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making his point, and he brings forward what was said as an example, and he sets forth physical images, able to present a clearer picture to the hearer. And see what the images are. Like ointment on the head, that runs down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, that runs down to the fringe of his garment. 55.385 For he, being high priest, was anointed with this ointment, and it dripped down from all sides, and he was exceedingly gracious to those who saw, and pleasant, and lovely from this anointing. Just as he, it says, who was anointed with this ointment, is magnificent in his appearance, is bright in his countenance, is filled with much fragrance, gives grace to the eyes of those who see; so also is this good; and just as that sight is not only beautiful to see, but also delights the eyes; so also this puts pleasure in the soul. Like the dew of Hermon, that comes down upon the mountains of Zion. And he brought forward another image having much pleasure, and providing delight to the beholder. But he did not set these things down simply, but because before the captivity the ten tribes and the two were scattered, and this became a cause of much lawlessness, and cast them into seditions, and contentions, and wars, he exhorts that these things not happen, and advises that the people no longer be scattered, but to dwell together, and to be joined, and to be ranked under one leader and king, and that love be flowing from the beginning even to the end, just as the dew passes through all things. And he compares love to ointment and dew, wishing to represent the fragrance through the one, and through the other, the rest and the delight of the sight. For there the Lord commanded the blessing. Where, "There"? In such a dwelling, in such a harmony, in such a concord, in such a cohabitation. For this is a blessing, just as the opposite is a curse. Wherefore also one praises this, saying: The love of brothers, and the harmony of neighbors, and a husband and wife who agree with each other. And another, hinting enigmatically at its strength, says: If two lie together, they will have warmth, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. For here he shows both the pleasure and the strength, and makes it clear that for those at rest there will be much pleasure, and for those at work, much strength. And again, A brother helped by a brother is like a strong city. And Christ also says, Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. And nature itself requires this. Wherefore also from the beginning God, when forming man, said: It is not good for man to be alone; and making this creature, I mean woman, He bound her to man by the necessity of need, gathering us together to one another in countless ways. And life for evermore. He added this well. For where there is love, there is much security, much support from God. For this is the mother of good things, this is the root and source, this is the destruction of wars, the disappearance of contention. Wherefore also, making this plain, he added, And life for evermore. For just as sedition and contention work deaths, and untimely deaths; so also love and concord work peace and harmony; and where there is peace and harmony, the things of life are with freedom and with all security. And what need is there to speak of present things? For this grants us heaven, and the unspeakable 55.386 good things, and is the queen of virtues. Knowing these things, therefore, let us pursue it with exactness, so that we may enjoy the good things both present and to come; of which may it be granted for us all to attain, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be the glory, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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ποιῶν τὸν λόγον, καὶ εἰς παράδειγμα ἐκφέρει τὸ εἰρημένον, καὶ σωματικὰς εἰκόνας τίθησι, δυναμένας σαφεστέραν τῷ ἀκροατῇ παραστῆσαι τὴν ὄψιν. Τίνες δέ εἰσιν αἱ εἰκόνες ὅρα. Ὡς μύρον ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς, τὸ καταβαῖνον ἐπὶ τὸν πώγωνα, τὸν πώγωνα τὸν Ἀαρὼν, τὸ καταβαῖνον ἐπὶ τὴν ᾤαν τοῦ ἐνδύματος αὐτοῦ. 