The Symbolism of Gold, Greenness, and Snow
In the middle of it, for if indeed your mercy is released to you, according to Jeremiah, 'I have abandoned my concern, I have left my inheritance' (Jer 31:9), as he passes through the desert in the church of the nations, the earth was shaken—that is, the letter and the shadow of the law—because it was not called thick. And the earthquake of this happened, the divine dew having poured down from the heavens according to the life-giving spirit of the divine writings. And the heavens shall be spoken of in these things, namely Moses and the prophets, or the mystical teachings; and heaven and clouds are used interchangeably here. Oh, indeed the heavens poured, but elsewhere the clouds rained down righteousness (Ps 67:10-11). But also for the nations having been transferred from idolatry, the earth was shaken, while the spiritual dew-drops of the apostles, evangelists, and the rest of the teachers of the evangelical dispensation were remaining.
The spoken rain, having received the life-giving spirit of the Lord through weakness and desiring the cross, perfected the flesh, living by the power of God. For the divine Word gave life to his own body, having been crucified through weakness. And indeed the believer, a poor people from among the nations, is able to be, because God is, and without false hope. Concerning him the prophecy of Isaiah says: 'For this reason the poor people shall bless you, and cities of unjust men shall bless you' (Isa 61:1); for those being oppressed by Satan were acting unjustly.
'Other' signifies the lots and the guides of the waters. For it is said in Genesis concerning Issachar, that having been called a farmer man, he rested among the lots (Gen 49:14); so one must now turn toward the old and the new covenant. For these indeed provide a watering for the intellect for spiritual fruitfulness. One rests between these two lots, placing them together in the midst of one Goddd, as a way to distinguish the spirit from the letter. One having slept thus between the lots flies, perceiving according to the Holy Spirit. And since you will not perceive the wings of this dove as lifting up the winged soul, it is testified by the divine sayings that there exists refined silver; they are being purified, those who are transferred, joined to the greenness of the dove with the gold. Often of the divine...
Gold is taken for the sharpness of the mind. Greenness signifies the life of the gold; for this color is a symbol of living plants.
Regarding the 'among the lots' and 'thus' in Leviticus: on the day of atonement, two goats were brought to the tent of meeting; one was cast into the lot to be sacrificed to the Lord upon the altar, the other being sent away to the wilderness for the one who sends it. These are symbols of good and evil; he who is in the midst must discern them, to perform the good to the Lord and to send away the evil to the one who appeases, since from it he received the beginning. Thus one will fashion the spread wings and the greenness of gold in the translations.
And the knowledge of divine scripture shines out like gold (Ps 67:14c). 'They shall be covered with snow in Selom,' meaning they shall be filled with snows (Ps 67:15). These are the virtues, watering the mind with springs and cooling the flame of the passions. For 'Wash me, and I shall be white as snow' (Ps 51:7) is not about physical snow. For it is an ineffable thing toward the brightness of a purified soul. Such also is 'If your sins are as scarlet, I will make them white as snow' (Isa 1:18) and 'The Nazarenes were cleansed of it through snow' (Ps 67:15).
Solomon is interpreted as a shadow of a portion. Therefore, since the kings (not the apostles) who once kept the law according to the shadow are a portion of shadows, having indeed a spiritual portion but having also been tested by the shadow. Such is the one saying 'I am a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee according to the law.' And since the portion of Christ's disciples in the heavens is according to 'He has made us sufficient for the portion of the saints in light' (Col 1:12), but we have not yet reached it, as if the citizenship were in the heavens while walking upon earth, knowing in part and prophesying in part and having the earnest of the Spirit, they are in the shadow of their own portion. Therefore, it is a great thing that a life experiencing this finds itself being covered with snow unstained.
'The cloud of the Lord the Savior exists'; for it is said concerning him, 'The cloud of the Lord shall appear at the end of days' (Ps 68:1) and again 'Upon'...
