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is.” 5.154 Similarly to the aforesaid horses, mules, and the rest, as many as are from those camps, having the same change... being tamed and brought to rationality. “According to this fall,” he says, that is, the one that has been interpreted. 5.155 Zach. XIV, 16: And it shall be that whoever are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem, shall also go up year by year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. 5.156 Those who are left from all the nations, having risen up and come to it, go up year by year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, at the time of the feast called tabernacles, which the Jews indeed perform according to history and the letter, with the just men also celebrating this one, just as the other feasts. 5.157 And first, let us look at the literal text, so that it may be concise and for the purpose of allegory. 5.158 The people of the Hebrews, having come out of Egypt, after the Red Sea was divided and Pharaoh and all his army were drowned, the transfer of those helped by God to the holy land did not happen immediately, so that they spent forty whole years in the desert, where there was neither city, nor village, nor houses; and since it was not possible for those who were about to cross into the holy land to be entirely without homes, those who had left Egypt raised tents for shelter and dwelling, so that in this way they might have a remembrance of the past benefaction, with tents being raised year by year. 5.159 A sure testimony of this diligence is the given law. For it says: “If your son asks you tomorrow, saying, ‘What are these tents?’ you shall say to him: ‘After we had sojourned for a long time in Egypt, God led us from it into this desert, and for this reason we raise the holy tents, so that, as they are seen year by year, the good gift may in no way be forgotten.’” 5.160 It must be said how and when the feast of tabernacles was celebrated. “On the seventh,” it says, “month, on the fifteenth day, take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree, and fronds of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and branches of willow and chaste tree from the brook, to rejoice.” 5.161 It is fitting to say what each of these might signify for an anagogical interpretation. 5.162 Progress in virtue and wisdom is called a tabernacle, being a shelter for those on a journey. The contemplation is shown in the forty-first Psalm, from the one who hastens to the house of God, saying: “I will go through the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God.” For there is need of a place of a tabernacle and of wonderful progress for the one passing through to the house of God, for one who after much progress has reached the end is dwelling, not still tenting, so as to say with a cheerful disposition: “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days,” and again: “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to visit his temple.” 5.163 In harmony with the aforesaid thought are also the things in the eighty-third Psalm, beginning from here... “How lovely are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord,” and a little later: “Blessed are all those who dwell in your house; they will praise you forever and ever.” For the hymnody is performed forever and ever by those who, after all progress, have come to the house which God has founded. Singing about such intelligible tabernacles, the wise one says: “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the just.” And the Proverb-writer says: “The houses of the just remain”; “but the tabernacles of the upright shall stand.” 5.164 For progress must at some point stand still, with the end succeeding it, which is called a house. For it is not possible and fitting to be always progressing, never arriving at the final state, which is called a house, in which the
