Complete Works of Philo Judaeus, Vol. 2

as the sun reveals things hidden by the night, so the mind, sending out its own light, prepares all things—both bodies and matters—to be clearly understood. Therefore, one would not be mistaken to say that the mind is the sun of our constitution, which, if it does not rise in the human—the microcosm—and shine forth its own radiance, casts a great darkness over existing things and allows nothing to be brought forward.

§. 17. The ascetic Jacob calls this mound as a witness in his dispute with Laban, declaring most dogmatically that the mind is a witness to each person for the things they deliberate in secret. The conscience is an impartial judge and the most truthful of all, being built before these cities. For it is said, "The scouts came to Hebron; and there were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the race of Enoch" original: "Num. 13, 23.". Then he adds, "And Hebron was built seven years before Tanis of Egypt."

It is most natural to distinguish homonyms by their forms. Hebron is interpreted as "conjunction" or "alliance." This is twofold: it is either the soul conjoined to the body, or the soul fitted to virtue. The soul that submits itself to bodily conjunctions has the aforementioned inhabitants.

Ahiman is interpreted as "my brother," Sheshai as "outside of me," and Talmai as "one hanging." For it is necessary for souls that love the body to consider the body a brother and to value external goods highly. Those who are disposed in this way hang from inanimate things and, like those who have been impaled, are nailed to corruptible materials until death. But the soul that is conjoined to the Good has obtained inhabitants of a different character, whom the 237 M. double cave has received in pairs: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Leah and Jacob—virtues and those who possess them. This Hebron is a treasury of memories of knowledge