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9.22 Therefore, just as the Lord Christ, having risen from the dead, having become incorruptible in body and immortal and immutable in soul, then surpassed the heavenly Powers and approaching the firmament, as "having become superior to the angels," as it is written, he cut through it, entering into the kingdom of heaven, as the Apostle recounts, saying that He ascended above all principality and the rest, so also we and the angels, receiving these things, enter in. 9.23 Again, the two trees in the midst of paradise enigmatically signify the present state and the future one; and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a type of this world, which is mortal and mutable, as it has both pleasant and painful things and serves as a place of instruction just as Adam was also instructed in this tree concerning both the good and the evil; but the tree of life is a type of the future heavenly world, in which life and blessedness prevail; for by saying "lest he stretch out his hand and take of the tree of life" he signified the height of the tree, and through it, the dwelling places above. 9.24 Therefore, just as he appointed the Cherubim and the flaming sword which turned to guard the way to the tree of life, so he appointed the angels and the luminaries that turn about the height of the firmament, where also is the way that leads to the kingdom of heaven, wishing to signify that the dwelling places above were for the time being inaccessible to men. In his passion, therefore, the Lord Christ brought the soul of the thief with him into paradise, putting an end to the guard of the Cherubim and of the flaming sword which turned; and after the resurrection, at his ascension, having passed the multitude of invisible Powers and the luminaries, and having cut through the firmament itself, he entered into the kingdom, where immortality and immutability and blessedness prevail. 9.25 Therefore, at the consummation, when the angels cease to turn the luminaries and the stars fall, no longer do Cherubim and a dividing flaming sword prevent men from walking in the true life, but the righteous, having been raised up and traveling the new way and cutting through the firmament with the Lord Christ, inherit the kingdom of life. Deem us also worthy, with your righteous ones, of this life and inheritance, you who have compassion and great mercy. Amen. 9.26 Just as the twelve loaves of the presence placed on the table are a type of the annual cycle and of the fruits of the earth, as was said before in the Tabernacle, and was written down in the ninth book, so now also we have written down the cycle of the twelve months of the year, the fruits of each month, giving thanks to God, the giver of all things, just as David also, moved by the Holy Spirit, says in a psalm to God thus: "Bless the crown of the year of your goodness," marvelously calling the cycle of the twelve months of the year a "crown of goodness," as crowning the earth from above with beauty, and causing to grow and ripen through the mixture of the elements, which the invisible Powers accomplish, its monthly fruits. 9.27 For this reason he added again: "And your fields will be filled with abundance," and again: "You have prepared their food, for so is the preparation," and elsewhere again he says thus: "All things look to you to give them their food in due season," as if to say: Suitably preparing for each season, you nourish us. But elsewhere concerning our most necessary food, which the turn of summer, working for three months in succession, gives, he says thus: "They have been multiplied by the fruit of their grain and wine and oil," again extraordinarily preserving the order in his thanksgiving, and saying first the grain, second the wine, and third the oil, just as by the blessing of God, through the rational orders, I mean angels and men, they are produced in succession during the three months of summer. 9.28 Therefore, every Christian must not superficially nor carelessly the

