Let us produce males (the virtues) and preserve them!
1. Moses was born at the time when Pharaoh issued an order to kill the male descendants of the Hebrews (Exodus 1:16). If we ask: How can we imitate our choice of this happy birth of Moses that came by chance? Some object - and they have the right to do so - that imitating that famous birth is not within our authority. But it is not difficult to start imitating it, despite the apparent difficulty.
2. Everyone knows that anything placed in a changing world cannot remain the same without change, but is constantly passing from one state to another, and this change always brings with it something better or worse[37]. We must understand the story of Moses in the Bible according to its true intent. The material or emotional tendency towards which human nature falls is represented by the female or the female form of life, which the tyrant prefers to give birth to. As for the severity and intensity of virtue, it is represented by the birth of the male, who is hostile to the tyrant and suspects that he will revolt against his rule.[38].
We are our own parents
3. It is certainly necessary for everything subject to change to always have some kind of birth. In changing nature there can be nothing that remains unchanged. Birth - meaning that change occurs constantly - does not occur as a result of an external initiative - as is the case with the birth of the body, which occurs by chance - but such birth (change) occurs by choice.[39]. On the one hand, we are considered our own fathers. We give birth to ourselves by our own free choice according to what we want to be, whether male or female, and we shape ourselves according to the teachings of virtue or vice.[40].
4. We can certainly enter into a better birth in the Kingdom of Light, no matter how disturbed the tyrant who does not wish for it, and our parents can see us as good offspring, be pleased with us, and give us life despite the design of the tyrant (the parents of virtue here are the rational faculties).
Childbirth that disturbs the tyrant
5. When we reveal the hidden meaning of the history of Moses, we find that the Bible teaches us that Birth that disturbs the tyrant is the beginning of a virtuous life. And I'm talking here about the type of birth that In it, free will plays the role of midwife It helps in giving birth to the baby amidst severe pain[41]Because no one causes grief to his opponent unless he reveals within himself the signs that prove his victory over the opponent.
6. The function of free will is to produce good male offspring, feed them with appropriate food, and consider how to save these offspring from the water.[42]Because there are those who offer their children to the tyrant, throwing them naked into the water without thinking. Here I am talking about life as a raging river caused by waves of emotion that push what is in the river to the bottom and drown it.
7. When life forces the rational, balanced and sober thoughts - which are the parents of the male child - to throw their male child into the waves of this life, they make him safe in an orbit so that when he descends into the river he does not drown.[43]. The ark, made of different boards, represents the comprehensive education of various systems and sects, which raises what it carries above the waves of life..
8. Although the rushing waves carry the child, they do not throw him away wherever there is education, but rather push him near the shore and the movement of the water throws him naturally onto the solid shore, that is, outside the turbulent midst of life.
9. Experience teaches us that the turbulent, restless movement of life expels from it those who do not fully immerse themselves in deceptive human matters, and considers those who adhere to virtue to be a burden and useless. Whoever flees from such matters must imitate Moses and not be saddened by his tears, even if he is safe in the ark, because Tears are the unforgettable guardian of those whom virtue saves.
Worldly philosophy is truly sterile
10. Since the king’s daughter, who was barren (which I believe truly represents worldly philosophy) arranged to be called the child’s mother by adopting him (Exodus 2:10), the Bible states that Moses did not reject his relationship with the one who was unjustly called his mother until he realized the lack of His maturity. But the mature person - as we learned about Moses - refused to be called the son of someone who was barren by nature.
11. Worldly teaching is truly sterile and is like a barren woman, who is always in labor but never gives birth[44]. What fruit does philosophy give after all this long labor that is worth these pains? People who are full of useless buzz never reach the stage of birth, and always abort before they reach the light of knowing God.
The need for the milk of the Church as a mother
12. After Moses lived for a long time with the Egyptian princess until he seemed to share their lives with the Egyptians, he had to return to his natural mother. In fact, he was not separated from his mother while the princess was raising him, but he was fed by his mother’s milk, as history tells us (Exodus 2: 7-9). It seems to me that this teaches us that Even if we are exposed to worldly teachings during our education, we must not separate ourselves from nourishment from the milk of the Church, which is its laws and traditions, for the soul is nourished and matured on it and it becomes a means of rising to the highest..
13. Whoever looks at worldly doctrines and the doctrines of the fathers finds himself faced with two extremes. The stranger in worship and religion contradicts Jewish teaching, and tries, by stirring up problems, to appear stronger than the Israeli, and many people with a superficial outlook believe him, who abandon the faith of their fathers and fight on the side of the enemy, contradicting the teaching of their fathers. On the other hand, he who is great and noble in spirit - like Moses - kills with his own hand those who revolt and oppose the true religion.
14. We can also find this conflict and conflict among ourselves. The side that a person supports wins over the other side[45]. The fight between the Egyptian and the Hebrew is similar to the war of paganism against true religion, decadence against self-control, arrogance against humility, injustice against truth, and everything against its opposite.
15. Moses teaches us, through his personal example, to stand with virtue as with our neighbor, and to kill the enemy of virtue. The victory of true religion is the death and destruction of paganism. And so too Truth kills injustice and humility kills arrogance.
16. The quarrel between the two Hebrew characters also occurs in us. Evil and heretical opinions would not have the opportunity to emerge without it Resist the false logic of truth. Therefore, if we are alone, we are too weak to support goodness - because Evil is always stronger in its attacks and refuses the control of truth We must flee as quickly as possible (as the historical example in the story of Moses teaches us) from the conflict to the greater and sublime teaching of the mysteries.
17. If we are forced to live with a stranger - that is, if we are forced to come into contact with worldly wisdom - we must insist on repulsing evil shepherds from the unjust use of wells - and this means that we must rebuke evil teachers for their evil use of teaching.
18. In the same way we must live a life of isolation[46]We are not mixed with adversaries, nor are they interfering with each other. Rather, we live with those who are similar in character and thinking to us, whom we nourish, while the will of the guiding mind takes care of all the movements of our souls, just as a shepherd looks after the sheep.[47].
