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midst of it, when he said, 'Behold, your house is forsaken to you,' according to that in Jeremiah, 'I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance,' while he was passing through the wilderness to the church from the nations, the earth was shaken, that is, the letter and the shadow of the law, so called because of its coarseness. And the earthquake of this happened when the heavens dripped the divine mind according to the life-giving spirit of the divine scriptures. And in these, 'heavens' will be said to mean either Moses and the prophets or the mystical contemplations; and 'heaven' and 'clouds' are the same in this respect. Here the heavens dripped, but elsewhere, 'Let the clouds rain down righteousness.' But also of the nations that were transferred from idolatry, the earth was shaken, since the evangelical ordinance of the apostles and evangelists and the other teachers, who dripped spiritual seed, was now prevailing. 688a Ps 67,10.11 The aforesaid rain was prepared for the life-giving flesh of the Lord that undertook the cross out of weakness, it being desirable and to be chosen, having lived from the power of God. For the divine Word gave life to his own body which was crucified out of weakness. And in the singular, 'poor' can be the people from the nations who have believed, on account of being godless and having no hope at all. Concerning him the prophecy of Isaiah says, 'Therefore the poor people shall bless you, and cities of wronged men shall bless you;' and those oppressed by Satan were wronged. 689a Ps 67,17 Another said it signifies the lots and the channels of the waters. For it is said in Genesis concerning Issachar that, being called a farmer, he rested between the lots; which must now be referred to the old and new covenant. For these lead the intelligible irrigation to souls for spiritual fruitfulness. Of these two lots someone sleeps, between them, agreeing that they are of one God, so as to distinguish the spirit from the letter. Thus someone sleeping between the lots grows wings, understanding according to the holy spirit. And since the wings of this dove are thoughts that lift up the winged soul, and it is witnessed from the divine oracles that what is said is refined silver, they are covered with silver, with the pinions of the dove fitted with the pale-green of gold. In many places in the divine scriptures, gold is taken for the purest mind. And the gold has a pale-green color signifying its life; for this color is a symbol of living plants. And you might speak on 'Between the lots' also thus: in Leviticus, on the day of atonement, two goats were brought to the tent of witness; then when the lot was cast, the one was led to the altar to be offered to the Lord, while the other was sent away to the scapegoat into the wilderness. And these are symbols of good and evil; being in the midst of which one must distinguish, sacrificing the good to the Lord, but sending out the evil to the one who is pleased by it, since from him it also received its beginning. For thus one will have wings covered with silver and the pale-green of gold on their pinions. 690a Ps 67,14c And the knowledge of divine scripture gleaming like gold. 691a Ps 67,15 When the kings are scattered, 'They will be covered with snow in Selmon' will follow, that is, they will be filled with snows. And these are the virtues, which water the mind with a stream and cool the flame of the passions. For not even in 'Wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow' is the discourse about perceptible snow. For this is incomparable to the brightness of a purified soul. Such also is 'If your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow', and 'Her Nazirites were purified more than snow'. But Salomon is interpreted as shadow of a portion. Perhaps, then, since the kings (these are the apostles) once Judaized, keeping the law according to the shadow, they are of a shadow of a portion, having a spiritual portion, but also having experienced the shadow. like the one who says, 'A Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee'. or since the

