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a. The breastplate is a symbol of contemplation, and the arm of action. For contemplation is by nature a state of the intellect, and action an activity. And by both of these the true priesthood is characterized.

b. The one who performs sacred service to God through pious reason in the hearts of others, to which the breastplate corresponds; and their practical power, to which the arm corresponds, setting it apart for the activities of the commandments, has become a priest, receiving from those who offer themselves as a sacrifice to God, the breast and the arm.

QUESTION 46.

What is the difference between a mirror and a riddle? Response. A mirror is, to speak in a definition, a conscience which has the form of all good things according to practice

without fail; through which the one pure in mind is able to see God; or, a practical state, outlining the unified composition of all the virtues in one another, like a divine face. But a riddle is knowledge through the complete comprehension of the divine principles, according to contemplation, which is possible for nature, having the representation of what is beyond intellect. And simply, a mirror is a state indicative of the original form of the virtues that is to be revealed to the worthy. For the mirror indicates to those who possess it the future end of practical philosophy; but the riddle is an indication of the archetypal nature of intelligible things with respect to knowledge.

Therefore, all righteousness here, when compared to the future, holds the place of a mirror, having the image of the archetypal realities, but not the realities themselves existing in their form. And all knowledge here of high things, when compared to the future, is a riddle, having a representation of the truth, but not the subsistent truth itself which is to be revealed. For since divine things are comprised of virtue and knowledge, the mirror is indicative of the prototypes according to virtue, and the riddle is representative of the archetypes according to knowledge. This is the difference the mirror has from the riddle: because the mirror indicates the future end of the practical life; but the riddle reveals the mystery of the contemplative life

. SCHOLION. a. That the mirror of the good things suitable for the practical life (421) is

representative; but the riddle is indicative of the future mysteries regarding knowledge.

QUESTION 47.

What is, "A voice of one crying in the wilderness," and so on? What is the wilderness, and what here is the way of the Lord, and what is its preparation? And what are his paths, and what does it mean to make them straight? And what are the valleys, and what does "Every valley shall be filled" mean? What are the mountains, and the hills, and what is their being brought low? What are the crooked things, and how will they be made straight? What are the rough ways, and how will they become smooth paths? And what is it after all these things, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God?"

Response. The voice of the one crying from the beginning in the wilderness, I mean in the nature of men, or in this

world, the Word of God, is manifestly every saint, whether like Abel, rightly offering out of sincerity the first things of the soul fattened by the virtues

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α΄. Θεωρίας μέν τό στηθύνιον, πράξεως δέ ὁ βραχίων σύμβολον. Ἕξις γάρ τοῦ διανοητικοῦ πέφυκεν ὑπάρχειν ἡ θεωρία, καί ἡ πρᾶξις ἐνέργεια. ∆ι᾿ ἀμφοτέρων δέ τούτων ἡ ἀληθής ἱερωσύνη χαρακτηρίζεται.

β΄. Ὁ ἱερουργῶν τῷ Θεῷ δι᾿ εὐσεβοῦς λόγου τάς ἄλλων καρδίας, αἷς ἀναλογεῖ τό στηθύνιον· καί τήν πρακτικήν αὐτῶν δύναμιν, ᾗ ἀναλογεῖ ὁ βραχίων, ἀφορίζων ταῖς ἐνεργείαις τῶν ἐντολῶν, γέγονεν ἱερεύς λαμβάνων παρά τῶν ἑαυτούς θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ προσαγόντων, τό στῆθος καί τόν βραχίονα.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Μστ΄.

Τίς ἡ διαφορά τοῦ ἐσόπτρου πρός τό αἴνιγμα; Ἀπόκρισις. Τό μέν ἔσοπτρόν ἐστιν, ὡς ἐν ὅρῳ φάναι, συνείδησις τήν τῶν κατά πρᾶξιν

ἀνελλιπῶς πάντων ἀγαθῶν ἔχουσα μορφήν· δι᾿ ἧς ὁ καθαρός τήν διάνοιαν πέφυκεν ὁρᾷν τόν Θεόν· ἤ, ἕξις πρακτική, τήν πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν εἰς ἀλλήλας ἑνοειδῶς καθάπερ πρόσωπον θεῖον περιγράφουσα σύνθεσιν. Τό δέ αἴνιγμα, γνῶσίς ἐστι διά τῆς κατά θεωρίαν παντελοῦς τῶν θείων λόγων ἐφικτῆς τῇ φύσει περιοχῆς, τήν τῶν ὑπέρ νόησιν ἔμφασιν ἔχουσα. Καί ἁπλῶς ἔσοπτρόν ἐστι, ἕξις ἐνδεικτική τῆς μελλούσης τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐμφανισθῆναι τοῖς ἀξίοις πρωτοτύπου μορφῆς. Τό γάρ ἐσόμενον τέλος τῆς πρακτικῆς φιλοσοφίας παραδηλοῖ τοῖς ἔχουσι, τό ἔσοπτρον· τό αἴνιγμα δέ, τῆς τῶν νοουμένων περί γνῶσιν ἀρχετυπίας ἐστίν ἔνδειξις.

Πᾶσα τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα δικαιοσύνη, συγκρινομένη πρός τήν μέλλουσαν ἐσόπτρου λόγον ἐπέχει, τήν τῶν ἀρχετύπων πραγμάτων εἰκόνα, οὐκ αὐτά δέ τά πράγματα κατ᾿ εἶδος ὑφιστάμενα ἔχουσα. Καί πᾶσα γνῶσις ἐνταῦθα τῶν ὑψηλῶν, συγκρινομένη πρός τήν μέλλουσαν, αἴνιγμά ἐστιν, ἔμφασιν τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ αὐτήν ὑφισταμένην ἔχουσα τήν φανήσεσθαι μέλλουσαν ἀλήθειαν. Ἐπειδή γάρ ἀρετῇ καί γνώσει τά θεῖα συνέχεται, τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν πρωτοτύπων ἐστίν ἐνδεικτικόν τό ἔσοπτρον, καί τῶν κατά γνῶσιν ἀρχετύπων ἐμφατικόν ὑπάρχει τό αἴνιγμα. Ταύτην ἔχει τήν διαφοράν τό ἔσοπτρον πρός τό αἴνιγμα· καθότι τό μέν ἔσοπτρον πρακτικῆς μηνύει τέλος ἐσόμενον· τό δέ αἴνιγμα, θεωρητικῆς ἐμφαίνει μυστήριον

. ΣΧΟΛΙΟΝ. α΄. Ὅτι τό μέν ἔσοπτρον τῶν τῇ πρακτικῇ (421) προσφυῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐστιν

ἐμφατικόν· τό δέ αἴνιγμα, τῶν ἐπί τῇ γνώσει μελλόντων μυστηρίων ἐστίν ἐνδεικτικόν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΖ΄.

Τί ἐστι, " Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, "καί τά ἑξῆς; Τίς ἡ ἔρημος, καί τίς ἐνταῦθα ἡ ὁδός Κυρίου, καί τίς ἡ ἑτοιμασία αὐτῆς; Τίνες τε αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ, καί τί τό εὐθῦναι αὐτάς; Τίνες τε αἱ φάραγγες, καί τί σημαίνει τό " Πληρωθήσεται πᾶσα φάραγξ;" Τίνα τά ὄρη, καί οἱ βουνοί, καί τίς ἡ τούτων ταπείνωσις; Τίνα τά σκολιά, καί πῶς ἔσται εἰς εὐθεῖαν; Τίνες αἱ τραχεῖαι, καί πῶς ἔσονται εἰς ὁδούς λείας; Καί τί τό μετά ταῦτα πάντα, "Καί ὄψεται πᾶσα σάρξ τό Σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ;"

Ἀπόκρισις. Φωνή τοῦ ἐξ ἀρχῆς βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, τῇ φύσει λέγω τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἤ τῷ

κόσμῳ τούτῳ, Θεοῦ Λόγου, προδήλως ἐστί πᾶς ἅγιος, εἴτε κατά τόν Ἄβελ ὀρθῶς προσφέρων ἐξ εἰλικρινείας ἐστεατωμένα ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τά τῆς ψυχῆς πρῶτα τῆς