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having said, proceeding next, when Elohim was said a second time, in the phrase, "Therefore God has anointed you," he no longer interpreted it, "O God," but, saying "God": "For this reason God, your God, has anointed you," when it was necessary, consistently with himself, to say "O God" here also for the same word; and interpreting it thus, he would have said: "Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you." Myrrh and stacte and cassia from your garments, from ivory palaces. But instead of "ivory palaces," Aquila has said: "From temples of tooth." For here the churches are called temples of the Bridegroom, and the souls dedicated to Christ, having all their power in rational nourishment. And teeth are a symbol of nourishment and of words. Hence also the teeth of Christ himself are said to be whiter than milk in the prophecy that speaks of him: "His eyes are gladdening from wine, and his teeth are white as milk." But according to the other interpreters, the temples or his palaces are called "of ivory," because the adornment from ivory comes from a dead animal; and those who are well-pleasing in the Church do not shine forth otherwise than by having put to death their members which are upon the earth, according to the apostolic command. The queen stood at your right hand, clothed in garments of gold, arrayed in various colors. The daughters of the kings, that is, of Christ and of his Church, were the individual souls. But the queen herself, the mother of the daughters, stood at his right hand, clothed in garments of gold, arrayed in various colors. And who could this be but the entire catholic Church, gathered from all nations from the ends of the earth to the ends? which he himself built for himself upon the rock, so that the gates of Hades should not prevail against it. But you might say more properly that by this is meant the heavenly Church, which is the mother of the holy men on earth. For the divine Apostle taught this, saying: "But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother." And he also calls it the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, in a festival gathering of myriads of angels, and the Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, being established. This, then, would be the perfect bride of Christ. And you would not be wrong to say that the Church on earth is her daughter. And she is a queen, as one already reigning with her own bridegroom; wherefore it is said that she stood at the right hand of the King; since she is his bride, and receiving the seeds from him, she conceives and continually brings forth a spirit of salvation; who also puts on the royal garment, the luminous garment of incorruptibility; which indeed, being entirely spiritual, is clothed with the angelic powers in heaven. 23.404 This the present word also called "of gold." But "clothed" and "arrayed in various colors" is found neither in the Hebrew reading nor in the other interpreters; wherefore it has been marked with an obelus. All the glory of her, the king's daughter, is from within, in golden tassels, clothed, arrayed in various colors. You will understand, he says, how she is clothed in golden tassels, by hearing Paul say: "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part." For knowledge in part bestows her adornment only on the fringes of gold; "But when that which is perfect comes," he says, "that which is in part will be done away." Whenever she who was formerly nourished from the earth is transferred to the heavenly Church, then she will put away the golden tassels, the knowledge in part, in golden raiment. Virgins shall be brought to the King after her, her companions shall be brought to you. The daughter, often named in the preceding passages, does not remain on earth forever, but will be transferred in due season. But not all at once will be deemed worthy of such a transfer; but in part those honored in the first rank within her will be brought to the King. And these are they who have achieved purity in Christ in soul and body, and have been sanctified in spirit. And after the first rank, her companions

