§10Ὅτι οὐκ ἐπʼ ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπὶ πανεὶ ῥήματι, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.
"That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word," and so on.
Πάλιν τε αὖ ὅτι τὸ μάννα λόγος ἦν, εἱ καὶ ἄρτος δηλοῦται ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ.
And again, that the manna was the Word (Logos), even if it is manifested as bread in Exodus.
« Οὗτος γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ἅρτος ὅν ἔδωκε Κύριος ὑμῖν φαγεῖν.
For he says, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ συνέταξε Κύριος. » Διὰ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ μάννα « λεπτὸν ἦν ὡσεὶ κόριον λευκὸν, ὡσεὶ πάγος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· » ἐπειδήπερ ὁ λόγος οὗ σύμβολον ἦν τὸ μάννα ἐκεῖνο, λεπτόν ἐστι τῇ αὐτοῦ φύσει, καὶ διῆκον διὰ πάντων πνευμάτων νοερῶν, καθαρῶν, λεπτοτάτων, Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ σοφία πνεῦμα νοε ρὸν, ἅγιον, μονογενὲς, πολυμερὲς, λεπτὸν, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς.
This is the word which the Lord has commanded." And for this reason, the manna was "fine like white coriander seed, like frost upon the earth"; since the Logos, of which that manna was a symbol, is fine by its own nature, and passes through all intellectual, pure, and most fine spirits. And wisdom is also an intellectual, holy, only-begotten, manifold, fine spirit, and so forth.
Ἦν δὲ καὶ ὡσεὶ κόριον πρὸς τὸ εἶναι λευκόν.
And it was also like coriander seed in respect to being white.
Φασὶ δὲ τὴν τοῦ κορίου φύσιν ὅλην διʼ ὅλων λόγον ἔχειν σπέρματος, ὡς μηδὲ ἐν τῷ κατακόπτεσθαι τὸ τοῦ κορίου σπέρμα, ἐξαφανίζεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, ὡς οὐκ ἔτι δυναμένην σπείρεσθαι.
And they say that the entire nature of coriander thoroughly possesses the character of a seed, so that even when the seed of coriander is crushed, its power is not destroyed, as if it were no longer able to be sown.
Τοιοῦτος δὲ διʼ ὅλου ὁ λόγος· καὶ πᾶν μόριον αὐτοῦ γεωργεῖσθαι τέφυκεν ἐν καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ, τουτέστι ψυχῆς.
Such is the Logos through and through; and every part of it is by nature cultivated in the beautiful and good (soil), that is, of the soul.
Ἔστι δὲ τὸ μάννα λευκόν.
And the manna is white.
Φῶς γὰρ ὁ λόγος καὶ λαμπρὸν, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο λευκὸν, τῷ αὐτὸν συνιέντι καὶ τρεφομένῳ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὡσεὶ πάγος· συνεστραμμένος γὰρ, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ πλαδῶν, οὐδὲ διεῤῥυηκὼς, ἀλλὰ πάγιος, ἃ δὴ οὐρανοῦ λόγος, καὶ ἀπαγγέλλων ἡμῖν τὰ οὐράνια.
For the Logos is a light and bright, and in this respect white, to the one who understands it and is nourished by it. And it is also like frost; for it is compacted, and in no way soggy, nor dissolved, but firm—which indeed is the Logos of heaven, and declaring to us heavenly things.
§11Ὀ γὰρ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εἰσαγάγῃ σε εἰς γῆν ἀγαθὴν καὶ πολλήν. Ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστὸς οὐ ταῦτα δώσειν ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, καὶ γῆν ἀγαθὴν καὶ ἀΐδιὸν, ἧς χείμαῤῥος ὁ Χριστὸς, ποτίζων τοῖς τῆς σοφίας νάμασιν.
"For the Lord your God will bring you into a good and spacious land." Christ did not promise to give us these temporary things, but the kingdom of heaven, and a good and eternal land, whose rushing stream is Christ, watering it with the streams of wisdom.
Ἐκπορεύονται δὲ οἱ χείμαῤῥοι διὰ τῶν πεδίων καὶ ταπεινῶν καὶ γονίμων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ διὰ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων, τῶν ἀνατεινομένων διὰ τὸ ὕψος τῆς θεωρίας εἰς οὐρανούς.
