THEOSISJerome of Stridon
Stanza 12. The number associated with the apostles should quickly come to your awareness. Among many, the greatest of these is not distinct from the others in sequence, yet it holds a greater significance. The Israelites reached this location on the forty-seventh day, as recorded in Scripture: “And in the month of the third day of the departure of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, on this day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. And Moses went up to the mountain of God: and God spoke to him from the mountain, saying” (Ex. 19:1-3). Furthermore, the Lord instructed Moses to descend and bear witness to the people, directing them to consecrate themselves and purify their garments.
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They were to be prepared for the third day, when the Lord would descend upon Mount Sinai before all the people (Ex. 19:10, 11). This prophecy was fulfilled, for on the third day, the Lord came down upon the mountain, enveloped in smoke and accompanied by thunder, lightning, darkness, and the sound of a trumpet that struck fear into the hearts of mortals. Moses spoke, and the Lord answered him. If we calculate the timeline, it is established that the law was presented on Mount Sinai on the fiftieth day following the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Hence, the feast of Pentecost is observed, marking the moment when the mystery of the Gospel was amplified by the arrival of the Holy Spirit. As the law was granted to the former people on the fiftieth day—symbolizing a true jubilee and the year of release, and aligning with the true five hundred and fifty denarii forgiven to debtors—on that same day, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and the others gathered with them, numbering one hundred and twenty—this figure reflecting the years of Moses. With the gift of tongues bestowed upon the believers, the proclamation of the Gospel spread throughout the whole world. It would take considerable time to elaborate on all that is defined in the law: the construction of the tabernacle, the nature of the sacrifices, the sacred vessels, the garments of the high priest and priests, the various rituals, and the duties of the Levites, as well as the census of the people. I will mention only that half of the book of Exodus, the entirety of Leviticus, and many commandments in Numbers—such as the division of the people into distinct tribes and the offerings from the leaders—pertain to this camp, and expounding on it all would barely fill a volume. Sinai signifies bushes—plural, not singular as in the wilderness of Sin—since it represents both the origin and the culmination; there it is individual, here it is collective; for receiving one divine grace is different from receiving all.