The fire of the bush is the Lord!
19. The light of truth shines upon us who continue to walk in this peaceful evening of life, illuminating the eyes of our souls with its rays. This truth, which was revealed to Moses with a mysterious, indescribable and inexpressible light - is God.
20. If the flame that illuminated the Prophet’s soul was kindled from a thorny bush, then this fact is useful to us in our contemplation. Because if truth is God, and truth is light, then the Gospel bears witness to those sublime and divine names of God who revealed himself to us in the flesh.[48]. Such guidance in virtue leads us to know that light which has reached even human nature. And so that no one might think that the sparkle was not emanating from a material source, the light did not shine from luminous objects among the stars, but rather it was emanated from an earthly shrub that surpassed the luminous celestial bodies in brightness..
The bush and the mystery of the Virgin
21. From this we also learn the secret of the Virgin. The light of divinity that radiated from her on human life through birth did not burn the burning bush, just as the flower of virginity in her did not wither when she gave birth to the child.![49]
Taking the sandals off the feet of the soul to enjoy the light and truth
22. The light teaches us what we must do to stand in the rays of true light: feet wearing slippers cannot ascend to the height at which the light can be seen, but The dead coverings and leathery ground that were placed around our nature at the beginning when we were found naked due to disobedience to the Divine Will must be removed from the feet of the soul.[50]. When we do this we can know the truth and it is revealed to us. Complete knowledge of Being occurs by purifying our view of non-being.
23. In my opinion, the definition of truth is: “a state in which there is no wrong understanding of being,” and falsehood or falsity is a kind of impression that arises from a lack of understanding of being, so what does not exist appears as if it actually exists, but truth is the certain understanding of true being. Thus, whoever quietly devotes himself to understanding the highest philosophical ideas can hardly understand what true being is, that is, what has existence in its very nature, and what non-being is - that is, what has existence only in appearance and does not have the ingredients for survival in its nature.[51].
24. It seems to me that at the time when the great Moses was learning during the revelation, he realized that none of those things that are perceived by sense perception and grasped by human understanding have real continuity, but that only the essence that transcends physical existence, the reason for the existence of the universe, can endure and continue. , on which everything depends.
25. For if human understanding looks at any other things existing in the universe, the mind will not notice in any of them at all the self-sufficiency with which they can exist without participating in the real being.[52]. On the other hand, what is always constant and is the same - neither increases nor decreases - does not accept change, whether for better or for worse (because it is much higher than what is lower, and there is nothing higher than it), which does not need anything else and is alone desirable. Everyone participates in it, but it does not diminish with their participation - this is truly the true being, and understanding it means knowing the truth.
26. In the same way that Moses came to this knowledge on that occasion, so now does every human being who strips himself - like Moses from the covering of the earth, and looks at the light that shines from the bush (the thorn bush), that is, at the splendor that shines upon us from this body full of thorns. And He is, as the Book says, the true light and truth (John 1:9; 14:6). Such a person is able to help others to be saved, to eliminate tyranny that seizes power by force, and to free those bound in the bondage of sin..
The transformation of Moses’ hand into white as snow and the transformation of the staff into a snake became the first miracles (Exodus 4).
The first two miracles as a symbol of the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation
27. It seems to me that these two miracles are a symbol of the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation, a manifestation of divinity before the people, which resulted in the death of the tyrant and the liberation of those he controlled.
28. What leads me to understand the two miracles in this way is the testimony of the prophets and the Gospel, where the prophet declares: “This is what it means The right hand of the Most High has changed (Psalm 76:11 LXX), showing that although the divine nature is seen as immutable and unchangeable, by condescending to the weakness of humanity, it has changed into our shape and likeness.
29. When the Giver of the Law took his hand out of his chest, it turned into an unnatural skin color, and when he placed it again in his chest, it returned to its natural beauty. And once again, “the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, is known” (John 1:18), and he is “the right hand of the Most High” (Psalm 76:1).
30. When the Son was revealed to us from the bosom of the Father, he changed to become like us. And after erasing our shortcomings. He returned to his chest the hand that was between us, and it took our color (the father is the chest for the right hand). What does not change or is affected by anything by its nature cannot be transformed into what changes or is affected, but what is changeable and subject to emotions and whims has been transformed into not changing or being affected by its participation in the unchangeable..
31. As for the transformation of the stick into a snake, this should not bother Christ lovers that we are applying the principle of incarnation to an inappropriate animal. The Truth (God) Himself, through the voice of the Gospel, does not reject such a comparison when He says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14).
32. The teaching here is clear. If the father of sin is called a serpent in the Holy Bible, and what is born from a serpent is certainly a serpent (John 8:44; Gen. 3:1), then sin must be synonymous with the one who gave birth to it. But the words of the Apostle testify that the Lord was made sin for us, who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and that is when He took on our sinful nature.
33. This analogy really applies to the Lord. If sin is a living creature, and the Lord has become sin, then the logical conclusion is clear to everyone. When the Lord became sin, He also became a serpent. It is nothing but sin. For our sake, he became a serpent to devour the snakes brought out by the Egyptian magicians[53].
34. After the serpent had done this, it turned again into a staff that brought sinners back to their senses and gave rest to those who were slow on the arduous path ascending to virtue, as the staff of faith supported them through their high hopes, because Only faith can guarantee us the blessings we seek (Hebrews 11:1).
35. Whoever delve deeply into these matters immediately becomes a god to those who resist the truth and who have gone astray and are preoccupied with imaginary materialistic deception (in Exodus 7:1, the Lord said to Moses, “I have made you a god to Pharaoh”). These people despise talk about “the one who is” and consider it empty talk, just as Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go?” I do not know the Lord” (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh considered only material and physical things to be valuable, and this is what characterizes a life controlled by irrational thought.
Stick of faith
36. If Moses, on the other hand, was strengthened by the light that appeared to him, which gave him strength to confront his enemies, then he was like an athlete who was strengthened by hard training under the supervision of his coach and became ready to enter the competitive struggle against his opponents. With that staff in his hand - which is the word of faith - he controls the Egyptian snakes.
