READINGS: LENT WEDNESDAY III

Invitatory Psalm & BACK

PSALMS and BACK

שׁוּבוּ וְהָשִׁיבוּ מִכָּל־פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם — וַעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם לֵב חָדָשׁ וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה

Even Years: Exodus 33:7-11,18-23; 34:5-9,29-35 7 וּמֹשֶׁה יִקַּח אֶת־הָאֹהֶל וְנָטָה־לוֹ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה הַרְחֵק מִן־הַמַּחֲנֶה וְקָרָא לוֹ אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְהָיָה כָּל־מְבַקֵּשׁ יְהוָה יֵצֵא אֶל־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד אֲשֶׁר מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה׃ 8 וְהָיָה כְּצֵאת מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הָאֹהֶל יָקוּמוּ כָּל־הָעָם וְנִצְּבוּ אִישׁ פֶּתַח אָהֳלוֹ וְהִבִּיטוּ אַחֲרֵי מֹשֶׁה עַד־בֹּאוֹ הָאֹהֱלָה׃ 9 וְהָיָה כְּבֹא מֹשֶׁה הָאֹהֱלָה יֵרֵד עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן וְעָמַד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וְדִבֶּר עִם־מֹשֶׁה׃ 10 וְרָאָה כָל־הָעָם אֶת־עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן עֹמֵד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וְקָם כָּל־הָעָם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ אִישׁ פֶּתַח אָהֳלוֹ׃ 11 וְדִבֶּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ וְשָׁב אֶל־הַמַּחֲנֶה וּמְשָׁרְתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן נַעַר לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל׃... 5 וַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה בֶּעָנָן וַיִּתְיַצֵּב עִמּוֹ שָׁם וַיִּקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהוָה׃ 6 וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת׃ 7 נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים וְעַל־בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִים׃ 8 וַיְמַהֵר מֹשֶׁה וַיִּקֹּד אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ׃ 9 וַיֹּאמֶר אִם־נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי יֵלֶךְ־נָא אֲדֹנָי בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ כִּי עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹרֶף הוּא וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲוֹנֵנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵנוּ וּנְחַלְתָּנוּ׃... 29 וַיְהִי בְּרֶדֶת מֹשֶׁה מֵהַר סִינַי וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה בְּרִדְתּוֹ מִן־הָהָר וּמֹשֶׁה לֹא־יָדַע כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ׃ 30 וַיַּרְא אַהֲרֹן וְכָל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־מֹשֶׁה וְהִנֵּה קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו וַיִּירְאוּ מִגֶּשֶׁת אֵלָיו׃ 31 וַיִּקְרָא אֲלֵהֶם מֹשֶׁה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ אֵלָיו אַהֲרֹן וְכָל־הַנְּשִׂאִים בָּעֵדָה וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֲלֵהֶם׃ 32 וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן נִגְּשׁוּ כָּל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְצַוֵּם אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה אִתּוֹ בְּהַר סִינָי׃ 33 וַיְכַל מֹשֶׁה מִדַּבֵּר אִתָּם וַיִּתֵּן עַל־פָּנָיו מַסְוֶה׃ 34 וּבְבֹא מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ יָסִיר אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶה עַד־צֵאתוֹ וְיָצָא וְדִבֶּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת אֲשֶׁר יְצֻוֶּה׃ 35 וְרָאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־פְּנֵי מֹשֶׁה כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פְּנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְהֵשִׁיב מֹשֶׁה אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶה עַל־פָּנָיו עַד־בֹּאוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ׃	7 Moses used to take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult Yahweh would go out to the Tent of Meeting, outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, the people would all stand up and every man would stand at the door of his tent and watch Moses until he went into the Tent. 9 And whenever Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and station itself at the entrance to the Tent, while Yahweh spoke with Moses. 10 The people could all see the pillar of cloud stationed at the entrance to the Tent and the people would all stand up and bow low, each at the door of his tent. 11 Yahweh would talk to Moses face to face, as a man talks to his friend, and afterwards he would come back to the camp, but the young man who was his servant, Joshua son of Nun, never left the inside of the Tent. 34:5 And Yahweh descended in a cloud and stood with him there and pronounced the name Yahweh. 6 Then Yahweh passed before him and called out, 'Yahweh, Yahweh, God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and constancy, 7 maintaining his faithful love to thousands, forgiving fault, crime and sin, yet letting nothing go unchecked, and punishing the parent's fault in the children and in the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation!' 8 Moses immediately bowed to the ground in worship, 9 then he said, 'If indeed I do enjoy your favour, please, my Lord, come with us, although they are an obstinate people; and forgive our faults and sins, and adopt us as your heritage.' 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, as he was coming down the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant because he had been talking to him. 30 And when Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin on his face was so radiant that they were afraid to go near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the community rejoined him, and Moses talked to them, 32 after which all the Israelites came closer, and he passed on to them all the orders that Yahweh had given to him on Mount Sinai. 33 Once Moses had finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 Whenever Moses went into Yahweh's presence to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out. And when he came out, he would tell the Israelites what orders he had been given, 35 and the Israelites would see Moses' face radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak to him next time.
Odd Years: Hebrews 4:1-13             φοβηθῶμεν οὖν μήποτε             καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ             δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι:             καὶ γάρ ἐσμεν εὐηγγελισμένοι καθάπερ κἀκεῖνοι,             ἀλλ' οὐκ ὠφέλησεν ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοῆς ἐκείνους,             μὴ συγκεκερασμένους τῇ πίστει τοῖς ἀκούσασιν.       εἰσερχόμεθα γὰρ εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν οἱ πιστεύσαντες,       καθὼς εἴρηκεν, ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου,       εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου,       καίτοι τῶν ἔργων ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου γενηθέντων.             εἴρηκεν γάρ που περὶ τῆς ἑβδόμης οὕτως,             καὶ κατέπαυσεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ:             καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πάλιν, εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου.                   ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀπολείπεται τινὰς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αὐτήν,                   καὶ οἱ πρότερον εὐαγγελισθέντες οὐκ εἰσῆλθον δι' ἀπείθειαν,                   πάλιν τινὰ ὁρίζει ἡμέραν, σήμερον,                   ἐν Δαυὶδ λέγων μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον, καθὼς προείρηται,                   σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν.             εἰ γὰρ αὐτοὺς Ἰησοῦς κατέπαυσεν,             οὐκ ἂν περὶ ἄλλης ἐλάλει μετὰ ταῦτα ἡμέρας.       ἄρα ἀπολείπεται σαββατισμὸς τῷ λαῷ τοῦ θεοῦ:       ὁ γὰρ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ       καὶ αὐτὸς κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ὁ θεός.       σπουδάσωμεν οὖν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν κατάπαυσιν,       ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τις ὑποδείγματι πέσῃ τῆς ἀπειθείας. ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας: καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος.
Hebrews 4:1-13 1 Let us beware, then: since the promise never lapses, none of you must think that he has come too late for the promise of entering his place of rest. 2 We received the gospel exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who did listen. 3 We, however, who have faith, are entering a place of rest, as in the text: And then in my anger I swore that they would never enter my place of rest. Now God's work was all finished at the beginning of the world; 4 as one text says, referring to the seventh day: And God rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing. 5 And, again, the passage above says: They will never reach my place of rest. 6 It remains the case, then, that there would be some people who would reach it, and since those who first heard the good news were prevented from entering by their refusal to believe, 7 God fixed another day, a Today, when he said through David in the text already quoted: If only you would listen to him today; do not harden your hearts. 8 If Joshua had led them into this place of rest, God would not later have spoken of another day. 9 There must still be, therefore, a seventh-day rest reserved for God's people, 10 since to enter the place of rest is to rest after your work, as God did after his. 11 Let us, then, press forward to enter this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example of refusal to believe and be lost. 12 The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgement on secret emotions and thoughts. 13 No created thing is hidden from him; everything is uncovered and stretched fully open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves.

