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Again, he himself, writing about himself to the Corinthians, "whether we are out of our mind, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you," having clearly called the sober madness according to God an "ecstasy," as that which places outside of existing things the sober mind that experiences it.

But I suppose that the number of these (7,307) signifies the temporal providence of ways according to the word, together with dispassion(26); according to which the mind, set over both word and thought in practice, just as over Hebrew boys and serving maidens, defines the measures of their ministry according to virtue, transferring them toward contemplation, and, caring for the spirited and appetitive powers as if for foreign boys and maidens, like a master over slaves, leads them toward the freedom of equal honor according to the end(27), making desire a yearning for the enjoyment of divine things, and the spirited power, an unceasing intensity of this enjoyable yearning, and making the foreign slaves true Hebrews according to grace.

Male and female singers, eight hundred fifty-five. Male singers(28) are those who proclaim the divine word in practice through virtuous ways without contemplation. Female singers(29) are those who, with the gnostic delight of contemplation, initiate others into the divine word through virtuous ways and sweeten their intelligible ears. The number of these signifies the science of eternal things attainable by humans. For (14Γ_076> eight hundred(30) and fifty indicate, the one the future principles of knowledge, and the other those of the virtues; while five represents the science based upon these, just as we explained a little earlier concerning the number five.

Camels, four hundred thirty-five. Camels, going forth with the sons of Israel as they are released with great freedom from bitter captivity, are the various natural contemplations of visible things, having, in the manner of a camel, the surfaces of visible things as unclean with respect to sensation, like feet, but the higher principles within them in spirit as pure with respect to the mind, like a head.

And perhaps it was concerning these camels that the great Isaiah prophetically revealed the glory of the intelligible Jerusalem, saying, "and the camels of Midian and Ephah will cover you,"(31) that is, the spiritual contemplations of the natural passions. For Midian is interpreted as 'judgment' or 'bloody clay or human and maternal sweat,' while Ephah is 'possession of the back,' which is contemplation of the passions of the flesh lifted on high, for the flesh is the soul's back, as its rear part; by which, as if by walls, the word says that the spiritual possession of the peaceful and undisturbed knowledge of mystical visions is covered, just like a holy city.

The number itself(32) also indicates the power that has been bestowed, signifying the rational movement concerning nature and time.

And horses, seven thousand seven hundred thirty-six. A horse is one who possesses the entire vigor of the spirited power in the race of the virtues throughout life. For they say that the horse's gall is in the natural calluses of its feet. For this reason, out of all the other tame animals subjugated by nature to humans, it was judged more suitable and more powerful for running; (14Γ_078> to which the great prophet Habakkuk, through the Spirit, likened the holy apostles, saying, "and you mounted your horses upon the sea, stirring up many waters," calling the holy and blessed apostles horses, bearing the saving word of truth before the nations and kings in all the world, which he tropically called the sea; and he likened the nations to waters, stirred and shaken by the great power in the word of the Spirit, and by this saving tremor transferred from unbelief to faith, and from ignorance to full knowledge, and from vice to virtue.

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πάλιν αὐτός, περὶ ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς Κορινθίους γράφων εἴτε ἐξέστημεν, Θεῷ, εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν, τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν σώφρονα μανίαν ἔκστασιν δηλονότι καλέσας, ὡς ἔξω ποιουμένην τῶν ὄντων τὸν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν σώφρονα νοῦν.

Τὸν δὲ τούτων ἀριθμὸν (7.307) σημαίνειν ὑπονοῶ τὴν κατὰ τὸν λόγον χρονικὴν μετὰ τῆς ἀπαθείας τῶν τρόπων πρόνοιαν(26)· καθ᾽ ἣν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ διανοίᾳ καθάπερ ἑβραίοις παισὶ καὶ παιδίσκαις δουλεύουσι κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐπικείμενος ὁ νοῦς ὁρίζει τὰ μέτρα τῆς κατ᾽ ἀρετὴν τούτων ὑπουργίας, μεταφέρων πρὸς θεωρίαν, καί, θυμοῦ καὶ ἐπιθυμίας ὡς ἀλλοφύλων παίδων καὶ παιδισκῶν ἐπιμελούμενος ὡς δούλων δεσπότης, πρὸς τὴν ἰσότιμον ἄγει κατὰ τὸ τέλος(27) ἐλευθερίαν, τὴν μὲν ἐπιθυμίαν ποιῶν ἔφεσιν τῶν θείων ἀπολαυστικήν, τὸν δὲ θυμόν, τόνον ἀπολαυστικῆς ἐφέσεως ἄληκτον, καὶ ἀποτελῶν ἑβραίους ἀληθινοὺς κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους δούλους.

