124

of a quantity and its intensity. Therefore, being laudably disposed to Scripture, they signify perfect immovability with respect to the passions; that is, the cessation of passions. This characterizes the state of the age to come, in which there is no generation of passions. The number forty represents an image of sensible things; and five, of the senses; to which, according to natural science, the sensible world is subject. Therefore, the present number rightly signifies the disposition which is barren of evil, and the perfect renunciation by divine men of sensible things according to the relation of the senses to them.

37. He calls the number five spherical, as being cyclical and returning to itself in every combination of it with every odd number. For if you combine five five times with each odd number, you will find that the resulting number ends in five. For example, five times three is fifteen; five times five is twenty-five; five times seven is thirty-five; five times nine is forty-five. Thus, proceeding to infinity, you will find five combined five times with each odd number, and fifty fifty times, and five hundred five hundred times, and five thousand five thousand times, returning to itself according to the resulting number, which is a property of cyclical and spherical motion. For this reason, those wise in such things have rightly called the number five both spherical and cyclical, as never entirely departing from itself in its combination with the so-called odd numbers. It also signifies general knowledge, which in no way departs from itself in its knowledge through the unceasing motion concerning the universe, and which embraces all things by the power of reason.

38. By freeing us from passions with the expectation of punishment, wisdom produces fear; but by habituating the mind to the acquisition of the virtues, it works a longing to see the things to come.

39. Wisdom is fear, becoming a deprivation by way of avoidance for those who do not desire it; and it is longing, being found as a disposition of enjoyable activity for those who love it.

NS (56). CONCERNING THE ENEMIES OF JUDAH AND BENJAMIN WHO CAME. (14C_116> 56. QUESTION 56 Again, it is written in the second book of Esdras: And the enemies of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin heard and came to find out what the sound of the trumpets was, and they learned that those from the captivity were building the temple to the Lord God of Israel, and, approaching Zerubbabel and Jesus and the leaders of the families, they said to them: Let us build with you, for we, like you, hearken to your Lord and have sacrificed to him since the days of Asbakaphath, king of the Assyrians, who brought us here. And Zerubbabel and Jesus and the leaders of the families of Israel said to them: It is not for you and us to build the house for the Lord our God; for we alone will build for the Lord of Israel. What, then, do these things mean, and especially the envy, on account of which they refused to let those who worship the same God build with them?

Answer. Judah is interpreted as 'confession'; and the meaning of this word is twofold(1); the one

being made in thanksgiving for the good things that have been bestowed, the other being spoken in reproof and examination of things wrongly done.

For 'confession' means both the enumeration of the divine benefactions with thanksgiving on the part of those who have received benefits, and the declaration of things wrongly done on the part of the guilty (14C_118>.

Both(2) are productive of humility; for both he who gives thanks for good things, and likewise he who upon

124

ποσοῦ καί τήν ἐπίτασιν. Οὐκοῦν ἐπαινετῶς τῇ Γραφῇ κείμενοι, τήν πρός τά πάθη τελείαν ἀκινησίαν δηλοῦσι· τουτέστι, παθῶν ἀπογένεσιν. Τοῦτο δέ τήν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος χαρακτηρίζει κατάστασιν, ἐν ᾧ παθῶν γένεσις οὐκ ἔστιν. Ὁ δέ τεσσαράκοντα, τῶν αἰσθητῶν εἰκόνα φέρει· καί ὁ πέντε, τῶν αἰσθήσεων· αἷς κατ᾿ ἐπιστήμην φυσικήν ὁ αἰσθητός ὑποπέπτωκε κόσμος. Εἰκότως οὖν τήν περί κακίαν ἄγονον ἕξιν, καί τήν πρός τά αἰσθητά κατά τήν πρός αὐτά τῶν αἰσθήσεων σχέσιν τελείαν τῶν θείων ἀνδρῶν ἀποδιάθεσιν ὁ παρών ἀριθμός δηλοῖ.

