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providing through its own participation, as alone being properly and truly, and ever-being, and well-being, but to those who have used the principle of being unnaturally according to their own will, bestowing, as is fitting, instead of well-being, an ever-woeful being, since well-being is no longer receivable by them, being oppositely disposed toward it, and having absolutely no motion after the manifestation of what is sought, by which what is sought is naturally revealed to those who seek.

(1393) Another contemplation on the same. And again, the seventh and Sabbath is the passage through all the modes of virtue and the gnostic principles of contemplation. But the eighth is the true transformation, according to grace, toward the origin and cause of things practically accomplished and things contemplatively known.

Another contemplation on the same. So then, again, the seventh and Sabbath is the dispassion that succeeds the practical philosophy of virtue. But the eighth and first, as one and indissoluble, is the wisdom that supervenes after gnostic contemplation. And in various other ways it is possible for those fond of contemplating divine things to receive the account concerning such matters, and to discover many beautiful and true contemplations.

From the same discourse, how the teacher, taking the phrase, "Do it a second time and a third time, " speaks of the mystery of the seventh: " As also the seventh turning-back of Elijah the prophet, which breathed life into the son of the woman of Zarephath, and the same-numbered pouring upon the pieces of wood."

The blessed elder, when asked this by me, said, It is perhaps possible to infer from this the teacher’s exposition concerning the number seven. First, according to those called arithmeticians. For they say that certain numbers are composed from the doubling and tripling of others, with the monad added at the end. For example, 64 is composed from doublings, the monad being doubled with the six numbers, and the monad being added, and thus the hebdomad is completed; for example, twice 1 is 2, twice 2 is 4, twice 4 is 8, twice 8 is 16, twice 16 is 32, twice 32 is 64. These seem to be composed, having been thus formed, through six numbers, but taking the monad last, from which the doubling took its beginning, it completes the number seven. Thus, then, here also, holding to the same rule, we shall complete the number seven. For he says, " Pour, do it a second time and a third time. " So, twice one is two, three times two is six, and the first monad added to the six completes the number seven. And they say that the number three has a certain spiritual kinship, according to mystical contemplation, with the number seven in the following way: because the all-venerable and worshipful Trinity is signified by the three, and again the same by the seven, because the number seven is a virgin. For of the numbers (1396) within the decad, this one alone neither begets nor is begotten. And this he clearly indicates, expounding in the book of verses On Virginity, saying thus, "The first virgin is the holy Trinity."

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παρέχοντος διά τῆς οἰκείας μετοχῆς, ὡς μόνου κυρίως καί ὄντος καί ἀεί ὄντος καί εὖ ὄντος, τοῖς δέ παρά φύσιν τῷ τοῦ εἶναι λόγῳ γνωμικῶς χρησαμένοις, ἀντί τοῦ εὖ τό ἀεί φεῦ εἶναι κατά τό εἰκός ἀπονέμοντος, ὡς οὐκ ὄντος αὐτοῖς λοιπόν χωρητοῦ τοῦ εὖ εἶναι, ἐναντίως πρός αὐτό διακειμένοις, καί κίνησιν παντελῶς οὐκ ἔχουσι μετά τήν τοῦ ζητουμένου φανέρωσιν, καθ᾿ ἥν τοῖς ζητοῦσι πέφυκε φανεροῦσθαι τό ζητητόν.

(1393) Ἄλλο εἰς τό αὐτό θεώρημα. Καί πάλιν ἑβδόμη καί Σάββατόν ἐστιν ἠ τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἁπάντων τρόπων καί τῶν

κατά θεωρίαν γνωστικῶν λόγων διάβασις. Ὀγδόη δέ ἐστιν ἡ πρός τήν ἀρχήν καί αἰτίαν τῶν πρακτικῶς πεποιημένων καί τῶν θεωριτηκῶν ἐγνωσμένων κατά τήν χάριν ἀληθής μεταποίησις.

