290

going forth with my sign, they will make the brothers from the nations, and will offer a gift to God. Therefore also boasting, they call them joy and a crown. And the effortless nature of the conversion of the gentiles he represents from the metaphor of those conveyed in vehicles, with God deeming them worthy of all rest. And they will be pleasing to God, as a sacrifice lawfully offered with song and doxology. From them, he says, I will take priests and Levites, and that which is from the apostles, and more truly that which is from the nations. Finally, he shows paradigmatically the unshakable nature of the hope of the called. For the renewal of heaven 2713 and earth will have no end. Thus will be the things concerning us. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. And he represents the continuity of pious worship through the types in the law. Some say that 'they will bring the brothers,' at the time of the consummation, to the heavenly Jerusalem, when in an angelic chariot, like Elijah, they will be taken up, shining with divine light. And it is clear from the prophecy of Zechariah. For having described horses and chariots, he hinted at certain angelic powers. And litters of mules signify the bodies of the resurrection, on account of the glory shining forth in them. But instead of 'in litters of mules with canopies,' Symmachus translated, 'on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and in carriages, and in palanquins,' by which things, spoken bodily for the sake of the hearers, the journey sublime through the air to heaven is signified, according to, 'We shall be caught up in the clouds,' clarifying the vehicles now mentioned. And they are brought to the holy city, about which he says: 'But the Jerusalem above is free.' And: 'You have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.' But instead of 'with psalms,' Symmachus translated, 'in a clean vessel.' For as those of old, he says, offered the legal sacrifices according to the law in the earthly Jerusalem; so those will come bringing gifts with their own fruits, which each has prepared in his soul. Then he says: And from them I will take (from whom, but from the chosen nations?) priests and Levites. For if there will be a new heaven, and earth and Jerusalem, it follows that there will also be new ministers. For which reason he said: 'They will not remember the former things, nor will they come to their heart.' For it is incredible to say this of the Jews, since these things already pre-existed among them. How could he have taken priests from priests, and Levites from Levites, since the whole tribe of Levi was divided for these, which he likens to a new heaven and earth? For concerning the first things it was said: 'Heaven and earth will pass away.' And again: 'Heaven will be rolled up like a scroll, and the earth will be destroyed with corruption.' But the firstfruit of the age to come is Christ; then, those who are Christ's; then, a new heaven and earth. He said that the kingdom of these heavens belongs to some who are blessed, and to another the inheritance of the earth. For of the mansions with the Father, some being lesser and others greater, in their relation to each other, some will seem heavenly to those under them 2716, and others earth to those above them. But all are eternal. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. But if the legal things are symbols and images, according to, 'For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come;' it follows that we should understand feasts, and months, and Sabbaths as heavenly, which things it is not of the present time to examine. However, just as the Jews inhabited many cities, but Jerusalem, which bears the sanctuary, was greater, to which, at certain times, the inhabitants of the other cities went up to perform their religious duties; so it must be understood that in the heavens there is a special sanctuary, except for the high priest the Son of God, being inaccessible to the others, to whom alone it is lawful to approach the divinity of the Father, and into his bosom; while the others at appointed times (whatever these times are understood to be, and the things therein, of which a certain prophet being in contemplation said: 'And I remembered eternal years, and I meditated') cross over to the special heavenly city, set apart for the kingdom of God

