Demonstrations

⁷ And He shows thus with regard to that stone that it was laid as head of the wall and as foundation. But if that stone was laid as the foundation, how did it also become the head of the wall? How but that when our Lord came, He laid His faith in the earth like a foundation, and it rose above all the heavens like the head of the wall and all the building was finished with the stones, from the bottom to the top. And with regard to the faith about which I said that He laid His faith in the earth, this David proclaimed beforehand about Christ. For He said:— Faith shall spring up from the earth. And that again, it is above, he said:— Righteousness looked down from the heavens.

8. And again Daniel also spoke concerning this stone which is Christ. For he said:— The stone was cut out from the mountain, not by hands, and it smote the image, and the whole earth was filled with it. This he showed beforehand with regard to Christ that the whole earth shall be filled with Him. For lo! By the faith of Christ are all the ends of the earth filled, as David said:— The sound of the Gospel of Christ has gone forth into all the earth. And again when He sent forth His apostles He spoke thus to them:— Go forth, make disciples of all nations and they will believe in Me. And again the Prophet Zechariah also prophesied about that stone which is Christ. For he said:— I saw a chief stone of equality and of love. And why did he say “chief”? Surely because from the beginning He was with His Father. And again that he spoke of love, it was because when He came into the world, He said thus to His disciples:— This is My commandment, that you love one another. And again He said:— I have called you My friends (lovers). And the blessed Apostle said thus:— God loved as in the love of His Son. Of a truth Christ loved us and gave Himself for us.

9. And definitely did He show concerning this stone:— Lo! On this stone will I open seven eyes. And what then are the seven eyes that were opened on the stone? Clearly the Spirit of God that abode on Christ with seven operations, as Isaiah the Prophet said:— The Spirit of God shall rest and dwell upon Him, (a spirit) of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and of courage, of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. These were the seven eyes that were opened upon the Stone, and these are the seven eyes of the Lord which look upon all the earth.

10. And also with reference to Christ was this (which follows) said. For he said that He was given as a light to all the Gentiles as the Prophet Isaiah said:— I have given You as a light to all the Gentiles, that You should be My redemption to the ends of the earth. And furthermore David also said— Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths. And also the word and discourse of the Lord is Christ, as is written in the beginning of the Gospel of our Saviour:— In the beginning was the Word. And with regard to the light there again he bore witness:— The light was shining in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. What then is this:— The light was shining in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not? Clearly Christ, Whose light shone in the midst of the people of the house of Israel, and the people of the house of Israel did not comprehend the light of Christ, in that they did not believe in Him, as it is written:— He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. And also our Lord Jesus called them darkness, for He said to His disciples— Whatsoever I say unto you in the darkness, speak in the light, namely, let your light shine among the Gentiles; because they received the light of Christ, Who is the Light of the Gentiles. And He said again to His Apostles:— You are the light of the world. And again He said unto them— Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And again He showed with regard to Himself that He is the light, for He said to His disciples:— Walk while the light is with you, ere the darkness overtake you. And again He said to them:— Believe in the light that you may be children of light. And again He said:— I am the light of the world. And again He said:— No man lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel or under a bed, or puts it in a hidden place, but puts it upon the lamp-stand that every one may see the light of the lamp. And the shining lamp is Christ, as David said— Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my paths.

11. And furthermore the Prophet Hosea also said:— Light a lamp and seek the Lord. And our Lord Jesus Christ said:— What woman is there who has ten drachmos and shall lose one of them, and will not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek her drachma that she lost? What then does this woman signify? Clearly the congregation of the house of Israel, to which the ten commandments were given. They lost the first commandment— that in which He warned them saying:— I am the Lord your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt. And when they had lost this first commandment, also the nine which are after it they could not keep, because on the first depend the nine. For it was an impossibility that while worshipping Baal, they should keep the nine commandments. For they lost the first commandment, like that woman who lost one drachma from the ten. So the Prophet cried unto them:— Light a lamp and seek the Lord. And furthermore the Prophet Isaiah also said:— Seek the Lord and when you shall have found Him, call upon Him; and when He is near let the sinner abandon his way and the wicked man his thought. For that lamp shone and they did not by it seek the Lord their God. And its light shone in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. And the lamp was set up on the lamp-stand and those who were in the house did not see its light. And what then means this, that the lamp was set up on the lamp-stand? Clearly His being raised up upon the cross. And by this all the house was made dark over them. For when they crucified Him, the light was darkened from them, and shone among the Gentiles, because that from the time of the sixth hour (of the day) on which they crucified Him even unto the ninth hour there was darkness in all the land of Israel. And the sun set in midday and the land was darkened in the shining daytime, as is written in Zechariah the Prophet:— It shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord, I will cause the sun to set in midday, and will make dark the land in the shining daytime.