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QUESTION 46.

In whose person is Jephthah taken, and his daughter? Response. Jephthah is in the person of the Lord; but his daughter, in his

all-pure flesh. For just as Jephthah was born of a harlot, and was cast out by his own; and going out he made war, and conquered his adversaries, promising to God to offer as a sacrifice the one who met him from his own household; so also the Lord, coming forth sinlessly in the flesh from our nature which had committed fornication, and becoming the sower of his own flesh. And being cast out by those who seemed to be Jews, and having won the war on our behalf, he offered his own flesh to God the Father. For Jephthah is interpreted, opening of God.

QUESTION 47. (824)

How shall we understand that of the Gospel, that "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John; but he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he?"

Response. (824) Whoever humbles himself more than John (for this is what "least" means),

that one is greater than John. Or otherwise, since John is believed to have apprehended the knowledge attainable here through contemplation, the small and last knowledge according to the state that will be revealed in the future is greater than that here. Or also, the highest theologian among men is less than the least among angels. Or also, he who has the last rank according to the angelic [evangelical] way of life is greater than the highest according to legal righteousness.

QUESTION 48.

What is that of Proverbs, "He that striketh hands with hands, shall not be held innocent?" Response. He who mixes a wicked deed with a virtuous deed shall not be held innocent.

QUESTION 49.

What is this, "The righteous shall fall seven times, and rise again?" Response. The righteous here, we must understand as the only truly righteous one, our Lord Jesus Christ

we must understand. Since therefore he himself is said in us both to fall and to rise, as having accepted all our things through philanthropy; and our nature fell seven times, both in the first transgression of the first father; and second, the foul murder dared by Cain, who was the first to innovate murder; third, in the generation of Noah, upon which the Spirit of God did not remain, because they were flesh; fourth, at the building of the tower; fifth, in the generation of Abraham, from which he alone pleased God; sixth, in the time of Moses, to such an extent of the

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΣτ΄.

Εἰς πρόσωπον τίνος λαμβάνεται ὁ Ἰεφθάε, καί ἡ τούτου θυγάτηρ; Ἀπόκρισις. Ὁ μέν Ἰεφθάε εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ Κυρίου· ἡ δέ τούτου θυγάτηρ, εἰς τήν αὐτοῦ

πανάχραντον σάρκα. Ὥσπερ γάρ ὁ Ἰεφθάε ἐκ πόρνης ἦν γεγεννημένος, καί ἀπό τῶν ἰδίων ἐξεδιώχθη· καί ἐξελθών ἐπολέμησε, καί ἐνίκησε τούς ὑπεναντίους, ὑποσχόμενος τῷ Θεῷ τόν ὑπαντῶντα αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτοῦ προσάγειν εἰς θυσίαν· οὕτως καί ὁ Κύριος ἐκ τῆς πορνευσάσης ἡμῶν φύσεως, τό κατά σάρκα ἀναμαρτήτως προελθών, καί τῆς οἰκείας σαρκός γενόμενος σπορεύς. Ἐκδιωχθείς τε ὑπό τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι Ἰουδαίων, καί τόν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν πόλεμον νικήσας, προσήγαγε τήν οἰκείαν σάρκα τῷ Θεῷ καί Πατρί. Ἰεφθάε γάρ ἑρμηνεύεται, ἄνοιξις Θεοῦ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΖ΄. (824)

Πῶς νοήσομεν τό τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὅτι "Μείζων Ἰωάννου ἐν γεννητοῖς οὐκ ἐγήγερται· ὁ δέ μικρότερος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, μείζων αὐτοῦ ἐστιν;"

Ἀπόκρισις. (824) Ὅστις ὑπέρ τόν Ἰωάννην ταπεινώσει ἑαυτόν (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τό, μικρότερος),

ἐκεῖνος μείζων ἐστί τοῦ Ἰωάννου.Ἤ καί ἄλλως, ἐπειδή ὁ Ἰωάννης τήν ἐνταῦθα ἐφικτήν διά θεωρίας γνῶσιν κατειληφέναι πιστεύεται, ἡ μικρά καί τελευταία κατά τήν μέλλουσαν φανήσεσθαι κατάστασιν γνῶσις, μείζων ὑπάρχει τῆς ἐνταῦθα. Ἤ καί ὁ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἄκρος θεολόγος τοῦ ἐν ἀγγέλοις ἐσχάτου ἐστί μικρότερος. Ἤ καί ὁ κατά τήν ἀγγελικήν [εὐαγγελ.] πολιτείαν τήν ἐσχάτην ἔχων τάξιν, τοῦ κατά τόν νομικήν δικαιοσύνην ἄκρου, μείζων ἐστί.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΗ΄.

Τί ἐστι, τό τῶν Παροιμιῶν, "Χειρί χεῖρας ἐμβαλών, οὐκ ἀθωωθήσεται;" Ἀπόκρισις. Πράξει ἐναρέτῳ ὁ πρᾶξιν μίσγων φαύλην, οὐκ ἀθωωθήσεται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΜΘ΄.

Τί ἐστι τό, "Ἑπτάκις πεσεῖται ὁ δίκαιος, καί ἀναστήσεται;" Ἀπόκρισις. ∆ίκαιον ἐνταῦθα, τόν μόνον ἀληθῶς δίκαιον τόν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν

ὑπολαμβάνειν χρεών. Ἐπεί οὖν ὁ αὐτός ἐν ἡμῖν λέγεται καί πίπτειν καί ἀνίστασθαι, ὡς τά ἡμέτερα πάντα διά φιλανθρωπίαν καταδεξάμενος· ἔπεσε δέ ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν ἑπτάκις, κατά τε τήν τοῦ προπάτορος παράβασιν πρώτην γεγενημένην· δευτέραν δέ, τήν τολμηθεῖσαν τοῦ Κάϊν μιαιφονίαν, πρῶτον καινοτομήσαντος φόνον· τρίτην ἐπί τῆς κατά τόν Νῶε γενεᾶς, ἐφ᾿ ἧς οὐ κατέμεινε τό Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, διά τό εἶναι αὐτούς σάρκας· τέταρτον, ἐπί τῆς πυργοποιίας· πέμπτον, ἐπί τῆς τοῦ Ἀβράαμ γενεᾶς, ἐξ ἧς μόνος αὐτός τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησε· ἕκτην, ἐπί τοῦ Μωϋσέως, εἰς τοσοῦτον τῆς ἐπ᾿