Strange wife and worldly education
37. The strange woman follows him, because there are some things in temporal teaching that we do not despise, as they aim to beget virtue. Indeed, moral and natural philosophy may at some point become a companion, friend, and companion of the upper life, provided that nothing foreign or impure enters into the fruit of the union with it.
38. Since his son had not yet been circumcised, that is, he had not completely removed from him everything that was harmful and impure, the angel who met them terrified them with death, but his wife calmed the angel by offering her son pure, as she had completely removed the mark of strangers (uncircumcision) from him.[54].
39. I believe that the sequence of growth in virtue in the story of Moses will be clear to those who trace the historical sequence from the beginning as well as the instructive meaning to us. There are physical and uncircumcised things that philosophy teaches, and after getting rid of these things, what remains is the pure Israeli race.
40. For example, pagan philosophy believes that the soul is immortal, and this is a valid teaching similar to pure offspring, but it also says that souls move from one body to another, and that they change from a rational nature to an irrational nature. These are corrupt teachings that resemble strange physical circumcision. There are many other examples of this type. This philosophy says that there is a God, but it sees it as a material God. It acknowledges Him as the Creator, but says that He needed a substance with which to create. It affirms that he is good and strong, but in everything he is necessarily subject to fate (Stoic philosophy).
41. We can describe in detail how good doctrines are corrupted by ridiculous additions from worldly philosophy. When we get rid of these impurities completely, the angel of God comes to us with mercy, as if he rejoices in the true offspring of these doctrines.
Meeting with Aaron
42. We must go back to the sequence of events in the Holy Bible, so that brotherly help will come to meet us when we approach the conflict with the Egyptians, so we remember the events of fighting and quarrels in which Moses participated at the beginning of the life of virtue, and the Egyptians’ oppression of the Hebrews, and the quarrel of the Hebrew with a Hebrew like him.
43. For one who has been raised to the highest level of spiritual virtue by long training and the appearance of supernatural light on the mountain, his meeting with his brother - whom he brought to meet him - is an encounter of friendliness and peace. If we take this event in a more symbolic and spiritual sense, we will find it useful for the purpose we are discussing.
44. The help that God gives to our nature (such as God helping Moses to speak through Aaron) is given to those who live a life of correct virtue[55]. This help has been present since our birth, but it is revealed and known as we persevere in diligent training for the higher life and prepare for the stronger struggle.
45. In order not to interpret linguistic images and symbols with symbols of my own, I will explain my understanding of this issue more clearly. There is a teaching that derives its strength from the tradition of the fathers, which says that God did not neglect our nature after it fell into sin, but rather supported it with His divine providence. On the one hand, He raised up an angel with an incorruptible nature who supports human life, and on the other hand, He also raised up the corruptor, who is an evil and murderous demon who opposes human nature.
46. Thus, a person finds himself between these two, which carry two contradictory goals, so he is able to prevail over one of them over the other. While the good angel uses rational presentation to show the benefits of virtue that he hopes for by those who live a righteous life, his opponent is between material pleasures and pleasures that do not provide benefits in the future, but are present, visible, and can be indulged in, and they enslave the senses of those who do not use their thinking.
47. If a person withdraws from those who tempt him towards evil, uses his mind and turns towards the better life, turning his back on evil, and moving towards the hope of good things like one who looks in a mirror, such a person will have imprinted on his pure soul the images and impressions of the virtue that God reveals to him. For such a person, his brother (Aaron) provides him with help and accompanies him, because the angel, who in his way is nothing but a brother of a rational and balanced soul, appears to him and stands with him when he approaches Pharaoh.
48. If one discovers, in trying to make an exact parallel between the historical description and the sequence of such intellectual reflection, that there is something in the story which does not agree with our understanding, he should not reject the whole attempt (the whole reflection). He must always remember the purpose of our discussion and what we are looking at as we relate these details. We mentioned in the introduction that the lives of honored men are remembered and recounted in order to be an example of virtue for those who come after them.
49. However, those who try to imitate the lives of these honorable people cannot literally live the same events as their lives, so how can anyone once again see the people multiplying during their stay in Egypt? How will he find again the tyrant who enslaves the people, harbors hostility toward male offspring, and leaves the females and the weak to increase in number? How will he find again all the things mentioned in the Bible? Since it is impossible to imitate exactly the lives of all these blessed people with their exact events, we can substitute a moral teaching for the literal sequence of these stories. In this way, those who strive toward virtue can find help in living a virtuous life.
50. If the narration of events requires dropping anything from the literal sequence if it is not suitable for the sequence of sublime understanding, we do not mention it on the basis that it has no benefit or benefit for our purpose so as not to interrupt the sequence of guidance towards virtue in these places.
51. I say this regarding the interpretation of the story from Aaron’s point of view, so that I can be the first to object because of the following events in the story. Perhaps some will say that there is no doubt that the angel shares with the soul the intellectual and invisible aspects of it, and that he existed before we were created, and that he is united with those who fight the enemy (Satan), but it is also not correct to look at Aaron - who was the leader of the Israelites in worshiping idols. , as it represents an angel.
52. In addition to what we said previously, what is in the story that deviates from our goal does not change what is consistent with this goal, which is present in the rest of the story. In addition, the two words (angel and brother) apply in meaning to opposite things.
53. The word “angel” means not only the angel of God but also the angel of Satan (2 Corinthians 12:7). A brother is not only a good brother but also a bad brother. Therefore, the Holy Bible tells us about the good brother, “But a brother is born to adversity” (Proverbs 17:17), and about the evil one (the opposite), it says: “And do not trust in every brother, for every brother turns back one side” (Jeremiah 9:4).
Declaration of salvation
54. We will leave these issues to a later stage in our discussion to explain them in more detail in their appropriate place. Let us now focus on the topic before us. After Moses gained strength from the light that appeared to him, and his brother came as his ally and supporter, he boldly announced to the people the good news of freedom, and reminded them of the greatness of their fathers. He expressed his opinion as to how they could be saved from the hard work of making mud bricks (Exodus 6).
55. What do we learn from this? We must learn that someone who has not prepared himself with this kind of spiritual training to teach the crowds should not speak to people. We see that When Moses was still young and had not yet matured and reached a high level of virtue, the two men who were quarreling did not care about his sound advice and did not accept it. However, after coming down from the mountain, he addressed tens of thousands in the same way. The history of Moses clearly shows us that we should not dare to give advice to our listeners in our teaching to them unless the ability to do so has been perfected in us through long and hard training, as Moses had.
Enemy revolution
56. After Moses uttered these excellent words and granted his listeners freedom and strengthened their desire to obtain it, the enemy became angry and angry, and increased the suffering of those who listened to Moses’ words. This is no different from what is happening now. Many who accepted the Word as their liberator from tyranny and followed the path of the Gospel are still threatened by the enemy (Satan) with attacks of temptations and temptations.[56].
57. Some of these people become more firm in their belief in the strength they gain from these ferocious attacks, but some of the weak ones are defeated by these misfortunes, and declare that it would have been better for them not to listen to the message of freedom than to endure these problems in order to obtain freedom.
58. This same thing happened with the lowly spirited Israelites who blamed those who preached to them salvation from slavery (Exodus 5:21). But the Word will not cease to lead us toward goodness, even if the young and immature in understanding - like children - fear temptations.
Working in milk [57]
59. The devil who harms and corrupts people is very concerned that his subjects should not look to heaven, but rather bow down to the earth and make mud bricks - within themselves - from clay. It is clear to everyone that what belongs to material pleasure certainly consists of dirt and water, and this applies to those who care about the lust for food or the lust for money and wealth.
60. The mixture of these two elements - dirt and water - turns into clay. Those who long for pleasures are like those who long for clay, and they keep filling themselves with it, yet they are never filled, and the place that receives the clay becomes empty before it is poured into it the next time. In the same way the brick maker keeps pouring more clay into the mold and the mold is constantly emptying. Everyone can easily understand the meaning of this rhetorical image by looking at the lustful side of the soul.
61. He who follows his desires and what he desires, if he fulfills his desire and then turns his desire to something else, finds himself empty again in terms of this thing, and if he is filled with it, he returns empty, like an empty vessel, in seeking something else, and so on. We do not stop doing this until we leave this material life.
62. As for the straw and straw that those subject to the tyrant’s orders had to mix with the mud bricks, both the Holy Bible and the sublime voice of the Apostle interpret them as materials for burning (Ezekiel 5:4; Matthew 3:12).
The water of divine teaching is sweet to some and blood to others
63. Whenever someone superior in virtue wants to attract those enslaved in deception to a philosophical and free life, Satan, who conspires against our souls with various machinations (as the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:11), knows how to use means of deception against the divine law. I am talking here about the Egyptian serpents in the story, that is, about the various evil tricks that were defeated by Moses' staff. We have previously explained the stick adequately.
64. He who possesses the invincible wand of virtue, which swallows the magician's wand, advances to training for greater wonders. Miracles do not occur to awe those present, but for the benefit of those who are saved. Through the miracles of virtue, the enemy is defeated and the people are strengthened.
65. If we first know the general spiritual purpose of the miracles of virtue, then we can apply this concept to each miracle in itself. True faith agrees with the inclinations of those who hear the Word. Although the Word shows everyone what is good and what is evil, the person with good inclinations is enlightened by what he hears, while the words of ignorance remain overshadowing the person with stubborn inclinations who does not allow his soul to see a ray of light. Right. If our general understanding of these matters were not wrong, then each matter in itself would not seem different, since the part is shown and explained by the whole.
66. Therefore, it is not surprising at all that the Hebrew, despite living among strangers, was not affected by the evil of the Egyptians. We can see the same thing happening now in cities that are densely populated and whose people have contradictory opinions. For some The river of faith from which they draw divine teaching is sweet Clear, while for others who live like the Egyptians and draw water from their evil desires, the water becomes bad blood.
67. Many times, the master of evil and deception also tries to turn the water of the Hebrews into blood by corrupting it with deceit and falsehood, that is, by presenting our doctrine to us as not true, but he cannot completely corrupt the water so that it is completely unfit for use, even if he easily turns it red through his deception. The Hebrew who does not care about visual deception drinks real water, even if his opponents succeed in misleading him.
Frog strike [58]
68. The same applies to frogs. They are ugly and noisy amphibious creatures, constantly jumping around and are not only unsightly, but also have foul-smelling skin. These creatures entered the homes, beds, and storerooms of the Egyptians, but they did not affect the lives of the Hebrews.
69. The The multiplication of frogs is undoubtedly a symbol of the destructive evil that arises from the evil heart of man as from a swamp and mud. These frogs invaded the homes of those who chose to live the life of the Egyptians, appearing on their tables and even on their beds and entering their storerooms.
70. A truly evil and debauched life generates evil that is similar to what comes out of the mud. This life resembles mindless beings, and therefore remains a form of life that is neither completely human nor completely frog. This type of person, who is human by nature and turns into an animal by his whims, lives a dual life whose nature is unknown, like an amphibian. Evidence of this evil is found not only in the bed, but also at the table, in the pantry, and throughout the house.
71. The corruption of such a person is evident in everything, so it is easy to recognize the life of a corrupt person and a pure person from what they love and practice in their homes. In the house of one of these two types, you will find engravings on the wall whose subtle images arouse sensual desires. These things bring evil, Through the eye, the shameful things that the eye sees pour into the soul. But a wise person takes every possible precaution in his home to keep the eye pure from lustful sights.
72. Likewise, a wise person's table is pure, but a person who wallows in mud is like a frog and belongs to the body. If we search his storeroom - that is, the secret and undisclosed things in his life - we will find there, in the midst of his debauchery, a large pile of frogs..
