155

happening not only in summer but also in spring, of all the earth, that is of men, when the Lord reigns. 5.81 Since the prophecy shows nothing perceptible or historical, the whole of it must be interpreted anagogically. 5.82 For living water going forth from the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church that sees peace, is the spiritual law, or rather the knowledge of ecclesiastical thoughts, which, going forth into the sea, sweetens it and makes it calm, driving out and overturning every storm. 5.83 This very contemplation has obtained clarity whenever we expound the passage in Isaiah that is as follows: “The whole was filled with the knowledge of the Lord as much water to cover the sea.” For just as divine love, that from God toward those who suffer well and that of the beneficiaries toward the Great Giver, “covers a multitude of sins,” causing them to disappear, not preserving them, and covering over the things most wickedly performed, so the knowledge of God, being living water, covers the seas, changing them to sweetness and drinkability. 5.84 Thus the living water going forth from Jerusalem into the first and the last sea, having driven away all giddiness and surging waves, both saltiness and bitterness, will bring about fair weather and calm and drinkability, so that they are no longer seas ... Living water, having been divided, came upon them; for half of it was received into the first, and the other half into the last sea, not only in summer time but also in spring time. 5.85 And when so great a benefit has occurred, the Lord will reign over all the earth, according to the things said in the Psalms, in one place: “The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice,” and in another: “Say among the nations: the Lord has reigned, for he has indeed set the world aright, which will not be shaken.” And then the world is set aright so as to remain unshaken, when the first sea was sweetened, being the synagogue of the Jews, and the last, being the calling of the Gentiles. Both of these seas were filled with turmoil and giddiness before receiving the gospel and faith in the Savior, or rather, in the holy Trinity. 5.86 Consider if it is possible for the living water to have been divided into the two testaments, the new and the old, this having happened when the water came to be outside Jerusalem. And it went out from it at the time when “their sound” of the words of God reached “into all the earth” and “their words to the ends of the world,” so that everywhere “incense” might be spiritually “offered” to God “and a pure sacrifice,” since the Lord has been shown to be a great king among all the nations. 5.87 The living water having been divided half and half into the two testaments, ... it was inside Jerusalem being guarded by the shadow of the law and the oldness of the letter, or rather, being covered over, while winter still prevailed, but when spring succeeded, with the things on earth blossoming and the turtledove calling in the land, according to what was said in the Song of Songs, “the fig tree has put forth its unripe figs, the vines are in blossom, the winter is past, the rain is past, it has gone on its way, the flowers have appeared in our land.” 5.88 Therefore, a spiritual spring having arrived, since the month of new things is now at hand, we celebrate the feast of the passing over, called Passover in the Hebrew tongue, in which Christ was sacrificed, so that, being filled with His spiritual flesh and sacred blood, “we may celebrate the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” after which solemn assembly we shall also complete the feast of weeks, called Pentecost, in which we will reap perfect sheaves and most full ears of grain which have blossomed in the spring. 5.89 Concerning both seasons the saint, hymning God, said: “You prepared the sun and moon, summer and spring, you made them, remember

