Letter 61

To Theodotion. You have reasonably marveled and been perplexed as to how perceptible stones could have contained the whole of Deuteronomy written upon them [cf. Deuteronomy 27:2-8; Joshua 8:32, the law inscribed on stones]. Let us understand, then, that the Gospel of Christ was mystically foretold as "Deuteronomy" [literally "second law"], because after the law of Moses the divine Gospel was written; and that by "stones" are meant those who formerly had a stony heart [cf. Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26], but afterward were softened by faith and yielded to the Scripture of the Spirit.

Εἰκότως τεθαύμακας διαπορῶν, πῶς ἂν ἐδυνήθησαν λίθοι αἰσθητοὶ ὅλον γραφὲν χωρῆσαι τὸ Δευτερονόμιον. Νοήσωμεν τοιγαροῦν τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Εὐαγγέλιον Δευτερονόμιον μυστικῶς προειρῆσθαι, διότι μετὰ τὸν νόμον Μωϋσέως τὸ θεῖον Εὐαγγέλιον γέγραπται· λίθους δὲ τοὺς πρώην λιθίνην ἐσχηκότας καρδίαν, ὕστερον δὲ τῇ πίστει ἀπαλυνθέντας, καὶ ὑπείξαντας τῇ Γραφῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος.