσια εὑρίσκεται, ἅπερ σημαίνει τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ εἰς ἔρημον τω῀̣ν̣ κακῶν ὁ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν κακίας ἀπηλλαγμένος καὶ ἐχ̣ο´̣μενος ἀρετῆς. 244 χῃι, 9. Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου· Ἀποστρά- φητι πρὸς τὴν [κυ]ρίαν σου καὶ ταπεινώθητι ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς. Τὸ μὲν ῥητὸν οὐκ ἀσαφές· δείκνυται δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀλληγο- ρίας ὅτι, κἂν ὑπό τινος εἰκαίας πράξεως ἄγῃ ἕκαστος, ἧς οἰήθῃ εἶναι τῶν τὴν σκιὰν τοῦ νόμου περιεπόντων, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀποφεύγῃ τὴν πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν, ὑποστρέφει τὸν τοιοῦτον ὁ διδασκαλικὸς λόγος εἰς τὸ προηγούμενον βούλημα το̣[ῦ ···]υ· Καὶ γὰρ Κύριος τὰ ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν τῆς σκιᾶς ἠρέμα ὑπέβαλλε̣[ν] ἀφίστασθαι αὐτῆς διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· "6Τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμ̣ω῀̣ν;"6 καὶ "6Μὴ φάγομαι κρέας ταύρων καὶ αἷμα τράγων πίομαι; Θῦσ̣ο̣ν̣ τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως καὶ ἀπόδος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ τὰς εὐχάς σου"6. Μέγα οὖν τὸ ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασ- καλίας κυρίασὀνομαζομένης εὑρίσκεσθαι καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι ὑπ' αὐτὴν οὐκ οὖσαν ταπεινὴν ἀλλ' ὡς πρὸς τὴν κυρίαν. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης. χῃι, 10. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου· Πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ οὐκ ἀριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους. Οὐκ ἀπιθάνως εὐλογίας ἀξιοῦται καὶ ὁ κατὰ τὴν εἰσαγωγὴν ζῶν· ἡ γὰρ τούτου προκοπὴ κατὰ τὸν προσή- κοντα σκοπὸν προΐουσα ἥξει ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον. Παρατήρει δὲ ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς ἀρετῆς-ἀπ' αὐτῆς γὰρ τὸ γνήσιόν ἐστι σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ-ἐξαγαγόντος τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτὸν ἔξω καὶ εἰπόντος· "6Ἀνάβλεψον δὴ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἀρίθμησον τοὺς ἀστέρας εἰ δυνήσῃ ἐξαριθμῆσαι αὐτούς"6, εἴρηται· "6Οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου"6, ἐπὶ δὲ ταύτης οὐκ ἐλέχθη ὡς "3κατὰ τοὺς ἀστέρας ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου"3 ἀλλὰ μόνον· οὐκ ἀριθμήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, μήποτε ἐκ ταύτης τῆς διαφορᾶς δυνήθῃς ἐπιστῆσαι ὅτι τὰ μὲν τοῦ 245 τελείου γεννήματα φωτεινὰ τυγχάνει, τὰ δὲ τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς οὐ τοιαῦτα. χῃι, 11. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου· Ἰδοὺ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχεις καὶ τέξεις υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ ὅτι ἐπήκουσεν