‹Σχόλιον κε´›

EPΦρον‹ι›μώτερον ἐντυγχάνειν δεῖ τῇ θεοπεύστῳγραφῇ, ἵνα μὴ γέλωτα ὀφλισκάνωμεν παρὰ τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου σοφοῖς· ἀκούοντες γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ‹ἀ›νεῷχθαιθύραν, ἀδύνατον τίθενται τὸ λεχθέν· πρὸς οὓς ἐροῦμεν μὴ 262rκατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον ταῦτα γεγράφθαι, ἀλλὰ κατὰ κεκρυμμέ|νον ἡ τῶν νοητῶν οὐσία δηλοῦται ἐν τῇ γραφῇ πολλάκις τῇ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ προσηγορίᾳ. διὸ ὅταν λέγ‹ῃ› θύραν ‹ἀ›ν‹εῷ›χθαιἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, τὴν κατὰ σαφήν‹ε›ιαν διαίρεσιν τῶν νοητῶν ἐκλαμβάνωμεν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἀναβαίν‹ω›ν τις ἐκεῖ τῶν ἁγίων λέγει τὰς πιστώσεις. πιστώσεις δὲ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ γεγράφθαι ὡς ἕτερός τι‹ς› ἀνέλαβε τὸν Ἰωάννην, ὥσπερ τὸν Ἠλίαν· αὐτὸς γὰρ προσετάγ‹η› ἑκουσίῳ ὁρμῇ ἀναβῆναι, ἔνθα ὁ καλῶν ὑπῆρχεν· ἦν δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ. φησὶν δὲ τὸν προτρεψάμενον φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ο‹ἷ›α σάλπιγγος εἰρηκέναι αὐτῷ τὰ προκείμενα· σημαίνει δὲ τ‹ὸ› οὕτω λεχθὲν τὴν ἐνν‹ό›ησιν ‹τῆς› μεγαλ‹ο›φωνία‹ς› μετὰ σαφην‹ε›ίας γενομένη‹ς› πρὸς αὐτόν.

Scholion XXV

We should study Scripture, which is given by inspiration of God, in a more insightful manner, so that we should not make ourselves a laughing-stock of the wise of this world. For when they hear that a door was opened in heaven, they declare this saying impossible. We will reply to them that these things have been written not in the ordinary sense. But quite often in scripture, the nature of spiritual things is denoted in an esoteric manner through the appellation heaven. When therefore he says that a door was opened in heaven, we should grasp the distinctive classification of intelligible things, all the more so when one of the saints gives a reliable account of what he has seen once he ascended there. You can confirm this from the fact that [in this passage of Revelation] it has not been written that John was drawn up, like Elias, by someone else. Instead, he [sc. Elias] was bidden to go up of his own accord, to the place where the One who summoned him was and he was in heaven. He then says that He who urged him [sc. John], said these words in a loud voice, which was like a trumpet sound. Put in that way, this indicates the comprehension of the lofty utterance, which was addressed to him explicitly.