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In inscriptione titulorum (fragmenta)

ON THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PILLARS

7 It appears, therefore, that he posits two kinds of pillars; for he would not, while accepting Jacob's with praise, have rebuked those of his opponents as having been impiously established; but those, on the one hand, wickedly represent demonic phantoms of idolatry; while that of the forefather Jacob, does not display the same practice as those; for the righteous man, indeed, instructed by the Holy Spirit, first sees the very bodily form of Christ clearly prefigured, which is visible and contained by a local description; and second, he relates the victorious trophy of the cross, represented as similar to a ladder. For on this He also rested on high, having drawn all to Himself. It is possible, at any rate, for those who consider to see how, in name, some at times call the very passions of temptations "ladders," suggesting steep ascents and descents, while in form the ladder somewhat resembles the cross, being joined together with upright and transverse pieces of wood. When, therefore, he related such a vision, having taken up the stone on which he rested his head and kept quiet, he set it up as a pillar, a memorial of the story, characterizing it as an image of the person who appeared to him, in which he established a renewal of memory, and calling it the house of God, he alluded to the temple of the Word of God, as the Son of the Almighty Himself also declared: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." And he also named the same "the gate of heaven," since through the temple-work of Christ, being cleansed in both body and soul, we are able to approach the divine nature. Therefore, he did not pour the oil on the top of the pillar without purpose; but this was indicative of that which Mary eagerly did, pouring ointment from the top upon the feet of Christ; and this again was a message of the burial, as the Lord Himself openly made clear; and this stone represents that cornerstone, which the builders rejected, but became the head of the corner.

8 The divine scriptures declare two nations and two peoples. And of this, Moses is a witness; in the creation of the world, at any rate, relating the life of Rebecca, he says how she went to inquire of the Lord concerning those whom she had conceived. Then, he says: The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your bowels, and one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger." For though there are many nations and many peoples, they name these two peoples exceptionally, who were deemed worthy to be entrusted with the doctrine of piety, -he mentions neither schisms, nor heresies, nor those numbered among them-but there are two peoples spread over many parts of the earth, both of Christians and of Jews. But the elder, boasting of his age, being deficient in virtue, will serve the younger; for "the foolish," he said, "will serve the wise."

9 From here, therefore, he prefigured him sitting on the holy throne, showing that he has been revealed as co-throned with the most divine Spirit because of God dwelling in him perpetually.

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In inscriptione titulorum (fragmenta)

