The Fruitfulness of the Just and the Symbolism of Gilead and Manasseh
To bear a hundred and sixty and thirty; as God is being lifted up toward the contemplative natures of the world, which are called heavens, His glory is found upon the practical earth, which is called earth.
Not otherwise are those worthy of being loved by you to be rescued from the enemies holding them or those surrounding them, than by you saving with your right hand and by me interceding for them (Psalm 108:6). An oath is interpreted as a symbol of work (Psalm 108:7-9). The Lord, having been lifted up on the cross and having ascended, divided the works of men as to justifying some and rejecting others; for He is a just judge.
Therefore, even the place near the surface, because it is called a valley below due to the human bodies dwelling in it, is called the measurement of the dwellings of the souls inhabiting it, to provide for both the things below and these things. Indeed, He sent the heralds of truth into all the nations, so that the gospel of justification might be proclaimed.
Gilead is interpreted as migration, Manasseh as being from oblivion, and Ephraim as fruitfulness. The Savior says, 'My Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine,' meaning migrating from evil to truth, or from evil to virtue, or from earth to heaven; and mine also is the one who has surpassed all the oblivion of good things and has come from it. For he who comes from oblivion into memory is Manasseh, that is, having left and abandoned the oblivion by which the good things of God were forgotten.
But also the great fruitfulness of the believing nations has become a covering and a perception of the Savior; for as Paul writes to those who were benefited by him, saying they are his joy and crown (1 Thess 2:19), so also the Savior has a perception, a crown being woven for him by those bearing up righteousness and truth. And Judah is his king, not by his ruling, but by the king being made his own. Such is David, or perhaps everyone who confesses for the things he accomplished is Judah, interpreted 'confession.'
Moab, however, because of being a punishment for those handed over to him by the Lord, is the lion of the saying of hope. And the lion often signifies punishment among the prophets. Since punishments fall upon a good intention, they bring good hope.
'Upon Edom I will extend my sandal' (Psalm 108:9). If the face saying these things were the Savior's, since Edom is translated into the earthy, he will say to make a journey upon the earth and earthly things; for the sandal is a symbol of a covered journey.
For of old he used a bare journey, creating and providing, but now with the flesh with which he is clothed, which is also his sandal.
And since some shod the gospel with the preparation of peace (Eph 6:15), this sandal also, spread everywhere, was extended upon Edom in both the ways mentioned.
Ps 108:6-8: Not all have the same right hand, but the serious man has the intelligible things and the things of virtue, while the worthless man has the sensible things and the things of evil; on the right of the holy one God stands, but on that of the sinner the devil.
But perhaps someone will object, saying: 'And concerning Jesus the great priest, who is holy, it has been said: And the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him' (Zech 3:1).
But the objector did not attend to the difference of the words; for concerning Judas it is written: 'Let the devil stand at his right hand' (Psalm 109:6; LXX 108:6), but concerning the great priest: 'And the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him';
for he stands fighting and opposing at the right hand of the holy one, even if he is not able to overthrow the one at whose right God is; but at the right of Judas he stands as in his own place.
Therefore he is worthless, and what follows also shows his wickedness, with the Savior praying that the prayer of Judas become sin.
Prayer becomes sin to the one who sends it up whenever he fails to obtain what he asks.
For he prayed, in a manner betraying the teacher, that his word be destroyed and all the disciples and believers be scattered, but he failed.
For his word ran, and those believing in him, increasing daily, filled the whole inhabited world.
And in another way prayer becomes sin to someone whenever he deems it worthy to receive from God not what he ought but what does not profit him, and for this reason, since he asked neither what befits God to give nor what is profitable to him, God judged him.
But of every betrayer of the truth there come the [...].
Greek
