Allegorical Interpretation of Animals
possessing divine wisdom, a well-structured and very precise understanding, one says: 'You shall speak a parable and a dark saying to men of understanding and riddles.' For words spoken with concealment turn out to be riddles. Likewise, the present word of the prophet, being brought forth enigmatically, brings forth a concealed teaching. An enigma is this: 'Open, Lebanon, your gates' (Song of Solomon 4:1).
For it is not toward the perceptible mountain, which is soulless, nor the woods within it according to sense and imagination, that the command is made, so that the gates of Lebanon might be opened and the fallen cedars of the pines might crash; but toward men, arrogant and proud, falling into lawless idolatry toward 'the ruler of this age' (Matthew 13:38).
Incorporeal powers... wisdom... promised... to understand... the mortal rational animals and the other rational beings moved by word. But when trees and wild woods... the man who became like God in image and likeness, who had honor from the Creator, was joined with the creatures that are without understanding, God-fearing and lovers of pleasure, having become passionate... from these things the prophetic word says: 'Donkeys became lustful, each one toward the wife of his neighbor' (Hosea 14:4), regarding all divine things and the presiding divine reason.
'Do not become like a horse and a mule which have no understanding' (Psalm 32:9), the horse being an analogy for one who lacks restraint, devouring the marriages of others and violently mounting foreign women. The fool proven to be turned toward sensual things shall be called a mule, and especially the soul promising virginity without...
of understanding. For a certain foolish woman, even if she seems to be cleansing her body, she is an adversary rather than a bride of the Word.
There are many names of animals applied loosely to humans, such as donkeys and camels, called so because they bear the burdens of wickedness, being imposed upon them by predatory demons and opposing powers. The great prophet Isaiah, taking up such things, said, 'their wealth is upon donkeys and camels' (Isaiah 61:7). For these things thus announced are not historical, having the understanding by way of allegory. And the Savior, protecting his own disciples, says allegorically, 'not to give the holy thing to dogs nor to cast pearls before swine' (Matthew 7:6). For dogs and swine are flatterers and lovers of pleasure, rejoicing with the lawless, the filth of the gods.
For the dog is a lowly animal, shamelessly approaching with lustful hands, being both a flatterer and a provocateur. Does not he who reviles the Pelasgian provoke in a way, buzzing with accusations? Concerning such men, the loud-voiced Isaiah has cried out: 'All are dogs, not knowing understanding, and they are evil' (Psalm 22:16). Just as such men are dogs, having other evils toward others, and the swine were those washed from the filth of the passions, and again curling themselves to them.
Concerning those having such a mind, the great disciple of Christ Peter writes thus: 'It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known, to turn back to the things behind from the holy commandment delivered to them. There happened to them that of the true proverb: a dog returning to its own vomit, and a sow washed into a rolling in the mire' (2 Peter 2:22; Proverbs 9:1). To such men, the holy one said, to give...
Greek