Ἄλλη εἰς τό αὐτό θεωρία. Ἔστι μέν οὖν καί αὖθις ἑβδόμη καί Σάββατον ἡ τήν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν διαδεχομένη

πρακτικήν φιλοσοφίαν ἀπάθεια. Ὀγδόη δέ καί πρώτη ἐστίν, ὡς μία καί ἀκατάλυτος, ἡ μετά τήν γνωστικήν θεωρίαν ἐπιγινομένη σοφία. Καί κατ᾿ ἄλλους δέ τρόπους παντοδαπούς ἐστι δυνατόν τοῖς τῶν θείων φιλοθεάμοσι τόν περί τῶν τοιούτων ἐκδέχεσθα λόγον, καί πολλάς καλάς τε καί ἀληθεῖς ἐφευρεῖν θεωρίας.

Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, πῶς τό· "∆ισσώσατε καί τρισσώσατε, " λαβών ὁ διδάσκαλος εἰς τό περί τῆς ἑβδόμης μυστήριον φησιν· " Ὡς δέ καί τήν ἑβδόμην ἀναστροφήν Ἠλίου τοῦ προφήτου, τῷ τῆς Σαραφθίας υἱῷ, τό ζῇν ἐμπνεύσασαν, καί τοῦ αὐτοῦ τήν ἰσάριθμον κατά τῶν σχιδάκων ἐπίκλυσιν."

Ὁ μακάριος γέρων παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο ἐρωτηθείς ἔφη, Κατά τοῦτο τυχόν περί τοῦ ἑπτά διεξιόντα τόν διδάσκαλον ἀριθμοῦ τεκμήρασθαι δυνατόν. Πρῶτον μέν κατά τούς λεγομένους ἀριθμητικούς. Φασί γάρ ἐκεῖνοι συνίστασθαί τινας ἀριθμούς ἐκ δισσουμένων καί τρισσουμένων ἑτέρων, τῆς μονάδος, τελευταῖον προστιθεμένης. Οἷον ἐκ δισσουμένων μέν ὁ ξδ' συνίσταται, τῆς μονάδος δισσουμέης μετά τῶν ἕξ ἀριθμῶν, προστιθεμένης καί τῆς μονάδος, καί οὕτως ἡ ἑβδομάς πληροῦται, οἷον δίς α' β', δίς β' δ', δίς δ' η', δίς η' ιστ', δίς ιστ' λβ', δίς λβ' ξδ'. Τούτων οὕτω διαπλασθέντων δι᾿ ἕξ ἀριθμῶν δοκοῦσι συντεθεῖσθαι, ἀλλά παραλαμβανομένη τελευταῖον καί ἡ μονάς πληρεῖ τόν ἑπτά, ἐξ ἧς τήν ἀρχήν ὁ διπλασιασμός εἴληφεν. Οὕτως οὖν κἀνταῦθα τόν αὐτόν κανόνα κατασχόντες ἀπαρτίσομεν τόν ἑπτά ἀριθμόν. Φησί γάρ, " Ἐκχέατε, δισσώσατε καί τρισσώσατε. " ∆ίς οὖν μία β', τρίς β' ἕξ, καί ἡ πρώτη μονάς προστιθεμένη τοῖς ἑξάσιν ἀπαρτίζειν τόν ἑπτά ἀριθμόν. Φασί δέ καί συγγένειάν τινα πνευματικήν κατά μυστικήν θεωρίαν πρός τόν ζ' ἀριθμόν ἔχειν τόν γ' κατά τοιόνδε τρόπον, τῷ τήν πάνσεπτον και προσκυνητήν Τριάδα διά τοῦ γ' σημαίνεσθαι, καί πάλιν τήν αὐτήν διά τοῦ ζ', τῷ τόν ζ' ἀριθμόν παρθένον εἶναι. Τῶν γάρ (1396) ἐντός δεκάδος ἀριθμῶν μόνος οὗτος οὔτε γεννᾷ, οὔτε γεννᾶται. Τοῦτο δέ σαφῶς ἐνδείκνυται διεξιών ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ἐπῶν Περί παρθενίας, οὑτωσί λέγων, "Πρώτη παρθένος ἐστίν ἁγνή Τριάς."