Greek
128 μέσου αὐτοῦ, ο τε ει πεν ̓Ιδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οι κος ὑμῶν, κατὰ τὸ παρ' ̔Ιερεμίᾳ ̓Εγκατέλειπον τὸν οι κόν μου, ἀφῆκα τὴν κληρονομίαν μου, ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, γῆ ἐσείσθη τουτέστι τὸ γράμμα καὶ ἡ σκιὰ τοῦ νόμου, διὰ τὸ παχυλὸν ου τω κεκλημένη. γέγονε δὲ ὁ σεισμὸς ταύτης, σταξάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸν θεῖον νοῦν κατὰ τὸ ζωοποιὸν πνεῦμα τῶν θείων γραφῶν. οὐρανοὶ δὲ ἐν τούτοις λελέξονται η τοι Μωσῆς καὶ οἱ προφῆται η τὰ μυστικὰ θεωρήματα· οὐρανὸς δὲ καὶ νεφέλαι ταὐτὸν εἰς τοῦτο. ω δε μὲν οἱ οὐρανοὶ ε σταξαν, ἀλλαχοῦ δ' Αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ τῶν τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας μετατεθέντων ἐθνῶν, ἐσείσθη ἡ γῆ, κρατούσης λοιπὸν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διατάξεως ἀποστόλων καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν διδασκάλων τὰς πνευματικὰς σταζόντων γονάς. 688a Ps 67,10.11 ̔Η ῥηθεῖσα βροχὴ τῷ αἱρετὴν ει ναι καὶ ποθεινὴν σταυρὸν ἐξ ἀσθενείας ἀναδεξαμένην τὴν ζωοποιὸν τοῦ κυρίου σάρκα κατηρτίσθη, ζήσασα ἐκ δυνάμεως θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ θεῖος λόγος ἐζωοποίησε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα σταυρωθὲν ἐξ ἀσθενείας. Πτωχὸς δὲ ἑνικῶς ὁ πιστεύσας ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν λαὸς ει ναι δύναται διὰ τὸ α θεος ει ναι καὶ μηδόλως ἐλπίδα ε χειν. περὶ αὐτοῦ φησιν ἡ προφητεία ̔Ησαΐου ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε ὁ λαὸς ὁ πτωχὸς καὶ πόλεις ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων εὐλογήσουσί σε· ἠδικοῦντο δὲ οἱ καταδυναστευόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ. 689a Ps 67,17 Ετερος σημαίνειν ε φη τοὺς κλήρους καὶ τοὺς τῶν ὑδάτων ἀγωγούς. ει ρηται γὰρ ἐν Γενέσει περὶ τοῦ ̓Ισσάχαρ ὡς κληθεὶς ἀνὴρ γεωργὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων ἀνεπαύετο· ο δὴ τρεπτέον νῦν εἰς τὴν παλαιὰν καὶ καινὴν διαθήκην. αυ ται γὰρ α γουσι τὸν νοητὸν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ποτισμὸν ἐπὶ καρποφορίᾳ πνευματικῇ. Τούτων τῶν δύο κλήρων κοιμᾶταί τις, ἀνὰ μέσον ἑνὸς θεοῦ ει ναι αὐτὰς συγκατατιθέμενος, ὡς διαστέλλειν τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ γράμματος. ου τω κοιμηθείς τις μεταξὺ τῶν κλήρων πτεροῦται, κατὰ τὸ α γιον πνεῦμα νοῶν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰς πτέρυγας ταύτης τῆς περιστερᾶς ου σας νοήσεις ἐπαιρούσας τὴν ἐπτερωμένην ψυχὴν καὶ ἐκ τῶν θείων λογίων μαρτυρεῖσθαι α ει ρηται ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον ὑπάρχειν, περιηργυρωμέναι εἰσίν, τῶν μεταφρένων τῆς περιστερᾶς χλωρότητι χρυσίου συνηρμοσμένων. πολλαχοῦ τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὸ χρυσίον ἐπὶ ἀκραιφνεστάτου νοῦ λαμβάνεται. ε χει δὲ χλωρότητα τὸ χρυσίον σημαίνουσαν τὴν ζωὴν αὐτοῦ· σύμβολον γὰρ ζώντων φυτῶν τὸ χρῶμα τοῦτο. Λέγοις δ' α ν εἰς τὸ ̓Ανὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων καὶ ου τως· ἐν τῷ Λευιτικῷ τῇ τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ ἡμέρᾳ δύο προσηγάγοντο τράγοι εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου· ει τα κλήρου βληθέντος, ὁ ει ς ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον η γετο τυφησόμενος τῷ κυρίῳ, τοῦ ἑτέρου τῷ ἀποπομπαίῳ εἰς τὴν ε ρημον ἐκπεμπομένου. σύμβολα δὲ ταῦτα ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ· ω ν ἐν μέσῳ γινόμενον χρὴ διακρίναντα, τὸ μὲν ἀγαθὸν ἱερουργεῖν τῷ κυρίῳ, τὸ δὲ κακὸν ἐκπέμπειν τῷ ἀρεσκομένῳ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ε λαβεν. ου τω γάρ τις σχήσει τὰς περιηργυρωμένας πτέρυγας καὶ τὴν χλωρότητα τοῦ χρυσίου ἐν τοῖς μεταφρένοις. 690a Ps 67,14c Καὶ ἡ γνῶσις τῆς θείας γραφῆς ὡς χρυσίον ἐξαστράπτων. 691a Ps 67,15 ∆ιασταλεῖσι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἀκολουθήσει τὸ Χιονωθήσονται ἐν Σελμών, τουτέστι πληρωθήσονται χιόνων. αυ ται δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἀρεταί, ποτίζουσαι νᾶμα τὸν νοῦν καὶ καταψύχουσαι τῶν παθῶν τὸν φλογμόν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Πλυνεῖς με, καὶ ὑπὲρ χιόνα λευκανθήσομαι, περὶ αἰσθητῆς χιόνος ὁ λόγος. ἀσύμβλητος γὰρ αυ τη πρὸς λαμπρότητα κεκαθαρμένης ψυχῆς. τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ ̓Εὰν ω σιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, καὶ τὸ ̓Εκαθαριώθησαν οἱ Ναζωραῖοι αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ χιόνα. Σαλωμὼν δὲ σκιὰ μερίδος ἑρμηνεύεται. μήποτε τοίνυν, ἐπεὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς (ου τοι οἱ ἀπόστολοι) ἰουδάϊσάν ποτε τηροῦντες τὸν κατὰ σκιὰν νόμον, μερίδος εἰσὶν σκιᾶς, ε χοντες μὲν πνευματικὴν μερίδα, πεπειραμένοι δὲ καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς. ὁποῖος ὁ λέγων ̔Εβραῖος ἐξ ̔Εβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος. η ἐπειδὴ ἡ 129 μερὶς μὲν η ν τῶν Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς κατὰ τὸ ̔Ικανώσαντι ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν μερίδα τῶν ἁγίων ἐν φωτί, ου πω δὲ ε φθασαν ἐπ' αὐτήν, κα ν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ε χωσι τὸ πολίτευμα, ἐπὶ γῆς ε τι περιπατοῦντες, ἐκ μέρους γινώσκοντες καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύοντες καὶ ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος ε χοντες, ἐν σκιᾷ τῆς ἑαυτῶν μερίδος εἰσίν. διὸ καὶ μέγα τυγχάνει τὸ ἐν ταύτῃ τυγχάνοντα χιονωθῆναι βίον ἀκηλίδωτον ε χοντα. 692a Ps 67,16 Κυρίως ο ρος θεοῦ ὁ σωτὴρ ὑπάρχει· ει ρηται γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ Εσται ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐμφανὲς τὸ ο ρος κυρίου· καὶ πάλιν ̓Επ'
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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