4.τ 1Τόμος ∆ʹ 1 4.1 Ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν σοφὸς διηρθρωμένην νόησιν καὶ πάνυ ἠκριβωμένην ἔχων «νοεῖ παραβολὴν καὶ σκοτεινὸν λόγον ῥήσεις τε ἀνδρῶν συνετῶν καὶ αἰνίγματα». Οἱ λόγοι δὲ μετ' ἐπικρύψεως ·· ἀπαγγελλόμενοι τυγχάνουσιν αἰνίγματα. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ ἡ προκειμένη τοῦ προφήτου λέξις αἰνιγματωδῶς προφερομένη ἐπικεκρυμμένην διδασκαλίαν προφέρει. ···· αἴνιγμά ἐστιν τό· «∆ιάνοιξον, ὁ Λίβανος, τὰς θύρας σου.» 4.2 Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ αἰσθητὸν ὄρος ἄψυχον ὑπάρχον καὶ ξύλα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐξ αἰσθήσεως καὶ φαντασίας ········τα πρόσταξις γίνεται ἵνα αἱ θύραι τοῦ Λιβάνου διανοίγωνται καὶ ὀλολύξωσιν αἱ πίτυες κέδρων πεπτωκότων, ἀλλὰ ··· πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἀλαζόνας καὶ ὑπερηφάνους πιπτομένους ἐν ἀθεμίστῳ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ τῇ πρὸς «τοὺς ἄρχοντας τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος». 4.3 Ἄσαρκοι α̣ι῾̣ δ̣υ̣ν̣α´̣μ̣ε̣ι̣ς̣ κ··· σ̣ο̣φ̣ι´̣α̣ ···· μ̣ι̣κ·· ἐπαγγελλόμ̣ε̣ν̣α̣ι̣ εν···· ···········νο̣ειν····φ·ον τὰ θνητὰ λογικὰ ζῷα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα λογικὰ ἀγόμενα λόγῳ ζῷα. Ὅτε δὲ δένδρα καὶ ἄγρι̣α̣ ξ̣υ´̣λ̣α̣ ····ο̣ρ̣ι̣·ε̣ν̣··μ̣η̣σ̣υ̣ν̣·ε̣·σ̣·α̣ι̣ ὁ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ἣν ἔσχε τιμὴν παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος 4.4 σ̣υ̣ν̣ε̣β̣λ̣η´̣θ̣η̣ τ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ κ̣τ̣η´̣νεσιν τοῖς ἀνο̣η´̣τ̣ο̣ι̣ς̣ ······ Θ̣ε̣ο`̣ς̣ ··αι··νεις̣ καὶ φιληδόνους εξ··εσχον ἐμπαθη`̣ς̣ ····· ε̣·····τ̣·μ̣α̣χ̣ω̣····ι̣ο̣···α̣ζ̣ω̣·········λε̣τ̣ε̣ εκτ······ τῶν το̣ι̣ούτων ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος φησίν· «Ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθησαν, ἕκαστος ἐπὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ χρεμετίζει», πάσης θείας ····ε······εντ̣ες, καὶ τοῦ προστάττοντος θείου λογίου· 4.5 «Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν 114 σύνεσις», τυγχάνοντος ἵππου κατ' ἀναγωγὴν τοῦ φθείροντος ἀλλοτρίους γάμους καὶ γυναιξὶν ἀλλοτρίαις μανικῶς ἐπιβαίνοντος. Ὁ πρὸς τὰ καλὰ ἐστειρωμένος ἄγο̣ν̣ος ἀποδειχθείς, ἡμίονος κεκλήσεται, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ παρθενίαν ἐπαγγελλομένη ψυχὴ ἄνευ θείας σ̣υνέσεως. Ἡ γ̣α`̣ρ ····γ̣ο̣ρ̣ια ἀ´̣ν̣θ̣ρ̣ω̣π̣ο̣ς̣ μωρά τις̣ οὖσα, κἂν δοκῇ σώματι καθαρεύειν, η῾̣μ̣ι´̣ο̣νος ἀλλ' οὐ νύμφη τοῦ Λόγου τυγχάνει. 4.6 Ἔστιν ὀνο´̣μ̣ατα πολλὰ ζ̣ῴων ψεκτῶς ἀνθρώποις ἐφαρμοζόμενα, ὄνων καὶ καμήλων ἐν δίκῃ καλουμένων τῶν τα`̣ ἄχθη τ̣η῀̣ς̣ κακίας̣ φ̣ερόντων, ἐπιβαλλόντων αὐτὰ δαιμόνων ἀλιτηρίων καὶ δυνάμεων ἀντικειμ̣ένων. Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων θεολημπτούμενος ὁ μέγας προφήτης Ἠσαΐας ·········νου καὶ ἀσπίδων γενήματα φέρειν «τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν ἐπὶ ὄνων καὶ καμήλων» εἶπεν. 4.7 Οὐ γὰρ ἱστορικὰ τὰ οὕτως ἀπαγγελλόμενα κατ' ἀναγωγὴν ἔχοντα τὴν νόησιν. Καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ, προστάττων τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς «τὸ ἅγιον κυσὶν μὴ διδόναι μηδὲ τὰς μαργαρίτας χοίροις παραβάλλειν», ἀλληγορικῶς τὴν πρόσταξιν δίδωσιν. Κύνες γὰρ καὶ χοῖροι οἱ κόλακες καὶ φιλήδονοι καταχαίροντες τοῖς ἀκολάσ̣τ̣ο̣ι̣ς̣ ·········θ̣ι̣ας βορβόροις. 4.8 Ἔστι γὰρ ὁ κύων κατωφερὲς ζῷον ἀναιδῶς μετ' οἴστρου ἐπιμαινο´̣μ̣ενον τ̣α̣ι῀̣ς̣ ο᾿̣χ̣ε̣ι´̣α̣ι̣ς̣, κολ̣α̣κευτικὸν δὲ καὶ ὑλακτικόν. Ἢ οὐχ ὑλακτεῖ ὁ λοιδορῶν τὸν πέλας, τρόπον τινὰ βομβύζων ταῖς κατηγορίαις; Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνθρώπων ὁ μεγαλοβοήσας Ἠσαΐας κέκραγεν· «Πάντες κύνες ἐνεοί, οὐκ εἰδότες σύνεσιν καί εἰσιν πονηροί.» Ὡς οὖν οἱ τοιοῦτοι κύνες εἰσίν, πρὸς τοῖς ἑτέροις κακοῖς ἔχοντες καὶ τοὺς ἐμέτο̣υ̣ς̣ πάλιν οὓς ἀποβεβλήκασιν αὖθις ἐσθίειν, χοῖροι εἶεν οἱ λουόμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν βορβόρων καὶ αὖθις αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλινδούμενοι. 4.9 Περὶ τῶν οὕτως γνώμης ἐχόντων γράφ̣ει ὁ μέγας Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς Πέτρος οὕτως· «Κρεῖττον ἦν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐγνωκέναι τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἢ ἐπιγνοῦσιν ἀνακάμψαι εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀπὸ τῆς παραδοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἁγίας ἐντολῆς. Συνέβη αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς παροιμίας· κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐξέραμα, καί· ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κύλισμα βορβόρου.» 4.10 Τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀνθρώποις ἀπεῖπεν τὸ ἅγιον διδόναι ὁ