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indeed also of the spoils in it, by which he alluded to the Church of God and those who are distinguished in it; consequently through the present and divinely-inspired readings 23.700 he makes mention, as though saying to us: “If you sleep among the lots.” And the lots of the Church are both the Old and the New Testament of God; among which he teaches that those who live in their midst will find the wings of a dove covered with silver; the back of which dove is in the paleness of gold. For since the Holy Spirit is understood as a dove, the words spoken in the Old and New Testaments, according to a superficial reading, happen to be covered as if by wings, and by wings covered with silver, since the oracles of the Lord are silver tried in the fire, tested for the earth; but the meanings hidden in the depth, which are like the back of the aforementioned dove, that is, of the Holy Spirit, are said to be in the paleness of gold, with the thought hidden in the letter and the purest mind flashing like gold. And these things are proclaimed to all of us gathered in the house of God, whom the word previously called spoils. But instead of, “If you sleep,” according to Symmachus, it says, “If you recline between the lots.” For ‘to sleep’ here means ‘to rest.’ Therefore, the address exhortingly promises to the ascetics of the sacred words the benefit from the divine words; for the letter of the sacred readings has been purified like silver tried in the fire, according to the word that says: “The oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire;” and again: “The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles, silver tried in the fire, tested for the earth, purified sevenfold;” and the spiritual meaning is shown to be exceptional and very precious by the words, “in the paleness of gold.” “When the heavenly one scatters kings upon it, they shall be made white as snow in Salmon.” Instead of, “When the heavenly one scatters” and the rest, Symmachus interpreted it in this way: “When the one who is sufficient to rule was dividing it, it was as if covered with snow. Salmon, a mountain of God, a rich mountain, a very high mountain, a rich mountain; why are the high mountains so zealous? The mountain which God desired to dwell in, and the Lord will tabernacle there forever.” But the word teaches that at the time when the heavenly one, that is, the God of those who dwell in heaven, was dividing the aforementioned dove among the kings on the earth, that is, to the partakers of his kingdom on the earth (and these were prophets, and righteous and God-loving men, and the disciples and apostles of our Savior, to whom God, the heavenly one, distributed the Holy Spirit,) those who were deemed worthy of the gifts of the divine Spirit were made bright as snow. Wherefore it is said: “Why do you suppose, you curdled mountains?” The word rebuking those who think something else is like it. And it adds the reason why it is not fitting to compare another to it; wherefore it says: “The mountain in which God was pleased to dwell; for indeed the Lord will tabernacle there forever.” For this alone is that in which God was pleased to dwell, and in which the Father tabernacles for endless ages; wherefore it is not fitting to compare another to it. For even if it has been said concerning others, “I will dwell in 23.701 them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people;” yet he does not so dwell and walk among them as in his own mountain; for the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father; “and in him all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell;” and he did not dwell in him at one time, and at another time depart from him; but for the infinite end the Father always dwells in the Son. But he is our peace according to the Apostle. Wherefore he has also been called Salmon, which is Peace; and the place of God is the