37. Σφαιρικόν τόν πέντε φησίν ἀριθμόν, ὡς κυκλικόν καί εἰς ἑαυτόν κατά πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ πρός πάντα περιττόν ἀριθμόν γινομένην σύνθεσιν, ἀποκαθιστάμενον. Ἑκάστῳ γάρ περιττῷ τόν πέντε πενταπλασίως συνθείς, εἰς τόν πέντε λήγοντα τόν συναγόμενον εὑρήσεις ἀριθμόν. Οἷον πεντάει τρεῖς, δεκαπέντε· πεντάει πέντε, εἰκοσιπέντε· πεντάει ἑπτά, τριακονταπέντε· πεντάει ἐννέα, τεσσαρακονταπέντε. Οὕτως οὖν ἐπ᾿ ἄπειρον προϊών, εὑρήσεις ἑκάστῳ περιττῷ ἀριθμῷ συντιθέμενον πεντάκις τόν πέντε, καί πεντηκοντάκις τόν πεντήκοντα· καί πεντακοσιοντάκις τόν πεντακόσια· καί πεντακισχιλιοντάκις τόν πεντακισχίλια, πρός ἑαυτόν κατά τόν συναγόμενον ἀριθμόν ἀποκαθιστάμενον ὅπερ κυκλικῆς ἴδιον καί σφαιρικῆς ὑπάρχει κινήσεως. Εἰκότως οὖν σφαιρικόν τε καί κυκλικόν οἱ τά τοιαῦτα σοφοί τόν πέντε κεκλήκασιν ἀριθμόν· ὡς μηδέποτε παντελῶς ἑαυτοῦ κατά τήν πρός τούς λεγομένους περιττούς ἀριθμούς σύνθεσιν ἐξιστάμενον. Σημαίνει δέ καί τήν γενικήν ἐπιστήμην, τήν μηδαμῶς τῇ περί τό πᾶν ἀλήκτῳ κινήσει κατά τήν γνῶσιν ἑαυτῆς ἐξισταμένην, καί πάντα τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ λόγου περιλαμβάνουσαν.

38. Ἐλπίδι κολάσεως παθῶν ἀπαλλάσσουσα, φόβον ἡ σοφία ποιεῖ· τῆ δέ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπικτήσει τόν νοῦν ἐθίζουσα, βλέπειν τά μέλλοντα πόθον ἐργάζεται.

39. Ἡ σοφία φόβος ἐστίν, κατά τήν ἀποφυγήν γινομένη στέρησις, τοῖς οὐκ ὀρεγομένοις αὐτῆς· καί πόθος ἐστίν, ἕξις ἀπολαυστικῆς ἐνεργείας εὑρισκομένη, τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτήν.

ΝS (56). ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΗΛΥΘΟΤΩΝ ΕΧΘΡΩΝ ΙΟΥ∆Α ΚΑΙ ΒΕΝΙΑΜΙΝ. (14Γ_116> 56. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝS' Πάλιν γέγραπται ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ Ἔσδρα· Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς φυλῆς

Ἰούδα καὶ Βενιαμὶν ἐληλύθασιν ἐπιγνῶναι τίς ἡ φωνὴ τῶν σαλπίγγων καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν ὅτι οἱ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας οἰκοδομοῦσι τὸν ναὸν τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ Ἰσραήλ, καί, προσελθόντες τῷ Ζοροβάβελ καὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῖς ἡγουμένοις τῶν πατριῶν, λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς· Συνοικοδομήσωμεν ὑμῖν, ὁμοίως γὰρ ὑμῖν ἀκούομεν τοῦ Κυρίου ὑμῶν καὶ αὐτῷ ἐπιθύομεν ἀφ᾽ ἡμερῶν Ἀσβακαφὰθ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, ὃς μετήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ζοροβάβελ καὶ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ ἡγούμενοι τῶν πατριῶν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Οὐχ ἡμῖν καὶ ὑμῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν οἶκον Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ἡμεῖς γὰρ μόνοι οἰκοδομήσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Τί ἄρα σημαίνει ταῦτα, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ φθόνος, δι᾽ ὃν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν συνοικοδομῆσαι αὐτοῖς τοὺς τῷ αὐτῷ θρησκεύοντας Θεῷ;

Ἀπόκρισις. Ἰούδας 'ἐξομολόγησις' ἑρμηνεύεται· διττὸς δὲ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης ὁ λόγος(1)· ὁ

μὲν ἐπ᾽ εὐχαριστίᾳ τῶν δε δωρημένων ἀγαθῶν γινόμενος, ὁ δὲ ἐπ᾽ ἐλέγχῳ καὶ ἐτασμῷ τῶν κακῶς πεπραγμένων λεγόμενος. Ἐξομολόγησις γὰρ λέγεται καὶ ἡ παρὰ τῶν εὖ πεπονθότων μετ᾽ εὐχαριστίας τῶν θείων εὐεργεσιῶν ἀπαρίθμησις καὶ ἡ τῶν κακῶς πεπραγμένων παρὰ τῶν ὑπαιτίων (14Γ_118> ἐξαγόρευσις. Ἀμφότερα δὲ(2) ταπεινώσεως ὑπάρχει ποιητικά· ὅ τε γὰρ ἐπ᾽ ἀγαθοῖς εὐχαριστῶν ὁμοῦ καὶ ὁ ἐπ᾽