Eclogae propheticae

SELECTIONS FROM THE PROPHETS

1.1 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, singing hymns to God in the furnace of fire, say: "Bless the Lord, you heavens; praise and exalt him above all for ever." Then: "Bless the Lord, you angels." Then: "Bless the Lord, you waters and all that are above the heaven." Thus the scriptures rank the heavens and the waters among the pure powers, as is also shown at the creation. 1.3 It is reasonable, therefore, that with the power being named in various ways, Daniel adds: "Let every power bless the Lord." Then, in order: "Bless the Lord, sun 1.4 and moon." And: "Bless the Lord, you stars of heaven; bless the Lord, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods; sing praises and give thanks, for his mercy endures 1.5 for all ages." [It is written in Daniel of the three youths singing hymns in the furnace.]

2.1 "Blessed are you who look into the depths, seated upon the Cherubim," says Daniel, agreeing with Enoch who said: "And I saw all 2.2 the matters." For abyss is that which is boundless according to its own substance, 2.3 but is bounded by the power of God. The material substances, therefore, from which the particular genera and their species come to be, are called abysses; since he would not have called only the water an abyss. And yet water is also allegorized as an abyss or as matter.

3.1 "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," things earthly 3.2 and things heavenly. That this is true, the Lord said to Hosea: "Go, take to yourself a wife of fornication and children of fornication, because 3.3 the land commits great fornication by forsaking the Lord." For he does not mean the element, but those upon the element, those who have an earthly mind.

4.1 That the Son is the beginning, Hosea teaches clearly: "And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they shall also be called sons of the living God. And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one beginning and shall come up 4.2 from the land, for great is the day of Israel." For whomever one believes, this one he chooses. And one believes in the Son, who is the beginning. Wherefore he also said: "But I will have mercy on the sons of Judah and will save them by the Lord their God," and the savior who saves is the Son of God. He, therefore, is the beginning.

5.1 Through Hosea the Spirit says, "But I am your instructor": "Blow 5.2 the trumpet on the hills of the Lord, sound an alarm on the high places." And is not baptism itself, being a sign of regeneration, an escape from matter through the teaching of the Savior, from a great and violent 5.3 current that is always carrying and sweeping us away. Therefore, leading us out of disorder, the Lord enlightens us, bringing us into the light that is without shadow and no longer material.

6.1 This river of matter and the sea two prophets cut through and parted by the power of the Lord, with matter being bounded at 6.2 each expanse of water by the will of God; both served as pure generals, through whom the signs were entrusted, so that the just man might come forth from 6.3 matter, having journeyed through it at first. To one of the generals, indeed, the name of our Savior was also given.

Eclogae propheticae

ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΚΛΟΓΑΙ

1.1 Οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Σεδράχ, Μισάκ, Ἀβδεναγὼ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑμνοῦντες τὸν θεὸν λέγουσιν· "εὐλογεῖτε, οἱ οὐρανοί, τὸν κύριον· ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ὑπερυψοῦτε αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας." εἶτα· "εὐλογεῖτε, ἄγγελοι, τὸν κύριον." εἶτα· "εὐλογεῖτε, ὕδατα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐπάνω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν κύριον." οὕτως ἐπὶ δυνάμεων τάσσουσιν αἱ γραφαὶ καθαρῶν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὰ ὕδατα, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει δηλοῦ 1.3 ται. εἰκότως οὖν ποικίλως τῆς δυνάμεως ὀνομαζομένης ἐπάγει ∆ανιήλ· "εὐλογείτω πᾶσα δύναμις τὸν κύριον." εἶτα ἐφεξῆς· "εὐλογεῖτε, ἥλιος 1.4 καὶ σελήνη, τὸν κύριον." καί· "εὐλογεῖτε, ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν κύριον· εὐλογεῖτε, πάντες οἱ σεβόμενοι κύριον, τὸν θεὸν τῶν θεῶν· ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθε, ὅτι εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας τὸ ἔλεος αὐ 1.5 τοῦ." [ἐν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ γέγραπται τῶν τριῶν παίδων ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ ὑμνούντων.]

2.1 "Εὐλογημένος εἶ ὁ βλέπων ἀβύσσους, καθήμενος ἐπὶ Χερουβίμ", ὁ ∆ανιὴλ

λέγει, ὁμοδοξῶν τῷ Ἐνὼχ τῷ εἰρηκότι· "καὶ εἶδον τὰς 2.2 ὕλας πάσας." ἄβυσσος γὰρ τὸ ἀπεράτωτον κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν, 2.3 περαιούμενον δὲ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ θεοῦ. αἱ τοίνυν οὐσίαι ὑλικαί, ἀφ' ὧν τὰ ἐπὶ μέρους γένη καὶ τὰ τούτων εἴδη γίνεται, ἄβυσσοι εἴρην ται· ἐπεὶ μόνον τὸ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν ἄβυσσον. καίτοι καὶ ὕδωρ ἄβυσσος ἢ ὕλη ἀλληγορεῖται.

3.1 "Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν", τὰ γήινα 3.2 καὶ τὰ

οὐράνια. ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές, εἶπεν ὁ κύριος πρὸς Ὠσηέ· "βάδιζε, λαβὲ σεαυτῷ γυναῖκα πορνείας καὶ τέκνα πορνείας, διότι 3.3 ἐκπορνεύουσα ἐκπορνεύσει ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τοῦ κυρίου." οὐ γὰρ τὸ στοιχεῖον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ στοιχείῳ, τοὺς γηγενὲς φρόνημα ἔχοντας.

4.1 Ὅτι δὲ ἀρχὴ ὁ υἱός, Ὠσηὲ διδάσκει σαφῶς· "καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, οὗ

ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς "7οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς"7, κληθήσονται καὶ αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ θεοῦ ζῶντος. καὶ συναχθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰούδα καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό, καὶ θήσονται ἑαυτοῖς ἀρχὴν μίαν καὶ ἀναβήσονται 4.2 ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι μεγάλη ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ." ᾧ γάρ τις πιστεύει, τοῦτον αἱρεῖται. πιστεύει δέ τις τῷ υἱῷ, ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή. διὸ καὶ προ[σ]εῖπεν· "τοὺς δὲ υἱοὺς Ἰούδα ἐλεήσω καὶ σώσω ἐν κυρίῳ θεῷ αὐτῶν", σωτὴρ δὲ ὁ σῴζων υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. οὗτος ἄρα ἡ ἀρχή.

5.1 ∆ι' Ὠσηὲ τὸ πνεῦμα "ἐγὼ δὲ παιδευτὴς ὑμῶν" φησί· "σαλπίσατε 5.2

σάλπιγγι ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς κυρίου, ἠχήσατε ἐπὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν." καὶ μή τι αὐτὸ τὸ βάπτισμα ἀναγεννήσεως ὑπάρχον σημεῖον τῆς ὕλης ἐστὶν ἔκβασις διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος διδασκαλίας, μεγάλου καὶ σφοδροῦ 5.3 ῥεύματος ἀεὶ φερομένου καὶ παραφέροντος ἡμᾶς. ἐξάγων οὖν τῆς ἀταξίας ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος φωτίζει, εἰς τὸ φῶς ἄγων τὸ ἄσκιον καὶ οὐκέτι ὑλικόν.

6.1 Τοῦτον τὸν ποταμὸν τῆς ὕλης καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν διέκοψαν καὶ διέστησαν

δυνάμει κυρίου προφῆται δύο, περατουμένης τῆς ὕλης καθ' 6.2 ἑκάτερον διάστημα ὕδατος βουλήσει τοῦ θεοῦ· διυπηρέτουν καθαροὶ στρατηγοὶ ἄμφω, δι' ὧν ἐπιστεύθη τὰ σημεῖα, ἵνα δὴ ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ 6.3 τῆς ὕλης γένηται, δι' αὐτῆς ὁδεύσας τὰ πρῶτα. θατέρῳ μέν γε τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ τοὔνομα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπεβέβλητο.