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Tractatus de numerorum mysteriis

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS EPIPHANIUS BISHOP OF THE CITY OF CONSTANTIA IN CYPRUS CONCERNING THE MYSTERIES OF NUMBERS.

Concerning faith. Αʹ. It is faith. But faith in God is a thing intangible, incomprehensible, unseen, uninvestigable, unsearchable, honored in silence, and worshiped in the mind, the seat of the soul, the foundation of life, a living root, an unfading branch, the fruit of immortality, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, the justification of all the saints. 43.509 Concerning the holy Trinity.

Βʹ. A simple Trinity, uncompounded, incomparable, inexpressible, indescribable, undefinable; Father, Son, holy Spirit; of one substance in all things, in harmony, in power, in energy, in divinity, in magnitude, divided only in hypostasis and in names, united in power and in reality. A Trinity existing before the ages, without beginning, without time, without age, immortal, without end, not increasing, not ceasing, always being the same in the same way, not now discovered, but always worshiped, proclaimed by the apostles, magnified by the faithful Church; all-powerful, all-seeing, creator, lover of mankind, good, wanting nothing, perfect. For the number of the Trinity itself, which is mentioned in the divine Scriptures, is mysterious and a wonder.

Γʹ. Thrice do the cherubim sing in praise, Holy, holy, holy Lord. Three are the great elements: heaven and the earth, and the sea. Three are the things in us: mind, spirit, reason. Three fathers, Adam, Seth, Enoch. Three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Three angels by the tent of Abraham. Three days of the sacrifice of Abraham. Sarah took three measures of fine flour and set it before the angels. Jacob, having peeled three rods, placed them in the troughs of the watering places. Three decades of years, and then Joseph was king. For three months Moses was hidden by his parents. Three times three are nine plagues of the Egyptians. Three months out of Egypt, and then the law was written, and the tablets were smoothed. Three were the good things of the desert: water, quail, the manna. Three times, he says, Moses appeared before the Lord. Three priests, Moses, Aaron, Samuel. Three wonderful generals, Joshua the son of Nun, Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Phinehas. Three were those who stood on the rock against Amalek: Moses, Joshua, Hur. Three powerful judges, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson. Three elders of the sons of Israel: Moses, Job, Daniel. Three weeks was the fast of Daniel. Three were the children who did not worship the golden image: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. For three things the earth is disquieted, as Solomon said: if a servant, he says, should reign, and a fool be filled with food, and an odious woman if she should get a good husband. There are three things that are never satisfied, Hades, the love of a woman, and parched earth. There are three things which are too wonderful: the track of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the path of a sea-faring ship. There are three things which go well: a lion's whelp stronger than beasts, a rooster walking about among the living 43.512 hens, a he-goat leading the flock. Three wise women, the Tekoite, the Shunammite, Abigail; for one saved her husband Nabal, another Absalom by skill, and the other, running to the son of the prophet and not despairing, saved him. Three prophetesses with timbrels: Miriam, Deborah, Judith. Three holy women: Sarah, Rebecca, Leah. Three kings who are remembered: David, Hezekiah, Josiah. Three orders of beings: celestial, terrestrial, subterranean. Three virtues, faith, hope, love. Three gifts from God, kingship, priesthood, prophecy. Three times, of present things,

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Tractatus de numerorum mysteriis

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΑΡΙΘΜΩΝ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΩΝ.

Περὶ πίστεως. Αʹ. Πίστις ἐστί. Πίστις δὲ ἡ εἰς Θεὸν πρᾶγμα ἀψηλάφητον, ἀκατάληπτον, ἀθεώρητον, ἀπολυπραγμόνητον, ἀκαστορητὴς, σιωπῇ τιμώμενον, καὶ νῷ προσκυνούμενον, ἕδρα ψυχῆς, θεμέλιον ζωῆς, ῥίζα ζῶσα, κλάδος ἀμάραντος, καρπὸς ἀθανασίας, ἐλπιζομένων πραγμάτων ὑπόστασις, ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων, πάντων τῶν ἁγίων δικαίωσις. 43.509 Περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος.

Βʹ. Τριὰς ἁπλῆ, ἀσύνθετος, ἀσυνείκαστος, ἀνέκφραστος, ἀδιήγητος, ἀδιόρεστος· Πατὴρ, Υἱὸς, ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· ὁμοούσιος κατὰ πάντα, κατὰ συμφωνίαν, κατὰ δύναμιν, κατ' ἐνέργειαν, κατὰ θεότητα, κατὰ μέγεθος, ἐν ὑποστάσει, καὶ ὀνόμασι μόνον διηρημένη, ἐν δυνάμει, καὶ πράγμασιν ἡνωμένη. Τριὰς πρὸ αἰώνων ὑπάρχουσα, ἄναρχος, ἄχρονος, ἀγήρατος, ἀθάνατος, ἀτελεύτητος, οὐκ ἄξουσα, οὐ λήγουσα, ἀεὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡς αὔτως τυγχάνουσα, οὐ νῦν εὑρεθεῖσα, ἀεὶ δὲ προσκυνουμένη, ὑπὸ ἀποστόλων κηρυττομένη, ὑπὸ Ἐκκλησίας πιστῆς μεγαλυνομένη· παντοδύναμος, παντεπίσκοπος, δημιουργὸς, φιλάνθρωπος, ἀγαθὴ, ἀπροσδεὴς, τελεία. Ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῆς Τριάδος αὐτῆς ὁ παρὰ ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς ἐμφερόμενος μυστηριώδης ἐστὶ καὶ θαῦμα.

