THEOSISJerome of Stridon
The remaining length of the sacred portion measures ten thousand units to the east and ten thousand to the west, serving as a holy offering, with the produce from this land destined for the sustenance of the workers in the city. These workers will come from all the tribes of Israel. The entire area, which is a square measuring twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand, shall be designated as a holy space and a possession of the city. Following the depiction of the holy city and its surroundings, the additional sacred area extending ten thousand reeds east and another ten thousand west will be allocated for those laboring in the city to meet its various needs.
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This land is intended for cultivation, allowing the builders of the city walls, or those repairing the fallen structures, to be nourished from this part, ensuring that the city maintains an appealing appearance and that roofs can be restored when necessary.
This practice is not confined to Israel or the spiritual possession of the Holy Land within the Church’s sacraments; rather, it also occurs within the Roman Empire, where there are estates that have come under the ownership of cities through royal favor, inheritance, or communal gifts. These provisions aim to prevent gradual decay of buildings and to preserve the public structures that enhance the city's beauty. The workers, as noted, will come from all the tribes of Israel, reminding everyone of their duty to contribute to the construction of the Church.
Similar to the contributions made for the tabernacle, where individuals provided according to their abilities—some offered gold, silver, fine linen, and colored fabrics, while others provided animal skins and goat's hair—the rewards remained equal regardless of the gifts’ differences. The most commendable gifts came from those who contributed beyond their means, exemplified by the poor widow, who, having offered only two small coins, was esteemed by the Lord, who remarked: “Verily I say unto you, This poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Luke 21:3-4).
As previously mentioned concerning the contributions to the city, it should also be noted that the entire sacred precinct and territory of the city, when measured on all sides, totals two hundred and forty-six thousand and one-third paces. Since twenty-five thousand reeds equate to sixty-one thousand six hundred and sixty-seven Roman paces, multiplying this figure by four confirms the total. Thus, it becomes clear that everything must be interpreted in a spiritual context: the Church’s inheritance transcends the land once held by the priests and Levites in Judea, who did not receive a full inheritance but were granted forty-eight cities from each tribe as places for dwelling and refuge. This highlights that even those who may not be priests or Levites, yet labor in the Lord’s city, are nourished from the holy land, described as the land of the meek and faithful, where one may proclaim: “I believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps. 26:13).