Glory reflected, the letter withdrawn, and the spirit sight

More fiery in nature than the things visible to the eye, sapphire are their limbs, their appearance darker than soot. Those who sanctified themselves to God, he says, are made holy—indeed, the term Nazirites conveys this, as Symmachus and Theodotion likewise rendered the sanctified in Amos as Nazirites. Moses also remembers these, of what sort he was, and even Samson. They were also prominent among the Judeans. Therefore, their purity was tested against snow, their brightness against milk; yet they were refined by ascetic discipline, having been proven in what they had promised to God. But the elect among them—this is indicated by the fragment—possess a heavenly commonwealth, for such is the color of sapphire. Moreover, they have golden veins, by which Symmachus represents their constitution, possessing incorruptibility and enduring fire through piety. From the spiritual radiance they have fallen, weakened by intellectual hunger, so as to resemble dry wood, like those not planted by the watercourses; such are now the priests among them, possessing no spiritual nourishment. And according to the explicit statement, their faces have grown blackened from utter shame, because, though sinning like others, they were led away; and even now, the custom among those being disgraced is to use the name in this way. For in war, it is better to die swiftly than to be subdued by famine due to lack of field produce. One might even say the sword and the dagger are the word of God—for Paul says: “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”—by whom,

The bride says, "I am wounded by love." And David also says, "Gird your sword upon your thigh, mighty one, in your splendor and your beauty." Those struck by such swords—spears of divine judgment—it is fitting that they fall beneath Jesus’ feet, as it is written: "The peoples shall fall under you." They have confessed his kingdom, yet they are not to be destroyed by spiritual famine. For Christ is the offspring of a land, he who was born in Bethlehem, which is called "House of Bread." The Jews, having become estranged from this bread, have been driven away into the land of demons. But the field blessed by the Lord, exceedingly fragrant, which Jacob breathed upon, signifies the Church of Christ. 105 Lest the women think they have eaten their children through cruelty, he says they are compassionate; yet he attributes this to the necessity of scarcity. The act of kindling and roasting indicates what came to pass during the Roman siege; therefore, he calls the complete destruction of the nation a shattering. And in the second chapter of Lamentations, he treats the present suffering as an element of sorrow. And this, along with all other passions, Josephus has transmitted with accuracy in his writings on the siege. 106 For after the coming of Christ, these things were completed. 107 Perhaps indeed because of the strength of the place, the fortress, and the strength of its inhabitants, but most of all because of the God who continually protects the city. Yet before Nebuchadnezzar entered, the Egyptian often took the treasures from the house of the Lord, but did not destroy the city; for he did not greatly oppress it, even if he was an enemy.

Origen reflects on the paradoxical nature of divine wisdom, noting how the rulers of the earth and the demonic powers that once governed the nations—those referenced in Scripture as having gathered together against the Lord and His Christ—acted in ignorance. Had they understood the true identity of the Lord of glory, they would not have crucified Him. Their lack of knowledge stemmed from a mistaken belief that Jerusalem would not ultimately fall, as they clung to the idea that God’s promise to the patriarchs would be fulfilled in their time, unaware of the deeper mystery surrounding Christ. Yet it is precisely the righteous blood of Christ the Savior, poured out completely, that those who shed it ultimately destroyed themselves, even as they attempted to find moderation by comparing their guilt to the blood of the prophets. Symmachus describes the aftermath: they became unstable, blind in their ways, covered in blood to such an extent that they could not even touch their own garments. Meanwhile, Scripture calls the angels “watchers,” as seen in Daniel, and it is possible that the law given through Moses was mediated by such beings, as suggested by the phrase “if the law spoken through angels was…” Those who persisted in clinging to the law and the temple, despite being shaken by these events, were eventually displaced. Josephus records that when the priests approached the temple as was their custom for the sacrificial rites, they first reported sensing a movement, and then suddenly heard a loud voice—