Γʹ. Τρίτον τὰ χερουβεὶμ τὸ Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος ἀνυμνεῖ. Τρία τὰ μεγάλα στοιχεῖα· οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, καὶ θάλασσα. Τρία τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν· νοῦς, πνεῦμα, λόγος. Τρεῖς πατέρες, Ἀδὰμ, Σὴθ, Ἐνώχ. Τρεῖς πατριάρχαι, Ἀβραὰμ, Ἰσαὰκ, Ἰακώβ. Τρεῖς ἄγγελοι παρὰ σκηνὴν Ἀβραάμ. Τρεῖς ἡμέραι τῆς θυσίας τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως ἡ Σάῤῥα λαβοῦσα τοὺς ἀγγέλους παρέθηκε. Τρεῖς ῥάβδους Ἰακὼβ πελεκίσας ταῖς ληνοῖς τῶν ποτιστηρίων ἐνέθηκε. Τρεῖς δεκάδες ἐνιαυτῶν, καὶ τότε βασιλεὺς Ἰωσήφ. Τρεῖς μῆνας παρὰ τοῖς γονεῦσιν κρυπτόμενος Μωϋσῆς. Τρὶς τρεῖς ἐννέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων αἱ μάστιγες. Τρεῖς μῆνας ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ τότε νόμος ἐγράφη, καὶ πλάκες ἐξήλεων. Τρία τἀγαθὰ τῆς ἐρήμου· ὕδωρ, ὀρτυγομήτρα, τὸ μάννα. Τρεῖς, φησὶ, καιροὺς Μωϋσῆς ὤφθη ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Τρεῖς ἱερεῖς, Μωϋσῆς, Ἀαρὼν, Σαμουήλ. Τρεῖς στρατηγοὶ θαυμαστοὶ, Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναυῆ, Χάλεβ Ἰεφονὴ, καὶ Φινεές. Τρεῖς οἱ κατὰ Ἀμαλὴκ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἱστάμενοι· Μωϋσῆς, Ἰησοῦς, Ὤρ. Τρεῖς κριταὶ δυναστοὶ, Γεδεὼν, Ἰεφθάε, Σαμψών. Τρεῖς πρεσβῦται τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· Μωϋσῆς, Ἰὼβ, ∆ανιήλ. Τρεῖς ἑβδομάδες ἡ νηστεία τοῦ ∆ανιήλ. Τρεῖς οἱ παῖδες οἱ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ μὴ προσκυνήσαντες· Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγώ. ∆ιὰ τριῶν σείεται ἡ γῆ, ὡς ἔλεγε Σολομών· ἐὰν οἰκέτης, φησὶ, βασιλεύσῃ, καὶ ἄφρων πλησθῇ σιτίων, καὶ μισητὴ γυνὴ ἐὰν τύχῃ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ. Τρία ἐστὶν, ἃ ἐμπίπλαται, ᾅδης, ἔρως γυναικὸς, γῆ ψαφαρά. Τρία ἐστὶν ἀκατάληπτα· ἴχνη ἀετοῦ πετομένου, ὁδὸς ὄφεως ἐπὶ πέτρας, τρίβος ποντοπορούσης νηός. Τρία ἐστὶν ἅπερ εὐόδως πορεύονται· σκύμνος λέοντος ἰσχυρότερος κτηνῶν, ἀλέκτωρ ἐμπεριπατῶν ἐν θη 43.512 λείαις ἔμψυχος, τράγος ἡγούμενος αἰπολίου. Τρεῖς σοφαὶ γυναῖκες, ἡ Θεκουῆτις, ἡ Σουναμῖτις, ἡ Ἀβιγαία· ἡ μὲν γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν Νάβαλ, ἡ δὲ Ἀβεσαλὼν διὰ τέχνης, ἡ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ προφήτου προσδραμοῦσα, καὶ μὴ ἀπογνοῦσα, διέσωσεν. Τρεῖς γυναῖκες προφήτιδες τυμπανήστριαι· Μαριὰμ, ∆εββόρα, Ἰουδίθ. Τρεῖς ἅγιαι γυναῖκες· Σάῤῥα, Ῥεβέκκα, Λεία. Τρεῖς οἱ μνημονευόμενοι βασιλεῖς· ∆αυῒδ, Ἐζεκίας, Ἰωσίας. Τρεῖς τάξεις τῶν ὄντων·ἐπουρανίων, ἐπιγείων, καταχθονίων. Τρεῖς ἀρεταὶ, πίστις, ἐλπὶς, ἀγάπη. Τρία δῶρα παρὰ Θεοῦ, βασιλεία, ἱερωσύνη, προφητεία. Τρεῖς χρόνοι, ἐνεστώτων,