καρποφορεῖν ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα τριάκοντα· η ὑψουμένου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὰς θεωρητικὰς τοῦ κόσμου φύσεις προσαγορευομένας οὐρανούς, ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰς πρακτικὰς γῆν ὀνομαζομένας τυγχάνει. 1031 Ps 107,7 Οὐκ α λλως οἱ α ξιοι τοῦ ὑπὸ σοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι ῥυσθεῖεν ἀπὸ τῶν κατεχόντων πολεμίων η καὶ τῶν περιστάντων αὐτούς, η σοῦ σώσαντος τῇ δεξιᾷ σου καὶ ἐπακούοντος ἐμοῦ τοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρεσβευομένου. 1032 Ps 107,8–10 ̓Ωμίασις ἑρμηνεύεται Σίκημα, ε ργου σύμβολον ου σα. ὑψωθεὶς ου ν ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ ἀναβεβηκώς, διεμέρισε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ε ργα ὡς τὰ μὲν δικαιῶσαι, τὰ δὲ ἀποδοκιμάσαι· κριτὴς γὰρ δίκαιός ἐστι. διὸ καὶ τὸν περίγειον τόπον, διὰ τὸ ει ναί που κάτω κοιλάδα καλούμενον τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ διατριβόντων σωμάτων ἀνθρωπίνων, σκηνώματα καλεῖται τῶν ἐνοικουσῶν ψυχῶν διαμέτρησιν τῷ καὶ τῶν κάτω καὶ τῇδε πραγμάτων προνοεῖσθαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν εἰς πάντα τὰ ε θνη ἀπέστειλε τοὺς κήρυκας τῆς ἀληθείας, κηρυχθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον δικαιώσας. Γαλαὰδ μετοικισμός, Μανασσῆς δὲ ἀπὸ λήθης, ̓Εφραῒμ καρποφορία ἑρμηνεύεται. ἐρεῖ ου ν ὁ σωτὴρ ̓Εμός ἐστι Γαλαάδ, καὶ ἐμός ἐστι Μανασσῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν η ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν η γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν μετοικιζόμενος· ἐμὸς δ' ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ λήθην τῶν καλῶν πᾶσαν ὑπερβὰς καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης γεγενημένος. ὁ γὰρ μετὰ λήθην εἰς μνήμην ἐρχόμενος Μανασσῆς ἐστι, τουτέστι ἀπὸ λήθης ἀφεὶς καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν λήθην καθ' η ν ἐπιλέληστο θεοῦ τῶν ἀγαθῶν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ πολλὴ καρποφορία τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν σκέπη καὶ ἀντίληψις τοῦ σωτῆρος γέγονεν· ὡς γὰρ Παῦλος τοῖς πρὸς αὐτοῦ ὠφεληθεῖσι γράφει ὡς ει εν αὐτοῦ χαρὰ καὶ στέφανος, ου τω καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἀντίληψιν ε χει στέφανον αὐτοῦ πλεκόμενον τοὺς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀλήθειαν καρποφοροῦντας. Καὶ ̓Ιούδας δὲ βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, οὐ τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ τῷ βασιλέα ο ντα προσοικειῶσθαι αὐτῷ. τοιοῦτος δὲ ὁ ∆αυίδ, η τάχα πᾶς ἐξομολογούμενος ἐφ' οι ς κατώρθωσεν ̓Ιούδας ἐστι ἐξομολόγησις ἑρμηνευόμενος. ̔Ο μέντοι Μωὰβ διὰ τὸ κολαστικὸς ει ναι τῶν αὐτῷ παραδεδομένων ὑπὸ κυρίου τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ λέγοντος λέβης ἐστίν. ὁ δὲ λέβης πολλαχοῦ τῶν προφητῶν σημαίνει κόλασιν. ἐπεὶ ου ν χρηστῇ προθέσει αἱ κολάσεις ἐπάγονται ἐλπίδα ἀγαθὴν διαδεχομένην ε χουσαι, λέβης ἐλπίδος καὶ προσδοκία ἀγαθῶν ἐστιν. ̓Επὶ τὴν ̓Ιδουμαίαν ἐκτενῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου. εἰ πρόσωπον ει η τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ ταῦτα λέγον, ἐπεὶ μεταλαμβάνεται ἡ ̓Ιδουμαία εἰς τὸ γηίνη, ἐρεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ γήινα πορείαν ποιήσασθαι· σύμβολον γὰρ 218 κεκαλυμμένης πορείας τὸ ὑπόδημα. πάλαι μὲν ου ν γυμνῇ τῇ πορείᾳ ἐχρῆτο κτίζων προνοούμενος, νῦν δὲ μετὰ σαρκὸς η ς περίκειται η καὶ ὑπόδημα αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὑπεδήσαντό τινες τῇ ἑτοιμασίᾳ τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ὑπόδημα πανταχοῦ διαδοθὲν ἐξετάθη ἐπὶ τὴν ̓Ιδουμαίαν καθ' ἑκατέρους τοὺς εἰρημένους τρόπους. 1033 Ps 108,6–8 Οὐ πᾶσι τὰ αὐτὰ δεξιά, ἀλλὰ τῷ μὲν σπουδαίῳ τὰ νοητὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς, τῷ δὲ φαύλῳ τὰ αἰσθητὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς κακίας· ἐν μὲν τοῖς δεξιοῖς τοῦ ἁγίου θεὸς ι σταται, ἐν δὲ τοῖς τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ διάβολος. ἀλλ' ι σως ἀντερεῖ τις λέγων· Καὶ περὶ ̓Ιησοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου ἱερέως ἁγίου τυγχάνοντος λέλεκται Καὶ ὁ διάβολος εἱστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀντικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. οὐκ ἐπέστησε δὲ ὁ ἀνθιστάμενος τῇ τῶν λέξεων διαφορᾷ· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα ∆ιάβολος στήτω ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ γέγραπται, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου ἱερέως Καὶ ὁ διάβολος εἱστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἀντικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ· τῇ γὰρ δεξιότητι τοῦ ἁγίου ι σταται μαχόμενος καὶ ἀνθιστάμενος, εἰ καὶ ἀνατρέψαι οὐχ οι ός τέ ἐστι τὸν ου ὁ θεὸς ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς ἐστι· τοῦ δὲ ̓Ιούδα ὡς ἐν ἰδίῳ τόπῳ τοῖς δεξιοῖς ι σταται. διὸ καὶ φαῦλός ἐστι, καὶ ε τι τὸ ἑπόμενον ἐμφαίνει τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ σωτῆρος εὐχομένου εἰς ἁμαρτίαν γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ ̓Ιούδα προσευχήν. γίνεται εἰς ἁμαρτίαν προσευχὴ τῷ ἀναπέμποντι αὐτήν, ο ταν ἀποτυγχάνῃ ω ν αἰτεῖται. Ηυ ξατο γοῦν, τρόπον τινὰ προδιδοὺς τὸν διδάσκαλον, ἀφανισθῆναι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ σκορπισθῆναι πάντας τοὺς μαθητὰς καὶ πεπιστευκότας, ἀλλ' ἀπέτυχεν. ε δραμε γοῦν ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ πιστεύοντες αὐτῷ ὁσημέραι αὐξάνοντες τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσαν. Καὶ α λλως γε γίνεταί τινι εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ἡ προσευχή, ο ταν μὴ α δεῖ ἀλλὰ α μὴ συμφέροι αὐτῷ ἀξιοῖ λαβεῖν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κρίναντος αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ α πρέπει θεὸν διδόναι μηδὲ αὐτῷ λυσιτελῆ ᾐτήσατο. Παντὸς δὲ προδότου τῆς ἀληθείας γίνονται αἱ