Hardening Pharaoh's heart and free will
73. We should not be surprised if the story tells us that the rod of virtue did these things to the Egyptians, because it also mentions that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 9:12 and Romans 9:17-18). How, then, could Pharaoh be condemned if the obligation was Is it divine that caused him to be stubborn and uncompromising? Elsewhere in the Bible, the Apostle Paul expresses the same idea: “And just as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,” “Therefore God gave them over to shameful passions” (Romans 1:28, 26)...
74. But if the above is stated in the Holy Bible, and God completely delivers over to the reprobate mind the person who surrenders himself to this reprobate mind, then we We must remember that Pharaoh's heart was not hardened by divine will, and a life resembling that of frogs does not arise from virtue.. Because if this is what the divine nature wants, then any human choice will follow this same path in every case and no one will consider the distinction between good and evil in life. People differ in their lives. Some live lives of upright virtue, while others slide into vice. It is not possible by logic to reinforce these differences into a divine obligation that is beyond the will of people. Every person is able to choose..
75. The Apostle Paul clearly teaches us who is the person who is given over to a reprobate mind. He is the one who does not like to know God. God delivers to the whims and desires of a person who is not protected by God, because he does not acknowledge God. When a person does not acknowledge God in his life, that is the reason for... His fall into a life of lusts and sin.
76. This is like a person who does not see the sun and blames it for causing him to fall into a pit. We cannot say that the sun gets angry with the one who does not want to look at it and pushes him to fall into the pit. Rather, we interpret this phrase in a logical way to mean that not walking in the sunlight is what causes This person falls into the hole. This explains to us the idea of the Apostle Paul, that those who do not acknowledge God in their lives are given over to rejected passions. Likewise, the Pharaoh had hardened his heart, not because the divine will had placed resistance in Pharaoh’s spirit, but because Pharaoh’s free will, inclined to evil, did not accept the word that would alleviate this resistance..
77. In the same way, when the rod of virtue appeared among the Egyptians, it cleansed the Hebrews from the evil life that resembled the life of frogs, while showing that the Egyptians were full of this evil.
78. When Moses stretched out his hands to save the Egyptians, the frogs perished immediately. We can see this happening now as well. You certainly realize the meaning of the outstretched hands of the law-giver (Moses), as this symbolizes the true law-giver (Jesus Christ) and his outstretched hands on the cross. The Egyptians who lived for a short period suffering from frogs were saved from this evil when they looked at the outstretched hands of Moses. Likewise, those who lived for a while with evil, frog-like thoughts, if they looked at the One who extended His hands on the cross for us, are freed from their evil life where they die. Their desires stink.
79. In fact, after the death of the frog-like desires, for those who are saved from this epidemic, their former life becomes an evil and hateful memory that arouses disgust and shame in the soul. In this regard, Paul the Apostle says to those whose lives were changed from evil to virtue: “What fruit did you have then regarding the things of which you are now ashamed?” (Romans 6:21).
Dark ordeal
80. It is consistent with my contemplation if we consider the atmosphere that was darkened in the eyes of the Egyptians by the rod, while the eyes of the Hebrews saw the sun shining. This event confirms the meaning we mentioned earlier. There was no coercive force from above that caused the Egyptians to be in darkness and the Hebrews to be in light, but rather within us humans, in our very nature and choice, are the causes of light and darkness, as we place ourselves where we want to be, in the light or in the darkness..
81. According to the story, the eyes of the Egyptians were not in the dark because there was a wall or mountain blocking the view and darkening the rays of light, but the sun was casting its rays on everyone alike, the Egyptians and the Hebrews. While the Hebrews enjoyed its light, the Egyptians did not feel it. Likewise, an enlightened life is equally available to all, but according to their abilities, some continue in darkness, driven by their evil deeds into the darkness of evil, while others shine with the light of virtue...
Blow pimples
83. In the same way we can understand the true meaning of “furnace ashes,” which the book tells us caused boils and blisters to the Egyptians. The furnace symbolizes the punishment of fire in Hell, which only affects those who imitate the Egyptians in their lives.
84. And if a person is a true Israelite, a son of Abraham, who looks to him as an example in life such that he shows, of his own free will, his belonging to God’s chosen people, then the painful fire will not harm him…
85. Whoever follows our previous reflections will not find difficulty in explaining the concept of each of the plagues that befell the Egyptians: the mosquitoes that tortured the Egyptians with their invisible bites, the flies that stuck to their bodies and caused them pain, the crops that the locusts ate, and the storms from the sky that caused hail to fall.
86. According to the principle we mentioned, the free will of the Egyptians was the cause of all these plagues, and according to their free choice, the impartial justice of God bestowed upon them what they deserved. In our reading of the text, we must not conclude that these plagues that befell those who deserved them came directly from God. Rather, we must note that every person brings plagues upon himself of his own free will because of his inclinations. The Apostle Paul addresses such a person, saying: “But because of your hardness and your impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will reward everyone according to his deeds.” (Romans 2:5 etc.).
87. What we are talking about is similar to jaundice[59] Destroyer in the human womb due to the life of decay. When a doctor gives medications that cause vomiting, the cause of the disease is not in the body. On the contrary, it is the disordered and disordered eating habits that cause the disease, and all medicine did was show it. In the same way, even When we say that direct vengeance comes from God on those who abuse their free will, it is logical to note that the origin and cause of this suffering is in ourselves.
88. And for those who live without sin, there is neither darkness, nor worms, nor hell, nor any of these terrifying things. The book tells us that the plagues that befell Egypt were not directed at the Hebrews. Since in the same place evil comes to one person and not to the other, as they differ from each other according to their free choices, it is clear that No evil can happen to us except by our free choice.
Death of the firstborn
89. We follow the text now; What we have seen so far has taught us that Moses (and he who exalts himself in virtue after the example of Moses) and when his soul died (for the works of the old man) by long training and high life, and by the light coming from above, considered it a loss not to lead his fellow citizens to a free life.