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εἰρηκὼς, προϊὼν ἑξῆς δεύτερον εἰρημένου τοῦ Ἐλωεὶμ, ἐν τῷ, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκέτι, Θεὲ, ἡρμήνευσεν, ἀλλὰ, Θεὸς, εἰπών· Ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἤλειψέ σε ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός σου, δέον ἑαυτῷ συμφώνως καὶ ἐνταῦθα Θεὲ εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς λέξεως· οὕτω δὲ ἑρμηνεύσας, εἶπεν ἄν· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε, Θεὲ, ὁ Θεός σου. Σμύρνα καὶ στακτὴ καὶ κασία ἀπὸ τῶν ἱματίων σου, ἀπὸ βάρεων ἐλεφαντίνων. Ἀντὶ δὲ βάρεων ἐλεφαντίνων, ὁ Ἀκύλας· Ἀπὸ ναῶν ὀδόντος, εἴρηκε. Ναοὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα εἴρηνται τοῦ Νυμφίου αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι, καὶ αἱ Χριστῷ ἀνακείμεναι ψυχαὶ, ἐν λογικῇ τροφῇ πᾶσαν ἔχοντες τὴν δύναμιν. Τροφῆς δὲ καὶ λόγων σύμβολον οἱ ὀδόντες. Ἔνθεν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἱ ὀδόντες λευκοὶ λέγονται εἶναι ὑπὲρ γάλα ἐν τῇ περὶ αὐτοῦ φασκούσῃ προφητείᾳ· Χαροποιοὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ οἴνου, καὶ λευκοὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ ἢ γάλα. Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς, ἐλεφάντινοι οἱ ναοὶ ἢ αἱ βάρεις αὐτοῦ λέγονται, διὰ τὸ νεκροῦ ζώου τυχεῖν τὸν ἐξ ἐλέφαντος κόσμον· οἵ τε ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ εὐδοκιμοῦντες οὐκ ἄλλως διαλάμπουσιν ἢ νεκρώσαντες τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, κατατὴν ἀποστολικὴν παραγγελίαν. Παρέστη ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου, ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένη, πεποικιλμένη. Αἱ μὲν θυγατέρες τῶν βασιλέων, Χριστοῦ δηλαδὴ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, αἱ κατὰ μέρος ἦσαν ψυχαί. Αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ βασίλισσα ἡ μήτηρ τῶν θυγατέρων παρέστη ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένη, πεποικιλμένη. Τίς δ' ἂν εἴη αὐτὴ ἀλλ' ἢ πᾶσα καθολικὴ Ἐκκλησία, ἡ ἀπὸ περάτων γῆς ἕως περάτων ἐκ πάντων ἐθνῶν συνειλεγμένη; ἣν αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, πρὸς τὸ μὴ πύλας ᾅδου κατισχύειν αὐτῆς. Κυριώτερον δ' ἂν εἴποις διὰ τούτου τὴν ἐπουράνιον δηλοῦσθαι Ἐκκλησίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μήτηρ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν. Τοῦτο γοῦν ἐδίδαξεν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος εἰπών· Ἡ δὲἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μήτηρ ἡμῶν. Καλεῖ δ' αὐτὴν καὶ πόλιν Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουράνιον ἐν μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων πανηγύρει, καὶ Ἐκκλησίαν πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, συνεστῶσαν. Αὕτη μὲν οὖν εἴη ἂν ἡ τελεία Χριστοῦ νύμφη. Ταύτης δ' οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις θυγατέρα φήσας ὑπάρχειν τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς Ἐκκλησίαν. Βασίλισσα δ' ἐκείνη, ὡς ἂν ἤδη συμβασιλεύουσα τῷ ἑαυτῆς νυμφίῳ· διὸ ἐκ δεξιῶν παρεστάναι τοῦ Βασιλέως εἴρηται· ἅτε νύμφη οὖσα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ σπέρματα δεχομένη, κύουσά τε καὶ τίκτουσα διὰ παντὸς πνεῦμα σωτηρίας· ἣ καὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν ἔνδυμα περιτίθησι, τὸ φωτοειδὲς τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἔνδυμα· ὃ δὴ, πνευματικὸν διόλου τυγχάνον, ταῖς κατ' οὐρανὸν ἀγγελικαῖς δυνάμεσι περιβέβληται. 23.404 Τοῦτο καὶ διάχρυσον ὁ παρὼν λόγος ὠνόμασε. Τὸ δὲ, περιβεβλημένη καὶ πεποικιλμένη, οὔτε ἐν τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ ἀναγνώσει οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς φέρεται· διὸ ὠβέλισται. Πᾶσα ἡ δόξα αὐτῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως Ἐσεβὼν ἐν κροσσωτοῖς χρυσοῖς περιβεβλημένη, πεποικιλμένη. Νοήσεις, φησὶ, πῶς κροσσοῖς χρυσοῖς περιβέβληται, Παύλου λέγοντος ἀκούων· Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν, καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν. Ἡ γὰρ γνῶσις ἡ ἐκ μέρους ἐν ἄκροις μόνοις χρυσίου τὸν κόσμον αὐτῇ περιτίθησιν· Ὅταν δ' ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, φησὶ, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. Ἐπειδὰν εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἐκκλησίαν μεταστῇ ἡ τέως ἐκ γῆς παιδοτροφουμένη, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἀποθήσεται μὲν τὰ κροσσωτὰ τὰ χρυσᾶ, τὴν ἐκ μέρους γνῶσιν, ἐν ἱματισμῷ δὲ χρυσῷ. Ἀπενεχθήσονται τῷ Βασιλεῖ παρθένοι ὀπίσω αὐτῆς, αἱ πλησίον αὐτῆς ἀπενεχθήσονταί σοι. Ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν πολλάκις ὠνομασμένη θυγάτηρ οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰς τὸ παντελὲς διαμένει, μετατεθήσεται δὲ κατὰ καιρόν. Ἀλλ' οὐ πᾶσα ἀθρόως τῆς τοιαύτης μεταβάσεως ἀξιωθήσεται· ἐν μέρει δὲ αἱ πρώτῳ βαθμῷ ἐν αὐτῇ τετιμημέναι ἀπενεχθήσονται τῷ Βασιλεῖ. Αὗται δέ εἰσιν αἱ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ἁγνείαν κατορθώσασαι ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, καὶ πνεύματι καθηγιασμέναι. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ πρῶτον τάγμα αἱ πλησίον