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μὴν καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ σκύλων, δι' ὧν ᾐνίττετο τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ διαπρέποντας· ἀκολούθως διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας καὶ τῶν θεοπνεύστων ἀναγνωσμά 23.700 των τὴν μνήμην ποιεῖται ὡς πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγων· «Ἐὰν κοιμηθῆτε ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων.» Κλῆροι δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσὶν ἥ τε Παλαιὰ καὶ ἡ Καινὴ ∆ιαθήκη τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὧν τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ διαστρεφομένους διδάσκει πτέρυγας περιστερᾶς περιηργυρωμένας εὑρήσειν· ἧς περιστερᾶς τὰ μετάφρενα εἶναι ἐν χλωρότητι χρυσίου. Τοῦ γὰρ ἁγίου Πνεύματος περιστερᾶς νοουμένου, οἱ ἐν Παλαιᾷ καὶ Καινῇ λελαλημένοι λόγοι, κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἐπιπόλαιον ἀνάγνωσιν, πτέρυξιν ὥσπερ ἐγκεκαλυμμένοι τυγχάνουσι, καὶ πτέρυξι περιηργυρωμέναις, ἐπειδὴ τὰ λόγια Κυρίου ἀργύριόν ἐστι πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ· τὰ δὲ κατὰ βάθους ἐγκεκρυμμένα νοήματα, ἅπερ ἔοικε μεταφρένοις τῆς ἀποδοθείσης περιστερᾶς, δηλαδὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἐν χλωρότητι λέγεται εἶναι, τῆς ἐγκεκρυμμένης τῇ λέξει διανοίας καὶ τοῦ καθαρωτάτου νοῦ χρυσοῦ δίκην ἀπαστράπτοντος. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀναφωνεῖται πᾶσιν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ συνηγμένοις, οὓς διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν σκύλα ὁ λόγος ὠνόμαζεν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, «Ἐὰν κοιμηθῆτε,» κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ἐὰν ἀναπέσητε μεταξὺ τῶν κλήρων,» εἴρηται. Τὸ γὰρ κοιμηθῆναι νῦν διαναπαύσεσθαι δηλοῖ. Τοῖς οὖν τῶν ἱερῶν ἀσκηταῖς λόγων προτρεπτικῶς ἡ προσφώνησις ἐπαγγέλλεται τὴν ἐκ τῶν θείων λόγων ὠφέλειαν· ἥ τε γὰρ λέξις τῶν ἱερῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων κεκάθαρται δίκην ἀργυρίου πεπυρωμένου, κατὰ τὸν φήσαντα λόγον· «Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου πεπυρωμένα·» καὶ πάλιν· «Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου λόγια ἁγνὰ, ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ, κεκαθαρισμένον ἑπταπλασίως·» ἥ τε διάνοια ἡ πνευματικὴ ἐξαίρετος καὶ πολυτίμητος διὰ τοῦ λέγεσθαι, «Ἐν χλωρότητι χρυσίου,» παρίσταται. «Ἐν τῷ διαστέλλειν τὸν οὐράνιον βασιλεῖς ἐπ' αὐτὴν, χιονωθήσονται ἐν Σελμών.» Ἀντὶ τοῦ, «Ἐν τῷ διαστέλλειν τὸν ἐπουράνιον» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· «Ὁπότε κατεμέριζεν ὁ ἱκανὸς βασιλεύειν αὐτὴν, ὡς χιονισθεῖσα ἦν. Σελμὼν ὄρος Θεοῦ, ὄρος εὐτροφίας, ὄρος ὑψηλότατον, ὄρος εὐτροφίας· εἰς τί περισπουδάζεται τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλά; Τὸ ὄρος ὅπερ ἐπόθησεν ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ κατοικεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ Κύριος κατασκηνώσει εἰς τέλος.» ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς ἄρα κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἐπουράνιος, δηλαδὴ ὁ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς οἰκούντων Θεὸς, τὴν προλεχθεῖσαν περιστερὰν κατεμέριζε τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς βασιλεῦσι, τουτέστι τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ μετόχοις τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας, (προφῆται δὲ ἦσαν οὗτοι, δίκαιοί τε καὶ θεοφιλεῖς ἄνδρες, οἵ τε μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οἷς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὁ Θεὸς διεμέριζεν ὁ ἐπουράνιος,) χιόνος δίκην ἐλαμπρύνοντο οἱ τῶν τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος χαρισμάτων καταξιούμενοι. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· «Ἵνα τί ὑπολαμβάνετε ὄρη τετυρωμένα;» Ἐπιτιμῶντος τοῦ λόγου τοῖς ἕτερόν τι νομίζουσιν ὅμοιον αὐτῷ εἶναι. Ἐπιλέγει δὲ καὶ αἰτίαν δι' ἣν οὐ προσήκει ἀντιπαραβάλλειν αὐτῷ ἕτερον· διό φησι· «Τὸ ὄρος ὃ ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος κατασκηνώσει εἰς τέλος.» Μόνον γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖν, καὶ ἐν ᾧ ὁ Πατὴρ κατασκηνοῖ εἰς ἀπείρους αἰῶνας· διὸ οὐ προσήκει ἕτερον ἀντιπαραβάλλειν αὐτῷ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ λέλεκται περὶ ἑτέρων τὸ, «Ἐνοικήσω ἐν 23.701 αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεὸς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μου λαός·» ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἐνοικεῖ καὶ ἐμπεριπατεῖ ἐν τούτοις, ὡς ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ ὄρει· ὁ γὰρ Πατὴρ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐν τῷ Πατρί· «καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ηὐδόκησε πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος κατοικῆσαι·» καὶ οὐ ποτὲ μὲν ᾤκησεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἄλλοτε δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀπέστη· ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ ἄπειρον τέλος ἀεὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ κατοικεῖ. Αὐτὸς δέ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον. ∆ιὸ καὶ Σαλμὼν ὠνόμασται, ὅπερ ἐστὶν Εἰρήνη· καὶ τόπος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