Chapter 140

¹ “And his loins were girded with gold of Ophaz.” Now “Ophaz” signifies pure gold, when translated from the Hebrew into the Greek.

² He was therefore girded about his loins with a pure belt; for the Word was about to bear us all about his own body, binding us tight with his own love as with a belt. For his perfect body was himself, and we are his members, united as in a perfect body and borne up by the Word himself.

³ “And his body was like Tharsis.” Now “Tharsis” is interpreted “Ethiopians”; for the prophet was already foretelling how hard he would be to recognize, since the Word, appearing in the world in the flesh, would be hard for many to know.

⁴ “And his face was like the lightning, and his eyes were as lamps of fire.” For it was fitting that the fiery and judging nature of the Word be signified beforehand, so that upon the ungodly he might justly bring fire and consume them, while to the righteous and to those who have hoped in him he might grant eternal immortality.

⁵ He added, saying, “And his arms and his feet were like gleaming bronze,” that he might signify the first calling of the fathers and the second, that from the nations, to be alike; for the last things shall be as the first, “for I will set,” he says, “your rulers as at the beginning and your leaders as before.”

⁶ “And his voice was like the voice of a great multitude.” For all of us today who believe in him utter the words of Christ, speaking as through his mouth the things commanded by him.