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Therefore, hearing definitively, "Yet three days, and Nineveh will be overthrown," as the prophet preached, I accept the unalterable decree against Nineveh; or rather, to speak more properly, that a visitation for Nineveh's sake would occur. For I understand that after three days—just as typically, being in the belly of the sea monster, in it the prophet, anticipating, prefigured the three-day burial and resurrection of the Lord—the word awaited another three days, in which the light of truth was to be shown, and the true outcome of the foretold mysteries, and the overthrow of the city was certainly to happen, no longer prefiguring the future truth of the Savior's burial and resurrection, (721) but clearly showing the truth enacted in the events themselves; of which the preceding triad of days in the sea monster, according to Jonah, was a prefiguration. For if every type is of an expected truth, and according to the type Jonah spent three days in the belly of the sea monster, it is clear that the mystery was intended as a type to show the truth that would certainly and wondrously follow in reality. and that the Lord spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, according to the voice of the Lord Himself, who said: "As Jonah was in the belly of the sea monster three days and three nights, so also will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." For the saying, "Yet three days," indicates cryptically that another three days have passed, since the word "Yet" would not have been used; that is, there will again be three days, and Nineveh will be overthrown. Therefore, the type did not overthrow Nineveh according to the divine decree, but the truth, about which He said, "Yet three days"; as if he were saying: "Yet three days will come, according to the [Fr. after the] type shown to me, of a more mystical burial and a greater resurrection; and Nineveh will be overthrown."

But perhaps some inquiring argument will say, "How does God speak the truth when giving a verdict of overthrow, and yet not overthrowing?" To which we say that He speaks the truth, overthrowing and saving the same city; the one, He does by the putting away of error; the other, He accomplishes by the reception [var. anticipation] of true knowledge. Rather, killing error through faith which is brought to life again; and working salvation by the death of error. For Nineveh is interpreted as squalid blackness, and smoothest beauty. Therefore, in accordance with the power of the interpretation, the Lord overthrew the squalid blackness of error which had been added to nature from the transgression, after the three-day burial and resurrection; and renewed the smoothest beauty of nature from the obedience of faith; again showing in nature at the resurrection the beauty of incorruptibility as exceedingly smooth, and not at all roughened by anything material. And this saying will fit both our common nature, and the holy Church, and the soul of each person, which has put off (724) through faith and a good conscience the image of the old and earthly Adam, and has put on the image of the heavenly one.

Therefore it has been clearly shown that the prophet possesses a multifaceted contemplation concerning himself, according to the power of his name; with the emphasis of the interpretation fittingly harmonizing, that is, with the passages of his Scripture. For interpreted as "flight of beauty," he signifies Adam and our common nature; but as "rest," and "healing of God" and "labor of God," he signifies our Lord and God, according to the power of the exegesis which has been given; and indicating the grace of the preaching through the richness of the Spirit in it, he is called "dove," and "gift of God," and "labor of God" on account of the many struggles of those who became ministers of this true calling. And of the

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Τοίνυν ἀκούων ὁριστικῶς, Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι, καί Νινευή καταστραφήσεται, τοῦ προφήτου κηρύττοντος, ἀπαράλλακτον ἐκδέχομαι κατά τῆς Νινευή τήν ἀπόφασιν· μᾶλλον δέ κυριώτερον εἰπεῖν, ὑπέρ τῆς Νινευή τήν ἐπίσκεψιν ἔσεσθαι. Νοῶ γάρ, ὅτι μετά τρεῖς ἡμέρας, ἅσπερ τυπικῶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους ὑπάρχων, ἐν αὐτῷ προλαβών τήν τριήμερον ταφήν τοῦ Κυρίου καί ἀνάστασιν προδιέγραψεν ὁ προφήτης, ἄλλας ἐξεδέχετο τρεῖς ἡμέρας ὁ λόγος, ἐν αἷς ἔμελλε τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποδειχθῆναι τό φῶς, καί ἡ τῶν προῤῥηθέντων ἀληθής τῶν μυστηρίων ἔκβασις, καί ἡ καταστροφή γενέσθαι πάντως τῆς πόλεως, οὐκέτι μέλλουσαν προτυπούσας τήν ἀλήθειαν τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ταφῆς καί ἀναστάσεως, (721) ἀλλ᾿ ἐπί τῶν πραγμάτων ἐνεργεθεῖσαν δεικνυούσας σαφῶς τήν ἀλήθειαν· ἧς προδιατύπωσις ἦν, ἡ προλαβοῦσα κατά τόν Ἰωνᾶν ἐν τῶ κήτει τριάς τῶν ἡμερῶν. Εἰ γάρ πᾶς τύπος προσδοκωμένης ἀληθείας ἐστί· κατά δέ τόν τύπον τρεῖς ἡμέρας πεποίηκεν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους Ἰωνᾶς, δῆλον ὡς τύπος πραγματειωδῶς ἐφεπομένην πάντως καινοπρεπῶς τήν ἀλήθειαν δεικνύναι τό μυστήριον ἔμελλε· καί τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς πεποιηκέναι τόν Κύριον, κατά τήν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου φωνήν, φάσκοντος· Ὥσπερ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται καί ὁ Υἱός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καί τρεῖς νύκτας. Τό γάρ εἰπεῖν, Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι, δηλοῖ κατ᾿ ἐπίκρυψιν, ὡς παρῆλθον ἄλλαι τρεῖς ἡμέραι, ἐπεί οὐκ ἄν ἔκειτο τό, Ἔτι· τουτέστι, γενήσονται πάλιν τρεῖς ἡμέραι, καί Νινευή καταστραφήσεται. Οὐκοῦν ὁ τύπος οὐ κατέστρεψε τήν Νινευή κατά τήν θείαν ἀπόφασιν· ἀλλ᾿ ἡ ἀλήθεια, περί ἧς εἶπεν, Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι· ὡσανεί ἔλεγεν· Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι, κατά τόν [Fr. μετά τόν] ἐμοί δειχθέντα τύπον, γενήσονται, μυστικωτέρας ταφῆς καί μείζονος ἀναστάσεως· καί Νινευή καταστραφήσεται.

Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις τυχόν διαπορῶν λόγος, Πῶς ἀληθεύει καταστροφῆς ψῆφον διδούς ὁ Θεός, καί μή καταστρέφων; πρός ὅν φαμεν, ὡς ἀληθεύει τήν αὐτήν καταστρέφων, καί σώζων· τό μέν, τῇ ἀποθέσει τῆς πλάνης ποιῶν· τό δέ, τῇ προσλήψει [ἄλ. προλήψει] κατορθῶν τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐπιγνώσεως. Μᾶλλον δέ, τήν μέν πλάνην ἀποκτένων διά τῆς πίστεως πάλιν ζωογονουμένης· τήν δέ σωτηρίαν, τῷ θανάτῳ τῆς πλάνης πραγματευόμενος. Νινεϋῇ γάρ ἑρμηνεύεται μελάνωσις αὐχμηρά, καί ὡραιότης λειοτάτη. Οὐκοῦν συμφώνως τῇ δυνάμει τῆς ἑρμηνείας, τήν μέν ἐκ τῆς παραβάσεως τῇ φύσει προσγενομένην αὐχμηράν τῆς πλάνης μελάνωσιν, μετά τήν τριήμερον ταφήν καί ἀνάστασιν ὁ Κύριος κατέστρεψε· τήν δέ ἐξ ὑπακοῆς πίστεως λειοτάτην ὡραιότητα τῆς φύσεως ἀνενεώσατο· πάλιν τό κάλλος ἐν τῇ φύσει κατά τήν ἀνάστασιν δείξας τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἄγαν λειότατον, καί μηδενί τό παράπαν ὑλικῷ τραχυνόμενον. Ἁρμόσει δέ καί πρός τήν κοινήν φύσιν τοῦτο λεγόμενον, καί πρός τήν ἁγίαν Ἐκκλησίαν, καί πρός τήν τοῦ καθ᾿ ἕκαστον ψυχήν, ἀποθεμένην (724) διά πίστεως καί ἀγαθῆς συνειδήσεως, τοῦ παλαιοῦ Ἀδάμ καί χοϊκοῦ τήν εἰκόνα, καί ἐνδυσαμένην τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου.

Τοιγαροῦν δέδεικται σαφῶς, ὅτι πολύτροπον ἔχει τήν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ θεωρίαν ὁ προφήτης, κατά τήν δύναμιν τοῦ ὀνόματος· τοῖς τόποις δηλονότι τῆς αὐτοῦ Γραφῆς προσφόρως ἁρμοζούσης κατά τήν ἑρμηνείαν ἐμφάσεως. Σημαίνει γάρ ὡς μέν φυγή κάλλους ἑρμηνευόμενος, τόν Ἀδάμ, καί τήν κοινήν φύσιν· ὡς δέ ἀνάπαυσις, καί ἴασις Θεοῦ καί πόνος Θεοῦ λεγόμενος, τόν Κύριον ἡμῶν καί Θεόν, κατά τήν ἀποδοθεῖσαν τῆς ἐξηγήσεως δύναμιν· τήν δέ τοῦ κηρύγματος χάριν, διά τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ πλούτου τοῦ Πνεύματος μηνύων, περιστερά λέγεται, καί δόμα Θεοῦ, καί πόνος Θεοῦ διά τούς πολλούς ἀγῶνας τῶν γενομένων ταύτης τῆς ἀληθοῦς κλήσεως λειτουργῶν. Τήν δέ τῶν