Instructions

Contents

Reading pages: 1.0–1.65 · 2.0–2.15

1. 1.0Eucherius dedicates his Instructions to his son Salonius, educated at Lérins, and explains the plan of the work.
2. 1.1The seven spirits of the Apocalypse are the seven gifts listed in Isaiah 11, all the work of the one Spirit.
3. 1.2The water, blood and Spirit of 1 John 5:8 are read either as baptism, martyrdom and the soul, or as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4. 1.3The sin unto death and the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit are impenitence until death.
5. 1.4“The world lies in the evil one” means that the vices of people in the world are evil, not that God made it so.
6. 1.5Paul rebaptized John's disciples because they were not baptized in the name of the Trinity; heretics baptized in that name receive only the laying on of hands.
7. 1.6God hardens the heart by deferring the punishment of sins.
8. 1.7God does not blind those who want to see; he “hands over” the self-blinded by abandoning them.
9. 1.8The coals of fire are either the compunction kindled by kindness, or the guilt the impenitent enemy heaps on himself.
10. 1.9All authority is from God, but not all use it well, as all receive life from God but do not all live well.
11. 1.10Christ is less than the Father as man and one with him as God; the Magi's gifts and their return by another way are explained figuratively.
12. 1.11The kingdom in which Christ drinks the new wine is the church, where he drinks his blood in his members.
13. 1.12Christ's coming “from now on” is his coming in the church, his body; the coming on the last day is his own coming as head.
14. 1.13“I shall be no more” means “no more a sojourner,” not that the psalmist will cease to exist.
15. 1.14“At the head of the book” refers to Christ, the Beginning in Gen 1:1 and John 1:1.
16. 1.15“Abyss calls to abyss”: the Old and New Testaments bear witness to each other.
17. 1.16Sons born in place of fathers: the apostles succeeding the prophets.
18. 1.17“A brother does not redeem, a man will redeem”: Moses did not redeem, Christ did.
19. 1.18David sinned against God alone because God alone is sinless; God is justified when judged.
20. 1.19“Will not halve their days” means either untimely death or failing to give part of life to God.
21. 1.20The thorns producing the bramble are sins reaching completion.
22. 1.21The righteous wash their hands in sinners' blood when God punishes the wicked unasked and the righteous shine by contrast.
23. 1.22“Do not have mercy on evildoers” is a wish for their correction in this life, not a curse.
24. 1.23God spoke once (firmly, or in the law); the two things heard are his power and his mercy.
25. 1.24Fire and water are persecution and martyrdom, or baptism and the Holy Spirit.
26. 1.25He who “ascends above the setting” is Christ, who overcame death.
27. 1.26The “willing rain” is the manna literally and the commandments spiritually, fulfilled in the Gospel where the Gentiles dwell.
28. 1.27The silvered dove with golden back: the Spirit, and the literal (silver) and inner (gold) senses of the two Testaments.
29. 1.28Bashan means “confusion”; the verse is read of the cross, which Christ endured willingly.
30. 1.29The princes of Zebulun and Naphtali are Peter and Andrew; Benjamin is Paul.
31. 1.30The enemies' “signs” are the Babylonians' trophies set up in the temple.
32. 1.31Salvation “in the midst of the earth” is the cross in Judea, or the incarnation in the virgin's womb.
33. 1.32The Lord's cup is mixed with mercy and judgment; its dregs are the final judgment still to come.
34. 1.33God rejoices in a pure mind as in a festival.
35. 1.34The “wheel” in which the thunder sounds is the round world.
36. 1.35Striking the enemies “in the hinder parts” is literally the Philistines' plague and spiritually the last judgment.
37. 1.36The boar and the wild beast of Psalm 80 are Vespasian and Titus.
38. 1.37“No new god” excludes idols or the antichrist, not Christ, the eternal Word who appeared to the patriarchs.
39. 1.38The “gods” among whom God stands are the saints, who share his name as sons of God.
40. 1.39Righteousness and peace kissing: law and grace joined in Christ.