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ἐστιν.» 5.154 Ὁμοίως τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἵπποις, ἡμιόνοις καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ὅσοι ἐκ τῶν παρ̣εμ̣βολῶν ἐκείνων, τὴν αὐτὴν μεταβολὴν σχο̣···· ἡμερούμενα καὶ εἰς λογιότητα ἀγόμενα. «Κατὰ τὴν πτῶσιν ταύτην» φησίν, δηλαδὴ τὴν ἡρμηνευμένην. 5.155 Zach. XIV, 16: Καὶ ἐ´̣σται ὅσοι ἐὰν καταλειφθῶσιν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ε᾿̣θνῶν τῶν ἐλθόντων ἐπὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἀναβήσονται κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι καὶ τοῦ ἑορτάζειν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς σκηνοπηγίας. 5.156 Οἱ καταλειφθέντες ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν προσαναστήσαντές τε και`̣ προσε̣ληλυθότες αὐτῇ κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἀναβαίνουσιν προσκυνεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἑορτῆς τῆς̣ καλουμένης σκηνοπηγίας, ἣν Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν πρ̣ὸς ἱστορίαν καὶ ῥητὸν ἐκτελοῦσιν, τῶν δικαίων ἀνδρ̣ῶν καὶ ταύτην ὥσπερ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ε῾̣ορτὰς ἀγυριζόντων. 5.157 Καὶ πρῶτόν γε τὸ ῥητὸν ἴδωμεν ἵνα σύνοπτον καὶ π̣ρὸς ἀλληγορ̣ίαν γένηται. 5.158 Ἔξω τῆς Αἰγύπτου γενάμενος τῶν Ἑβραίων λαός, διαιρεθείσης τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης καὶ Φαραὼ καὶ πάσης αὐτοῦ τῆς στρατιᾶς καταποντισθέντων, ου᾿̣κ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν γῆν ἡ μετάθεσις τῶν βοηθηθέντων ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γέγονεν, ὡς ὅλους τεσσεράκοντα ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διηγιοχέναι, ἔνθα οὔτε πόλις, οὐ κώμη, οὐκ οἰκίαι ἦσαν· καὶ ἐπεὶ οὐ δυνατὸν ἦν πάντη ἀοίκους εἶναι τοὺς μέλλοντα̣ς περ̣α῀̣σ̣αι εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν γῆν, σκηνὰς ἤγειρον πρὸσ σκέπην καὶ κατοίκη̣σιν οἱ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐξελθόντες, ἵν̣α καὶ οὕτω̣ μνήμην ἔχωσιν τῆς ὑπαρξάσης εὐεργεσίας κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν σκηνῶν ἐγειρομένων. 5.159 Τῆς σπουδῆς ταύτης μαρτυρία ἔγγυος ὁ δοθείς ἐστι νόμος. Φησὶν γάρ· «Ἐάν σε ἐρωτ̣ήσῃ ὁ υἱός σου αὔριον λέγων· Τί αἱ σκηναὶ αὗται; ἐρεῖς αὐτῷ· Ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ παροικήσαντας ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπ̣τῳ, ἤγαγεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπ' αὐτῆς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ταύτη̣ν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰς σκηνὰς ἁγίας ἐγείρομεν, ἵν' ὁρωμένων αὐτῶν κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν μηδαμῶς λήθη γένηται τῆς ἀγα̣θῆς δωρεᾶς.» 5.160 Πῶς δὲ ἐπετελεῖτο καὶ πότε ἡ τῶν σκηνῶν ἑορτὴ λεκτέον. «Τῷ ἑβδόμῳ, φησίν, μηνί, τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, καρπὸν ὡραῖον ξύλο̣υ λάβε̣τε καὶ κάλλυνθρα φοιν̣ίκων καὶ κλάδους δασεῖς καὶ κλάδους ἰτέας καὶ ἄγνου ἐκ χειμάρρου τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι.» 5.161 Τί δὲ του῀̣τ̣' ἂν δηλοῖ ἕκαστον πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν ἀκόλουθον εἰπεῖν. 5.162 ῾Η̣ κατὰ ἀρετὴν καὶ σοφίαν προκοπὴ σκηνὴ προσαγορεύε̣ται, ο῾̣δευόντων οὖσα̣ σκ̣επαστήριον. ∆ηλοῦται ἡ θεωρία ἐν πρώτῳ καὶ τεσσαρακοστῷ Ψαλμῷ, τοῦ σπεύδοντος ἐπὶ τὸν Θεοῦ οἶκον λέγοντος· «∆ιελεύσομαι ἐν τόπῳ σκηνῆς θαυμαστῆς ἕως τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Σκηνῆς γὰρ τόπου καὶ προκοπῆς χρεία θαυμαστῆς τῷ διερχομένῳ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεου῀̣ οἶκον, κατοικοῦντος ἀλλ' οὐ σκηνοῦντος ἔτι τοῦ μετὰ πολλὴν προκοπὴν εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐφθακότος, ὡς εἰπεῖν ἱλαρᾷ διαθέσει· «Τὸ κατοικεῖν με ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν», καὶ πάλιν· «Μίαν ᾐτησάμην παρὰ Κυρίου, ταύτην ἐκζητήσω· τὸ κατοικεῖν με ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μ̣ου, τοῦ θεωρεῖν με τὴν τερπνότητα Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπισκέπτεσθαι τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ.» 5.163 Συνᾴδει τῇ εἰρημένῃ νοήσει καὶ τὰ ἐν ὀγδοηκοστῷ καὶ τρίτῳ Ψαλμῷ ἔνθεν ἀρχόμενα ··· «Ὡς ἀγαπητὰ τ̣ὰ σκηνώματά σου, Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων. Ἐπιποθεῖ κα̣ὶ ἐκλ̣είπει η῾̣ ψυχή μου εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς τοῦ Κυρίου», καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Μακάριοι πάντε̣ς̣ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων αἰνέσουσίν σε.» Τελεῖται γὰρ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων ἡ ὑμνῳδία τοῖς με̣τὰ πᾶσαν προκοπὴν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον ὃν ὁ Θεὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν ἐλθοῦσιν. Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων οὐσῶν νοητῶν σκηνῶν ᾄδων ὁ σοφός φησιν· «Φωνη`̣ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ σωτηρίας ἐν σκηναῖς δικαίων.» Καὶ ὁ παροιμιαστής φ̣ησιν· «Οἶκοι δικαίων διαμένουσιν»· «σκηναὶ δὲ κατορθούντων σ̣τήσονται.» 5.164 ∆εῖ γάρ ποτε στῆναι τὴν προκοπήν, τοῦ τέλου̣ς̣ διαδεξαμένου, οἴκου καλουμένου. Οὐ γὰρ οἷον καὶ πρεπῶδες ὑπάρχει ἀεὶ προκόπτειν μηδαμῶς ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τελευταίαν κατάστασιν, οἶκον προσαγορευομένην, ἐν ᾗ οἱ