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9.22 Καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς ἀναστὰς ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἄφθαρτος τῷ σώματι καὶ ἀθάνατος γενόμενος καὶ κατὰ ψυχὴν ἄτρεπτος, τότε ὑπερέβη τὰς οὐρανίους ∆υνάμεις καὶ τῷ στερεώματι προσεγγίσας, ὡς "κρείττων γενόμενος τῶν ἀγγέλων", καθὰ γέγραπται, ἔτεμε τοῦτο, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, καθὰ ὁ Ἀπόστολος διηγεῖται λέγων αὐτὸν ἀναβεβηκέναι ὑπεράνω πάσης Ἀρχῆς καὶ τὰ λοιπά, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι ταῦτα κομιζόμενοι εἰσερχόμεθα. 9.23 Πάλιν τὰ δύο ξύλα τὰ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου αἰνιγματωδῶς τὴν νῦν κατάστασιν καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν προσημαίνουσι· καὶ τὸ μὲν ξύλον τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν τύπος ἐστὶ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, τοῦ θνητοῦ καὶ τρεπτοῦ, ὡς ἔχοντος αὐτοῦ ἡδέα καὶ λυπηρὰ καὶ παιδευτηρίου τυγχάνοντος ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἐπαιδεύθη ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ξύλῳ τό τε καλὸν καὶ τὸ κακόν· τὸ δὲ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς τύπος ἐστὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος οὐρανίου κόσμου, ἐν ᾧ ζωὴ καὶ μακαριότης κρατεῖ· τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν "μήποτε ἐκτείνῃ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ λάβῃ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς" ἐσήμανε τὸ ὕψος τοῦ ξύλου, δι' αὐτοῦ δὲ τὰς ἄνω μονάς. 9.24 Ὥσπερ οὖν ἔταξε τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, οὕτως ἔταξε τοὺς ἀγγέλους καὶ τοὺς φωστῆρας τοὺς στρεφομένους περὶ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ στερεώματος, ἔνθα ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, σημᾶναι βουλόμενος ἀβάτους εἶναι τέως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰς ἄνω μονάς. Ἐν τῷ πάθει τοίνυν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς συνεισήνεγκε τὴν τοῦ λῃστοῦ ψυχὴν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, παύσας τὴν φυλακὴν τῶν Χερουβὶμ καὶ τῆς φλογίνης ῥομφαίας τῆς στρεφομένης· μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως παρελθὼν τὴν πληθὺν τῶν ἀοράτων ∆υνάμεων καὶ τοὺς φωστῆρας καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ στερέωμα τεμὼν εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν, ἔνθα ἀθανασία καὶ ἀτρεπτότης καὶ μακαριότης κρατεῖ. 9.25 Ἐν τῇ οὖν συντελείᾳ παυομένων τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ περιστρέφειν τοὺς φωστῆρας καὶ πιπτόντων τῶν ἄστρων, οὐκέτι Χερουβὶμ καὶ φλογίνη ῥομφαία διαιροῦσα κωλύει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους βαίνειν ἐν τῇ ὄντως ζωῇ, ἀλλὰ μετάρσιοι γενόμενοι οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ τὴν πρόσφατον ὁδὸν ὁδεύοντες καὶ τέμνοντες τὸ στερέωμα σὺν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Χριστῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῆς ζωῆς κληρονομοῦσιν. Ἀξίωσον καὶ ἡμᾶς σὺν τοῖς δικαίοις σου ταύτης τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς κληρονομίας, ὁ ἔχων οἰκτιρμοὺς καὶ μέγα ἔλεος. Ἀμήν. 9.26 Ὥσπερ οἱ δώδεκα ἄρτοι τῆς προθέσεως οἱ ἐν τῇ τραπέζῃ κείμενοι τύπος εἰσὶ τοῦ ἐνιαυσιαίου κύκλου καὶ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς, καθάπερ προείρηται μὲν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ, κατεγράφη δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐννάτῳ λόγῳ, οὕτως καὶ νῦν κατεγράψαμεν τὸν κύκλον τῶν δώδεκα μηνῶν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ἑκάστου μηνὸς τοὺς καρπούς, εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ πάντων δοτῆρι Θεῷ, καθάπερ καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ κινούμενος λέγει ἐν ψαλμῷ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν οὕτως· "Εὐλόγησον τὸν στέφανον τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τῆς χρηστότητός σου", θαυμασίως "στέφανον χρηστότητος" τὸν κύκλον τῶν δώδεκα μηνῶν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐξειπών, ὡς στεφανοῦντα μὲν ἄνωθεν τῷ κάλλει τὴν γῆν, αὐξάνοντα δὲ καὶ πεπαίνοντα διὰ τῆς τῶν στοιχείων κράσεως, ἣν αἱ ἀόρατοι ∆υνάμεις ἐκτελοῦσι, τοὺς μηνιαίους αὐτῆς καρπούς. 9.27 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ τὰ πεδία σου πλησθήσονται πιότητος", καὶ πάλιν· "Ἡτοίμασας τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν, ὅτι οὕτως ἡ ἑτοιμασία", καὶ ἑτέρωθι δὲ πάλιν φησὶν οὕτως· "Πάντα πρὸς σὲ προσδοκῶσι δοῦναι τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν εἰς εὔκαιρον", ὡσανεί· Ἑκάστῳ καιρῷ ἁρμοδίως ἡμᾶς ἑτοιμάζων ἐκτρέφεις. Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀναγκαιοτάτης ἡμῶν τροφῆς, ἣν ἡ τροπὴ τοῦ θέρους ἀπεργαζομένη εἰς τοὺς τρεῖς μῆνας ἐφεξῆς δίδωσι, φησὶν οὕτως· "Ἀπὸ καρποῦ σίτου καὶ οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου αὐτῶν ἐπληθύνθησαν", ἐξαισίως πάλιν ἐν τῇ εὐχαριστίᾳ τὴν τάξιν φυλάξας καὶ πρῶτον μὲν εἰπὼν τὸν σῖτον, δεύτερον τὸν οἶνον καὶ τρίτον τὸ ἔλαιον, καθάπερ ἐξ εὐλογίας Θεοῦ διὰ τῶν λογικῶν ταγμάτων, ἀγγέλων λέγω καὶ ἀνθρώπων, εἰς τοὺς τρεῖς μῆνας τοῦ θέρους ἐφεξῆς κατεργάζονται. 9.28 Χρὴ οὖν πάντα χριστιανὸν μὴ παρέργως μηδ' ὡς ἔτυχε τὴν