290

μετὰ τοῦ σημείου τοῦ ἐμοῦ πορευθέντες, τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀδελφοὺς ἀπεργάσονται, καὶ δῶρον προσάξουσι τῷ Θεῷ. ∆ιὸ καὶ καυχώμενοι, χαρὰν αὐτοὺς καὶ στέφανον ὀνομάζουσι. Τὸ δὲ ἄπονον τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιστροφῆς ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἐν ὀχήμασι κομιζομένων παρίστησι, πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀναπαύλης ἀξιοῦντος Θεοῦ. Ἔσονται δὲ κεχαρισμένοι Θεῷ, ὡς θυσία νομίμως προσαγομένη μετ' ᾠδῆς, καὶ δοξολογίας. Ἀπ' αὐτῶν δὲ, φησὶ, λήψομαι ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευΐτας, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀληθέστερον. Λοιπὸν παραδειγματικῶς τὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος τῶν κεκλημένων ἀσάλευτον δείκνυσιν. Οὐρανοῦ 2713 γὰρ καὶ γῆς ὁ ἀνακαινισμὸς πέρας οὐχ ἕξει. Οὕτως ἔσται τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ ἡ κλῆσις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸ συνεχὲς δὲ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς λατρείας διὰ τῶν ἐν νόμῳ παρίστησι τυπικῶν. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ ἄξουσι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς συντελείας φασὶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅτεπερ ἐν ἀγγελικῷ, κατὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν, ἀναληφθήσονται ἅρματι, φωτὶ θείῳ περιλαμπόμενοι. Καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τῆς Ζαχαρίου προφητείας. Ἵππους γὰρ διαγράψας καὶ ἅρματα, δυνάμεις τινὰς ἀγγελικὰς συνῃνίττετο. Λαμπηναὶ δὲ ἡμιόνων τὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως σημαίνουσι σώματα, διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκλάμπουσαν δόξαν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἐν λαμπηναῖς ἡμιόνων μετὰ σκιαδίων, ὁ Σύμμαχος, ἐφ' ἵπποις, καὶ ἐν ἅρμασι, καὶ ἐν λεκτίσι, καὶ ἐν καρούκαις, καὶ ἐν φορείοις, ἑρμήνευσεν, δι' ὧν σωματικῶς εἰρημένων διὰ τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ἡ δι' ἀέρος μετάρσιος εἰς οὐρανοὺς πορεία σημαίνεται, κατὰ τὸ, "Ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις," τὰ νῦν ῥηθέντα σαφηνίζον ὀχήματα. Εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν δὲ πόλιν κομίζονται, περὶ ἧς φησιν· "Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν." Καί· "Προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ μετὰ ψαλμῶν, ἐν σκεύει καθαρῷ ἑρμήνευσε Σύμμαχος. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ πάλα, φησὶ, τὰς νομικὰς θυσίας κατὰ νόμον ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπιγείου προσέφερον Ἱερουσαλήμ· οὕτως ἥξουσιν ἐκεῖνοι μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων καρπῶν δῶρα κομίζοντες, ἅπερ ἕκαστος ἐν ψυχῇ παρεσκεύασεν. Εἶτά φησιν· Καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν λήψομαι (ποίων, ἀλλ' ἢ τῶν κατειλεγμένων ἐθνῶν;) ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευΐτας. Εἰ γὰρ καινὸς οὐρανὸς ἔσται, καὶ γῆ καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἀκόλουθον εἶναι καὶ καινοὺς λειτουργούς. ∆ι' ὅπερ ἔφασκεν· "Οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσι τῶν προτέρων, καὶ οὐκ ἀναβήσεται αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν." Ἀπίθανον γὰρ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων εἰπεῖν, ἤδη παρ' αὐτοῖς τούτων προϋφεστώτων. Πῶς δ' ἂν ἐξ ἱερέων ἱερέας, καὶ ἐκ Λευϊτῶν εἰλήφει Λευΐτας, πάσης τῆς Λευῒ φυλῆς, ἐπὶ τούτους διῃρημένης, οὓς ἀπεικάζει οὐρανῷ τε καινῷ, καὶ γῇ; περὶ γὰρ τῶν πρώτων ἐῤῥέθη· "Ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐλιγήσεται, ὡς βιβλίον, ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ φθορᾷ φθαρήσεται ἡ γῆ." Τοῦ δὲ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ἀπαρχὴ Χριστός· ἔπειτα, οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· εἶτα, οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ καινά. Τούτων τῶν οὐρανῶν τὴν βασιλείαν τινῶν ἔφη μακαριζομένων εἶναι, καὶ ἄλλω τὴν κληρονομίαν τῆς γῆς. Τῶν γὰρ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ μονῶν τῶν μὲν οὐσῶν ἐλαττόνων, τῶν δὲ κρειττόνων, τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλας δόξουσι σχέσει αἱ μὲν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὰς 2716 οὐράνιοι, αἱ δὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτὰς γῆ. ∆ιηνεκεῖς δὲ πᾶσαι. Τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα, πρόσκαιρα· τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα, αἰώνια. Εἰ δὲ σύμβολα καὶ εἰκόνες τὰ νομικὰ, κατὰ τὸ, "Σκιὰν γὰρ ἔχων ὁ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν·" ἀκόλουθον οὐρανίους νοεῖν, ἑορτὰς, καὶ μῆνας, καὶ Σάββατα, ἅπερ ἐξετάζειν οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ. Πλὴν, ὥσπερ Ἰουδαῖοι πόλεις ᾤκουν πολλὰς, κρείττων δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ τὸ ἁγίασμα φέρουσα, εἰς ἣν, κατὰ καιροὺς, οἱ τὰς ἄλλας οἰκοῦντες ἀπήντων, τὴν θρησκείαν ἐπιτελέσοντες· οὕτω νοητέον ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἁγίασμα ὑπάρχειν ἐξαίρετον, πλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄβατον ὑπάρχον τοῖς ἄλλοις, ᾧ μόνῳ θέμις τῇ τοῦ Πατρὸς πελάζειν θεότητι, εἴς τε κόλπους· τῶν ἄλλων καιροῖς τεταγμένοις (οἵτινές ποτε οἱ καιροὶ νοοῦνται οὗτοι, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ τακεῖ, ὧν τις προφήτης ἐν περινοίᾳ γενόμενος ἔλεγε· "Καὶ ἔτη αἰώνια ἐμνήσθην, καὶ ἐμελέτησα") διαβαινόντων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξαίρετον οὐρανόπολιν, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείᾳ ἀφωρισμένην