Do not be surprised that I view the people of the old covenant as pitiable and woeful. When so many blessings from heaven came into their hands, they thrust them aside and were at great pains to reject them. The morning Sun of justice arose for them, but they thrust aside its rays and still sit in darkness. We [the Gentiles], who were nurtured by darkness, drew the light to ourselves and were freed from the gloom of error. They were the branches of that holy root, but those branches were broken. We had no share in the root, but we did reap the fruit of godliness. From their childhood they read the prophets, but they crucified him whom the prophets had foretold. We did not hear the divine prophecies, but we did worship him of whom they prophesied. And so they are pitiful because they rejected the blessings that were sent to them, while others seized hold of these blessings and drew them to themselves. Although they had been called to the adoption of sons, they fell to kinship with dogs; we who were dogs received the strength, through God’s grace, to put aside the irrational nature that was ours and to rise to the honor of sons.

This is our faith. Thus did God will that he should be known by all, thus believed the three children^[1] [of the fiery furnace] who did not feel the fire into which they were cast, which destroyed and burned up the unbelievers,^[2] while it fell harmless as a dew upon the faithful. The flames kindled by others became cold, seeing that the torment had justly lost its power in conflict with faith. For with them there was one in the form of an angel,^[3] comforting them,^[4] to the end that in number of the Trinity one supreme power might be praised. God was praised; the Father of God was seen in God’s angel and holy and spiritual grace in the children.^[5]

Holy people have never testified that they attained by their effort the right path to travel on as they made their way to the increase and perfection of virtue. Rather they would plead to the Lord and say, Direct me in your truth,^[1] and, Direct my way in your sight.^[2] Another one declares that it is not by faith alone but also by experience and, as it were, in the very nature of things that he has seized upon this, [saying], I have known, O Lord, that a person’s way is not in him, nor is it in a man to walk and to direct his own steps.^[3] And the Lord himself says to Israel, I will direct him like a green fir tree; from me your fruit has been found.

If any reader is a spiritual man who judges all things and he is judged by no one,^[1] not only will he allegorize the major regions as Judea and Egypt and Babylon but also areas of the earth. And just as in Judea is Jerusalem and Bethlehem and other cities, so in Egypt when he reads, Diospolis, Bubastis, Taphnis, Memphis, Syene, he will understand the meaning of things figuratively. Who is wise and understands these things? Or who is understanding and will know them?^[2]

It is only by deeply considering the matters in the divinely inspired Scriptures that we shall find the hidden truth. It would be fitting for us when looking into the dark shadows of the law to say what one of the holy prophets rightly said, Whoever will be wise will understand these things; and whoever will be prudent will know them. For the law is but a shadow of the good things to come, and not the exact image of the objects,^[1] as it is written. Yet the shadows bring forth the truth, even if they do not contain the whole truth in themselves. Because of this, the divinely inspired Moses placed a veil upon his face and spoke thus to the children of Israel,^[2] all but shouting by this act that a person might behold the beauty of the utterances made through him, not in outwardly appearing figures but in meditations hidden within us.^[3]

And to such a degree does the gospel desire that there should be wise people among believers, that for the sake of exercising the understanding of its hearers, it has spoken certain truths in enigmas, others in what are called dark sayings, others in parables, and others in problems. And one of the prophets—Hosea—says at the end of his prophecy, Who is wise, and he will understand these things? Or prudent, and he shall know them?^[1]

You could really demonstrate that a wise and understanding person is the one with knowledge of what has been said and with zeal for the things by which it is possible for people who avoid evil and zealously practice good to be established in freedom from lower things and in enjoyment of higher things. This is because everything done by God is marked by great correctness, with which he also applies punishment to the fallen and knows how to achieve their salvation when they repent. You could also demonstrate that the righteous are those of their number who also know how to profit from each category and who develop greater self-control from the punishments, on the one hand, while taking the enjoyment of the good things stemming from re-pentance as a stimulus to virtue, on the other. You could also demonstrate that the impious are those who deserve troubles in every way and of every kind, gaining nothing from them, stuck fast in a downward direction, and as a result not able to understand anything of their duty.