593

holding in themselves two or three measures apiece, * concerning the measure of the old and new testament and the trinity of the pleroma; which have been changed from water into unmixed wine, having been filled for the gladness of weddings and of the sons of men. For from this the hexagonal is so called in profane writings, being geometrically calculated as the number twenty-one through the triad and the heptad, the significance of which hexagonal is the fullness of the whole visible vessel, because it has, so to speak, in four ways, * the square as a base and the covering of the roofing from above to complete the sixth number. 5. But, that I may not prolong the discourse to a great length, I think that what has been said is again sufficient concerning the sixty queens, the generations numbered until the coming of Christ, and concerning the remaining generations that exist after Christ and until now, as is known to the Lord alone. 3.501 For no longer have the numbers been recorded or set in order by anyone according to generation, because the number of such a subject has been sealed and shut up by the number of the queens, numbered until his incarnate coming. For henceforth later writers or logographers or chronographers or historiographers no longer number generations, but rather the successions of kings and the times according to the number of years of each king, so that the discerning person may know very well that from this inquiry too all of time has been cut short into the number of the 62 generations until Christ, because after Christ the times of the world are no longer numbered by genealogies according to this subject, the number being perfected in one union which is signified according to the immutable foundation of God's good pleasure; so that from it the consummation of the age appears to be cut short and fulfilled for the transition to the age to come. Wherefore he says, “My dove, my perfect one, is one,” as if all things are perfected up to her, even if the age should number itself by times and seasons, and years and intervals of generations according to kings or consuls or olympiads or hegemonies. And eighty concubines, who are in the midst of the queens and before the incarnate kingdom, that is, of the faith and of this very bride and virgin, both spotless and the “dove,” the “only one to her mother and to her that bore her.” 6. For the Church is born from one faith, and brought forth through the holy spirit, one to the only one and one to her who has borne her. And all that came after her and before her, named concubines, who are not entirely alien to the covenant and the inheritance, but not having been endowed by the Word and not having received the reception of the holy spirit, but only having had a connection in conscience with the Word. For the Hebrew expressed “concubine” well, saying that she is called pheleges; pheleg, which is interpreted half, estha woman, so as to say half-woman. For as far as it depended on the Lord, he has called all to the light of freedom, saying, “As you have the light with you, walk in the light,” and the holy apostle saying, “but you are children of the day and children of light,” and again in the 3.502 divine scripture it is said, “He who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light.” So also concubines are not taken by men in the open, not in perfection, nor with a dowry, even if they have a union with the bodies of the men, they nevertheless cannot have the honor and name and security and dowry and bridal gifts and endowment and legitimacy of a free woman. The concubines, then, are the eighty heresies numbered in order, as I said above. But let no one be surprised if each of these is called by other names in each country. But this also must be observed, that often each heresy, having been split again by itself, has been divided into many parts and names; for it is no wonder; for it is so. Eighty

