419

must be considered a blow of energy, of the sort which the Savior himself is said to have healed and cured among men, the scourges of unclean demons. Therefore the present passage says that such a scourge will not approach the tabernacle of the one prophesied, because he is guarded by the angels appointed to watch over him, who indeed are said to take him up high in their hands, so that his foot might not strike against a stone. In one way, you might say his tabernacle is his Church, according to, "Until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob"; thus also the passage that says, "How beloved are your tabernacles, Lord of hosts!" knows multiple tabernacles to be the churches spoken of throughout all the 23.1160 earth. But in another way, the bodily instrument in which the Word of God tabernacled might be called his tabernacle. The more essential and greater of the achievements of the one indicated through the prophecy were accomplished through the cooperation of the greater one. For dwelling in the help of the Most High, the one understood by us according to the flesh, who was born of the seed of David, and the same one having made the Most High his refuge, was rightly guarded by the Most High; wherefore he also said to him: "You are my helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in him." For he himself delivered him from the snare of the hunters, and with his shoulders he overshadowed him; but he also encompassed him, surrounding him with the weapon of truth. And the Most High provided all these things for him, so that he might not be troubled by the terror of the night, nor by the arrow that flies by day, nor by the thing that travels in darkness, nor by the mishap and the noonday demon. And furthermore, the Most High himself, cooperating with the one about whom the passage speaks, cast down and placed under his feet all the powers of his enemies and foes. Wherefore it was said: "A thousand shall fall at your side, and a myriad at your right hand, but it shall not come near you." Therefore, as I said, the Most High himself, cooperating with the one indicated, accomplished the great and perfect achievements; but the, as one might say, finer and more bodily matters, he commanded to be ministered by angels. And these were the things concerning his tabernacle, that is, the bodily instrument, and concerning the flesh itself, which indeed, as small and insignificant in comparison with those named before, were handed over to ministering angels to guard, lest any evil thing should come upon his body, nor any scourge strike, not him, but his tabernacle; for neither thousands nor myriads of wicked powers dared to approach him. And angels ministered to the flesh and to the body of the one prophesied, even down to the smallest and most insignificant detail; which indeed the passage also indicates, saying: "Lest you strike your foot against a stone." For I think that through this it signifies that angels ministered to him even concerning the common and most minor thing that is accustomed to happen to the body. And you have this testimony also in the Gospels concerning the Savior himself. For Mark wrote that at the time of the Savior's temptation, he was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him; Matthew, again noting the same time, says: "Then the devil leaves him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him." But that the angels ministered to him, the evangelists showed; but what sort of ministry they provided to him, they did not mention; but the present prophecy taught that it was the ministry concerning bodily and small things. For they guarded his tabernacle, so that a scourge might not approach it; and they watched over his feet, so that they might not strike against even the smallest and most insignificant thing. 23.1161 And these things according to the letter; but according to the sense, his Church has been shown to be the tabernacle of our Savior; but also his body is his people, according to the Apostle who said: "But you are the body of Christ, and members from

419

ἐνεργείας πληγὴν νομιστέον, ὁποίας εἴρηται αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἰάσασθαι καὶ θεραπεύειν ἐν ἀνθρώποις δαιμόνων ἀκαθάρτων μάστιγας. Τοιαύτην οὖν μάστιγά φησιν ὁ παρὼν λόγος μὴ ἐγγίσειν τῷ σκηνώματι τοῦ προφητευομένου, διὰ τὸ φυλάττεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν καθεσταμένων ἐπὶ τὸ φρουρεῖν αὐτὸν ἀγγέλων, οἳ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ χειρῶν αὐτὸν μετέωρον ἀναλήψεσθαι λέγονται, πρὸς τὸ μὴ προσκόπτειν αὐτοῦ λίθῳ τὸν πόδα. Σκήνωμα δὲ αὐτοῦ καθ' ἕνα μὲν τρόπον ἐρεῖς εἶναι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸ, Ἕως ἂν εὕρω τόπον τῷ Κυρίῳ, σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ· οὕτω καὶ πλείονα σκηνώματα τὰς ἁπαντα 23.1160 χοῦ γῆς εἰρημένας ἐκκλησίας οἶδεν ὁ φήσας λόγος· Ὡς ἀγαπητὰ τὰ σκηνώματά σου, Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων! Καθ' ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον τὸ σωματικὸν ὄργανον, ἐν ᾧ κατεσκήνωσεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, λεχθείη ἂν αὐτοῦ σκήνωμα. Τὰ μὲν κεφαλαιωδέστερα καὶ μείζονα τῶν κατορθωμάτων τοῦ διὰ τῆς προφητείας δηλουμένου διὰ συνεργείας τοῦ μείζονος κατωρθοῦτο. Καθήμενος γὰρ ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου ὁ κατὰ σάρκα νοούμενος ἡμῖν ὁ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ γεγονὼς, ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν Ὕψιστον θέμενος αὐτοῦ καταφυγὴν, εἰκότως ὑπὸ τοῦ Ὑψίστου ἐφυλάττετο· διὸ καὶ αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐῤῥύετο ἐκ παγίδος θηρευτῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς μεταφρένοις αὐτοῦ ἐπεσκίαζεν αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκύκλου αὐτὸν περιβάλλων ἀληθείας ὅπλῳ. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα παρεῖχεν αὐτῷ Ὕψιστος, ὅπως μὴ ταράττηται ἀπὸ φόβου νυκτερίνου, μήτε ἀπὸ βέλους πετομένου ἡμέρας, μηδὲ ἀπὸ πράγματος ἐν σκότει διαπορευομένου, μηδὲ ἀπὸ συμπτώματος καὶ δαιμονίου μεσημβρινοῦ. Ἔτι δὲ πρὸς τούτοις αὐτὸς ὁ Ὕψιστος συνεργῶν τῷ περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος, πάσας τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ πολεμίων δυνάμεις καθῄρει καὶ ὑπὸ πόδας αὐτοῦ κατέβαλλε. ∆ιὸ ἐλέγετο· Πεσεῖται ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους σου χιλιὰς καὶ μυριὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου, πρὸς σὲ δὲ οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ. Τὰ μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, μεγάλα καὶ ἐντελῆ κατορθώματα ὁ Ὕψιστος αὐτὸς συνεργῶν τῷ δηλουμένῳ ἐξετέλει· τὰ δὲ, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, λεπτὰ καὶ σωματικώτερα ἀγγέλοις διακονεῖσθαι προσέταττε. Ταῦτα δὲ ἦν τὰ περὶ τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ, δηλαδὴ τὸ σωματικὸν ὄργανον, καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν τὴν σάρκα, ἃ δὴ ὡς σμικρὰ καὶ παραθέσει τῶν ἔμπροσθεν κατωνομασμένων εὐτελῆ, ὑπηρέταις ἀγγέλοις παρεδίδοτο εἰς τὸ φυλάττειν, μή τι κακοποιὸν ἐπέλθοι τῷ σώματι αὐτοῦ, μηδέ τις μάστιξ ἐγχρίμψειεν, οὐκ αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ σκηνώματι αὐτοῦ· αὐτῷ γὰρ οὔτε χιλιάδες, οὔτε μυριάδες δυνάμεων πονηρῶν πλησιάζειν ἐτόλμων. ∆ιηκονοῦντο δὲ ἄγγελοι τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ προφητευομένου καὶ τῷ σώματι, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ σμικροτάτου καὶ εὐτελεστάτου· ὃ δὴ καὶ παρίστησιν ὁ λόγος φάσκων· Ὅπως μὴ προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σου. Σημαίνειν γὰρ οἶμαι διὰ τούτου τὸ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ τυχόντος καὶ βραχυτάτου συμβαίνειν εἰωθὸς περὶ τοῦ σώματος ἀγγέλους διακονεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. Ἔχεις δὲ καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἐπὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ ταύτην τὴν μαρτυρίαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Μάρκος ἀνέγραψε κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὡς ἄρα ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι διηκόνουν αὐτῷ· ὁ Ματθαῖος πάλιν τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν ἐπισημηνάμενός φησι· Τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελοι προσῆλθον καὶ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ ὅτι μὲν οἱ ἄγγελοι διηκόνουν αὐτῷ, ἔδειξαν οἱ εὐαγγελισταί· ποίας δὲ διακονίας αὐτῷ παρεῖχον, οὗτοι μὲν οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσαν· ἡ δὲ προκειμένη προφητεία ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι τὴν περὶ τὰ σωματικὰ καὶ σμικρὰ διακονίαν. Ἐφύλαττον γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ σκήνωμα, ὅπως μὴ μάστιξ αὐτῷ πλησιάσῃ· ἐφρούρουν δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς πόδας, ὡς ἂν μὴ προσκόψειαν μέχρι τοῦ σμικροτάτου καὶ εὐτελεστάτου. 23.1161 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν λέξιν· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ἐπισκήνωμα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἡ Ἐκκλησία αὐτοῦ ἀποδέδεικται· ἀλλὰ καὶ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸν φήσαντα Ἀπόστολον· Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ, καὶ μέλη ἐκ