Even Years: Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus, 1:2,7 (PG 6, 1026-1027,1035) Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν φῇς "Δεῖξόν μοι τὸν θεόν σου", κἀγώ σοι εἴποιμι ἄν "Δεῖξόν μοι τὸν ἄνθρωπόν σου κἀγώ σοι δείξω τὸν θεόν μου." ἐπεὶ δεῖξον βλέποντας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς σου, καὶ τὰ ὦτα τῆς καρδίας σου ἀκούοντα ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ βλέποντες τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ σώματος κατανοοῦσι τὴν τοῦ βίου καὶ ἐπίγειον πραγματείαν, ἅμα δοκιμάζοντες τὰ διαφέροντα, ἤτοι φῶς ἢ σκότος, ἢ λευκὸν ἢ μέλαν, ἢ ἀειδὲς ἢ εὔμορφον, ἢ εὔρυθμον καὶ εὔμετρον ἢ ἄρυθμον καὶ ἄμετρον ἢ ὑπέρμετρον ἢ κόλουρον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑπ' ἀκοὴν πίπτοντα, ἢ ὀξύφωνα ἢ βαρύφωνα ἢ ἡδύφωνα, οὕτως ἔχοι ἂν καὶ περὶ τὰ ὦτα τῆς καρδίας καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς δύνασθαι θεὸν θεάσασθαι βλέπεται γὰρ θεὸς τοῖς δυναμένοις αὐτὸν ὁρᾶν, ἔπαν ἔχωσι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀνεῳγμένους τῆς ψυχῆς. πάντες μὲν γὰρ ἔχουσι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ἀλλὰ ἔνιοι ὑποκεχυμένους καὶ μὴ βλέποντας τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου. καὶ οὐ παρὰ τὸ μὴ βλέπειν τοὺς τυφλοὺς ἤδη καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἡλίου φαῖνον, ἀλλὰ ἑαυτοὺς αἰτιάσθωσαν οἱ τυφλοὶ καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ὀφθαλμούς. οὕτως καὶ σύ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ἔχεις ὑποκεχυμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς σου ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τῶν πράξεών σου τῶν πονηρῶν. Ὥσπερ ἔσοπτρον ἐστιλβωμένον, οὕτως δεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔχειν καθαρὰν ψυχήν. ἔπαν οὖν ᾖ ἰὸς ἐν τῷ ἐσόπτρῳ, οὐ δύναται ὁρᾶσθαι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ ἐσόπτρῳ οὕτως καὶ ὅταν ᾖ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, οὐ δύναται ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄνθρωπος θεωρεῖν τὸν θεόν ἀλλὰ εἰ βούλει, δύνασαι θεραπευθῆναι ἐπίδος σεαυτὸν τῷ ἰατρῷ καὶ παρακεντήσει σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῆς καρδίας. τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἰατρός; ὁ θεός, ὁ θεραπεύων καὶ ζωοποιῶν διὰ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας. ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς σοφίας ἐποίησε τὰ πάντα τῷ γὰρ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ ἐστερεώθησαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν. κρατίστη ἐστὶν ἡ σοφία αὐτοῦ ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς φρονήσει, ἐν αἰσθήσει ἄβυσσοι ἐρράγησαν, νέφη δὲ ἐρρύησαν δρόσους. Eἰ ταῦτα νοεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, ἁγνῶς καὶ ὁσίως καὶ δικαίως ζῶν, δύνασαι ὁρᾶν τὸν θεόν. πρὸ παντὸς δὲ προηγείσθω σου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ πίστις καὶ φόβος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τότε συνήσεις ταῦτα. ὅταν ἀπόθῃ τὸ θνητὸν καὶ ἐνδύσῃ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν, τότε ὄψῃ κατὰ ἀξίαν τὸν θεόν. ἀνεγείρει γάρ σου τὴν σάρκα ἀθάνατον σὺν τῇ ψυχῇ ὁ θεός καὶ τότε ὄψῃ γενόμενος ἀθάνατος τὸν ἀθάνατον, ἐὰν νῦν πιστεύσῃς αὐτῷ

Odd Years: Cyril of Alexandria, Worship in spirit and truth, Book 3 (PG 68, 290-291) Ἁγία δὲ πόλις, ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἧς εἶεν ἂν οἰκήτορες οἱ διὰ ζῶντος ἄρτου τελειούμενοι πρὸς ἁγιασμόν. Τῆς οὕτω σεπτῆς καὶ ἀξιαγάστου πόλεως καὶ ὁ θεῖος Δαβὶδ διαμέμνηται λέγων· Δεδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Κατῴκησε γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν Χριστὸς, ὅς ἐστι ζωὴ καὶ ζωοποιός. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἀποσοβεῖ Θεὸς τῶν ἡγιασμένων τὸν ὀλοθρευτὴν, ὡς οὐκέτι νικᾷν ὀφείλοντα μετὰ τὴν ἀνάδειξιν τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης, ἣν ὁ τοῦ ἀρίστου καιρὸς ὑπαινίττεται. Ἐξείλετο τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς, ὡς ἐν προσώπῳ νοούμενος τοῦ Δαβίδ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐθεᾶτο δαπανῶντα τὸν θάνατον τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, παράκλητος γέγονεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· προσεκόμιζε γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὑπέθηκεν ἑκὼν τῷ θανάτῳ, δεδυσώπηκέ τε τὸν ὀλοθρευτὴν, ἑαυτοῦ λέγων εἶναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· οὐχ ὅτι πεποίηκε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, αὐτὸς τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν αἴρει, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνόμοις ἐλογίσθη, καίτοι μὴ εἰδὼς ἁμαρτίαν· καὶ γέγονεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Χρῆναι δέ φησι, τὸν ποιμένα μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ πρόβατα παθεῖν· ὡς γὰρ ποιμὴν ἀγαθὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τέθεικεν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Εἶτα κατὰ θείαν ὑπόμνησιν, ὁ θεσπέσιος Δαβὶδ, ἔνθα τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν ὀλοθρευτὴν ἀπρακτοῦντα ἤδη καὶ ἑστηκότα τεθέαται (εἶδε γὰρ αὐτὸν παρὰ τὴν ἅλω, φησὶν), ἐκεῖ διαπήξας θυσιαστήριον, ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ εἰρηνικὰς (θυσιῶν δὲ τῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον εἴδη τε καὶ τρόποι ταυτὶ) προσαγήοχε τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ διὰ μὲν τῆς ἅλω νοήσεις τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, εἰς ἣν ἀφιγμένος, ἔστη τε λοιπὸν, καὶ κατηργήθη θάνατος, καὶ τὴν πάλαι δεινήν τε καὶ διαφθείρουσαν χεῖρα συνέστειλεν ὁ ὀλοθρευτής· οἶκος γάρ ἐστι τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ζωῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστι Χριστοῦ. Ἅλω δὲ εἶναί φαμεν ὡς ἐξ ὁμοιώσεως καὶ εἰκόνος τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἐφ' ᾗ δραγμάτων, ἤγουν ἀσταχύων, συλλέγοντα[ι] δίκην οἱ τῆς ἀπὸ κόσμου ζωῆς διὰ τοῦ λόγου τῶν ἁγίων κειρόμενοι θεριστῶν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἀποστόλων τε καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν, ἵνα καὶ εἰς τὰς ἄνω συγκομισθεῖεν αὐλὰς, καὶ καθάπερ εἰς ἀποθήκην δεσποτικὴν, εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οἷά τις σῖτος εἰσφέροιντο καθαρὸς, κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀχρειοτέρων καὶ περιττῶν ἀπόθεσιν πραγμάτων τε ἅμα καὶ φρονημάτων, ἅπερ ὡς ἐν εἴδει τῶν ἀχύρων νοεῖται. Εἴρηται δέ που παρὰ Χριστοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις· Οὐχὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι τετράμηνός ἐστι, καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς ἔρχεται; Ἰδοὺ λέγω ὑμῖν· Ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη. Ὁ θερίζων μισθὸν λαμβάνει, καὶ συνάγει καρπὸν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι. Δεήθητε οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ἵνα ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ. Θερισμὸν, οἶμαι, τὸν νοητὸν τὴν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν ὀνομάζων πληθὺν, ἁγίους δὲ θεριστὰς εἶναι λέγων τοὺς εἰς νοῦν καὶ γλῶτταν τὸν θεῖον ἔχοντας λόγον, ὅς ἐστι ζῶν τε καὶ ἐναργὴς, καὶ τομώτατος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, καὶ διικνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς τε καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν... Ταύτην οὖν ἄρα τὴν ἅλω τὴν νοητὴν, φημὶ δὴ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἐξεπρίατο Χριστὸς πεντήκοντα σίκλων, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὐκ ἐλαφρῶν τιμημάτων· ἑαυτὸν γὰρ δέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔπηξεν ἐν αὐτῇ τὸ θυσιαστήριον· καὶ ἐπείπερ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἱερουργὸς (γέγονε γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς), καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ θῦμα προσεκόμισεν ἑαυτὸν, ὡς ἐν εἴδει καὶ τύπῳ τοῦ ἀλοῶντος μόσχου, καὶ γέγονεν ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ εἰρηνικὴ θυσία.

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