90. When he came to them, he instilled in them a stronger desire for freedom by showing them the suffering that the Egyptians were suffering, which was more severe than their own. In order to rid the people of his country from evil, he brought death upon the Egyptians for every firstborn born in Egypt. Thus, he established for us the principle that it is absolutely necessary to eliminate all the firstborn of evil, and it is impossible to escape from life in Egypt in any other way..
91. It is not appropriate to pass quickly on this interpretation without further contemplation, as it is not possible to maintain a concept that deserves to be attributed to God merely by mentioning a description of historical events. For example, we find that the Egyptians behaved unjustly, but their firstborn were punished, and they were the ones who, as children, could not distinguish between good and evil. They did not experience evil in their lives, because childhood does not include lusts and passions, and as children they cannot distinguish between the right hand and the left hand (compare Jonah 4:11). The infant only raises his eyes to his mother's chest. Tears are his only sign of sadness, and if he obtains anything his nature desires, he expresses his happiness with a smile. If such an infant has to pay the penalty for the evil committed by his father, then where is the justice? Where is the piety? Where is the holiness? Where is Harkiel who calls out: “The soul that sins will die; the son will not bear the iniquity of the father?” How can history contradict reason and logic in this way?
92. Therefore, when we look at the matter in search of the true spiritual meaning to determine whether the events occurred symbolically, we must be willing to believe that the giver of the law (Moses) was the one teaching through what was said. The education is as follows: If a person recognizes or recognizes any evil, he must - through virtue - completely eliminate any beginnings of evil.
93. Because when it eliminates the beginning, it simultaneously eliminates what comes after it. The Lord teaches the same thing in the Bible, He indirectly calls on us to kill the firstborn of Egyptian evils when he commands us to stay away from lust and anger and to no longer fear the shame of adultery or the guilt of murder (Matthew 5: 22, 28). None of these sins are generated on their own, but anger generates murder, and lust generates adultery.
94. Since the evildoer develops lust before adultery and anger before murder, when he kills the firstborn, he will certainly kill the offspring that would have come from them. Let us take a snake as an example, when we crush its head we kill the rest of the body at the same time.
95. The destruction of the firstborn would have occurred if the blood had not been sprinkled on the doors (Exodus 12:23), because it prevents destruction. If we want to know the meaning intended here in more detail, history presents this idea to us through both the firstborn and securing the doors with blood. In the case of killing the firstborn, the first motive for evil is eliminated. In the case of sprinkling blood, the first attack of evil to enter us is repelled by the true lamb. If a destructive enemy enters, we do not repel him with our own means, but we establish our defense through the law to prevent him from occupying a place among us.
96. We read in the Holy Bible that safety and security lie in sprinkling the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood of the Lamb[60]. While the book with symbolic images provides us with a scientific understanding of the nature of the soul, secular education also does the same thing, dividing the soul into three parts: rational, emotional, and spiritual. The emotional and spiritual parts are located below the rational part, supporting it. The rational part connects with them in such a way that it holds them together at the same time as they disturb it, and so that the rational part is trained in courage by the spiritual part and raised by the emotional part to participate in the good.
97. As long as the soul remains secure in this way and holds itself together by virtuous thoughts as if held by nails, all the parts will cooperate together for good. The rational part will provide security to its supporting elements and at the same time benefit from them to the same degree.
98. But if this order is disturbed and the highest is turned down and the lowest is up, and the rational descends from top to bottom[61]The emotional and spiritual nature trampled on him, and then the destructive enemy will infiltrate inside, and there will be no comparison of blood to enter him, meaning that faith in Christ will not be established with those who have this (disordered) nature.
99. The Bible says that the upper lintel should be sprinkled with blood first, then the two pillars. How can a person clear the upper threshold first unless it is located above the door?
100. You should not be surprised at all if the death of the firstborn and the shedding of blood did not happen to the Israelites, and based on that you reject the speculation that we mentioned regarding the abolition of evil - as if this were something made up and had no basis in truth. The difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians is a difference between good and evil, and since the spiritual meaning makes it clear to us that the Israelites represented virtue, we must therefore not require the destruction of the firstborn of virtue, but rather the firstborn of those whose destruction is more beneficial than their multiplication.
101. Therefore God teaches us that we must eliminate the firstborn of evil (corresponding to the firstborn of the Egyptians) so that we put an end to evil by eliminating its beginnings. This thought is consistent with history. By sprinkling blood, the children of the Israelites were protected so that goodness would remain, reach maturity, and multiply. But Egyptian children were eliminated before they reached maturity and evil increased.
Departure from Egypt
102. The following is consistent with our spiritual understanding of the text. The Holy Bible requires that the body of the Lamb - whose blood was sprinkled on the gates and protected the people from the destruction of the firstborn - become our food.
103. Those who ate this food (the lamb) had to have a practical and serious behavior, not like the behavior of those who enjoy the food at banquets, who sit relaxed, with loose clothes, and their feet not ready to travel. On the contrary, their shoes were on their feet, their loins were tied with belts, and their sticks were in their hands to repel dogs. .
104. To such people willing to travel, meat was served without elaborate spices and sauces but roasted over any available fire. The guests ate so quickly that they consumed the animal's entire body. They ate everything that could be eaten around the bones, but they did not touch the entrails, and it was forbidden to break any bones. Rather, what was left was burned with fire.
105. It is clear from all of this that the literal text aims to explain higher things and a higher concept, since the divine law does not teach us how to eat (the nature that instills in us the desire for food is a sufficient law for such matters). And the story means something different. What is the importance for virtue of eating your food this way or that, or whether the loins are tight or loose, or whether the feet are bare or with shoes, or whether your staff is in your hand or placed aside?
106. The symbolic meaning of the traveler's readiness is clear. It is an explicit command for us to realize and acknowledge that our present life is a fleeting life. When we are born, the nature of things forces us to leave, so we must carefully prepare ourselves for it, and our hands, feet, and other things.
Their shoes are on their feet
107. So that the thorns of this life do not hurt our bare feet (the thorns are sins), we must cover them with shoes. Shoes are the strict life in which a person controls himself. These shoes break the ends of thorns and prevent sin from secretly creeping into our lives.