41. 1.40The gates of Zion preferred to the tents of Jacob: the church preferred to the synagogue.
42. 1.41Psalm 87:5 is read of Christ, born in Zion, who is also the Most High who founded her.
43. 1.42“Free among the dead” is Christ, sinless among sinners.
44. 1.43The land of forgetfulness is the flesh of the wicked forsaken by God, or death and hell.
45. 1.44The eagle's renewal (a natural-history tale) figures our renewal by baptism or resurrection.
46. 1.45The abyss is the covering of the earth, not of God, as the context shows.
47. 1.46Waters stand above mountains as rain clouds or as mountainous waves.
48. 1.47The dragon is the devil, created good by God before his voluntary fall, and mocked by children in Isaiah.
49. 1.48“Iron passed through his soul” refers to Christ's nails, or to hard tribulation.
50. 1.49A psalm (played) stands for the active life, a canticle (sung) for the contemplative.
51. 1.50God's oath means an unchangeable promise.
52. 1.51Christ drank of the torrent of the passion in the world and was therefore exalted.
53. 1.52The fifteen Songs of Steps correspond to the temple's fifteen steps and lead to spiritual heights.
54. 1.53The arrows are God's words piercing hearts with love; the coals purge sin, like Isaiah's coal.
55. 1.54God never sleeps; he is said to sleep when faith sleeps in us.
56. 1.55Jerusalem's “sharing in the selfsame” means many parts making one city, the one body of Christ.
57. 1.56“Perhaps” in Psalm 124:5 renders the Greek ἄρα, “do you think,” making the verse a question.
58. 1.57The soul asks to be freed from sin as frozen torrents are loosed by the south wind.
59. 1.58Psalm 127 is read of the resurrection: the nations are Christ's inheritance, and the apostles are arrows, “sons” of the prophets.
60. 1.59The weaned soul is raised from ignorance to perfect understanding.
61. 1.60Psalm 137:8–9 is read historically of Cyrus and spiritually of dashing the first vices against Christ the rock.
62. 1.61“Confess” in Scripture often means to praise or thank God, not to repent.
63. 1.62God sees us before we are formed and records all our wills; filled with Christ, we receive nothing alien to God.
64. 1.63The young ravens are believers born of unbelieving parents.
65. 1.64God's cold signifies temptations.
66. 1.65The saints' two-edged swords punish body and soul; the despised saints will judge nations and kings.
67. 2.0Eucherius introduces Book 2, a classified list of explanations, beginning with Hebrew names.
68. 2.1A list of Hebrew and other names with their traditional meanings, ending with the point that names in Scripture fit their bearers.
69. 2.2Meanings of liturgical and biblical words such as Alleluia, Amen, Diapsalma, Hosanna, Maranatha, Seraphim and Cherubim.
70. 2.3Meanings of obscure biblical words for plants, weapons, vessels, instruments, measures, and terms of the tabernacle and temple, comparing old and new Latin translations.
71. 2.4The nations of the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 identified with later peoples.
72. 2.5Biblical place names identified with later names (Jebus, Babel, Shechem, Ararat, Hebron, Emmaus, Calvary).
73. 2.6Biblical rivers and waters identified: Gihon, Pishon, Jordan, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, the pool of Bethsaida.
74. 2.7The Hebrew months with their Roman equivalents.
75. 2.8The meanings of the feasts and holy days: jubilee, Pascha, Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, Epiphany, new moon, Preparation, Sabbath.
76. 2.9Names of idols and demonic beings in Scripture explained.
77. 2.10Priestly and other garments of Scripture explained: ephod, robe, breastpiece, mitre, golden plate, cloaks.
78. 2.11Birds and insects of Scripture identified.
79. 2.12Animals of Scripture identified: rhinoceros, unicorn, wild goat, rock badgers, hedgehogs, locusts.
80. 2.13Biblical weights and coins with their Roman equivalents.
81. 2.14Biblical measures of capacity with their Roman equivalents.
82. 2.15Church terms of Greek origin explained (God, homoousion, bishop, presbyter, deacon, catholic, eucharist, creed), and the conclusion of the work.