593

χωρήσασαι ἐν αὐταῖς ἀνὰ μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς, * περὶ τοῦ μέτρου τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ νέας διαθήκης καὶ τριάδος τοῦ πληρώματος· αἵτινες ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος εἰς οἶνον ἄκρατον μεταβέβληνται, πληρωθεῖσαι εἰς εὐφρασίαν γάμων καὶ υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἔνθεν γὰρ τὸ ἑξαγωνιαῖον καλεῖται παρὰ τοῖς ἔξωθεν λόγοις διὰ τριάδος καὶ ἑβδομάδος εἰς εἴκοσι ἕνα ἀριθμὸν γεωμετρούμενον, οὗ ἑξαγωνιαίου σημασία ἐστὶ πληρώσεως τοῦ παντὸς ὁρωμένου κύτους, διὰ τὸ τετραχῆ ἔχειν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, * τὸ τετραγώνιον ὑποβάθραν τε καὶ τὴν ἄνωθεν τῆς ὀροφώσεως σκέπην ἕκτον ἀριθμὸν τελεῖν. 5. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ εἰς πλάτος μηκύνω τὸν λόγον, πάλιν ἱκανῶς ἔχειν νομίζω περὶ τῶν ἑξήκοντα βασιλισσῶν ἕως τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας γενεῶν ἀριθμηθεισῶν τὰ εἰρημένα, μετὰ δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ δεῦρο τυγχανουσῶν λοιπὸν γενεῶν, καθὼς αὐτῷ τῷ κυρίῳ μόνῳ ἔγνωσται. οὐ3.501 κέτι γὰρ κατὰ γενεὰν οἱ ἀριθμοὶ παρά τισιν ἀνηνέχθησαν ἢ κατετάχθησαν, διὰ τὸ ἐπεσφραγίσθαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῆς τοιαύτης ὑποθέσεως καὶ ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ τῶν βασιλισσῶν ἀριθμοῦ ἕως αὐτῆς τῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας ἠριθμημένου. λοιπὸν γὰρ οἱ μετέπειτα συγγραφεῖς ἢ λογογράφοι ἢ χρονογράφοι ἢ ἱστοριογράφοι οὐκέτι γενεὰς ἀριθμοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἢ βασιλέων τὰς διαδοχὰς καὶ χρόνους κατὰ τὸν τῶν ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν ἑκάστου βασιλέως, ὥστε ἐξ ἅπαντος εὖ μάλα τὸν συνετὸν γινώσκειν ὅτι καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου τοῦ ζητήματος τὸ πᾶν τοῦ χρόνου συνετμήθη εἰς τὸν τῶν ˉξˉβ γενεῶν ἕως Χριστοῦ ἀριθμόν, διὰ τὸ μηκέτι μετὰ Χριστὸν κατὰ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην διὰ γενεαλογιῶν τοὺς τοῦ κόσμου χρόνους ἀριθμεῖσθαι, τελειουμένου τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ ἐν μιᾷ συνενώσει τῇ σημαινομένῃ κατὰ τὸ τῆς εὐδοκίας θεοῦ ἀμετάστατον ἔρεισμα· ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς τὴν τοῦ αἰῶνος συντέλειαν φαίνεσθαι συντεμνομένην καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μεταβατικὸν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος πληρουμένην. διὸ λέγει «μία ἐστὶ περιστερά μου, τελεία μου», ὡς ἕως αὐτῆς τῶν πάντων τελειουμένων, κἄν τε χρόνοι ὦσιν καὶ καιροί, ἐνιαυτοί τε καὶ διαστήματα γενεῶν κατά τε βασιλέας ἢ ὑπάτους ἢ ὀλυμπιάδας ἢ ἡγεμονίας ὁ αἰὼν ἑαυτὸν ἀριθμήσειεν. ὀγδοήκοντα δὲ παλλακαί, αἵτινες ἐν μέσῳ τῶν βασιλίδων καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐνσάρκου βασιλείας τουτέστι τῆς πίστεως καὶ αὐτῆς ταύτης τῆς νύμφης καὶ παρθένου, καὶ ἀσπίλου τε καὶ «περιστερᾶς», τῆς «μόνης τῇ μητρὶ καὶ τῇ τεκούσῃ». 6. Ἐκκλησία γάρ ἐστιν ἀπὸ μιᾶς πίστεως γεγεννημένη, τεχθεῖσα δὲ διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου, μία τῇ μόνῃ καὶ μία τῇ γεγεννηκυίᾳ. καὶ ὅσαι μετὰ ταύτην ἦλθον καὶ πρὸ αὐτῆς, παλλακίδες ὠνομασμέναι, αἵτινες τὸ πᾶν οὐκ ἀλλότριαι γεγένηνται διαθήκης καὶ κληρονομίας, μὴ πεπροικισμέναι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου καὶ μὴ δεξάμεναι ὑποδοχὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, μόνον δὲ συνάφειαν ὑπὸ συνείδησιν πρὸς τὸν Λόγον ἐσχηκυῖαι. καλῶς γὰρ ὁ Ἑβραῖος τὴν παλλακίδα ἔφρασε, φήσας αὐτὴν φελεγέσθα· φελέγ, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται ἥμισυ, ἔσθα γυνή, ἵνα εἴπῃ ἥμισυ γυναικός. ὅσον μὲν γὰρ ἧκεν εἰς τὸν κύριον, πάντας κέκληκεν εἰς ἐλευθέριον φῶς, φήσας «ὡς ἔχετε τὸ φῶς μεθ' ἑαυτῶν, ἐν φωτὶ περιπατεῖτε», καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος λέγων «ὑμεῖς δὲ ἡμέρας ἐστὲ τέκνα καὶ τέκνα φωτός», καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῇ 3.502 θείᾳ γραφῇ λέγεται «ὁ ποιῶν τὰ φαῦλα μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς». οὕτω καὶ παλλακίδες οὐκ ἐν τῷ προφανεῖ, οὐκ ἐν τῇ τελειώσει, οὐδὲ ἐν προικὶ ἄγονται τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, εἰ καὶ συνάφειαν σχοῖεν αἱ αὐταὶ πρὸς τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οὐ μέντοι γε τὴν τῆς ἐλευθέρας γυναικὸς τιμὴν καὶ ὀνομασίαν καὶ βεβαίωσιν καὶ φερνὴν καὶ ἕδνα καὶ προικισμὸν καὶ γνησιότητα ἔχειν δύνανται. παλλακίδες γοῦν αἱ καθεξῆς ἀριθμηθεῖσαι αἱρέσεις, ὡς ἄνω ἔφην, ὀγδοήκοντα. μὴ θαυμαζέτω δέ τις εἰ καὶ ἄλλοις ὀνόμασιν ἑκάστη τούτων κικλήσκεται ἐν ἑκάστῃ χώρᾳ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖνο παρατηρητέον, ὅτι πολλάκις καθ' ἑαυτὴν πάλιν ἑκάστη αἵρεσις σχίσασα εἰς πολλὰ μέρη καὶ ὀνόματα διέστη· οὐ γάρ ἐστι θαῦμα· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ οὕτως. ὀγδοήκοντα