155

γινομένου οὐκ ἐν μόνῳ τῷ θέρει ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἔαρι, πάσης τῆς γῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῶν α᾿̣νθρώπων, τοῦ Κυρίου βασιλεύοντος. 5.81 Οὐδὲν αἰσθητὸν ἢ ἱστορικὸν ἐμφαινούσης τῆς προφητείας, πᾶσαν αὐτὴν κατ' ἀναγωγὴν ἐκδεκτέον. 5.82 Ἐξερχόμενον γὰρ ὕδωρ ζῶν ἐκ τῆς νοητῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, τῆς τὴν εἰρήνην ὁρώσης Ἐκκλησίας, ὁ πνευματικὸς νόμος ἐστίν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἡ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν φρονημάτων γνῶσις, ἥτις, εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐξερχομένη, γλυκαίνει αὐτὴν καὶ γαληνείαν ποιεῖ, πάντα χειμῶνα ἐξωθουμένη καὶ ἀνατρέπουσα. 5.83 Τοῦτό τοι τὸ θεώρημα σαφηνείας τετύχηκεν ὁπηνίκα ἐξηγούμεθα τὸ ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ οὕτως ἔχον· «Ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ σύμπασα τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον ὡς ὕδωρ πολὺ κατακαλύψαι θάλασσαν.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ θεία ἀγάπη, ἡ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τοὺς εὐπάσχοντας καὶ ἡ τῶν εὐεργετουμένων πρὸς τὸν μεγαλόδωρον, «πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν καλύπτει», ἀφανίζουσα, ἀλλ' οὐ φρουροῦσα, καὶ σκεπάζουσα τὰ χειρίστως ἐπιτελεσθέντα, οὕτως ἡ Θεοῦ γνῶσις, ζῶν ὑπάρχουσα ὕδωρ, κατακαλύπτει τὰς θαλάσσας, εἰς γλυκύτητα̣ καὶ πότιμον μεταβάλλουσα αὐτάς. 5.84 Οὕτω τὸ ἐξερχόμενον ἐκ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὕδωρ ζῶν εἰς τὴν πρώτην καὶ ἐσχάτην θάλατταν, π̣ᾶσαν ζάλην καὶ τρικυμίαν, ἁλμυρίδα τε καὶ πικρότητα ἀνωθη῀̣σαν, εὐδίαν καὶ γαλήνην καὶ τὸ πότιμον παρασκευάσει ὡς μηκέτι θαλάσσας εἶναι α̣ι····· Ὕδωρ ζῶν μερισθὲν ἐπῆλθεν· τὸ γὰρ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν πρώτην, τὸ δ' ἕτερον ἥμισυ εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην θάλατταν δέδεκται, οὐκ̣ ἐν τῷ θερινῷ μόνῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐαρινῷ καιρῷ. 5.85 Τ̣ῆς δὲ τοσαύτης ὠφελείας ὑπαρξάσης, ὁ Κύριος πάσης τῆς γῆς βασιλεύσει, κατὰ τὰ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἰρημένα, ὅπου μέν· «Ὁ Κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ», ὅπου δέ· «Εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ὁ Κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, καὶ γὰρ κατώρθωσεν τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἥτις οὐ σαλευθήσεται.» Τότε δὲ κατώρθωται ἡ οἰκουμένη ὥστ' ἀκλόνητον μένειν, ὅτε ἐγλυκάνθη ἡ πρώτη θάλασσα, ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαι´̣ων οὖσα συναγωγή, καὶ ἡ ἐσχάτη, τυγχάνουσα ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσις. Ἀμφότεραι αὗται αἱ θάλασσαι ταραχῆς καὶ ζάλης ἐπεπλήρωντο πρὸ τοῦ καταδέξασθαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸν Σωτῆρα, μᾶλλον δὲ εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Τριάδα, πίστιν. 5.86 Ἐπίστησον εἰ δυνατὸν μεμερίσθαι τὸ ζῶν ὕδωρ εἰς τὰς δύο διαθήκας, τὴν καινὴν καὶ παλαιάν, τούτου γεναμένου ὅτε ἔξω τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ τὸ ὕδωρ γέγονεν. Ἐξῆλθεν δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τότε ὁπηνίκα «εἰς π̣α῀̣σαν τὴν γῆν» ἔφθασεν «ὁ φθόγγος» τῶν Θεοῦ λόγων καὶ «τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης», ὡς ἁπανταχοῦ «θυμίαμα» τῷ Θεῷ πνευματικῶς «προσάγεσθαι καὶ θυσίαν καθαράν», ἐπείπερ μέγας βασιλεὺς ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν α᾿̣ναδ̣έδεικται̣ ὁ Κύριος. 5.87 Μερισθέντος τοῦ ζῶντος ὕδατος εἰς ἡ´̣μισυ καὶ ἥμισυ εἰς τὰς δύο διαθήκας, ε̣··· ἔνδον ἦν ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὑπ̣ὸ τῆς σκιᾶς τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς τοῦ γράμματος παλαιότητ̣ος φρουρούμενον, μᾶλλον δὲ σκεπαζόμενον, ἀκμὴν τοῦ χειμῶν̣ος κρατοῦντος, ὅτε δὲ τὸ ἔαρ διεδέξατο τεθηλότων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ τοῦ τρυγόνος φωνοῦντος ἐν τῇ γῇ, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν Ἀισμάτων, «ἡ συκῆ ἐξήνεγκεν ὀλύνθους αὐτῆς, αἱ ἄμπελοι κυπρίζουσιν, ὁ χειμὼν παρῆλθεν, ὁ ὑετὸς παρῆλθεν, ἐπορεύθη ἑαυτῷ, τὰ ἄνθη ὤφθη ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν». 5.88 ∆ιὸ ἔαρος πνευματικοῦ γεγενημένου, ἐνεστηκότος λοιπὸν τοῦ μηνὸς τῶν νέων, τὴν διαβατηρίων ἑορτὴν ἄγομεν, πάσχα καλουμένην Ἑβραίων φωνῇ, ἐν ᾗ Χριστὸς τέθυται, ἵνα, τῶν πνευματικῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἱεροῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ ἐμφορούμενοι, «ἑορτάσωμεν ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας», μεθ' ἣν πανήγυριν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἑβδομάδων ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελέσομεν, πεντηκοστὴν καλουμένην, ἐν ᾗ θερίσομεν τέλεια δράγματα καὶ πληρε̣στάτους στάχυς γεγενημένα τὰ ἀνθήσαντα ἐν τῷ ἔαρι. 5.89 Πε̣ρὶ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν καιρῶν ὑμνῶν τὸν Θεὸν ὁ ἅγιος εἶπεν· «Σὺ κατηρτίσω ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, θέρος καὶ ἔαρ, σὺ ἐποίησας αὐτά, μνήσθητι