Seven heavens; sevenfold Spirit on the Son; menorah pattern
Now this world is encompassed by seven heavens, in which dwell powers and angels and archangels, doing service to God, the Almighty and Maker of all things: not as though he were in need, but that they may not be idle and unprofitable and ineffectual.
Wherefore also the Spirit of God is manifold in his indwelling, and in seven forms of service is he reckoned by the prophet Isaiah, as resting on the Son of God, that is the Word, in his coming as man. ‘The Spirit of God,’ he says, ‘shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and of godliness; the Spirit of the fear of God shall fill him.’ (Isa 11:2-3)
Now the heaven which is first from above, and encompasses the rest, is that of wisdom; and the second from it, of understanding; and the third, of counsel; and the fourth, reckoned from above, is that of might; and the fifth, of knowledge; and the sixth, of godliness; and the seventh, this firmament of ours, is full of the fear of that Spirit which gives light to the heavens.
For, as the pattern of this, Moses received the seven-branched lampstand that shone continually in the holy place; for as a pattern of the heavens he received this service, according to that which the Word spoke unto him: ‘You shall make it according to all the pattern of the things which you have seen on the mountain.’ (Ex 25:40; Heb 8:5; seven lamps)
Greek
9. — Or le monde se compose de sept cieux 3 oü habitent les Vertus, , et les Anges, et les Archanges, qui reniplissent les fonctions du culte envers Dieu toüt-puissant et auteur de toutes choses. Ce n'est pas que Dieu ait be- sohl des anges; mais il ne veut pas les laisser oisifs, inutiles et incapables. Et c'est pour cela que Tesprit de Dieu se contente d'exercer son iniluence au dedans; et le prophete Isai'e'' enumerant sept formes de culte, parle de cet Esprit qui se reposera sur le Fils de Dieu, c'est-ä-dire sur le Verbe au moment de son incarnation. Et en efTet : « L Esprit de Dieu, dit-il, se reposera sur lui, espril de sagesse et d'intelligence, esprit de conseil et de force, esprit de seience et depiete; l'Esprit le remplira de crainte de Dieu"'. » Or, le premier ciel, le plus eleve, celui qui contient les autres, c'est la sagesse; le second, c'est celui d'intelligence ; le troisiemc, celui de conseil; et le quatrieme. a partir d'en haut en descendant, c'est celui de force; et le cinquieme, celui de seience; et le sixieme, celui de piete; et le septieme est, selon nous, ce firma- ment, plein de la crainte de cet Esprit qui illumine les cieux. Or Moyse en a donne l'ide.e dans le candelabre ä sept branches, qui etait continuelleraent allume dans le sanetuaire. En eilet, il a etabli le culte ä l'image des cieux, ei c'est pourquoi le Verbe lui dit : « Vous ferez tout ä fait selon le modele que vous aves vu sur In montagne 6 . o
About this text
Irenaeus’s short handbook of the apostolic preaching (Epideixis), preserved in Armenian. English here is a densified reading translation for study. Prior English exists (Robinson / Wilson) — this is not an Original English Translation.
English follows the Armenian of Patrologia Orientalis XII.5. Barthoulot’s French was used as a sense-check only. Robinson (1920) and Wilson’s prior English exist and were checked for independence — this page is densified English, not Original English Translation / no-previous-English.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PO XII.5 Epideixis (Armenian, Matenadaran M3710) (Armenian · §§1–10)
- Checked print Barthoulot French (PD) (French · §§1–10)
- Prior English Check Robinson 1920 / Wilson English (English · full work (prior complete English exists))
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.