Their loins are girded with belts
108. Relaxing the cloak down over the feet and reaching the soles prevents anyone from completing the divine path with perseverance. The cloak here is the complete enjoyment of the joys of earthly life, and the belt (belt) here is the wise mind that tightens the cloak as much as possible. The place around which the belt wraps (the belt) indicates that what is meant by it is wisdom. The stick that is used to drive away animals is a message of hope that supports the weariness of the spirit (and drives us away) and drives away what threatens us (compare 1 Peter 1:13).
Grill food over the fire
109. The food that is placed in front of us after being grilled over the fire symbolizes Strong, warm faith What we receive without thinking about it. We eat what is easily eaten, but we leave aside the beliefs hidden within ideas that are considered difficult without carefully researching them or seeking to know more about them, and instead of eating them, we leave them in the fire.
110. In order to clarify these images, let us explain that any divine commands that we perceive and understand easily, we must follow them with enthusiasm and not lazily, laxly, or through compulsion, but rather be like the hungry people who eagerly fill their stomachs with the things that are placed in front of them, so that food will be an increase for their health. But we must not think about things that are beyond our understanding – such as the following questions: What is the essence of God? What existed before creation? What exists outside the visible world? What makes things happen? And other similar things that inquisitive minds seek. We must leave these things to be known to us only by the Holy Spirit, “for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God,” as the Apostle says (1 Corinthians 2:10).
111. Anyone who has learned the Bible must surely know that the Bible thinks of the spirit and describes it as “fire[62]And we are led to this understanding by what wisdom declares to us: “Do not try to understand things that are too difficult for you” - that is, do not break the bones of the Bible, because there is no need to see with your own eyes the things that are hidden.[63].
Egypt's wealth and secular education
112. Moses led the people out of Egypt, and similarly, whoever follows in Moses’ steps will save all those who listen to his words from the Egyptian tyrant. And whoever follows the leader to virtue must, in my opinion, neither lack the wealth of Egypt nor be deprived of the treasures of strangers, but must obtain them and use them to his own advantage. This is exactly what Moses commanded the people to do.
113. No one who heard these words without thinking deeply could have accepted Moses’ advice when he asked the people to steal, and thus became their leader in the work of sin. When we look at the laws that followed, we find that from beginning to end they forbid the practice of sin, so it was not possible for anyone who understood this to say that Moses had ordered things to be taken from the Egyptians in this way.[64].
114. …The person who borrows something and does not return it is a deceiver. If he borrows something that does not belong to him and does not return it, he is wrong, because he is practicing deception, and even if he borrows something that he supposedly deserves, he is also called a deceiver because he misled the one from whom he borrowed it and gave him the hope that he would return it.
115. Therefore, the higher meaning is more appropriate than the apparent meaning. This meaning is a command to those who participate in the life of freedom through virtue to also be equipped with the wealth of pagan education from foreigners, which non-believers possess. Our guide to virtue commands us to “borrow[65]“From the wealthy Egyptians (the pagan strangers) such things as moral and natural philosophy, geometry, astronomy, logic, and anything else that those outside the church seek to learn, since these things come in handy when the time comes to beautify the divine sanctuary with the riches of the mind.
116. After the Israelites took these riches, they handed them over to Moses as he worked on establishing the Tabernacle, each contributing his personal share to the construction of the holy places. Many people can see this happening now They give the Church of God gifts of secular education, just as Basil the Great did, who acquired Egyptian riches in all respects in his youth and dedicated this wealth to God for the adornment of the Church, which is the true Tabernacle.
[37] Saint Gregory refers here to a Greek idea of continuous change. It emphasizes that humans are always changing. Saint Gregory uses the reference to our changing nature to show that it is possible to constantly change for the better by growing in goodness, as the change in our nature becomes like a wing to fly to higher things.
[38] This interpretation of the birth of male and female is found in Philo and Origen (see the interpretation of the Exodus by Hegumen Tadros Yaakov Malati).
[39] “Free will” or “choice” is important to Saint Gregory in spiritual matters, and he says: “We can achieve without difficulty what we desire with our thoughts” (De prof. Chris, PG 46:248 cd).
[40] The application of the analogy of birth to growth in virtue is found in Philo, and Aristotle uses the idea of a person giving birth to himself, as well as Origen and Saint Gregory, who mention it often.
[41] Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, believes that the “midwife” who gives birth to the Hebrews refers to the free will that gives birth to virtue in the lives of believers amidst the bitter pains of labor. Even if the believer works by God, he bears no fruit without his will, as if Pharaoh, who is our enemy Satan, cannot tolerate our “free will” that God has given us and which works through Christ Jesus for our growth. As for the scholar Origen, he sees in the midwives the “knowledge” that supports God’s children in giving birth to males as well as females, meaning that they bear fruit in divine rational contemplation and in the sanctification of emotions. Because males refer to reason and females to emotion (see Heguman Tadros Yaakov Malti: Exodus chapter 1).
[42] Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, says: “What is this ascension to perfection that these words show? Our longing for the best must be our guide. He says: “Come by yourself” not because you are sad or because you are in need, but automatically by yourself, confirming with your personal thinking your desire for goodness, not guided by the need for it. Virtue must be unimposed, voluntary, and free from any material need. This was the case with David, who realized that God only rejoices in what He did spontaneously and promised that He would offer His sacrifices spontaneously. And so it is with all the saints who spontaneously offered themselves to God and were never led by a need within themselves. You must now show complete readiness that you desire to rise to what is best.” Sermon 5 on the Song of Songs, translated by Dr. Georges Nawar.
[43] Exodus 2:3 - This interpretation is influenced by Origen in interpreting this verse as a symbol of baptism.
[44] In a similar comparison, Philo says that ignorance and lack of education are similar to the sterility and lack of fertility of the soul.
[45] In the sayings of many fathers, Moses' killing of the Egyptian is interpreted as a victory for the spirit over the body.
[46] St. Basil applies Moses' withdrawal to Median to his withdrawal after his period of study in Athens, and St. Gregory also refers to this in his writings.
[47] The image of the mind as a shepherd appears in Philo. In his book “The Life of Moses,” he considers that Moses’ experience as a shepherd was training in judgment, and the idea was mentioned by Clement of Alexandria, and by Origen, who viewed the irrational movements of the spirit as sheep, and to Jesus Christ as the good shepherd. The idea of living in peace with animals - even wild ones - is a prevalent idea in Christian monasticism.
[48] John 8:12 and 14:6 - We must note the importance of the incarnation for Saint Gregory, as the bush is interpreted as an incarnation.
[49] It seems that Saint Gregory was the first to make the bush a symbol of Mary’s virginity, which was not affected by her birth of Jesus. The Jews saw this bush as a symbol of Israel surrounded by thorns and the torments that befell it. Some of the early fathers followed the same thought. The scholar Tertullian saw in the bush a reference to the Church in which the fire of persecution burns but does not extinguish it. The same opinion was expressed by Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers. As St. Hippolytus of Rome says: [God speaks to His saints in the church as in a bush]. It is as if the Prophet Moses saw in the bush the suffering Church of the Lord Christ surrounded by thorns, but it was burning with the fire of the Divine Spirit so death did not happen to it... This is the service to which he was called! Saint Augustine believes that it refers to the glory of God that descended upon the Jewish people, but He did not reveal the hardness of their hearts, which were filled with thorns. Saint Clement of Alexandria sees in the bush an announcement of the virgin birth, as Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, and with his birth the virgin’s virginity was not replaced.
[50] Saint Gregory refers to the garments of skin mentioned in Genesis 3:21, which occupy an important place in his teaching. Compare his statement, “Circumcision means throwing off the dead skins that we wore when life after sin was taken away from us.” It is clear that the leather garments that Saint Gregory mentions do not symbolize physical existence per se, because man had a body in Paradise, but rather they symbolize animal or biological existence. These garments include defiled emotions, sexual desires, and especially death, which were added to the human nature that In the image of God.
[51] Verse Genesis 3:21 has been interpreted in different ways, and Origen mentioned three interpretations, all of which he objected to. 1. The literal interpretation that does not befit God. 2. Interpreting clothes as bodies is not guaranteed to be correct given verse 2:32 in the Book of Genesis. 3. If these shirts or clothes are death, how can God make them and not sin? Doesn't this interpretation require considering that before sin entered the world, flesh and blood were incorruptible? The rabbis understand the verse literally, but St. Clement of Alexandria takes the shirts as a symbol of the possibility of death.
[52] Interpreting the burning bush here as the divine incarnation suggests that by “true being” St. Gregory means the second hypostasis of the one God. This and other statements confirm the complete divinity of Jesus Christ, which Saint Gregory made powerfully clear in his writings.
[53] Saint Augustine says [His Holiness is a site of controversy in the Orthodox Church... (The Network)]: [To what did the serpent tempt man? To death (Genesis 3:1). Therefore, death came from the serpent... Therefore, the stick that became a serpent is Christ who entered into death...] Saint Irenaeus and Saint Cyril of Alexandria also spoke about this stick transformed into a serpent as a symbol of the divine incarnation, and Saint Justin and Saint Ambrose as a symbol of the cross. As for the scholar Tertullian and Saint Ambrose as well, they saw in it a symbol of the Resurrection, as the latter said: Could the one who made the staff alive not be able, by his divine will, to restore the bones and return life to the dead again?!
[54] Saint Gregory took this thought from the scholar Origen, who saw marriage with strange women as a symbol of the use of philosophy.
[55] Saint Gregory links the effort made by humans to God’s help for them to achieve perfection.
[56] The scholar Origen says [Indeed, before we know preaching, we do not have tribulations and trials. The war does not begin until the trumpet is sounded. But as soon as the preaching trumpet sounds, the sign of the (spiritual) war will be given and the tribulation will come. [Before the battles of virtues against vices begin...the vices live in peace within yourself. But when the trial of every vice begins, a wide movement occurs and a relentless war is generated within you, because what mixture of righteousness with unrighteousness, adultery with chastity, truth with error? So do not be greatly disturbed if our odor stinks before Pharaoh, for the odor of virtue before vice is a stink.] In Exodus 3:3
[57] Origen sees mud brick making as a representation of lust, which always seeks satisfaction in pleasure but never achieves it.
[58] Saint Augustine [His Holiness is a site of controversy in the Orthodox Church... (The Network)] believes that it refers to those who often talk about false and useless matters, and the scholar Origen believes that it refers to the songs of poets, which are like the croaking of frogs, presenting the dead, crooked and annoying, without work. Therefore, it is appropriate for the believer to be saved with a cross. Jesus Christ from vain words without action.
[59] Here he refers to a disease that may have been widespread in his day.
[60] Father Lactantius says: [The Hebrews alone were saved by the sign of the blood, not because the blood of the lamb in itself had an effect to save people, or that it was a symbol of the coming ages.] Saint Hippolytus of Rome speaks about the power of the sign of the blood, saying: It is placed [in homes as well as in souls, where it is found In it is the Spirit of the Lord, His holy abode.] He also says that [the blood is on the lintel, as on the church, and on the two pillars, as on the two peoples (the Jews and the Gentiles).]
[61] Perhaps here what is meant by rationality is faith and worship with the sacred mind and not with mere emotion without thinking.
[62] The fire here is the Holy Spirit.
[63] In Ecclesiastes 3:21 and 22 a person is taught not to try to understand difficult things and see hidden things, and this is what eating the lamb quickly and without breaking bones symbolizes.
[64] The interpretation of the Israelites taking what they asked of the Egyptians as a restoration of their rights is mentioned in Philo, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. While St. Gregory mentions in the first book, clause 29, that the Israelites took the Egyptians’ wealth under the pretext of borrowing it, here he emphasizes that only the spiritual meaning is acceptable.
[65] Saint Gregory is keen to point out that pagan teaching must be accepted with caution and discernment.