Ψάλται καὶ ψαλτῳδοὶ ὀκτακόσιοι πεντηκονταπέντε. Ψάλται(28) εἰσὶν οἱ τὸν θεῖον λόγον τοῖς τῶν ἀρετῶν τρόποις ἄνευ θεωρίας κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀναφωνοῦντες. Ψαλτῳδοί(29) εἰσιν οἱ τὸν θεῖον λόγον τοῖς τῶν ἀρετῶν τρόποις μετὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν γνωστικῆς τερπνότητος τοῖς ἄλλοις μυσταγωγοῦντες καὶ τὰ νοητὰ αὐτῶν ὦτα καθηδύνοντες. Ὁ δὲ τούτων ἀριθμὸς δηλοῖ τὴν ἐφικτὴν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιστήμην τῶν αἰωνίων. Ὁ (14Γ_076> γὰρ ὀκτακόσια(30) καὶ ὁ πεντήκοντα ὁ μὲν τοὺς τῆς γνώσεως, ὁ δὲ τοὺς τῶν ἀρετῶν μέλλοντας λόγους ὑποφαίνει· ὁ δὲ πέντε τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπιστήμην παρίστησι, καθὼς περὶ τοῦ πέντε μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἀποδεδώκαμεν ἀριθμοῦ.

Κάμηλοι τετρακόσιαι τριακονταπέντε. Κάμηλοι, συνεξιοῦσαι τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ, σὺν ἐλευθερίᾳ πολλῇ τῆς πικρᾶς ἀπολυομένοις αἰχμαλωσίας, εἰσὶν αἱ φυσικαὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων διάφοροι θεωρίαι, κατὰ τὴν κάμηλον ἔχουσαι πρὸς μὲν αἴσθησιν, ὥσπερ πόδας, ἀκαθάρτους τὰς ἐπιφανείας τῶν ὁρατῶν, πρὸς δὲ νοῦν, ὥσπερ κεφαλήν, καθαροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς ὑψηλοτέρους ἐν πνεύματι λόγους.

Καὶ τάχα περὶ τούτων τῶν καμήλων τὴν δόξαν τῆς νοουμένης Ἱερουσαλὴμ προφητικῶς ὁ μέγας προδεικνὺς Ἡσαΐας ἔφη καὶ καλύψουσί σε κάμηλοι Μαδιὰμ καὶ Γεφάρ(31), τουτέστιν αἱ πνευματικαὶ θεωρίαι τῶν κατὰ φύσιν παθῶν. 'Ἔκκρισις' γὰρ Μαδιὰμ ἑρμηνεύεται ἢ 'πηλὸς αἱματώδης ἢ ἱδρῶτες ἀνθρώπινοι καὶ μητρός,' Γεφὰρ δὲ 'κτῆσις νώτου,' ὅπέρ ἐστι θεωρία εἰς ὕψος αἰρομένη τῶν περὶ σάρκα παθῶν, ψυχῆς δὲ νῶτον, ὡς ὀπίσθιον, ἡ σάρξ· οἷς, καθάπερ πόλιν ἁγίαν, τὴν πνευματικὴν τῆς εἰρηνικῆς καὶ ἀστασιάστου τῶν μυστικῶν θεαμάτων γνώσεως λῆξιν, οἷα τείχεσι, καλύπτεσθαί φησιν ὁ λόγος.

∆ηλοῖ δὲ τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν δύναμιν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ἀριθμός(32), τὴν περὶ φύσιν καὶ χρόνον λογικὴν σημαίνων κίνησιν.

Καὶ ἵπποι ἑπτακισχίλιοι ἑπτακόσιοι τριακονταέξ. Ἵππος ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν τῷ δρόμῳ τῶν ἀρετῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἔχων ὅλην τοῦ θυμοῦ τὴν εὐτονίαν. Φασὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἵππου τὴν χολὴν εἰς τὰς κατὰ φύσιν τῶν ποδῶν ὠτειλὰς εἶναι. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντων τῶν λοιπῶν ἡμέρων ζῴων καὶ τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπεζευγμένων ἐκρίθη μᾶλλον πρὸς δρόμον ἐπιτηδειότερός τε καὶ δυνατώτερος· (14Γ_078> οἷς παρεικάσας τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους ὁ μέγας προφήτης Ἀμβακοὺμ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματός φησι καὶ ἐπεβίβασας εἰς θάλασσαν τοὺς ἵππους σου, ταράσσοντας ὕδατα πολλά, ἵππους καλέσας τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ μακαρίους ἀποστόλους, τὸν σωτήριον τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον βαστάζοντας ἐνώπιον ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλέων ἐν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ, ὃν τροπικῶς ὠνόμασε θάλασσαν· καὶ τὰ ἔθνη παρείκασεν ὕδασι, διὰ τῆς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Πνεύματος μεγάλης δυνάμεως ταρασσόμενά τε καὶ σειόμενα, καὶ τῷ σωτηρίῳ σεισμῷ μεταβιβαζόμενα πρὸς πίστιν ἐξ ἀπιστίας καὶ πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν ἐξ ἀγνωσίας καὶ ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετήν.