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genuine servants of God, performing the spiritual services for ever and ever, praise and glorify God with thanksgiving for the perfect and most complete ordinances that have come into being. 5.165 It is fitting to crown each of the assigned booths in an orderly manner with each thing legislated in order: beautiful fruit of a tree and fronds of palm trees and branches of a thick-leaved tree, and of chaste tree and willow. And see if the beautiful fruit is of wisdom, called the tree of life, of which the proverbial saying states, "she is a tree of life to all who draw near her, and for those who lean on her, she is secure as on the Lord." 5.166 It is also signified by another name, being the true vine bearing beautiful fruit, a grape and a cluster from which is pressed out "wine that makes the heart glad." 5.167 In addition to this fruit, one must take fronds of palm trees to crown the portable house, ···ε··· being a booth, of the one whose heart is always upward, being an ever-green shoot. The fronds taken from the palm tree, being taken in the manner of a broom, work together for cleansing, using which the woman who lost one of the ten drachmas swept the refuse out of the house and found the hidden coin, bearing the image of the universal king, being none other than the one made in the image and likeness of God. 5.168 Concerning the palm tree, whose fronds it is fitting to take for the adornment of the booth, the bride in the Song of Songs sings: "I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its high branches." 5.169 In addition to the fronds of the palm tree, one must also take thick-leaved branches having much fruit, being thick-leaved because of the continuity and density of their shoots and fruits. Now the thick-leaved branches are the practical and intellectual virtues according to kind and the fruit-bearing doctrines of piety. 5.170 One must take for the adornment of the woven booths branches of both chaste tree and willow. It has seemed to some that "chaste tree" and "willow" are the same, with both names signifying one plant, which is a symbol of purity and incorruptibility, because its flower, when crushed and mixed with water, renders impotent those who have drunk it, as has been observed in other cases as well. 5.171 The one who celebrates the intelligible feast of booths does this by ascending, as the aforementioned prophet indicates, while those who beg according to the letter and shadow of the law conduct it below and in a lowly place. And since the refuse and chaff of the shadow cover the spirit and the truth, it is fitting to take fronds of palm trees, so that, having swept away what the Apostle called "rubbish," we may have the spiritual understanding of the legislation concerning this feast, having ascended to its height; for thus it is possible "to worship" in spirit and in truth "the king, the Lord almighty." 5.172 In addition to the meaning that has appeared, the feast concerning the booths must be understood in another way. Our human bodies are called thus. For instance, the most holy of Christ's disciples, Peter, writes: "The Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me that the putting off of my tabernacle will be soon." Likewise also the divine Paul: "For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." 5.173 And the feast of booths is celebrated chiefly and especially by those who profess to "rejoice," not only of men who have not been defiled with women, but also of females who are eager to have holiness in spirit and body. 5.174 In addition to these, those who pursue honorable marriage also adorn their own booths, purifying themselves and keeping their marriage bed undefiled. 5.175 And still more is the festival of the tabernacles celebrated above, being crowned and made splendid at the expected time of the resurrection, when the corruptible body is raised incorruptible and the natural body is raised a spiritual body. Is not a divine booth

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γνήσιοι Θεοῦ θεραπευταὶ τὰς πνευματικὰς λατρείας ἐκτελοῦντες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων αἰνοῦσι καὶ δοξ̣ολογοῦσιν εὐχ̣α̣ρ̣ιστικῶς Θεὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑπάρξασιν τελείοις καὶ πληρεστάτοις δικαιώμασι. 5.165 Τῶν ἀποδοθεισῶν σκηνῶν ἑκάστην προσήκει στέψαι κοσμίως ἕκαστα ἑξῆς νομοθετηθέντα, καρπὸν ὡραῖον ξ̣ύλου καὶ κάλλυνθρα φοινίκων καὶ κλάδους ξύλου δ̣ασεῖς ἄγνου τε καὶ ἰτέας. Καὶ ὅρα γε εἰ ὁ ὡραῖος καρπὸς τῆς σοφίας ἐστίν, ξύλου ζωῆς προσαγορευομένης, ᾗ φησιν τὸ παροιμιῶδες λόγιον «ξύλον εἶναι αὐτὴν ζωῆς πᾶσι τοῖς ἐγγίζουσι̣ν αὐτῇ καὶ τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις ἐπ' αὐτ̣ὴν ὡς ἐπὶ Κύριον ἀσφαλῆ.» 5.166 ∆ηλοῦται καὶ ἑτέρῳ ὀνόματι ἄμπελος οὖσα ἀληθινὴ φέρουσα ὡραῖον καρπόν, σταφυλὴν καὶ βότρυν ἀφ' οὗ ἐκθλίβεται «οἶνος ὁ τὴν καρδίαν εὐφραίνων». 5.167 Πρὸς τῷ καρπῷ τούτῳ παραλημπτέον πρὸς τὸ στέψαι τὸν φορητὸν οἶκον ···ε··· σκηνὴν τυγχάνοντα κάλλυνθρα φοινίκων, τοῦ τὴν καρδ̣ίαν ἀεὶ ἄνω ἔχοντο̣ς ὑπάρχοντος ἀεὶ θάλους. Συνεργεῖ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ φοίνικος λαμβανόμενα κάλλυνθρα πρὸς καθαριότητα σάρου δίκην παραλαμβανόμενα, ᾧ χρησαμένη ἡ ἐκ τῶν δέκα δραχμῶν μίαν ἀπολέσασα γυνὴ ἐξέβαλεν τὰ κόπρια ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας καὶ ηὗρ̣εν τὸ κρυβὲν νόμισμα, φέρον εἰκο´̣να τοῦ παμβασιλ̣έως, οὐχ ἕτερον τυγχάνον τοῦ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γ̣ενομένου. 5.168 Περὶ τοῦ φοίνικος οὗ τὰ κάλλυνθρα προσήκει λαβεῖν τοῦ κόσμου τη῀̣ς σκηνῆς ἕνεκα, ἡ νύμφη ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν Ἀισμάτων ᾀ´̣δει· «Εἶπα· Ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ φοίνικι, κρατήσω τῶν ὕψεων αὐτοῦ.» 5.169 Πρὸς τοῖς καλλύνθροις τοῦ φοίνικος, καὶ κλάδους δασεῖς λημπτέον πολὺν καρπὸν ἔχοντας, ὄντας δασεῖς διὰ τὴν τῶν βλαστῶν καὶ καρπῶν συνέχειάν τε καὶ πυκνότητα. Ὑπάρχουσι δὲ οἱ δασεῖς κλάδοι αἱ κατ' εἶδος πρ̣ακτικαὶ καὶ διανοητικαὶ ἀρεταὶ καὶ τὰ καρποφόρα δόγματα τῆς εὐσεβείας. 5.170 Ληπτέον πρὸς τὴν κατακόσμησιν τῶν πλακ̣εισῶν σκηνῶν καὶ ἄγνου καὶ ἰτέας κλάδους. Ταὐτόν τε ἄγνος καὶ ἰτέαν τι̣σὶν ἔδοξεν εἰπεῖν, ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὀνομάτων δηλούντων φυτὸν ἕν, ὅπερ ἁγνείας καὶ ἀφθορίας σύμβολον ὑπάρχει, διὰ τριφ̣θὲν τὸ ἄνθος αὐτοῦ ὕδατι μεμιγμένον ἀπευνουχίζειν τ̣ο̣ὺς πεπωκότας, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις τεθεώρηται. 5.171 Ὁ τὴν νοητὴν σκηνοπηγίαν̣ ε῾̣ορτάζων ἀναβαίνων τοῦτο πράττει, ὡς ὁ προκείμενος προφήτης δηλοῖ, κάτω καὶ ἐν ταπεινῷ ἀγόντων αὐτὴν τῶν κατὰ γράμμα καὶ σκιὰν τοῦ νόμου ἀγυριζόντων. Καὶ ἐπεὶ τὰ κόπρια καὶ ἡ ἀχυρμιὰ τῆς̣ σκιᾶς καλύπτει τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, προσήκει κάλλυνθρα φοινίκων λαβεῖν, ἵνα σαρώσαντες ἃ ὠνόμασεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος «σκύβαλα» ἔχωμεν τὸν πνευματικὸν νοῦν τῆς καὶ περὶ ταύτης τῆς ε῾̣ορ̣τ̣ῆς νομοθεσίας, ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς· οὕτω γὰρ δυνατὸν «προσκυνῆσαι» πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ «τῷ βασιλεῖ Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι». 5.172 Πρὸς τῇ φανείσῃ νοήσει καὶ ἑτέρως νοητέον τὴν περὶ τῶν σκηνῶν ἑορτήν. Τὰ σώμ̣ατα ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὕτω προσαγορεύονται. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ο῾̣ τῶν Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν α῾̣γ̣ιώτατος Πέτρος γράφει· «Ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐδήλωσέν μοι ὅτι ταχινή ἐστιν ἡ ἀπόθεσις τοῦ σκηνώματός μου.» Συμφώνως καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλοσ· «Οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομεν βαρούμενοι, ἐφ' ᾧ οὐ θέλομεν ἐκδύσασθαι ἀλλ' ἐπενδύσασθαι, ἵνα καταποθῇ τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς.» 5.173 Ἐπιτελεῖται δὲ ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν σκηνῶν προηγουμένως τε καὶ μάλιστα ὑπὸ τῶν «ἀγαλλ̣ιᾶν» ἐπ̣αγγελλομένων, οὐκ ἀνδρῶν μόνων μετὰ γυναικῶν μὴ μ̣ολυνθέντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ θηλειῶν σπευδουσῶν πνεύματι καὶ σώματι ἁγιότητα ἔχειν. 5.174 Πρὸς τούτοις κοσμοῦσιν τὰς ἑαυτῶν σκηνὰς καὶ οἱ τίμιον γάμον μετερχόμενοι, ἁγνεύοντες καὶ τὴν κοίτην αὐτῶν ἀμίαντον φυλάττοντες. 5.175 Ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἄνω τελεῖται ἡ πανήγυρις τῶν σκηνωμάτων στεφομένων τε καὶ ἀγλαϊζομ̣ένων ἐν τῷ προσδοκωμένῳ καιρῷ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, τοῦ φθαρτοῦ σώματος ἀφθάρτου ἐγειρομένου καὶ τοῦ ψυχικοῦ πνευματικ̣οῦ σώματος ἐγειρομένου. Ἦ οὐ σκηνὴ θεία