And the rushing streams go forth through the plains—that is, humble and fruitful men—and through the high mountains, which rise up to heaven because of the height of contemplation.
Ἐκεῖ ὁ οῖτος ὁ στηρίζων καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου, καὶ κριθὴ τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους τρέφουσα.
There is the wheat that strengthens the heart of man, and the barley that nourishes the inferior ones.
Ἐκεῖ ἡ ἀληθινὴ ἄμπελος ὁ Χριστός.
There is Christ, the true vine.
Ἐκεῖ τὸ ἔλαιον τὸ λιπαῖνον τῶν ὁσίων τὰς κεφαλάς.
There is the oil that makes the heads of the holy ones shine.
Ὁμοίως καὶ ῥοαὶ, τὸ γλυκὺ μὲν ἔνδοθεν φέρουσαι, τῆς πολιτείας δὲ τὸ αὐστηρὸν ἔξωθεν ἐνδυσάμεναι.
Likewise, there are pomegranates, bearing sweetness within, but clothed with the austerity of the way of life without.
Ἐκεῖ ἡ συκῆ, οὐχ ἡ ἄκαρπος καὶ φύλλοις κομῶσα, ἀλλʼ ἡ πλουτοῦσα τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν γλυκύτητα.
There is the fig tree, not the barren one that boasts only of leaves, but the one rich in the sweetness of the Spirit.
Ἐκεῖ ὁ γλυκασμὸς τοῦ φάρυγγος τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ ἐπιθυμητὸς, καὶ τὰ χείλη τῆς ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι νύμφης κηρίον ἀποστάζοντα, καὶ οἱ λίθοι οἱ ἅγιοι, οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κυλισθέντες πρὸς πειρασμοὺς ἀνένδοτοι, καὶ φύσιν σιδήρου ἀπομιμούμενοι.
There is the desirable sweetness of the Savior’s throat, and the lips of the bride in the Song of Songs dripping honeycomb, and the holy stones rolled upon the earth, unyielding to temptations and imitating the nature of iron.
Ἐκεῖ τὰ μέταλλα τοῦ χαλκοῦ, ἐξ οὗ τὴν νοητὴν πανοπλίαν κατεσκεύασαν.
There are the mines of bronze, from which they fashioned the spiritual armor.
Καὶ τὸ τούτων κεφάλαιον ἀπαύστως εὐλογεῖν τὸν Θεόν.
And the sum of these things is to bless God unceasingly.
§12Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
By the same author.
Οὐκ ἕστι, φησὶ, πηλῷ καὶ πλινθείᾳ μοχθεῖν, καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖν, ἀλλὰ λίθους ἔχειν καὶ τούτους ἰταμωτάτους, καὶ μὴ ῥᾳδίως διαλυομένους, ὡς καὶ οἰκοδομίαις ἐξαρκεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ διαμένειν.
It is not, he says, for us to toil with clay and brickmaking and to suffer hardship, but to have stones, and these most durable ones, not easily dissolved, so as to suffice for buildings and to endure for a long time.
Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν ἀποστῆναι τῆς Αἰγύπτου βουλόμενος.
And he says these things because he wants to turn their mind away from Egypt.
Διὰ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, « ἀγαθὴν, τὸ γόνιμον ἔδειξε· διὰ δὲ τοῦ, « πολλὴν, τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ πλάτος.
For by saying "good," he showed its fertility, and by "spacious," its size and breadth.
« Οὗ χείμαῤῥοι ὑδάτων (τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ), καὶ πηγαὶ ἀβύσσων· ὅπερ ἐξαίρετον τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας.
"Where there are rushing streams of waters (this is not in Egypt) and springs of deep abysses"—which is a pre-eminent feature of the land of promise.
Προσέθηκε δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ὀρέων· » ὅπερ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ οὐ πρόσεστιν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἀμπέλοις κομᾷ, οὐδὲ ἀφθονίαν ἔχει ἐλαίου· ἡ δὲ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας γῆ πάντα πλουσίως.
And he also added, "through the mountains," which is not present in Egypt, nor does Egypt boast of vines, nor does it have an abundance of oil, whereas the land of promise has all things richly.