55.385 Οὗτος γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ὢν, ἐχρίετο τῷ μύρῳ τούτῳ, καὶ κατεστάζετο πάντοθεν, καὶ σφόδρα ἐπίχαρις ἦν τοῖς ὁρῶσι, καὶ ἡδὺς, καὶ ἐπέραστος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλείψεως ταύτης. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνος, φησὶν, ὁ ἠλειμμένος τῷ μύρῳ τούτῳ, ἐμπρέπει τῷ σχήματι, φαιδρός ἐστι τῷ προσώπῳ, πολλῆς εὐωδίας ἐμπέπλησται, χάριν παρέχει τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς· οὕτω καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι καλόν· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνο τὸ θέαμα οὐ μόνον ὡραῖόν ἐστιν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τέρπει τὰς ὄψεις· οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐντίθησιν. Ὡς δρόσος Ἀερμὼν, ἡ καταβαίνουσα ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη Σιών. Καὶ ἑτέραν εἰκόνα παρήγαγε πολλὴν τὴν ἡδονὴν ἔχουσαν, καὶ τῷ θεατῇ τὴν τέρψιν παρεχομένην. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πρὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ καὶ αἱ δύο διεσπαρμέναι ἦσαν, καὶ τοῦτο πολλῆς παρανομίας αἴτιον γέγονε, καὶ εἰς στάσεις, καὶ φιλονεικίας, καὶ πολέμους αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλεν, ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα γένηται παραινεῖ, καὶ συμβουλεύει μηκέτι διεσπάσθαι τὸν δῆμον, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ κατοικεῖν, καὶ συνῆφθαι, καὶ ὑπὸ ἑνὶ τάττεσθαι δημαγωγῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην εἶναι ῥέουσαν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὴν δρόσον διὰ πάντων διαβαίνουσαν. Καὶ παραβάλλει τὴν ἀγάπην μύρῳ καὶ δρόσῳ, δι' ἐκείνου μὲν τὴν εὐωδίαν, διὰ τούτου δὲ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ τὸ τερπνὸν τῆς ὄψεως παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος. Ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐνετείλατο Κύριος τὴν εὐλογίαν. Ποῦ, Ἐκεῖ; Ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ κατοικήσει, ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ συμφωνίᾳ, ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ ὁμοφωνίᾳ, ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ ὁμοσκηνίᾳ. Καὶ γὰρ εὐλογία τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ ἐναντίον ἀρά. ∆ιὸ καί τις ἐπαινεῖ τοῦτο λέγων· Φιλία ἀδελφῶν, καὶ ὁμόνοια τῶν πλησίον, καὶ ἀνὴρ καὶ γυνὴ ἀλλήλοις συμπεριφερόμενοι. Καὶ ἕτερος αἰνιγματωδῶς αἰνιττόμενος τὸ ἰσχυρὸν αὐτοῦ, λέγει· Ἐὰν κοιμηθῶσιν οἱ δύο, καὶ θέρμη αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ σπαρτίον τὸ ἔντριτον οὐ ταχὺ ἀποῤῥαγήσεται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐνδείκνυται, καὶ ἐμφαίνει ὅτι καὶ ἡσυχάζουσι πολλὴ ἔσται ἡ ἡδονὴ, καὶ ἐνεργοῦσι πολλὴ ἡ ἰσχύς. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἀδελφὸς ὑπὸ ἀδελφοῦ βοηθούμενος, ὡς πόλις ὀχυρά. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δέ φησιν, Οὗ ἐὰν ὦσι δύο, ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Καὶ αὕτη δὲ ἡ φύσις τοῦτο ἀπαιτεῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον διαπλάττων ἔλεγεν· Οὐ καλὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι μόνον· καὶ ποιῶν τὸ ζῶον τοῦτο, τὴν γυναῖκα λέγω, τῇ τῆς χρείας ἀνάγκῃ συνέδησεν ἀνδρὶ, διὰ μυρίων τρόπων ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους συνάγων. Καὶ ζωὴν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Καλῶς τοῦτο προσέθηκεν. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἡ ἀγάπη, πολλὴ ἡ ἀσφάλεια, πολλὴ ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥοπή. Αὕτη γὰρ μήτηρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, αὕτη ῥίζα καὶ πηγὴ, αὕτη πολέμων ἀναίρεσις, φιλονεικίας ἀφανισμός. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν, ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ ζωὴν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ στάσις καὶ ἡ φιλονεικία θανάτους ἐργάζεται, καὶ θανάτους ἀώρους· οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη καὶ ἡ ὁμοφωνία εἰρήνην καὶ ὁμόνοιαν· ὅπου δὲ εἰρήνη καὶ ὁμόνοια, τὰ τῆς ζωῆς μετὰ ἀδείας ἐστὶ καὶ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἁπάσης. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν τὰ παρόντα; Τὸν γὰρ οὐρανὸν ἡμῖν αὕτη χαρίζεται, καὶ τὰ ἀπόῤ 55.386 ῥητα ἀγαθὰ, καὶ βασιλίς ἐστι τῶν ἀρετῶν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτὴν διώκωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.