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μέσου αὐτοῦ, οτε ειπεν ̓Ιδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οικος ὑμῶν, κατὰ τὸ παρ' ̔Ιερεμίᾳ ̓Εγκατέλειπον τὸν οικόν μου, ἀφῆκα τὴν κληρονομίαν μου, ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, γῆ ἐσείσθη τουτέστι τὸ γράμμα καὶ ἡ σκιὰ τοῦ νόμου, διὰ τὸ παχυλὸν ουτω κεκλημένη. γέγονε δὲ ὁ σεισμὸς ταύτης, σταξάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸν θεῖον νοῦν κατὰ τὸ ζωοποιὸν πνεῦμα τῶν θείων γραφῶν. οὐρανοὶ δὲ ἐν τούτοις λελέξονται ητοι Μωσῆς καὶ οἱ προφῆται η τὰ μυστικὰ θεωρήματα· οὐρανὸς δὲ καὶ νεφέλαι ταὐτὸν εἰς τοῦτο. ωδε μὲν οἱ οὐρανοὶ εσταξαν, ἀλλαχοῦ δ' Αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ τῶν τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας μετατεθέντων ἐθνῶν, ἐσείσθη ἡ γῆ, κρατούσης λοιπὸν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διατάξεως ἀποστόλων καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν διδασκάλων τὰς πνευματικὰς σταζόντων γονάς. 688a Ps 67,10.11 ̔Η ῥηθεῖσα βροχὴ τῷ αἱρετὴν ειναι καὶ ποθεινὴν σταυρὸν ἐξ ἀσθενείας ἀναδεξαμένην τὴν ζωοποιὸν τοῦ κυρίου σάρκα κατηρτίσθη, ζήσασα ἐκ δυνάμεως θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ θεῖος λόγος ἐζωοποίησε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα σταυρωθὲν ἐξ ἀσθενείας. Πτωχὸς δὲ ἑνικῶς ὁ πιστεύσας ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν λαὸς ειναι δύναται διὰ τὸ αθεος ειναι καὶ μηδόλως ἐλπίδα εχειν. περὶ αὐτοῦ φησιν ἡ προφητεία ̔Ησαΐου ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε ὁ λαὸς ὁ πτωχὸς καὶ πόλεις ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων εὐλογήσουσί σε· ἠδικοῦντο δὲ οἱ καταδυναστευόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ. 689a Ps 67,17 Ετερος σημαίνειν εφη τοὺς κλήρους καὶ τοὺς τῶν ὑδάτων ἀγωγούς. ειρηται γὰρ ἐν Γενέσει περὶ τοῦ ̓Ισσάχαρ ὡς κληθεὶς ἀνὴρ γεωργὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων ἀνεπαύετο· ο δὴ τρεπτέον νῦν εἰς τὴν παλαιὰν καὶ καινὴν διαθήκην. αυται γὰρ αγουσι τὸν νοητὸν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ποτισμὸν ἐπὶ καρποφορίᾳ πνευματικῇ. Τούτων τῶν δύο κλήρων κοιμᾶταί τις, ἀνὰ μέσον ἑνὸς θεοῦ ειναι αὐτὰς συγκατατιθέμενος, ὡς διαστέλλειν τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ γράμματος. ουτω κοιμηθείς τις μεταξὺ τῶν κλήρων πτεροῦται, κατὰ τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα νοῶν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰς πτέρυγας ταύτης τῆς περιστερᾶς ουσας νοήσεις ἐπαιρούσας τὴν ἐπτερωμένην ψυχὴν καὶ ἐκ τῶν θείων λογίων μαρτυρεῖσθαι α ειρηται ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον ὑπάρχειν, περιηργυρωμέναι εἰσίν, τῶν μεταφρένων τῆς περιστερᾶς χλωρότητι χρυσίου συνηρμοσμένων. πολλαχοῦ τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὸ χρυσίον ἐπὶ ἀκραιφνεστάτου νοῦ λαμβάνεται. εχει δὲ χλωρότητα τὸ χρυσίον σημαίνουσαν τὴν ζωὴν αὐτοῦ· σύμβολον γὰρ ζώντων φυτῶν τὸ χρῶμα τοῦτο. Λέγοις δ' αν εἰς τὸ ̓Ανὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων καὶ ουτως· ἐν τῷ Λευιτικῷ τῇ τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ ἡμέρᾳ δύο προσηγάγοντο τράγοι εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου· ειτα κλήρου βληθέντος, ὁ εις ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ηγετο τυφησόμενος τῷ κυρίῳ, τοῦ ἑτέρου τῷ ἀποπομπαίῳ εἰς τὴν ερημον ἐκπεμπομένου. σύμβολα δὲ ταῦτα ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ· ων ἐν μέσῳ γινόμενον χρὴ διακρίναντα, τὸ μὲν ἀγαθὸν ἱερουργεῖν τῷ κυρίῳ, τὸ δὲ κακὸν ἐκπέμπειν τῷ ἀρεσκομένῳ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ελαβεν. ουτω γάρ τις σχήσει τὰς περιηργυρωμένας πτέρυγας καὶ τὴν χλωρότητα τοῦ χρυσίου ἐν τοῖς μεταφρένοις. 690a Ps 67,14c Καὶ ἡ γνῶσις τῆς θείας γραφῆς ὡς χρυσίον ἐξαστράπτων. 691a Ps 67,15 ∆ιασταλεῖσι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἀκολουθήσει τὸ Χιονωθήσονται ἐν Σελμών, τουτέστι πληρωθήσονται χιόνων. αυται δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἀρεταί, ποτίζουσαι νᾶμα τὸν νοῦν καὶ καταψύχουσαι τῶν παθῶν τὸν φλογμόν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Πλυνεῖς με, καὶ ὑπὲρ χιόνα λευκανθήσομαι, περὶ αἰσθητῆς χιόνος ὁ λόγος. ἀσύμβλητος γὰρ αυτη πρὸς λαμπρότητα κεκαθαρμένης ψυχῆς. τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ ̓Εὰν ωσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, καὶ τὸ ̓Εκαθαριώθησαν οἱ Ναζωραῖοι αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ χιόνα. Σαλωμὼν δὲ σκιὰ μερίδος ἑρμηνεύεται. μήποτε τοίνυν, ἐπεὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς (ουτοι οἱ ἀπόστολοι) ἰουδάϊσάν ποτε τηροῦντες τὸν κατὰ σκιὰν νόμον, μερίδος εἰσὶν σκιᾶς, εχοντες μὲν πνευματικὴν μερίδα, πεπειραμένοι δὲ καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς. ὁποῖος ὁ λέγων ̔Εβραῖος ἐξ ̔Εβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος. η ἐπειδὴ ἡ