242
peace has been spoken, according to, "In holy peace is his place." "The chariot of God is ten thousandfold, thousands of prosperous ones; the Lord is in them in Sinai in the holy place." The word, having first delivered the teaching concerning the Holy Spirit through the dove, then that concerning the Son through the mountain of God, descends henceforth to the subordinate powers; showing that, although the mountain that was assigned happens to be such that in it dwells all the fullness of the paternal deity, yet this is not the only possession of the Father, but He has also other subordinate ministering and liturgical powers, which, being myriad and many, and differing in virtue, the all-sovereign God, having bound them under one yoke, harnessed for Himself as a chariot, under the charioteer His Only-begotten Word. The prophet Daniel also shows the multitude of these in his theophany, saying: "Ten thousand times ten thousand ministered to him, and a thousand thousands stood before him." In accordance with which it is now also said: "The chariot of God is ten thousandfold, thousands of prosperous ones." Instead of which Symmachus translated: "The vehicle of God of myriads, thousands of sounding ones." What does "sounding ones" mean, if not surely voices full of doxology and theology? As also the seraphim are recorded by Isaiah crying out and saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of his glory." And among these thousands and myriads yoked to the chariot of God, the Lord Himself dwells in the midst, as it were driving them and preparing them by the Spirit. Therefore it is added, "The Lord is in them." But which Lord, he indicates by going on and saying: "In Sinai in the holy place." For it is that very Lord, he says, who appeared on the holy mountain Sinai; and this was the Word of God, clearly to those yoked under the chariot of God. Therefore the Hebrew text does not use the tetragrammaton, but contains the Lord in common letters in, "The Lord is in them." For to show this one to be different from the God signified above by the tetragrammaton, when "the chariot of God" was said, it was indicated by the letters unutterable among the Hebrews; but now by the more common characters, by which also the lord among men is written. And he precisely indicates the place "in Sinai," in order to signify the Lord who appeared on earth. And very consistently he adds next: "You ascended on high, you led captivity captive; you received gifts among men." And he hints 23.704 at his descent, by saying, "you ascended;" for he would not have ascended otherwise, unless he had first descended. "For he who descended is the same one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things." And having ascended what did he do? He led captivity captive, and received gifts among men. What captivity did he capture but the aforementioned spoils, which his soldiers distributed? But he also received gifts among men, the Father having gifted them to him, according to the promise he promised to him, saying: "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession." And having received these gifts "among men" from the Father, he established his Church. After these things it is said: "For even the disobedient to dwell;" which Symmachus rendered more clearly, saying: "Even among the disobedient to dwell." For this too, he says, he received from the Father, to dwell among those who were formerly disobedient and spoke against the piety of God. For he has also received this authority, to dwell in the midst of the disobedient, and from the disobedient themselves to receive doctrines for himself. So many teachings having been delivered through the prophecy, next the Holy Spirit, as for great and paradoxical achievements, blesses the giver of so many good things, saying: "The Lord God be blessed, blessed be the Lord day by day." No longer
242
εἰρήνη λέλεκται, κατὰ τὸ, «Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἁγίᾳ ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ.» «Τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ μυριοπλάσιον, χιλιάδες εὐθηνούντων· Κύριος ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐν Σιναῒ ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ.» Ἀποδοὺς ὁ λόγος πρώτην τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος διδασκαλίαν διὰ τῆς περιστερᾶς, ἔπειτα τὴν περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ διὰ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ Θεοῦ, καταβαίνει λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὰς ὑποβεβηκυίας δυνάμεις· παριστὰς, ὅτι, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἀποδοθὲν τοιοῦτον τυγχάνει, ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς πατρικῆς θεότητος, ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον τοῦτο κτῆμά ἐστι τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἄλλας ὑποβεβηκυίας διακονικὰς καὶ λειτουργικὰς δυνάμεις, ἃς μυρίας οὔσας καὶ πολλὰς, τῇ τε ἀρετῇ διαφερούσας ὑφ' ἕνα ζυγὸν καταδησάμενος, ἅρμα ἑαυτῷ κατέζευξεν ὁ παμβασιλεὺς Θεὸς, ὑφ' ἡνιόχῳ τῷ Μονογενεῖ αὐτοῦ Λόγῳ. Τὸ δὲ τούτων πλῆθος καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ὁ προφήτης ἐν τῇ θεοπτίᾳ παρίστησι λέγων· «Μύριαι μυριάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ χίλιαι χιλιάδες παρειστήκεισαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ.» Ὧ συμφώνως καὶ νῦν λέλεκται· «Τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ μυριοπλάσιον, χιλιάδες εὐθηνούντων.» Ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· «Ὄχησις τοῦ Θεοῦ μυριάδων, χιλιάδες ἠχούντων.» Τί δὲ «ἠχούντων» ἢ πάντως που φωνὰς πλήρεις δοξολογίας καὶ θεολογίας; Οἷα καὶ τὰ σεραφεὶμ ἀναγέγραπται παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ βοῶντα καὶ λέγοντα· «Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαὼθ, πλήρης πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.» Ἐν ταύταις δὲ ταῖς χιλιάσι καὶ ταῖς μυριάσι ταῖς ὑπεζευγμέναις τῷ ἅρματι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος μέσος ἐμπολιτεύεται, ὥσπερ ἡνιοχῶν αὐτὰς καὶ τῷ Πνεύματι παρασκευάζων. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγεται, «Κύριος ἐν αὐτοῖς.» Ποῖος δὲ Κύριος, σημαίνει προϊὼν καὶ φάσκων· «Ἐν Σιναῒ ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ.» Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, φησὶν, ὁ Κύριος ὁ ἐν Σιναῒ τῷ ἁγίῳ ὄρει ὀφθείς· ἦν δὲ οὗτος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, δηλαδὴ τοῖς ὑπὸ τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐζευγμένοις. ∆ιὸ οὐ τῷ τετραγράμμῳ κέχρηται ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις, στοιχείοις δὲ κοινοῖς τὸν Κύριον περιέχει ἐν τῷ, «Κύριος ἐν αὐτοῖς.» Ἵνα γὰρ ἕτερον παραστήσῃ τοῦτον τοῦ ἀνωτέρω διὰ τοῦ τετραγράμμου σημανθέντος Θεοῦ, ὅτε μὲν «τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ» ἐλέγετο, διὰ τῶν ἀνεκφωνήτων παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἐδηλοῦτο στοιχείων· νυνὶ δὲ τοῖς κοινοτέροις χαρακτῆρσιν, οἷς καὶ ὁ παρ' ἀνθρώποις γράφεται κύριος. Ἀκριβῶς δὲ καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐπισημαίνεται τὸν «ἐν Σιναῒ,» ἵνα σημήνῃ τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς ὀφθέντα Κύριον. Σφόδρα δὲ ἀκολούθως ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· «Ἀνέβης εἰς ὕψος, ᾐχμαλώτευσας αἰχμαλωσίαν· ἔλαβες δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώποις.» Αἰνίτ 23.704 τεται δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν κάθοδον, διὰ τοῦ φάναι, «ἀνέβης·» οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἄλλως ἀνέβη, εἰ μὴ πρότερον καταβεβήκει. «Ὁ γὰρ καταβὰς, αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα.» Ἀναβὰς δὲ τί ἔπραξεν; Ἠχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ ἔλαβε δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώποις. Ποίαν δὲ αἰχμαλωσίαν ᾐχμαλώτευσεν ἢ τὰ προλεχθέντα σκύλα, ἃ διενείμαντο οἱ αὐτοῦ στρατιῶται; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔλαβε δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώποις, τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῷ δεδωρημένου, καθ' ἣν ἐπήγγελται πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπαγγελίαν, φήσας· «Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς.» Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ δόματα «ἐν ἀνθρώποις» παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς λαβὼν, συνεστήσατο τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ. Τούτοις ἑξῆς εἴρηται· «Καὶ γὰρ ἀπειθοῦντες τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι·» ὅπερ σαφέστερον ἀπέδωκεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· «Ἔτι καὶ ἐν ἀπειθοῦσι κατασκηνῶσαι.» Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἔλαβε, τὸ κατασκηνῶσαι ἐν τοῖς πάλαι ἀπειθοῦσι καὶ ἀντιλέγουσι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐσεβείᾳ. Καὶ ταύτην γὰρ εἴληφε τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὥστε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀπειθούντων κατασκηνοῦν, ἐξ αὐτῶν τε τῶν ἀπειθούντων λαμβάνειν ἑαυτῷ δόγματα. Τοσούτων δὴ μαθημάτων παραδοθέντων διὰ τῆς προφητείας, ἑξῆς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλοις καὶ παραδόξοις κατορθώμασιν, εὐλογεῖ τὸν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν δοτῆρα φάσκον· «Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς, εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ἡμέραν καθ' ἡμέραν.» Οὐκέτι