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but rarely, lest while you highly esteem his rest, the traits of enemies and those who hate you might be shown in you.

QUESTION 63.

What is signified by the heifer whose neck is broken in the ravine according to the law concerning ignorance of a murder?

Answer. Through these things the spiritual will of (836) Scripture signifies, that not

only ought one to fear concerning manifest sins, as being about to give an account for them, but also for those things done by us in ignorance, we should always fear to break the neck of the heifer, that is, our flesh, in the ravine of self-control and ascetic practice. And for this reason they left the heifer alive, so that we too might learn, not to kill the body, but to break the neck of and subdue the pleasures that rise up.

QUESTION 64.

What is signified by the paralytic being let down through the roof by four men, and is it possible according to the story for the house to be unroofed?

Answer. (837) According to the story, the house was certainly unroofed; because those of the places

who have become eyewitnesses of those [places], say that the roofs of the houses, are very light, made from pumice stone, so that one wishing to unroof it, can do this easily and quickly. But according to the anagogical mode, a paralytic is every mind sick with sins, and not being able through natural contemplation (for this is the door) to see the Word; but through faith having unroofed the covering of the thickness of the legalistic letter, he is let down by the four from the vain height, to the Word who emptied himself, and through faith and practice he receives his footing.

QUESTION 65.

For what reason, when the prophet Elisha was mocked by the children, did he pray, and bears came out, and tore up [mauled] 42 children?

Answer. Some say that the children were not Israelites, but from foreigners; and not

children in age, but in mind. Since therefore they heard that the prophet was performing many signs, and they did not believe, but mocked him; and some were present who did not share in their vain opinion; therefore, so that these might not be harmed, and the blasphemy run up against God, God went out against them. But according to the spiritual interpretation, every mind that like Elisha is bald, that is, pure of material thoughts, in the ascent of knowledge, is much mocked by the thoughts concerning sensible things, and matter and form; with forty signifying sensible things; and matter and form being added, make up the number forty-two. Therefore he is mocked by the

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δέ σπανίως, μήποτε τήν ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ περί πολλοῦ ποιουμένου σου, τά τῶν ἐχθρῶν καί μισούντων ἐν σοί ἐνδείξηται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΞΓ΄.

Τί σημαίνει ἡ κατά τόν νόμον περί ἀγνοίας τοῦ φόνου νευροκοπουμένη ἐν τῇ φάραγγι δάμαλις;

Ἀπόκρισις. Σημαίνει διά τούτων τό πνευματικόν βούλημα τῆς (836) τῆς Γραφῆς, ὅτι οὐ

μόνον περί τῶν προδήλων ἁμαρτημάτων χρή δεδοικέναι, ὡς μέλλοντας ὑπέρ αὐτῶν διδόναι δίκην, ἀλλά καί ὑπέρ τῶν ἀγνώστως ἡμῖν πραττομένων, δεδοικότας ἀεί τήν δάμαλιν, τουτέστι, τήν σάρκα ἡμῶν νευροκοπεῖν ἐν τῇ φάραγγι τῆς ἐγκρατείας καί τῆς ἀσκήσεως. ∆ιά τοῦτο δέ τήν δάμαλιν ζῶσαν κατελίμπανον, ἵνα καί ἡμεῖς μάθωμεν, μή τό σῶμα ἀποκτένειν, ἀλλά τάς ἐπανισταμένας ἡδονάς νευροκοπεῖν καί δαμάζειν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ξ∆΄.

Τί σημαίνει ὁ παραλυτικός διά τῆς στέγης ὑπό τεσσάρων χαλώμενος, καί εἰ δυνατόν κατά τήν ἱστορίαν ἀποστεγασθῆναι τόν οἶκον;

Ἀπόκρισις. (837) Κατά μέν τήν ἱστορίαν, πάντως ἀπεστεγάσθη ὁ οἶκος· ἐπειδή οἱ τῶν τόπων

ἐκείνων αὐτόπται γενόμενοι, φασί τάς στέγας τῶν οἴκων, ἀπό λίθου κισήρου εἶναι ἐλαφροτάτους, ὥστε τόν ἀποστεγάσαι βουλόμενον, εὐκόλως καί συντόμως δύνασθαι τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Κατά δέ τόν τῆς ἀναγωγῆς τρόπον, παραλυτικός ἐστι, πᾶς νοῦς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις νοσῶν, καί μή δυνάμενος διά τῆς φυσικῆς θεωρίας (αὕτη γάρ ἡ θύρα) ἰδεῖν τόν λόγον· διά δέ τῆς πίστεως ἀποστεγάσας τό κάλυμμα τῆς παχύτητος τοῦ νομικοῦ γράμματος, διά τῶν τεσσάρων χαλᾶσαι ἐκ τοῦ ματαίου ὕψους, πρός τόν ἑαυτόν κενώσαντα Λόγον, καί τῇ πίστει καί τῇ πράξει λαμβάνει τήν βάσιν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΞΕ΄.

Τίνος χάριν καταγελωμένου Ἐλλισαίου τοῦ προφήτου ἐκ τῶν παίδων, ηὔξατο, καί ἐξῆλθον ἄρκοι, καί ἀνώρυξαν [ἀνέῤῥηξαν] μβ΄ παῖδας;

Ἀπόκρισις. Φασί τινες μή εἶναι Ἰσραηλίτας τούς παῖδας, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων· καί οὐχί

παῖδας τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, ἀλλά τῇ φρονήσει. Ἐπεί οὖν ἤκουον τόν προφήτην πολλά σημεῖα ποιοῦντα, καί οὐκ ἐπίστευον, ἀλλά κατεγέλων αὐτοῦ· παρῆσαν δέ τινες μή κοινωνοῦντες τῆς ματαίας αὐτῶν γνώμης· ἵνα οὖν μή οὗτοι βλάπτωνται, καί τό βλάσφημον εἰς Θεόν ἀνατρέχῃ, ἐπεξῆλθεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεός. Κατά δέ τήν θεωρίαν, πᾶς νοῦς κατά τόν Ἐλισσαῖον φαλακρός, τουτέστι καθαρός ὑλικῶν νοημάτων, ἐν τῇ ἀναβάσει τῆς γνώσεως, πολλά ὑπό τῶν λογισμῶν τῶν περί τά αἰσθητά, καί τήν ὕλην καί τό εἶδος, καταγελᾶται· τεσσαράκοντα δηλοῦντος τά αἰσθητά· ὕλη δέ καί τό εἶδος προστιθέμενα, ἀποτελεῖ τόν τεσσαράκοντα δύο ἀριθμόν. Σκώπτεται οὖν ἐκ τῶν