ΕΙΣ ΤΑΣ ΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΗΛΟΓΡΑΦΙΑΣ

7 Φαίνεται τοίνυν ὅτι διττὰς ὑποτίθεται στηλῶν ἰδέας· οὐ γὰρ ἂν τὴν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἀποδεχόμενος εὐφήμως, ἐπετίμα τὰς τῶν ἐναντίων ὡς ἀσεβῶς ἱδρυμένας· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖναι μὲν εἰδωλολατρείας ἐκτυποῦσι φάσματα δαιμονιώδη κακοδόξως· ἡ δὲ τοῦ προπάτορος Ἰακὼβ, οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείναις ἐμφαίνει πραγματείαν· ὁ γάρ τοι δίκαιος ἀνὴρ, ἐνηχηθεὶς ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸ τὸ σωματικὸν εἶδος ὁρᾷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προαναζωγραφούμενον ἐναργῶς, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁρατὸν καὶ τοπικῆς ἐχόμενον περιγραφῆς· δεύτερον δὲ καὶ τὸ νικηφόρον τοῦ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον, κλίμακι προσεμφερῶς ἀπεικαζόμενον, ἱστορεῖ. Τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ ἐπεστηρίχθη μετεώρως ἑλκύσας ἅπαντας πρὸς ἑαυτόν. Ἔστι γοῦν ἐννοοῦντας ἰδεῖν ὅπως ὀνόματι μὲν αὐτὰ τὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν πάθη κλιμακτῆρας ἔσθ' ὅτε κικλήσκουσί τινες ἀμφικρήμνους ἀναβάσεις ὑπεμφαίνοντα καὶ καταβάσεις, σχήματι δὲ τῷ σταυρῷ προσέοικεν ὀλίγως πως ἡ κλῖμαξ, ὀρθίοις τε καὶ πλαγίοις ἁρμοσθεῖσα ξύλοις. Ὡς οὖν ἱστόρησε τὴν τοιαύτην ὀπτασίαν, τὸν λίθον ἄρας, ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνακλίνας ἡσύχασεν, ἔστησε μὲν αὐτὸν εἰς στήλην ὑπόμνημα τῆς ἱστορίας, εἰκόνα δὲ τοῦ φανέντος αὐτῷ προσώπου χαρακτηρίζων, ἐν ᾧ μνήμης ἀνανέωσιν ἵδρυσεν, οἶκον δὲ Θεοῦ προσειπὼν αὐτὸν, ᾐνίττετο τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου ναὸν ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξέφηνεν ὁ τοῦ Παντοκράτορος Υἱός· λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ πύλην ὠνόμασεν οὐρανοῦ τὸν αὐτὸν, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ναουργίας τὸ σῶμά τε καὶ ψυχὴν καθαριζόμενοι, τῇ θείᾳ δυνάμεθα προσιέναι φύσει. Τοιγαροῦν οὐδὲ τὸ ἔλαιον ἀργῶς ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον ἐπέχεε τῆς στήλης· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἐκείνου δηλωτικὸν ἦν οὗ διεπράττετο σπουδαίως ἡ Μαρία, μύρον ἐξ ἄκρων ἐπιχέουσα τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποσίν· αὐτὸ δὲ πάλιν ἐτύγχανεν ἐκεῖνο μήνυμα τῆς ταφῆς, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐσαφήνισεν ἀναφανδὸν ὁ Κύριος· ὁ δὲ λίθος οὗτος εἰκονίζει τὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον ἐκεῖνον λίθον, ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν μὲν οἰ οἰκοδομοῦντες, εἰς γωνίας δὲ κεφαλὴν ἐγένετο.

8 ∆ύο ἔθνη καὶ δύο λαοὺς αἱ θεῖαι δηλοῦσι γραφαί. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυς Μωϋσῆς· ἐν τῇ κοσμοποιΐᾳ γοῦν τὸν τῆς Ῥεβέκκας διηγούμενος βίον, λέγει μὲν ὅπως ἐπορεύθη πυθέσθαι παρὰ Κυρίου περὶ ὧν εἶχε συλλαβοῦσα. Τηνικαῦτα δέ φησι· ὁ Κύριος εἶπεν αὐτῇ· δύο ἔθνη ἐν τῇ γαστρί σού εἰσιν, καὶ δύο λαοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου διασταλήσονται, καὶ λαὸς λαοῦ ὑπερέξει, καὶ ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι. Πολλὰ μὲν γὰρ ἔθνη καὶ πολλοὶ τυγχάνουσι λαοὶ, δύο δὲ τούτους ἐξαιρέτως ὀνομάζουσι λαοὺς, οἳ τὸ δόγμα τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐγχειρισθῆναι κατηξιώθησαν, -οὔτε δὲ σχισμάτων, οὔτε αἱρέσεων, οὔτε ἐναριθμίων μέμνηται-ἀλλὰ δύο μέν εἰσι λαοὶ πολλαχοῦ γῆς ἐκτεταμένοι, Χριστιανῶν τε καὶ Ἰουδαίων. Ὁ δὲ μείζων τοῖς χρόνοις αὐχῶν εἶναι, λειπόμενος ἀρετῇ δουλεύσει τῷ νεωτέρῳ· δουλεύσεται γὰρ ἄφρων, ἔφη, φρονίμῳ.

9 Ἐντεῦθεν τοίνυν ἐπὶ θρόνου προὔγραφεν αὐτὸν τοῦ ἁγίου καθέζεσθαι, δηλῶν ὅτι σύνθρονος ἀποδέδεικται τῷ θειοτάτῳ Πνεύματι διὰ τὸν οἰκοῦντα Θεὸν ἐν αὐτῷ διηνεκῶς.