Plato, again, in the seventh book of the _Republic_, has called “the day here nocturnal,” as I suppose, on account of “the world-rulers of this darkness;”[853] and the descent of the soul into the body, sleep and death, similarly with Heraclitus. And was not this announced, oracularly, of the Saviour, by the Spirit, saying by David, “I slept, and slumbered; I awoke: for the Lord will sustain me?”[854] For He not only figuratively calls the resurrection of Christ rising from sleep; but to the descent of the Lord into the flesh he also applies the figurative term sleep. The Saviour Himself enjoins, “Watch;”[855] as much as to say, “Study how to live, and endeavour to separate the soul from the body.” And the Lord’s day Plato prophetically speaks of in the tenth book of the _Republic_, in these words: “And when seven days have passed to each of them in the meadow, on the eighth they are to set out and arrive in four days.” By the meadow is to be understood the fixed sphere, as being a mild and genial spot, and the locality of the pious; and by the seven days each motion of the seven planets, and the whole practical art which speeds to the end of rest. But after the wandering orbs the journey leads to heaven, that is, to the eighth motion and day. And he says that souls are gone on the fourth day, pointing out the passage through the four elements. But the seventh day is recognised as sacred, not by the Hebrews only, but also by the Greeks; according to which the whole world of all animals and plants revolve. Hesiod says of it: “The first, and fourth, and seventh day were held sacred.” And again: “And on the seventh the sun’s resplendent orb.” And Homer: “And on the seventh then came the sacred day.” And: “The seventh was sacred.” And again: “It was the seventh day, and all things were accomplished.” And again: “And on the seventh morn we leave the stream of Acheron.” Callimachus the poet also writes: “It was the seventh morn, and they had all things done.” And again: “Among good days is the seventh day, and the seventh race.” And: “The seventh is among the prime, and the seventh is perfect.” And: “Now all the seven were made in starry heaven, In circles shining as the years appear.” The Elegies of Solon, too, intensely deify the seventh day. And how? Is it not similar to Scripture when it says, “Let us remove the righteous man from us, because he is troublesome to us?”[856] when Plato, all but predicting the economy of salvation, says in the second book of the _Republic_ as follows: “Thus he who is constituted just shall be scourged, shall be stretched on the rack, shall be bound, have his eyes put out; and at last, having suffered all evils, shall be crucified.” And the Socratic Antisthenes, paraphrasing that prophetic utterance, “To whom have ye likened me? saith the Lord,”[857] says that “God is like no one; wherefore no one can come to the knowledge of Him from an image.”