Kebra Nagast

David her father prophesied, saying, <c The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the habitations of Jacob," 1 and he further said, " Marvellous is His speech concerning thee, O city of God." 2 And when he saith, " more than all the habitations of Israel " and " her gates " [he referreth to] the silence of her mouth, and the purity of her lips, and the praise which goeth forth from her mouth, like honey which floweth from her lips, and the purity of her virginity which was even as without spot or blemish or impurity before she brought forth and after she had brought forth she was pure and holy, and so shall it be, even as it was, unto all And in the heavens she goeth about with the eternity. a angels pure thing and she is the rod of Aaron. She liveth in Zion with the pot which is filled with manna, and with the two tables that were written with the ; ; Finger of God. And the heavenly, spiritual Zion is above them, the Zion, the making and constitution of which are wonderful, of which God Himself is her Maker and Fashioner for the habitation of His glory. And God spake unto Moses [saying], " Make a Tabernacle of wood which is indestructible [by worms and rot], and cover it over with plates of fine gold, every 3 And the gold is the fineness of the part thereof." Godhead that came down from heaven, for the Godhead and in like comprehendeth all heaven and earth manner is plated with gold the Tabernacle, the abode of ; the heavenly Zion. And the Tabernacle is to be inter- wood which is indestructible is to be interpreted as Christ our Redeemer. And the Gomorf which is the pot of gold inside the Tabernacle, is to be interpreted as Mary, and the manna which is in the pot is to be interpreted as the Body of Christ preted as Mary, and the 1 2 Psalm Ixxxvii, 2. Psalm Ixxxvii, 3. Exodus xxv, 10, " an ark of shittim wood." " 4 Exodus take a pot, and put an omer full of manna xvi, 33, 8 therein." 178